9 Μαΐου 2012

Plotinus, Enneads V.8.9. Treatise: On the Intelligible beauty




Το εξώφυλλο της πέμπτης Εννεάδος του 
Πλωτίνου, στη Βιβλιοθήκη 
Κλασσικών Κειμένων Loeb,
όπου η πραγματεία για τη νοητή ωραιότητα.
 
V.8.9. Τοῦτον τοίνυν τὸν κόσμον, ἑκάστου τῶν μερῶν μένοντος ἐστι καὶ μὴ συγχεομένου, λάβωμεν τῇ διανοίᾳ, εἰς ἓν ὁμοῦ πάντα, ὡς οἷόν τε, ὥστε ἑνὸς ὁτουοῦν προφαινομένου, οἷον τῆς ἔξω σφαίρας οὔσης, ἀκολουθεῖν εὐθὺς καὶ τὴν ἡλίου καὶ ὁμοῦ τῶν ἄλλων ἄστρων τὴν φαντασίαν, καὶ γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν καὶ πάντα τὰ ζῷα ὁρᾶσθαι, οἷον ἐπὶ σφαίρας διαφανοῦς καὶ ἔργῳ ἂν γένοιτο πάντα ἐνορᾶσθαι. (…) Φυλάττων δὲ ταύτην ἄλλην παρὰ σαυτῷ ἀφελὼν τὸν ὄγκον λάβε· ἄφελε δὲ καὶ τοὺς τόπους καὶ τὸ τῆς ὕλης ἐν σοὶ φάντασμα, καὶ μὴ πειρῶ αὐτῆς ἄλλην σμικροτέραν λαβεῖν τῳ ὄγκῳ. (…) Μέγας μὲν οὖν καὶ ὅδε οὐρανὸς καὶ αἱ ἐν αὐτῷ πᾶσαι δυνάμεις ὁμοῦ, ἀλλὰ μείζων ἂν ἦν καὶ ὁπόσος οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἦν εἰπεῖν, εἰ μή τις αὐτῷ συνῆν σώματος δύναμις μικρά. Καίτοι μεγάλας ἄν τις φήσειε πυρὸς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων σωμάτων τὰς δυνάμεις· ἀλλὰ ἤδη ἀπειρίαι δυνάμεως ἀληθινῆς φαντάζονται καίουσαι καὶ φθείρουσαι καὶ θλίβουσαι καὶ πρὸς γένεσιν τῶν ζώιων ὑπουργοῦσαι. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν φθείρει, ὅτι καὶ φθείρεται, καὶ συγγεννᾷ, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὰ γίνεται· δὲ δύναμις ἐκεῖ μόνον τὸ εἶναι ἔχει καὶ μόνον τὸ καλὸν εἶναι. Ποῦ γὰρ ἂν εἴη τὸ καλὸν ἀποστερηθὲν τοῦ εἶναι; Ποῦ δ᾽ ἂν οὐσία τοῦ καλὸν εἶναι ἐστερημένη; Ἐν τῷ γὰρ ἀπολειφθῆναι τοῦ καλοῦ ἐλλείπει καὶ τῇ οὐσίᾳ. Διὸ καὶ τὸ εἶναι ποθεινόν ἐστιν, ὅτι ταὐτὸν τῷ καλῷ, καὶ τὸ καλὸν ἐράσμιον, ὅτι τὸ εἶναι. Πότερον δὲ ποτέρου αἴτιον τί χρὴ ζητεῖν οὔσης τῆς φύσεως μιᾶς; Ἥδε μὲν γὰρ ψευδὴς οὐσία δεῖται ἐπακτοῦ εἰδώλου καλοῦ, ἵνα καὶ καλὸν φαίνηται καὶ ὅλως , καὶ κατὰ τοσοῦτόν ἐστι, καθόσον μετείληφε κάλλους τοῦ κατὰ τὸ εἶδος, καὶ λαβοῦσα, ὅσῳ ἂν λάβῃ, μᾶλλον τελειοτέρα· μᾶλλον γὰρ οὐσία καλή.

V.8.9. Let’s say that, as far as possible, we visualize in our mind this world, as having each of its parts as it is, without being confused, all together in unity, so that if one of them appears in front, for example the outside orbit of the heavens, we have the imagination of the sun, as immediately joined with all the other stars, and the earth and sea with all the organisms, in an insightful view of a transparent sphere (…). Let’s say that you keep this, and you bring in mind another sphere from which you subtract the mass; also, you subtract the places, and the phantasm of matter in yourself, and do not try to bring in mind another sphere smaller in mass than the first (…). The heavens are great, and so are all the powers together in them, but they would be greater - how greater it is impossible to say – if did not coexist with a paltry corporeal power (…). Nevertheless, one would say that the powers of fire and the other bodies are great; but because of inexperience of true power they are imagined burning and destroying and crushing, and they are presented as helpers to the generation of organisms. But these destroy, because they are themselves destroyed, and help to the generation because they are themselves generated. The power There is the pure Being, and only the absolutely beautiful Being. Since if the Beauty did not exist, there would not exist the Being as well. And if the Being did not exist, what would become of Beauty? For in the lack of Beauty, it would be lack of Being. This is why the Being is desirable, because it is identified with Beauty, and Beauty is amiable because it is Being. So, why should we inquire if one is the cause of the other, when both are of the same nature? The sensible world, which is not real, needs to acquire an eidolon of beauty in order to looks like beautiful, and someway to be as an entirety, and it is beautiful, to the extent it participates in Beauty according to the form; and when it is formed, it is more perfect; the more it is formed, the more it is beautiful; since it is more Being to the extent it is beautiful.  

Translation by Katelis Viglas