§240ΞΕ. τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ὅταν οὕτως αὐτῷ διδῷς ἐὰν ἐν κατόπτροις ἢ πλάσμασι λέγῃς τι, καταγελάσεταί σου τῶν λόγων, ὅταν ὡς βλέποντι λέγῃς αὐτῷ, προσποιούμενος οὔτε κάτοπτρα οὔτε ὕδατα γιγνώσκειν οὔτε τὸ παράπαν ὄψιν, τὸ δʼ ἐκ τῶν λόγων ἐρωτήσει σε μόνον.
STR. When you give him this answer in this way, if you say something about things in mirrors or sculptures, he will laugh at your words, when you speak to him as if to one who sees, pretending to know neither mirrors nor waters nor sight altogether, but he will ask you only about that which is derived from the arguments.
ΘΕΑΙ. ποῖον;
THEAI. What kind of question?
ΞΕ. τὸ διὰ πάντων τούτων ἃ πολλὰ εἰπὼν ἠξίωσας ἑνὶ προσειπεῖν ὀνόματι φθεγξάμενος εἴδωλον ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ὡς ἓν ὄν.
STR. That which, through all these things which you mentioned as many, you deemed worthy to address by a single name, pronouncing 'image' over them all as being one.
λέγε οὖν καὶ ἀμύνου μηδὲν ὑποχωρῶν τὸν ἄνδρα.
Speak then, and defend yourself against the man, without retreating at all.
ΘΕΑΙ. τί δῆτα, ὦ ξένε, εἴδωλον ἂν φαῖμεν εἶναι πλήν γε τὸ πρὸς τἀληθινὸν ἀφωμοιωμένον ἕτερον τοιοῦτον;
THEAI. Indeed, O stranger, what on earth should we say an 'image' is, except that which is made like the true thing, being another such thing?
ΞΕ. ἕτερον δὲ λέγεις τοιοῦτον ἀληθινόν, ἢ ἐπὶ τίνι τὸ τοιοῦτον εἶπες;
STR. But do you mean that this other such thing is a true one, or in reference to what did you say 'such'?
ΘΕΑΙ. οὐδαμῶς ἀληθινόν γε, ἀλλʼ ἐοικὸς μέν.
THEAI. By no means a true one indeed, but only like it.
ΞΕ. ἆρα τὸ ἀληθινὸν ὄντως ὂν λέγων;
STR. Meaning then by 'the true', that which really is?
ΘΕΑΙ. οὕτως.
THEAI. Just so.
ΞΕ. τί δέ;
STR. What then?
τὸ μὴ ἀληθινὸν ἆρʼ ἐναντίον ἀληθοῦς;
Is that which is not true the contrary of the true?
ΘΕΑΙ. τί μήν;
THEAI. How could it not be?
ΞΕ. οὐκ ὄντως ὂν ἄρα λέγεις τὸ ἐοικός, εἴπερ αὐτό γε μὴ ἀληθινὸν ἐρεῖς.
STR. So you mean that the likeness is really not-being, if indeed you are to call it not true.
ΘΕΑΙ. ἀλλʼ ἔστι γε μήν πως.
THEAI. But it is, nonetheless, in some way.
ΞΕ. οὔκουν ἀληθῶς γε, φῄς.
STR. Not truly, at any rate, you say.
ΘΕΑΙ. οὐ γὰρ οὖν· πλήν γʼ εἰκὼν ὄντως.
THEAI. No, indeed; except that it is really a likeness.
ΞΕ. οὐκ ὂν ἄρα ὄντως ἐστὶν ὄντως ἣν λέγομεν εἰκόνα;
STR. It is really, then, really not-being, that which we call a likeness?
ΘΕΑΙ. κινδυνεύει τοιαύτην τινὰ πεπλέχθαι συμπλοκὴν τὸ μὴ ὂν τῷ ὄντι, καὶ μάλα ἄτοπον.
THEAI. Not-being seems to have been woven together with being in some such entanglement, and a very strange one indeed.
ΞΕ. πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον;
STR. How indeed could it not be strange?
ὁρᾷς γοῦν ὅτι καὶ νῦν διὰ τῆς ἐπαλλάξεως ταύτης ὁ πολυκέφαλος σοφιστὴς ἠνάγκακεν ἡμᾶς τὸ μὴ ὂν οὐχ ἑκόντας ὁμολογεῖν εἶναί πως.
At any rate, you see that even now, through this alternation, the many-headed sophist has forced us against our will to agree that what is not, in some way is.
ΘΕΑΙ. ὁρῶ καὶ μάλα.
THEAI. Indeed, I see it very well.
ΞΕ. τί δὲ δή;
STR. What then?
τὴν τέχνην αὐτοῦ τίνα ἀφορίσαντες ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς συμφωνεῖν οἷοί τε ἐσόμεθα;
How shall we define his art so that we can agree with ourselves?
ΘΕΑΙ. πῇ καὶ τὸ ποῖόν τι φοβούμενος οὕτω λέγεις;
THEAI. In what way and fearing what sort of thing do you say this?
ΞΕ. ὅταν περὶ τὸ φάντασμα αὐτὸν ἀπατᾶν φῶμεν καὶ τὴν τέχνην εἶναί τινα ἀπατητικὴν αὐτοῦ, τότε πότερον ψευδῆ δοξάζειν τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν φήσομεν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου τέχνης, ἢ τί ποτʼ ἐροῦμεν;
STR. When we say that he deceives concerning the appearance and that his art is a certain deceptive one, shall we say then that our soul is made to hold false opinion by his art, or what on earth shall we say?
ΘΕΑΙ. τοῦτο· τί γὰρ ἂν ἄλλο εἴπαιμεν;
THEAI. That; for what else could we say?
ΞΕ. ψευδὴς δʼ αὖ δόξα ἔσται τἀναντία τοῖς οὖσι δοξάζουσα, ἢ πῶς;
STR. And will false opinion, in turn, be opining things contrary to those which are, or how?
ΘΕΑΙ. οὕτως· τἀναντία.
THEAI. Just so; things contrary.
ΞΕ. λέγεις ἄρα τὰ μὴ ὄντα δοξάζειν τὴν ψευδῆ δόξαν;
STR. Do you say then that false opinion opines things that are not?
ΘΕΑΙ. ἀνάγκη.
THEAI. It must.
ΞΕ. πότερον μὴ εἶναι τὰ μὴ ὄντα δοξάζουσαν, ἤ πως εἶναι τὰ μηδαμῶς ὄντα;
STR. Does it opine that things that are not do not exist, or that things that in no way are, exist in some way?
ΘΕΑΙ. εἶναί πως τὰ μὴ ὄντα δεῖ γε, εἴπερ ψεύσεταί ποτέ τίς τι καὶ κατὰ βραχύ.
THEAI. What is not must in some way be, if indeed anyone is ever to speak falsely even in the slightest degree.
ΞΕ. τί δʼ;
STR. What then?
οὐ καὶ μηδαμῶς εἶναι τὰ πάντως ὄντα δοξάζεται;
Is not that which completely is, also opined in no way to be?
ΘΕΑΙ. ναί.
THEAI. Yes.
ΞΕ. καὶ τοῦτο δὴ ψεῦδος;
STR. And this too, indeed, is false?
ΘΕΑΙ. καὶ τοῦτο.
THEAI. This too.