poetics-第1章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　POETICS



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　by　Aristotle



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Translated　by　S。　H。　Butcher



POETICS｜1



　　I







　　I　PROPOSE　to　treat　of　Poetry　in　itself　and　of　its　various　kinds；



noting　the　essential　quality　of　each；　to　inquire　into　the　structure　of



the　plot　as　requisite　to　a　good　poem；　into　the　number　and　nature　of



the　parts　of　which　a　poem　is　composed；　and　similarly　into　whatever



else　falls　within　the　same　inquiry。　Following；　then；　the　order　of



nature；　let　us　begin　with　the　principles　which　come　first。



　　Epic　poetry　and　Tragedy；　Comedy　also　and　Dithyrambic　poetry；　and　the



music　of　the　flute　and　of　the　lyre　in　most　of　their　forms；　are　all



in　their　general　conception　modes　of　imitation。　They　differ；



however；　from　one　another　in　three　respects…　the　medium；　the



objects；　the　manner　or　mode　of　imitation；　being　in　each　case　distinct。



　　For　as　there　are　persons　who；　by　conscious　art　or　mere　habit；



imitate　and　represent　various　objects　through　the　medium　of　color



and　form；　or　again　by　the　voice；　so　in　the　arts　above　mentioned；　taken



as　a　whole；　the　imitation　is　produced　by　rhythm；　language；　or



'harmony；'　either　singly　or　combined。



　　Thus　in　the　music　of　the　flute　and　of　the　lyre；　'harmony'　and　rhythm



alone　are　employed；　also　in　other　arts；　such　as　that　of　the　shepherd's



pipe；　which　are　essentially　similar　to　these。　In　dancing；　rhythm　alone



is　used　without　'harmony'；　for　even　dancing　imitates　character；



emotion；　and　action；　by　rhythmical　movement。



　　There　is　another　art　which　imitates　by　means　of　language　alone；



and　that　either　in　prose　or　verse…　which　verse；　again；　may　either



combine　different　meters　or　consist　of　but　one　kind…　but　this　has



hitherto　been　without　a　name。　For　there　is　no　common　term　we　could



apply　to　the　mimes　of　Sophron　and　Xenarchus　and　the　Socratic　dialogues



on　the　one　hand；　and；　on　the　other；　to　poetic　imitations　in　iambic；



elegiac；　or　any　similar　meter。　People　do；　indeed；　add　the　word　'maker'



or　'poet'　to　the　name　of　the　meter；　and　speak　of　elegiac　poets；　or



epic　（that　is；　hexameter）　poets；　as　if　it　were　not　the　imitation



that　makes　the　poet；　but　the　verse　that　entitles　them　all　to　the　name。



Even　when　a　treatise　on　medicine　or　natural　science　is　brought　out



in　verse；　the　name　of　poet　is　by　custom　given　to　the　author；　and　yet



Homer　and　Empedocles　have　nothing　in　common　but　the　meter；　so　that



it　would　be　right　to　call　the　one　poet；　the　other　physicist　rather



than　poet。　On　the　same　principle；　even　if　a　writer　in　his　poetic



imitation　were　to　combine　all　meters；　as　Chaeremon　did　in　his　Centaur；



which　is　a　medley　composed　of　meters　of　all　kinds；　we　should　bring　him



too　under　the　general　term　poet。



　　So　much　then　for　these　distinctions。



　　There　are；　again；　some　arts　which　employ　all　the　means　above



mentioned…　namely；　rhythm；　tune；　and　meter。　Such　are　Dithyrambic　and



Nomic　poetry；　and　also　Tragedy　and　Comedy；　but　between　them　originally



the　difference　is；　that　in　the　first　two　cases　these　means　are　all



employed　in　combination；　in　the　latter；　now　one　means　is　employed；　now



another。



　　Such；　then；　are　the　differences　of　the　arts　with　respect　to　the



medium　of　imitation



POETICS｜2



　　II







　　Since　the　objects　of　imitation　are　men　in　action；　and　these　men　must



be　either　of　a　higher　or　a　lower　type　（for　moral　character　mainly



answers　to　these　divisions；　goodness　and　badness　being　the



distinguishing　marks　of　moral　differences）；　it　follows　that　we　must



represent　men　either　as　better　than　in　real　life；　or　as　worse；　or　as



they　are。　It　is　the　same　in　painting。　Polygnotus　depicted　men　as



nobler　than　they　are；　Pauson　as　less　noble；　Dionysius　drew　them　true



to　life。



　　Now　it　is　evident　that　each　of　the　modes　of　imitation　above



mentioned　will　exhibit　these　differences；　and　become　a　distinct　kind



in　imitating　objects　that　are　thus　distinct。　Such　diversities　may　be



found　even　in　dancing；　flute…playing；　and　lyre…playing。　So　again　in



language；　whether　prose　or　verse　unaccompanied　by　music。　Homer；　for



example；　makes　men　better　than　they　are；　Cleophon　as　they　are；　Hegemon



the　Thasian；　the　inventor　of　parodies；　and　Nicochares；　the　author　of



the　Deiliad；　worse　than　they　are。　The　same　thing　holds　good　of



Dithyrambs　and　Nomes；　here　too　one　may　portray　different　types；　as



Timotheus　and　Philoxenus　differed　in　representing　their　Cyclopes。



The　same　distinction　marks　off　Tragedy　from　Comedy；　for　Comedy　aims　at



representing　men　as　worse；　Tragedy　as　better　than　in　actual　life。



POETICS｜3



　　III







　　There　is　still　a　third　difference…　the　manner　in　which　each　of　these



objects　may　be　imitated。　For　the　medium　being　the　same；　and　the



objects　the　same；　the　poet　may　imitate　by　narration…　in　which　case



he　can　either　take　another　personality　as　Homer　does；　or　speak　in



his　own　person；　unchanged…　or　he　may　present　all　his　characters　as



living　and　moving　before　us。



　　These；　then；　as　we　said　at　the　beginning；　are　the　three



differences　which　distinguish　artistic　imitation…　the　medium；　the



objects；　and　the　manner。　So　that　from　one　point　of　view；　Sophocles



is　an　imitator　of　the　same　kind　as　Homer…　for　both　imitate　higher



types　of　character；　from　another　point　of　view；　of　the　same　kind　as



Aristophanes…　for　both　imitate　persons　acting　and　doing。　Hence；　some



say；　the　name　of　'drama'　is　given　to　such　poems；　as　representing



action。　For　the　same　reason　the　Dorians　claim　the　invention　both　of



Tragedy　and　Comedy。　The　claim　to　Comedy　is　put　forward　by　the



Megarians…　not　only　by　those　of　Greece　proper；　who　allege　that　it



originated　under　their　democracy；　but　also　by　the　Megarians　of　Sicily；



for　the　poet　Epicharmus；　who　is　much　earlier　than　Chionides　and



Magnes；　belonged　to　that　country。　Tragedy　too　is　claimed　by　certain



Dorians　of　the　Peloponnese。　In　each　case　they　appeal　to　the　evidence



of　language。　The　outlying　villages；　they　say；　are　by　them　called



komai；　by　the　Athenians　demoi：　and　they　assume　that　comedians　were



so　named　not　from　komazein；　'to　revel；'　but　because　they　wandered　from



village　to　village　（kata　komas）；　being　excluded　contemptuously　from



the　city。　They　add　also　that　the　Dorian　word　for　'doing'　is　dran；



and　the　Athenian；　prattein。



　　This　may　suffice　as　to　the　number　and　nature　of　the　various　modes　of



imitation。



POETICS｜4



　　IV







　　Poetry　in　general　seems　to　have　sprung　from　two　causes；　each　of　them



lying　deep　in　our　nature。　First；　the　instinct　of　imitation　is



implanted　in　man　from　childhood；　one　difference　between　him　and



other　animals　being　that　he　is　the　most　imitative　of　living　creatures；



and　through　imitation　learns　his　earliest　lessons；　and　no　less



universal　is　the　pleasure　felt　in　things　imitated。　We　have　evidence　of



this　in　the　facts　of　experience。　Objects　which　in　themselves　we　view



with　pain；　we　delight　to　contemplate　when　reproduced　with　minute



fidelity：　such　as　the　forms　of　the　most　ignoble　animals　and　of　dead



bodies。　The　cause　of　this　again　is；　that　to　learn　gives　the



liveliest　pleasure；　not　only　to　philosophers　but　to　men　in　general；



whose　capacity；　however；　of　learning　is　more　limited。　Thus　the



reason　why　men　enjoy　seeing　a　likeness　is；　that　in　contemplating　it



they　find　themselves　learning　or　inferring；　and　saying　perhaps；　'Ah；



that　is　he。'　For　if　you　happen　not　to　have　seen　the　original；　the



pleasure　will　be　due　not　to　the　imitation　as　such；　but　to　the



execution；　the　coloring；　or　some　such　other　cause。



　　Imitation；　then；　is　one　instinct　of　our　nature。　Next；　there　is　the



instinct　for　'harmony'　and　rhythm；　meters　being　manifestly　sections　of



rhythm。　Persons；　therefore；　starting　with　this　natural　gift



developed　by　degrees　their　special　aptitudes；　till　their　rude



improvisations　gave　birth　to　Poetry。



　　Poetry　now　diverged　in　two　directions；　according　to　the　individual



character　of　the　writers。　The　graver　spirits　imitated　noble　actions；



and　the　actions　of　good　men。　The　more　trivial　sort　imitated　the



actions　of　meaner　persons；　at　first　composing　satires；　as　the　former



did　hymns　to　the　gods　and　the　praises　of　famous　men。　A　poem　of　the



satirical　kind　cannot　indeed　be　put　down　to　any　author　earlier　than



Homer；　though　many　such　writers　probably　there　were。　But　from　Homer



onward；　instances　can　be　cited…　his　own　Margites；　for　example；　and



other　similar　compositions。　The　appropriate　meter　was　also　here



introduced；　hence　the　measure　is　still　called　the　iambic　or　lampooning



measure；　being　that　in　which　people　lampooned　one　another。　Thus　the



older　poets　were　distinguished　as　writers　of　heroic　or　of　lampooning



verse。



　　As；　in　the　serious　style；　Homer　is　pre…eminent　among　poets；　for　he



alone　combined　dramatic　form　with　excellence　of　imitation　so　he　too



first　laid　down　the　main　lines　of　comedy；　by　dramatizing　the　ludicrous



instead　of　writing　personal　satire。　His　Margites　bears　the　same



relation　to　comedy　that　the　Iliad　and　Odyssey　do　to　tragedy。　But



when　Tragedy　and　Comedy　came　to　light；　the　two　classes　of　poets



still　followed　their　natural　bent：　the　lampooners　became　writers　of



Comedy；　and　the　Epic　poets　were　succeeded　by　Tragedians；　since　the



drama　was　a　larger　and　higher　form　of　art。



　　Whether　Tragedy　has　as　yet　perfected　its　proper　types　or　not；　and



whether　it　is　to　be　judged　in　itself；　or　in　relation　also　to　the



audience…　this　raises　another　question。　Be　that　as　it　may；　Tragedy…　as



also　Comedy…　was　at　first　mere　improvisation。　The　one　originated



with　the　authors　of　the　Dithyramb；　the　other　with　those　of　the　phallic



songs；　which　are　still　in　use　in　many　of　our　cities。　Tragedy



advanced　by　slow　degrees；　each　new　element　that　showed　itself　was　in



turn　developed。　Having　passed　through　many　changes；　it　found　its



natural　form；　and　there　it　stopped。



　　Aeschylus　first　introduced　a　second　actor；　he　diminished　the



importance　of　the　Chorus；　and　assigned　the　leading　part　to　the



dialogue。　　Sophocles　raised　the　number　of　actors　to　three；　and　added



scene…painting。　Moreover；　it　was　not　till　late　that　the　short　plot　was



discarded　for　one　of　greater　compass；　and　the　grotesque　diction　of　the



earlier　satyric　form　for　the　stately　manner　of　Tragedy。　The　iambic



measure　then　replaced　the　trochaic　tetrameter；　which　was　originally



employed　when　the　poetry　was　of　the　satyric　order；　and　had　greater



with　dancing。　Once　dialogue　had　come　in；　Nature　herself　discovered　the



appropriate　measure。　For　the　iambic　is；　of　all　measures；　the　most



colloquial　we　see　it　in　the　fact　that　conversational　speech　runs



into　iambic　lines　more　frequently　than　into　any　other　kind　of　verse；



rarely　into　hexameters；　and　only　when　we　dro