the six enneads-第146章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


o　the　Mixture〃　and　of　the　〃measuring　standard　as　a　prior　condition〃　and　are　told　that　the　symmetry　and　beauty　necessary　to　the　Mixture　come　Thence　into　whatever　has　beauty；　it　is　in　this　way　that　we　have　our　share　in　Beauty；　but　in　another　way；　also；　we　achieve　the　truly　desirable；　that　is　by　leading　our　selves　up　to　what　is　best　within　us；　this　best　is　what　is　symmetry；　beauty；　collective　Idea；　life　clear；　Intellective　and　good。　　　　　31。　But　since　Thence　come　the　beauty　and　light　in　all；　it　is　Thence　that　Intellectual…Principle　took　the　brilliance　of　the　Intellectual　Energy　which　flashed　Nature　into　being；　Thence　soul　took　power　towards　life；　in　virtue　of　that　fuller　life　streaming　into　it。　Intellectual…Principle　was　raised　thus　to　that　Supreme　and　remains　with　it；　happy　in　that　presence。　Soul　too；　that　soul　which　as　possessing　knowledge　and　vision　was　capable；　clung　to　what　it　saw；　and　as　its　vision　so　its　rapture；　it　saw　and　was　stricken；　but　having　in　itself　something　of　that　principle　it　felt　its　kinship　and　was　moved　to　longing　like　those　stirred　by　the　image　of　the　beloved　to　desire　of　the　veritable　presence。　Lovers　here　mould　themselves　to　the　beloved；　they　seek　to　increase　their　attraction　of　person　and　their　likeness　of　mind；　they　are　unwilling　to　fall　short　in　moral　quality　or　in　other　graces　lest　they　be　distasteful　to　those　possessing　such　merit…　and　only　among　such　can　true　love　be。　In　the　same　way　the　soul　loves　the　Supreme　Good；　from　its　very　beginnings　stirred　by　it　to　love。　The　soul　which　has　never　strayed　from　this　love　waits　for　no　reminding　from　the　beauty　of　our　world：　holding　that　love…　perhaps　unawares…　it　is　ever　in　quest；　and；　in　its　longing　to　be　borne　Thither；　passes　over　what　is　lovely　here　and　with　one　glance　at　the　beauty　of　the　universe　dismisses　all；　for　it　sees　that　all　is　put　together　of　flesh　and　Matter；　befouled　by　its　housing；　made　fragmentary　by　corporal　extension；　not　the　Authentic　Beauty　which　could　never　venture　into　the　mud　of　body　to　be　soiled；　annulled。　　　　　By　only　noting　the　flux　of　things　it　knows　at　once　that　from　elsewhere　comes　the　beauty　that　floats　upon　them　and　so　it　is　urged　Thither；　passionate　in　pursuit　of　what　it　loves：　never…　unless　someone　robs　it　of　that　love…　never　giving　up　till　it　attain。　　　　　There　indeed　all　it　saw　was　beautiful　and　veritable；　it　grew　in　strength　by　being　thus　filled　with　the　life　of　the　True；　itself　becoming　veritable　Being　and　attaining　veritable　knowledge；　it　enters　by　that　neighbouring　into　conscious　possession　of　what　it　has　long　been　seeking。　　　　　32。　Where；　then？　where　exists　the　author　of　this　beauty　and　life；　the　begetter　of　the　veritable？　　　　　You　see　the　splendour　over　the　things　of　the　universe　with　all　the　variety　begotten　of　the　Ideas；　well　might　we　linger　here：　but　amid　all　these　things　of　beauty　we　cannot　but　ask　whence　they　come　and　whence　the　beauty。　This　source　can　be　none　of　the　beautiful　objects；　were　it　so；　it　too　would　be　a　thing　of　parts。　It　can　be　no　shape；　no　power；　nor　the　total　of　powers　and　shapes　that　have　had　the　becoming　that　has　set　them　here；　it　must　stand　above　all　the　powers；　all　the　patterns。　The　origin　of　all　this　must　be　the　formless…　formless　not　as　lacking　shape　but　as　the　very　source　of　even　shape　Intellectual。　　　　　In　the　realm　of　process　anything　coming　to　be　must　come　to　be　something；　to　every　thing　its　distinctive　shape：　but　what　shape　can　that　have　which　no　one　has　shaped？　It　can　be　none　of　existing　things；　yet　it　is　all：　none；　in　that　beings　are　later；　all；　as　the　wellspring　from　which　they　flow。　That　which　can　make　all　can　have；　itself；　no　extension；　it　must　be　limitless　and　so　without　magnitude；　magnitude　itself　is　of　the　Later　and　cannot　be　an　element　in　that　which　is　to　bring　it　into　being。　The　greatness　of　the　Authentic　cannot　be　a　greatness　of　quantity；　all　extension　must　belong　to　the　subsequent：　the　Supreme　is　great　in　the　sense　only　that　there　can　be　nothing　mightier；　nothing　to　equal　it；　nothing　with　anything　in　common　with　it：　how　then　could　anything　be　equal　to　any　part　of　its　content？　Its　eternity　and　universal　reach　entail　neither　measure　nor　measurelessness；　given　either；　how　could　it　be　the　measure　of　things？　So　with　shape：　granted　beauty；　the　absence　of　shape　or　form　to　be　grasped　is　but　enhancement　of　desire　and　love；　the　love　will　be　limitless　as　the　object　is；　an　infinite　love。　　　　　Its　beauty；　too；　will　be　unique；　a　beauty　above　beauty：　it　cannot　be　beauty　since　it　is　not　a　thing　among　things。　It　is　lovable　and　the　author　of　beauty；　as　the　power　to　all　beautiful　shape；　it　will　be　the　ultimate　of　beauty；　that　which　brings　all　loveliness　to　be；　it　begets　beauty　and　makes　it　yet　more　beautiful　by　the　excess　of　beauty　streaming　from　itself；　the　source　and　height　of　beauty。　As　the　source　of　beauty　it　makes　beautiful　whatsoever　springs　from　it。　And　this　conferred　beauty　is　not　itself　in　shape；　the　thing　that　comes　to　be　is　without　shape；　though　in　another　sense　shaped；　what　is　denoted　by　shape　is；　in　itself；　an　attribute　of　something　else；　shapeless　at　first。　Not　the　beauty　but　its　participant　takes　the　shape。　　　　　33。　When　therefore　we　name　beauty；　all　such　shape　must　be　dismissed；　nothing　visible　is　to　be　conceived；　or　at　once　we　descend　from　beauty　to　what　but　bears　the　name　in　virtue　of　some　faint　participation。　This　formless　Form　is　beautiful　as　Form；　beautiful　in　proportion　as　we　strip　away　all　shape　even　that　given　in　thought　to　mark　difference；　as　for　instance　the　difference　between　Justice　and　Sophrosyne；　beautiful　in　their　difference。　　　　　The　Intellectual…Principle　is　the　less　for　seeing　things　as　distinct　even　in　its　act　of　grasping　in　unity　the　multiple　content　of　its　Intellectual　realm；　in　its　knowing　of　the　particular　it　possesses　itself　of　one　Intellectual　shape；　but；　even　thus；　in　this　dealing　with　variety　as　unity；　it　leaves　us　still　with　the　question　how　we　are　to　envisage　that　which　stands　beyond　this　all…lovely；　beyond　this　principle　at　once　multiple　and　above　multiplicity；　the　Supreme　for　which　the　soul　hungers　though　unable　to　tell　why　such　a　being　should　stir　its　longing…reason；　however；　urging　that　This　at　last　is　the　Authentic　Term　because　the　Nature　best　and　most　to　be　loved　may　be　found　there　only　where　there　is　no　least　touch　of　Form。　Bring　something　under　Form　and　present　it　so　before　the　mind；　immediately　we　ask　what　Beyond　imposed　that　shape；　reason　answers　that　while　there　exists　the　giver　having　shape　to　give…　a　giver　that　is　shape；　idea；　an　entirely　measured　thing…　yet　this　is　not　alone；　is　not　adequate　in　itself；　is　not　beautiful　in　its　own　right　but　is　a　mingled　thing。　Shape　and　idea　and　measure　will　always　be　beautiful；　but　the　Authentic　Beauty　and　the　Beyond…Beauty　cannot　be　under　measure　and　therefore　cannot　have　admitted　shape　or　be　Idea：　the　primal　existent；　The　First；　must　be　without　Form；　the　beauty　in　it　must　be；　simply；　the　Nature　of　the　Intellectual　Good。　　　　　Take　an　example　from　love：　so　long　as　the　attention　is　upon　the　visible　form；　love　has　not　entered：　when　from　that　outward　form　the　lover　elaborates　within　himself；　in　his　own　partless　soul；　an　immaterial　image；　then　it　is　that　love　is　born；　then　the　lover　longs　for　the　sight　of　the　beloved　to　make　that　fading　image　live　again。　If　he　could　but　learn　to　look　elsewhere；　to　the　more　nearly　formless；　his　longing　would　be　for　that：　his　first　experience　was　loving　a　great　luminary　by　way　of　some　thin　gleam　from　it。　　　　　Shape　is　an　impress　from　the　unshaped；　it　is　the　unshaped　that　produces　shape；　not　shape　the　unshaped；　and　Matter　is　needed　for　the　producing；　Matter；　in　the　nature　of　things；　is　the　furthest　away；　since　of　itself　it　has　not　even　the　lowest　degree　of　shape。　Thus　lovableness　does　not　belong　to　Matter　but　to　that　which　draws　upon　Form：　the　Form　upon　Matter　comes　by　way　of　soul；　soul　is　more　nearly　Form　and　therefore　more　lovable；　Intellectual…Principle；　nearer　still；　is　even　more　to　be　loved：　by　these　steps　we　are　led　to　know　that　the　First　Principle；　principle　of　Beauty；　must　be　formless。　　　　　34。　No　longer　can　we　wonder　that　the　principle　evoking　such　longing　should　be　utterly　free　from　shape。　The　very　soul；　once　it　has　conceived　the　straining　love　towards　this；　lays　aside　all　the　shape　it　has　taken；　even　to　the　Intellectual　shape　that　has　informed　it。　There　is　no　vision；　no　union；　for　those　handling　or　acting　by　any　thing　other；　the　soul　must　see　before　it　neither　evil　nor　good　nor　anything　else；　that　alone　it　may　receive　the　Alone。　　　　　Suppose　the　soul　to　have　attained：　the　highest　has　come　to　her；　or　rather　has　revealed　its　presence；　she　has　turned　away　from　all　about　her　and　made　herself　apt；　beautiful　to　the　utmost；　brought　into　likeness　with　the　divine　by　those　preparings　and　adornings　which　come　unbidden　to　those　growing　ready　for　the　vision…　she　has　seen　that　presence　suddenly　manifesting　within　her；　for　there　is　nothing　between：　here　is　no　longer　a　duality　but　a　two　in　one；　for；　so　long　as　the　presence　holds；　all　distinction　fades：　it　is　as　lover　and　beloved　here；　in　a　copy　of　that　union；　long　to　blend；　the　soul　has　now　no　further　awareness　of　being　in　body　and　will　give　herself　no　foreign　name；　not　〃man；〃　not　〃living　being；〃　not　〃being；〃　not　〃all〃；　any　observation　of　such　things　falls　away；　the　soul　has　neither　time　nor　taste　for　them；　This　she　sought　and　This　she　has　found　and　on　This　she　looks　and　not　upon　herself；　and　who　she　is　that　looks　she　has　not　leisure　to　know。　Once　There　she　will　barter　for　This　nothing　the　universe　holds；　not　though　one　would　make　over　the　heavens　entire　to　her；　than　This　there　is　nothing　higher；　nothing　of　more　good；　above　This　there　is　no　passing；　all　the　rest；　however　lofty；　lies　on　the　downgoing　path：　she　is　of　perfect　judgement　and　knows　that　This　was　her　quest；　that　nothing　higher　is。　Here　can　be　no　deceit；　where　could　she　come　upon　truer　than　the　truth？　and　the　truth　she　affirms；　that　she　is；　herself；　but　all　the　affirmation　is　later　and　is　silent。　In　this　happiness　she　knows　beyond　delusion　that　she　is　happy；　for　this　is　no　affirmation　of　an　excited　body　but　of　a　soul　become　again　what　she　was　in　the　time　of　her　early　joy。　All　that　she　had　welcomed　of　old…office；　power；　wealth；　beauty；　knowledge　of　all　she　tells　her　scorn　as　she　never　could　had　she　not　found　their　better；　linked　to　This　she　can　fear　no　disaster　nor　even　know　it；　let　all　about　her　fall　to　pieces；　so　she　would　have　it　that　she　may　be　wholly　with　This；　so　huge　the　happiness　she　has　won　to。　　　　　35。　Such　in　this　union　is　the　soul's　temper　that　even　the　act　of　Intellect；　once　so　intimately　loved；　she　now　dismisses；　Intellection　is　movement　and　she　has　no　wish　to　move；　she　has　nothing　to　say　of　this　very　Intellectual…Principle　by　means　of　which　she　has　attained　the　vision；　herself　made　over　into　Intellectual…Principle　and　becoming　that　principle　so　as　to　be　able　to　take　stand　in　that　Intellectual　space。　Entered　there　and　making　herself　over　to　that；　she　at　first　contemplates　that　realm；　but　once　she　sees　that　higher　still　she　leaves　all　else　aside。　Thus　when　a　man　enters　a　house　rich　in　beauty　he　might　gaze　about　and　admire　the　varied　splendour　before　the　master　appears；　but；　face　to　face　with　that　great　person…　no　thing　of　ornament　but　calling　for　the　truest　attention…　he　would　ignore　everything