§298ΣΩ. πάνυ γʼ, ἔφην· ὁ μέν γε ἐμός, ὁ δὲ ἐκείνου. —
οὐκοῦν,
ἦ δʼ ὅς,
ἕτερος ἦν Χαιρέδημος τοῦ πατρός; —τοὐμοῦ γʼ, ἔφην ἐγώ.
SOCRATES: 'Certainly,' I said, 'the one is mine, and the other is his.' 'Therefore,' he said, 'was Chaeredemus other than the father?' '—Mine, at any rate,' I said.
—
ἆρʼ οὖν πατὴρ ἦν ἕτερος ὢν πατρός;
'Was he then a father while being other than a father?
ἢ σὺ εἶ ὁ αὐτὸς τῷ λίθῳ; —δέδοικα μὲν ἔγωγʼ, ἔφην, μὴ φανῶ ὑπὸ σοῦ ὁ αὐτός· οὐ μέντοι μοι δοκῶ. —
οὐκοῦν ἕτερος εἶ,
ἔφη,
τοῦ λίθου; —ἕτερος μέντοι. —
ἄλλο τι οὖν ἕτερος,
ἦ δʼ ὅς,
ὢν λίθου οὐ λίθος εἶ; καὶ ἕτερος ὢν χρυσοῦ οὐ χρυσὸς εἶ;
Or are you the same as the stone?' '—I indeed fear,' I said, 'lest I should appear the same [as the stone] by you; however, I do not think I am.' 'Therefore you are other,' he said, 'than the stone?' '—Other indeed.' 'Is it then any other than that, being other than a stone, you are not a stone?
—ἔστι ταῦτα. —
οὔκουν καὶ ὁ Χαιρέδημος,
ἔφη,
ἕτερος ὢν πατρὸς πατήρ ἐστιν. —ἔοικεν, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, οὐ πατὴρ εἶναι. εἰ γὰρ δήπου,
ἔφη,
πατήρ ἐστιν ὁ Χαιρέδημος,
ὑπολαβὼν ὁ Εὐθύδημος,
πάλιν αὖ ὁ Σωφρονίσκος ἕτερος ὢν πατρὸς οὐ πατήρ ἐστιν, ὥστε σύ, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἀπάτωρ εἶ. καὶ ὁ Κτήσιππος ἐκδεξάμενος,
ὁ δὲ ὑμέτερος,
ἔφη,
αὖ πατὴρ οὐ ταὐτὰ ταῦτα πέπονθεν;
And being other than gold, you are not gold?' '—That is so.' 'Therefore also Chaeredemus,' he said, 'being other than a father, is not a father.' '—It seems,' I said, 'that he is not a father.' 'For if indeed,' said Euthydemus, interrupting, 'Chaeredemus is a father, then on the other hand Sophroniscus, being other than a father, is not a father, so that you, Socrates, are fatherless.' And Ctesippus, taking it up, said, 'And has your father in turn not suffered these same things?
ἕτερός ἐστιν τοὐμοῦ πατρός; —
πολλοῦ γʼ,
ἔφη,
δεῖ,
ὁ Εὐθύδημος.
Is he other than my father?' '—Far from it,' said Euthydemus.
—
ἀλλά,
ἦ δʼ ὅς,
ὁ αὐτός; —
ὁ αὐτὸς μέντοι. —
οὐκ ἂν συμβουλοίμην.
'—But,' he said, 'is he the same?' '—The same indeed.' '—I should not wish that.
ἀλλὰ πότερον, ὦ Εὐθύδημε, ἐμὸς μόνον ἐστὶ πατὴρ ἢ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων; —
καὶ τῶν ἄλλων,
ἔφη· ἢ οἴει τὸν αὐτὸν πατέρα ὄντα οὐ πατέρα εἶναι; —
ὤιμην δῆτα,
ἔφη ὁ Κτήσιππος.
But, O Euthydemus, is he my father only, or also of the other humans?' '—Of the others too,' he said; 'or do you think that being the same father he is not a father?' '—Indeed I did think so,' said Ctesippus.
—
τί δέ; ἦ δʼ ὅς· χρυσὸν ὄντα μὴ χρυσὸν εἶναι;
'—What then?' he said; 'that being gold it is not gold?
ἢ ἄνθρωπον ὄντα μὴ ἄνθρωπον; —
μὴ γάρ,
ἔφη ὁ Κτήσιππος,
ὦ Εὐθύδημε, τὸ λεγόμενον, οὐ λίνον λίνῳ συνάπτεις· δεινὸν γὰρ λέγεις πρᾶγμα εἰ ὁ σὸς πατὴρ πάντων ἐστὶν πατήρ. —
ἀλλʼ ἔστιν,
ἔφη.
Or being a human it is not a human?' '—Do not,' said Ctesippus, 'O Euthydemus, as the saying goes, connect flax with flax; for you say a terrible thing if your father is the father of all.' '—But he is,' he said.
—
πότερον ἀνθρώπων; ἦ δʼ ὃς ὁ Κτήσιππος,
ἢ καὶ ἵππων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πάντων ζῴων; πάντων,
ἔφη.
'—Whether of humans,' said Ctesippus, 'or also of horses and of all other animals?' '—Of all,' he said.
—
ἦ καὶ μήτηρ ἡ μήτηρ; —
καὶ ἡ μήτηρ γε. —
καὶ τῶν ἐχίνων ἄρα,
ἔφη,
ἡ σὴ μήτηρ μήτηρ ἐστὶ τῶν θαλαττίων. —
καὶ ἡ σή γʼ,
ἔφη.
'—Is your mother also a mother [in the same way]?' '—The mother too, indeed.' '—Therefore of sea urchins,' he said, 'your mother is the mother.' '—And yours too, indeed,' he said.
—
καὶ σὺ ἄρα ἀδελφὸς εἶ τῶν κωβιῶν καὶ κυναρίων καὶ χοιριδίων. —
καὶ γὰρ σύ,
ἔφη.
'—And you, then, are a brother of gudgeons and puppies and piglets.' '—For you are too,' he said.
—
κάπρος ἄρα σοι πατήρ ἐστι καὶ κύων. —
καὶ γὰρ σοί,
ἔφη.
'—A boar, then, is a father to you, and a dog.' '—For they are to you too,' he said.
αὐτίκα δέ γε,
ἦ δʼ ὃς ὁ Διονυσόδωρος,
ἄν μοι ἀποκρίνῃ, ὦ Κτήσιππε, ὁμολογήσεις ταῦτα.
'And straightway,' said Dionysodorus, 'if you answer me, O Ctesippus, you will agree to these things.
εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, ἔστι σοι κύων; —
καὶ μάλα πονηρός,
ἔφη ὁ Κτήσιππος.
For tell me, do you have a dog?' '—Yes, and a very bad one,' said Ctesippus.
—
ἔστιν οὖν αὐτῷ κυνίδια; —
καὶ μάλʼ,
ἔφη,
ἕτερα τοιαῦτα.
'—Has he then puppies?' '—Yes, indeed, other ones just like him,' he said.
—
οὐκοῦν πατήρ ἐστιν αὐτῶν ὁ κύων; —
ἔγωγέ τοι εἶδον,
ἔφη,
αὐτὸν ὀχεύοντα τὴν κύνα. —
τί οὖν;
'—Therefore the dog is their father?' '—I indeed saw him,' he said, 'mounting the female dog.' '—What then?
οὐ σός ἐστιν ὁ κύων; —
πάνυ γʼ,
ἔφη.
Is the dog not yours?' '—Certainly,' he said.
—
οὐκοῦν πατὴρ ὢν σός ἐστιν, ὥστε σὸς πατὴρ γίγνεται ὁ κύων καὶ σὺ κυναρίων ἀδελφός; καὶ αὖθις ταχὺ ὑπολαβὼν ὁ Διονυσόδωρος, ἵνα μὴ πρότερόν τι εἴποι ὁ Κτήσιππος,
καὶ ἔτι γέ μοι μικρόν,
ἔφη,
ἀπόκριναι· τύπτεις τὸν κύνα τοῦτον; —καὶ ὁ Κτήσιππος γελάσας,
νὴ τοὺς θεούς,
ἔφη· οὐ γὰρ δύναμαι σέ. —
οὐκοῦν τὸν σαυτοῦ πατέρα,
ἔφη,
τύπτεις;
'—Therefore, being a father, he is yours, so that the dog becomes your father and you a brother of puppies?' And again Dionysodorus, quickly interrupting, so that Ctesippus should not say something first, 'And answer me still a little thing,' he said, 'do you beat this dog?' And Ctesippus, laughing, said, 'Yes, by the gods; for I cannot beat you.' '—Therefore,' he said, 'do you beat your own father?'