§172ΑΠΟΛ. δοκῶ μοι περὶ ὧν πυνθάνεσθε οὐκ ἀμελέτητος εἶναι.
APOLLODORUS: I think I am not unprepared regarding the matters you are asking about.
καὶ γὰρ ἐτύγχανον πρῴην εἰς ἄστυ οἴκοθεν ἀνιὼν Φαληρόθεν·
For I happened to be going up to the city from my home in Phalerum the day before yesterday.
τῶν οὖν γνωρίμων τις ὄπισθεν κατιδών με πόρρωθεν ἐκάλεσε, καὶ παίζων ἅμα τῇ κλήσει,
ὦ Φαληρεύς,
ἔφη,
οὗτος Ἀπολλόδωρος, οὐ περιμένεις;
Then one of my acquaintances, catching sight of me from behind from a distance, called out, and joking as he called, said, "Hey, Phalerian!
κἀγὼ ἐπιστὰς περιέμεινα.
You, Apollodorus, won't you wait?" And I stopped and waited.
καὶ ὅς,
Ἀπολλόδωρε,
ἔφη,
καὶ μὴν καὶ ἔναγχός σε ἐζήτουν βουλόμενος διαπυθέσθαι τὴν Ἀγάθωνος συνουσίαν καὶ Σωκράτους καὶ Ἀλκιβιάδου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τότε ἐν τῷ συνδείπνῳ παραγενομένων, περὶ τῶν ἐρωτικῶν λόγων τίνες ἦσαν·
And he said, "Apollodorus, indeed, I was just looking for you recently, wishing to inquire fully about the gathering of Agathon, Socrates, Alcibiades, and the others who were present at the dinner party back then, to find out what their speeches on love were.
ἄλλος γάρ τίς μοι διηγεῖτο ἀκηκοὼς Φοίνικος τοῦ Φιλίππου, ἔφη δὲ καὶ σὲ εἰδέναι.
For someone else was telling me, having heard it from Phoenix, the son of Philippus, and he said that you also knew.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐδὲν εἶχε σαφὲς λέγειν.
But indeed he had nothing clear to say.
σὺ οὖν μοι διήγησαι· δικαιότατος γὰρ εἶ τοὺς τοῦ ἑταίρου λόγους ἀπαγγέλλειν.
So you tell me; for you are the most proper person to report the speeches of your companion.
πρότερον δέ μοι,
ἦ δʼ ὅς,
εἰπέ, σὺ αὐτὸς παρεγένου τῇ συνουσίᾳ ταύτῃ ἢ οὔ; κἀγὼ εἶπον ὅτι
παντάπασιν ἔοικέ σοι οὐδὲν διηγεῖσθαι σαφὲς ὁ διηγούμενος, εἰ νεωστὶ ἡγῇ τὴν συνουσίαν γεγονέναι ταύτην ἣν ἐρωτᾷς, ὥστε καὶ ἐμὲ παραγενέσθαι.
But first tell me," he said, "were you yourself present at this gathering or not?" And I said, "It absolutely seems that the teller told you nothing clear, if you think this gathering about which you ask took place recently, so that I also could have been present." "Indeed I did," he said.
ἐγώ γε δή,
ἔφη. πόθεν, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, ὦ Γλαύκων;
"How so, Glaucon?" I said.
οὐκ οἶσθʼ ὅτι πολλῶν ἐτῶν Ἀγάθων ἐνθάδε οὐκ ἐπιδεδήμηκεν, ἀφʼ οὗ δʼ ἐγὼ Σωκράτει συνδιατρίβω καὶ ἐπιμελὲς πεποίημαι ἑκάστης ἡμέρας εἰδέναι ὅτι ἂν λέγῃ ἢ πράττῃ, οὐδέπω τρία ἔτη ἐστίν; §173ΑΠΟΛ.
πρὸ τοῦ δὲ περιτρέχων ὅπῃ τύχοιμι καὶ οἰόμενος τὶ ποιεῖν ἀθλιώτερος ἦ ὁτουοῦν, οὐχ ἧττον ἢ σὺ νυνί, οἰόμενος δεῖν πάντα μᾶλλον πράττειν ἢ φιλοσοφεῖν. καὶ ὅς,
μὴ σκῶπτʼ,
ἔφη,
ἀλλʼ εἰπέ μοι πότε ἐγένετο ἡ συνουσία αὕτη. κἀγὼ εἶπον ὅτι
παίδων ὄντων ἡμῶν ἔτι, ὅτε τῇ πρώτῃ τραγῳδίᾳ ἐνίκησεν Ἀγάθων, τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἢ ᾗ τὰ ἐπινίκια ἔθυεν αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ χορευταί. πάνυ,
ἔφη,
ἄρα πάλαι, ὡς ἔοικεν.
"Do you not know that Agathon has not lived here for many years, and that it is not yet three years since I have been associating with Socrates and have made it my care each day to know what he says or does?" APOLLODORUS: "And before that, running about wherever I happened to go and thinking I was doing something, I was more wretched than anyone, no less than you are now, thinking you ought to do anything rather than philosophize." And he said, "Do not mock me, but tell me when this gathering took place." And I said, "While we were still boys, when Agathon won with his first tragedy, on the day after he and the choreutae offered their victory sacrifices." "Indeed," he said, "then it was long ago, as it seems.
ἀλλὰ τίς σοι διηγεῖτο;
But who told you?
ἢ αὐτὸς Σωκράτης; οὐ μὰ τὸν Δία,
ἦν δʼ ἐγώ,
ἀλλʼ ὅσπερ Φοίνικι.
Was it Socrates himself?" "No, by Zeus!" I said, "but the very one who told Phoenix.
Ἀριστόδημος ἦν τις, Κυδαθηναιεύς, σμικρός, ἀνυπόδητος ἀεί· παρεγεγόνει δʼ ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ, Σωκράτους ἐραστὴς ὢν ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα τῶν τότε, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ.
It was a certain Aristodemus, of Cydathenaeum, small, always barefoot; he had been present at the gathering, being among those who were the greatest lovers of Socrates at that time, as it seems to me.
οὐ μέντοι ἀλλὰ καὶ Σωκράτη γε ἔνια ἤδη ἀνηρόμην ὧν ἐκείνου ἤκουσα, καί μοι ὡμολόγει καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος διηγεῖτο. τί οὖν,
ἔφη,
οὐ διηγήσω μοι;
Moreover, I have indeed already asked Socrates about some of the things I heard from him, and he agreed with me that they were just as the other related." "Why then," he said, "do you not relate it to me?
πάντως δὲ ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ εἰς ἄστυ ἐπιτηδεία πορευομένοις καὶ λέγειν καὶ ἀκούειν. οὕτω δὴ ἰόντες ἅμα τοὺς λόγους περὶ αὐτῶν ἐποιούμεθα, ὥστε, ὅπερ ἀρχόμενος εἶπον, οὐκ ἀμελετήτως ἔχω.
In any case, the road to the city is suitable for those who are traveling to both speak and listen." So as we went along, we made our conversation about these things, so that, as I said in the beginning, I am not unprepared.
εἰ οὖν δεῖ καὶ ὑμῖν διηγήσασθαι, ταῦτα χρὴ ποιεῖν.
If, then, I must also relate it to you, I must do so.
καὶ γὰρ ἔγωγε καὶ ἄλλως, ὅταν μέν τινας περὶ φιλοσοφίας λόγους ἢ αὐτὸς ποιῶμαι ἢ ἄλλων ἀκούω, χωρὶς τοῦ οἴεσθαι ὠφελεῖσθαι ὑπερφυῶς ὡς χαίρω· ὅταν δὲ ἄλλους τινάς, ἄλλως τε καὶ τοὺς ὑμετέρους τοὺς τῶν πλουσίων καὶ χρηματιστικῶν, αὐτός τε ἄχθομαι ὑμᾶς τε τοὺς ἑταίρους ἐλεῶ, ὅτι οἴεσθε τὶ ποιεῖν οὐδὲν ποιοῦντες.
For I myself, at other times too, whenever I either make some speeches about philosophy myself or listen to others, apart from thinking that I am benefited, I rejoice extraordinarily; but whenever I listen to other kinds of speeches, especially yours, those of the rich and business-minded, I myself am vexed and I pity you, my companions, because you think you are doing something when you are doing nothing.
καὶ ἴσως αὖ ὑμεῖς ἐμὲ ἡγεῖσθε κακοδαίμονα εἶναι, καὶ οἴομαι ὑμᾶς ἀληθῆ οἴεσθαι· ἐγὼ μέντοι ὑμᾶς οὐκ οἴομαι ἀλλʼ εὖ οἶδα. ΕΤΑΙ. ἀεὶ ὅμοιος εἶ, ὦ Ἀπολλόδωρε· ἀεὶ γὰρ σαυτόν τε κακηγορεῖς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, καὶ δοκεῖς μοι ἀτεχνῶς πάντας ἀθλίους ἡγεῖσθαι πλὴν Σωκράτους, ἀπὸ σαυτοῦ ἀρξάμενος.
And perhaps, on the other hand, you consider me to be wretched, and I think you think what is true; I, however, do not merely think this of you, but I know it well." COMPANION: You are always the same, Apollodorus; for you are always speaking ill of both yourself and others, and you seem to me to simply consider everyone wretched except Socrates, beginning from yourself.
καὶ ὁπόθεν ποτὲ ταύτην τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἔλαβες τὸ μαλακὸς καλεῖσθαι, οὐκ οἶδα ἔγωγε· ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς λόγοις ἀεὶ τοιοῦτος εἶ, σαυτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀγριαίνεις πλὴν Σωκράτους.
And from where on earth you got this nickname of being called "soft," I myself do not know; for in your speeches you are always like this, raging against both yourself and others, except Socrates.
ΑΠΟΛ. ὦ φίλτατε, καὶ δῆλόν γε δὴ ὅτι οὕτω διανοούμενος καὶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ περὶ ὑμῶν μαίνομαι καὶ παραπαίω;
APOLLODORUS: My dearest friend, and is it indeed clear that, thinking thus about both myself and you, I am mad and out of my mind?
ΕΤΑΙ. οὐκ ἄξιον περὶ τούτων, Ἀπολλόδωρε, νῦν ἐρίζειν· ἀλλʼ ὅπερ ἐδεόμεθά σου, μὴ ἄλλως ποιήσῃς, ἀλλὰ διήγησαι τίνες ἦσαν οἱ λόγοι.
COMPANION: It is not worth arguing about these things now, Apollodorus; but as to what we were begging of you, do not do otherwise, but relate what the speeches were.
ΑΠΟΛ. ἦσαν τοίνυν ἐκεῖνοι τοιοίδε τινές—μᾶλλον δʼ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑμῖν ὡς ἐκεῖνος διηγεῖτο καὶ ἐγὼ πειράσομαι διηγήσασθαι.
APOLLODORUS: Well then, they were something like this—or rather, from the beginning, just as he related it, I also will try to relate it to you.