§320ΣΩ. ἐπεὶ Περικλῆς, ὁ τουτωνὶ τῶν νεανίσκων πατήρ, τούτους ἃ μὲν διδασκάλων εἴχετο καλῶς καὶ εὖ ἐπαίδευσεν, ἃ δὲ αὐτὸς σοφός ἐστιν οὔτε αὐτὸς παιδεύει οὔτε τῳ ἄλλῳ παραδίδωσιν, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ περιιόντες νέμονται ὥσπερ ἄφετοι, ἐάν που αὐτόματοι περιτύχωσιν τῇ ἀρετῇ.
Socrates: "Since Pericles, the father of these young men here, educated them well and excellently in those things that depended on teachers, but in those things in which he himself is wise, he neither educates them himself nor hands them over to anyone else; instead, they wander around and graze like unleashed beasts, in the hope that they might somehow stumble upon virtue by themselves.
εἰ δὲ βούλει, Κλεινίαν, τὸν Ἀλκιβιάδου τουτουῒ νεώτερον ἀδελφόν, ἐπιτροπεύων ὁ αὐτὸς οὗτος ἀνὴρ Περικλῆς, δεδιὼς περὶ αὐτοῦ μὴ διαφθαρῇ δὴ ὑπὸ Ἀλκιβιάδου, ἀποσπάσας ἀπὸ τούτου, καταθέμενος ἐν Ἀρίφρονος ἐπαίδευε· καὶ πρὶν ἓξ μῆνας γεγονέναι, ἀπέδωκε τούτῳ οὐκ ἔχων ὅτι χρήσαιτο αὐτῷ.
Or if you wish, this same man, Pericles, acting as guardian for Clinias, the younger brother of Alcibiades here, because he feared for him lest he should be corrupted by Alcibiades, tore him away from him, and having placed him in the house of Ariphron, tried to educate him; and before six months had passed, he gave him back to Alcibiades, because he did not know what to do with him.
καὶ ἄλλους σοι παμπόλλους ἔχω λέγειν, οἳ αὐτοὶ ἀγαθοὶ ὄντες οὐδένα πώποτε βελτίω ἐποίησαν οὔτε τῶν οἰκείων οὔτε τῶν ἀλλοτρίων.
And I can tell you of very many others, who, being themselves good, never made anyone better, neither of their own household nor of strangers.
ἐγὼ οὖν, ὦ Πρωταγόρα, εἰς ταῦτα ἀποβλέπων οὐχ ἡγοῦμαι διδακτὸν εἶναι ἀρετήν· ἐπειδὴ δέ σου ἀκούω ταῦτα λέγοντος, κάμπτομαι καὶ οἶμαί τί σε λέγειν διὰ τὸ ἡγεῖσθαί σε πολλῶν μὲν ἔμπειρον γεγονέναι, πολλὰ δὲ μεμαθηκέναι, τὰ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐξηυρηκέναι.
I, therefore, Protagoras, looking at these things, do not think that virtue is teachable; but when I hear you saying these things, I am swayed and think that you are saying something, because I believe that you have become experienced in many things, have learned many things, and have discovered some things yourself.
εἰ οὖν ἔχεις ἐναργέστερον ἡμῖν ἐπιδεῖξαι ὡς διδακτόν ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετή, μὴ φθονήσῃς ἀλλʼ ἐπίδειξον. ἀλλʼ, ὦ Σώκρατες,
ἔφη,
οὐ φθονήσω·
If, then, you are able to demonstrate to us more clearly that virtue is teachable, do not grudge us but demonstrate it." "Well, Socrates," he said, "I will not grudge you.
ἀλλὰ πότερον ὑμῖν, ὡς πρεσβύτερος νεωτέροις, μῦθον λέγων ἐπιδείξω ἢ λόγῳ διεξελθών; πολλοὶ οὖν αὐτῷ ὑπέλαβον τῶν παρακαθημένων ὁποτέρως βούλοιτο οὕτως διεξιέναι.
But shall I demonstrate it to you by telling a myth, as an older man to younger men, or by going through an argument?" Many of those sitting around then suggested to him to go through it in whichever way he wished.
δοκεῖ τοίνυν μοι,
ἔφη,
χαριέστερον εἶναι μῦθον ὑμῖν λέγειν.
"It seems to me then," he said, "to be more pleasing to tell you a myth.
ἦν γάρ ποτε χρόνος ὅτε θεοὶ μὲν ἦσαν, θνητὰ δὲ γένη οὐκ ἦν.
For there was once a time when gods existed, but mortal races did not exist.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τούτοις χρόνος ἦλθεν εἱμαρμένος γενέσεως, τυποῦσιν αὐτὰ θεοὶ γῆς ἔνδον ἐκ γῆς καὶ πυρὸς μείξαντες καὶ τῶν ὅσα πυρὶ καὶ γῇ κεράννυται.
And when there came for these also the appointed time for creation, the gods fashioned them inside the earth, mixing together earth and fire and all those things that are blended with fire and earth.
ἐπειδὴ δʼ ἄγειν αὐτὰ πρὸς φῶς ἔμελλον, προσέταξαν Προμηθεῖ καὶ Ἐπιμηθεῖ κοσμῆσαί τε καὶ νεῖμαι δυνάμεις ἑκάστοις ὡς πρέπει.
And when they were about to lead them to the light, they charged Prometheus and Epimetheus to equip them and to distribute powers to each as was fitting.
Προμηθέα δὲ παραιτεῖται Ἐπιμηθεὺς αὐτὸς νεῖμαι,
νείμαντος δέ μου,
ἔφη,
ἐπίσκεψαι· καὶ οὕτω πείσας νέμει.
But Epimetheus begged Prometheus to let him make the distribution himself: 'And when I have distributed,' he said, 'you inspect.' And having thus persuaded him, he made the distribution.
νέμων δὲ τοῖς μὲν ἰσχὺν ἄνευ τάχους προσῆπτεν, τοὺς δʼ ἀσθενεστέρους τάχει ἐκόσμει· τοὺς δὲ ὥπλιζε, τοῖς δʼ ἄοπλον διδοὺς φύσιν ἄλλην τινʼ αὐτοῖς ἐμηχανᾶτο δύναμιν εἰς σωτηρίαν.
In distributing, to some he attached strength without speed, while those who were weaker he equipped with speed; and some he armed, while for others, giving them an unarmed nature, he devised some other power for their preservation.
§321ΣΩ.
ἃ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν σμικρότητι ἤμπισχεν, πτηνὸν φυγὴν ἢ κατάγειον οἴκησιν ἔνεμεν· ἃ δὲ ηὖξε μεγέθει, τῷδε αὐτῷ αὐτὰ ἔσῳζεν· καὶ τἆλλα οὕτως ἐπανισῶν ἔνεμεν.
For those of them which he clothed with smallness, he distributed winged flight or an underground dwelling; and those which he increased in size, by this very means he preserved them; and he distributed all other things in this way, keeping them in balance.
ταῦτα δὲ ἐμηχανᾶτο εὐλάβειαν ἔχων μή τι γένος ἀϊστωθείη· ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀλληλοφθοριῶν διαφυγὰς ἐπήρκεσε, πρὸς τὰς ἐκ Διὸς ὥρας εὐμάρειαν ἐμηχανᾶτο ἀμφιεννὺς αὐτὰ πυκναῖς τε θριξὶν καὶ στερεοῖς δέρμασιν, ἱκανοῖς μὲν ἀμῦναι χειμῶνα, δυνατοῖς δὲ καὶ καύματα, καὶ εἰς εὐνὰς ἰοῦσιν ὅπως ὑπάρχοι τὰ αὐτὰ ταῦτα στρωμνὴ οἰκεία τε καὶ αὐτοφυὴς ἑκάστῳ· καὶ ὑποδῶν τὰ μὲν ὁπλαῖς, τὰ δὲ δέρμασιν στερεοῖς καὶ ἀναίμοις.
These things he devised, having caution lest any race should be utterly destroyed; and when he had supplied them with escapes from mutual destruction, he devised easy means against Zeus's seasons, clothing them with thick hair and tough hides, sufficient to ward off winter and capable also of resisting heat, and so that when they went to sleep, these same things might serve as a bed of their own, natural to each; and shodding some with hoofs, and others with tough and bloodless hides.
τοὐντεῦθεν τροφὰς ἄλλοις ἄλλας ἐξεπόριζεν, τοῖς μὲν ἐκ γῆς βοτάνην, ἄλλοις δὲ δένδρων καρπούς, τοῖς δὲ ῥίζας· ἔστι δʼ οἷς ἔδωκεν εἶναι τροφὴν ζῴων ἄλλων βοράν· καὶ τοῖς μὲν ὀλιγογονίαν προσῆψε, τοῖς δʼ ἀναλισκομένοις ὑπὸ τούτων πολυγονίαν, σωτηρίαν τῷ γένει πορίζων.
After this, he provided different foods for different animals: for some, pasture from the earth; for others, the fruits of trees; and for others, roots; and there are some to whom he gave the devouring of other animals as food; and to the former he attached low fecundity, while to those consumed by them, high fecundity, providing preservation for the race.
ἅτε δὴ οὖν οὐ πάνυ τι σοφὸς ὢν ὁ Ἐπιμηθεὺς ἔλαθεν αὑτὸν καταναλώσας τὰς δυνάμεις εἰς τὰ ἄλογα· λοιπὸν δὴ ἀκόσμητον ἔτι αὐτῷ ἦν τὸ ἀνθρώπων γένος, καὶ ἠπόρει ὅτι χρήσαιτο.
Inasmuch then as Epimetheus was not entirely wise, he did not notice that he had completely expended the powers on the irrational beasts; so the race of humans was still left unequipped for him, and he was at a loss what to do.
ἀποροῦντι δὲ αὐτῷ ἔρχεται Προμηθεὺς ἐπισκεψόμενος τὴν νομήν, καὶ ὁρᾷ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ζῷα ἐμμελῶς πάντων ἔχοντα, τὸν δὲ ἄνθρωπον γυμνόν τε καὶ ἀνυπόδητον καὶ ἄστρωτον καὶ ἄοπλον· ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἡ εἱμαρμένη ἡμέρα παρῆν, ἐν ᾗ ἔδει καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐξιέναι ἐκ γῆς εἰς φῶς.
While he was at a loss, Prometheus came to inspect the distribution, and he saw that the other animals were harmoniously equipped in all respects, but that man was naked, unshod, unbedded, and unarmed; and already the appointed day was at hand, on which man too had to emerge from the earth into the light.
ἀπορίᾳ οὖν σχόμενος ὁ Προμηθεὺς ἥντινα σωτηρίαν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ εὕροι, κλέπτει Ἡφαίστου καὶ Ἀθηνᾶς τὴν ἔντεχνον σοφίαν σὺν πυρί—ἀμήχανον γὰρ ἦν ἄνευ πυρὸς αὐτὴν κτητήν τῳ ἢ χρησίμην γενέσθαι—καὶ οὕτω δὴ δωρεῖται ἀνθρώπῳ.
Prometheus therefore, gripped by perplexity as to what means of preservation he could find for man, stole from Hephaestus and Athena their artistic wisdom together with fire—for without fire it was impossible for it to be acquired by or useful to anyone—and thus indeed he presented it to man.
τὴν μὲν οὖν περὶ τὸν βίον σοφίαν ἄνθρωπος ταύτῃ ἔσχεν, τὴν δὲ πολιτικὴν οὐκ εἶχεν· ἦν γὰρ παρὰ τῷ Διί.
In this way, then, man acquired wisdom concerning life, but he did not yet have political wisdom; for that was in the keeping of Zeus.
τῷ δὲ Προμηθεῖ εἰς μὲν τὴν ἀκρόπολιν τὴν τοῦ Διὸς οἴκησιν οὐκέτι ἐνεχώρει εἰσελθεῖν—πρὸς δὲ καὶ αἱ Διὸς φυλακαὶ φοβεραὶ ἦσαν—εἰς δὲ τὸ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ Ἡφαίστου οἴκημα τὸ κοινόν, ἐν ᾧ ἐφιλοτεχνείτην, λαθὼν εἰσέρχεται, καὶ κλέψας τήν τε ἔμπυρον τέχνην τὴν τοῦ Ἡφαίστου καὶ τὴν ἄλλην τὴν τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς δίδωσιν ἀνθρώπῳ, καὶ ἐκ τούτου εὐπορία μὲν ἀνθρώπῳ τοῦ βίου γίγνεται, Προμηθέα δὲ διʼ Ἐπιμηθέα ὕστερον, ᾗπερ λέγεται, κλοπῆς δίκη μετῆλθεν.
And Prometheus was no longer allowed to enter the acropolis, the dwelling of Zeus—and besides, the guards of Zeus were terrifying—but into the common dwelling of Athena and Hephaestus, in which they practiced their crafts, he entered undetected; and having stolen both the fiery art of Hephaestus and the other art of Athena, he gave them to man, and from this indeed came abundance for man's life, but later, because of Epimetheus, as the story goes, a prosecution for theft pursued Prometheus."