poetics-第7章

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'Achilles　about；'　instead　of　peri　Achilleos；　'about　Achilles；'　and　the



like。　It　is　precisely　because　such　phrases　are　not　part　of　the　current



idiom　that　they　give　distinction　to　the　style。　This；　however；　he



failed　to　see。



　　It　is　a　great　matter　to　observe　propriety　in　these　several　modes



of　expression；　as　also　in　compound　words；　strange　（or　rare）　words；　and



so　forth。　But　the　greatest　thing　by　far　is　to　have　a　command　of



metaphor。　This　alone　cannot　be　imparted　by　another；　it　is　the　mark



of　genius；　for　to　make　good　metaphors　implies　an　eye　for　resemblances。



　　Of　the　various　kinds　of　words；　the　compound　are　best　adapted　to



dithyrambs；　rare　words　to　heroic　poetry；　metaphors　to　iambic。　In



heroic　poetry；　indeed；　all　these　varieties　are　serviceable。　But　in



iambic　verse；　which　reproduces；　as　far　as　may　be；　familiar　speech；　the



most　appropriate　words　are　those　which　are　found　even　in　prose。



These　are　the　current　or　proper；　the　metaphorical；　the　ornamental。



　　Concerning　Tragedy　and　imitation　by　means　of　action　this　may



suffice。



POETICS｜23



　　XXIII







　　As　to　that　poetic　imitation　which　is　narrative　in　form　and　employs　a



single　meter；　the　plot　manifestly　ought；　as　in　a　tragedy；　to　be



constructed　on　dramatic　principles。　It　should　have　for　its　subject　a



single　action；　whole　and　complete；　with　a　beginning；　a　middle；　and



an　end。　It　will　thus　resemble　a　living　organism　in　all　its　unity；



and　produce　the　pleasure　proper　to　it。　It　will　differ　in　structure



from　historical　compositions；　which　of　necessity　present　not　a



single　action；　but　a　single　period；　and　all　that　happened　within



that　period　to　one　person　or　to　many；　little　connected　together　as　the



events　may　be。　For　as　the　sea…fight　at　Salamis　and　the　battle　with　the



Carthaginians　in　Sicily　took　place　at　the　same　time；　but　did　not



tend　to　any　one　result；　so　in　the　sequence　of　events；　one　thing



sometimes　follows　another；　and　yet　no　single　result　is　thereby



produced。　Such　is　the　practice；　we　may　say；　of　most　poets。　Here　again；



then；　as　has　been　already　observed；　the　transcendent　excellence　of



Homer　is　manifest。　He　never　attempts　to　make　the　whole　war　of　Troy　the



subject　of　his　poem；　though　that　war　had　a　beginning　and　an　end。　It



would　have　been　too　vast　a　theme；　and　not　easily　embraced　in　a



single　view。　If；　again；　he　had　kept　it　within　moderate　limits；　it　must



have　been　over…complicated　by　the　variety　of　the　incidents。　As　it



is；　he　detaches　a　single　portion；　and　admits　as　episodes　many　events



from　the　general　story　of　the　war…　such　as　the　Catalogue　of　the



ships　and　others…　thus　diversifying　the　poem。　All　other　poets　take　a



single　hero；　a　single　period；　or　an　action　single　indeed；　but　with　a



multiplicity　of　parts。　Thus　did　the　author　of　the　Cypria　and　of　the



Little　Iliad。　For　this　reason　the　Iliad　and　the　Odyssey　each　furnish



the　subject　of　one　tragedy；　or；　at　most；　of　two；　while　the　Cypria



supplies　materials　for　many；　and　the　Little　Iliad　for　eight…　the　Award



of　the　Arms；　the　Philoctetes；　the　Neoptolemus；　the　Eurypylus；　the



Mendicant　Odysseus；　the　Laconian　Women；　the　Fall　of　Ilium；　the



Departure　of　the　Fleet。



POETICS｜24



　　XXIV







　　Again；　Epic　poetry　must　have　as　many　kinds　as　Tragedy：　it　must　be



simple；　or　complex；　or　'ethical；'or　'pathetic。'　The　parts　also；　with



the　exception　of　song　and　spectacle；　are　the　same；　for　it　requires



Reversals　of　the　Situation；　Recognitions；　and　Scenes　of　Suffering。



Moreover；　the　thoughts　and　the　diction　must　be　artistic。　In　all



these　respects　Homer　is　our　earliest　and　sufficient　model。　Indeed　each



of　his　poems　has　a　twofold　character。　The　Iliad　is　at　once　simple



and　'pathetic；'　and　the　Odyssey　complex　（for　Recognition　scenes　run



through　it）；　and　at　the　same　time　'ethical。'　Moreover；　in　diction



and　thought　they　are　supreme。



　　Epic　poetry　differs　from　Tragedy　in　the　scale　on　which　it　is



constructed；　and　in　its　meter。　As　regards　scale　or　length；　we　have



already　laid　down　an　adequate　limit：　the　beginning　and　the　end　must　be



capable　of　being　brought　within　a　single　view。　This　condition　will



be　satisfied　by　poems　on　a　smaller　scale　than　the　old　epics；　and



answering　in　length　to　the　group　of　tragedies　presented　at　a　single



sitting。



　　Epic　poetry　has；　however；　a　great…　a　special…　capacity　for　enlarging



its　dimensions；　and　we　can　see　the　reason。　In　Tragedy　we　cannot



imitate　several　lines　of　actions　carried　on　at　one　and　the　same



time；　we　must　confine　ourselves　to　the　action　on　the　stage　and　the



part　taken　by　the　players。　But　in　Epic　poetry；　owing　to　the



narrative　form；　many　events　simultaneously　transacted　can　be



presented；　and　these；　if　relevant　to　the　subject；　add　mass　and　dignity



to　the　poem。　The　Epic　has　here　an　advantage；　and　one　that　conduces



to　grandeur　of　effect；　to　diverting　the　mind　of　the　hearer；　and



relieving　the　story　with　varying　episodes。　For　sameness　of　incident



soon　produces　satiety；　and　makes　tragedies　fail　on　the　stage。



　　As　for　the　meter；　the　heroic　measure　has　proved　its　fitness　by



hexameter　test　of　experience。　If　a　narrative　poem　in　any　other　meter



or　in　many　meters　were　now　composed；　it　would　be　found　incongruous。



For　of　all　measures　the　heroic　is　the　stateliest　and　the　most　massive；



and　hence　it　most　readily　admits　rare　words　and　metaphors；　which　is



another　point　in　which　the　narrative　form　of　imitation　stands　alone。



On　the　other　hand；　the　iambic　and　the　trochaic　tetrameter　are　stirring



measures；　the　latter　being　akin　to　dancing；　the　former　expressive　of



action。　Still　more　absurd　would　it　be　to　mix　together　different



meters；　as　was　done　　by　Chaeremon。　Hence　no　one　has　ever　composed　a



poem　on　a　great　scale　in　any　other　than　　heroic　verse。　Nature　herself；



as　we　have　said；　teaches　the　choice　of　the　proper　measure。



　　Homer；　admirable　in　all　respects；　has　the　special　merit　of　being　the



only　poet　who　rightly　appreciates　the　part　he　should　take　himself。　The



poet　should　speak　as　little　as　possible　in　his　own　person；　for　it　is



not　this　that　makes　him　an　imitator。　Other　poets　appear　themselves



upon　the　scene　throughout；　and　imitate　but　little　and　rarely。　Homer；



after　a　few　prefatory　words；　at　once　brings　in　a　man；　or　woman；　or



other　personage；　none　of　them　wanting　in　characteristic　qualities；　but



each　with　a　character　of　his　own。



　　The　element　of　the　wonderful　is　required　in　Tragedy。　The　irrational；



on　which　the　wonderful　depends　for　its　chief　effects；　has　wider



scope　in　Epic　poetry；　because　there　the　person　acting　is　not　seen。



Thus；　the　pursuit　of　Hector　would　be　ludicrous　if　placed　upon　the



stage…　the　Greeks　standing　still　and　not　joining　in　the　pursuit；　and



Achilles　waving　them　back。　But　in　the　Epic　poem　the　absurdity　passes



unnoticed。　Now　the　wonderful　is　pleasing；　as　may　be　inferred　from



the　fact　that　every　one　tells　a　story　with　some　addition　of　his



knowing　that　his　hearers　like　it。　It　is　Homer　who　has　chiefly　taught



other　poets　the　art　of　telling　lies　skilfully。　The　secret　of　it　lies



in　a　fallacy　For；　assuming　that　if　one　thing　is　or　becomes；　a　second



is　or　becomes；　men　imagine　that；　if　the　second　is；　the　first



likewise　is　or　becomes。　But　this　is　a　false　inference。　Hence；　where



the　first　thing　is　untrue；　it　is　quite　unnecessary；　provided　the



second　be　true；　to　add　that　the　first　is　or　has　become。　For　the



mind；　knowing　the　second　to　be　true；　falsely　infers　the　truth　of　the



first。　There　is　an　example　of　this　in　the　Bath　Scene　of　the　Odyssey。



　　Accordingly；　the　poet　should　prefer　probable　impossibilities　to



improbable　possibilities。　The　tragic　plot　must　not　be　composed　of



irrational　parts。　Everything　irrational　should；　if　possible；　be



excluded；　or；　at　all　events；　it　should　lie　outside　the　action　of　the



play　（as；　in　the　Oedipus；　the　hero's　ignorance　as　to　the　manner　of



Laius'　death）；　not　within　the　drama…　as　in　the　Electra；　the



messenger's　account　of　the　Pythian　games；　or；　as　in　the　Mysians；　the



man　who　has　come　from　Tegea　to　Mysia　and　is　still　speechless。　The　plea



that　otherwise　the　plot　would　have　been　ruined；　is　ridiculous；　such



a　plot　should　not　in　the　first　instance　be　constructed。　But　once　the



irrational　has　been　introduced　and　an　air　of　likelihood　imparted　to



it；　we　must　accept　it　in　spite　of　the　absurdity。　Take　even　the



irrational　incidents　in　the　Odyssey；　where　Odysseus　is　left　upon　the



shore　of　Ithaca。　How　intolerable　even　these　might　have　been　would　be



apparent　if　an　inferior　poet　were　to　treat　the　subject。　As　it　is；



the　absurdity　is　veiled　by　the　poetic　charm　with　which　the　poet



invests　it。



　　The　diction　should　be　elaborated　in　the　pauses　of　the　action；



where　there　is　no　expression　of　character　or　thought。　For；　conversely；



character　and　thought　are　merely　obscured　by　a　diction　that　is



over…brilliant



POETICS｜25



　　XXV







　　With　respect　to　critical　difficulties　and　their　solutions；　the



number　and　nature　of　the　sources　from　which　they　may　be　drawn　may　be



thus　exhibited。



　　The　poet　being　an　imitator；　like　a　painter　or　any　other　artist；　must



of　necessity　imitate　one　of　three　objects…　things　as　they　were　or　are；



things　as　they　are　said　or　thought　to　be；　or　things　as　they　ought　to



be。　The　vehicle　of　expression　is　language…　either　current　terms　or；　it



may　be；　rare　words　or　metaphors。　There　are　also　many　modifications



of　language；　which　we　concede　to　the　poets。　Add　to　this；　that　the



standard　of　correctness　is　not　the　same　in　poetry　and　politics；　any



more　than　in　poetry　and　any　other　art。　Within　the　art　of　poetry　itself



there　are　two　kinds　of　faults…　those　which　touch　its　essence；　and



those　which　are　accidental。　If　a　poet　has　chosen　to　imitate　something；



＇but　has　imitated　it　incorrectly＇　through　want　of　capacity；　the



error　is　inherent　in　the　poetry。　But　if　the　failure　is　due　to　a



wrong　choice…　if　he　has　represented　a　horse　as　throwing　out　both　his



off　legs　at　once；　or　introduced　technical　inaccuracies　in　medicine；



for　example；　or　in　any　other　art…　the　error　is　not　essential　to　the



poetry。　These　are　the　points　of　view　from　which　we　should　consider　and



answer　the　objections　raised　by　the　critics。



　　First　as　to　matters　which　concern　the　poet's　own　art。　If　he



describes　the　impossible；　he　is　guilty　of　an　error；　but　the　error



may　be　justified；　if　the　end　of　the　art　be　thereby　attained　（the　end



being　that　already　mentioned）…　if；　that　is；　the　effect　of　this　or



any　other　part　of　the　poem　is　thus　rendered　more　striking。　A　case　in



point　is　the　pursuit　of　Hector。　if；　however；　the　end　might　have　been



as　well；　or　better；　attained　without　violating　the　special　rules　of



the　poetic　art；　the　error　is　not　justified：　for　every　kind　of　error



should；　if　possible