§152τὸ δὲ εἶναι ἄλλο τί ἐστιν ἢ μέθεξις οὐσίας μετὰ χρόνου τοῦ παρόντος, ὥσπερ τὸ ἦν μετὰ τοῦ παρεληλυθότος καὶ αὖ τὸ ἔσται μετὰ τοῦ μέλλοντος οὐσίας ἐστὶ κοινωνία;
And is "to be" anything else than participation in essence along with present time, just as "was" is communion with essence along with past time, and again "will be" along with future time?
ἔστι γάρ.
Indeed it is.
μετέχει μὲν ἄρα χρόνου, εἴπερ καὶ τοῦ εἶναι.
Therefore, it partakes of time, if indeed it also partakes of being.
πάνυ γε.
Certainly.
οὐκοῦν πορευομένου τοῦ χρόνου;
Is it not, then, as time proceeds?
ναί.
Yes.
ἀεὶ ἄρα πρεσβύτερον γίγνεται ἑαυτοῦ, εἴπερ προέρχεται κατὰ χρόνον.
Always, therefore, it becomes older than itself, if indeed it goes forward according to time.
ἀνάγκη.
Necessary.
ἆρʼ οὖν μεμνήμεθα ὅτι νεωτέρου γιγνομένου τὸ πρεσβύτερον πρεσβύτερον γίγνεται;
Do we then remember that the older becomes older than a younger that is becoming younger?
μεμνήμεθα.
We remember.
οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὴ πρεσβύτερον ἑαυτοῦ γίγνεται τὸ ἕν, νεωτέρου ἂν γιγνομένου ἑαυτοῦ πρεσβύτερον γίγνοιτο;
Therefore, since the one becomes older than itself, would it not become older than itself which is becoming younger?
ἀνάγκη.
Necessary.
γίγνεται μὲν δὴ νεώτερόν τε καὶ πρεσβύτερον αὑτοῦ οὕτω.
It indeed, then, becomes both younger and older than itself in this way.
ναί.
Yes.
ἔστι δὲ πρεσβύτερον ἆρʼ οὐχ ὅταν κατὰ τὸν νῦν χρόνον ᾖ γιγνόμενον τὸν μεταξὺ τοῦ ἦν τε καὶ ἔσται;
And is it older, is it not so, when in the "now" time it is being, which is between "was" and "will be"?
οὐ γάρ που πορευόμενόν γε ἐκ τοῦ ποτὲ εἰς τὸ ἔπειτα ὑπερβήσεται τὸ νῦν.
For surely, in going from the "once" to the "hereafter", it will not bypass the "now".
οὐ γάρ.
Indeed not.
ἆρʼ οὖν οὐκ ἐπίσχει τότε τοῦ γίγνεσθαι πρεσβύτερον, ἐπειδὰν τῷ νῦν ἐντύχῃ, καὶ οὐ γίγνεται, ἀλλʼ ἔστι τότʼ ἤδη πρεσβύτερον;
Does it not, then, stop at that time from becoming older, when it meets the "now", and is not becoming, but is then already older?
προϊὸν γὰρ οὐκ ἄν ποτε ληφθείη ὑπὸ τοῦ νῦν.
For that which is going forward would never be caught by the "now".
τὸ γὰρ προϊὸν οὕτως ἔχει ὡς ἀμφοτέρων ἐφάπτεσθαι, τοῦ τε νῦν καὶ τοῦ ἔπειτα, τοῦ μὲν νῦν ἀφιέμενον, τοῦ δʼ ἔπειτα ἐπιλαμβανόμενον, μεταξὺ ἀμφοτέρων γιγνόμενον, τοῦ τε ἔπειτα καὶ τοῦ νῦν.
For that which goes forward is such as to touch both, both the "now" and the "hereafter", letting go of the "now" and laying hold of the "hereafter", becoming between both, the "hereafter" and the "now".
ἀληθῆ.
True.
εἰ δέ γε ἀνάγκη μὴ παρελθεῖν τὸ νῦν πᾶν τὸ γιγνόμενον, ἐπειδὰν κατὰ τοῦτο ᾖ, ἐπίσχει ἀεὶ τοῦ γίγνεσθαι καὶ ἔστι τότε τοῦτο ὅτι ἂν τύχῃ γιγνόμενον.
But if indeed it is necessary that everything that is becoming does not pass by the "now", when it is at this point, it always stops from becoming and is then that which it happens to be becoming.
φαίνεται.
It appears so.
καὶ τὸ ἓν ἄρα, ὅταν πρεσβύτερον γιγνόμενον ἐντύχῃ τῷ νῦν, ἐπέσχεν τοῦ γίγνεσθαι καὶ ἔστι τότε πρεσβύτερον.
And the one, therefore, when in becoming older it meets the "now", stops from becoming and is then older.
πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
Entirely so.
οὐκοῦν οὗπερ ἐγίγνετο πρεσβύτερον, τούτου καὶ ἔστιν·
Is it not, then, older than that than which it was becoming older?
ἐγίγνετο δὲ αὑτοῦ;
And it was becoming older than itself?
ναί.
Yes.
ἔστι δὲ τὸ πρεσβύτερον νεωτέρου πρεσβύτερον;
And is that which is older, older than that which is younger?
ἔστιν.
It is.
καὶ νεώτερον ἄρα τότε αὑτοῦ ἐστι τὸ ἕν, ὅταν πρεσβύτερον γιγνόμενον ἐντύχῃ τῷ νῦν.
Therefore, the one is also then younger than itself, when in becoming older it meets the "now".
ἀνάγκη.
Necessary.
τό γε μὴν νῦν ἀεὶ πάρεστι τῷ ἑνὶ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ εἶναι· ἔστι γὰρ ἀεὶ νῦν ὅτανπερ ᾖ.
But indeed the "now" is always present to the one throughout the whole of its being; for it is always "now" whenever it is.
πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
How indeed could it not be?
ἀεὶ ἄρα ἐστί τε καὶ γίγνεται πρεσβύτερον ἑαυτοῦ καὶ νεώτερον τὸ ἕν.
Always, therefore, the one both is and becomes older and younger than itself.
ἔοικεν.
It seems so.
πλείω δὲ χρόνον αὐτὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἔστιν ἢ γίγνεται, ἢ τὸν ἴσον;
And does it exist or become for a longer time than itself, or for an equal time?
τὸν ἴσον.
For an equal time.
ἀλλὰ μὴν τόν γε ἴσον χρόνον ἢ γιγνόμενον ἢ ὂν τὴν αὐτὴν ἡλικίαν ἔχει.
But indeed, that which either becomes or is for an equal time has the same age.
πῶς δʼ οὔ;
How indeed could it not be?
τὸ δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡλικίαν ἔχον οὔτε πρεσβύτερον οὔτε νεώτερόν ἐστιν.
And that which has the same age is neither older nor younger.
οὐ γάρ.
Indeed not.
τὸ ἓν ἄρα τὸν ἴσον χρόνον αὐτὸ ἑαυτῷ καὶ γιγνόμενον καὶ ὂν οὔτε νεώτερον οὔτε πρεσβύτερον ἑαυτοῦ ἐστιν οὐδὲ γίγνεται.
Therefore the one, since it both becomes and is for an equal time with itself, is neither younger nor older than itself, nor does it become so.
οὔ μοι δοκεῖ.
It does not seem so to me.
τί δέ; τῶν ἄλλων;
And what about the others?