§146ΑΛ. φαύλην τινὰ ἔγωγε, ὦ Σώκρατες.
ALKIBIADES: A poor sort of state, Socrates.
ΣΩ. φαίης γε ἂν οἶμαι ὁπόταν ὁρῴης ἕνα ἕκαστον αὐτῶν φιλοτιμούμενόν τε καὶ νέμοντα τὸ πλεῖστον τῆς πολιτείας
"
. . . τούτῳ μέρος,
ἵνʼ αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ τυγχάνει κράτιστος ὤν· "
λέγω δὲ τὸ κατʼ αὐτὴν τὴν τέχνην βέλτιστον γιγνόμενον·
SOCRATES: You would say so, I think, whenever you saw each one of them ambitious and assigning the greatest part of the state 'to this share, where he happens to be best at himself'; I mean what is done best according to that very art.
τοῦ δὲ τῇ πόλει τε καὶ αὐτὸν αὑτῷ βελτίστου ὄντος τὰ πολλὰ διημαρτηκότα, ἅτε οἶμαι ἄνευ νοῦ δόξῃ πεπιστευκότα.
But as for what is best for the city and for himself, they fall far short in most things, because, I think, they have trusted in opinion without reason.
οὕτως δὲ τούτων ἐχόντων, ἆρα οὐκ ἂν ὀρθῶς λέγοιμεν φάντες πολλῆς ταραχῆς τε καὶ ἀνομίας μεστὴν εἶναι τὴν τοιαύτην πολιτείαν;
And this being so, should we not speak correctly if we said that such a state is full of much confusion and lawlessness?
ΑΛ. ὀρθῶς μέντοι νὴ Δία.
ALKIBIADES: Correctly indeed, by Zeus.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν ἐδόκει οἰηθῆναι δεῖν πρῶτον ἡμᾶς εἰδέναι ἢ τῷ ὄντι εἰδέναι τοῦτο ὃ ἂν προχείρως μέλλωμεν ἢ πράττειν ἢ λέγειν;
SOCRATES: Did it not seem necessary to us that we should first either think we know or really know this which we are about to do or say readily?
ΑΛ. ἐδόκει.
ALKIBIADES: It did seem so.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν κἂν μὲν πράττῃ ἅ τις οἶδεν ἢ δοκεῖ εἰδέναι, παρέπηται δὲ τὸ ὠφελίμως, καὶ λυσιτελούντως ἡμᾶς ἕξειν καὶ τῇ πόλει καὶ αὐτὸν αὑτῷ;
SOCRATES: Therefore, if one does what he knows or thinks he knows, and the 'usefully' accompanies it, shall we be in a beneficial state both to the city and to himself?
ΑΛ. πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
ALKIBIADES: Why, of course.
ΣΩ. ἐὰν δέ γʼ οἶμαι τἀναντία τούτων, οὔτε τῇ πόλει οὔτʼ αὐτὸν αὑτῷ;
SOCRATES: But if, I think, the opposite of these happens, neither to the city nor to himself?
ΑΛ. οὐ δῆτα.
ALKIBIADES: Indeed not.
ΣΩ. τί δέ;
SOCRATES: What then?
καὶ νῦν ἔτι ὡσαύτως σοι δοκεῖ ἢ ἄλλως πως;
Does it still seem to you in the same way now, or in some other way?
ΑΛ. οὔκ, ἀλλʼ οὕτως.
ALKIBIADES: No, but in this way.
ΣΩ. ἆρʼ οὖν ἔφησθα καλεῖν τοὺς μὲν πολλοὺς ἄφρονας, τοὺς δʼ ὀλίγους φρονίμους;
SOCRATES: Did you say then that you call the many imprudent, and the few prudent?
ΑΛ. ἔγωγε.
ALKIBIADES: I did.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν φαμεν πάλιν τοὺς πολλοὺς διημαρτηκέναι τοῦ βελτίστου, ὡς τὰ πολλά γε οἶμαι ἄνευ νοῦ δόξῃ πεπιστευκότας.
SOCRATES: Do we then say again that the many have missed the best, because, in most things, I think, they have trusted in opinion without reason?
ΑΛ. φαμὲν γάρ.
ALKIBIADES: Yes, we do say so.
ΣΩ. Λυσιτελεῖ ἄρα τοῖς πολλοῖς μήτʼ εἰδέναι μηδὲν μήτʼ οἴεσθαι εἰδέναι, εἴπερ γε μᾶλλον προθυμήσονται πράττειν μὲν ταῦτα ἅττʼ ἂν εἰδῶσιν ἢ οἰηθῶσιν εἰδέναι, πράττοντες δὲ βλάπτεσθαι τὰ πλείω μᾶλλον ἢ ὠφελεῖσθαι.
SOCRATES: It is beneficial, then, for the many neither to know anything nor to think they know, if indeed they are more eager to do these things which they know or think they know, but in doing so, they are harmed in most things rather than benefited.
ΑΛ. ἀληθέστατα λέγεις.
ALKIBIADES: What you say is most true.
ΣΩ. ὁρᾷς οὖν, ὅτε γʼ ἔφην κινδυνεύειν τό γε τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιστημῶν κτῆμα, ἐάν τις ἄνευ τῆς τοῦ βελτίστου ἐπιστήμης κεκτημένος ᾖ, ὀλιγάκις μὲν ὠφελεῖν, βλάπτειν δὲ τὰ πλείω τὸν ἔχοντα αὐτό, ἆρʼ οὐχὶ τῷ ὄντι ὀρθῶς ἐφαινόμην λέγων;
SOCRATES: Do you see then, when I said that the acquisition of other sciences, if one possesses it without the science of the best, is likely to benefit rarely, but to harm the possessor of it in most things—did I not indeed seem to speak correctly?
ΑΛ. καὶ εἰ μὴ τότε, ἀλλὰ νῦν μοι δοκεῖ, ὦ Σώκρατες.
ALKIBIADES: Even if not then, now it seems so to me, Socrates.
§147ΣΩ. δεῖ ἄρα καὶ πόλιν καὶ ψυχὴν τὴν μέλλουσαν ὀρθῶς βιώσεσθαι ταύτης τῆς ἐπιστήμης ἀντέχεσθαι, ἀτεχνῶς ὥσπερ ἀσθενοῦντα ἰατροῦ ἤ τινος κυβερνήτου τὸν ἀσφαλῶς μέλλοντα πλεῖν.
SOCRATES: Both a city and a soul, therefore, which are about to live correctly, must cling to this science, just as a sick man to a doctor, or one who is about to sail safely to a helmsman.
ἄνευ γὰρ ταύτης, ὅσῳπερ ἂν λαμπρότερον ἐπουρίσῃ τὸ τῆς τύχης ἢ περὶ χρημάτων κτῆσιν ἢ σώματος ῥώμην ἢ καὶ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων, τοσούτῳ μείζω ἁμαρτήματα ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν, ὡς ἔοικε, γίγνεσθαι.
For without this, by how much more brilliantly the wind of fortune blows, whether regarding the acquisition of wealth or strength of body or any other such thing, by so much greater errors must, as it seems, arise from them.
ὁ δὲ δὴ τὴν καλουμένην πολυμαθίαν τε καὶ πολυτεχνίαν κεκτημένος, ὀρφανὸς δὲ ὢν ταύτης τῆς ἐπιστήμης, ἀγόμενος δὲ ὑπὸ μιᾶς ἑκάστης τῶν ἄλλων, ἆρʼ οὐχὶ τῷ ὄντι δικαίως πολλῷ χειμῶνι χρήσεται, ἅτε οἶμαι ἄνευ κυβερνήτου διατελῶν ἐν πελάγει, χρόνον οὐ μακρὸν βίου θέων;
But he who possesses the so-called polymathy and polytechy, but is destitute of this science, and is led by each one of the others, will he not indeed justly face a great storm, since, I think, he continues without a helmsman in the open sea, running a short span of life?
ὥστε συμβαίνειν μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ, ὃ λέγει κατηγορῶν πού τινος, ὡς ἄρα
"πολλὰ"
"μὲν ἠπίστατο ἔργα, κακῶς δέ"
, φησίν,
"ἠπίστατο πάντα"
.
So that there seems to apply to him also here the saying of the poet, which he says in accusing someone, that indeed: 'many he knew works, but badly', he says, 'he knew them all'.
ΑΛ. καὶ τί δή ποτε συμβαίνει τὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ, ὦ Σώκρατες;
ALKIBIADES: And how indeed does the saying of the poet apply, Socrates?
ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν δοκεῖ πρὸς λόγον εἰρηκέναι.
For to me he does not seem to have spoken anything to the purpose.
ΣΩ. καὶ μάλα γε πρὸς λόγον·
SOCRATES: Indeed, very much to the purpose.
ἀλλʼ αἰνίττεται, ὦ βέλτιστε, καὶ οὗτος καὶ ἇλλοι δὲ ποιηταὶ σχεδόν τι πάντες.
But he is speaking in riddles, my excellent friend, both he and almost all other poets.
ἔστιν τε γὰρ φύσει ποιητικὴ ἡ σύμπασα αἰνιγματώδης καὶ οὐ τοῦ προστυχόντος ἀνδρὸς γνωρίσαι· ἔτι τε πρὸς τῷ φύσει τοιαύτη εἶναι, ὅταν λάβηται ἀνδρὸς φθονεροῦ τε καὶ μὴ βουλομένου ἡμῖν ἐνδείκνυσθαι ἀλλʼ ἀποκρύπτεσθαι ὅτι μάλιστα τὴν αὑτοῦ σοφίαν, ὑπερφυῶς δὴ τὸ χρῆμα ὡς δύσγνωστον φαίνεται, ὅτι ποτὲ νοοῦσιν ἕκαστος αὐτῶν.
For the whole of poetic art is by nature riddling, and it is not for the first man who comes along to understand; and besides being such by nature, when it gets hold of a man who is envious and does not want to display but to hide his own wisdom as much as possible, the matter seems wonderfully difficult to understand, what on earth each of them intends.
οὐ γὰρ δήπου Ὅμηρόν γε τὸν θειότατόν τε καὶ σοφώτατον ποιητὴν ἀγνοεῖν δοκεῖς ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε ἦν ἐπίστασθαι κακῶς—ἐκεῖνος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ λέγων τὸν Μαργίτην πολλὰ μὲν ἐπίστασθαι, κακῶς δέ, φησί, πάντα ἠπίστατο—ἀλλʼ αἰνίττεται οἶμαι παράγων τὸ κακῶς μὲν ἀντὶ τοῦ κακοῦ, τὸ δὲ ἠπίστατο ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπίστασθαι· γίγνεται οὖν συντεθὲν ἔξω μὲν τοῦ μέτρου, ἔστι δʼ ὅ γε βούλεται, ὡς πολλὰ μὲν ἠπίστατο ἔργα, κακὸν δʼ ἦν ἐπίστασθαι αὐτῷ πάντα ταῦτα. δῆλον οὖν ὅτι εἴπερ ἦν αὐτῷ κακὸν τὸ πολλὰ εἰδέναι, φαῦλός τις ὢν ἐτύγχανεν, εἴπερ γε πιστεύειν δεῖ τοῖς προειρημένοις λόγοις.
For surely you do not think that Homer, the most divine and wisest poet, was ignorant that it was impossible to know 'badly'—for he is the one who says of Margites that he knew many things, but, he says, 'badly he knew them all'—but he speaks in riddles, I think, shifting 'badly' instead of 'bad,' and 'he knew' instead of 'knowing.' So, when put together, it becomes out of meter, but what he wants to say is: 'he knew many works, but it was a bad thing for him to know all these.' It is clear, then, that if indeed to know many things was a bad thing for him, he happened to be a worthless person, if indeed we must believe the arguments previously stated.
ΑΛ. ἀλλʼ ἐμοὶ μὲν δοκεῖ, ὦ Σώκρατες· ἦ χαλεπῶς γʼ ἂν ἄλλοις τισὶ πιστεύσαιμι λόγοις, εἴπερ μηδὲ τούτοις.
ALKIBIADES: Well, it seems so to me, Socrates; for I should hardly believe any other arguments, if not these.
ΣΩ. καὶ ὀρθῶς γέ σοι δοκεῖ.
SOCRATES: And you are correct in thinking so.
ΑΛ. πάλιν αὖ μοι δοκεῖ.
ALKIBIADES: Again, so it seems to me.