ion-第3章

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inspiration。


　　Ion。　That　is　good；　Socrates；　and　yet　I　doubt　whether　you　will　ever


have　eloquence　enough　to　persuade　me　that　I　praise　Homer　only　when　I


am　mad　and　possessed；　and　if　you　could　hear　me　speak　of　him　I　am


sure　you　would　never　think　this　to　be　the　case。


　　Soc。　I　should　like　very　much　to　hear　you；　but　not　until　you　have


answered　a　question　which　I　have　to　ask。　On　what　part　of　Homer　do


you　speak　well？…　not　surely　about　every　part。


　　Ion。　There　is　no　part；　Socrates；　about　which　I　do　not　speak　well


of　that　I　can　assure　you。


　　Soc。　Surely　not　about　things　in　Homer　of　which　you　have　no


knowledge？


　　Ion。　And　what　is　there　in　Homer　of　which　I　have　no　knowledge？


　　Soc。　Why；　does　not　Homer　speak　in　many　passages　about　arts？　For


example；　about　driving；　if　I　can　only　remember　the　lines　I　will　repeat


them。


　　Ion。　I　remember；　and　will　repeat　them。


　　Soc。　Tell　me　then；　what　Nestor　says　to　Antilochus；　his　son；　where　he


bids　him　be　careful　of　the　turn　at　the　horse…race　in　honour　of


Patroclus。


　　Ion。　He　says：





　　Bend　gently　in　the　polished　chariot　to　the　left　of　them；　and　urge


the　horse　on　the　right　hand　with　whip　and　voice；　and　slacken　the　rein。


And　when　you　are　at　the　goal；　let　the　left　horse　draw　near；　yet　so


that　the　nave　of　the　well…wrought　wheel　may　not　even　seem　to　touch　the


extremity；　and　avoid　catching　the　stone。





　　Soc。　Enough。　Now；　Ion；　will　the　charioteer　or　the　physician　be　the


better　judge　of　the　propriety　of　these　lines？


　　Ion。　The　charioteer；　clearly。


　　Soc。　And　will　the　reason　be　that　this　is　his　art；　or　will　there　be


any　other　reason？


　　Ion。　No；　that　will　be　the　reason。


　　Soc。　And　every　art　is　appointed　by　God　to　have　knowledge　of　a


certain　work；　for　that　which　we　know　by　the　art　of　the　pilot　we　do　not


know　by　the　art　of　medicine？


　　Ion。　Certainly　not。


　　Soc。　Nor　do　we　know　by　the　art　of　the　carpenter　that　which　we　know


by　the　art　of　medicine？


　　Ion。　Certainly　not。


　　Soc。　And　this　is　true　of　all　the　arts；…　that　which　we　know　with


one　art　we　do　not　know　with　the　other？　But　let　me　ask　a　prior


question：　You　admit　that　there　are　differences　of　arts？


　　Ion。　Yes。


　　Soc。　You　would　argue；　as　I　should；　that　when　one　art　is　of　one


kind　of　knowledge　and　another　of　another；　they　are　different？


　　Ion。　Yes。


　　Soc。　Yes；　surely；　for　if　the　subject　of　knowledge　were　the　same；


there　would　be　no　meaning　in　saying　that　the　arts　were　different；…


if　they　both　gave　the　same　knowledge。　For　example；　I　know　that　here


are　five　fingers；　and　you　know　the　same。　And　if　I　were　to　ask


whether　I　and　you　became　acquainted　with　this　fact　by　the　help　of


the　same　art　of　arithmetic；　you　would　acknowledge　that　we　did？


　　Ion。　Yes。


　　Soc。　Tell　me；　then；　what　I　was　intending　to　ask　you…　whether　this


holds　universally？　Must　the　same　art　have　the　same　subject　of


knowledge；　and　different　arts　other　subjects　of　knowledge？


　　Ion。　That　is　my　opinion；　Socrates。


　　Soc。　Then　he　who　has　no　knowledge　of　a　particular　art　will　have　no


right　judgment　of　the　sayings　and　doings　of　that　art？


　　Ion。　Very　true。


　　Soc。　Then　which　will　be　a　better　judge　of　the　lines　which　you　were


reciting　from　Homer；　you　or　the　charioteer？


　　Ion。　The　charioteer。


　　Soc。　Why；　yes；　because　you　are　a　rhapsode　and　not　a　charioteer。


　　Ion。　Yes。


　　Soc。　And　the　art　of　the　rhapsode　is　different　from　that　of　the


charioteer？


　　Ion。　Yes。


　　Soc。　And　if　a　different　knowledge；　then　a　knowledge　of　different


matters？


　　Ion。　True。


　　Soc。　You　know　the　passage　in　which　Hecamede；　the　concubine　of


Nestor；　is　described　as　giving　to　the　wounded　Machaon　a　posset；　as


he　says；





　　Made　with　Pramnian　wine；　and　she　grated　cheese　of　goat's　milk　with　a


grater　of　bronze；　and　at　his　side　placed　an　onion　which　gives　a　relish


to　drink。





Now　would　you　say　that　the　art　of　the　rhapsode　or　the　art　of


medicine　was　better　able　to　judge　of　the　propriety　of　these　lines？


　　Ion。　The　art　of　medicine。


　　Soc。　And　when　Homer　says；





　　And　she　descended　into　the　deep　like　a　leaden　plummet；　which；　set　in


the　horn　of　ox　that　ranges　in　the　fields；　rushes　along　carrying


death　among　the　ravenous　fishes；…





will　the　art　of　the　fisherman　or　of　the　rhapsode　be　better　able　to


judge　whether　these　lines　are　rightly　expressed　or　not？


　　Ion。　Clearly；　Socrates；　the　art　of　the　fisherman。


　　Soc。　Come　now；　suppose　that　you　were　to　say　to　me：　〃Since　you；


Socrates；　are　able　to　assign　different　passages　in　Homer　to　their


corresponding　arts；　I　wish　that　you　would　tell　me　what　are　the


passages　of　which　the　excellence　ought　to　be　judged　by　the　prophet　and


prophetic　art〃；　and　you　will　see　how　readily　and　truly　I　shall


answer　you。　For　there　are　many　such　passages；　particularly　in　the


Odyssey；　as；　for　example；　the　passage　in　which　Theoclymenus　the


prophet　of　the　house　of　Melampus　says　to　the　suitors：…





　　Wretched　men！　what　is　happening　to　you？　Your　heads　and　your　faces


and　your　limbs　underneath　are　shrouded　in　night；　and　the　voice　of


lamentation　bursts　forth；　and　your　cheeks　are　wet　with　tears。　And


the　vestibule　is　full；　and　the　court　is　full；　of　ghosts　descending


into　the　darkness　of　Erebus；　and　the　sun　has　perished　out　of　heaven；


and　an　evil　mist　is　spread　abroad。





　　And　there　are　many　such　passages　in　the　Iliad　also；　as　for　example


in　the　description　of　the　battle　near　the　rampart；　where　he　says：…





　　As　they　were　eager　to　pass　the　ditch；　there　came　to　them　an　omen：


a　soaring　eagle；　holding　back　the　people　on　the　left；　bore　a　huge


bloody　dragon　in　his　talons；　still　living　and　panting；　nor　had　he


yet　resigned　the　strife；　for　he　bent　back　and　smote　the　bird　which


carried　him　on　the　breast　by　the　neck；　and　he　in　pain　let　him　fall


from　him　to　the　ground　into　the　midst　of　the　multitude。　And　the　eagle；


with　a　cry；　was　borne　afar　on　the　wings　of　the　wind。





　　These　are　the　sort　of　things　which　I　should　say　that　the　prophet


ought　to　consider　and　determine。


　　Ion。　And　you　are　quite　right；　Socrates；　in　saying　so。


　　Soc。　Yes；　Ion；　and　you　are　right　also。　And　as　I　have　selected　from


the　Iliad　and　Odyssey　for　you　passages　which　describe　the　office　of


the　prophet　and　the　physician　and　the　fisherman；　do　you；　who　know


Homer　so　much　better　than　I　do；　Ion；　select　for　me　passages　which


relate　to　the　rhapsode　and　the　rhapsode's　art；　and　which　the


rhapsode　ought　to　examine　and　judge　of　better　than　other　men。


　　Ion。　All　passages；　I　should　say；　Socrates。


　　Soc。　Not　all；　Ion；　surely。　Have　you　already　forgotten　what　you


were　saying？　A　rhapsode　ought　to　have　a　better　memory。


　　Ion。　Why；　what　am　I　forgetting？


　　Soc。　Do　you　not　remember　that　you　declared　the　art　of　the　rhapsode


to　be　different　from　the　art　of　the　charioteer？


　　Ion。　Yes；　I　remember。


　　Soc。　And　you　admitted　that　being　different　they　would　have　different


subjects　of　knowledge？


　　Ion。　Yes。


　　Soc。　Then　upon　your　own　showing　the　rhapsode；　and　the　art　of　the


rhapsode；　will　not　know　everything？


　　Ion。　I　should　exclude　certain　things；　Socrates。


　　Soc。　You　mean　to　say　that　you　would　exclude　pretty　much　the　subjects


of　the　other　arts。　As　he　does　not　know　all　of　them；　which　of　them　will


he　know？


　　Ion。　He　will　know　what　a　man　and　what　a　woman　ought　to　say；　and　what


a　freeman　and　what　a　slave　ought　to　say；　and　what　a　ruler　and　what　a


subject。


　　Soc。　Do　you　mean　that　a　rhapsode　will　know　better　than　the　pilot


what　the　ruler　of　a　sea…tossed　vessel　ought　to　say？


　　Ion。　No；　the　pilot　will　know　best。


　　Soc。　Or　will　the　rhapsode　know　better　than　the　physician　what　the


ruler　of　a　sick　man　ought　to　say？


　　Ion。　He　will　not。


　　Soc。　But　he　will　know　what　a　slave　ought　to　say？


　　Ion。　Yes。


　　Soc。　Suppose　the　slave　to　be　a　cowherd；　the　rhapsode　will　know


better　than　the　cowherd　what　he　ought　to　say　in　order　to　soothe　the


infuriated　cows？


　　Ion。　No；　he　will　not。


　　Soc。　But　he　will　know　what　a　spinning…woman　ought　to　say　about　the


working　of　wool？


　　Ion。　No。


　　Soc。　At　any　rate　he　will　know