今天来和各位分享的是来自第欧根尼·拉尔修 (Diogenes Laërtius, Διογένης Λαέρτιος) 的挽歌对句 (Elegiac Couplet)，一位生活在罗马帝国的希腊作家，以作品《哲人言行录》(Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Βίοι καὶ γνῶμαι τῶν ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ εὐδοκιμησάντων) 为名，该书记录了古希腊 大大小小的哲学家的言行和生活，从公元前六世纪的古希腊七贤 (Seven Sages of Greece) 到 苏格拉底柏拉图，从亚里士多德的逍遥学派 (Peripatetic school) 到以芝诺 (Zeno of Citium) 创立的斯多葛学派 (Stoicism)。
今天要介绍的是出自《哲人言行录》卷三柏拉图篇的两句话，据说是柏拉图说的。这两句话为挽歌对句的形式，即结合扬抑抑六音步诗 (Dactylic hexameter) 和扬抑抑五音步诗 (Dactylic pentameter)。每行分为六（或五）个单元，称为音步 (foot)；每个单元（一般来讲）三个音节，分别为扬抑抑（重音/长元音-轻音/短元音-轻音/短元音），有时也会两个音节，为扬扬（重音/长元音-重音/长元音）。
ἀστέρας εἰσαθρεῖς Άστὴρ ἐμὸς· εἴθε γενοίην
οὐρανὸς, ὡς πολλοῖς ὄμμασιν εἰς σὲ βλέπω
ἀστέρας: plural accusative form of ἀστήρ (celestial body; illustrious person; starfish)
εἰσαθρεῖς: second-person singular present form of εἰσαθρέω (to look at, to descry)
Άστὴρ: celestial body; illustrious person; starfish. cognates with Latin stēlla, Armenian աստղ, Persian ستاره, Sanskrit तारा
γενοίην: first-person singular aorist optative middle form of γίγνομαι (to come into being; to happen to be; to be; to be born). cognates with Latin gignō
οὐρανὸς: vaulted sky; heaven; home of the gods; the universe.
πολλοῖς: masculine/neuter dative plural form of πολύς (many; a lot; strong)
ὄμμασιν: dative plural form of ὄμμα (eye; sun; face). cognates with Latin oculus
Star-gazing Aster, would I were the skies,
To gaze upon thee with a thousand eyes.
我的星，仰望星空
愿我是苍穹
就可用上千只眼睛
看你面容
古希腊七贤包括
雅典的梭伦 (Solon of Athens)、斯巴达的契罗 (Chilon of Sparta)、米利都的泰勒斯 (Thales. of Miletus)、普林纳的毕阿斯 (Bias of Priene)、林度斯的克莱俄布卢 (Cleobulus of Lindos)、米蒂利尼的庇塔库斯 (Pittacus of Mitylene) 和科林斯的佩里安德 (Periander of Corinth)。
雅典的梭伦 (Solon of Athens): Nothing in Excess (μηδὲν ἄγαν)
斯巴达的契罗 (Chilon of Sparta): Know Thyself (γνῶθι σεαυτόν)
