27Septemberсентября · 27-е сентября
Осуждение ближнего есть забава, от которой людям, не понимающим всего вреда этой забавы, трудно удержаться. Понимая же весь вред осуждения, грешно не воздерживаться от него только из-за забавы.
Condemning our neighbor is an amusement that people who do not understand all the harm of this amusement find it hard to refrain from. But for those who understand all the harm of condemnation, it is a sin not to abstain from it merely for the sake of amusement.
1. По тем мыслям, которые человек высказывает, нельзя судить о том, как он поступал бы на деле. Также и наоборот: по делам человека очень трудно судить о том, ради чего он так поступает, какие у него в голове мысли, а в душе побуждения. Если я вижу, что человек без устали хлопочет, читает, пишет или работает с утра до ночи, или даже просиживает за своей работой целые ночи напролет, то я еще не скажу, что человек этот любит трудиться, или трудится ради пользы людей, если я не знаю, зачем он всё это делает. Ведь никто не скажет про человека, который по целым ночам кутит с распутными женщинами, что он полезен или что он любит трудиться. И не только скверные, но как будто и прекрасные дела часто делаются ради скверных целей, например, из-за денег или ради славы; и нельзя сказать про человека, поступающего так, что он трудолюбив и полезен, как бы неутомимо он ни работал и какие бы громкие дела ни совершал. Я скажу про человека, что он любит труд и полезен людям только тогда, когда узнаю, что он трудится для души своей — для бога.
Но чужая душа — потемки. Как же я узнаю внутренние побуждения человека, известные только ему самому?
И выходит, что человек не может судить человека, т. е. осуждать или оправдывать его, ни хвалить, ни порицать.
1. From the thoughts a man expresses, one cannot judge how he would act in deed. And the reverse as well: from a man’s deeds it is very hard to judge for what reason he acts so, what thoughts are in his head and what motives in his soul. If I see that a man bustles about tirelessly, reads, writes, or works from morning till night, or even sits over his work whole nights through, I still will not say that this man loves to labor, or labors for the benefit of people, if I do not know why he does all this. For no one will say of a man who carouses whole nights through with dissolute women that he is useful or that he loves to labor. And not only vile deeds, but deeds that seem fine as well, are often done for vile ends, for money, for instance, or for fame; and one cannot say of a man who acts in this way that he is industrious and useful, however untiringly he may work and whatever resounding deeds he may accomplish. I will say of a man that he loves labor and is useful to people only when I learn that he labors for his soul — for God.
But another’s soul is darkness. How then am I to know the inner motives of a man, which are known only to himself?
And so it turns out that man cannot judge man, that is, condemn or justify him, or praise or blame him.
From Discourses · reworded by Tolstoy .
What changedAdds opening sentences of Tolstoy’s own, that a man’s thoughts do not show how he would act nor his deeds why he acts, the proverb “another’s soul is darkness,” and a conclusion, “man cannot judge man,” where Epictetus says to commend a man “on account of his opinions”; labor referred to one’s own ruling power becomes laboring “for his soul — for God.” †
† An intermediate translation may have made this change.
Original · Ancient Greek… διὰ τοῦτο οὐ δύναμαι εἰπεῖν φιλόπονον, ἂν ἀκούσω τοῦτο μόνον, ὅτι ἀναγιγνώσκει ἢ γράφει, κἂν προσθῇ τις, ὅτι ὅλας τὰς νύκτας, οὔπω λέγω, ἂν μὴ γνῶ τὴν ἀναφοράν. οὐδὲ γὰρ σὺ λέγεις φιλόπονον τὸν διὰ παιδισκάριον ἀγρυπνοῦντα· οὐ τοίνυν οὐδʼ ἐγώ.
… ἀλλʼ ἐὰν μὲν ἕνεκα δόξης αὐτὸ ποιῇ, λέγω φιλόδοξον, ἂν δʼ ἕνεκα ἀργυρίου, φιλάργυρον, οὐ φιλόπονον.
… ἂν δʼ ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἡγεμονικὸν ἀναφέρῃ τὸν πόνον, ἵνʼ ἐκεῖνο κατὰ φύσιν ἔχῃ καὶ διεξάγῃ, τότε λέγω μόνον φιλόπονον.
… μηδέποτε γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν κοινῶν μήτʼ ἐπαινεῖτε μήτε ψέγετε, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ δογμάτων.
Source text: raw.githubusercontent.comIn English · George Long, 1890For this reason I cannot call the man industrious, if I hear this only, that he reads and writes; and even if a man adds that he reads all night, I cannot say so, if he knows not to what he should refer his reading.
For neither do you say that a man is industrious if he keeps awake for a girl; …
And if he does it for money, I say that he is a lover of money, not a lover of labour; …
… then only do I say that he is industrious. For never commend a man on account of these things which are common to all, but on account of his opinions (principles); …
Source text: raw.githubusercontent.comTolstoy’s own version · Мысли мудрых людей на каждый деньПо тем мыслям, которые человек высказывает, нельзя судить о том, как он поступал бы с нами на деле.
Я скажу про человека, что он любит труд и полезен людям только тогда, когда узнаю, что он трудится для души своей — для бога и людей.
Source text: tolstoy.ruDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Discourses, IV.4.41–44.
Thoughts of Wise Men (1903), 26 May, with «с нами» (towards us) dropped from the first sentence and «и людей» (and for men) from «для бога и людей» (for God and men) at the end of the first paragraph; the 1903 Epictetus came from Chertkov's «Римский мудрец Эпиктет» (Posrednik), not consulted. The core is Discourses IV.4.41–44: "For this reason I cannot call the man industrious, if I hear this only, that he reads and writes; and even if a man adds that he reads all night, I cannot say so, if he knows not to what he should refer his reading. For neither do you say that a man is industrious if he keeps awake for a girl ... if he does it for reputation, I say that he is a lover of reputation. And if he does it for money, I say that he is a lover of money, not a lover of labour ... if he refers his labour to his own ruling power, that he may keep it in a state conformable to nature ..., then only do I say that he is industrious. For never commend a man on account of these things which are common to all, but on account of his opinions (principles)." Changed: Epictetus's "industrious" (φιλόπονος, a lover of labour) becomes «любит трудиться, или трудится ради пользы людей» (loves to work, or works for the good of men), «полезен» (useful) and «трудолюбив» (hard-working); the girl becomes «кутит с распутными женщинами» (carouses with loose women); and the test, labour referred to one's own ruling part (τὸ ἴδιον ἡγεμονικόν), becomes «трудится для души своей — для бога» (works for his soul, for God). Added: the opening sentences, that a man's thoughts do not show how he would act nor his deeds why he acts; the proverb «чужая душа — потемки» (another's soul is darkness); and the conclusion that man cannot judge man, condemn or justify, praise or blame, where Epictetus says only that praise and blame should rest on a man's principles.
2. Желая судить меня, будьте не со мной, а во мне.
2. If you wish to judge me, be not with me but in me.
From Żeglarz · close to the original .
Original · PolishI razem ze mną, pod strzałami gromu Co czuję, inni uczuć chcieliby daremnie!
Sąd nasz, prócz Boga, nie dany nikomu; …
Chcąc mnie sądzić, nie ze mną trzeba być, lecz we mnie.
— Ja płynę dalej, wy idźcie do domu.
Source text: wolnelektury.plDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Żeglarz (The Sailor), poem dated 17 April 1821, last stanza, line 4; Poezje, vol. I (Kraków: Krakowska Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza, [1919]), as transcribed by Wolne Lektury.
The fourth line of the poem's last stanza, closely: “Chcąc mnie sądzić, nie ze mną trzeba być, lecz we mnie” (to judge me, one must be not with me but within me). Tolstoy turns the impersonal “trzeba być” (one must be) into the imperative «будьте» (be). In the poem the sailor, out in a storm, answers his friends watching from the shore: what he feels with the thunderbolts about him others would wish in vain to feel; judgment of us is given to no one but God; he sails on, and they may go home. Tolstoy's Russian source for the line is unknown. The language code is pl (Polish), which is not yet in the site's table. No public-domain English was found.
3. Добрым так же трудно предполагать зло в других, как злым предполагать доброе.
3. It is as hard for the good to suppose evil in others as for the evil to suppose good.
4. В спорах забывается истина. Прекращает спор умнейший.
4. In disputes the truth is forgotten. It is the more intelligent one who ends the dispute.
5. Главное наше несовершенство в нашем внутреннем зрении: мы страшно дальнозорки для того, чтобы увидать дурное в других, но дурное в нас невидимо для нас.
5. Our chief imperfection is in our inner sight: we are terribly farsighted when it comes to seeing the bad in others, but the bad in ourselves is invisible to us.
From Christian Morals · reworded by Tolstoy .
What changedTolstoy adds evil twice: being “so sharpsighted as to look thorough others” becomes being “terribly farsighted when it comes to seeing the bad in others,” and being “invisible unto our selves” becomes “the bad in ourselves is invisible to us,” so we fail to see our own evil, where Browne has us fail to see ourselves.
What Tolstoy read · The Message of Man: A Book of Ethical Scriptures, gathered by Stanton CoitThe greatest imperfection is in our inward vision ; while we arc so sharp-sighted as to look through others, we are almost invisible unto ourselves.
Source text: archive.orgBrowne’s own wordsBut the greatest imperfection is in our inward sight, that is, to be Ghosts unto our own Eyes, and while we are so sharpsighted as to look thorough others, to be invisible unto our selves ; …
… for the inward Eyes are more fallacious than the outward.
Source text: archive.orgDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Christian Morals (posthumous, 1716), Part III, sect. XV, pp. 78–79 of the Cambridge University Press printing (1904).
Through Coit, who abridged Browne and says so: he cut 'that is, to be Ghosts unto our own Eyes', put 'vision' for 'sight', and 'we are almost' for 'to be'. Tolstoy's 'Our chief imperfection is in our inner vision' follows Coit's 'vision'. Then he changes the sense of the rest: Coit's 'while we are so sharp-sighted as to look through others' becomes 'we are terribly far-sighted to see the evil in others' (мы страшно дальнозорки для того, чтобы увидать дурное в других), and 'we are almost invisible unto ourselves' becomes 'but the evil in us is invisible to us' (дурное в нас невидимо для нас). In Browne and Coit we fail to see ourselves; in Tolstoy we fail to see our own evil, the 'evil' twice added. «Браун» is Sir Thomas Browne: the Jubilee name index refers this page (vol. 42, p. 80) to Bishop Edward Harold Browne (1811–1891), as August's index referred «Браун» to a bishop wrongly; Coit's note settles it. No printable.
6. Тот истинно благороден, кто легко прощает заблуждения людей и в то же время так боится сделать что-нибудь дурное, как будто он никогда никого не прощал.
6. He is truly noble who readily forgives people’s errors and at the same time is as afraid of doing anything wrong as though he had never forgiven anyone.
From Epistulae · shortened by Tolstoy .
What Tolstoy read · Beautiful Thoughts from Latin AuthorsThe highest of characters, in my estimation, is his, who is as ready to pardon the moral errors of mankind, as if he were every day guilty of some himself ; and at the same time as cautious of committing a fault, as if he never forgave one.
Source text: archive.orgOriginal · LatinAtque ego optimum et emendatissimum existimo, qui ceteris ita ignoscit, tamquam ipse cotidie peccet, ita peccatis abstinet tamquam nemini ignoscat.
Source text: thelatinlibrary.comIn English · William Melmoth, revised by W. M. L. Hutchinson (Loeb), 1915To my mind, the best and most faultless character is his, who is as ready to pardon the rest of mankind, as though he daily transgressed himself; and at the same time as cautious to avoid a fault, as if he never forgave one.
Source text: archive.orgDetails
The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Epistulae, VIII.22.2.
Tolstoy translates Melmoth's English as Ramage prints it, shortened: "The highest of characters, in my estimation, is his, who is as ready to pardon the moral errors of mankind, as if he were every day guilty of some himself; and at the same time as cautious of committing a fault, as if he never forgave one." «Заблуждения людей» (the errors of men) is "the moral errors of mankind", and «так боится сделать что-нибудь дурное, как будто он никогда никого не прощал» (is as afraid of doing anything bad as if he had never forgiven anyone) "as cautious of committing a fault, as if he never forgave one". Left out: "as if he were every day guilty of some himself" (tamquam ipse cotidie peccet), half of Pliny's antithesis, so that the reason for pardoning others goes; «легко прощает» (easily forgives) stands for "is as ready to pardon". "The highest of characters" (optimum et emendatissimum, the best and most faultless) becomes «истинно благороден» (truly noble). The Loeb revision of Melmoth (1915) reads "To my mind, the best and most faultless character is his, who is as ready to pardon the rest of mankind, as though he daily transgressed himself".
Как только начинаешь судить человека, помни о том, чтобы не сказать про него дурного даже и тогда, когда ты наверно знаешь про это дурное, а тем более когда ты не знаешь, а повторяешь только чужие слова.
As soon as you begin to judge a person, remember not to say anything bad about that person even when you know of this bad thing for certain, and all the more when you do not know it but are only repeating the words of others.
Tolstoy TodayТолстой сегодня · tolstoytoday.org/september/27