§106ΑΛ. πολύ γέ μοι, ὦ Σώκρατες, νῦν ἀτοπώτερος αὖ φαίνῃ, ἐπειδὴ ἤρξω λέγειν, ἢ ὅτε σιγῶν εἵπου· καίτοι σφόδρα γε ἦσθʼ ἰδεῖν καὶ τότε τοιοῦτος.
ALCIBIADES: You seem to me, Socrates, much more extraordinary now, since you began to speak, than when you followed me in silence; though even then you were very much so to look at.
εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐγὼ ταῦτα διανοοῦμαι ἢ μή, ὡς ἔοικε, διέγνωκας, καὶ ἐὰν μὴ φῶ, οὐδέν μοι ἔσται πλέον πρὸς τὸ πείθειν σε.
Whether I really have these designs or not, you have apparently made up your mind; and even if I deny it, it will not advantage me at all toward persuading you.
εἶεν·
Very well.
εἰ δὲ δὴ ὅτι μάλιστα ταῦτα διανενόημαι, πῶς διὰ σοῦ μοι ἔσται καὶ ἄνευ σοῦ οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο;
But if indeed I have these designs in the highest degree, how will they be accomplished for me through you, and why could they not happen without you?
ἔχεις λέγειν;
Can you tell me?
ΣΩ. ἆρʼ ἐρωτᾷς εἴ τινʼ ἔχω εἰπεῖν λόγον μακρόν, οἵους δὴ ἀκούειν εἴθισαι;
SOCRATES: Are you asking whether I have some long speech to deliver, of the kind you are accustomed to hear?
οὐ γάρ ἐστι τοιοῦτον τὸ ἐμόν·
For my way is not like that.
ἀλλʼ ἐνδείξασθαι μέν σοι, ὡς ἐγᾦμαι, οἷός τʼ ἂν εἴην ὅτι ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, ἐὰν ἓν μόνον μοι ἐθελήσῃς βραχὺ ὑπηρετῆσαι.
But I think I should be able to prove to you that this is so, if you are willing to do me only one small service.
ΑΛ. ἀλλʼ εἴ γε δὴ μὴ χαλεπόν τι λέγεις τὸ ὑπηρέτημα, ἐθέλω.
ALCIBIADES: Well, if the service you speak of is not difficult, I am willing.
ΣΩ. ἦ χαλεπὸν δοκεῖ τὸ ἀποκρίνασθαι τὰ ἐρωτώμενα;
SOCRATES: Does it seem difficult to answer questions?
ΑΛ. οὐ χαλεπόν.
ALCIBIADES: Not difficult.
ΣΩ. ἀποκρίνου δή.
SOCRATES: Answer, then.
ΑΛ. Ἐρώτα.
ALCIBIADES: Ask.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν ὡς διανοουμένου σου ταῦτα ἐρωτῶ, ἅ φημί σε διανοεῖσθαι;
SOCRATES: Then I ask you on the assumption that you do think these things—namely, those which I say you have in mind?
ΑΛ. ἔστω, εἰ βούλει, οὕτως, ἵνα καὶ εἰδῶ ὅτι καὶ ἐρεῖς.
ALCIBIADES: Let it be so, if you wish, so that I may also know what you will say.
ΣΩ. φέρε δή·
SOCRATES: Come then.
διανοῇ γάρ, ὡς ἐγώ φημι, παριέναι συμβουλεύσων Ἀθηναίοις ἐντὸς οὐ πολλοῦ χρόνου·
You are planning, as I say, to come forward to advise the Athenians in a short time.
εἰ οὖν μέλλοντός σου ἰέναι ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα λαβόμενος ἐροίμην· ὦ Ἀλκιβιάδη, ἐπειδὴ περὶ τίνος Ἀθηναῖοι διανοοῦνται βουλεύεσθαι, ἀνίστασαι συμβουλεύσων;
If, then, as you were about to go up to the platform, I should lay hold of you and ask: "Alcibiades, since the Athenians are planning to deliberate on what subject, are you rising to advise them?
ἆρʼ ἐπειδὴ περὶ ὧν σὺ ἐπίστασαι βέλτιον ἢ οὗτοι; τί ἂν ἀποκρίναιο;
Is it because you know about these things better than they do?" what would you answer?
ΑΛ. εἴποιμʼ ἂν δήπου, περὶ ὧν οἶδα βέλτιον ἢ οὗτοι.
ALCIBIADES: I should say, I suppose, about those things which I know better than they.
ΣΩ. περὶ ὧν ἄρʼ εἰδὼς τυγχάνεις, ἀγαθὸς σύμβουλος εἶ.
SOCRATES: So, about the things you happen to know, you are a good adviser.
ΑΛ. πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
ALCIBIADES: To be sure.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν ταῦτα μόνον οἶσθα, ἃ παρʼ ἄλλων ἔμαθες ἢ αὐτὸς ἐξηῦρες;
SOCRATES: And you know only those things which you have either learned from others or discovered yourself?
ΑΛ. ποῖα γὰρ ἄλλα;
ALCIBIADES: What other things indeed?
ΣΩ. ἔστιν οὖν ὅπως ἄν ποτε ἔμαθές τι ἢ ἐξηῦρες μήτε μανθάνειν ἐθέλων μήτʼ αὐτὸς ζητεῖν;
SOCRATES: Is it possible, then, that you would ever have learned or discovered anything, if you neither wished to learn nor to seek it yourself?
ΑΛ. οὐκ ἔστιν.
ALCIBIADES: It is not.
ΣΩ. τί δέ;
SOCRATES: What then?
ἠθέλησας ἂν ζητῆσαι ἢ μαθεῖν ἃ ἐπίστασθαι ᾤου;
Would you have wished to seek or to learn what you thought you already knew?
ΑΛ. οὐ δῆτα.
ALCIBIADES: Certainly not.
ΣΩ. ἃ ἄρα νῦν τυγχάνεις ἐπιστάμενος, ἦν χρόνος ὅτε οὐχ ἡγοῦ εἰδέναι;
SOCRATES: Therefore, of the things you now happen to know, there was a time when you did not think you knew them?
ΑΛ. ἀνάγκη.
ALCIBIADES: Necessarily.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ μὴν ἅ γε μεμάθηκας σχεδόν τι καὶ ἐγὼ οἶδα·
SOCRATES: And yet, what you have learned, I too know pretty well.
εἰ δέ τι ἐμὲ λέληθεν, εἰπέ.
But if I have missed anything, tell me.
ἔμαθες γὰρ δὴ σύ γε κατὰ μνήμην τὴν ἐμὴν γράμματα καὶ κιθαρίζειν καὶ παλαίειν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ αὐλεῖν γε ἤθελες μαθεῖν.
For you learned, according to my memory, reading and writing, playing the lyre, and wrestling; for you certainly did not wish to learn the flute.
ταῦτʼ ἐστὶν ἃ σὺ ἐπίστασαι, εἰ μή πού τι μανθάνων ἐμὲ λέληθας· οἶμαι δέ γε, οὔτε νύκτωρ οὔτε μεθʼ ἡμέραν ἐξιὼν ἔνδοθεν.
These are the things you know, unless you have learned something without my noticing; and I think you did not, as you went out from home neither by night nor by day.
ΑΛ. ἀλλʼ οὐ πεφοίτηκα εἰς ἄλλων ἢ τούτων.
ALCIBIADES: No, I have not attended the schools of any other teachers than those.