§244ΣΩ. οὑτωσὶ τοίνυν, ὦ παῖ καλέ, ἐννόησον, ὡς ὁ μὲν πρότερος ἦν λόγος Φαίδρου τοῦ Πυθοκλέους, Μυρρινουσίου ἀνδρός· ὃν δὲ μέλλω λέγειν, Στησιχόρου τοῦ Εὐφήμου, Ἱμεραίου.
SOCRATES: In this way, then, my beautiful boy, realize that the former speech was of Phaedrus, son of Pythocles, of Myrrhinus; but the one I am about to deliver is of Stesichorus, son of Euphemus, of Himera.
λεκτέος δὲ ὧδε, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστʼ ἔτυμος λόγος ὃς ἂν παρόντος ἐραστοῦ τῷ μὴ ἐρῶντι μᾶλλον φῇ δεῖν χαρίζεσθαι, διότι δὴ ὁ μὲν μαίνεται, ὁ δὲ σωφρονεῖ.
And it must be spoken thus: that the speech is not true which says that when a lover is present one ought rather to favor the non-lover, because indeed the one is mad and the other is of sound mind.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἁπλοῦν τὸ μανίαν κακὸν εἶναι, καλῶς ἂν ἐλέγετο· νῦν δὲ τὰ μέγιστα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡμῖν γίγνεται διὰ μανίας, θείᾳ μέντοι δόσει διδομένης.
For if it were simple that madness is an evil, it would have been well said; but as it is, the greatest of goods come to us through madness, provided it is given by divine gift.
ἥ τε γὰρ δὴ ἐν Δελφοῖς προφῆτις αἵ τʼ ἐν Δωδώνῃ ἱέρειαι μανεῖσαι μὲν πολλὰ δὴ καὶ καλὰ ἰδίᾳ τε καὶ δημοσίᾳ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἠργάσαντο, σωφρονοῦσαι δὲ βραχέα ἢ οὐδέν·
For indeed the prophetess at Delphi and the priestesses at Dodona, when mad, achieved many and beautiful things for Greece, both privately and publicly, but when sane they did little or nothing.
καὶ ἐὰν δὴ λέγωμεν Σίβυλλάν τε καὶ ἄλλους, ὅσοι μαντικῇ χρώμενοι ἐνθέῳ πολλὰ δὴ πολλοῖς προλέγοντες εἰς τὸ μέλλον ὤρθωσαν, μηκύνοιμεν ἂν δῆλα παντὶ λέγοντες.
And if we should speak of the Sibyl and others, who, using inspired prophecy, predicted many things to many people and guided them aright for the future, we should make our speech long by saying things clear to everyone.
τόδε μὴν ἄξιον ἐπιμαρτύρασθαι, ὅτι καὶ τῶν παλαιῶν οἱ τὰ ὀνόματα τιθέμενοι οὐκ αἰσχρὸν ἡγοῦντο οὐδὲ ὄνειδος μανίαν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν τῇ καλλίστῃ τέχνῃ, ᾗ τὸ μέλλον κρίνεται, αὐτὸ τοῦτο τοὔνομα ἐμπλέκοντες μανικὴν ἐκάλεσαν.
But this is worthy of being called as witness: that even those of the ancients who laid down names did not consider madness to be shameful or a disgrace; for they would not have given to the most beautiful art, by which the future is judged, this very name, calling it 'manike'.
ἀλλʼ ὡς καλοῦ ὄντος, ὅταν θείᾳ μοίρᾳ γίγνηται, οὕτω νομίσαντες ἔθεντο, οἱ δὲ νῦν ἀπειροκάλως τὸ ταῦ ἐπεμβάλλοντες μαντικὴν ἐκάλεσαν.
But holding that it was beautiful when it occurs by divine dispensation, they established it thus, but people of today, tastelessness inserting tau, called it 'mantike'.
ἐπεὶ καὶ τήν γε τῶν ἐμφρόνων, ζήτησιν τοῦ μέλλοντος διά τε ὀρνίθων ποιουμένων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων σημείων, ἅτʼ ἐκ διανοίας ποριζομένων ἀνθρωπίνῃ οἰήσει νοῦν τε καὶ ἱστορίαν, οἰονοϊστικὴν ἐπωνόμασαν, ἣν νῦν οἰωνιστικὴν τῷ ω σεμνύνοντες οἱ νέοι καλοῦσιν·
Since indeed they also named the search for the future by men of understanding, made through birds and other signs, inasmuch as they procure thought from human opinion by intellect and research, 'oionoistike', which the young now call 'oionistike', making it grand with the omega.
ὅσῳ δὴ οὖν τελεώτερον καὶ ἐντιμότερον μαντικὴ οἰωνιστικῆς, τό τε ὄνομα τοῦ ὀνόματος ἔργον τʼ ἔργου, τόσῳ κάλλιον μαρτυροῦσιν οἱ παλαιοὶ μανίαν σωφροσύνης τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ τῆς παρʼ ἀνθρώπων γιγνομένης.
Therefore, by as much as prophecy is more complete and more honorable than bird-divination, both the name than the name and the work than the work, by so much do the ancients witness that madness is more beautiful than soundness of mind, the one coming from God than the other from men.
ἀλλὰ μὴν νόσων γε καὶ πόνων τῶν μεγίστων, ἃ δὴ παλαιῶν ἐκ μηνιμάτων ποθὲν ἔν τισι τῶν γενῶν ἡ μανία ἐγγενομένη καὶ προφητεύσασα, οἷς ἔδει ἀπαλλαγὴν ηὕρετο, καταφυγοῦσα πρὸς θεῶν εὐχάς τε καὶ λατρείας, ὅθεν δὴ καθαρμῶν τε καὶ τελετῶν τυχοῦσα ἐξάντη ἐποίησε τὸν ἔχοντα πρός τε τὸν παρόντα καὶ τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον, λύσιν τῷ ὀρθῶς μανέντι τε καὶ κατασχομένῳ τῶν παρόντων κακῶν εὑρομένη.
Moreover, in the case of the greatest diseases and sufferings, which had arisen in some families from some ancient wraths, madness entering in and prophesying found deliverance for those in need, taking refuge in prayers and worship of the gods, whence obtaining purifications and rites, it made him who possessed it safe for the present and the future, having found a release from present evils for the one who was rightly mad and possessed.
§245ΣΩ. τρίτη δὲ ἀπὸ Μουσῶν κατοκωχή τε καὶ μανία, λαβοῦσα ἁπαλὴν καὶ ἄβατον ψυχήν, ἐγείρουσα καὶ ἐκβακχεύουσα κατά τε ᾠδὰς καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἄλλην ποίησιν, μυρία τῶν παλαιῶν ἔργα κοσμοῦσα τοὺς ἐπιγιγνομένους παιδεύει·
SOCRATES: And third is the possession and madness from the Muses, which, taking a tender and untouched soul, awakening and inspiring it in songs and other poetry, and adorning countless deeds of the ancients, educates those who come after.
ὃς δʼ ἂν ἄνευ μανίας Μουσῶν ἐπὶ ποιητικὰς θύρας ἀφίκηται, πεισθεὶς ὡς ἄρα ἐκ τέχνης ἱκανὸς ποιητὴς ἐσόμενος, ἀτελὴς αὐτός τε καὶ ἡ ποίησις ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν μαινομένων ἡ τοῦ σωφρονοῦντος ἠφανίσθη.
But whoever arrives at the gates of poetry without the madness of the Muses, persuaded that by art alone he will be a sufficient poet, is himself unaccomplished, and his poetry is eclipsed, that of the sane man by that of the mad.
τοσαῦτα μέν σοι καὶ ἔτι πλείω ἔχω μανίας γιγνομένης ἀπὸ θεῶν λέγειν καλὰ ἔργα.
So many and even more beautiful deeds of madness coming from gods have I to tell you.
ὥστε τοῦτό γε αὐτὸ μὴ φοβώμεθα, μηδέ τις ἡμᾶς λόγος θορυβείτω δεδιττόμενος ὡς πρὸ τοῦ κεκινημένου τὸν σώφρονα δεῖ προαιρεῖσθαι φίλον· ἀλλὰ τόδε πρὸς ἐκείνῳ δείξας φερέσθω τὰ νικητήρια, ὡς οὐκ ἐπʼ ὠφελίᾳ ὁ ἔρως τῷ ἐρῶντι καὶ τῷ ἐρωμένῳ ἐκ θεῶν ἐπιπέμπεται.
Therefore, let us not fear this very thing, nor let any speech disturb us, frightening us into believing that one ought to choose the sober friend before the moved one; but let him carry off the victory by showing this in addition, that love is not sent by the gods for the benefit of the lover and the beloved.
ἡμῖν δὲ ἀποδεικτέον αὖ τοὐναντίον, ὡς ἐπʼ εὐτυχίᾳ τῇ μεγίστῃ παρὰ θεῶν ἡ τοιαύτη μανία δίδοται· ἡ δὲ δὴ ἀπόδειξις ἔσται δεινοῖς μὲν ἄπιστος, σοφοῖς δὲ πιστή.
We, on the contrary, must demonstrate that such madness is given by the gods for the greatest good fortune; and this demonstration will be untrustworthy to the clever, but trustworthy to the wise.
δεῖ οὖν πρῶτον ψυχῆς φύσεως πέρι θείας τε καὶ ἀνθρωπίνης ἰδόντα πάθη τε καὶ ἔργα τἀληθὲς νοῆσαι· ἀρχὴ δὲ ἀποδείξεως ἥδε. ψυχὴ πᾶσα ἀθάνατος.
First, then, we must understand the truth about the nature of the soul, both divine and human, by observing its conditions and actions; and the beginning of the proof is this: All soul is immortal.
τὸ γὰρ ἀεικίνητον ἀθάνατον· τὸ δʼ ἄλλο κινοῦν καὶ ὑπʼ ἄλλου κινούμενον, παῦλαν ἔχον κινήσεως, παῦλαν ἔχει ζωῆς.
For that which is always in motion is immortal; but that which moves another and is moved by another, having a cessation of motion, has a cessation of life.
μόνον δὴ τὸ αὑτὸ κινοῦν, ἅτε οὐκ ἀπολεῖπον ἑαυτό, οὔποτε λήγει κινούμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὅσα κινεῖται τοῦτο πηγὴ καὶ ἀρχὴ κινήσεως.
Only that which moves itself, because it never deserts itself, never ceases to be in motion, but is also the source and beginning of motion for all other things that are moved.
ἀρχὴ δὲ ἀγένητον.
And a beginning is unbegotten.
ἐξ ἀρχῆς γὰρ ἀνάγκη πᾶν τὸ γιγνόμενον γίγνεσθαι, αὐτὴν δὲ μηδʼ ἐξ ἑνός· εἰ γὰρ ἔκ του ἀρχὴ γίγνοιτο, οὐκ ἂν ἔτι ἀρχὴ γίγνοιτο.
For from a beginning everything that is generated must be generated, but itself from nothing; for if a beginning were generated from something, it would no longer be a beginning.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀγένητόν ἐστιν, καὶ ἀδιάφθορον αὐτὸ ἀνάγκη εἶναι.
And since it is unbegotten, it must also be indestructible.
ἀρχῆς γὰρ δὴ ἀπολομένης οὔτε αὐτή ποτε ἔκ του οὔτε ἄλλο ἐξ ἐκείνης γενήσεται, εἴπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς δεῖ τὰ πάντα γίγνεσθαι.
For if a beginning were destroyed, neither would it ever be generated from anything, nor would anything else be generated from it, if indeed all things must be generated from a beginning.
οὕτω δὴ κινήσεως μὲν ἀρχὴ τὸ αὐτὸ αὑτὸ κινοῦν.
Thus, then, the beginning of motion is that which moves itself.
τοῦτο δὲ οὔτʼ ἀπόλλυσθαι οὔτε γίγνεσθαι δυνατόν, ἢ πάντα τε οὐρανὸν πᾶσάν τε γῆν εἰς ἓν συμπεσοῦσαν στῆναι καὶ μήποτε αὖθις ἔχειν ὅθεν κινηθέντα γενήσεται.
And this can neither be destroyed nor be generated, or else the whole heaven and all the earth would collapse into one and stand still, and never again have that from which they will be moved and generated.
ἀθανάτου δὲ πεφασμένου τοῦ ὑφʼ ἑαυτοῦ κινουμένου, ψυχῆς οὐσίαν τε καὶ λόγον τοῦτον αὐτόν τις λέγων οὐκ αἰσχυνεῖται.
And since that which is moved by itself has been shown to be immortal, one will not be ashamed to say that this is the very essence and definition of the soul.