§26.1πότερον δὲ βελτίων ἡ ἐποποιικὴ μίμησις ἢ ἡ τραγική, διαπορήσειεν ἄν τις.
One might raise the question whether epic imitation or tragic imitation is better.
§26.2εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἧττον φορτικὴ βελτίων, τοιαύτη δ’ ἡ πρὸς βελτίους θεατάς ἐστιν ἀεί, λίαν δῆλον ὅτι ἡ ἅπαντα μιμουμένη φορτική· §26.3ὡς γὰρ οὐκ αἰσθανομένων ἂν μὴ αὐτὸς προσθῇ, πολλὴν κίνησιν κινοῦνται, οἷον οἱ φαῦλοι αὐληταὶ κυλιόμενοι ἂν δίσκον δέῃ μιμεῖσθαι, καὶ ἕλκοντες τὸν κορυφαῖον ἂν Σκύλλαν αὐλῶσιν.
For if that which is less vulgar is better, and such is always that which is directed towards better spectators, it is extremely clear that the one which imitates everything is vulgar; for, as if the spectators would not perceive unless they themselves add something, they perform much movement, just as bad flute-players roll about if they have to imitate a discus, and drag the chorus-leader along if they are playing 'Scylla' on the flute.
§26.4ἡ μὲν οὖν τραγῳδία τοιαύτη ἐστίν, ὡς καὶ οἱ πρότερον τοὺς ὑστέρους αὐτῶν ᾤοντο ὑποκριτάς· ὡς λίαν γὰρ ὑπερβάλλοντα πίθηκον ὁ Μυννίσκος τὸν Καλλιππίδην ἐκάλει, τοιαύτη δὲ δόξα καὶ περὶ Πινδάρου ἦν·
The tragic art, then, is of such a character, just as the earlier actors used to think regarding their successors; for Mynniscus used to call Callippides an 'ape' because he overacted so excessively, and there was a similar opinion also about Pindarus.
ὡς δ’ οὗτοι ἔχουσι πρὸς αὐτούς, ἡ ὅλη τέχνη πρὸς τὴν ἐποποιίαν ἔχει.
And as these stand to them, so the whole art stands to epic poetry.
§26.5τὴν μὲν οὖν πρὸς θεατὰς ἐπιεικεῖς φασιν εἶναι οἳ οὐδὲν δέονται τῶν σχημάτων, τὴν δὲ τραγικὴν πρὸς φαύλους· §26.6εἰ οὖν φορτική, χείρων δῆλον ὅτι ἂν εἴη.
They say, then, that the epic is directed towards respectable spectators who do not need gestures at all, but the tragic is directed towards vulgar ones; if, then, it is vulgar, it would clearly be worse.
πρῶτον μὲν οὐ τῆς ποιητικῆς ἡ κατηγορία ἀλλὰ τῆς ὑποκριτικῆς, ἐπεὶ ἔστι περιεργάζεσθαι τοῖς σημείοις καὶ ῥαψῳδοῦντα, ὅπερ Σωσίστρατος, καὶ διᾴδοντα, ὅπερ ἐποίει Μνασίθεος ὁ Ὀπούντιος.
But first, this is a censure not of the poetic art but of the actor's art, since it is possible to overdo gestures even in rhapsodizing, as Sosistratus did, and in singing competition, as Mnasitheus of Opus used to do.
§26.7εἶτα οὐδὲ κίνησις ἅπασα ἀποδοκιμαστέα, εἴπερ μηδ’ ὄρχησις, ἀλλ’ ἡ φαύλων, ὅπερ καὶ Καλλιππίδῃ ἐπετιμᾶτο καὶ νῦν ἄλλοις ὡς οὐκ ἐλευθέρας γυναῖκας μιμουμένων.
Secondly, not all movement is to be rejected, if indeed not even dancing is, but only that of vulgar people, which was the very thing censured in Callippides, as it is now in others, on the ground that they imitate women who are not respectable.
§26.8ἔτι ἡ τραγῳδία καὶ ἄνευ κινήσεως ποιεῖ τὸ αὑτῆς, ὥσπερ ἡ ἐποποιία· διὰ γὰρ τοῦ ἀναγινώσκειν φανερὰ ὁποία τίς ἐστιν· εἰ οὖν ἐστι τά γ’ ἄλλα κρείττων, τοῦτό γε οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον αὐτῇ ὑπάρχειν.
Furthermore, tragedy produces its effect even without movement, just as epic does; for through reading it is clear what sort of thing it is; if, then, it is better in other respects, this at least is not necessarily inherent in it.
§26.9ἔπειτα διότι πάντ’ ἔχει ὅσαπερ ἡ ἐποποιία §26.10(καὶ γὰρ τῷ μέτρῳ ἔξεστι χρῆσθαι), καὶ ἔτι οὐ μικρὸν μέρος τὴν μουσικήν, δι’ ἧς αἱ ἡδοναὶ συνίστανται ἐναργέστατα· §26.11εἶτα καὶ τὸ ἐναργὲς ἔχει καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀναγνώσει καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων· §26.12ἔτι τῷ ἐν ἐλάττονι μήκει τὸ τέλος τῆς μιμήσεως εἶναι (τὸ γὰρ ἀθροώτερον ἥδιον ἢ πολλῷ κεκραμένον τῷ χρόνῳ, λέγω δ’ οἷον εἴ τις τὸν Οἰδίπουν θείη τὸν Σοφοκλέους ἐν ἔπεσιν ὅσοις ἡ Ἰλιάς)·
Then, because it has everything that epic has, (for it is possible to use meter too), and furthermore, as no small part, music, through which pleasures are constituted most vividly; then, it has vividness both in reading and in performance; furthermore, the end of the imitation is achieved in a shorter length; for that which is more concentrated is more pleasant than that which is diluted over a long period of time; I mean, for instance, if one were to put Sophocles' 'Oedipus' into as many verses as the 'Iliad' has.
§26.13ἔτι ἧττον μία ἡ μίμησις ἡ τῶν ἐποποιῶν (σημεῖον δέ, ἐκ γὰρ ὁποιασοῦν μιμήσεως πλείους τραγῳδίαι γίνονται), ὥστε ἐὰν μὲν ἕνα μῦθον ποιῶσιν, ἢ βραχέως δεικνύμενον μύουρον φαίνεσθαι, ἢ ἀκολουθοῦντα τῷ τοῦ μέτρου μήκει ὑδαρῆ· λέγω δὲ οἷον ἐὰν ἐκ πλειόνων πράξεων ᾖ συγκειμένη, §26.14ὥσπερ ἡ Ἰλιὰς ἔχει πολλὰ τοιαῦτα μέρη καὶ ἡ Ὀδύσσεια ἃ καὶ καθ’ ἑαυτὰ ἔχει μέγεθος· καίτοι ταῦτα τὰ ποιήματα συνέστηκεν ὡς ἐνδέχεται ἄριστα καὶ ὅτι μάλιστα μιᾶς πράξεως μίμησις.
Moreover, the imitation of the epic poets has less unity (a sign of this is that several tragedies arise from any one epic imitation), so that if they make a single plot, either, when shown briefly, it appears docked, or, when following the length of the meter, it appears watery; I mean, for instance, if it is composed of several actions, just as the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey' have many such parts, which also in themselves have magnitude; and yet these poems are constructed in the best possible way and are, as far as possible, the imitation of a single action.
§26.15εἰ οὖν τούτοις τε διαφέρει πᾶσιν καὶ ἔτι τῷ τῆς τέχνης ἔργῳ (δεῖ γὰρ οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἡδονὴν ποιεῖν αὐτὰς ἀλλὰ τὴν εἰρημένην), φανερὸν ὅτι κρείττων ἂν εἴη μᾶλλον τοῦ τέλους τυγχάνουσα τῆς ἐποποιίας.
If, then, tragedy differs in all these respects, and further in the function of the art (for they must produce not any chance pleasure but the one mentioned), it is clear that it would be better, since it achieves its end more than epic does.
§26.16περὶ μὲν οὖν τραγῳδίας καὶ ἐποποιίας, καὶ αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν εἰδῶν καὶ τῶν μερῶν, καὶ πόσα καὶ τί διαφέρει, καὶ τοῦ εὖ ἢ μὴ τίνες αἰτίαι, καὶ περὶ ἐπιτιμήσεων καὶ λύσεων, εἰρήσθω τοσαῦτα. . . .
So much, then, let be said concerning tragedy and epic poetry, both themselves and their forms and their parts, and how many they are and in what they differ, and what are the causes of their success or failure, and concerning censures and solutions.