第37章

Moreover, roughness in the sound Comes from the roughness in the primal germs, As a smooth sound from smooth ones is create;Nor have these elements a form the same When the trump rumbles with a hollow roar, As when barbaric Berecynthian pipe Buzzes with raucous boomings, or when swans By night from icy shores of Helicon With wailing voices raise their liquid dirge.

Thus, when from deep within our frame we force These voices, and at mouth expel them forth, The mobile tongue, artificer of words, Makes them articulate, and too the lips By their formations share in shaping them.

Hence when the space is short from starting-point To where that voice arrives, the very words Must too be plainly heard, distinctly marked.

For then the voice conserves its own formation, Conserves its shape.But if the space between Be longer than is fit, the words must be Through the much air confounded, and the voice Disordered in its flight across the winds-And so it haps, that thou canst sound perceive, Yet not determine what the words may mean;To such degree confounded and encumbered The voice approaches us.Again, one word, Sent from the crier's mouth, may rouse all ears Among the populace.And thus one voice Scatters asunder into many voices, Since it divides itself for separate ears, Imprinting form of word and a clear tone.

But whatso part of voices fails to hit The ears themselves perishes, borne beyond, Idly diffused among the winds.A part, Beating on solid porticoes, tossed back Returns a sound; and sometimes mocks the ear With a mere phantom of a word.When this Thou well hast noted, thou canst render count Unto thyself and others why it is Along the lonely places that the rocks Give back like shapes of words in order like, When search we after comrades wandering Among the shady mountains, and aloud Call unto them, the scattered.I have seen Spots that gave back even voices six or seven For one thrown forth- for so the very hills, Dashing them back against the hills, kept on With their reverberations.And these spots The neighbouring country-side doth feign to be Haunts of the goat-foot satyrs and the nymphs;And tells ye there be fauns, by whose night noise And antic revels yonder they declare The voiceless silences are broken oft, And tones of strings are made and wailings sweet Which the pipe, beat by players' finger-tips, Pours out; and far and wide the farmer-race Begins to hear, when, shaking the garmentings Of pine upon his half-beast head, god-Pan With puckered lip oft runneth o'er and o'er The open reeds,- lest flute should cease to pour The woodland music! Other prodigies And wonders of this ilk they love to tell, Lest they be thought to dwell in lonely spots And even by gods deserted.This is why They boast of marvels in their story-tellings;Or by some other reason are led on-

Greedy, as all mankind hath ever been, To prattle fables into ears.

Again, One need not wonder how it comes about That through those places (through which eyes cannot View objects manifest) sounds yet may pass And assail the ears.For often we observe People conversing, though the doors be closed;No marvel either, since all voice unharmed Can wind through bended apertures of things, While idol-films decline to- for they're rent, Unless along straight apertures they swim, Like those in glass, through which all images Do fly across.And yet this voice itself, In passing through shut chambers of a house, Is dulled, and in a jumble enters ears, And sound we seem to hear far more than words.

Moreover, a voice is into all directions Divided up, since off from one another New voices are engendered, when one voice Hath once leapt forth, outstarting into many-As oft a spark of fire is wont to sprinkle Itself into its several fires.And so, Voices do fill those places hid behind, Which all are in a hubbub round about, Astir with sound.But idol-films do tend, As once sent forth, in straight directions all;Wherefore one can inside a wall see naught, Yet catch the voices from beyond the same.

Nor tongue and palate, whereby we flavour feel, Present more problems for more work of thought.

Firstly, we feel a flavour in the mouth, When forth we squeeze it, in chewing up our food,-As any one perchance begins to squeeze With hand and dry a sponge with water soaked.

Next, all which forth we squeeze is spread about Along the pores and intertwined paths Of the loose-textured tongue.And so, when smooth The bodies of the oozy flavour, then Delightfully they touch, delightfully They treat all spots, around the wet and trickling Enclosures of the tongue.And contrariwise, They sting and pain the sense with their assault, According as with roughness they're supplied.

Next, only up to palate is the pleasure Coming from flavour; for in truth when down 'Thas plunged along the throat, no pleasure is, Whilst into all the frame it spreads around;Nor aught it matters with what food is fed The body, if only what thou take thou canst Distribute well digested to the frame And keep the stomach in a moist career.

Now, how it is we see some food for some, Others for others..........

I will unfold, or wherefore what to some Is foul and bitter, yet the same to others Can seem delectable to eat,- why here So great the distance and the difference is That what is food to one to some becomes Fierce poison, as a certain snake there is Which, touched by spittle of a man, will waste And end itself by gnawing up its coil.

Again, fierce poison is the hellebore To us, but puts the fat on goats and quails.