§199διὰ ταῦτα δὴ οἶμαι πάντα λόγον κινοῦντες ἀνατίθετε τῷ Ἔρωτι, καί φατε αὐτὸν τοιοῦτόν τε εἶναι καὶ τοσούτων αἴτιον, ὅπως ἂν φαίνηται ὡς κάλλιστος καὶ ἄριστος, δῆλον ὅτι τοῖς μὴ γιγνώσκουσιν—οὐ γὰρ δήπου τοῖς γε εἰδόσιν—καὶ καλῶς γʼ ἔχει καὶ σεμνῶς ὁ ἔπαινος.
For these reasons, indeed, I think you set every speech in motion and attribute it to Eros, and say that he is such a being and the cause of so many things, so that he may appear as beautiful and best as possible, clearly to those who do not know him—for surely not to those who do—and indeed the praise is beautiful and solemn.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐγὼ οὐκ ᾔδη ἄρα τὸν τρόπον τοῦ ἐπαίνου, οὐ δʼ εἰδὼς ὑμῖν ὡμολόγησα καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ μέρει ἐπαινέσεσθαι.
But in truth, I did not know after all the manner of praise, and not knowing it, I agreed with you to praise him in my turn.
"ἡ γλῶσσα"
οὖν ὑπέσχετο,
"ἡ δὲ φρὴν"
οὔ· χαιρέτω δή.
"The tongue," then, promised, "but the mind" did not; so let that promise go.
οὐ γὰρ ἔτι ἐγκωμιάζω τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον—οὐ γὰρ ἂν δυναίμην—οὐ μέντοι ἀλλὰ τά γε ἀληθῆ, εἰ βούλεσθε, ἐθέλω εἰπεῖν κατʼ ἐμαυτόν, οὐ πρὸς τοὺς ὑμετέρους λόγους, ἵνα μὴ γέλωτα ὄφλω.
For I am no longer praising in this manner—for I would not be able to—not however but the truth, if you wish, I am willing to speak in my own way, not in comparison with your speeches, so that I may not incur laughter.
ὅρα οὖν, ὦ Φαῖδρε, εἴ τι καὶ τοιούτου λόγου δέῃ, περὶ Ἔρωτος τἀληθῆ λεγόμενα ἀκούειν, ὀνομάσει δὲ καὶ θέσει ῥημάτων τοιαύτῃ ὁποία δἄν τις τύχῃ ἐπελθοῦσα.
See then, O Phaedrus, if you have any need of such a speech, to hear the truth being spoken about Eros, with such nomenclature and arrangement of words as may happen to occur to me.
τὸν οὖν Φαῖδρον ἔφη καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους κελεύειν λέγειν, ὅπῃ αὐτὸς οἴοιτο δεῖν εἰπεῖν, ταύτῃ.
Aristodemus said that Phaedrus and the others bid him speak in whatever way he himself thought he ought to speak.
ἔτι τοίνυν, φάναι, ὦ Φαῖδρε, πάρες μοι Ἀγάθωνα σμίκρʼ ἄττα ἐρέσθαι, ἵνα ἀνομολογησάμενος παρʼ αὐτοῦ οὕτως ἤδη λέγω. ἀλλὰ παρίημι, φάναι τὸν Φαῖδρον, ἀλλʼ ἐρώτα. μετὰ ταῦτα δὴ τὸν Σωκράτη ἔφη ἐνθένδε ποθὲν ἄρξασθαι. καὶ μήν, ὦ φίλε Ἀγάθων, καλῶς μοι ἔδοξας καθηγήσασθαι τοῦ λόγου, λέγων ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν δέοι αὐτὸν ἐπιδεῖξαι ὁποῖός τίς ἐστιν ὁ Ἔρως, ὕστερον δὲ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.
"Still then," he said, "O Phaedrus, allow me to ask Agathon some small questions, so that having reached an agreement with him, I may then proceed to speak." "Indeed I allow you," said Phaedrus, "so ask." After these things, Aristodemus said that Socrates began from somewhere here: "And indeed, my dear Agathon, you seemed to me to have guided the speech beautifully, saying that it is necessary first to show what kind of being Eros is, and afterwards his works.
ταύτην τὴν ἀρχὴν πάνυ ἄγαμαι.
This beginning I admire very much.
ἴθι οὖν μοι περὶ Ἔρωτος, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τἆλλα καλῶς καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς διῆλθες οἷός ἐστι, καὶ τόδε εἰπέ· πότερόν ἐστι τοιοῦτος οἷος εἶναί τινος ὁ Ἔρως ἔρως, ἢ οὐδενός;
Come then, tell me about Eros, since you have gone through his other qualities beautifully and magnificently, showing what he is, and tell me this: is Eros of such a nature as to be the love of someone, or of no one?
ἐρωτῶ δʼ οὐκ εἰ μητρός τινος ἢ πατρός ἐστιν—γελοῖον γὰρ ἂν εἴη τὸ ἐρώτημα εἰ Ἔρως ἐστὶν ἔρως μητρὸς ἢ πατρός—ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πατέρα ἠρώτων, ἆρα ὁ πατήρ ἐστι πατήρ τινος ἢ οὔ;
I am asking not if he is the love of some mother or father—for the question would be ridiculous, whether Eros is the love of a mother or a father—but as if I were asking about this very thing 'father', whether a father is a father of someone or not?
εἶπες ἂν δήπου μοι, εἰ ἐβούλου καλῶς ἀποκρίνασθαι, ὅτι ἔστιν ὑέος γε ἢ θυγατρὸς ὁ πατὴρ πατήρ· ἢ οὔ; πάνυ γε, φάναι τὸν Ἀγάθωνα.
You would surely say to me, if you wished to answer well, that a father is a father of a son or a daughter; or not?" "Certainly," said Agathon.
οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡ μήτηρ ὡσαύτως; Ὁμολογεῖσθαι καὶ τοῦτο.
"And is not the mother likewise?" This too was agreed.
ἔτι τοίνυν, εἰπεῖν τὸν Σωκράτη, ἀπόκριναι ὀλίγῳ πλείω, ἵνα μᾶλλον καταμάθῃς ὃ βούλομαι.
"Still then," said Socrates, "answer a little more, so that you may understand better what I want.
εἰ γὰρ ἐροίμην,
τί δέ;
For if I should ask, what of a brother?
ἀδελφός, αὐτὸ τοῦθʼ ὅπερ ἔστιν, ἔστι τινὸς ἀδελφὸς ἢ οὔ; φάναι εἶναι.
Is a brother, by this very thing which he is, a brother of someone or not?" He said that he was.
οὐκοῦν ἀδελφοῦ ἢ ἀδελφῆς; Ὁμολογεῖν.
"Then of a brother or a sister?" He agreed.
πειρῶ δή, φάναι, καὶ τὸν ἔρωτα εἰπεῖν.
"Try then," he said, "to speak of love also in this way.
ὁ Ἔρως ἔρως ἐστὶν οὐδενὸς ἢ τινός; πάνυ μὲν οὖν ἔστιν.
Is Eros the love of no one, or of someone?" "Certainly of someone," he said.