M — Métamorphose, Métempsicose
Original French
N’Est-il pas bien naturel que toutes les métamorphoses dont la terre est couverte, ayent fait imaginer dans l’orient où on a imaginé tout, que nos ames passaient d’un corps à un autre; un point presque imperceptible devient un ver, ce ver devient papillon; un gland se transforme en chêne, un œuf en oiseau; l’eau devient nuage & tonnerre; le bois se change en feu & en cendre; tout parait enfin métamorphose dans la nature. On attribua bientôt aux ames qu’on regardait comme des figures légères, ce qu’on voyait sensiblement dans des corps plus grossiers. L’idée de la métempsicose est peut-être le plus ancien dogme de l’univers connu, & il régne encor dans une grande partie de l’Inde & de la Chine.
Il est encor très-naturel que toutes les métamorphoses dont nous sommes les témoins, ayent produit ces anciennes fables qu’Ovide a recueillies dans son admirable ouvrage. Les Juifs même ont eu aussi leurs métamorphoses. Si Niobé fut changée en marbre, Hedith femme de Loth fut changée en statue de sel. Si Euridice resta dans les enfers pour avoir regardé derrière elle, c’est aussi pour la même indiscrétion que cette femme de Loth fut privée de la nature humaine. Le bourg qu’habitaient Baucis & Philémon en Phrigie est changé en un lac, la même chose arrive à Sodome. Les filles d’Anius changeaient l’eau en huile, nous avons dans l’écriture une métamorphose à peu près semblable, mais plus vraie & plus sacrée. Cadmus fut changé en serpent; la verge d’Aaron devint serpent aussi.
Les Dieux se changeaient très-souvent en hommes, les Juifs n’ont jamais vû les anges que sous la forme humaine: les anges mangèrent chez Abraham. Paul dans son épitre aux Corinthiens dit que l’ange de Satan lui a donné des soufflets: Angelos Sathana me colaphisei.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation of the 73 articles in the 1764 first edition, made directly from the French and reviewed against the scan-collated French text. The author’s notes, quotations and verse are retained. Historical ethnic labels, including offensive terms, are retained from the 1764 text.
Is it not perfectly natural that all the metamorphoses covering the earth should have led people in the East, where everything has been imagined, to imagine that our souls pass from one body to another? An almost imperceptible speck becomes a worm, that worm becomes a butterfly; an acorn changes into an oak, an egg into a bird; water becomes cloud and thunder; wood changes into fire and ashes. In short, everything in nature appears metamorphosed. People soon attributed to souls, which they regarded as airy forms, what they visibly saw in grosser bodies. The idea of metempsychosis is perhaps the oldest dogma in the known universe, and it still reigns in a large part of India and China.
It is also very natural that all the metamorphoses we witness should have produced those ancient fables Ovid collected in his admirable work. Even the Jews had their metamorphoses. If Niobe was changed into marble, Hedith, Lot’s wife, was changed into a statue of salt. If Eurydice remained in the underworld for having looked behind her, it was also for the same indiscretion that Lot’s wife was deprived of her human nature. The village inhabited by Baucis and Philemon in Phrygia is changed into a lake; the same thing happens to Sodom. The daughters of Anius changed water into oil; in Scripture we have a roughly similar metamorphosis, but truer and more sacred. Cadmus was changed into a serpent; Aaron’s rod became a serpent as well.
The gods very often changed themselves into men; the Jews never saw angels except in human form. Angels dined at Abraham’s house. In his Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul says that Satan’s angel slapped him: Angelos Sathana me colaphisei.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Plain English translation of the same 73 articles, made directly from the French and reviewed against the scan-collated French text. The author’s notes, quotations and verse are retained. Historical ethnic labels, including offensive terms, are retained from the 1764 text.
The earth is full of things changing form. Isn’t it natural that this made people imagine souls moving from body to body? The idea arose in the East, where people have imagined everything. A speck you can hardly see becomes a worm, then a butterfly. An acorn becomes an oak; an egg becomes a bird. Water turns into cloud and thunder, wood into fire and ash. Everything in nature seems to change form. People thought souls were light shapes. Soon they supposed souls went through the changes they plainly saw in heavier bodies. The belief that souls move between bodies may be the known world’s oldest doctrine. Much of India and China still follows it.
It’s just as natural that the changes we see produced the ancient stories Ovid collected in his wonderful work. Even the Jews had stories of changes of form. Niobe became marble; Hedith, Lot’s wife, became a salt statue. Eurydice stayed in the underworld because she’d looked back. Lot’s wife lost her human nature for the same indiscretion. The Phrygian village where Baucis and Philemon lived turned into a lake. So did Sodom. Anius’s daughters turned water into oil. Scripture has a change of almost the same sort, but truer and holier. Cadmus turned into a snake. So did Aaron’s staff.
The gods very often took human form. Human form was the only one in which the Jews ever saw angels. Angels ate at Abraham’s home. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul says Satan’s angel slapped him: Satan’s angel slapped me.
About this section
M — Métamorphose, Métempsicose is part of Pocket Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire. This page sets the French original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is article 59 of 73 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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