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Poetics. Aristotle. Theodore Alois Buckley (Translator). London. 1857.
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The Poetic of Aristotle (Theodore Alois Buckley) (OCR draft) (English) (Theodore Alois Buckley's English translation, first published in 1850 and represented from the Henry G. Bohn 1857 printing; corrected against a second OCR and aligned to the Kassel reference passage sequence.)
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
Editions (4)
Περὶ ποιητικῆς (OCR draft) (Aristotle, Poetics. Immanuel Bekker, editor, Aristotelis Opera, volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1837.) — 10 focus
Εἰσὶ δὲ τῶν μύθων οἱ μὲν ἁπλοῖ οἱ δὲ πεπλεγμένοι· καὶ γὰρ αἱ πράξεις, ὧν μιμήσεις οἱ μῦθοί εἰσιν, ὑπάρχουσιν εὐθὺς οὖσαι τοιαῦται.
Λέγω δὲ ἁπλῆν μὲν πρᾶξιν, ἧς γινομένης, ὥσπερ ὥρισται, συνεχοῦς καὶ μιᾶς ἄνευ περιπετείας ἢ ἀναγνωρισμοῦ ἡ μετάβασις γίνεται,
πεπλεγμένην δέ, ἐξ ἧς μετ᾿ ἀναγνωρισμοῦ ἢ περιπετείας ἢ ἀμφοῖν ἡ μετάβασίς ἐστιν.
Ταῦτα δὲ δεῖ γίνεσθαι ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς συστάσεως τοῦ μύθου, ὥστε ἐκ τῶν προγεγενημένων συμβαίνειν ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἢ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς γίνεσθαι ταῦτα· διαφέρει γὰρ πολὺ τὸ γίνεσθαι τάδε διὰ τάδε ἢ μετὰ τάδε.
Περὶ ποιητικῆς (OCR draft) Perseus (Aristotle, De arte poetica liber. Rudolf Kassel, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1965. Reference edition for passage alignment.) — 10 focus
εἰσὶ δὲ τῶν μύθων οἱ μὲν ἁπλοῖ οἱ δὲ πεπλεγμένοι· καὶ γὰρ αἱ πράξεις ὧν μιμήσεις οἱ μῦθοί εἰσιν ὑπάρχουσιν εὐθὺς οὖσαι τοιαῦται.
λέγω δὲ ἁπλῆν μὲν πρᾶξιν ἧς
15
γινομένης ὥσπερ ὥρισται συνεχοῦς καὶ μιᾶς ἄνευ περιπετείας ἢ ἀναγνωρισμοῦ ἡ μετάβασις γίνεται,
πεπλεγμένην δὲ ἐξ ἧς μετὰ ἀναγνωρισμοῦ ἢ περιπετείας ἢ ἀμφοῖν ἡ μετάβασίς ἐστιν.
ταῦτα δὲ δεῖ γίνεσθαι ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς συστάσεως τοῦ μύθου, ὥστε ἐκ τῶν προγεγενημένων συμβαίνειν
20
ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἢ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς γίγνεσθαι ταῦτα· διαφέρει γὰρ πολὺ τὸ γίγνεσθαι τάδε διὰ τάδε ἢ μετὰ τάδε.
Poetics, Greek text (Ingram Bywater, 1909) (OCR draft) Experimental (Ingram Bywater's Greek text of Aristotle's Poetics, published in 1909.) — 10 focus
Εἰσὶ δὲ τῶν μύθων οἱ μὲν ἁπλοῖ οἱ δὲ πεπλεγμένοι·
καὶ γὰρ αἱ πράξεις ὧν μιμήσεις οἱ μῦθοί εἰσιν ὑπάρχουσιν
εὐθὺς οὖσαι τοιαῦται.
λέγω δὲ ἁπλῆν μὲν πρᾶξιν ἧς
γινομένης ὥσπερ ὥρισται συνεχοῦς καὶ μιᾶς ἄνευ περιπετείας
ἢ ἀναγνωρισμοῦ ἡ μετάβασις γίνεται,
πεπλεγμένη
δὲ †λέξις† μετὰ ἀναγνωρισμοῦ ἢ περιπετείας ἢ ἀμφοῖν ἡ
μετάβασίς ἐστιν.
δὲ †λέξις† μετὰ ἀναγνωρισμοῦ ἢ περιπετείας ἢ ἀμφοῖν ἡ
μετάβασίς ἐστιν.
ταῦτα δὲ δεῖ γίνεσθαι ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς συστάσεως
τοῦ μύθου, ὥστε ἐκ τῶν προγεγενημένων συμβαίνειν
ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἢ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς γίγνεσθαι ταῦτα· διαφέρει
γὰρ πολὺ τὸ γίγνεσθαι τάδε διὰ τάδε ἢ μετὰ τάδε.
Poetics, Greek text (Franz Ritter, 1839) (OCR draft) Experimental (Franz Ritter's 1839 Greek edition, corrected against OCR of the represented copy and aligned to the conventional Perseus chapter-and-subchapter sequence.) — 10 focus
Εἰσὶ δὲ τῶν μύθων οἱ μὲν ἁπλοῖ οἱ δὲ πεπλεγμένοι· καὶ γὰρ αἱ πράξεις, ὧν μιμήσεις οἱ μῦθοί εἰσιν, ὑπάρχουσιν εὐθὺς οὖσαι τοιαῦται.
λέγω δὲ ἁπλῆν μὲν πρᾶξιν, ἧς γινομένης, ὥσπερ ὥρισται, συνεχοῦς καὶ μιᾶς ἄνευ περιπετείας ἢ ἀναγνωρισμοῦ ἡ μετάβασις γίνεται,
πεπλεγμένην δέ, ἐξ ἧς μετ’ ἀναγνωρισμοῦ ἢ περιπετείας ἢ ἀμφοῖν ἡ μετάβασίς ἐστιν.
ταῦτα δὲ δεῖ γίνεσθαι ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς συστάσεως τοῦ μύθου, ὥστε ἐκ τῶν προγεγενημένων συμβαίνειν ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἢ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς γίνεσθαι ταῦτα· διαφέρει γὰρ πολὺ τὸ γινεσθαι τάδε διὰ τάδε ἢ μετὰ τάδε.
Translations (13)
Poetics (W. H. Fyfe) (OCR draft) Perseus (William Hamilton Fyfe's English translation of Aristotle's Poetics, Loeb Classical Library, 1939 printing.) — 10 focus
Some plots are
simple and some
complex, as indeed the actions represented by the plots are obviously such.
By a simple action I mean one that is single and continuous in the sense of our definition above,
1
wherein the change of fortune occurs without
reversal or
discovery;
by a complex action I mean one wherein the change coincides with a
discovery or
reversal or both.
These should result from the actual structure of the plot in such a way that what has already happened makes the result inevitable or probable;
20
for there is indeed a vast difference between what happens propter hoc and post hoc.
Arabic Poetics (Badawī edition, 1953) (OCR draft) (The ancient Arabic translation of Aristotle's Poetics in ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Badawī's 1953 edition.) — 10 focus
〈الفعل البسيط والفعل المركب〉
وقد توجد مركبة. وذلك أن الأعمال هى تشبيه ومحاكاة للأعمال بتوسط الخرافات؛ وأعنى بالعمل البسيط لذاك الذى عندما تكون هى كما حدث هى واحدة متصلة يكون الا〈نتقال〉 بلا التزوير أو الاستدلال؛ والمركبات تعد تلك التى يكون الانتقال فيها مع الاستدلال أو الإدارة أو مع كليهما.
ونقول إن هذه تكون من قوام الخرافة نفسها، حتى إنها من الأشياء التى تقدم كونها: وذلك إما من الضرورة، وإما على طريق الحقيقة؛ وبين أن تكون هذه من أجل هذه، وبين أن تكون بعد هذه — فرق كبير.
Poetics (S. H. Butcher, 1911) (OCR draft) Experimental (S. H. Butcher's English translation from Aristotle's Theory of Poetry and Fine Art, fourth edition, 1911.) — 10 focus
Plots are either Simple or Complex, for the actions
in real life, of which the plots are an imitation, obviously
show a similar distinction.
An action which is one and
continuous in the sense above defined, I call Simple, when
the change of fortune takes place without Reversal of
the Situation and without Recognition.
A Complex
action is one in which the change is accompanied by such
Reversal, or by Recognition, or by both.
These last should arise from the internal
structure of the plot, so that what follows should be the
necessary or probable result of the preceding action. It
makes all the difference whether any given event is a
case of propter hoc or post hoc.
Aristotle on the Art of Poetry (Ingram Bywater, 1909) (OCR draft) Experimental (Ingram Bywater's English translation of Aristotle's Poetics, published in 1909.) — 10 focus
Plots are either simple or complex, since the actions they
represent are naturally of this twofold description.
The
action, proceeding in the way defined, as one continuous
whole, I call simple, when the change in the hero's fortunes
takes place without Peripety or Discovery;
and complex,
when it involves one or the other, or both.
These should
each of them arise out of the structure of the Plot itself,
so as to be the consequence, necessary or probable, of the
antecedents. There is a great difference between a thing
happening propter hoc and post hoc.
Poetics (Thomas Twining, 1789) (OCR draft) Experimental (Thomas Twining's English translation of Aristotle's Poetics, published in 1789 and aligned to the Kassel reference passage sequence.) — 10.2 focus
An action, (having the continuity and unity prescribed,) I call simple, when its catastrophe is produced without either revolution, or discovery:
The Poetic of Aristotle (Henry James Pye, revised 1792) (OCR draft) Experimental (Henry James Pye's revised 1792 English translation, corrected against the 1788 first edition, aligned to the Kassel reference edition, and supplied with a selective apparatus of substantive 1788 readings.) — 10.2 focus
I call that a simple action, which, being (as has been defined,) connected [A] and uniform, has the transition of fortune without peripetía, [B] or discovery: and that a complicated action, where the transition is effected by the means of peripetía
Poetica Latine conversa (Franciscus Ritter, 1839) (OCR draft) Experimental (Franz Ritter's Latin translation, corrected against OCR of the represented copy and aligned to the conventional Perseus chapter-and-subchapter sequence.) — 10 focus
Sunt autem fabularum aliae simplices aliae implicatae: nam actiones quoque, quarum imitationes fabulae sunt, utique ita comparatae sunt.
dico autem simplicem actionem, cuius, dum, ut definitum, continua evenit et una, sine peripetia vel agnitione mutatio fit,
implicatam autem, ex qua cum agnitione vel peripetia vel utraque mutatio fit.
haec vero ex ipsa compositione fabulae evenire debent, ut ex anteactis sive necessario sive verisimiliter fieri videantur: differt enim multum, utrum haec fiant ob haec an post haec.
La poëtique d'Aristote (André Dacier, 1692) (OCR draft) Experimental (André Dacier's French translation of Aristotle's Poetics, published in 1692.) — 10.2 focus
J'appelle ſimples, les actions qui étant continues & unies, finiſſent ſans reconnoiſſance & ſans péripetie:
Poetica d'Aristotile (Bernardo Segni, 1549) (OCR draft) Experimental (Bernardo Segni's 1549 Florentine Italian translation, aligned to the Kassel reference passage sequence.) — 10 focus
Ma delle Fauole, certe ne fono fcempie, & certe ne ſono intrecciate; ſicome anchora interuiene nelle Attioni, che da eſſe Fauole ſono imitate: le quali fi trouano dell'una, & dell'altra forte.
Io chiamo Attione ſcempia quella, che eſſendo vna fola, & fucceduta continuatamente (ſicome è ſtato determi nato) vi ſi fa dentro il tranſito ſenza la Peripetia, & fen za la recognitione.
Et chiamo intrecciata quella, doue ſi fa il tranſito ò con la Recognitione,ò có la Peripetia;
ò con l'unajò con l'altra:doue tai coſe debbono ſeguirui mediante la conſtitutione d'effa Fauola, di tal manie ra, che per le coſe ſeguite innanzi elle vi fuccedin' dappoi ò verifimilmente,ò neceflariamente. Perchè egli è vna gran differenza, che e'ſucceda vn' caſo, ò per via d'una tal coſa; ò doppo vnatal cofa.
De poetica (Antonio Riccobono, 1587) (OCR draft) Experimental (Antonio Riccobono's Latin translation, first published in 1587; text represented from Immanuel Bekker's 1831 edition.) — 10 focus
Ac fabularum aliae simplices sunt aliae implexae. etenim actiones quarum imitationes fabulae sunt, ne aliud quaeramus, sunt tales.
appello simplicem actionem, qua facta, ut definitum est, continua et una, transitus fit sine peripetia vel agnitione.
implexa est, ex qua cum agnitione aut peripetia aut ambabus transitus fit haec autem oportet fieri ex ipsa constitutione fabulae,
ut ex anteactis
ant
aut ex necessitate aut secundum verisimile haec fieri contingat. differt enim multum utrum haec propter haec an post haec fiant.
De arte poetica liber (William of Moerbeke, ca. 1277) (OCR draft) Experimental (William of Moerbeke's medieval Latin translation, represented by the 1953 Aristoteles Latinus edition.) — 10 focus
Sunt autem fabularum hee quidem simplices, hee autem complexe ; et enim actiones, quarum imitationes sunt fabule, existunt mox entes tales.
Dico autem simplicem quidem actionem qua existente, ut determinatum continua et una sine peripetia et anagnorismo transitio fit,
complexa autem locutio cum anagnorismo aut peripeteia aut ambobus transitio est.
Hec autem oportet fieri ex ipsa consistentia fabule, quare ex pregestis accidit aut ex necessitate aut secundum verisimile fieri hec ; differt enim multum fieri hec propter hec aut post hec. —
Arabic Poetics (Abū Bishr Mattā; Tkatsch edition) (OCR draft) Experimental (The Arabic translation attributed to Abū Bishr Mattā, edited by Jaroslaus Tkatsch in 1928 and aligned to the Kassel reference passage sequence.) — 10 focus
وقد يوجد مركبة وذلك ان الاعمال هى ٮسببها ومحاكاة للاعمال بتوسط الخرافات
اعنى بالعمل البسيط لذاك الذى عند ما يكون هى كما حدث هى واحدة متصلة يكون الانتقال بلا الٮرويرا والاستدلال
والمركبات تعد تلك التى يكون الانتقال فيها مع الاستدلال او الاراده او مع كليهما
ونقول ان هذه تكون من قوام الخرافة نفسها حتى انها من الاشيا التى تقدم كونها وذلك اما من الضرورة واما على طريق الحقيقة وبين ان يكون هذه من اجل هذه وبين ان تكون بعد هذه فرق كبير
Arabic Poetics (Abū Bishr Mattā; Tkatsch edition, unaligned) (OCR draft) Experimental (Tkatsch's edition of the medieval Arabic translation in its original, unaligned segmentation.) — 10 focus
وقد يوجد مركبة وذلك ان الاعمال هى ٮسببها ومحاكاة للاعمال بتوسط الخرافات
اعنى بالعمل البسيط لذاك الذى عند ما يكون هى كما حدث هى واحدة متصلة يكون الانتقال بلا الٮرويرا والاستدلال والمركبات تعد تلك التى يكون الانتقال فيها مع الاستدلال او الاراده او مع كليهما
ونقول ان هذه تكون من قوام الخرافة نفسها حتى انها من الاشيا التى تقدم كونها وذلك اما من الضرورة واما على طريق الحقيقة وبين ان يكون هذه من اجل هذه وبين ان تكون بعد هذه فرق كبير
Notes on the current edition
Poetics
1.
Such is the sense of
αὐτοὺς=“propter ingenii tarditatem." Ritter.
2.
i. e. that the play may not show off only one actor. Thus a modern dramatist writes a play for Charles Kean, and puts in a few episodes for Buckstone or Keeley. It is clear from this that plays were often written to suit particular performers.
3.
These words are condemned as interpolated. But the apodosis to the whole sentence is wanting, and I have therefore marked the lacuna with Ritter.
4.
A similar story of the death of a cruel beloved being killed by the falling of a statue of Cupid, is told by Theocritus, Id. xxiii. sub fin.