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Compiled by Anna Izdebska
لا تعتد في الميزان – اى اجتنب الافراط
1. ‘Do not step over the balance’, meaning: ‘Avoid excess’.
ζυγὸν μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν, τοῦτ’ ἔστι μὴ πλεονεκτεῖν.
1. Pass not over a balance; that is, avoid excess.
و لا تحرّك النار بالسكين لانها قد حميت فيها مرة – اى اجتنب الكلام المحرّض عند الغضوب المغتاظ
2. ‘Do not stir the fire with a knife, if it is already hot’. This meant: ‘Do not use offensive words when someone is already angered’.
μὴ τὸ πῦρ τῇ μαχαίρᾳ σκαλεύειν, ὅπερ ἦν μὴ τὸν ἀνοιδοῦντα καὶ ὀργιζόμενον κινεῖν λόγοις τεθηγμένοις.
2. Poke not the fire with a knife; that is, we ought not to excite a man inflated with anger and answer with sharp language.
στέφανόν τε μὴ τίλλειν, τοῦτ’ ἔστι τοὺς νόμους μὴ λυμαίνεσθαι· στέφανοι γὰρ πόλεων οὗτοι.
3. Pluck not a crown, meant not to violate the laws, which are the crowns of cities.
μὴ καρδίαν ἐσθίειν, οἷον μὴ λυπεῖν ἑαυτὸν ἀνίαις.
4. Eat not the heart, signified not to afflict ourselves with sorrows.
و لا تجلس على فقير – اى لا تعش فى البطالة
3. ‘Do not sit on a bushel, which means ‘Do not live idly’.
μηδ’ ἐπὶ χοίνικος καθέζεσθαι, οἷον μὴ ἀργὸν ζῆν.
5. Do not sit upon a bushel, meant, do not live idly.
μηδ’ ἀποδημοῦντα ἐπιστρέφεσθαι, μὴ ἔχεσθαι τοῦ βίου τούτου ἀποθνῄσκοντα.
6. On starting a journey, do not turn back, meant, not to cling on this life while dying
و لاتمر بغياض الليوث – اى لا تقتد بر اى المردة
4. ‘Do not walk by the dens of the lions’, which means: ‘Do not follow the ideas of the rebellious’.
τάς τε λεωφόρους μὴ βαδίζειν, δι’ οὗ ταῖς τῶν πολλῶν ἕπεσθαι γνώμαις ἐκώλυεν, τὰς δὲ τῶν ὀλίγων καὶ πεπαιδευμένων μεταθεῖν.
7. Do not walk in the public way, meant to avoid the opinions of the multitude, adopting those of the learned and the few.
و لا تعمر الخطاطيف البيوت – اى لا تقتدوا باصحاب الطرمذة غير المالكين لالسنتهم
5. ‘Swallows do not live in houses’, which means ‘Do not be like those arrogant and garrulous men who cannot control their own tongues’.
μηδὲ χελιδόνας ἐν οἰκίᾳ δέχεσθαι, τοῦτ’ ἔστι λάλους ἀνθρώπους καὶ περὶ γλῶτταν ἀκρατεῖς ὁμωροφίους μὴ ποιεῖσθαι.
8. Receive not swallows into your house, meant, not to admit under the same roof men who are garrulous and who cannot control their own tongues.
وان لا يلقى الحمل على حامله لكن يعان على حمله – اى لا يغفل احد اعمال نفسه فى الطاعات والفضائل
6. ‘Help the carrier to transport his burden, not to lay it down’, which means ‘No one should neglect his own duties concerning virtue and obedience’.
φορτίον δὲ συνανατιθέναι μὲν τοῖς βαστάζουσιν, συγκαθαιρεῖν δὲ μή, δι’ οὗ παρῄνει μηδενὶ πρὸς ῥᾳστώνην, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀρετὴν συμπράττειν
9. Help a man to take up a burden, but not to lay it down, meant to encourage no one to be indolent, but to apply oneself to virtue.
وان لا تلبس تماثيل الملائكة على فصوص الخواتيم – اى لا تجهر بديانتك و اسرار العلوم الالهية عندالجهال
7. ‘Do not wear ring-stones with images of angels’, which means ‘Do not reveal your religion nor disclose divine secrets to the ignorant’.
θεῶν τ’ εἰκόνας ἐν δακτυλίοις μὴ φορεῖν, τοῦτ’ ἔστι τὴν περὶ θεῶν δόξαν καὶ λόγον μὴ πρόχειρον μηδὲ φανερὸν ἔχειν μηδὲ εἰς πολλοὺς προφέρειν.
10. Do not carry the images of the Gods in rings, signifies that one should not at once to the vulgar reveal one’s opinions about the Gods or discourse about them.
σπονδάς τε ποιεῖσθαι τοῖς θεοῖς κατὰ τὸ οὖς τῶν ἐκπωμάτων· ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ ᾐνίττετο τιμᾶν τοὺς θεοὺς καὶ ὑμνεῖν τῇ μουσικῇ· αὕτη γὰρ διὰ ὤτων χωρεῖ.
11. Offer libations to the gods, just to the ears of the cup, meant, that we ought to worship and celebrate the gods with music, for that penetrates through the ears.
Arabic text:
• al-Mubashshir, _Book of the Choicest Maxims and best Sayings (Mukhtār al-ḥikam wa-maḥāsin al-kalim)_, in al-Mubashshir (1980: 53);
• Ibn Abī Usaybīʿa, _Lives of the Physicians (ʿUyūn al-anbāʾ fī-ṭabaqāt al- aṭibbāʾ)_, in Ibn Abī Usaybīʿa (1882: 63); transl. E. Savage-Smith, S. Swain & J.G. van Gelder (2020: part 4.3.3).
Greek text:
• Porphyry, _Life of Pythagoras_, 42 in É. Des Places (1982: 55–56); transl. K.S. Guthrie (1987: 131), revised by A. Izdebska in order to be more literal.