Texte grec :
| [4,135] πάλιν δὲ ὁ μὲν φιλόδοξος συμβουλεύει
καὶ παρακαλεῖ προΐεσθαι τὰ ὄντα τιμῆς ἕνεκεν· ὁ δὲ καὶ πρὸς
τοῦτον ἀπομάχεται καὶ ἀντιβαίνει. καὶ μὴν ὅ γε τῆς ἡδονῆς φίλος
καὶ ὁ τῆς δόξης οὔποτε δύνανται συνᾷσαι οὐδὲ τὸ αὐτὸ εἰπεῖν.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ καταφρονεῖ τῆς δόξης καὶ λῆρον ἡγεῖται καὶ τὸ τοῦ
Σαρδαναπάλλου προφέρεται πολλάκις ἐλεγεῖον,
τόσς´ ἔχω ὅσς´ ἔφαγον καὶ ἐφύβρισα καὶ μετ´ ἔρωτος
τέρπν´ ἔπαθον· τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ καὶ ὄλβια πάντα λέλειπται,
(136) καὶ μάλιστα τὸν θάνατον ἀεὶ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν δείκνυσιν, ὡς οὐδενὸς
ἔτι τῶν ἡδέων δυνησομένῳ μετασχεῖν· ὁ δὲ φιλόδοξος ἀπάγει
τε καὶ ἀφέλκει τῶν ἡδονῶν, τά τε ὀνείδη καὶ τὰς λοιδορίας
(137) ἐπανατεινόμενος. οὐκ ἔχων οὖν ὃ ποιήσῃ καὶ ὅποι τράπηται καὶ
καταδύσηται, ἀποδιδράσκει πολλάκις εἰς τὸ σκότος, καὶ πειρᾶται
λανθάνων τῷ ἑτέρῳ χαρίζεσθαι καὶ ὑπηρετεῖν· ὁ δὲ ἀποκαλύπτει
(138) καὶ εἰς τὸ μέσον αὐτὸν ἕλκει. οὕτω δὴ ψυχὴν διαφορουμένην τε
καὶ διασπωμένην, ἀεί ποτε ἐν μάχῃ καὶ στάσει διηνεκεῖ πρὸς
αὑτὴν οὖσαν, ἀνάγκη πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀφικνεῖσθαι δυστυχίαν. ὥσπερ
γὰρ τὰ νοσήματα ἀλλήλοις ἐπιπλεκόμενα, τἀναντία δοκοῦντα πολλάκις,
χαλεπὴν καὶ ἄπορον ποιεῖ τὴν ἴασιν, τὸν αὐτὸν οἶμαι τρόπον
ἀνάγκη γίγνεσθαι καὶ τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς συμμιγνυμένων τε καὶ
συμπλεκομένων εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ παθῶν.
(139) ἀλλὰ δὴ μεταλαβόντες καθαράν τε καὶ κρείττω τῆς πρότερον
ἁρμονίας τὸν ἀγαθὸν καὶ σώφρονα ὑμνῶμεν δαίμονα καὶ θεὸν, οἷς
ποτε ἐκείνου τυχεῖν ἐπέκλωσαν ἀγαθαὶ Μοῖραι παιδείας ὑγιοῦς
καὶ λόγου μεταλαβοῦσι {καὶ δὴ πεπρωμένον αὐτοῖς ἐκ θεῶν ἐγένετο}.
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Traduction française :
| [4,135] Again, the spirit that
loves distinction counsels and encourages him to
sacrifice all that he has for the sake of honour, but
the other spirit opposes and blocks this one. And
indeed, the lover of pleasure and the lover of fame
can never be in accord or say the same thing; for
the one despises fame, thinks it nonsense, and often
cites the lines of Sardanapallus :
'What I have eaten and wantoned, the joys I have had of my amours,
These alone have I now. The Test of my blessings have vanished.'
(136) And especially does this spirit ever keep death
before his eyes, warning him that when dead he will
be able to enjoy no pleasures any longer. But the
spirit that courts fame leads, yea, drags him away
from pleasure by keeping him in mind of the censure
and reproach that will be his. Not knowing, therefore,
what to do or whither to turn and hide himself,
he often runs away into the darkness and under its
cover tries to please and serve the second spirit, but the
other finds him out and drags him into the open, and
his soul, thus tom and distracted and ever in battle
and ceaseless strife with itself, cannot but end its
course in utter misery. For just as a complication of
maladies, that often seem to conflict with one another,
makes the cure difficult and well-nigh hopeless, so,
in my opinion, must the situation be when different
affections of the soul are mingled and entwined into one.
(139) "But come, let us attain a pure harmony, better
than that which we enjoyed before, and extol the
good and wise guardian spirit or godus who the
kindly Fates decreed should receive Him when we
should have gained a sound education and reason."
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