The Fable of the Bees

Japanese: 蜂の寓話 - はちのぐうわ（英語表記）The Fable of the Bees

A work (1714) by the British political satirist Bernard de Mandeville (1670-1733). Mandeville was born in the Netherlands, studied medicine and philosophy at Leiden University, and later became a naturalized British citizen. The theme of this poem, which can already be seen in some of his earlier poems, is that while each individual bee in the hive is busy pursuing their own ugly desires and interests, the hive as a whole is rich and prosperous, with a vibrant social life, as can be seen from the subtitle, Private Vices, Public Benefits.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

イギリスの政治風刺家マンデビルBernard de Mandeville(1670‐1733)の著作(1714)。マンデビルはオランダに生まれ，ライデン大学で医学と哲学を学び，後にイギリスに帰化した。彼の初期のいくつかの詩作の中にもすでに同じテーマがみられるが，この詩の主題は，副題の〈Private Vices,Publick Benefits〉からわかるように，巣の中の個々の蜂は醜い私欲と私益の追求にあくせくしているが，巣全体は豊かに富み，力強い社会生活が営まれているという点にある。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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