§81ΦΑΙΔ. παντάπασί γε. οὐκοῦν οὕτω μὲν ἔχουσα εἰς τὸ ὅμοιον αὐτῇ τὸ ἀιδὲς ἀπέρχεται, τὸ θεῖόν τε καὶ ἀθάνατον καὶ φρόνιμον, οἷ ἀφικομένῃ ὑπάρχει αὐτῇ εὐδαίμονι εἶναι, πλάνης καὶ ἀνοίας καὶ φόβων καὶ ἀγρίων ἐρώτων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κακῶν τῶν ἀνθρωπείων ἀπηλλαγμένῃ, ὥσπερ δὲ λέγεται κατὰ τῶν μεμυημένων, ὡς ἀληθῶς τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον μετὰ θεῶν διάγουσα;
Phaedo: ““Most certainly.”” ““Therefore, being in this state, does it not depart to that which is like itself, the invisible, the divine, immortal, and wise, where, on arrival, it is its lot to be happy, released from error, folly, fears, wild desires, and all other human evils, and, as is said of the initiated, truly passing the rest of time with the gods?
οὕτω φῶμεν, ὦ Κέβης, ἢ ἄλλως; οὕτω νὴ Δία, ἔφη ὁ Κέβης. ἐὰν δέ γε οἶμαι μεμιασμένη καὶ ἀκάθαρτος τοῦ σώματος ἀπαλλάττηται, ἅτε τῷ σώματι ἀεὶ συνοῦσα καὶ τοῦτο θεραπεύουσα καὶ ἐρῶσα καὶ γοητευομένη ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ ὑπό τε τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν καὶ ἡδονῶν, ὥστε μηδὲν ἄλλο δοκεῖν εἶναι ἀληθὲς ἀλλ’ ἢ τὸ σωματοειδές, οὗ τις ἂν ἅψαιτο καὶ ἴδοι καὶ πίοι καὶ φάγοι καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἀφροδίσια χρήσαιτο, τὸ δὲ τοῖς ὄμμασι σκοτῶδες καὶ ἀιδές, νοητὸν δὲ καὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ αἱρετόν, τοῦτο δὲ εἰθισμένη μισεῖν τε καὶ τρέμειν καὶ φεύγειν, οὕτω δὴ ἔχουσαν οἴει ψυχὴν αὐτὴν καθ’ αὑτὴν εἰλικρινῆ ἀπαλλάξεσθαι; οὐδ’ ὁπωστιοῦν, ἔφη. ἀλλὰ διειλημμένην γε οἶμαι ὑπὸ τοῦ σωματοειδοῦς, ὃ αὐτῇ ἡ ὁμιλία τε καὶ συνουσία τοῦ σώματος διὰ τὸ ἀεὶ συνεῖναι καὶ διὰ τὴν πολλὴν μελέτην ἐνεποίησε σύμφυτον; πάνυ γε. ἐμβριθὲς δέ γε, ὦ φίλε, τοῦτο οἴεσθαι χρὴ εἶναι καὶ βαρὺ καὶ γεῶδες καὶ ὁρατόν·
Shall we say so, Kebes, or otherwise?”” ““Thus, by Zeus,” said Kebes.” “““But if, I think, it is released from the body polluted and impure, since it was always with the body, serving it, loving it, and enchanted by it and by its desires and pleasures, so as to think nothing else is true except the corporeal, which one might touch, see, drink, eat, and use for sexual pleasures,”” ““while that which is dark to the eyes and invisible, but intelligible and graspable by philosophy, this it was accustomed to hate, fear, and flee—do you think a soul in this state will be released pure, itself by itself?”” ““Not in any way,” he said.” ““But, I think, permeated by the corporeal, which the company and intercourse with the body, through always being with it and much practice, made natural to it?”” ““Certainly.”” ““And we must believe, my friend, that this is heavy, ponderous, earthy, and visible.
ὃ δὴ καὶ ἔχουσα ἡ τοιαύτη ψυχὴ βαρύνεταί τε καὶ ἕλκεται πάλιν εἰς τὸν ὁρατὸν τόπον φόβῳ τοῦ ἀιδοῦς τε καὶ Ἅιδου, ὥσπερ λέγεται, περὶ τὰ μνήματά τε καὶ τοὺς τάφους κυλινδουμένη, περὶ ἃ δὴ καὶ ὤφθη ἄττα ψυχῶν σκιοειδῆ φαντάσματα, οἷα παρέχονται αἱ τοιαῦται ψυχαὶ εἴδωλα, αἱ μὴ καθαρῶς ἀπολυθεῖσαι ἀλλὰ τοῦ ὁρατοῦ μετέχουσαι, διὸ καὶ ὁρῶνται. εἰκός γε, ὦ Σώκρατες. εἰκὸς μέντοι, ὦ Κέβης· καὶ οὔ τί γε τὰς τῶν ἀγαθῶν αὐτὰς εἶναι, ἀλλὰ τὰς τῶν φαύλων, αἳ περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀναγκάζονται πλανᾶσθαι δίκην τίνουσαι τῆς προτέρας τροφῆς κακῆς οὔσης.
And having this, such a soul is weighed down and dragged back into the visible place, through fear of the invisible and of Hades, as is said, rolling about monuments and tombs, around which indeed have been seen certain shadowy phantoms of souls, such apparitions as such souls present, which have not been purely released but participate in the visible, which is why they are seen.”” ““It is likely, Socrates.”” ““Likely indeed, Kebes; and certainly they are not those of the good, but of the wicked, who are forced to wander about such places, paying the penalty for their former bad way of life.
καὶ μέχρι γε τούτου πλανῶνται, ἕως ἂν τῇ τοῦ συνεπακολουθοῦντος, τοῦ σωματοειδοῦς, ἐπιθυμίᾳ πάλιν ἐνδεθῶσιν εἰς σῶμα· ἐνδοῦνται δέ, ὥσπερ εἰκός, εἰς τοιαῦτα ἤθη ὁποῖ’ ἄττ’ ἂν καὶ μεμελετηκυῖαι τύχωσιν ἐν τῷ βίῳ. τὰ ποῖα δὴ ταῦτα λέγεις, ὦ Σώκρατες; οἷον τοὺς μὲν γαστριμαργίας τε καὶ ὕβρεις καὶ φιλοποσίας μεμελετηκότας καὶ μὴ διηυλαβημένους εἰς τὰ τῶν ὄνων γένη καὶ τῶν τοιούτων θηρίων εἰκὸς ἐνδύεσθαι.
And they wander until, by the desire of that which follows them, the corporeal, they are again bound in a body; and they are bound, as is likely, into such characters as they happened to have practiced during their life.”” ““What kind of things do you mean, Socrates?”” ““For example, those who have practiced gluttony, insolence, and drunkenness, and have not avoided them, are likely to enter into the species of asses and such beasts.””