§1δύσκολον μὲν ἀναλαμβάνει θεράπευμα καὶ χαλεπὸν ἡ φιλοσοφία τὴν ἀδολεσχίαν.
Philosophy undertakes a cure that is difficult and hard to manage, namely garrulity.
τὸ γὰρ φάρμακον αὐτῆς, ὁ λόγος, ἀκουόντων ἐστίν· οἱ δʼ ἀδόλεσχοι οὐδενὸς ἁκούουσιν, ἀεὶ γὰρ λαλοῦσι.
For its medicine, speech, belongs to those who listen; but the babblers listen to no one, for they are always talking.
καὶ τοῦτʼ ἔχει πρῶτον κακὸν ἡ ἀσιγησία, τὴν ἀνηκοΐαν.
And this is the first evil that the inability to keep silent possesses, namely, the inability to hear.
κωφότης γὰρ αὐθαίρετός ἐστιν, ἀνθρώπων οἶμαι μεμφομένων τὴν φύσιν, ὅτι μίαν μὲν γλῶτταν δύο δʼ ὦτʼ ἔχουσιν.
For it is a voluntary deafness, of men who, I think, find fault with Nature because they have one tongue but two ears.
εἴπερ οὖν ὁ Εὐριπίδης καλῶς εἶπε πρὸς τὸν ἀσύνετον ἀκροατὴν
"
οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην μὴ στέγοντα πιμπλάναι,
σοφοὺς ἐπαντλῶν ἀνδρὶ μὴ σοφῷ λόγους
"
δικαιότερον ἄν τις εἴποι πρὸς τὸν ἀδόλεσχον
"
οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην μὴ δεχόμενον πιμπλάναι,
σοφοὺς ἐπαντλῶν ἀνδρὶ μὴ σοφῷ λόγους· "
μᾶλλον δὲ περιαντλῶν λόγους ἀνθρώπῳ λαλοῦντι μὲν πρὸς τοὺς οὐκ ἀκούοντας, μὴ ἀκούοντι δὲ τῶν λαλούντων.
So if Euripides spoke well to the senseless listener, "I could not fill a vessel that does not hold, pouring wise words into an unwise man, "one might with greater justice say to the babbler, "I could not fill one who does not receive, pouring wise words into an unwise man; "or rather, pouring words around a man who talks indeed to those who do not listen, and does not listen to those who talk.
καὶ γὰρ ἂν ἀκούσῃ τι βραχύ, τῆς ἀδολεσχίας ὥσπερ ἄμπωτιν λαβούσης, τοῦτο παραχρῆμα πολλαπλάσιον ἀνταποδίδωσι.
For even if he hears some small thing, his babbling, as if experiencing an ebb-tide, immediately pours it back manifold.
τὴν μὲν γὰρ ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ στοὰν ἀπὸ μιᾶς φωνῆς πολλὰς ἀντανακλάσεις ποιοῦσαν ἑπτάφωνον καλοῦσι· τῆς δʼ ἀδολεσχίας ἂν ἐλάχιστος ἅψηται λόγος, εὐθὺς ἀντιπεριηχεῖ
"κινοῦσα χορδὰς τὰς ἀκινήτους φρενῶν. "
μήποτε γὰρ αὐτοῖς οὐκ εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν ἀλλʼ εἰς τὴν γλῶτταν ἡ ἀκοὴ συντέτρηται.
For while they call the colonnade at Olympia "Seven-voiced" because it makes many echoes from a single voice, but if the slightest speech touches babbling, it immediately echoes back, "stirring the quiet strings of the mind." Perhaps, indeed, for them the sense of hearing is bored through not to the soul, but to the tongue.
διὸ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἐμμένουσιν οἱ λόγοι, τῶν δʼ ἀδολέσχων διαρρέουσιν εἶθʼ ὥσπερ ἀγγεῖα κενοὶ φρενῶν ἤχου δὲ μεστοὶ περιίασιν.
Therefore, while in others words remain, in the babblers they flow through, and then they go about like empty vessels, devoid of sense but full of noise.
§2εἰ δʼ οὖν δοκεῖ πείρας μηδὲν ἐλλελεῖφθαι, εἴπωμεν πρὸς τὸν ἀδόλεσχον
"ὦ παῖ, σιώπα πόλλʼ ἔχει σιγὴ καλά"
δύο δὲ τὰ πρῶτα καὶ μέγιστα, τὸ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ ἀκουσθῆναι· ὧν οὐδʼ ἑτέρου τυχεῖν ἐγγίγνεται τοῖς ἀδολέσχοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἀποδυσπετοῦσι.
So, if indeed it seems that no attempt has been left untried, let us say to the babbler: "My child, keep silent; silence has many beautiful things." And the first and greatest two are to hear and to be heard; neither of which is it possible for babblers to attain, but they fail in that very desire of theirs.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοις νοσήμασι τῆς ψυχῆς, οἷον φιλαργυρίᾳ φιλοδοξίᾳ φιληδονίᾳ, τὸ γοῦν τυγχάνειν ὧν ἐφίενται περίεστι· τοῖς δʼ ἀδολέσχοις τοῦτο συμβαίνει χαλεπώτατον, ἐπιθυμοῦντες γὰρ ἀκροατῶν οὐ τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλὰ πᾶς φεύγει προτροπάδην κἂν ἐν ἡμικυκλίῳ τινὶ καθεζόμενοι, κἂν περιπατοῦντες ἐν ταὐτῷ θεάσωνται προσφοιτῶντα, ταχέως ἀνάζευξιν αὑτοῖς παρεγγυῶσι.
For to the other diseases of the soul, such as love of money, love of glory, love of pleasure, there remains at least the attainment of what they desire; but to the babblers this most difficult thing happens: though they desire listeners, they do not get them, but everyone flees from them headlong. And whether they are sitting in a semi-circular seat, or walking in the same place, if they see one approaching, they quickly signal to one another to decamp.
καὶ καθάπερ ὅταν ἐν συλλόγῳ τινὶ σιωπὴ γένηται, τὸν Ἑρμῆν ἐπεισεληλυθέναι λέγουσιν, οὕτως ὅταν εἰς συμπόσιον ἢ συνέδριον γνωρίμων λάλος εἰσέλθῃ, πάντες ἀποσιωπῶσι μὴ βουλόμενοι λαβὴν παρασχεῖν ἂν δʼ αὐτὸς ἄρξηται διαίρειν τὸ στόμα
"
πρὸ χείματος ὥστʼ ἀνὰ ποντίαν ἄκραν
βορέου πνέοντος
"
ὑφορώμενοι σάλον καὶ ναυτίαν ἐξανέστησαν.
And just as, when a silence occurs in some assembly, they say Hermes has entered, so when a babbler enters a banquet or a council of acquaintances, all fall silent, not wishing to give him a handle. But if he himself begins to open his mouth, "like a north wind blowing over a sea-promontory before a storm, "anticipating the tossing and seasickness, they rise and depart.
ὅθεν αὐτοῖς συμβαίνει μήτε παρὰ δεῖπνον συγκλιτῶν μήτε συσκήνων τυγχάνειν προθύμων, ὅταν ὁδοιπορῶσιν ἢ πλέωσιν, ἀλλʼ ἀναγκαστῶν·
Hence it happens to them that they find no companions who are willing to share a meal, nor tent-mates when they travel or sail, but only those who are forced to do so.
πρόσκειται γὰρ ἁπανταχοῦ, τῶν ἱματίων ἀντιλαμβανόμενος, τοῦ γενείου, τὴν πλευρὰν θυροκοπῶν τῇ χειρί
"πόδες δὴ κεῖθι τιμιώτατοι"
κατὰ τὸν Ἀρχίλοχον, καὶ νὴ Δία κατὰ τὸν σοφὸν Ἀριστοτέλην.
For he is at them everywhere, grabbing their cloaks, their beards, nudging their ribs with his hand; "there indeed feet are most precious," according to Archilochus, and, by Zeus, according to the wise Aristotle.
καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐνοχλούμενος ὑπʼ ἀδολέσχου καὶ κοπτόμενος ἀτόποις τισὶ διηγήμασι, πολλάκις αὐτοῦ λέγοντος
οὐ θαυμαστόν, Ἀριστότελες; οὐ τοῦτο φησί
θαυμαστόν, ἀλλʼ εἴ τις πόδας ἔχων σὲ ὑπομένει
ἑτέρῳ δέ τινι τοιούτῳ μετὰ πολλοὺς λόγους εἰπόντι
κατηδολέσχηκά σου, φιλόσοφε· μὰ Δίʼ
εἶπεν
οὐ γὰρ προσεῖχον
καὶ γὰρ ἂν βιάσωνται λαλεῖν οἱ ἀδόλεσχοι, παρέδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἡ ψυχὴ τὰ ὦτα περιαντλεῖν ἔξωθεν, αὐτὴ δʼ ἐντὸς ἑτέρας τινὰς ἀναπτύσσει καὶ διέξεισι πρὸς αὑτὴν φροντίδας· ὅθεν οὔτε προσεχόντων οὔτε πιστευόντων ἀκροατῶν εὐποροῦσι.
For he himself, being annoyed by a babbler and battered by some absurd stories, when the fellow repeatedly said, "Is this not wonderful, Aristotle?" replied, "Not this is wonderful, but rather that anyone who has feet tolerates you." And to another such person who, after a long discourse, said, "I have babbled you to death, philosopher," he said, "By Zeus, no," "for I wasn't paying attention." For even if babblers force themselves to talk, the soul surrenders the ears to them to pour speech around from without, but itself unfolds other thoughts within and goes over its own concerns; hence they do not find listeners who either pay attention or believe them.
τῶν μὲν γὰρ πρὸς τὰς συνουσίας εὐκαταφόρων ἄγονον εἶναι τὸ σπέρμα λέγουσι, τῶν δʼ ἀδολέσχων ὁ λόγος ἀτελὴς καὶ ἄκαρπός ἐστι.
For while they say that the seed of those who are excessively prone to sexual intercourse is infertile, so the speech of babblers is incomplete and fruitless.