§292ΙΠ. πονηρόν γʼ, ὦ Σώκρατες, γέλωτα·
HIPPIAS: A worthless laugh, Socrates!
ὅταν γὰρ πρὸς ταῦτα ἔχῃ μὲν μηδὲν ὅτι λέγῃ, γελᾷ δέ, αὑτοῦ καταγελάσεται καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν παρόντων αὐτὸς ἔσται καταγέλαστος.
For when he has nothing to say against this, but laughs, he will laugh at himself, and will himself be ridiculous to those present.
ΣΩ. ἴσως οὕτως ἔχει·
SOCRATES: Perhaps that is so.
ἴσως μέντοι ἐπί γε ταύτῃ τῇ ἀποκρίσει, ὡς ἐγὼ μαντεύομαι, κινδυνεύσει οὐ μόνον μου καταγελᾶν.
However, perhaps in response to this answer, as I divine, he will run the risk of not only laughing at me.
ΙΠ. ἀλλὰ τί μήν;
HIPPIAS: But what then?
ΣΩ. ὅτι, ἂν τύχῃ βακτηρίαν ἔχων, ἂν μὴ ἐκφύγω φεύγων αὐτόν, εὖ μάλα μου ἐφικέσθαι πειράσεται.
SOCRATES: That, if he happens to have a staff, unless I escape by running away from him, he will try very hard to reach me.
ΙΠ. πῶς λέγεις;
HIPPIAS: How do you mean?
δεσπότης τίς σου ὁ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν, καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσας οὐκ ἀχθήσεται καὶ δίκας ὀφλήσει;
Is the man some master of yours, and having done this, will he not be arrested and pay damages?
ἢ οὐκ ἔνδικος ὑμῖν ἡ πόλις ἐστίν, ἀλλʼ ἐᾷ ἀδίκως τύπτειν ἀλλήλους τοὺς πολίτας;
Or is the city not law-abiding for you, but does it allow the citizens to strike one another unjustly?
ΣΩ. οὐδʼ ὁπωστιοῦν ἐᾷ.
SOCRATES: It does not allow it in any way whatsoever.
ΙΠ. οὐκοῦν δώσει δίκην ἀδίκως γέ σε τύπτων.
HIPPIAS: Therefore he will pay the penalty, at least for striking you unjustly.
ΣΩ. οὔ μοι δοκεῖ, ὦ Ἱππία, οὔκ, εἰ ταῦτά γε ἀποκριναίμην, ἀλλὰ δικαίως, ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ.
SOCRATES: It does not seem so to me, Hippias, no, not if I should give these answers; rather, justly, it seems to me.
ΙΠ. καὶ ἐμοὶ τοίνυν δοκεῖ, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐπειδήπερ γε αὐτὸς ταῦτα οἴει.
HIPPIAS: And to me then it seems so, Socrates, since indeed you yourself think this.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν εἴπω σοι καὶ ᾗ αὐτὸς οἴομαι δικαίως ἂν τύπτεσθαι ταῦτα ἀποκρινόμενος;
SOCRATES: Shall I then tell you also in what way I myself think I would be justly beaten for giving these answers?
ἢ καὶ σύ με ἄκριτον τυπτήσεις;
Or will you also beat me without a trial?
ἢ δέξῃ λόγον;
Or will you receive my argument?
ΙΠ. δεινὸν γὰρ ἂν εἴη, ὦ Σώκρατες, εἰ μὴ δεχοίμην·
HIPPIAS: Indeed it would be terrible, Socrates, if I did not receive it.
ἀλλὰ πῶς λέγεις;
But how do you mean?
ΣΩ. ἐγώ σοι ἐρῶ, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὅνπερ νυνδή, μιμούμενος ἐκεῖνον, ἵνα μὴ πρὸς σὲ λέγω ῥήματα, οἷα ἐκεῖνος εἰς ἐμὲ ἐρεῖ, χαλεπά τε καὶ ἀλλόκοτα.
SOCRATES: I will tell you, in the very same way as just now, imitating him, so that I do not say to you words such as he will say to me, harsh and strange.
εὖ γὰρ ἴσθι,
εἰπέ μοι,
φήσει,
ὦ Σώκρατες, οἴει ἂν ἀδίκως πληγὰς λαβεῖν, ὅστις διθύραμβον τοσουτονὶ ᾁσας οὕτως ἀμούσως πολὺ ἀπῇσας ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐρωτήματος; πῶς δή; φήσω ἐγώ.
For know well, 'Tell me,' he will say, 'Socrates, do you think you would receive blows unjustly, you who having sung such a long dithyramb so unmusically have gone so far away from the question?' 'How so?' I will say.
ὅπως; φήσει·
'How?' he will say.
οὐχ οἷός τʼ εἶ μεμνῆσθαι ὅτι τὸ καλὸν αὐτὸ ἠρώτων, ὃ παντὶ ᾧ ἂν προσγένηται, ὑπάρχει ἐκείνῳ καλῷ εἶναι, καὶ λίθῳ καὶ ξύλῳ καὶ ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ θεῷ καὶ πάσῃ πράξει καὶ παντὶ μαθήματι;
'Are you not able to remember that I was asking for the beautiful itself, which, to whatever it is added, belongs to that thing to be beautiful, both to stone and wood and man and god, and every action and every study?
αὐτὸ γὰρ ἔγωγε, ὤνθρωπε, κάλλος ἐρωτῶ ὅτι ἐστίν, καὶ οὐδέν σοι μᾶλλον γεγωνεῖν δύναμαι ἢ εἴ μοι παρεκάθησο λίθος, καὶ οὗτος μυλίας, μήτε ὦτα μήτε ἐγκέφαλον ἔχων. εἰ οὖν φοβηθεὶς εἴποιμι ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τούτοις τάδε, ἆρα οὐκ ἂν ἄχθοιο, ὦ Ἱππία;
For I, my good man, am asking what beauty itself is, and I can no more make myself understood to you than if you were sitting beside me as a stone, and a millstone at that, having neither ears nor brain.' If, then, having become afraid, I should say these things in response to this, would you not be annoyed, Hippias?
ἀλλὰ μέντοι τόδε τὸ καλὸν εἶναι Ἱππίας ἔφη· καίτοι ἐγὼ αὐτὸν ἠρώτων οὕτως ὥσπερ σὺ ἐμέ, ὃ πᾶσι καλὸν καὶ ἀεί ἐστι. πῶς οὖν φῄς;
'But indeed Hippias said that this is the beautiful; and yet I was asking him, just as you were asking me, for that which is beautiful for all and always.' What do you say then?
οὐκ ἀχθέσῃ, ἂν εἴπω ταῦτα;
Will you not be annoyed if I say this?
ΙΠ. εὖ γʼ οὖν οἶδα, ὦ Σώκρατες, ὅτι πᾶσι καλὸν τοῦτʼ ἐστίν, ὃ ἐγὼ εἶπον, καὶ δόξει.
HIPPIAS: I know well enough, Socrates, that this which I spoke of is beautiful for all, and will seem so.
ΣΩ.
ἦ καὶ ἔσται; φήσει· ἀεὶ γάρ που τό γε καλὸν καλόν. ΙΠ. πάνυ γε.
SOCRATES: 'And will it also be so?' he will say; 'for surely the beautiful is always beautiful.' HIPPIAS: Certainly.
ΣΩ.
οὐκοῦν καὶ ἦν; φήσει.
SOCRATES: 'Therefore was it also so in the past?' he will say.
ΙΠ. καὶ ἦν.
HIPPIAS: And it was.