The Golden Verses of Pythagoras — with commentary (1917)

'QOTS us Hl^t' SsXxt' sXx(i^6(V, lATQTS Ti Xi^Setv.

rv(iq) B' dvOptfixou? au6afpsTa xiQ(Ji.a"c' i^^ovta? TXv](i.ova?, oY t'dyaOwv xlXa? Svxcov out' Icopwaiv. OSts xXiiouat- Xijjtv Se xaxwv xaupoi suvtoaai. To^Tf) [JLo(pa PpoTwv pXdxTsi ipplvae- oi Se jtuXfvSpon; "AXXot' Ix' aXXa (pepovrat dxeipova x'^t^ax' g^ovxei;. Auyp'^ ydp ouvoxaSb? iptq §Xdxxouaa XeXY)6e Sij(«.ipuxoi;- »7v ou Sei xposotYeiv, lixovxa Se (peuyeiv.

Zeu xdxep, rj xoXXuv re xccxuv Xdceiaq Sxavxa?. "H xautv Ssf^aii; dftp xy Saf^jiovi ^^pwvxat. 'AXXd ou Odpaei- Ixet 6eTov yivoz scxl ^poxoTaiv 'Oi? Eepa xpofspouffa (piistq Sefxvuaiv exaoxa. 'Qv ei dol XI (ilxeaxi, xpaxiQaei? (liv eye xeXei^u, 'E^axlffai;, 'I'u/tjv Se xivwv dxb xwv Se uawcyete. 'AXX' lEpyou §p(i)X(i)v, (bv efxo[i.ev, ev xe xaOap^Jioti;, "Ev xe Xiicei (pux'^S xptvuv-xal tl^pii^eu exaoxa, 'Hvfoxov YvtifJiTiv (jxifjffai; xa6ijxep6ev dpJsxigv. 'Hv B'dxoXslias (TU[ji,a Iq afSIp IXsuBepov eXByj?, "Eaaeat dBdvaxoq 6eb?, a(ji.§poxo?, oi3x ixi evTjxdq.

Of diverse beings thou shalt sound the essence;

And thou shalt know the principle and end of All (27).

If Heaven wills it, thou shalt know that Nature,

Alike in everything, is the same in every place (28) :

So that, as to thy true rights enlightened.

Thine heart shall no more feed on vain desires (29).

Thou shalt see that the evils which devour men

Are of their choice the fruit (30) ; that these unfortunates

Seek afar the goodness whose source within they bear (31).

For few know happiness: playthings of the passions.

Hither, thither tossed by adverse waves,

Upon a shoreless sea, they blinded roll.

Unable to resist or to the tempest yield (32).

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Mais qu'avant, ton ^me, k son devoir fiddle, Invoque avec ferveur ces Dieux, dont les secours Peuvent seuls achever tes oeuvres commenc^es. Instruit par eux, alors rien ne t'abusera: Des fetres differents tu sonderas I'essence; Tu connaltras de Tout le principe et la fin. Tu sauras, si le Ciel le veut, que la Nature, Semblable en toute chose, est la m^me en tout lieu : En sorte qu'^claire sur tes droits v6ritables. Ton cceur de vains d^sirs ne se repaltra plus. Tu verras que les maux qui d^vorent les hommes, Sont le fruit de leur choix ; et que ces malheureux Cherchent loin d'eux biens dont ils portent la source. Peu savent 6tre heureux: jouets des passions. Tour k tour ballot^s par des vagues contraires, Sur une mer sans rive, ils roulent, aveugl^s, Sans pouvoir rdsister ni c^der k I'orage.

Dieu ! vous les sauveriez en d^sillant leurs yeux. . . . Mais non : c'est aux humains, dont la race est divine, A discerner I'Erreur, k voir la V^rit^. La Nature les sert. Toi qui I'as p^n^tr^e, Homme sage, homme heureux, respire dans le port. Mais observe mes lois, en t'abstenant des choses Que ton ime doit craindre, en les distinguant bien; En laissant sur le corps r^gner I'intelligence : Afin que, t'61evant dans I'Ether radieux, Au sein des Immortels, tu sois un Dieu toi-m6me !

God! Thou couldst save them by opening their eyes (33). But no : 'tis for the humans of a race divine To discern Error and to see the Truth (34). Nature serves them (35). Thou who fathomed it, O wise and happy man, rest in its haven. But observe my laws, abstaining from the things Which thy soul must fear, distinguishing them well; Letting intelligence o'er thy body reign (36) ; So that, ascending into radiant Ether, Midst the Immortals, thou shalt be thyself a God.

EXAMINATIONS OF THE GOLDEN VERSES: EXPLANATIONS AND DEVELOPMENTS

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EXAMINATIONS OF THE GOLDEN VERSES: EXPLANATIONS AND DEVELOPMENTS

I. The Golden Verses of the Pythagoreans

THE ancients had the habit of comparing with gold all that they deemed without defects and pre-eminently beautiful: thus, by the Golden Age they understood, the age of virtues and of happiness; and by the Golden Verses, the verses wherein was concealed the most pure doctrine." They constantly attributed these Verses to Pythagoras, not that they believed that this philosopher had himself composed them, but because they knew that his disciple, whose work they were, had revealed the exact doctrine of his master and had based them all upon maxims issued from his mouth.' This disciple, commendable through his learning, and especially through his devotion to the precepts of Pythagoras, was called Lysis."^ After the death of this philosopher and while his enemies, momentarily triumphant, had raised at Crotona and at Metaponte that terrible persecution which cost the lives of so great a number of Pythagoreans, crushed beneath the dSbris of their burned school, or constrained to die of hunger in the temple of the Muses,** Lysis, happily escaped from these disasters, o Hi^rocl., Comment, in Aur. Carmin. Proem.

* Fabric, Bibl. grac, p. 460; Dacier, Remarq. sur les Comm. d'Hieroclls. Jamblic, De Vitd Pythag., c. 30 et 33; Plutarch., De Gen. Socrat. <i Plutarch, De Repug. stoic.; Diog. Laert., 1. viii., §39; Polyb., 1. ii.; Justin., 1. XX., c. 4; Vossius, De Phil, sect., c. 6.

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126 The Golden Verses of Pythagoras