§159δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι εἴ σοι πάρεστιν σωφροσύνη, ἔχεις τι περὶ αὐτῆς δοξάζειν.
"For it is clear that if temperance is present in you, you have some opinion to form about it.
ἀνάγκη γάρ που ἐνοῦσαν αὐτήν, εἴπερ ἔνεστιν, αἴσθησίν τινα παρέχειν, ἐξ ἧς δόξα ἄν τίς σοι περὶ αὐτῆς εἴη ὅτι ἐστὶν καὶ ὁποῖόν τι ἡ σωφροσύνη·
For it must be that, if it is in you, its presence provides some perception, from which you would form some opinion about it—what temperance is and what kind of thing it is.
ἢ οὐκ οἴει; ἔγωγε, ἔφη, οἶμαι.
Or do you not think so?" "Indeed, I do think so," he said.
οὐκοῦν τοῦτό γε, ἔφην, ὃ οἴει, ἐπειδήπερ ἑλληνίζειν ἐπίστασαι, κἂν εἴποις δήπου αὐτὸ ὅτι σοι φαίνεται; ἴσως, ἔφη.
"Therefore," I said, "since you know how to speak Greek, you could surely tell us this very thing which you think—namely, what it appears to you to be?" "Perhaps," he said.
ἵνα τοίνυν τοπάσωμεν εἴτε σοι ἔνεστιν εἴτε μή, εἰπέ, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, τί φῂς εἶναι σωφροσύνην κατὰ τὴν σὴν δόξαν. καὶ ὃς τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὤκνει τε καὶ οὐ πάνυ ἤθελεν ἀποκρίνασθαι· ἔπειτα μέντοι εἶπεν ὅτι οἷ δοκοῖ σωφροσύνη εἶναι τὸ κοσμίως πάντα πράττειν καὶ ἡσυχῇ, ἔν τε ταῖς ὁδοῖς βαδίζειν καὶ διαλέγεσθαι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ὡσαύτως ποιεῖν.
"In order, then, that we may guess whether it is in you or not," I said, "tell me, what do you say temperance is according to your opinion?" And he at first hesitated and was not very willing to answer; however, he then said that it seemed to him that temperance was doing all things orderly and quietly—walking along the streets and conversing, and doing all other things in the same manner.
καί μοι δοκεῖ, ἔφη, συλλήβδην ἡσυχιότης τις εἶναι ὃ ἐρωτᾷς. ἆρʼ οὖν, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, εὖ λέγεις;
"And it seems to me," he said, "in short, that what you are asking about is a certain quietness." "Is it then," I said, "that you speak well?
φασί γέ τοι, ὦ Χαρμίδη, τοὺς ἡσυχίους σώφρονας εἶναι· ἴδωμεν δὴ εἴ τι λέγουσιν.
At any rate they say, Charmides, that quiet people are temperate; let us see then if they are saying anything of substance.
εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, οὐ τῶν καλῶν μέντοι ἡ σωφροσύνη ἐστίν; πάνυ γε, ἔφη.
For tell me, is not temperance indeed one of the beautiful things?" "Certainly," he said.
πότερον οὖν κάλλιστον ἐν γραμματιστοῦ τὰ ὅμοια γράμματα γράφειν ταχὺ ἢ ἡσυχῇ; ταχύ. τί δʼ ἀναγιγνώσκειν;
"Is it then more beautiful, when at the writing-master's, to write similar letters quickly or quietly?" "Quickly." "And what about reading?
ταχέως ἢ βραδέως; ταχέως. καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ τὸ κιθαρίζειν ταχέως καὶ τὸ παλαίειν ὀξέως πολὺ κάλλιον τοῦ ἡσυχῇ τε καὶ βραδέως; ναί. τί δὲ πυκτεύειν τε καὶ παγκρατιάζειν; οὐχ ὡσαύτως;
Quickly or slowly?" "Quickly." "And indeed, is not playing the lyre quickly and wrestling sharply far more beautiful than doing so quietly and slowly?" "Yes." "And what about boxing and the pancratium?
πάνυ γε. θεῖν δὲ καὶ ἅλλεσθαι καὶ τὰ τοῦ σώματος ἅπαντα ἔργα, οὐ τὰ μὲν ὀξέως καὶ ταχὺ γιγνόμενα τὰ τοῦ καλοῦ ἐστιν, τὰ δὲ μόγις τε καὶ ἡσυχῇ τὰ τοῦ αἰσχροῦ; φαίνεται. φαίνεται ἄρα ἡμῖν, ἔφην ἐγώ, κατά γε τὸ σῶμα οὐ τὸ ἡσύχιον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τάχιστον καὶ ὀξύτατον κάλλιστον ὄν.
Is it not the same?" "Certainly." "And as for running and jumping, and all the works of the body, is it not that those which are done sharply and quickly belong to the beautiful, while those done with difficulty and quietly belong to the ugly?" "So it appears." "It appears to us, then," I said, "that as far as the body is concerned, not the quiet, but the quickest and sharpest is the most beautiful.
ἦ γάρ; πάνυ γε. ἡ δέ γε σωφροσύνη καλόν τι ἦν; ναί. οὐ τοίνυν κατά γε τὸ σῶμα ἡ ἡσυχιότης ἂν ἀλλʼ ἡ ταχυτὴς σωφρονέστερον εἴη, ἐπειδὴ καλὸν ἡ σωφροσύνη. ἔοικεν, ἔφη.
Is it not?" "Certainly." "And yet, temperance was indeed something beautiful?" "Yes." "Therefore, as far as the body is concerned, not quietness but quickness would be the more temperate thing, since temperance is beautiful." "It seems so," he said.
τί δέ;
"And what about this?" I said.
ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, εὐμαθία κάλλιον ἢ δυσμαθία; εὐμαθία. ἔστιν δέ γʼ, ἔφην, ἡ μὲν εὐμαθία ταχέως μανθάνειν, ἡ δὲ δυσμαθία ἡσυχῇ καὶ βραδέως; ναί. διδάσκειν δὲ ἄλλον οὐ ταχέως κάλλιον καὶ σφόδρα μᾶλλον ἢ ἡσυχῇ τε καὶ βραδέως; ναί. τί δέ;
"Is quickness of learning more beautiful than slowness of learning?" "Quickness of learning." "And yet, is not quickness of learning to learn quickly, while slowness of learning is to learn quietly and slowly?" "Yes." "And is not teaching another quickly and vigorously far more beautiful than doing so quietly and slowly?" "Yes." "And what about recollecting and remembering?
ἀναμιμνῄσκεσθαι καὶ μεμνῆσθαι ἡσυχῇ τε καὶ βραδέως κάλλιον ἢ σφόδρα καὶ ταχέως; σφόδρʼ, ἔφη, καὶ ταχέως.
Is doing so quietly and slowly more beautiful than doing so vigorously and quickly?" "Vigorously and quickly," he said.