L. ANNAEI SENECAE AD NOVATVM DE IRA LIBER I
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You have importuned me, Novatus, to
write on the subject of how anger may be allayed, and it seems to me
that you
had good reason to fear in an especial degree this, the most hideous
and
frenzied of all the emotions. For the other emotions have in them some
element
of peace and calm, while this one is wholly violent and has its being
in an
onrush of resentment, raging with a most inhuman lust for weapons,
blood, and
punishment, giving no thought to itself if only it can hurt another,
hurling
itself upon the very point of the dagger, and eager for revenge though
it may
drag down the avenger along with it.
2. Quidam
itaque e sapientibus uiris iram dixerunt breuem insaniam; aeque enim
inpotens
sui est, decoris oblita, necessitudinum immemor, in quod coepit
pertinax et
intenta, rationi consiliisque praeclusa, uanis agitata causis, ad
dispectum
aequi uerique inhabilis, ruinis simillima quae super id quod oppressere
franguntur.
Certain wise
men, therefore, have claimed
that anger is temporary madness. For it is equally devoid of self-
control,
forgetful of decency, unmindful of ties, persistent and diligent in
whatever it
begins, closed to reason and counsel, excited by trifling causes, unfit
to
discern the right and true - the very counterpart of a ruin that is
shattered
in pieces where it overwhelms.
3. Vt scias autem non esse sanos quos ira possedit, ipsum illorum
habitum intuere; nam ut furentium certa indicia sunt audax et minax
uultus,
tristis frons, torua facies, citatus gradus, inquietae manus, color
uersus,
crebra et uehementius acta suspiria, ita irascentium eadem signa sunt:
But you have
only to behold the aspect of those
possessed by anger to know that they are insane. For as the marks of a
madman
are unmistakable - a bold and threatening mien, a gloomy brow, a fierce
expression, a hurried step, restless hands, an altered colour, a quick
and more
violent breathing - so likewise are the marks of the angry man;
4.
flagrant ac micant oculi, multus ore toto rubor exaestuante ab imis
praecordiis
sanguine, labra quatiuntur, dentes comprimuntur, horrent ac surriguntur
capilli, spiritus coactus ac stridens, articulorum se ipsos torquentium
sonus,
gemitus mugitusque et parum explanatis uocibus sermo praeruptus et
conplosae
saepius manus et pulsata humus pedibus et totum concitum corpus
magnasque irae
minas agens, foeda uisu et horrenda facies deprauantium se atque
intumescentium
-- nescias utrum magis detestabile uitium sit an deforme.
his eyes
blaze
and sparkle, his whole face is crimson with the blood that surges from
the lowest
depths of the heart, his lips quiver, his teeth are clenched, his hair
bristles
and stands on end, his breathing is forced and harsh, his joints crack
from
writhing, he groans and bellows, bursts out into speech with scarcely
intelligible words, strikes his hands together continually, and stamps
the
ground with his feet; his whole body is excited and "performs great
angry
threats"; it is an ugly and horrible picture of distorted and swollen
frenzy -you cannot tell whether this vice is more execrable or more
hideous.
5. Cetera licet
abscondere et in abdito alere: ira se profert et in faciem exit,
quantoque
maior, hoc efferuescit manifestius. Non uides ut omnium animalium,
simul ad
nocendum insurrexerunt, praecurrant notae ac tota corpora solitum
quietumque
egrediantur habitum et feritatem suam exasperent?
Other vices
may be concealed and cherished in secret; anger shows itself openly
and appears in the countenance, and the greater it is, the more visibly
it
boils forth. Do you not see how animals of every sort, as soon as they
bestir
themselves for mischief, show premonitory signs, and how their whole
body,
forsaking its natural state of repose, accentuates their ferocity?
6. Spumant apris ora, dentes
acuuntur adtritu, taurorum cornua iactantur in uacuum et harena pulsu
pedum
spargitur, leones fremunt, inflantur inritatis colla serpentibus,
rabidarum
canum tristis aspectus est: nullum est animal tam horrendum tam
perniciosumque
natura ut non appareat in illo, simul ira inuasit, nouae feritatis
accessio.
Wild boars
foam at the mouth and sharpen their tusks by friction, bulls toss their
horns
in the air and scatter the sand by pawing, lions roar, snakes puff up
their
necks when they are angry, and mad dogs have a sullen look.
No
animal is so hateful and so deadly by nature as not to show a fresh
access of
fierceness as soon as it is assailed by anger.
7.
Nec ignoro ceteros quoque adfectus uix occultari, libidinem metumque et
audaciam dare sui signa et posse praenosci; neque enim ulla uehementior
intrat
agitatio quae nihil moueat in uultu. Quid ergo interest? quod alii
adfectus
apparent, hic eminet.
And yet I am aware that the
other emotions as well are not easily concealed; that lust and fear and
boldness all show their marks and can be recognized beforehand. For no
violent
agitation can take hold of the mind without affecting in some way the
countenance. Where, then, lies the difference? In this - the other
emotion
ns
show, anger stands out.
SENECA ESSAYS VOLUME I
SOURCE: Lucius Annasus Seneca. Moral Essays. Translated by John W. Basore. The Loeb classical library. London: W.Heinemann, 1928-1935. 3 vols.: Volume I.
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