§48ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν αὐτὰς ἡδονῶν μεστὰς εὑρήσομεν ἀμηχάνων;
SOCRATES: Shall we not then find that they themselves are full of unimaginable pleasures?
ἢ δεόμεθα ὑπομιμνῄσκεσθαι τὸ
"
ὅς τʼ ἐφέηκε πολύφρονά περ χαλεπῆναι
ὅς τε πολὺ γλυκίων μέλιτος καταλειβομένοιο,
"
καὶ τὰς ἐν τοῖς θρήνοις καὶ πόθοις ἡδονὰς ἐν λύπαις οὔσας ἀναμεμειγμένας;
Or do we need to be reminded of the words: "which rouses even a very wise man to anger, and which is far sweeter than dripping honey," and that the pleasures in lamentations and yearnings are mixed in with pains?
ΠΡΩ. οὔκ, ἀλλʼ οὕτω ταῦτά γε καὶ οὐκ ἄλλως ἂν συμβαίνοι γιγνόμενα.
PROTARCHUS: No, but they would happen to occur in this way and not otherwise.
ΣΩ. καὶ μὴν καὶ τάς γε τραγικὰς θεωρήσεις, ὅταν ἅμα χαίροντες κλάωσι, μέμνησαι;
SOCRATES: And indeed, do you remember also the viewings of tragedies, when people weep while at the same time rejoicing?
ΠΡΩ. τί δʼ οὔ;
PROTARCHUS: How could I not?
ΣΩ. τὴν δʼ ἐν ταῖς κωμῳδίαις διάθεσιν ἡμῶν τῆς ψυχῆς, ἆρʼ οἶσθʼ ὡς ἔστι κἀν τούτοις μεῖξις λύπης τε καὶ ἡδονῆς;
SOCRATES: And our soul's disposition in comedies—do you know that in these too there is a mixture of pain and pleasure?
ΠΡΩ. οὐ πάνυ κατανοῶ.
PROTARCHUS: I do not quite understand.
ΣΩ. παντάπασι γὰρ οὐ ῥᾴδιον, ὦ Πρώταρχε, ἐν τούτῳ συννοεῖν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἑκάστοτε πάθος.
SOCRATES: For it is by no means easy, Protarchus, to understand such an affection on each occasion in this case.
ΠΡΩ. οὔκουν ὥς γʼ ἔοικεν ἐμοί.
PROTARCHUS: No indeed, so it seems to me at least.
ΣΩ. λάβωμέν γε μὴν αὐτὸ τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ὅσῳ σκοτεινότερόν ἐστιν, ἵνα καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις ῥᾷον καταμαθεῖν τις οἷός τʼ ᾖ μεῖξιν λύπης τε καὶ ἡδονῆς.
SOCRATES: All the more, then, let us grasp it, in proportion as it is more obscure, so that in other cases too one may be able to perceive more easily the mixture of pain and pleasure.
ΠΡΩ. λέγοις ἄν.
PROTARCHUS: Please speak.
ΣΩ. τό τοι νυνδὴ ῥηθὲν ὄνομα φθόνου πότερα λύπην τινὰ ψυχῆς θήσεις, ἢ πῶς;
SOCRATES: Now, as to the name of "envy" just mentioned, will you class it as some pain of the soul, or how?
ΠΡΩ. οὕτως.
PROTARCHUS: In that way.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ μὴν ὁ φθονῶν γε ἐπὶ κακοῖς τοῖς τῶν πέλας ἡδόμενος ἀναφανήσεται.
SOCRATES: And yet the envious man will be shown to rejoice at the misfortunes of his neighbors.
ΠΡΩ. σφόδρα γε.
PROTARCHUS: Very much so.
ΣΩ. κακὸν μὴν ἄγνοια καὶ ἣν δὴ λέγομεν ἀβελτέραν ἕξιν.
SOCRATES: Now ignorance, and what we call a foolish disposition, is an evil, is it not?
ΠΡΩ. τί μήν;
PROTARCHUS: Of course.
ΣΩ. ἐκ δὴ τούτων ἰδὲ τὸ γελοῖον ἥντινα φύσιν ἔχει.
SOCRATES: From these, then, see what sort of nature the ridiculous possesses.
ΠΡΩ. λέγε μόνον.
PROTARCHUS: Just speak.
ΣΩ. ἔστιν δὴ πονηρία μέν τις τὸ κεφάλαιον, ἕξεώς τινος ἐπίκλην λεγομένη· τῆς δʼ αὖ πάσης πονηρίας ἐστὶ τοὐναντίον πάθος ἔχον ἢ τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν Δελφοῖς γραμμάτων.
SOCRATES: Well, vice in general is, to sum it up, a name given to a certain disposition; and of all vice, there is one that has an opposite condition to what is said by the inscription at Delphi.
ΠΡΩ. τὸ
γνῶθι σαυτὸν
λέγεις, ὦ Σώκρατες;
PROTARCHUS: Do you mean "Know thyself," Socrates?
ΣΩ. ἔγωγε.
SOCRATES: I do.
τοὐναντίον μὴν ἐκείνῳ δῆλον ὅτι τὸ μηδαμῇ γιγνώσκειν αὑτὸν λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ γράμματος ἂν εἴη.
And the opposite to that, clearly, would be not knowing oneself at all, as spoken of in contrast to the inscription.
ΠΡΩ. τί μήν;
PROTARCHUS: Of course.
ΣΩ. ὦ Πρώταρχε, πειρῶ δὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τριχῇ τέμνειν.
SOCRATES: Protarchus, try to divide this very thing into three parts.
ΠΡΩ. πῇ φῄς;
PROTARCHUS: How do you mean?
οὐ γὰρ μὴ δυνατὸς ὦ.
For I might not be able to.
ΣΩ. λέγεις δὴ δεῖν ἐμὲ τοῦτο διελέσθαι τὰ νῦν;
SOCRATES: Are you saying that I must divide this now?
ΠΡΩ. λέγω, καὶ δέομαί γε πρὸς τῷ λέγειν.
PROTARCHUS: I am, and indeed I beg you besides saying so.
ΣΩ. ἆρʼ οὖν οὐ τῶν ἀγνοούντων αὑτοὺς κατὰ τρία ἀνάγκη τοῦτο τὸ πάθος πάσχειν ἕκαστον;
SOCRATES: Must not each of those who do not know themselves suffer this affection in three ways?
ΠΡΩ. πῶς;
PROTARCHUS: How?
ΣΩ. πρῶτον μὲν κατὰ χρήματα, δοξάζειν εἶναι πλουσιώτερον ἢ κατὰ τὴν αὑτῶν οὐσίαν.
SOCRATES: First, regarding wealth, in imagining themselves to be richer than corresponds to their actual property.
ΠΡΩ. πολλοὶ γοῦν εἰσὶν τὸ τοιοῦτον πάθος ἔχοντες.
PROTARCHUS: Many indeed are those who have such an affection.
ΣΩ. πλείους δέ γε οἳ μείζους καὶ καλλίους αὑτοὺς δοξάζουσι, καὶ πάντα ὅσα κατὰ τὸ σῶμα εἶναι διαφερόντως τῆς οὔσης αὐτοῖς ἀληθείας.
SOCRATES: But even more are those who imagine themselves to be larger and more beautiful, and to excel in everything regarding the body, far beyond the truth that belongs to them.
ΠΡΩ. πάνυ γε.
PROTARCHUS: Quite so.
ΣΩ. πολὺ δὲ πλεῖστοί γε οἶμαι περὶ τὸ τρίτον εἶδος τὸ τῶν ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς διημαρτήκασιν, ἀρετῇ δοξάζοντες βελτίους ἑαυτούς, οὐκ ὄντες.
SOCRATES: And by far the most, I think, are mistaken regarding the third kind, that of things in the soul, imagining themselves to be better in virtue when they are not.
ΠΡΩ. σφόδρα μὲν οὖν.
PROTARCHUS: Very much so.