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《占星诗》 · 卷一 本命总论与父母兄弟

卷一·序 写给儿子赫尔墨斯的星学之书

卷题点出全卷主题「养育与境况」;序里多罗修斯自述遍历埃及、巴比伦,像蜜蜂采花一样采集前人之说,写给儿子赫尔墨斯。

The First Book of Dorotheus on the Stars, on Judgement concerning Nativities: on Upbringing and Condition.

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Lord, enrich me by Your mercy.

翻译点开

The First Book of Dorotheus on the Stars, on Judgement concerning Nativities: on Upbringing and Condition.

多罗修斯星学第一卷:论诞生盘的判断——养育与境况。

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Lord, enrich me by Your mercy.

奉至仁至慈的真主之名。主啊,以你的慈悯使我富足。

大意与图解点开

🔎 大意:卷题称本卷论诞生盘的判断,主题是养育与境况;其后两句伊斯兰开篇套语,是阿拉伯文传本抄写时加上的。

📖 术语

术语英文原词意思
诞生盘nativity出生时刻的星盘
养育upbringing婴儿能否养活长大
境况condition身份贵贱、家境
开篇套语basmala伊斯兰抄本的起首语

🧭 图解与讲解

第一行是阿拉伯文抄本给全卷起的卷题:「论诞生盘的判断——养育与境况」。「养育」指婴儿能不能养活长大,「境况」指此人与父母的身份贵贱、家境好坏,正好概括卷一前半的内容:卷一第三章论顺产难产,第四、七、九章论养育,第十、十一章论为奴还是自由,第十二章起论父母。阿拉伯文第十二章的章题也用「养育、境况」两词,前后呼应(表一)。

版本对勘:卷题与开篇套语
句依据主要异文裁定
卷题阿拉伯文—照译
开篇套语阿拉伯文伊斯兰抄本开篇套语,原作不可能有收入,讲解点明是阿拉伯文传本后加

〔图〕从希腊诗到阿拉伯文:今天读到的本子转了三手

第二行「奉至仁至慈的真主之名。主啊,以你的慈悯使我富足」,是伊斯兰抄本开卷照例要写的套语。多罗修斯是一世纪的希腊诗人,原作不可能有这句;它是这部书经巴列维文转成阿拉伯文、再辗转传抄时加上的。融合本照收,单立一行,读者一看便知是阿拉伯文传本的痕迹,不是多罗修斯的话。

今天能读到的《占星诗》,就是这样转了几手的本子(图二):希腊原诗大半失传,萨珊波斯时代先译成巴列维文,约公元八百年再译成阿拉伯文,只有这个阿拉伯文本是全的。赫菲斯提翁等后代希腊作者转引过不少原诗与散文转述,本站以阿拉伯文为骨架,逐句拿这些残篇来校,凡有出入都在每章的「版本对勘」里写明依据。

[1] This is the first book of Dorotheus the Egyptian on judgement concerning nativities.

[2] He chose it, selected it, and sifted it from the books of those who were before him, and composed it for his son Hermes.

[3] He said to his son when he charged him: I shall tell you, my son, and make it clear to you, so that you may trust it and your heart may be at rest, what I show you of my work and my sayings on the stars, which indicate to people what befalls them from the time of the native's birth until he parts from the world, if God wills.

[4] I have passed, my son, through many lands, and I have seen wondrous things in Egypt and in Babylon, which lies on the Euphrates.

[5] From those who were before me I have gathered the best of their words, like the bee that gathers from the trees and from herbs of every colour, and from it comes the good honey.

红像陶瓶画:老者坐椅上展开书卷,少年赫尔墨斯立在身前倾听,旁有蜂群绕花
由此酿成上好的蜂蜜
翻译点开

[1] This is the first book of Dorotheus the Egyptian on judgement concerning nativities.

[1] 这是埃及人多罗修斯论诞生盘判断的第一卷。

[2] He chose it, selected it, and sifted it from the books of those who were before him, and composed it for his son Hermes.

[2] 他从前人的书中拣选、挑取、筛汰而成此书,写给他的儿子赫尔墨斯。

[3] He said to his son when he charged him: I shall tell you, my son, and make it clear to you, so that you may trust it and your heart may be at rest, what I show you of my work and my sayings on the stars, which indicate to people what befalls them from the time of the native's birth until he parts from the world, if God wills.

[3] 他嘱咐儿子时说:我儿,我要告诉你、给你讲明白,好让你信得过、心里安稳——我把自己关于星辰的功夫和论说指给你看:星辰向人指示他们从出生之时到离开人世所遭遇的一切,若真主意欲。

[4] I have passed, my son, through many lands, and I have seen wondrous things in Egypt and in Babylon, which lies on the Euphrates.

[4] 我儿,我走过许多地方,在埃及、在幼发拉底河畔的巴比伦,见过种种奇事。

[5] From those who were before me I have gathered the best of their words, like the bee that gathers from the trees and from herbs of every colour, and from it comes the good honey.

[5] 我从前人那里采集了他们最好的言论,就像蜜蜂从树木和五颜六色的草花上采集,由此酿成上好的蜂蜜。

大意与图解点开

🔎 大意:多罗修斯自述:此书从前人书中拣选而成,写给儿子赫尔墨斯;他遍历埃及与巴比伦,像蜜蜂采花酿蜜一样集取精华。

📖 术语

术语英文原词意思
埃及人the Egyptian阿拉伯文对作者的称呼
赫尔墨斯Hermes多罗修斯之子
巴比伦Babylon幼发拉底河畔古城
若真主意欲if God wills阿拉伯文译者的套语

🧭 图解与讲解

第三行起是多罗修斯的自序。阿拉伯文称他「埃及人多罗修斯」;本站《数学》卷二第二十九章,费尔米库斯却称他「西顿人多罗修斯」,并说他用极真实、极雄辩的诗句写成这部书。费尔米库斯的话是对作者的评述,不是本节的另一种文本,所以英文照阿拉伯文作「埃及人」,讲解里两说并提(图二)。称「埃及人」,大概因为希腊化时代的占星学向来被看作埃及之学,序里他也自述在埃及见过种种奇事。

版本对勘:序(第一至五节)
句依据主要异文裁定
§1阿拉伯文;费尔米库斯 App. I 旁证阿拉伯文作「埃及人」,费尔米库斯作「西顿人」,并说原作是诗体英文照阿拉伯文;费尔米库斯是评述不是异文本,讲解里并提
§3阿拉伯文句末「若真主意欲」照译,讲解注明多半是译者所加
§4阿拉伯文مصيب الفرات 疑作 مصبّ作「幼发拉底河畔」

〔图〕「埃及人」与「西顿人」:前者是传本称呼,后者见于费尔米库斯

第四行说此书是他从前人书中「拣选、挑取、筛汰」而成,写给儿子赫尔墨斯。全书屡称「我儿」,用的是父亲教子的口吻,这是希腊教谕诗的老传统。三个近义动词照阿拉伯文译出,可见他自认是集成者,不是发明者:下文三方主、旺、诸位的次第,都是他从更早的埃及、巴比伦传统里整理来的。

第五行句末「若真主意欲」,与上一单元的开篇套语一样,多半是阿拉伯文译者顺手加的,原诗不会有。第六行「我走过许多地方,在埃及、在幼发拉底河畔的巴比伦」,阿拉伯文这一词字面是「河的倾注处」,疑是形近之误,作「河畔」(表一)。埃及与巴比伦正是希腊人心目中星学的两个源头。

第七行的蜜蜂比喻,说他从前人那里采集最好的言论,像蜜蜂从树木和各色花草上采集而酿出好蜜,这是全书的自我定位。拿本站《占星四书》对照:托勒密在卷一开头着力论证星占之学可以成立、有其限度,多罗修斯却不辩护,只是把前人的规则一条条交给儿子去用。两部书的口气,一个是哲学论著,一个是授徒的教本。

原文为公有领域古籍;翻译、印象画与图文解读由 AI 辅助生成,鲲侯审校。