§174ἔφη γάρ οἱ Σωκράτη ἐντυχεῖν λελουμένον τε καὶ τὰς βλαύτας ὑποδεδεμένον, ἃ ἐκεῖνος ὀλιγάκις ἐποίει· καὶ ἐρέσθαι αὐτὸν ὅποι ἴοι οὕτω καλὸς γεγενημένος.
For he said that he met Socrates washed and having his sandals on, which he rarely did; and he asked him where he was going, having become so handsome.
καὶ τὸν εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἐπὶ δεῖπνον εἰς Ἀγάθωνος.
And he said that he was going to Agathon's for dinner.
χθὲς γὰρ αὐτὸν διέφυγον τοῖς ἐπινικίοις, φοβηθεὶς τὸν ὄχλον· ὡμολόγησα δʼ εἰς τήμερον παρέσεσθαι.
"For yesterday I avoided him at the victory sacrifices, fearing the crowd; but I agreed to be present today.
ταῦτα δὴ ἐκαλλωπισάμην, ἵνα καλὸς παρὰ καλὸν ἴω.
So I beautified myself in these ways, so that I might go as a handsome man to a handsome man.
ἀλλὰ σύ, ἦ δʼ ὅς, πῶς ἔχεις πρὸς τὸ ἐθέλειν ἂν ἰέναι ἄκλητος ἐπὶ δεῖπνον; κἀγώ, ἔφη, εἶπον ὅτι οὕτως ὅπως ἂν σὺ κελεύῃς. ἕπου τοίνυν, ἔφη, ἵνα καὶ τὴν παροιμίαν διαφθείρωμεν μεταβαλόντες, ὡς ἄρα καὶ
"Ἀγάθωνʼ ἐπὶ δαῖτας ἴασιν αὐτόματοι ἀγαθοί"
. Ὅμηρος μὲν γὰρ κινδυνεύει οὐ μόνον διαφθεῖραι ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑβρίσαι εἰς ταύτην τὴν παροιμίαν· ποιήσας γὰρ τὸν Ἀγαμέμνονα διαφερόντως ἀγαθὸν ἄνδρα τὰ πολεμικά, τὸν δὲ Μενέλεων
"μαλθακὸν αἰχμητήν"
, θυσίαν ποιουμένου καὶ ἑστιῶντος τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος ἄκλητον ἐποίησεν ἐλθόντα τὸν Μενέλεων ἐπὶ τὴν θοίνην, χείρω ὄντα ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀμείνονος. ταῦτʼ ἀκούσας εἰπεῖν ἔφη ἴσως μέντοι κινδυνεύσω καὶ ἐγὼ οὐχ ὡς σὺ λέγεις, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἀλλὰ καθʼ Ὅμηρον φαῦλος ὢν ἐπὶ σοφοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἰέναι θοίνην ἄκλητος.
But you," he said, "how do you feel about being willing to go uninvited to a dinner?" And I, he said, said, "Just as you command." "Follow then," he said, "so that we may also ruin the proverb by changing it, to the effect that indeed 'Good men go of their own accord to Agathon's feasts.' For Homer is likely not only to ruin but even to insult this proverb; for having made Agamemnon an outstandingly good man in military matters, and Menelaus a 'faint-hearted spearman,' when Agamemnon was offering sacrifice and hosting a feast, he made Menelaus come uninvited to the banquet, the worse man going to the feast of the better." Hearing this, he said he replied, "Perhaps, Socrates, I too shall risk, not as you say, but according to Homer, being a worthless man going uninvited to the feast of a wise man.
ὅρα οὖν ἄγων με τί ἀπολογήσῃ, ὡς ἐγὼ μὲν οὐχ ὁμολογήσω ἄκλητος ἥκειν, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ σοῦ κεκλημένος. σύν τε δύʼ,
ἔφη,
ἐρχομένω πρὸ ὁδοῦ
βουλευσόμεθα ὅτι ἐροῦμεν.
See to it then, since you are leading me, what defense you will make, as I will not admit that I have come uninvited, but invited by you." "'When two go together,' "he said, "'on the way' we will deliberate on what we shall say.
ἀλλʼ ἴωμεν. τοιαῦτʼ ἄττα σφᾶς ἔφη διαλεχθέντας ἰέναι.
But let us go." Having conversed in some such way, he said they went.
τὸν οὖν Σωκράτη ἑαυτῷ πως προσέχοντα τὸν νοῦν κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν πορεύεσθαι ὑπολειπόμενον, καὶ περιμένοντος οὗ κελεύειν προϊέναι εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν.
Now Socrates, somehow paying attention to his own mind, fell behind as they walked along the way, and when he waited, Socrates bid him go on ahead.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ γενέσθαι ἐπὶ τῇ οἰκίᾳ τῇ Ἀγάθωνος, ἀνεῳγμένην καταλαμβάνειν τὴν θύραν, καί τι ἔφη αὐτόθι γελοῖον παθεῖν.
And when he arrived at the house of Agathon, he found the door open, and he said he experienced something ridiculous there.
οἷ μὲν γὰρ εὐθὺς παῖδά τινα τῶν ἔνδοθεν ἀπαντήσαντα ἄγειν οὗ κατέκειντο οἱ ἄλλοι, καὶ καταλαμβάνειν ἤδη μέλλοντας δειπνεῖν·
For immediately a servant from inside met him and led him to where the others were reclining, and he found them just about to dine.
εὐθὺς δʼ οὖν ὡς ἰδεῖν τὸν Ἀγάθωνα, ὦ, φάναι, Ἀριστόδημε, εἰς καλὸν ἥκεις ὅπως συνδειπνήσῃς· εἰ δʼ ἄλλου τινὸς ἕνεκα ἦλθες, εἰς αὖθις ἀναβαλοῦ, ὡς καὶ χθὲς ζητῶν σε ἵνα καλέσαιμι, οὐχ οἷός τʼ ἦ ἰδεῖν.
And immediately when Agathon saw him, he said, "Oh, Aristodemus, you have come at a good time to dine with us; but if you came for some other reason, postpone it for another time, since I was looking for you yesterday to invite you, and was not able to see you.
ἀλλὰ Σωκράτη ἡμῖν πῶς οὐκ ἄγεις; καὶ ἐγώ, ἔφη, μεταστρεφόμενος οὐδαμοῦ ὁρῶ Σωκράτη ἑπόμενον·
But why are you not bringing Socrates to us?" "And I," he said, "turning around, saw Socrates following nowhere.
εἶπον οὖν ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς μετὰ Σωκράτους ἥκοιμι, κληθεὶς ὑπʼ ἐκείνου δεῦρʼ ἐπὶ δεῖπνον. καλῶς γʼ, ἔφη, ποιῶν σύ· ἀλλὰ ποῦ ἔστιν οὗτος;
So I said that I myself had come with Socrates, having been invited by him here to dinner." "Indeed, you did well," he said, "but where is he?"