the six enneads- 第54部分

ether　upon　Divine　Mind。　Love；　thus；　is　ever　intent　upon　that　other　loveliness；　and　exists　to　be　the　medium　between　desire　and　that　object　of　desire。　It　is　the　eye　of　the　desirer；　by　its　power　what　loves　is　enabled　to　see　the　loved　thing。　But　it　is　first；　before　it　becomes　the　vehicle　of　vision；　it　is　itself　filled　with　the　sight；　it　is　first；　therefore；　and　not　even　in　the　same　order…　for　desire　attains　to　vision　only　through　the　efficacy　of　Love；　while　Love；　in　its　own　Act；　harvests　the　spectacle　of　beauty　playing　immediately　above　it。　　　　　3。　That　Love　is　a　Hypostasis　＇a　〃Person〃＇　a　Real…Being　sprung　from　a　Real…Being…　lower　than　the　parent　but　authentically　existent…　is　beyond　doubt。　　　　　For　the　parent…Soul　was　a　Real…Being　sprung　directly　from　the　Act　of　the　Hypostasis　that　ranks　before　it：　it　had　life；　it　was　a　constituent　in　the　Real…Being　of　all　that　authentically　is…　in　the　Real…Being　which　looks；　rapt；　towards　the　very　Highest。　That　was　the　first　object　of　its　vision；　it　looked　towards　it　as　towards　its　good；　and　it　rejoiced　in　the　looking；　and　the　quality　of　what　it　saw　was　such　that　the　contemplation　could　not　be　void　of　effect；　in　virtue　of　that　rapture；　of　its　position　in　regard　to　its　object；　of　the　intensity　of　its　gaze；　the　Soul　conceived　and　brought　forth　an　offspring　worthy　of　itself　and　of　the　vision。　Thus；　there　is　a　strenuous　activity　of　contemplation　in　the　Soul；　there　is　an　emanation　towards　it　from　the　object　contemplated；　and　Eros　is　born；　the　Love　which　is　an　eye　filled　with　its　vision；　a　seeing　that　bears　its　image　with　it；　Eros　taking　its　name；　probably；　from　the　fact　that　its　essential　being　is　due　to　this　horasis；　this　seeing。　Of　course　Love；　as　an　emotion；　will　take　its　name　from　Love；　the　Person；　since　a　Real…Being　cannot　but　be　prior　to　what　lacks　this　reality。　The　mental　state　will　be　designated　as　Love；　like　the　Hypostasis；　though　it　is　no　more　than　a　particular　act　directed　towards　a　particular　object；　but　it　must　not　be　confused　with　the　Absolute　Love；　the　Divine　Being。　The　Eros　that　belongs　to　the　supernal　Soul　must　be　of　one　temper　with　it；　it　must　itself　look　aloft　as　being　of　the　household　of　that　Soul；　dependent　upon　that　Soul；　its　very　offspring；　and　therefore　caring　for　nothing　but　the　contemplation　of　the　Gods。　　　　　Once　that　Soul　which　is　the　primal　source　of　light　to　the　heavens　is　recognized　as　an　Hypostasis　standing　distinct　and　aloof　it　must　be　admitted　that　Love　too　is　distinct　and　aloof　though　not；　perhaps；　so　loftily　celestial　a　being　as　the　Soul。　Our　own　best　we　conceive　as　inside　ourselves　and　yet　something　apart；　so；　we　must　think　of　this　Love…　as　essentially　resident　where　the　unmingling　Soul　inhabits。　　　　　But　besides　this　purest　Soul；　there　must　be　also　a　Soul　of　the　All：　at　once　there　is　another　Love…　the　eye　with　which　this　second　Soul　looks　upwards…　like　the　supernal　Eros　engendered　by　force　of　desire。　This　Aphrodite；　the　secondary　Soul；　is　of　this　Universe…　not　Soul　unmingled　alone；　not　Soul；　the　Absolute；　giving　birth；　therefore；　to　the　Love　concerned　with　the　universal　life；　no；　this　is　the　Love　presiding　over　marriages；　but　it；　also；　has　its　touch　of　the　upward　desire；　and；　in　the　degree　of　that　striving；　it　stirs　and　leads　upwards　the　Souls　of　the　young　and　every　Soul　with　which　it　is　incorporated　in　so　far　as　there　is　a　natural　tendency　to　remembrance　of　the　divine。　For　every　Soul　is　striving　towards　The　Good；　even　the　mingling　Soul　and　that　of　particular　beings；　for　each　holds　directly　from　the　divine　Soul；　and　is　its　offspring。　　　　　4。　Does　each　individual　Soul；　then；　contain　within　itself　such　a　Love　in　essence　and　substantial　reality？　　　　　Since　not　only　the　pure　All…Soul　but　also　that　of　the　Universe　contain　such　a　Love；　it　would　be　difficult　to　explain　why　our　personal　Soul　should　not。　It　must　be　so；　even；　with　all　that　has　life。　　　　　This　indwelling　love　is　no　other　than　the　Spirit　which；　as　we　are　told；　walks　with　every　being；　the　affection　dominant　in　each　several　nature。　It　implants　the　characteristic　desire；　the　particular　Soul；　strained　towards　its　own　natural　objects；　brings　forth　its　own　Eros；　the　guiding　spirit　realizing　its　worth　and　the　quality　of　its　Being。　　　　　As　the　All…Soul　contains　the　Universal　Love；　so　must　the　single　Soul　be　allowed　its　own　single　Love：　and　as　closely　as　the　single　Soul　holds　to　the　All…Soul；　never　cut　off　but　embraced　within　it；　the　two　together　constituting　one　principle　of　life；　so　the　single　separate　Love　holds　to　the　All…Love。　Similarly；　the　individual　love　keeps　with　the　individual　Soul　as　that　other；　the　great　Love；　goes　with　the　All…Soul；　and　the　Love　within　the　All　permeates　it　throughout　so　that　the　one　Love　becomes　many；　showing　itself　where　it　chooses　at　any　moment　of　the　Universe；　taking　definite　shape　in　these　its　partial　phases　and　revealing　itself　at　its　will。　　　　　In　the　same　way　we　must　conceive　many　Aphrodites　in　the　All；　Spirits　entering　it　together　with　Love；　all　emanating　from　an　Aphrodite　of　the　All；　a　train　of　particular　Aphrodites　dependent　upon　the　first；　and　each　with　the　particular　Love　in　attendance：　this　multiplicity　cannot　be　denied；　if　Soul　be　the　mother　of　Love；　and　Aphrodite　mean　Soul；　and　Love　be　an　act　of　a　Soul　seeking　good。　　　　　This　Love；　then；　leader　of　particular　Souls　to　The　Good；　is　twofold：　the　Love　in　the　loftier　Soul　would　be　a　god　ever　linking　the　Soul　to　the　divine；　the　Love　in　the　mingling　Soul　will　be　a　celestial　spirit。　　　　　5。　But　what　is　the　Nature　of　this　Spirit…　of　the　Supernals　in　general？　　　　　The　Spirit…Kind　is　treated　in　the　Symposium　where；　with　much　about　the　others；　we　learn　of　Eros…　Love…　born　to　Penia…　Poverty…　and　Poros…　Possession…　who　is　son　of　Metis…　Resource…　at　Aphrodite's　birth　feast。　　　　　But　to　take　Plato　as　meaning；　by　Eros；　this　Universe…　and　not　simply　the　Love　native　within　it…　involves　much　that　is　self…contradictory。　　　　　For　one　thing；　the　universe　is　described　as　a　blissful　god　and　as　self…sufficing；　while　this　〃Love〃　is　confessedly　neither　divine　nor　self…sufficing　but　in　ceaseless　need。　　　　　Again；　this　Kosmos　is　a　compound　of　body　and　soul；　but　Aphrodite　to　Plato　is　the　Soul　itself；　therefore　Aphrodite　would　necessarily…　he　a　constituent　part　of　Eros；　dominant　member！　A　man　is　the　man's　Soul；　if　the　world　is；　similarly；　the　world's　Soul；　then　Aphrodite；　the　Soul；　is　identical　with　Love；　the　Kosmos！　And　why　should　this　one　spirit；　Love；　be　the　Universe　to　the　exclusion　of　all　the　others；　which　certainly　are　sprung　from　the　same　Essential…Being？　Our　only　escape　would　be　to　make　the　Kosmos　a　complex　of　Supernals。　　　　　Love；　again；　is　called　the　Dispenser　of　beautiful　children：　does　this　apply　to　the　Universe？　Love　is　represented　as　homeless；　bedless　and　barefooted：　would　not　that　be　a　shabby　description　of　the　Kosmos　and　quite　out　of　the　truth？　　　　　6。　What　then；　in　sum；　is　to　be　thought　of　Love　and　of　his　〃birth〃　as　we　are　told　of　it？　　　　　Clearly　we　have　to　establish　the　significance；　here；　of　Poverty　and　Possession；　and　show　in　what　way　the　parentage　is　appropriate：　we　have　also　to　bring　these　two　into　line　with　the　other　Supernals　since　one　spirit　nature；　one　spirit　essence；　must　characterize　all　unless　they　are　to　have　merely　a　name　in　common。　　　　　We　must；　therefore；　lay　down　the　grounds　on　which　we　distinguish　the　Gods　from　the　Celestials…　that　is；　when　we　emphasize　the　separate　nature　of　the　two　orders　and　are　not；　as　often　in　practice；　including　these　Spirits　under　the　common　name　of　Gods。　　　　　It　is　our　teaching　and　conviction　that　the　Gods　are　immune　to　all　passion　while　we　attribute　experience　and　emotion　to　the　Celestials　which；　though　eternal　Beings　and　directly　next　to　the　Gods；　are　already　a　step　towards　ourselves　and　stand　between　the　divine　and　the　human。　　　　　But　by　what　process　was　the　immunity　lost？　What　in　their　nature　led　them　downwards　to　the　inferior？　　　　　And　other　questions　present　themselves。　　　　　Does　the　Intellectual　Realm　include　no　member　of　this　spirit　order；　not　even　one？　And　does　the　Kosmos　contain　only　these　spirits；　God　being　confined　to　the　Intellectual？　Or　are　there　Gods　in　the　sub…celestial　too；　the　Kosmos　itself　being　a　God；　the　third；　as　is　commonly　said；　and　the　Powers　down　to　the　Moon　being　all　Gods　as　well？　　　　　It　is　best　not　to　use　the　word　〃Celestial〃　of　any　Being　of　that　Realm；　the　word　〃God〃　may　be　applied　to　the　Essential…Celestial…　the　autodaimon…　and　even　to　the　Visible　Powers　of　the　Universe　of　Sense　down　to　the　Moon；　Gods；　these　too；　visible；　secondary；　sequent　upon　the　Gods　of　the　Intellectual　Realm；　consonant　with　Them；　held　about　Them；　as　the　radiance　about　the　star。　　　　　What；　then；　are　these　spirits？　　　　　A　Celestial　is　the　representative　generated　by　each　Soul　when　it　enters　the　Kosmos。　　　　　And　why；　by　a　Soul　entering　the　Kosmos？　　　　　Because　Soul　pure　of　the　Kosmos　generates　not　a　Celestial　Spirit　but　a　God；　hence　it　is　that　we　have　spoken　of　Love；　offspring　of　Aphrodite　the　Pure　Soul；　as　a　God。　　　　　But；　first　what　prevents　every　one　of　the　Celestials　from　being　an　Eros；　a　Love？　And　why　are　they　not　untouched　by　Matter　like　the　Gods？　　　　　On　the　first　question：　Every　Celestial　born　in　the　striving　of　the　Soul　towards　the　good　and　beautiful　is　an　Eros；　and　all　the　Souls　within　the　Kosmos　do　engender　this　Celestial；　b