§408ΚΛΕΙ. καὶ δὴ καὶ περὶ τέχνην ὡσαύτως· ὅστις γὰρ δὴ μὴ ἐπίσταται τῇ ἑαυτοῦ λύρᾳ χρῆσθαι, δῆλον ὡς οὐδὲ τῇ τοῦ γείτονος, οὐδὲ ὅστις μὴ τῇ τῶν ἄλλων, οὐδὲ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ, οὐδʼ ἄλλῳ τῶν ὀργάνων οὐδὲ κτημάτων οὐδενί.
Cleitophon: And indeed, in the case of art it is likewise; for it is clear that whoever does not know how to use his own lyre, cannot use his neighbor's either, nor can anyone who does not know how to use the lyre of others use his own, nor any other instrument or possession whatsoever.
καὶ τελευτᾷ δὴ καλῶς ὁ λόγος οὗτός σοι, ὡς ὅστις ψυχῇ μὴ ἐπίσταται χρῆσθαι, τούτῳ τὸ ἄγειν ἡσυχίαν τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ μὴ ζῆν κρεῖττον ἢ ζῆν πράττοντι καθʼ αὑτόν· εἰ δέ τις ἀνάγκη ζῆν εἴη, δούλῳ ἄμεινον ἢ ἐλευθέρῳ διάγειν τῷ τοιούτῳ τὸν βίον ἐστὶν ἄρα, καθάπερ πλοίου παραδόντι τὰ πηδάλια τῆς διανοίας ἄλλῳ, τῷ μαθόντι τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων κυβερνητικήν, ἣν δὴ σὺ πολιτικήν, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐπονομάζεις πολλάκις, τὴν αὐτὴν δὴ ταύτην δικαστικήν τε καὶ δικαιοσύνην ὡς ἔστιν λέγων.
And this argument of yours ends beautifully: that for whoever does not know how to use his soul, it is better to keep his soul at rest and not to live, than to live acting on his own; and if there should be some necessity to live, it is then better for such a person to pass his life as a slave rather than as a free man, just as one who hands over the rudder of a ship, handing over the rudder of his intellect to another, to the one who has learned the art of steering human beings—which you, Socrates, often call the political art, saying that this very same art is both the judicial art and justice.
τούτοις δὴ τοῖς λόγοις καὶ ἑτέροις τοιούτοις παμπόλλοις καὶ παγκάλως λεγομένοις, ὡς διδακτὸν ἀρετὴ καὶ πάντων ἑαυτοῦ δεῖ μάλιστα ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, σχεδὸν οὔτʼ ἀντεῖπον πώποτε οὔτʼ οἶμαι μήποτε ὕστερον ἀντείπω, προτρεπτικωτάτους τε ἡγοῦμαι καὶ ὠφελιμωτάτους, καὶ ἀτεχνῶς ὥσπερ καθεύδοντας ἐπεγείρειν ἡμᾶς.
To these arguments, indeed, and to countless other similar ones spoken most beautifully, to the effect that virtue is teachable and that one must care for oneself above all things, I have almost never objected, nor do I think I ever shall object in the future; and I consider them most exhortatory and most beneficial, absolutely awakening us as if we were asleep.
προσεῖχον δὴ τὸν νοῦν τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα ὡς ἀκουσόμενος, ἐπανερωτῶν οὔτι σὲ τὸ πρῶτον, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἡλικιωτῶν τε καὶ συνεπιθυμητῶν ἢ ἑταίρων σῶν, ἢ ὅπως δεῖ πρὸς σὲ περὶ αὐτῶν τὸ τοιοῦτον ὀνομάζειν.
Therefore, I directed my attention to what followed, expecting to hear it, questioning not you at first, Socrates, but those of your own age who shared your desires, or your companions—or whatever name one ought to use in speaking to you about them.
τούτων γὰρ τοὺς τὶ μάλιστα εἶναι δοξαζομένους ὑπὸ σοῦ πρώτους ἐπανηρώτων, πυνθανόμενος τίς ὁ μετὰ ταῦτʼ εἴη λόγος, καὶ κατὰ σὲ τρόπον τινὰ ὑποτείνων αὐτοῖς,
ὦ βέλτιστοι,
ἔφην,
ὑμεῖς, πῶς ποτε νῦν ἀποδεχόμεθα τὴν Σωκράτους προτροπὴν ἡμῶν ἐπʼ ἀρετήν;
For among them, I first questioned those who were thought by you to be of some greatest account, asking what the next argument was, and in a way proposing to them in your own manner: 'O best of men,' I said, 'how on earth do we now receive Socrates' exhortation of us to virtue?
ὡς ὄντος μόνου τούτου, ἐπεξελθεῖν δὲ οὐκ ἔνι τῷ πράγματι καὶ λαβεῖν αὐτὸ τελέως, ἀλλʼ ἡμῖν παρὰ πάντα δὴ τὸν βίον ἔργον τοῦτʼ ἔσται, τοὺς μήπω προτετραμμένους προτρέπειν, καὶ ἐκείνους αὖ ἑτέρους;
Is it because this is the only thing, and it is not possible to go through with the matter and grasp it completely, but this will be our task through all our life: to exhort those who have not yet been exhorted, and they in turn others?
ἢ δεῖ τὸν Σωκράτη καὶ ἀλλήλους ἡμᾶς τὸ μετὰ τοῦτʼ ἐπανερωτᾶν, ὁμολογήσαντας τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ ἀνθρώπῳ πρακτέον εἶναι, τί τοὐντεῦθεν;
Or must we ask Socrates and one another what comes after this, having agreed that this very thing is what a human being must do: "What is next?
πῶς ἄρχεσθαι δεῖν φαμεν δικαιοσύνης πέρι μαθήσεως; ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἡμᾶς προύτρεπεν τοῦ σώματος ἐπιμέλειαν ποιεῖσθαι, μηδὲν προνοοῦντας ὁρῶν καθάπερ παῖδας ὡς ἔστιν τις γυμναστικὴ καὶ ἰατρική, κἄπειτα ὠνείδιζεν, λέγων ὡς αἰσχρὸν πυρῶν μὲν καὶ κριθῶν καὶ ἀμπέλων ἐπιμέλειαν πᾶσαν ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ ὅσα τοῦ σώματος ἕνεκα διαπονούμεθά τε καὶ κτώμεθα, τούτου δʼ αὐτοῦ μηδεμίαν τέχνην μηδὲ μηχανήν, ὅπως ὡς βέλτιστον ἔσται τὸ σῶμα, ἐξευρίσκειν, καὶ ταῦτα οὖσαν.
How do we say we must begin the learning about justice?" Just as if someone were to exhort us to take care of our body, seeing that we, like children, had no foresight that there are such things as gymnastics and medicine, and then were to reproach us, saying that it is shameful to take every care of wheat, barley, and vines, and of all the things we labor for and acquire for the sake of the body, but to find no art or device for this body itself, so that it will be as good as possible, and that too when such an art exists.'