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THE virtue of diction, however, consists in being perspicuous, and not mean 1. The diction, therefore, is most perspicuous, which is composed from proper nouns,

Poetics. Aristotle. Theodore Alois Buckley (Translator). London. 1857.

Current edition Experimental

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.) — 22 focus

Λέξεως δὲ ἀρετὴ σαφῆ καὶ μὴ ταπεινὴν εἶναι.

Σαφεστάτη μὲν οὖν ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκ τῶν κυρίων ὀνομάτων, ἀλλὰ ταπεινή· παράδειγμα δὲ ἡ Κλεοφῶντος ποίησις καὶ ἡ Σθενέλου.

Σεμνὴ δὲ καὶ ἐξαλλάττουσα τὸ ἰδιωτικὸν ἡ τοῖς ξενικοῖς κεχρημένη. Ξενικὸν δὲ λέγω γλῶτταν καὶ μεταφορὰν καὶ ἐπέκτασιν καὶ πᾶν τὸ παρὰ τὸ κύριον.

Ἀλλ᾿ ἄν τις ἅπαντα τοιαῦτα ποιήσῃ, ἢ αἴνιγμα ἔσται ἢ βαρβαρισμός. Ἂν μὲν οὖν ἐκ μεταφορῶν, αἴνιγμα, ἐὰν δὲ ἐκ γλωττῶν, βαρβαρισμός.

Αἰνίγματος γὰρ ἰδέα αὕτη ἐστί, τὸ λέγοντα ὑπάρχοντα ἀδύνατα συνάψαι. Κατὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν τῶν ὀνόματων σύνθεσιν οὐχ οἷόν τε τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, κατὰ δὲ τὴν μεταφορὰν ἐνδέχεται, οἷον

Ἄνδρ᾿ εἶδον πυρὶ χαλκὸν ἐπ᾿ ἀνέρι κολλήσαντα,

καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα.

Ἐκ δὲ τῶν γλωττῶν ὁ βαρβαρισμός.

Δεῖ ἄρα κεκρᾶσθαί πως τούτοις· τὸ μὲν γὰρ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ποιήσει μηδὲ ταπεινὸν ἡ γλῶττα καὶ ἡ μεταφορὰ καὶ ὁ κόσμος καὶ τἆλλα τὰ εἰρημένα εἴδη, τὸ δὲ κύριον τὴν σαφήνειαν.

Οὐκ ἐλάχιστον δὲ μέρος συμβάλλονται εἰς τὸ σαφὲς τῆς λέξεως καὶ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν αἱ ἐπεκτάσεις καὶ ἀποκοπαὶ καὶ ἐξαλλαγαὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων· διὰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἄλλως ἔχειν ἢ ὡς τὸ κύριον παρὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς γιγνόμενον τὸ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ποιήσει, διὰ δὲ τὸ κοινωνεῖν τοῦ εἰωθότος τὸ σαφὲς ἔσται.

Ὥστε οὐκ ὀρθῶς ψέγουσιν οἱ ἐπιτιμῶντες τῷ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ τῆς διαλέκτου καὶ διακωμῳδοῦντες τὸν ποιητήν, οἷον Εὐκλείδης ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὡς ῥᾴδιον ποιεῖν, εἴ τις δώσει ἐκτείνειν ἐφ᾿ ὁπόσον βούλεται, ἰαμβοποιήσας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ λέξει·

ἠτίχαριν εἶδον Μαραθῶνάδε βαδίζοντα,

καὶ

οὐκ ἂν γεράμενος τὸν ἐκείνου ἐλλέβορον.

Τὸ μὲν οὖν φαίνεσθαί πως χρώμενον τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ γελοῖον, τὸ δὲ μέτρον κοινὸν ἁπάντων ἐστὶ τῶν μερῶν·

καὶ γὰρ μεταφοραῖς καὶ γλώτταις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις εἴδεσι χρώμενος ἀπρεπῶς καὶ ἐπίτηδες ἐπὶ τὰ γελοῖα τὸ αὐτὸ ἂν ἀπεργάσαιτο.

Τὸ δὲ ἁρμόττον ὅσον διαφέρει, ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπῶν θεωρείσθω, ἐντιθεμένων τῶν ὀνομάτων εἰς τὸ μέτρον.

Καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γλώττης δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μεταφορῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἰδεῶν μετατιθεὶς ἄν τις τὰ κύρια ὀνόματα κατίδοι ὅτι ἀληθῆ λέγομεν· οἷον τὸ αὐτὸ ποιήσαντος ἰαμβεῖον Αἰσχύλου καὶ Εὐριπίδου, ἓν δὲ μόνον ὄνομα μεταθέντος, ἀντὶ κυρίου εἰωθότος γλῶτταν, τὸ μὲν φαίνεται καλὸν τὸ δ᾿ εὐτελές. Αἰσχύλος μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ Φιλοκτήτῃ ἐποίησε

φαγέδαινα ἥ μου σάρκας ἐσθίει ποδός,

ὁ δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐσθίει τὸ θοινᾶται μετέθηκεν. Καὶ

νῦν δέ μ᾿ ἐὼν ὀλίγος τε καὶ οὐτιδανὸς καὶ ἄκικυς,

εἴ τις λέγοι τὰ κύρια μετατιθείς

νῦν δέ μ᾿ ἐὼν μικρός τε καὶ ἀσθενικὸς καὶ ἀειδής.

Καὶ

δίφρον ἀεικέλιον καταθεὶς ὀλίγην τε τράπεζαν.

Δίφρον μοχθηρὸν καταθεὶς μικράν τε τράπεζαν.

Καὶ τὸ ἠϊόνες βοόωσιν ἠϊόνες κράζουσιν.

Ἔτι δὲ Ἀρειφράδης τοὺς τραγῳδοὺς ἐκωμῴδει, ὅτι ἃ οὐδεὶς ἂν εἴποι ἐν τῇ διαλέκτῳ, τούτοις χρῶνται, οἷον τὸ δωμάτων ἄπο ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀπὸ δωμάτων, καὶ τὸ σέθεν, καὶ τὸ ἐγὼ δέ νιν, καὶ τὸ Ἀχιλλέως πέρι ἀλλὰ μὴ περὶ Ἀχιλλέως, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα.

Διὰ γὰρ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἐν τοῖς κυρίοις ποιεῖ τὸ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ἐν τῇ λέξει ἅπαντα τὰ τοιαῦτα· ἐκεῖνος δὲ τοῦτο ἠγνόει.

Ἔστι δὲ μέγα μὲν τὸ ἑκάστῳ τῶν εἰρημένων πρέπόντως χρῆσθαι, καὶ διπλοῖς ὀνόμασι καὶ γλώτταις, πολὺ δὲ μέγιστον τὸ μεταφορικὸν εἶναι.

Μόνον γὰρ τοῦτο οὔτε παρ᾿ ἄλλου ἔστι λαβεῖν εὐφυΐας τε σημεῖόν ἐστιν· τὸ γὰρ εὖ μεταφέρειν τὸ τὸ ὅμοιον θεωρεῖν ἐστίν.

Τῶν δ᾿ ὀνομάτων τὰ μὲν διπλᾶ μάλιστα ἁρμόττει τοῖς διθυράμβοις, αἱ δὲ γλῶτται τοῖς ἡρωϊκοῖς, αἱ δὲ μεταφοραὶ τοῖς ἰαμβείοις.

Καὶ ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἡρωϊκοῖς ἅπαντα χρήσιμα τὰ εἰρημένα· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἰαμβείοις, διὰ τὸ ὅτι μάλιστα λέξιν μιμεῖσθαι, ταῦτα ἁρμόττει τῶν ὀνομάτων ὅσοις κἂν ἐν λόγοις τις χρήσαιτο· ἔστι δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα τὸ κύριον καὶ μεταφορὰ καὶ κόσμος.

Περὶ μὲν οὖν τραγῳδίας καὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ πράττειν μιμήσεως ἔστω ἡμῖν ἱκανὰ τὰ εἰρημένα.

Περὶ ποιητικῆς (OCR draft) Perseus (Aristotle, De arte poetica liber. Rudolf Kassel, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1965. Reference edition for passage alignment.) — 22 focus

λέξεως δὲ ἀρετὴ σαφῆ καὶ μὴ ταπεινὴν εἶναι.

σαφεστάτη μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ἡ ἐκ τῶν κυρίων ὀνομάτων, ἀλλὰ 20 ταπεινή· παράδειγμα δὲ ἡ Κλεοφῶντος ποίησις καὶ ἡ Σθενέλου.

σεμνὴ δὲ καὶ ἐξαλλάττουσα τὸ ἰδιωτικὸν ἡ τοῖς ξενικοῖς κεχρημένη· ξενικὸν δὲ λέγω γλῶτταν καὶ μεταφορὰν καὶ ἐπέκτασιν καὶ πᾶν τὸ παρὰ τὸ κύριον.

ἀλλ’ ἄν τις ἅπαντα τοιαῦτα ποιήσῃ, ἢ αἴνιγμα ἔσται ἢ 25 βαρβαρισμός· ἂν μὲν οὖν ἐκ μεταφορῶν, αἴνιγμα, ἐὰν δὲ ἐκ γλωττῶν, βαρβαρισμός.

αἰνίγματός τε γὰρ ἰδέα αὕτη ἐστί, τὸ λέγοντα ὑπάρχοντα ἀδύνατα συνάψαι· κατὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ὀνομάτων σύνθεσιν οὐχ οἷόν τε τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, κατὰ δὲ τὴν μεταφορῶν ἐνδέχεται, οἷον ἄνδρ’ εἶδον πυρὶ χαλκὸν 30 ἐπ’ ἀνέρι κολλήσαντα, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα.

τὰ δὲ ἐκ τῶν γλωττῶν βαρβαρισμός.

δεῖ ἄρα κεκρᾶσθαί πως τούτοις· τὸ μὲν γὰρ τὸ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ποιήσει μηδὲ ταπεινόν, οἷον ἡ γλῶττα καὶ ἡ μεταφορὰ καὶ ὁ κόσμος καὶ τἆλλα τὰ εἰρημένα 34 εἴδη, τὸ δὲ κύριον τὴν σαφήνειαν.

οὐκ ἐλάχιστον δὲ μέρος 1458b 1 συμβάλλεται εἰς τὸ σαφὲς τῆς λέξεως καὶ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν αἱ ἐπεκτάσεις καὶ ἀποκοπαὶ καὶ ἐξαλλαγαὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων· διὰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἄλλως ἔχειν ἢ ὡς τὸ κύριον παρὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς γιγνόμενον τὸ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ποιήσει, διὰ δὲ τὸ 5 κοινωνεῖν τοῦ εἰωθότος τὸ σαφὲς ἔσται.

ὥστε οὐκ ὀρθῶς ψέγουσιν οἱ ἐπιτιμῶντες τῷ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ τῆς διαλέκτου καὶ διακωμῳδοῦντες τὸν ποιητήν, οἷον Εὐκλείδης ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὡς ῥᾴδιον ὂν ποιεῖν εἴ τις δώσει ἐκτείνειν ἐφ’ ὁπόσον βούλεται, ἰαμβοποιήσας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ λέξει Ἐπιχάρην εἶδον 10 Μαραθῶνάδε βαδίζοντα, καὶ οὐκ † ἂν γεράμενος † τὸν ἐκείνου ἐλλέβορον.

τὸ μὲν οὖν φαίνεσθαί πως χρώμενον τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ γελοῖον· τὸ δὲ μέτρον κοινὸν ἁπάντων ἐστὶ τῶν μερῶν·

καὶ γὰρ μεταφοραῖς καὶ γλώτταις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις εἴδεσι χρώμενος ἀπρεπῶς καὶ ἐπίτηδες ἐπὶ τὰ γελοῖα τὸ 15 αὐτὸ ἂν ἀπεργάσαιτο.

τὸ δὲ ἁρμόττον ὅσον διαφέρει ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπῶν θεωρείσθω ἐντιθεμένων τῶν ὀνομάτων εἰς τὸ μέτρον.

καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γλώττης δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μεταφορῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἰδεῶν μετατιθεὶς ἄν τις τὰ κύρια ὀνόματα κατίδοι ὅτι ἀληθῆ λέγομεν· οἷον τὸ αὐτὸ ποιήσαντος 20 ἰαμβεῖον Αἰσχύλου καὶ Εὐριπίδου, ἓν δὲ μόνον ὄνομα μεταθέντος, ἀντὶ κυρίου εἰωθότος γλῶτταν, τὸ μὲν φαίνεται καλὸν τὸ δ’ εὐτελές. Αἰσχύλος μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ Φιλοκτήτῃ ἐποίησε

φαγέδαιναν ἥ μου σάρκας ἐσθίει ποδός,

ὁ δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐσθίει τὸ θοινᾶται μετέθηκεν. καὶ 25

νῦν δέ μ’ ἐὼν ὀλίγος τε καὶ οὐτιδανὸς καὶ ἀεικής,

εἴ τις λέγοι τὰ κύρια μετατιθεὶς

νῦν δέ μ’ ἐὼν μικρός τε καὶ ἀσθενικὸς καὶ ἀειδής·

καὶ

δίφρον ἀεικέλιον καταθεὶς ὀλίγην τε τράπεζαν,

δίφρον μοχθηρὸν καταθεὶς μικράν τε τράπεζαν·

καὶ τὸ ἠιόνες βοόωσιν, ἠιόνες κράζουσιν.

ἔτι δὲ Ἀριφράδης τοὺς τραγῳδοὺς ἐκωμῴδει ὅτι ἃ οὐδεὶς ἂν εἴπειεν ἐν τῇ διαλέκτῳ τούτοις χρῶνται, οἷον τὸ δωμάτων ἄπο ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀπὸ δωμάτων, καὶ τὸ σέθεν καὶ τὸ ἐγὼ δέ νιν καὶ τὸ 1459a 1 Ἀχιλλέως πέρι ἀλλὰ μὴ περὶ Ἀχιλλέως, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα.

διὰ γὰρ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἐν τοῖς κυρίοις ποιεῖ τὸ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ἐν τῇ λέξει ἅπαντα τὰ τοιαῦτα· ἐκεῖνος δὲ τοῦτο ἠγνόει.

ἔστιν δὲ μέγα μὲν τὸ ἑκάστῳ τῶν εἰρημένων 5 πρεπόντως χρῆσθαι, καὶ διπλοῖς ὀνόμασι καὶ γλώτταις, πολὺ δὲ μέγιστον τὸ μεταφορικὸν εἶναι.

μόνον γὰρ τοῦτο οὔτε παρ’ ἄλλου ἔστι λαβεῖν εὐφυΐας τε σημεῖόν ἐστι· τὸ γὰρ εὖ μεταφέρειν τὸ τὸ ὅμοιον θεωρεῖν ἐστιν.

τῶν δ’ ὀνομάτων τὰ μὲν διπλᾶ μάλιστα ἁρμόττει τοῖς διθυράμβοις, αἱ δὲ 10 γλῶτται τοῖς ἡρωικοῖς, αἱ δὲ μεταφοραὶ τοῖς ἰαμβείοις.

καὶ ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἡρωικοῖς ἅπαντα χρήσιμα τὰ εἰρημένα, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἰαμβείοις διὰ τὸ ὅτι μάλιστα λέξιν μιμεῖσθαι ταῦτα ἁρμόττει τῶν ὀνομάτων ὅσοις κἂν ἐν λόγοις τις χρήσαιτο· ἔστι δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα τὸ κύριον καὶ μεταφορὰ καὶ κόσμος.

15 περὶ μὲν οὖν τραγῳδίας καὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ πράττειν μιμήσεως ἔστω ἡμῖν ἱκανὰ τὰ εἰρημένα.

Poetics, Greek text (Ingram Bywater, 1909) (OCR draft) Experimental (Ingram Bywater's Greek text of Aristotle's Poetics, published in 1909.) — 22 focus

λέξεως δὲ ἀρετὴ σαφῆ καὶ μὴ ταπεινὴν εἶναι.

σαφεστάτη
μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ἡ ἐκ τῶν κυρίων ὀνομάτων, ἀλλὰ
ταπεινή· παράδειγμα δὲ ἡ Κλεοφῶντος ποίησις καὶ ἡ
Σθενέλου.

σεμνὴ δὲ καὶ ἐξαλλάττουσα τὸ ἰδιωτικὸν ἡ τοῖς
ξενικοῖς κεχρημένη· ξενικὸν δὲ λέγω γλῶτταν καὶ μεταφορὰν
καὶ ἐπέκτασιν καὶ πᾶν τὸ παρὰ τὸ κύριον.

ἀλλ᾽ ἄν
τις ἂν ἅπαντα τοιαῦτα ποιήσῃ, ἢ αἴνιγμα ἔσται ἢ βαρβαρισμός·
ἂν μὲν οὖν ἐκ μεταφορῶν, αἴνιγμα, ἐὰν δὲ ἐκ
γλωττῶν, βαρβαρισμός.

αἰνίγματός τε γὰρ ἰδέα αὕτη ἐστί,
τὸ λέγοντα ὑπάρχοντα ἀδύνατα συνάψαι — κατὰ μὲν οὖν
τὴν τῶν ὀνομάτων σύνθεσιν οὐχ οἷόν τε τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, κατὰ
δὲ τὴν μεταφορῶν ἐνδέχεται — οἷον ἄνδρ᾽ εἶδον πυρὶ χαλκὸν
ἐπ᾽ ἀνέρι κολλήσαντα, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα.

ἐκ τῶν γλωττῶν
βαρβαρισμός.

δεῖ ἄρα κεκρᾶσθαί πως τούτοις· τὸ μὲν
γὰρ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ποιήσει μηδὲ ταπεινόν, οἷον ἡ γλῶττα
καὶ ἡ μεταφορὰ καὶ ὁ κόσμος καὶ τἆλλα τὰ εἰρημένα
εἴδη, τὸ δὲ κύριον τὴν σαφήνειαν.

οὐκ ἐλάχιστον δὲ μέρος
συμβάλλεται εἰς τὸ σαφὲς τῆς λέξεως καὶ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν
αἱ ἐπεκτάσεις καὶ ἀποκοπαὶ καὶ ἐξαλλαγαὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων·
διὰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἄλλως ἔχειν ἢ ὡς τὸ κύριον παρὰ
τὸ εἰωθὸς γιγνόμενον τὸ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ποιήσει, διὰ δὲ τὸ κοινωνεῖν
τοῦ εἰωθότος τὸ σαφὲς ἔσται.

ὥστε οὐκ ὀρθῶς ψέγουσιν
οἱ ἐπιτιμῶντες τῷ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ τῆς διαλέκτου καὶ διακωμῳδοῦντες
τὸν ποιητήν, οἷον Εὐκλείδης ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὡς
ῥᾴδιον ποιεῖν, εἴ τις δώσει ἐκτείνειν ἐφ᾽ ὁπόσον βούλεται
†ἰαμβοποιήσας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ λέξει† Ἐπιχάρην εἶδον Μαραθῶνάδε
βαδίζοντα, καὶ οὐκ ἄν γ᾽ ἐράμενος †τὸν ἐκείνου ἐλλέβορον†.

τὸ μὲν οὖν φαίνεσθαί πως χρώμενον τούτῳ τῷ
τρόπῳ γελοῖον· τὸ δὲ μέτριον κοινὸν ἁπάντων ἐστὶ τῶν μερῶν·

καὶ γὰρ μεταφοραῖς καὶ γλώτταις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις
εἴδεσι χρώμενος ἀπρεπῶς καὶ ἐπίτηδες ἐπὶ τὰ γελοῖα τὸ
αὐτὸ ἂν ἀπεργάσαιτο.

τὸ δὲ ἁρμοττόντως ὅσον διαφέρει ἐπὶ
τῶν ἐπῶν θεωρείσθω ἐντιθεμένων τῶν ὀνομάτων εἰς τὸ μέτρον.

καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γλώττης δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μεταφορῶν καὶ
ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἰδεῶν μετατιθεὶς ἄν τις τὰ κύρια ὀνόματα
κατίδοι ὅτι ἀληθῆ λέγομεν· οἷον τὸ αὐτὸ ποιήσαντος ἰαμβεῖον
Αἰσχύλου καὶ Εὐριπίδου, ἐν δὲ μόνον ὄνομα μετατιθέντος,
ἀντὶ κυρίου εἰωθότος γλώτταν, τὸ μὲν φαίνεται καλὸν
τὸ δ᾽ εὐτελές.
Αἰσχύλος μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ Φιλοκτήτῃ ἐποίησε

φαγέδαινα ἥ μου σάρκας ἐσθίει ποδός,

ὁ δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐσθίει τὸ θοινᾶται μετέθηκεν. καὶ

νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἐὼν ὀλίγος τε καὶ οὐτιδανὸς καὶ ἀεικής,

εἴ τις λέγοι τὰ κύρια μετατιθεὶς

νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἐὼν μικρός τε καὶ ἀσθενικὸς καὶ ἀειδής·

καὶ

δίφρον τε ἀεικέλιον καταθεὶς ὀλίγην τε τράπεζαν,

δίφρον μοχθηρὸν καταθεὶς μικράν τε τράπεζαν

καὶ τὸ ἠιόνες βοόωσιν, ἠιόνες κράζουσιν.

ἔτι δὲ Ἀριφράδης
τοὺς τραγῳδοὺς ἐκωμῴδει, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἂν εἴποι ἐν τῇ διαλέκτῳ
τούτοις χρῶνται, οἷον τὸ δωμάτων ἄπο ἀλλὰ μὴ
ἀπὸ δωμάτων, καὶ τὸ σέθεν καὶ τὸ ἐγὼ δέ νιν καὶ τὸ
Ἀχιλλέως πέρι ἀλλὰ μὴ περὶ Ἀχιλλέως, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα
τοιαῦτα.

διὰ γὰρ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἐν τοῖς κυρίοις ποιεῖ τὸ μὴ
ἰδιωτικὸν ἐν τῇ λέξει ἅπαντα τὰ τοιαῦτα· ἐκεῖνος δὲ τοῦτο
ἠγνόει.

ἔστιν δὲ μέγα μὲν τὸ ἑκάστῳ τῶν εἰρημένων πρεπόντως
χρῆσθαι, καὶ διπλοῖς ὀνόμασι καὶ γλώτταις, πολὺ δὲ
μέγιστον τὸ μεταφορικὸν εἶναι.

μόνον γὰρ τοῦτο οὔτε παρ᾽
ἄλλου ἔστι λαβεῖν εὐφυΐας τε σημεῖόν ἐστι· τὸ γὰρ εὖ
μεταφέρειν τὸ τὸ ὅμοιον θεωρεῖν ἐστιν.

τῶν δ᾽ ὀνομάτων τὰ
μὲν διπλᾶ μάλιστα ἁρμόττει τοῖς διθυράμβοις, αἱ δὲ γλῶτται
τοῖς ἡρωικοῖς, αἱ δὲ μεταφοραὶ τοῖς ἰαμβείοις.

καὶ ἐν
μὲν τοῖς ἡρωικοῖς ἅπαντα χρήσιμα τὰ εἰρημένα, ἐν δὲ τοῖς
ἰαμβείοις διὰ τὸ ὅτι μάλιστα λέξιν μιμεῖσθαι ταῦτα ἁρμόττει
τῶν ὀνομάτων ὅσοις κἂν ὅσοις ἐν λόγοις τις χρήσαιτο·
ἔστι δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα τὸ κύριον καὶ μεταφορὰ καὶ κόσμος.

περὶ μὲν οὖν τραγῳδίας καὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ πράττειν μιμήσεως
ἔστω ἡμῖν ἱκανὰ τὰ εἰρημένα.

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.) — 22 focus

Λέξεως δὲ ἀρετὴ σαφῆ καὶ μὴ ταπεινὴν εἶναι.

σαφεστάτη μὲν οὖν ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκ τῶν κυρίων ὀνομάτων, ἀλλὰ τα πεινή· παράδειγμα δὲ ἡ Κλεοφῶντος ποίησις καὶ ἡ Σθενέλου.

σεμνὴ δὲ καὶ ἐξαλλάττουσα τὸ ἰδιωτικὸν ἡ τοῖς ξενικοῖς κεχρημένη. ξενικὸν δὲ λέγω γλῶτταν καὶ μεταφορὰν καὶ ἐπέκτασιν καὶ πᾶν τὸ παρὰ τὸ κύριον.

ἀλλ᾿ ἄν τις¹ ἅπαντα τοιαῦτα ποιήσῃ, ἢ αἴνιγμα ἔσται ἢ βαρβαρισμός. ἂν μὲν οὖν ἐκ μεταφορῶν, αἴνιγμα, ἐὰν δὲ ἐκ γλωττῶν, βαρβαρισμός.

αἰνίγματος γὰρ ἰδέα αὕτη ἐστί, τὸ λέγοντα ὑπάρε χοντα αδύνατα συνάψαι. κατὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν τῶν ὀνομάτων σύνθεσιν οὐχ οἷόν τε τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, κατὰ δὲ τὴν μεταφορὰν5 ἐνδέχεται, οἷον “ἄνδρ᾽ εἶδον πυρὶ χαλκὸν ἐπ᾽ ἀνέρι κολλήσαντα,” καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα. [

ἐκ τῶν γλωττῶν βαρβαρισμός.]

δεῖ ἄρα κεκρᾶσθαί πως τούτοις· τὸ μὲν γὰρ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ποιήσει μηδὲ ταπεινὸν ἡ γλῶττα καὶ ἡ μεταφορὰ [καὶ ὁ κόσμος] καὶ τἆλλα τὰ εἰρημένα εἴδη, τὸ δὲ κύριον τὴν σαφήνειαν.

οὐκ ἐλάχιστον δὲ μέρος συμβάλλονται εἰς τὸ σαφὲς τῆς λέξεως καὶ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν αἱ ἐπεκτάσεις καὶ ἀποκοπαὶ καὶ ἐξαλλαγαὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων· διὰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἄλλως ἔχειν ἢ ὡς τὸ κύριον τὸ παρὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς γιγνόμενον τὸ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ποιήσει, διὰ δὲ τὸ κοινωνεῖν τοῦ εἰωθότος τὸ σαφὲς² ἔσται.

ὥστε οὐκ ὀρθῶς ψέγουσιν οἱ ἐπιτιμῶντες τῷ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ τῆς διαλέκτου καὶ διακωμῳδοῦντες τὸν ποιητήν, οἷον Ευκλείδης ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὡς ῥᾴδιον ποιεῖν, εἴ τις δώσει ἐκτείνειν ἐφ᾽ ὁπόσον βούλεται, ἰαμβοποιήσας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ λέξει· “ἤτοι ῎Αρην εἶδον Μαραθῶνάδε βαδίζοντα,” καὶ “οὐκ ἄν γ᾽ ἐράμενος τὸν ἐκείνου ἐλλέβορον.”

τὸ μὲν οὖν φαίνεσθαι πως χρώμενον τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ γελοῖον [, τὸ δὲ μέτρον κοινὸν ἁπάντων ἐστὶ τῶν μερῶν]·

καὶ γὰρ μεταφοραῖς καὶ γλώτταις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις εἴδεσι χρώμενος ἀπρεπῶς καὶ ἐπίτηδες ἐπὶ τὰ ιογελοῖα τὸ αὐτὸ ἂν ἀπεργάσαιτο.

τὸ δὲ ἁρμόττον ὅσον διαφέρει, ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπῶν θεωρείσθω, ἐντιθεμένων τῶν ὀνομάτων εἰς τὸ μέτρον.

καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γλώττης δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μεταφορῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἰδεῶν μετατιθεὶς ἄν τις τὰ κύρια ὀνόματα κατίδοι ὅτι ἀληθῆ λέγομεν· οἷον τὸ αὐτὸ ποιήσανι5τος λαμβεῖον Αἰσχύλου καὶ Εὐριπίδου, ἓν δὲ μόνον ὄνομα³ μεταθέντος, ἀντὶ κυρίου εἰωθότος γλῶτταν, τὸ μὲν φαίνεται καλὸν τὸ δ᾽ εὐτελές. Αἰσχύλος μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ Φιλοκτήτῃ ἐποίησε “φαγέδαινα ἥ μου σάρκας ἐσθίει ποδός, ὁ δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐσθίει τὸ θοινᾶται μετέθηκεν. καὶ νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἐὼν ὀλίγος τε καὶ οὐτιδανὺς καὶ ἄκικυς, εἴ τις λέγοι τὰ κύρια μετατιθείς νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἐὼν μικρός τε καὶ ἀσθενικὸς καὶ ἀειδής. καὶ δίφρον ἀεικέλιον καταθεὶς ὀλίγην τε τράπεζαν. δίφρον μοχθηρὸν καταθεὶς μικρᾶν τε τράπεζαν, καὶ τὸ “ἠϊόνες βοόωσιν” ἠϊόνες κράζουσιν. [

Ἔτι δὲ Ἀρειφράδης τοὺς τραγῳδοὺς ἐκωμῴδει, ὅτι ἃ οὐδεὶς ἂν εἴποι ἐν τῇ διαλέκτῳ, τούτοις χρῶνται, οἷον τὸ δωμ⁴άτων ἄπο ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀπὸ δωμάτων, καὶ τὸ σέθεν, καὶ τὸ ἐγὼ δέ νιν, καὶ τὸ Ἀχιλλέως πέρι ἀλλὰ μὴ περὶ Ἀχιλλέως, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα.

διὰ γὰρ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἐν τοῖς κυρίοις ποιεῖ τὸ μὴ ἰδιωτικὸν ἐν τῇ λέξει ἅπαντα τὰ τοιαῦτα· ἐκεῖνος δὲ τοῦτο ἠγνόει.]

Ἔστι δὲ μέγα μὲν τὸ ἑκάστῳ τῶν εἰρημένων πρεπόντως 9 χρῆσθαι, καὶ διπλοῖς ὀνόμασι καὶ γλώτταις, πολὺ δὲ μέγιστον τὸ μεταφορικὸν εἶναι.

μόνον γὰρ τοῦτο οὔτε παρ' ἄλλου ἔστι λαβεῖν εὐφυΐας τε σημεῖόν ἐστιν· τὸ γὰρ εὖ μεταφέρειν τὸ τὸ ὅμοιον θεωρεῖν ἐστίν,

τῶν δ᾽ ὀνομάτων τὰ μὲν διπλᾶ μάλιστα ἁρμόττει τοῖς διθυράμβοις, αἱ δὲ γλῶτται τοῖς ἡρωϊκοῖς, αἱ δὲ μεταφοραὶ τοῖς ἰαμβείοις.

καὶ ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἡρωϊκοῖς ἅπαντα χρήσιμα τὰ εἰρημένα· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἰαμβείοις, διὰ τὸ ὅτι μάλιστα λέξιν μιμεῖσθαι, ταῦτα ἁρμόττει τῶν ὀνομάτων ὅσοις κἂν ἐν λόγοις τις χρήσαιτο· ἔστι δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα τὸ κύριον καὶ μεταφορὰ [καὶ κόσμος].

περὶ⁵ μὲν οὖν τραγῳδίας καὶ τῆς ἐν τῷ πράττειν μιμήσεως ἔστω ἡμῖν ἱκανὰ τὰ εἰρημένα.

Translations (13)

Poetics (W. H. Fyfe) (OCR draft) Perseus (William Hamilton Fyfe's English translation of Aristotle's Poetics, Loeb Classical Library, 1939 printing.) — 22 focus

The merit of diction is to be clear and not commonplace. The clearest diction is that made up of ordinary words, but it is commonplace.

20 An example is the poetry of Cleophon and of Sthenelus.¹

That which employs unfamiliar words is dignified and outside the common usage. By unfamiliar I mean a rare word, a metaphor, a lengthening,² and anything beyond the ordinary use.

But if a poet writes entirely in such words, the result will be either a riddle or jargon; if made up of metaphors, a riddle and if of rare words, jargon.

The essence of a riddle consists in describing a fact by an impossible combination of words. By merely combining the ordinary names of things this cannot be done, but it is made possible by combining metaphors. For instance, I saw a man weld bronze upon a man with fire, and so on.³

A medley of rare words is jargon.

We need then a sort of mixture of the two. For the one kind will save the diction from being prosaic and commonplace, the rare word, for example, and the metaphor and the ornament, whereas the ordinary words give clarity.

1458b 1 A considerable aid to clarity and distinction are the lengthening and abbreviation and alteration of words. Being otherwise than in the ordinary form and thus unusual, these will produce the effect of distinction, and clarity will be preserved by retaining part of the usual form.

Those critics are therefore wrong who censure this manner of idiom and poke fun at the poet, as did the elder Eucleides⁴ who said it was easy to write poetry, granted the right to lengthen syllables at will. He had made a burlesque in this very style:

Ἐ̄πῐχᾰ́|ρη̄ν εἶ̄δο̆ν Μᾰρᾰ|θω̄νᾰ́δε̆ | βᾱδῑ|ζο̄ντᾰ

οῡ̓κ ᾱ̓́ν | γ̆' ε̆ρᾰ́με̆νος το̄ν | ἐκεῑ́νοῡ ε̆λλε̆́βο̆ρο̄ν.

⁵

Now to make an obtrusive use of this licence is ridiculous;

but moderation is a requisite common to all kinds of writing. The same effect could be got by using metaphors and rare words and the rest unsuitably for the express purpose of raising a laugh.

What a difference is made by the proper use of such licence may be seen in epic poetry, if you substitute in the verse the ordinary forms.

Take a rare word or metaphor or any of the others and substitute the ordinary word; the truth of our contention will then be obvious. 20 For instance, Aeschylus and Euripides wrote the same iambic line with the change of one word only, a rare word in place of one made ordinary by custom, yet the one line seems beautiful and the other trivial. Aeschylus in the Philoctetes wrote,

The ulcer eats the flesh of this my foot,

and Euripides instead of eats put feasts upon. Or take

I that am small, of no account nor goodly;

suppose one were to read the line substituting the ordinary words,

I that am little and weak and ugly.

Or compare

He set a stool unseemly and a table small.

with

He set a shabby stool and a little table,

or the sea-shore is roaring with the sea-shore is shrieking.⁶

Ariphrades⁷ again made fun of the tragedians because they employ phrases which no one would use in conversation, like δωμάτων ἄπο instead of ἀπὸ δωμάτων and their σέθεν and ἐγὼ δέ νιν and Ἀχιλλέως πέρι for περὶ Ἀχιλλέως, and so on.

1459a 1 All that sort of thing, not being in the ordinary form, gives distinction to the diction, which was what he failed to understand.

It is a great thing to make a proper use of each of the elements mentioned, and of double words and rare words too, but by far the greatest thing is the use of metaphor.

That alone cannot be learnt; it is the token of genius. For the right use of metaphor means an eye for resemblances.⁸

Of the various kinds of words the double forms are most suited for dithyrambs, rare words for heroic verse and metaphors for iambics.

And indeed in heroic verse they are all useful; but since iambic verse is largely an imitation of speech, only those nouns are suitable which might be used in talking. These are the ordinary word, metaphor, and ornament.

Now concerning tragedy and the art of representing life in action, what we have said already must suffice.

Arabic Poetics (Badawī edition, 1953) (OCR draft) (The ancient Arabic translation of Aristotle's Poetics in ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Badawī's 1953 edition.) — 22 focus

〈فى المقولة وخصائصها〉

وأما فصلة المقولة فهى أن تكون مشهورة 〈غير〉 ناقصة. إلا أن [أن] المشهورة فهى التى تستعد وتهيأ من أسماء حقيقة ونخبر بها من هذه. والمثال على ذلك بمنزلة شعر قلاوفون وشعر اسثانلس. وأما العفيفة والمختلفة فمن قبل أن يقال المسكين هى مختلفة وتستعمل أشياء غريبة وعظيمة، وأعنى بالغرابة اللسان، والنقلة، والتأدى من خير إلى خير، والامتداد من الصغائر إلى العظائم، وكل ما هو من الحقيقى. إلا أن يكون الإنسان يجعل جميع هذه التى حالها هذه الحال أن يكون تركيبه بهذه الحال إما ألغاز وأمثال وأما مسل بربونا، وإن كان من الانتقال والتأدية فالرموز والألغاز والأمثال؛ ومن كان من اللسان فمثلا برابريا. و〈أما〉 صورة الرمز فهو أن يقال إن التى هى موجودة لا يمكن أن نوصلها و〈إما〉 بحسب الأسماء الأخر، فلا يمكن أن نفعل هذا؛ وأما بحسب التأدية والانتقال فلا يمكن، مثل أنه «ألصق إلصاقاً ظاهراً النحاس بالنار، والنحاس نفسه بالرجل». وأمثال هذه هى من اللسان.

وأما مثيل بربريا إن كانت هذه تمتزج، واما ألا يعمل اسم ناقص ولا أيضاً مسكين فذلك بمنزلة اللسان، والتأدية والانتقال، والزينة، وهذه الأشياء الأخر التى وصفت، وليس إنما ينظم فى إيضاح المقولة جزءاً يسيراً هذه الأشياء، وهى: هل اسم ما يكون بالنقصانات والتقطيعات وتبديلات الأسماء؟ وأما من حيث هى حاله حال مختلفة، أو بأن يكون حقيقى خارج عما جرت به العادة فـ〈ـيلزمه〉 ألا يعمل ناقص. وأما فمن حيث أنه مشارك للمعتاد فيكون مشهوراً حتى يلزم أن ما يجرى من الهجاء والثلب [من الجرى] على هذا الضرب من الجدل ليس يجرى على الاستقامة، وعند 〈ما〉 يهزأون بالشاعر بمنزلة أوقليدس، ذلك الأول، على أنه قد كان يسهل عليه أن يفعل إعطاء إنسان هكذا كان يمد ما كان يمد 〈كما〉 يحب ويريد مده، وكان يقصر حيث يريد. وأن يعمل الشعر المسمى ايانبوا بهذا اللفظ وهو قو〈له〉 الذى زعم فيه : «إننى رأيت ماراثون من حيث يسمى بالنعمة» ولا أيضاً: «كاكنت فقدت ذاك».

أما أن يرى كيف كان يستعمل هذا الضرب، فهو مما يضحك منه؛ وأما المقدار والوزن فهما أمر عام لجميع الأجزاء. وذلك أنه عندما كان يستعمل التأديات والانتقال والألسن وأنواعاً 〈أخر〉 على مايليق وفى باب التعرف فى الأشياء هى ضحكة قد كان يفعل هذا الفعل بعينه.

وأما ما هو موافق لمقدار كل ما كانت تكون مختلفة فهذه ترى أفى من حيث توضع الأسماء بالوزن والمقدار والتأديات وبأنواع أخر. فانه إن غير الأسماء الحقيقية وقف على أن ما قلناه من ذلك حق، مثل أن أوريفيدس واسخولس عندما عملا الشعر المسمى ايانبوس فعلا هذا الفعل نفسه، إلا أنه إذا ما نقل بدل الحقيقى من قبل أنه قد اعنيد فى اللسان، أما ذاك 〈فيرى〉 جيداً شريفاً، وأما هذا فيرى مهيناً. واسخولس عمل شعراً فى «فليوقطيطس» قال فيه:

«إن السـ〈...〉 أ〈كلـ〉ـت لحومى ومسست رجلى»

فان فى هذا الكلام استعمل ووضع قوله «مسست» بدلا من قوله...

«فأما الآن أنا من حيث على جهة الصغر والصغيرة».

بلا أن يصح يقول إنسان من حيث 〈ير〉يد بذلك الحقيقة:

«وأما الآن فلى أنا من حيث أنت صغير».

أو يسمى الضعيف والذى بلا منظ〈ـر〉 هذا الكلام ووصف المجلس دائماً قاليون. وقوله:

«إنه وضع بيدى أنا الشقى مائدة صغيرة» من حيث استعمل قوله: «إن أبناء اليونانيين مائدة الصغيرة صغير»، بدل من «اليونانيين يسمى مائدة صغيرة».

وأيضاً كان يسمى المفسرين الحقيقين ذوى المديح من حيث كان 〈يهزأ〉 بهم؛ وزعم أنهم كذلك لأنهم يستعملون أشياء لا لم يقولها قط من الجدليين فى الجدل بمنزلة ما فى المجلس الذى من النجو لا أمن النحلات، وبمنزلة القول القائل إن مثل أنت أيضاً قد كنت شىء ما، وبمنزلة القول القائل «إن أخيلوس هو من أجل» لا «هو من أجل أخيلوس»، وأشياء كثيرة من أمثال هذه كم كانت. وذلك أنه من قبل أن هذه الأ〈مور〉 هى فى الحقيقى، لذلك ما عمل تركيب ليس حاله فى اللفظ بدون ما هذه حاله. وأما ذاك فما كان يعرف من هذه شيئاً.

فأما الكبير فهو أن يستعمل كل واحد واحد من هذه التى وصفت على مجرى الأليق والأشبه، وأن يستعمل أسماء مضعفة والألسن، وأن يكون مما يتأدى وينتقل هو عظيم كبير. غير أن هذا ليس يؤخذ من آخر من 〈مثل〉 أنه دليل على الحذق والمهارة وذلك أنه أن يكون التأدى تأدياً حسناً إلى ما هو شبيه هو أن يعلم علماً حسناً.

والأسماء أنفسها منها مركبة، وهذه تصلح لوزن الشعر المسمى دياثورانبو وأما الألسن فتصلح للأوزان المعروفة بايروايقا وهو النـ〈ـشـ〉ـيد؛ وأما التى تتأدى فتصلح لأوزان الشعر المعروف بايانبو وهى أليق وأصلح فى ايروايقا، وهو النشيد، من جميع ما وصف؛ وأما فى ايانبو فمن قبل أنها تتشبه باللفظ، وهذه الأسماء تصلح وتليق بمقدار ما يستعمل بها الإنسان على طريق، وهذه هى الحقيقى المتأدى [والمسمى بالسريانية صفتانيا، مأخوذ من الإتمام والعناية] إلى ما فى صناعة المديح والتشبيه وحكاية الحديث. — ففيما قلناه من ذلك كفاية.

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.) — 22 focus

The perfection of style is to be clear without being
mean.

The clearest style is that which uses only current
or proper words;
at the same time it is mean :—witness
the poetry of Cleophon and of Sthenelus.

That diction, on the other hand, is lofty and raised above the common-
place which employs unusual words.
By unusual, I
mean strange (or rare) words, metaphorical, lengthened,—
anything, in short, that differs from the normal idiom.

Yet a style wholly composed of such words is either a
riddle or a jargon;
a riddle, if it consists of metaphors;
a jargon, if it consists of strange (or rare) words.

For the
essence of a riddle is to express true facts under im-
possible combinations.
Now this cannot be done by any
arrangement of ordinary words, but by the use of meta-
phor it can.
Such is the riddle: 'A man I saw who
on another man had glued the bronze by aid of fire,' and
others of the same kind.

A diction that is made up of
strange (or rare) terms is a jargon.

A certain infusion,
therefore, of these elements is necessary to style;
for the
strange (or rare) word, the metaphorical, the ornamental,
and the other kinds above mentioned, will raise it above
the commonplace and mean, while the use of proper
words will make it perspicuous.

But nothing contributes
more to produce a clearness of diction that is remote
from commonness than the lengthening, contraction, and
alteration of words.
For by deviating in exceptional
cases from the normal idiom, the language will gain
distinction;
while, at the same time, the partial con-
formity with usage will give perspicuity.

The critics,
therefore, are in error who censure these licenses of
speech, and hold the author up to ridicule.
Thus
Eucleides, the elder, declared that it would be an easy
matter to be a poet if you might lengthen syllables at
will.
He caricatured the practice in the very form of
his diction, as in the verse:
Ἐπιχάρην εἶδον Μαραθῶνάδε βαδίζοντα,
or,
οὐκ ἄν ἐράμενος τὸν ἐκείνου ἐλλέβορον.

To employ such license at all obtrusively is, no doubt,
grotesque;
but in any mode of poetic diction there
must be moderation.

Even metaphors, strange (or rare)
words, or any similar forms of speech, would produce
the like effect if used without propriety and with the
express purpose of being ludicrous.

How great a differ-
ence is made by the appropriate use of lengthening, may
be seen in Epic poetry by the insertion of ordinary forms
in the verse.

So, again, if we take a strange (or rare)
word, a metaphor, or any similar mode of expression,
and replace it by the current or proper term, the truth
of our observation will be manifest.
For example
Aeschylus and Euripides each composed the same iambic
line.
But the alteration of a single word by Euripides,
who employed the rarer term instead of the ordinary
one, makes one verse appear beautiful and the other
trivial.
Aeschylus in his Philoctetes says:
φαγέδαινα <δ᾽> μου σάρκας ἐσθίει ποδός·
Euripides substitutes θοινᾶται 'feasts on' for ἐσθίει
'feeds on.'
Again, in the line,
νῦν δὲ μ᾽ ἐὼν ὀλίγος τε καὶ οὐτιδανὸς καὶ ἀεικής,
the difference will be felt if we substitute the common
words,
νῦν δὲ μ᾽ ἐὼν μικρός τε καὶ ἀσθενικὸς καὶ ἀειδής.
Or, if for the line,
δίφρον ἀεικέλιον καταθεὶς ὀλίγην τε τράπεζαν,
we read,
δίφρον μοχθηρὸν καταθεὶς μικράν τε τράπεζαν.
Or, for ἠμόνες βοόωσιν, ἠιόνες κράζουσιν.

Again, Ariphrades ridiculed the tragedians for using
phrases which no one would employ in ordinary speech :
for example, δωμάτων ἄπο instead of ἀπὸ δωμάτων,
σέθεν, ἐγὼ δὲ νιν, ᾿Αχιλλέως πέρι instead of περὶ
᾿Αχιλλέως, 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 meta-
phorical, the ornamental.

Concerning Tragedy and imitation by means of
action this may suffice.

Aristotle on the Art of Poetry (Ingram Bywater, 1909) (OCR draft) Experimental (Ingram Bywater's English translation of Aristotle's Poetics, published in 1909.) — 22 focus

The perfection of Diction is for it to be at once clear
and not mean.

The clearest indeed is that made up of
the ordinary words for things, but it is mean, as is shown
by the poetry of Cleophon and Sthenelus.

On the other
hand the Diction becomes distinguished and non-prosaic
by the use of unfamiliar terms, i. e. strange words, metaphors,
lengthened forms, and everything that deviates from the
ordinary modes of speech.

But a whole statement in such
terms will be either a riddle or a barbarism, a riddle, if made
up of metaphors, a barbarism, if made up of strange words.

The very nature indeed of a riddle is this, to describe a
fact in an impossible combination of words (which cannot
be done with the real names for things, but can be with
their metaphorical substitutes); e.g. 'I saw a man glue brass
on another with fire,' and the like.

The corresponding
use of strange words results in a barbarism.

A certain
admixture, accordingly, of unfamiliar terms is necessary.
These, the strange word, the metaphor, the ornamental
equivalent, etc., will save the language from seeming mean
and prosaic, while the ordinary words in it will secure the
requisite clearness.

What helps most, however, to render
the Diction at once clear and non-prosaic is the use of the
lengthened, curtailed, and altered forms of words.

It is not right, then, to condemn these modes of speech,
and ridicule the poet for using them, as some have done;
e. g. the elder Euclid, who said it was easy to make poetry
if one were to be allowed to lengthen the words in the
statement itself as much as one likes—a procedure he
caricatured by reading

Ἐπιχάρην εἶδον Μαραθῶνάδε βαδίζοντα

and

οὐκ ἄν γ᾽ ἐράμενος τὸν ἐκείνου ἐλλέβορον

as verses.

A too
apparent use of these licences has certainly a ludicrous
effect,

but they are not alone in that; the rule of moderation
applies to all the constituents of the poetic vocabulary;
even with metaphors, strange words, and the rest, the effect
will be the same, if one uses them improperly and with a view
to provoking laughter.

The proper use of them is a very
different thing.

To realize the difference one should take
an epic verse and see how it reads when the normal words
are introduced. The same should be done too with the
strange word, the metaphor, and the rest; for one has
only to put the ordinary words in their place to see the
truth of what we are saying. The same iambic, for instance,
is found in Aeschylus and Euripides, and as it stands in
the former it is a poor line; whereas Euripides, by the
change of a single word, the substitution of a strange for
what is by usage the ordinary word, has made it seem a fine
one. Aeschylus having said in his Philoctetes:

φαγέδαινα ἥ μου σάρκας ἐσθίει ποδός,

Euripides has merely altered the ἐσθίει here into θοινᾶται.
Or suppose

νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἐὼν ὀλίγος τε καὶ οὐτιδανὸς καὶ ἀεικής

to be altered by the substitution of the ordinary words into

νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἐὼν μικρός τε καὶ ἀσθενικὸς καὶ ἀειδής.

Or the line

δίφρον ἀεικέλιον καταθεὶς ὀλίγην τε τράπεζαν

into

δίφρον μοχθηρὸν καταθεὶς μικράν τε τράπεζαν.

ἠιόνες βοόωσιν

into

ἠιόνες κράζουσιν.

Add to this that
Ariphrades used to ridicule the tragedians for introducing ex-
pressions unknown in the language of common life,

δωμάτων
ἄπο

(for

ἀπὸ δωμάτων

σέθεν

ἐγὼ δέ νιν

Ἀχιλλέως πέρι

(for

περὶ
Ἀχιλλέως

), and the like.

The mere fact of their not being in
ordinary speech gives the Diction a non-prosaic character;
but Ariphrades was unaware of that.

It is a great thing,
indeed, to make a proper use of these poetical forms, as
also of compounds and strange words.
But the greatest
thing by far is to be a master of metaphor.

It is the one
thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also
a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive
perception of the similarity in dissimilars.

Of the kinds of words we have enumerated it may be
observed that compounds are most in place in the dithyramb,
strange words in heroic, and metaphors in iambic poetry.

Heroic poetry, indeed, may avail itself of them all. But in
iambic verse, which models itself as far as possible on the
spoken language, only those kinds of words are in place
which are allowable also in an oration, i. e. the ordinary
word, the metaphor, and the ornamental equivalent.

Let this, then, suffice as an account of Tragedy, the art
imitating by means of action on the stage.

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.) — 22.1 focus

The excellence of diction consists in being perspicuous without being mean.

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.) — 22.1 focus

CHAP. ΧΧΙΙ. OF THE EXCELLENCE OF LANGUAGE. mean. THE perfection of language consists in being perspicuous and yet not Language is most perspicuous when it consists entirely of words taken in their usual sense

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.) — 22 focus

Dictionis autem virtus est ut perspicua neque exis lis sit.

maxime quidem perspicua est quae ex propriis nominibus, sed exilis: exemplo est Cleophontis poesis et Stheneli.

gravis autem et vulgaria devitans quae peregrinis utitur. in peregrinis refero glossam et translationem et extensionem et quidquid a proprio discedit.

sed si quis omnia eiusmodi posuerit, aut aenigma erit aut barbarismus. si quidem ex translationibus, aenigma, sin ex glossis, barbarisinus.

aenigmatis enim forma haec est ut, quae sunt dum dicis, coniungas quae non possunt esse. atque per nominum coniunctionem hoc fieri non potest, sed per translationem potest, velut "virum vidi igne aes viro adglutinantem,” et quae sunt eiusdem generis.

[ex glossis barbarismus.]

oportet igitur mixtam esse orationem ex his quodammodo: nam quod non est vulgare neque exile, id glossa afferet et translatio [et ornatus] et ceterae formae quas enumeravimus, proprium autem perspicuitatem.

nec minimam partem conferunt ad perspicuitatem orationis et amovenda vulgaria extensiones et abscissiones et commutationes nominum: nam eo quo aliter se habent ac propria, id quod fit praeter consuetum faciet ad vitanda vulgaria, sed eo quod commune habent cum vulgaribus afferent perspicuitatem.

quamobrem non recte vituperant qui reprehendunt hoc genus dictionis et irrident poetam, ut Euclides ille antiquus, quasi facile sit poema condere, si quis dederit extendere in quantum velit, irridens ipsa dictione: ἤτοι ῎Αρην εἶδον Μαραθῶν δε βαδίζοντα, et οὐκ ἄν γ' ἐράμενος τὸν ἐκείνου ἐλλέβορον.

ac deprehendi quodammodo utentem hoc genere ridiculum est [metrum autem commune omnium est partium];

quippe etiam translationibus et glossis et ceteris formis qui utitur inepte et accommodate ad risum, is idem efficeret.

sed iustus modus quantum excellat, in epicis consideretur, eo quod nomina metro adstringantur.

et in glossa et in translationibus et in aliis formis si quis reposuerit propria nomina, invenerit vera nos dicere; veluti cum cundem trimetrum fecerit Aeschylus atque Euripides, sed hic unum tantum nomen mutaret, pro proprio solitoque glossam, alter versus pulcher apparet alter exilis. Aeschylus enim in Philocteta posuit „phagedaena quae mei comedit carnem pedis," ille autem pro comedit posuit epulatur. atque νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἐὼν ὀλίγος τε καὶ οὐτιδανὸς καὶ ἄκικυς, si quis repositis propriis diceret νῦν δέ μ᾽ ἐὼν μικρός τε καὶ ἀσθενικὸς καὶ ἀειδής. atque δίφρον ἀεικέλιον καταθεὶς ὀλίγην τε τράπεζαν. δίφρον μοχθηρὸν καταθεὶς μικράν τε τράπεζαν. atque “littora clamant” littora crociunt.

[Praeterea Ariphrades tragoedos irridebat, quod quae nemo diceret in sermone, iis uterentur, veluti illud δωμά των ἄπο ac non ἀπὸ δωμάτων, et σέθεν, et ἐγὼ δέ νιν, et Ἀχιλλέως πέρι ac non περὶ Ἀχιλλέως, et quae sunt alia huiusmodi.

nam quia non sunt in propriis, faciunt haec omnia ne vulgaris sit dictio:

ille autem hoc ignorabat.] Est vero magnum unoquoque eorum quae diximus uti quemadmodum decet, tam duplicibus nominibus quam glossis, multo autem maximum ad translationes promptum esse.

hoc enim unum neque ab alio sumere licet felicisque ingenii signum est: bene enim transferre est similia animadvertere.

ex nominibus autem duplicia potissimum conveniunt dithyrambis, glossae heroicis, translationes iambicis carminibus.

atque in heroicis omnia quae dixi utilia sunt; sed in iambicis, quippe quae maxime sermonem imitentur, ea apta sunt nomina quibus etiam in orationibus quis utatur: sunt vero eiusmodi nomina propria et translationes [et ornatus].

iam de tragoedia et per agendum imitatione sufficiant nobis quae dicta sunt.

La poëtique d'Aristote (André Dacier, 1692) (OCR draft) Experimental (André Dacier's French translation of Aristotle's Poetics, published in 1692.) — 22.1 focus

LA vertu de l'expreſſion conſiſte dans la netteté & dans la nobleſſe.

Poetica d'Aristotile (Bernardo Segni, 1549) (OCR draft) Experimental (Bernardo Segni's 1549 Florentine Italian translation, aligned to the Kassel reference passage sequence.) — 22 focus

Della bontà della Locutione. C A bontà della Locutione è, ch'ella ſia chiara, & non humile; La chiarezza s'acquiſta vſando i nomi propii,ma ella ſi fa baſſa,Sieci in eſſempio di ciò la Poefia di Cleofonte, & di Stenelo.

Grandezza ha ella, & eſce fuori del plebeo, vſando nomi foreſtieri.

Io chiamo nome foreftiero la Confuſione delle Lingue, la Metafora, l'Allungamento; & tutto quello che fi diparte dal propio.

Ma doue vno inſieme vſerà tutti que ſti nomi, e' farà ò vno Enigma, o vno Barbarifmo. E farà lo Enigma componendo il ſuo parlare di Metafore; & farallo Barbariſmo componendolo di varie Lingue.

Perchè quel parlare hara forma Enigmatica, che farà compoſto di coſe impoſsibili. La quale forma non ſi può fare per via de Nomi compoſti, ma fi ben per via delle Metafore, come è quella.

Io vidi vn huomo, clia vn'altro huomo appiccaua il bronzo col fuoco, ô altre fimili coſe.

Et il Barbariſmo è compoſto di con fuſione di lingue, onde auuiene, che in vn certo modo, e' fi meſcola in ſimil ſorte di parlare.

La Confufione delle lingue adunche, & la Metafora,& il Nome ornato, & altri nomi di ſimil forte fanno l'Oratione grande, & rilieuonla da'l modo plebeo; & il Nome propio le dà la chiarezza, alla quale medeſimamente giouano in non piccola parte:& anchora à rileuarla dal parlare.

ordinario gli Allungamenti, le Conciſioni, &i Cambiamenti del Nome, Conciofia, che per iſtar' tal parlare fuori dell'uſo, come effendo diuerfo dal propio, e faccia percio il parlare rileuato:et per communicare in parte col parlare cófueto, ch'egli habbia in ſe la chiarez za. Onde à ragione non è biaſimato vn'ſimil modo di parlare, ne con ragione ardiſcono in ciò quegli, che accufano il Poeta. Ilche fece Euclide Prifco, dicendo che vno ageuolmete potrebbe fingere il ſuo Poema, ſe e gli fuffe lecito allungare i Nomi quanto gli pare; & egli poi in queſti Iambi vso tal Locutione.

ὅτι χάριν εἶσιον μαραθῶνάλε βαδίζοντα οὐκ ἄν γλνάμενος τὸν ἐκείνου ἐξελλέβορον..

τουτου L'uſare adunche in tal modo hà del ridiculo; ma la me diocrità da uſarci è parimente commune à tutte le parti dette.

Perchè chi vſerale Metafore, la uarietà delle lingue, & altre ſpetie racconte inconuenientemente, & à ſtudio; queſti andrà procacciando il ſuo parlare in maniera da effer derifo.

Ma quanto il conue neuole riſplenda ne' verſi, confideriſi diqui, che ſe uno harà poſto i Nomi con miſura nella varietà delle lin gue, & nelle Metafore, & in altre fimili ſpetie, & dipoi cambiatigli, vi hara i propii Nomi ripoſto; conoſcera che io harò detto il vero; Si come appariſce per effempio di Efchilo, & d'Euripide in vn' Iambo medefimo fatto da l'uno, & da l'altro. Imperochè hauendo l'uno - in cambio del propio Nome vſatone vn'altro foreſtiero, fè, che gli appari tanto bello, quanto quell'altro brutto, & baffo; perchè nel Filoctete Eſchilo coſi parlò. Mangiasi,ohime, de pie la carne mia. - V na Lupa crudele. Doue Euripide in cambio di quella parola Mangiafi, Odiß. Hom diſſe Trionfa della mia carne. Et queſt'altro che dice. Ma hor ch'un brutto, piccolo, poc atto. Doue ſe vno uoleſſe mettere per efprimere tal concetto nomi piu propii direbbe. Ma hor ch'un brutto, debole, piccino Et queſt'altro, che dice, 11 carro indegno, le uiuande parche Dirlo altramente, cioè Il carro triſto, le uiuande triſte. Et quello che dice. E' litti intorno mettono alte ſtrida. در Dire in quel cambio Gridano.

Arifade oltra di que fto biafimaua i Poeti Tragici perche nelle Tragedie egli vſauano nomi non confueti d'uſarſi da gli altri;nel parlar'ſciolto come dire λωμάτων ἀπὸ, et non ἀπὸ Αωμάτων cioè dıre Cafe dalle, in cambio di dire Dalle cafe. Et σέθεν in cambio di σοῦ Et viv in cambio di dire ἀντὸν, Ετ᾿ ἀχιλλέωσ περὶ in cambio di dire περὶ ἀχιλλέωσ.

Ετ altre fimili coſe, non ſappiendo, che eglinomentre che tali modi di dire uanno ſeguendo sfuggono allhora il modo del parlare plebeo.

Ma egli importa aſſai l'uſare il conueneuole in ciascuna delle coſe dette, & ne' nomi detti, & nella varieta delle lingue; & quello che ſopra tutte l'altre coſe uale, è il ſaper vfar'bene le Metafo re.

La qual coſa nó ſi può trar' da altri, anzi è inditio in -chi la fa bene di acuto ingegno; imperochê il traſportare ben' le coſe non è altro che vn' poter' ben' contemplare le fimilitudini d'effe.

Infra' Nomi quei, che fo no doppi, ſtanno ben' a' verſi Ditirambi ; & la varietà delle lingue a i verfi Heroici, & le metafore a Iambi.

Ma negli Heroici tutte le forti dette de Nomi vi fi accomodan' anchor bene & ne verſi Iambi, perchè efsi imitano mitano il parlare ordinario, e' ui ſtan' bene tutti quei Nomi, che nella proſa ſi parlano : & tali ſono i Nomi propii, le Metafore, & i Nomi ornati. Et in quanto alla Tragedia, & à quella imitatione, che conſiſte nella atti one fieſene detto infin qui à baſtanza.

Auuertiſcha qui il lettore che'l commento meſſo innanzi ha ad ire qui ilche è e nato per difetto degli stampatori. E

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.) — 22 focus

Elocutionis autem virtus est, ut sit perspicua et non humilis. ac maxime quidem perspicua est quae ex propriis nominibus constat, sed humilis. exemplum est Cleophontis poesis et Stheneli.

at grandis et immutans id quod vulgare est,

quae peregrinis utitur, peregrinum autem voco linguam et translationem et protractionem, et quidquid praeter proprium est.

sed si quis simul omnia talia fecerit, aut aenigma erit aut barbarismus. si igitur ex translationibus, aenigma, si ex linguis, etiam barbarismus.

aenigmatis autem forma est, ut qui dicit, copulet ea quae fieri non possunt. at secundum compositionem quidem nominum id fieri non potest: verum secundum translationem contingit,

ut "virum vidi igne aes viro aggluti- nantem agglutinantem" et talia.

ex linguis vero barbarismus. quamobrem aliquo modo his temperatur;

ac non vulgare quidem efficiet humile neque lingua et translatio et ornatus et aliae formae quae dictae sunt, perspicuitatem vero proprium. at non minimam partem conferunt ad perspicuam elocutionem et non vulgarem protractiones et subtractiones et immutationes nominum:

nam quoniam hoc aliter se habet Bbbbb ac proprium, quod factum est praeter consuetum, non vulgare efficiet; quoniam autem commune aliquid habet cum eo quod est consuetam, erit perspicuum. quare non recte vituperant, qui reprehendont talem modum locutionis ac maledictis poetam insectantur, ut Euclides ille antiquus, quod facile sit poetice agere, si quis concesserit protrahere, quantum velit, eum qui iambis usus sit in eadem locutione, ut ἠτίχαριν εἶδον Μαραθῶνα βαδίζοντα,

εἰ οὐκ ἂν γεινάμενος τὸν ἐκείνου ἐξ ἐλλέβορον.

ac cum appareat quidem aliquo modo aliquem sequi hunc ipsum nsum, id ridicnlum est. mensura vero communis est omnium partium.

etenim qui translationibus et linguis et aliis formis uteretur indecore et studiose ad ridicula, idem efficeret.

id autem quod congruit, quantum excellat in heroico carmine, consideretur iniectis nominibus in metrum. et certe in linguis et in translationibus et in aliis formis, si quis posuerit propria nomina, videbit a nobis dici ea quae vera sunt, ut cum eundem iambicum fecit Aeschylus et Euripides, et unum solum nomen immutavit, et posnit linguam pro proprio consueto. atque unum quidem apparet pulchrum, alterum vero humile. nam Aeschylus in Philoctete fecit "phagedaena, quae mei carnes comedit pedis," hic vero pro obis posuit fotvarat, epulatur. et nunc autem me, qui est parvusque et nihili et indecens."

si quis dicit positis propriis "nunc autem me, qui est parvusque et imbecillis et deformis." et "sedile non conveniens cum posuisset, paucamque mensam." et illud "littora vociferantur," littora clamant. praeterea vero Ariphrades tragoedis maledicebat, quod quae nemo diceret in sermone, iis uterentur, quale illud est, δωμάτων απο domibus ab, sed non ἀπὸ δωμάτων a domibus; et illud v tui; et illud y di viv ego autem ipsum;

et il lnd ᾿Αχιλλέως πέρι Achille de, sed non περὶ ᾿Αχιλλέως de Achille; et quaecunque alia talia.

nam quoniam non sunt in propriis, faciunt id quod non vulgare est haec omnia in elocutione: ille vero hoc nesciebat. iam magnum est uti congruenter unoquoque de iis quae dicta sunt, et duplicibus nominibus et linguis.

at maximum est metaphoricum esse: solum enim hoc neque ab alio licet assnmere, et boni ingenii signum est. bene enim transferre est simile intueri.

ex nominibus autem duplicia quidem maxime conveniunt dithyrambis, linguae vero heroicis, at translationes iambicis.

et in heroicis quidem omnia utilia quae dicta sunt: verum in iambicis, quia quam maxime collocutionem imitantur, ex nominibus illa congruunt quibuscunque etiam in sermonibus aliquis uteretur. sunt antem autem talia proprium et translatio et ornatus.

ac de tragoedia quidem, et de imitatione quae in agendo posita est, nobis satis sint quae exposita sunt.

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.) — 22 focus

Locutionis autem virtus planam et non humilem esse.

Planissima quidem igitur est que ex propriis nominibus, sed humilis. Exemplum autem que Cleofontis poesis et que Sthenelli. —

Venerabilis autem et permutans quod idioticale que extraneis utitur. 'Extraneale' autem dico linguam et metaforam et superextensionem et omne quod preter proprium.

Sed si quis utique omnia talia faciat, aut enigma erit aut barbarismus ; si quidem igitur ex metaforis, enigma ; si autem ex linguis, barba- rismus.

Enigmatis enim species hec est, dicentem existentia inpossibilia copulare. — Secundum quidem igitur nominum compositionem non est possibile hoc facere, secundum metaforam autem contingit, puta « virilem rubicundum ut es ignitum super virum adherentem » et que talia ex linguis ;

barbarismus autem. Oportet ergo discretionem factam

esse aliqualiter hiis ; hoc quidem enim non idioticale faciet neque humile, puta lingua et metafora et ornatus et alie dicte species, quod autem proprium planiciem. —

Non minimam autem partem confert ad planum locutionis et non idioticale superextensiones et apocope et exallage nominum; per aliter quidem enim habere quam ut proprium, preter consuetum factum, quod non idioticale faciet, per communicare autem consueto quod planum erit.

Quare non recte vituperant qui increpant talem modum loquele et diakomodizantes poetam, velut Euclides antiquus, tamquam facile facere, si quid dabit extendens ad quantumcumque vult, iambopoetizans in ipsa locutione: « petebat gratiam videns Marathonem ambulantem », et « non utique illius elleborum ».

Apparere quidem igitur aliqualiter utentem isto modo risile. —

Metrum autem commune est omnium partium, et enim metaforis et linguis et aliis speciebus utens indecenter et idonee ad risilia idem utique operabitur ;

quod autem congruum quantum differt in versibus consideretur impositis nominibus in metrum. —

Et in lingua autem et in metaforis et in aliis speciebus transponens utique quis propria nomina cognoscet quod vera dicimus; puta idem iambiale poetizante Eschylo et Euripede, unum autem solum nomen transponente, pro proprio consueto linguam, hoc quidem videtur pulerum hoc autem vile. Eschylus quidem enim in Filoktete poetizavit «infirmitas lupus que mei carnem esthiei pedis»; hic autem pro 'esthiein' (idest comedere) 'thoinate' (idest epulatur) transposuit. Et «nunc autem me ens parvus et nullo dignus et deformis», si quis dicit propria transponens, « nunc autem me ens parvusque et debilis et deformis ». Et « currum ineptum componens modicamque mensam», et quod «Iones vocant» aut «Iones clamant».

Adhuc autem Arifrades tragodicos komodizabat, quod que nullus utique diceret in loquela hiis utuntur, puta «domatibus ab» sed non 'ab domatibus' et quod « sethen » (idest ex te) et quod « ego autem nin » (idest ipsum) et «Achille de» sed non 'de Achille', et quecumque alia talia.

Propter non esse enim in propriis faciunt non idioticale in locutione omnia talia; ille autem hoc ignorabat. —

Est autem magnum quidem unoquoque dictorum decenter uti, et duplis nominibus et linguis, multo autem maius metaforicum esse.

Solum enim hoc neque ab alio est accipere, estque signum eufye; nam bene metaforizare est simile considerare. —

Nominum autem dupla quidem maxime congruunt dithyrambis, lingue autem eroicis, metafore autem iambialibus.

Et in eroicis quidem omnia opportuna que dicta, in iambialibus autem propter quam maxime locutionem imitari hec congruunt nominum, quibuscumque et in quibuscumque sermonibus aliquid utetur ; sunt autem talia quod proprium et metafora et ornatus. —

De tragodia quidem igitur et de ea que in agere imitatione, sint nobis sufficientia que dicta sunt.

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.) — 22 focus

‏واما فصله المقولة فهى ان تكون مشهورة ناقصة

‏الا ان ان المشهورة فهى التى تستعد وتهيا من اسما حقيقة ويحبر بها من هذه والمثال على ذلك بمنزلة شعر قلاوفون وشعر اسثانلس

‏واما العفيفة والمختلفة فمن قبل ان تقال المسكين هى مختلفة وتستعمل اشيا غريبة وعظيمة واعنى بالغربة اللسان والنقلة والتادى من خير الى خير والامتداد من الصغاير الى العظايم وكل ما هو من الحقيقى

‏الا ان يكون الانسان يجعل جميع هذه التى حالها هذه الحال ان يكون تركيبه بهذه الحال اما الغاز وامثال واما مٮٮل ٮرٮوٮا وان كان من الانتٯال والتادية فالرموز والالغاز والامثال ومن كان من اللسان فمـ**ل ٮراٮوٮا

‏وصورة الرمز فهو ان يقال ان التى هى موجودة لا يمكن ان يوصلها واما بحسب الاسما الاخر فلا يمكن ان يفعل هذا واما بحسب التادية والانتقال فقد يمكن مثل انه الصق الصاقا طاهرا النحاس بالنار والنحاس نفسه بالرجل

‏وامثال هذه هى من اللسان واما مٮٮل ٮرٮوٮا

‏ان كانت هذه تمتزج واما الا يعمل اسم ناقص ولا ايضا مسكن فذلك بمنزلة اللسان والتادية والانتقال والزينة وهذه الاشيا الاخر التى وضعت

‏وليس انما ينظم فى اتضاح المقولة جزوا يسيرا هذه الاشيا وهى هل اسم ما يكون بالنقصانات والتقطيعات وتبديلات الاسما وا*ـا من حيث هى حالها حال مختلفة او بان يكون حقيقى خارج عما جرت به العادة فيلزمه الا يعمل ناقص واما فمن حيث انه مشاركلبعاد فيكون مشهورا

‏حتى يلزم ان ما يجرى من الهجا والٮلٮ [من الجرى] على هذا الضرب من الجدل ليس يجرى عل الاستقامة وعند يهزون بالشاعر بمنزلة اوقليدس ذلك الاول على انه قد كان يسهل عليه ان نفعل اعطا انسان هكذى كان يمد ما كان [يجد] يحب ويريد مده وكان يقصر حيث يريد وان يعمل الشعر المسمى ايانبوا بهذا اللفظ وهو قوله الذى زعم فيه اننى رايت ماراثون من حيث ٮسمى بالنعمة ولا ايضا كاكٮٮ اعٮدت ذاك

‏اما ان يرى كيف كان يستعمل هذا الضرب فهو مما يضحك منه واما المقدار والوزن فهما امر عام لجميع الاجزا

‏وذلك انه عند ما كان يستعمل التاديات والانتقال والالسن وانواع على ما يليق وفى باب الٮعرف فى الاشيا هى ضحكة قد كان يفعل هذا الفعل بعينه

‏واما ما هو موافق لمقدار كل ما كانت تكون مختلفة فهذه ترى افى من حيث يوضع الاسما بالوزن

‏والمقدار والتاديات وبانواع اخر فانه ان غير الاسما الحقيقية وقف على ان ما قلناه من ذلك حق مثل ان اوريفيدس واسخولس عند ما عملا الشعر المسمى ايانبوس فعلى هذا الفعل نفسه الا انه اذا ما نقل بدل الحقيقى من قبل انه قد اعتيد فى اللسان اما ذاك ***ا جيد شريف واما هذا فيرا مهين واسخولس عمل شعر فى فيلوقطيطس قال فيه ان السا* **لٮ لحومى ومششت رجلى فان فى هذا الكلام استعمل ووضع قوله مششت بدلا ***وله فاما الان انا من حيث على جهة الصغر والصغيرة بلا ان يصح يقول انسان من حيث **ر ڡدلك الحقيقة واما الان ڡلى انا من حيث اٮٮ صغيرا وٮسمى الضعيف والذى بلا منظر هذا الكلام ووصف المجلس دايما قاليون وقوله انه وضع بيدى انا الشفى مايدة صغيرة من حيث استعمل قوله ان انبا اليونانيين مايدة الصغيرة [صغير] بدل من اليونانين يسمون مايدة صغيرة

‏وايضا كان يسمى المفسرين الحقيقيين ذوى المديح من حيث كان **بهم وزعم انهم كذلك لانهم يستعملون اشيا لا لم يقولها قط من الجدليين فى الجدل بمنزلة ما فى المجلس الذى من النحو لا امن الٮحلاٮ وبمنزلة القول القايل ان منك انت *ايضا قد كنت شى ما وبمنزلة القول القايل ان اخيلوس هو من اجل لا هو من اجل اخيلوس واشيا كثيرة من امثال هذه كم كانت

‏وذلك انه من قبل ان هذه الا** [*]هى فى الحقيقى لذلك ما عمل تركيب ليس حاله فى اللفظ بدون ما هذه حاله واما ذاك فما كان يعرف من هذه شيا

‏فاما الكبير فهو ان يستعمل كل واحد واحد من هذه التى وصفت على مجرى الاليق والاشبه وان يستعمل اسما مضعفة والالسن وان يكون من ما يتادا وينتقل هو عظيم كبير

‏غير ان هذا ليس يوجد من اخر من **ل انه دليل على الحذق والمهارة واو ذلك انه ان يكون التادى تاديا حسنا الى ما هو شبيه هو ان يعلم علما حسنا

‏والاسما انفسها منها مركبة وهذه تصلح لوزن الشعر المسمى دياثورانبو واما الالسن فتصلح للاوزان المعروفة ٮاين واٮڡاق هو الٮـ**يد واما التى تتادا فتصلح الاوزان الشعر المعروف بايانبو

‏وهى اليق واصلح فى اثرواٮٯو هو النشيد من جميع ما وصف واما فى ايانبو فمن قبل انها تتشبه باللفظ وهذه الاسما تصلح وتليق بمقدار ما يستعمل بها الانسان على طريق وهذه هى الحقيقى المتادى والمسمى بالسرٮانية صڡٮاٮٮا ماخوذ من الاتمام

‏والعناية الى ما فى صناعة المديح والتشبيه و*كاية الحديث ففيما قلناه من ذلك كفاية

Arabic Poetics (Abū Bishr Mattā; Tkatsch edition, unaligned) (OCR draft) Experimental (Tkatsch's edition of the medieval Arabic translation in its original, unaligned segmentation.) — 22 focus

‏واما فصله المقولة فهى ان تكون مشهورة ناقصة

‏واما العفيفة والمختلفة فمن قبل ان تقال المسكين هى مختلفة وتستعمل اشيا غريبة وعظيمة

‏واعنى بالغربة اللسان والنقلة والتادى من خير الى خير والامتداد من الصغاير الى العظايم وكل ما هو من الحقيقى

‏الا ان يكون الانسان يجعل جميع هذه التى حالها هذه الحال ان يكون تركيبه بهذه الحال اما الغاز وامثال واما مٮٮل ٮرٮوٮا

‏وان كان من الانتٯال والتادية فالرموز والالغاز والامثال ومن كان من اللسان فمـ**ل ٮراٮوٮا

‏وصورة الرمز فهو ان يقال ان التى هى موجودة لا يمكن ان يوصلها

‏واما بحسب الاسما الاخر فلا يمكن ان يفعل هذا واما بحسب التادية والانتقال فقد يمكن مثل انه الصق الصاقا طاهرا النحاس بالنار والنحاس نفسه بالرجل

‏وامثال هذه هى من اللسان واما مٮٮل ٮرٮوٮا

‏اما ان يرى كيف كان يستعمل هذا الضرب فهو مما يضحك منه واما المقدار والوزن فهما امر عام لجميع الاجزا وذلك انه عند ما كان يستعمل التاديات والانتقال والالسن وانواع على ما يليق وفى باب الٮعرف فى الاشيا هى ضحكة قد كان يفعل هذا الفعل بعينه

‏واما ما هو موافق لمقدار كل ما كانت تكون مختلفة فهذه ترى افى من حيث يوضع الاسما بالوزن

‏واسخولس عمل شعر فى فيلوقطيطس قال فيه ان السا* **لٮ لحومى ومششت رجلى فان فى هذا الكلام استعمل ووضع قوله مششت بدلا ***وله فاما

‏الان انا من حيث على جهة الصغر والصغيرة بلا ان يصح يقول انسان من حيث **ر ڡدلك الحقيقة واما الان ڡلى انا من حيث اٮٮ صغيرا وٮسمى الضعيف والذى بلا منظر

‏هذا الكلام ووصف المجلس دايما قاليون

‏وقوله انه وضع بيدى انا الشفى مايدة صغيرة من حيث استعمل قوله ان انبا اليونانيين مايدة الصغيرة [صغير] بدل من اليونانين يسمون مايدة صغيرة

—

‏والعناية الى ما فى صناعة المديح والتشبيه و*كاية الحديث ففيما قلناه من ذلك كفاية

Commentary

Commentary on the Poetics (Ingram Bywater, 1909) (OCR draft) (Ingram Bywater's English commentary on Aristotle's Poetics.) focus

1. mvp-aristotle-comment-797

1. mvp-aristotle-comment-798

18 λέξεως: 6, 1450 b 13

λέγω δὲ ... λέξιν εἶναι τὴν διὰ τῆς ὀνομασίας ἑρμηνείαν

. In this chapter Aristotle does not deal with style in general, but only with the portion of it which relates to the choice of words, the ἐκλογὴ ὀνομάτων of the grammarians; his aim is to describe the poetic vocabulary, and determine the limits to the use of exceptional words and expressions in poetry. This chapter is referred to in Rhet. 3. 1, 1404 a 28 , where the language of oratory is contrasted with that of poetry :

ἑτέρα λόγου καὶ ποιήσεως λέξις ἐστίν

δηλοῖ δὲ τὸ συμβαῖνον· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ τὰς τραγῳδίας ποιοῦντες ἔτι χρῶνται τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον, ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ καὶ ἐκ τῶν τετραμέτρων εἰς τὸ ἰαμβεῖον μετέβησαν διὰ τὸ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦτο τῶν μέτρων ὁμοιότατον εἶναι τῶν ἄλλων, οὕτω καὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἀφείκασιν ὅσα παρὰ τὴν διάλεκτόν ἐστιν, οἷς δ᾽ οἱ πρῶτον ἐκόσμουν, καὶ ἔτι νῦν οἱ τὰ ἑξάμετρα ποιοῦντες, ἀφείκασιν· διὸ γελοῖον μιμεῖσθαι τούτους οἱ αὐτοὶ οὐκέτι χρῶνται ἐκείνῳ τῷ τρόπῳ

ὥστε φανερὸν ὅτι οὐχ ἅπαντα ὅσα περὶ λέξεως ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ἀκριβολογητέον ἡμῖν, ἀλλ᾽ ὅσα περὶ τοιαύτης οἷας λέγομεν

περὶ δ᾽ ἐκείνης εἴρηται ἐν τοῖς περὶ ποιητικῆς

1. mvp-aristotle-comment-799

a 20 λέξεως ἀρετὴ κτέ.: Rhet. 3. 2, 1404 b 1

ὡρίσθω λέξεως ἀρετὴ σαφῆ εἶναι (σημεῖον γὰρ ὅτι ὁ λόγος, ἐὰν μὴ δηλοῖ, οὐ ποιήσει τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἔργον), καὶ μήτε ταπεινὴν μήτε ὑπὲρ τὸ ἀξίωμα ἀλλὰ πρέπουσαν· ἡ γὰρ ποιητικὴ ἴσως οὐ ταπεινή, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ πρέπουσα λόγῳ

τῶν δ᾽ ὀνομάτων καὶ ῥημάτων σαφὴ μὲν ποιεῖ τὰ κύρια, μὴ ταπεινὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ κεκοσμημένην τάλλα ὀνόματα ὅσα εἴρηται ἐν τοῖς περὶ ποιητικῆς· τὸ γὰρ ἐξαλλάξαι ποιεῖ φαίνεσθαι σεμνοτέραν

1. mvp-aristotle-comment-800

ταπεινή. For ταπεινή as the opposite of σεμνή ( a 21 ) comp. Rhet. 3. 2, 1404 b 3, 8 , Isocrates 35 c , and the antithesis between τὸ ταπεινόν and τὸ μεγαλοπρεπές in Rhet. ad Alex. 3, 1423 a 31 . Dionysius Hal. 5 p. 15 R. finds an instance of meanness of diction even in Homer, in the language in Od. 16. 1-16 :

διὰ γὰρ τῶν εὐτελεστάτων τε καὶ ταπεινοτάτων ὀνομάτων πέπλεκται πᾶσα ἡ λέξις, οἷς ἂν καὶ γεωργὸς καὶ θαλαττουργὸς καὶ χειροτέχνης καὶ πᾶς ὁ μηδεμίαν ὥραν τοῦ λέγειν εὖ ποιούμενος ἐξ ἑτοίμου λαβὼν ἐχρήσατο. λυθέντος γοῦν τοῦ μέτρου φαῦλα φανήσεται τὰ αὐτὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἄζηλα οὔτε γὰρ μεταφοραί τινες ἐν αὐτοῖς εὐγενεῖς ἔνεισιν οὔτε ὑπαλλαγαὶ

οὔτε καταχρήσεις οὔτε ἄλλη τροπικὴ διάλεκτος οὐδεμία, οὐδὲ δὴ γλῶτται πολλαί τινες οὐδὲ ξένα ἢ πεποιημένα ὀνόματα

Remarques sur la poëtique d'Aristote (André Dacier, 1692) (OCR draft) (André Dacier's French commentary on Aristotle's Poetics.) focus

1. mvp-aristotle-comment-511

22.1 1. L A vertu de l'expreſſion conſiſte dans la netteté & dans la nobleſſe. Celle qui eft compofée de mots propres est tres claire; mais elle est baffe.]¹

Commentary on the Poetics (Thomas Twining, 1789) (OCR draft) (Thomas Twining's notes on Aristotle's Poetics, aligned to the Kassel reference edition.) focus

192. mvp-aristotle-comment-192

NOTE 192. P. 110.

22.1 THE EXCELLENCE OF DICTION CONSISTS IN BEING PERSPICUOUS, WITHOUT BEING MEAN

Λεξεως ἀρετη

i. e. of diction, or language, in general; not,

"elocutionis Poeticae,"

as Goulston and others render it. For Aristotle gives the same definition of the excellence of oratorical diction, in his Rhetoric; ¹ adding, only, with respect to the degree of elevation, such a restriction as his subject there required. Now had he intended here a definition of the language of Poetry, as discriminated from that of Prose, he would hardly have confined himself to two characters common to both; viz. that it should be perspicuous, and yet not mean, or low, like colloquial language, consisting only of common and proper words, without metaphors, or any of the other ornamental words which he enumerates; some of which he makes essential to the excellence (

ἀρετην

) and proper elevation, even of prose elocution. ² For, that this is the force of

ταπεινη

, is clear from his own explanation.

Still, it is obvious to ask, why the philosopher, when his subject was the excellence of poetic diction, should thus set out with a general definition, instead of giving us, at once, the definition of the species. The reason, I suppose, was, that he conceived the poetic to differ from the rhetorical language, only in the degree of elevation above ordinary speech; and to define degrees is not easy. Nor, indeed, was even this difference common to all Poetry. If the diction of the Dithyrambic and other Lyric kinds, and the Heroic, with their pompous apparatus of compound epithets, foreign and antiquated words, and boldness of metaphor, rose far above the highest elevation of prose diction; on the other hand, that of Tragedy, we know, frequently descended, in its lowest parts, even below what Aristotle assigns as the proper level of rhetorical speech, to a style differing from common speech in no other circumstance but that of metre. ³ — Dacier, with the stiff and inflexible dignity of French Tragedy before his eyes, appears to have been shocked at the expression,

μη ταπεινη

; for he translates, not the words only, but the ideas, of his author, into French:

"La vertu de l'expression consiste dans la netteté et dans LA NOBLESSE."

Commentarius in Aristotelis Poeticam (Franciscus Ritter, 1839) (OCR draft) (Ritter's Latin commentary, extracted from the 1839 volume, divided by Ritter's chapters and sections, and linked to the corresponding Perseus reference subsections.) focus

1. mvp-aristotle-comment-159

Ritter, cap. 22 § 1

Poeticae dictionis virtus et vitium. Quae hoc capite breviter quidem sed peracute docteque de vitiis et virtutibus poeticae dictionis explicata legimus, ea respexit Aristoleles in Rhetoricis III, 1 extr. et 2 init. his verbis: περὶ δ' ἐκείνης (de dictione poetica) εἴρηται ἐν τοῖς περὶ ποιητικῆς. ἔστω οὖν ἐκεῖνα τεθεωρημένα, καὶ ὡρίσθω λέξεως ἀρετὴ σαφῆ εἶναι. quibus locis omnem de hac disputatione dubitationem amoveri liquet. σαφεστάτη μὲν οὖν ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκ τῶν κυρίων ὀνομάτων: per ὀνόματα hic tam ὀνόματa quae proprie dicuntur quam ῥήματα complectitur, et idem constanter facit per caput hoc 22 et antecedens 21, quod ipsum signum est haec non esse illius qui c. 20 intertexuit. eadem quae22. §. 1. 237 hic sententia profertur Rhetor. III, 2 sub initium: τῶν δ᾽ ὀνομάτων καὶ ῥημάτων σαφῆ μὲν ποιεῖ τὰ κύρια. pro exemplo humilis dictionis Cleophontis poesis et Stheneli affertur. de Chleophonte dictum ad c. 2, 3. Sthenelus tragicus erat temporibus Aristophanis, abs quo irrisus est in Gerytade, ut ex Athenaeo (collato scholiasta ad Aristoph. Vesp. 1303) IX. p. 367 B discimus, in hunc modum: καὶ πῶς ἐγὼ Σθενέλου φάγοιμ᾽ ἂν ῥήματα; εἰς ὅξος ἐμβαπτόμενος ἢ λεπτοὺς ἅλας. alterum versum etiam Pollux VI, 65. laudavit. cf. Harpocratio s. v. Σθένελος. Athenaeus unum Stheneli fragmentum servavit X. p. 428 Α, Σθένελός τε ὁ ποιητὴς οὐ κακῶς εἴρηκεν οἶνος καὶ φρονέοντας ἐς ἀφροσύνας ἀναβάλλει. σεμνὴ δὲ καὶ ἐξαλλάττουσα τὸ ἰδιωτικὸν ἡ τοῖς ξενικοῖς κεχρημένη: quidquid contrarium est τῷ κυρίῳ, una voce τοῦ ξενικοῦ significavit. causam cur peregrinis admixtis splendida dictio fiat exposuit in Rhetoricis III, 2 sub initium.

9. mvp-aristotle-comment-167

Ritter, cap. 22 § 9

μόνον γὰρ τοῦτο - θεωρεῖν ἐστίν: brevissime haec et tamen perdilucide et luculente disputata sunt. ex talibus verum Aristotelem agnoscas, ut falsum deprehendere discas.

10. mvp-aristotle-comment-168

Ritter, cap. 22 § 10

τῶν δ᾽ ὀνομάτων τὰ μὲν διπλᾶ - τοῖς ἰαμβείοις: his simillima leguntur in Rhetoricis III, 3. p. 1406 b 1. διὸ χρησιμωτάτη ἡ διπλῆ λέξις τοῖς διθυραμβοποιοῖς· οὗτοι γὰρ ψοφώδεις· αἱ δὲ γλῶτται τοῖς ἐποποιοῖς· σεμνὸν γὰρ καὶ αὔθαδες· ἡ μεταφορὰ δὲ τοῖς ἰαμβείοις. ὅσοις κἂν ἐν λόγοις τις χρήσαιτο: ἐν λόγοις est in orationibus ab oratore habendis. conf. Rhetor. III, 2. p. 1404 b 31. τὸ δὲ κύριον καὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον καὶ μεταφορὰ μόναι χρήσιμοι πρὸς τὴν τῶν ψιλῶν λόγων λέξιν, quos ψιλοὺς λόγους poesin respiciens appellat, eos ibidem paulo post nude λόγους et λόγον nominat. ἔστι δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα τὸ κύριον καὶ μεταφορά [ καὶ κόσμος]: si haec postrema (dico voces καὶ κόσμος) Aristoteles scripsisset, mirum quantum ipse sibi repugnaret. nam ad κόσμον pertinent eumque efficiunt omnes illae praeter τὸ κύριον nominum species: omnibus illis igitur utendum esset et in orationibus et in poematis quae iambicis versibus includuntur (h. e. in iambis et in dialogis fabularum), id quod praefracte negat Aristoteles in iis Rhetoricorum locis, quos ex III, 2 et 3. paulo ante transcripsimus. conferenda sunt quae dixi ad c. 21, 2.

Aristotle Poetics 22.1

Theodore Alois Buckley (Translator)

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Commentary

NOTE 192. P. 110.

Ritter, cap. 22 § 1

Ritter, cap. 22 § 9

Ritter, cap. 22 § 10

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