§278ΣΩ. ὁ δέ γε ἐν μὲν τῷ γεγραμμένῳ λόγῳ περὶ ἑκάστου παιδιάν τε ἡγούμενος πολλὴν ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι, καὶ οὐδένα πώποτε λόγον ἐν μέτρῳ οὐδʼ ἄνευ μέτρου μεγάλης ἄξιον σπουδῆς γραφῆναι, οὐδὲ λεχθῆναι ὡς οἱ ῥαψῳδούμενοι ἄνευ ἀνακρίσεως καὶ διδαχῆς πειθοῦς ἕνεκα ἐλέχθησαν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὄντι αὐτῶν τοὺς βελτίστους εἰδότων ὑπόμνησιν γεγονέναι, ἐν δὲ τοῖς διδασκομένοις καὶ μαθήσεως χάριν λεγομένοις καὶ τῷ ὄντι γραφομένοις ἐν ψυχῇ περὶ δικαίων τε καὶ καλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν μόνοις ἡγούμενος τό τε ἐναργὲς εἶναι καὶ τέλεον καὶ ἄξιον σπουδῆς· δεῖν δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους αὑτοῦ λέγεσθαι οἷον ὑεῖς γνησίους εἶναι, πρῶτον μὲν τὸν ἐν αὑτῷ, ἐὰν εὑρεθεὶς ἐνῇ, ἔπειτα εἴ τινες τούτου ἔκγονοί τε καὶ ἀδελφοὶ ἅμα ἐν ἄλλαισιν ἄλλων ψυχαῖς κατʼ ἀξίαν ἐνέφυσαν·
SOCRATES: But the one, on the other hand, who thinks that in the written speech about each subject there is necessarily much play, and that no speech ever, in meter or without meter, has been written or spoken worthy of great seriousness, like those recited by rhapsodes without investigation and instruction for the sake of persuasion, but that in truth the best of them have been a reminder for those who know, while thinking that only in those which are taught and spoken for the sake of learning, and in truth written in the soul about things just, beautiful, and good, is there clarity, completeness, and worth of seriousness; and that such speeches of his own ought to be spoken of as if they were his legitimate sons, first the one in himself, if it is found to be within him, and then any offspring and brothers of this one that have naturally grown in a worthy manner in other souls of other people at the same time; while letting the other speeches go—this sort of man, Phaedrus, is likely to be the one whom both you and I would pray that you and I might become.
τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους χαίρειν ἐῶν—οὗτος δὲ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀνὴρ κινδυνεύει, ὦ Φαῖδρε, εἶναι οἷον ἐγώ τε καὶ σὺ εὐξαίμεθʼ ἂν σέ τε καὶ ἐμὲ γενέσθαι. ΦΑΙ. παντάπασι μὲν οὖν ἔγωγε βούλομαί τε καὶ εὔχομαι ἃ λέγεις.
PHAEDRUS: Absolutely, I for my part both wish and pray for what you say.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν ἤδη πεπαίσθω μετρίως ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ λόγων·
SOCRATES: Then our play regarding speeches may now be considered moderate enough.
καὶ σύ τε ἐλθὼν φράζε Λυσίᾳ ὅτι νὼ καταβάντε ἐς τὸ Νυμφῶν νᾶμά τε καὶ μουσεῖον ἠκούσαμεν λόγων, οἳ ἐπέστελλον λέγειν Λυσίᾳ τε καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος συντίθησι λόγους, καὶ Ὁμήρῳ καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος αὖ ποίησιν ψιλὴν ἢ ἐν ᾠδῇ συντέθηκε, τρίτον δὲ Σόλωνι καὶ ὅστις ἐν πολιτικοῖς λόγοις νόμους ὀνομάζων συγγράμματα ἔγραψεν· εἰ μὲν εἰδὼς ᾗ τὸ ἀληθὲς ἔχει συνέθηκε ταῦτα, καὶ ἔχων βοηθεῖν, εἰς ἔλεγχον ἰὼν περὶ ὧν ἔγραψε, καὶ λέγων αὐτὸς δυνατὸς τὰ γεγραμμένα φαῦλα ἀποδεῖξαι, οὔ τι τῶνδε ἐπωνυμίαν ἔχοντα δεῖ λέγεσθαι τὸν τοιοῦτον, ἀλλʼ ἐφʼ οἷς ἐσπούδακεν ἐκείνων.
And go and tell Lysias that we two, having gone down to the stream of the Nymphs and the shrine of the Muses, heard speeches which charged us to speak to Lysias and to anyone else who composes speeches, and to Homer and anyone else who again has composed poetry, plain or in song, and thirdly to Solon and whoever in political speeches has written documents, calling them laws: that if, knowing how the truth stands, he composed these things, and is able to help them when going to an investigation concerning what he wrote, and is himself capable of showing by speaking that the written things are of little value, such a person ought to be called not by a name derived from these activities, but from those things about which he has been serious.
ΦΑΙ. τίνας οὖν τὰς ἐπωνυμίας αὐτῷ νέμεις;
PHAEDRUS: What names then do you assign to him?
ΣΩ. τὸ μὲν σοφόν, ὦ Φαῖδρε, καλεῖν ἔμοιγε μέγα εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ θεῷ μόνῳ πρέπειν· τὸ δὲ ἢ φιλόσοφον ἢ τοιοῦτόν τι μᾶλλόν τε ἂν αὐτῷ καὶ ἁρμόττοι καὶ ἐμμελεστέρως ἔχοι.
SOCRATES: To call him wise, Phaedrus, seems to me to be a great thing and to befit a god alone; but to call him either a philosopher or something of this sort would both fit him more and be in better harmony.
ΦΑΙ. καὶ οὐδέν γε ἀπὸ τρόπου.
PHAEDRUS: And that is not at all out of place.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν αὖ τὸν μὴ ἔχοντα τιμιώτερα ὧν συνέθηκεν ἢ ἔγραψεν ἄνω κάτω στρέφων ἐν χρόνῳ, πρὸς ἄλληλα κολλῶν τε καὶ ἀφαιρῶν, ἐν δίκῃ που ποιητὴν ἢ λόγων συγγραφέα ἢ νομογράφον προσερεῖς;
SOCRATES: On the other hand, the one who has nothing more valuable than what he composed or wrote, turning it up and down over time, pasting and cutting things apart from one another, will you not justly address him as a poet or a speech-writer or a law-writer?
ΦΑΙ. τί μήν;
PHAEDRUS: Why not indeed?
ΣΩ. ταῦτα τοίνυν τῷ ἑταίρῳ φράζε.
SOCRATES: Tell these things, then, to your companion.
ΦΑΙ. τί δὲ σύ;
PHAEDRUS: But what about you?
πῶς ποιήσεις;
What will you do?
οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ τὸν σὸν ἑταῖρον δεῖ παρελθεῖν.
For indeed, your companion too must not be passed over.
ΣΩ. τίνα τοῦτον;
SOCRATES: Which one is this?
ΦΑΙ. Ἰσοκράτη τὸν καλόν·
PHAEDRUS: The beautiful Isocrates.
ᾧ τί ἀπαγγελεῖς, ὦ Σώκρατες;
What will you announce to him, Socrates?
τίνα αὐτὸν φήσομεν εἶναι;
What shall we say he is?
§279ΣΩ. νέος ἔτι, ὦ Φαῖδρε, Ἰσοκράτης· ὃ μέντοι μαντεύομαι κατʼ αὐτοῦ, λέγειν ἐθέλω.
SOCRATES: Isocrates is still young, Phaedrus; however, what I prophesy concerning him, I am willing to say.
ΦΑΙ. τὸ ποῖον δή;
PHAEDRUS: What is that, indeed?
ΣΩ. δοκεῖ μοι ἀμείνων ἢ κατὰ τοὺς περὶ Λυσίαν εἶναι λόγους τὰ τῆς φύσεως, ἔτι τε ἤθει γεννικωτέρῳ κεκρᾶσθαι· ὥστε οὐδὲν ἂν γένοιτο θαυμαστὸν προϊούσης τῆς ἡλικίας εἰ περὶ αὐτούς τε τοὺς λόγους, οἷς νῦν ἐπιχειρεῖ, πλέον ἢ παίδων διενέγκοι τῶν πώποτε ἁψαμένων λόγων, ἔτι τε εἰ αὐτῷ μὴ ἀποχρήσαι ταῦτα, ἐπὶ μείζω δέ τις αὐτὸν ἄγοι ὁρμὴ θειοτέρα·
SOCRATES: It seems to me that his natural talents are better than those according to the speeches of Lysias, and furthermore that he is tempered with a more noble character; so that it would be nothing wonderful as he advances in age if, concerning the very speeches which he now attempts, he should excel more than children all who have ever touched speeches, and furthermore, if these things should not satisfy him, a more divine impulse should lead him to greater things.
φύσει γάρ, ὦ φίλε, ἔνεστί τις φιλοσοφία τῇ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς διανοίᾳ.
For by nature, my friend, there is a certain philosophy in the intellect of the man.
ταῦτα δὴ οὖν ἐγὼ μὲν παρὰ τῶνδε τῶν θεῶν ὡς ἐμοῖς παιδικοῖς Ἰσοκράτει ἐξαγγέλλω, σὺ δʼ ἐκεῖνα ὡς σοῖς Λυσίᾳ.
These things, then, I for my part announce from these gods here to Isocrates as my beloved, and you those things to Lysias as yours.
ΦΑΙ. ταῦτʼ ἔσται·
PHAEDRUS: It shall be so.
ἀλλὰ ἴωμεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ πνῖγος ἠπιώτερον γέγονεν.
But let us go, since the heat also has become milder.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν εὐξαμένῳ πρέπει τοῖσδε πορεύεσθαι;
SOCRATES: Is it not then proper to proceed after praying to these gods here?
ΦΑΙ. τί μήν;
PHAEDRUS: Why not indeed?
ΣΩ. ὦ φίλε Πάν τε καὶ ἄλλοι ὅσοι τῇδε θεοί, δοίητέ μοι καλῷ γενέσθαι τἄνδοθεν· ἔξωθεν δὲ ὅσα ἔχω, τοῖς ἐντὸς εἶναί μοι φίλια.
SOCRATES: Beloved Pan and all you other gods here, grant that I may become beautiful within; and may all that I have outside be friendly to those within.
πλούσιον δὲ νομίζοιμι τὸν σοφόν· τὸ δὲ χρυσοῦ πλῆθος εἴη μοι ὅσον μήτε φέρειν μήτε ἄγειν δύναιτο ἄλλος ἢ ὁ σώφρων.
May I regard the wise person as wealthy, and may I have such a quantity of gold as no one else but the temperate person could either carry or drive.
ἔτʼ ἄλλου του δεόμεθα, ὦ Φαῖδρε;
Do we need anything else, Phaedrus?
ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ μετρίως ηὖκται.
For my part, I have prayed moderately enough.
ΦΑΙ. καὶ ἐμοὶ ταῦτα συνεύχου· κοινὰ γὰρ τὰ τῶν φίλων.
PHAEDRUS: Pray for these things for me too; for the things of friends are in common.
ΣΩ. ἴωμεν.
SOCRATES: Let us go.