§241ΣΩ. καὶ ἐρῶν μὲν βλαβερός τε καὶ ἀηδής, λήξας δὲ τοῦ ἔρωτος εἰς τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον ἄπιστος, εἰς ὃν πολλὰ καὶ μετὰ πολλῶν ὅρκων τε καὶ δεήσεων ὑπισχνούμενος μόγις κατεῖχε τήν γʼ ἐν τῷ τότε συνουσίαν ἐπίπονον οὖσαν φέρειν διʼ ἐλπίδα ἀγαθῶν.
SOCRATES: And while he is loving, he is harmful and unpleasant, but when his love has ceased, he becomes untrustworthy for the time thereafter, for which he promised many things with many oaths and entreaties, and barely maintained the companionship of that time, which was painful to bear, through the hope of good things.
τότε δὴ δέον ἐκτίνειν, μεταβαλὼν ἄλλον ἄρχοντα ἐν αὑτῷ καὶ προστάτην, νοῦν καὶ σωφροσύνην ἀντʼ ἔρωτος καὶ μανίας, ἄλλος γεγονὼς λέληθεν τὰ παιδικά.
And then, when it is time to pay, having changed to another ruler and guardian within himself, mind and self-control instead of love and madness, he has become another person without his beloved realizing it.
καὶ ὁ μὲν αὐτὸν χάριν ἀπαιτεῖ τῶν τότε, ὑπομιμνῄσκων τὰ πραχθέντα καὶ λεχθέντα, ὡς τῷ αὐτῷ διαλεγόμενος· ὁ δὲ ὑπʼ αἰσχύνης οὔτε εἰπεῖν τολμᾷ ὅτι ἄλλος γέγονεν, οὔθʼ ὅπως τὰ τῆς προτέρας ἀνοήτου ἀρχῆς ὁρκωμόσιά τε καὶ ὑποσχέσεις ἐμπεδώσῃ ἔχει, νοῦν ἤδη ἐσχηκὼς καὶ σεσωφρονηκώς, ἵνα μὴ πράττων ταὐτὰ τῷ πρόσθεν ὅμοιός τε ἐκείνῳ καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς πάλιν γένηται.
And the boy demands a return for those things of that time, reminding him of what was done and said, as if talking to the same person; but he, out of shame, neither dares to say that he has become another, nor does he know how to make firm the oaths and promises of his former foolish rule, having already obtained mind and self-control, lest by doing the same things as before he should become like that former self and become the same person again.
φυγὰς δὴ γίγνεται ἐκ τούτων, καὶ ἀπεστερηκὼς ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης ὁ πρὶν ἐραστής, ὀστράκου μεταπεσόντος, ἵεται φυγῇ μεταβαλών· ὁ δὲ ἀναγκάζεται διώκειν ἀγανακτῶν καὶ ἐπιθεάζων, ἠγνοηκὼς τὸ ἅπαν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ὅτι οὐκ ἄρα ἔδει ποτὲ ἐρῶντι καὶ ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης ἀνοήτῳ χαρίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον μὴ ἐρῶντι καὶ νοῦν ἔχοντι· εἰ δὲ μή, ἀναγκαῖον εἴη ἐνδοῦναι αὑτὸν ἀπίστῳ, δυσκόλῳ, φθονερῷ, ἀηδεῖ, βλαβερῷ μὲν πρὸς οὐσίαν, βλαβερῷ δὲ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἕξιν, πολὺ δὲ βλαβερωτάτῳ πρὸς τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς παίδευσιν, ἧς οὔτε ἀνθρώποις οὔτε θεοῖς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τιμιώτερον οὔτε ἔστιν οὔτε ποτὲ ἔσται.
Consequently, he becomes a fugitive from these, and the former lover, having necessarily defaulted on his promises, like the spinning of a shell, changes his course and rushes into flight; and the other is forced to pursue him, being angry and calling upon the gods, having been completely ignorant of the whole matter from the beginning, namely, that he should never have granted his favors to a lover who was of necessity out of his mind, but much rather to one who was not in love and possessed a mind; otherwise, it would be necessary to surrender himself to one who is untrustworthy, sullen, envious, unpleasant, harmful to his property, harmful to his bodily condition, and by far most harmful to the education of his soul, than which nothing is or ever will be truly more honored among both men and gods.
ταῦτά τε οὖν χρή, ὦ παῖ, συννοεῖν, καὶ εἰδέναι τὴν ἐραστοῦ φιλίαν ὅτι οὐ μετʼ εὐνοίας γίγνεται, ἀλλὰ σιτίου τρόπον, χάριν πλησμονῆς, ὡς λύκοι ἄρνας ἀγαπῶσιν, ὣς παῖδα φιλοῦσιν ἐρασταί.
Therefore, my boy, you must consider these things, and know that the friendship of a lover does not arise with goodwill, but like food, for the sake of satiety, as wolves love lambs, so lovers love a boy.
τοῦτʼ ἐκεῖνο, ὦ Φαῖδρε.
This is that, Phaedrus.
οὐκέτʼ ἂν τὸ πέρα ἀκούσαις ἐμοῦ λέγοντος, ἀλλʼ ἤδη σοι τέλος ἐχέτω ὁ λόγος.
You would no longer hear me speaking beyond this, but let my speech now have its end.
ΦΑΙ. καίτοι ᾤμην γε μεσοῦν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐρεῖν τὰ ἴσα περὶ τοῦ μὴ ἐρῶντος, ὡς δεῖ ἐκείνῳ χαρίζεσθαι μᾶλλον, λέγων ὅσα αὖ ἔχει ἀγαθά· νῦν δὲ δή, ὦ Σώκρατες, τί ἀποπαύῃ;
PHAEDRUS: And yet I thought it was in the middle, and that it would say equal things about the non-lover, how one ought to favor him more, telling how many good things he has in turn; but now, Socrates, why are you stopping?
ΣΩ. οὐκ ᾔσθου, ὦ μακάριε, ὅτι ἤδη ἔπη φθέγγομαι ἀλλʼ οὐκέτι διθυράμβους, καὶ ταῦτα ψέγων;
SOCRATES: Did you not notice, my blessed friend, that I am already uttering epic verses and no longer dithyrambs, and that too while finding fault?
ἐὰν δʼ ἐπαινεῖν τὸν ἕτερον ἄρξωμαι, τί με οἴει ποιήσειν;
If I begin to praise the other, what do you think I shall do?
ἆρʼ οἶσθʼ ὅτι ὑπὸ τῶν Νυμφῶν, αἷς με σὺ προύβαλες ἐκ προνοίας, σαφῶς ἐνθουσιάσω;
Do you not know that I shall clearly be possessed by the Nymphs, to whom you intentionally exposed me?
λέγω οὖν ἑνὶ λόγῳ ὅτι ὅσα τὸν ἕτερον λελοιδορήκαμεν, τῷ ἑτέρῳ τἀναντία τούτων ἀγαθὰ πρόσεστιν.
So I say in a single word, that for all the things we have reviled in the one, the opposite good things belong to the other.
καὶ τί δεῖ μακροῦ λόγου;
And what need is there of a long speech?
περὶ γὰρ ἀμφοῖν ἱκανῶς εἴρηται.
For enough has been said about both.
§242ΣΩ. καὶ οὕτω δὴ ὁ μῦθος ὅτι πάσχειν προσήκει αὐτῷ, τοῦτο πείσεται· κἀγὼ τὸν ποταμὸν τοῦτον διαβὰς ἀπέρχομαι πρὶν ὑπὸ σοῦ τι μεῖζον ἀναγκασθῆναι.
SOCRATES: And so indeed the myth will suffer that which is fitting for it to suffer; and I shall cross this river and go away before I am forced by you to do something greater.
ΦΑΙ. μήπω γε, ὦ Σώκρατες, πρὶν ἂν τὸ καῦμα παρέλθῃ.
PHAEDRUS: Not yet, Socrates, not until the heat has passed.
ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὡς σχεδὸν ἤδη μεσημβρία ἵσταται ἡ δὴ καλουμένη σταθερά;
Or do you not see that it is almost already noon, the so-called stationary noon?
ἀλλὰ περιμείναντες καὶ ἅμα περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων διαλεχθέντες, τάχα ἐπειδὰν ἀποψυχῇ ἴμεν.
But let us wait and discuss what has been said together, and perhaps we shall go when it cools off.
ΣΩ. θεῖός γʼ εἶ περὶ τοὺς λόγους, ὦ Φαῖδρε, καὶ ἀτεχνῶς θαυμάσιος.
SOCRATES: You are indeed divine concerning speeches, Phaedrus, and absolutely wonderful.
οἶμαι γὰρ ἐγὼ τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ σοῦ βίου γεγονότων λόγων μηδένα πλείους ἢ σὲ πεποιηκέναι γεγενῆσθαι ἤτοι αὐτὸν λέγοντα ἢ ἄλλους ἑνί γέ τῳ τρόπῳ προσαναγκάζοντα —Σιμμίαν Θηβαῖον ἐξαιρῶ λόγου· τῶν δὲ ἄλλων πάμπολυ κρατεῖς—καὶ νῦν αὖ δοκεῖς αἴτιός μοι γεγενῆσθαι λόγῳ τινὶ ῥηθῆναι.
For I think that of the speeches produced in your lifetime, no one has caused more to be made than you, either by speaking them yourself or by forcing others in one way or another—I exclude Simmias of Thebes from my speech; but you far surpass all the others—and now again you seem to have been the cause of a certain speech being spoken by me.
ΦΑΙ. οὐ πόλεμόν γε ἀγγέλλεις.
PHAEDRUS: You are certainly not announcing war.
ἀλλὰ πῶς δὴ καὶ τίνι τούτῳ;
But how indeed and what is this?
ΣΩ. ἡνίκʼ ἔμελλον, ὠγαθέ, τὸν ποταμὸν διαβαίνειν, τὸ δαιμόνιόν τε καὶ τὸ εἰωθὸς σημεῖόν μοι γίγνεσθαι ἐγένετο —ἀεὶ δέ με ἐπίσχει ὃ ἂν μέλλω πράττειν—καί τινα φωνὴν ἔδοξα αὐτόθεν ἀκοῦσαι, ἥ με οὐκ ἐᾷ ἀπιέναι πρὶν ἂν ἀφοσιώσωμαι, ὡς δή τι ἡμαρτηκότα εἰς τὸ θεῖον.
SOCRATES: When I was about to cross the river, my good friend, the demonic sign, which is accustomed to happen to me, occurred— and it always holds me back from whatever I am about to do—and I seemed to hear a voice from this very place, which does not allow me to depart until I have made expiation, on the ground that I have committed some offense against the divine.
εἰμὶ δὴ οὖν μάντις μέν, οὐ πάνυ δὲ σπουδαῖος, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ γράμματα φαῦλοι, ὅσον μὲν ἐμαυτῷ μόνον ἱκανός· σαφῶς οὖν ἤδη μανθάνω τὸ ἁμάρτημα.
Now, I am indeed a prophet, though not a very serious one, but like those who are poor at reading and writing, sufficient only for myself; so now I clearly understand my offense.
ὡς δή τοι, ὦ ἑταῖρε, μαντικόν γέ τι καὶ ἡ ψυχή· ἐμὲ γὰρ ἔθραξε μέν τι καὶ πάλαι λέγοντα τὸν λόγον, καί πως ἐδυσωπούμην κατʼ Ἴβυκον, μή τι παρὰ θεοῖς
"
ἀμβλακὼν τιμὰν πρὸς ἀνθρώπων ἀμείψω· "
νῦν δʼ ᾔσθημαι τὸ ἁμάρτημα.
For indeed, my companion, the soul is also something prophetic; for it troubled me even some time ago while I was speaking the speech, and I was somehow shrinking back after the manner of Ibycus, lest by sinning against the gods "I should purchase honor from men; "but now I have perceived the offense.
ΦΑΙ. λέγεις δὲ δὴ τί;
PHAEDRUS: What indeed do you mean?
ΣΩ. δεινόν, ὦ Φαῖδρε, δεινὸν λόγον αὐτός τε ἐκόμισας ἐμέ τε ἠνάγκασας εἰπεῖν.
SOCRATES: A dreadful, Phaedrus, a dreadful speech you have brought yourself and forced me to speak.
ΦΑΙ. πῶς δή;
PHAEDRUS: How so?
ΣΩ. εὐήθη καὶ ὑπό τι ἀσεβῆ· οὗ τίς ἂν εἴη δεινότερος;
SOCRATES: Foolish and somewhat impious; than which what could be more dreadful?
ΦΑΙ. οὐδείς, εἴ γε σὺ ἀληθῆ λέγεις.
PHAEDRUS: Nothing, if indeed you speak the truth.
ΣΩ. τί οὖν;
SOCRATES: What then?
τὸν ἔρωτα οὐκ Ἀφροδίτης καὶ θεόν τινα ἡγῇ;
Do you not believe Love to be a son of Aphrodite and a god?
ΦΑΙ. λέγεταί γε δή.
PHAEDRUS: So it is said.
ΣΩ. οὔ τι ὑπό γε Λυσίου, οὐδὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ σοῦ λόγου, ὃς διὰ τοῦ ἐμοῦ στόματος καταφαρμακευθέντος ὑπὸ σοῦ ἐλέχθη.
SOCRATES: Certainly not by Lysias, nor by that speech of yours, which was spoken through my mouth after being drugged by you.