§1.327κατέβην χθὲς εἰς Πειραιᾶ μετὰ Γλαύκωνος τοῦ Ἀρίστωνος προσευξόμενός τε τῇ θεῷ καὶ ἅμα τὴν ἑορτὴν βουλόμενος θεάσασθαι τίνα τρόπον ποιήσουσιν ἅτε νῦν πρῶτον ἄγοντες.
I went down yesterday to the Piraeus with Glaucon, the son of Ariston, to pay my devotions to the Goddess, and also because I wished to see how they would conduct the festival, since this was the first time they were holding it.
καλὴ μὲν οὖν μοι καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων πομπὴ ἔδοξεν εἶναι, οὐ μέντοι ἧττον ἐφαίνετο πρέπειν ἣν οἱ Θρᾷκες ἔπεμπον.
Now, the procession of the local inhabitants seemed to me to be beautiful, yet that which the Thracians conducted appeared no less fitting.
προσευξάμενοι δὲ καὶ θεωρήσαντες ἀπῇμεν πρὸς τὸ ἄστυ.
After we had paid our devotions and finished our viewing, we were starting to go back to the city.
κατιδὼν οὖν πόρρωθεν ἡμᾶς οἴκαδε ὡρμημένους Πολέμαρχος ὁ Κεφάλου ἐκέλευσε δραμόντα τὸν παῖδα περιμεῖναί ἑ κελεῦσαι.
Then Polemarchus, the son of Cephalus, catching sight of us from a distance as we were hastening homeward, ordered his boy to run and bid us wait for him.
καί μου ὄπισθεν ὁ παῖς λαβόμενος τοῦ ἱματίου, κελεύει ὑμᾶς, ἔφη, Πολέμαρχος περιμεῖναι. καὶ ἐγὼ μετεστράφην τε καὶ ἠρόμην ὅπου αὐτὸς εἴη.
And the boy, taking hold of my cloak from behind, said, "Polemarchus bids you wait." I turned around and asked where his master was.
οὗτος, ἔφη, ὄπισθεν προσέρχεται· ἀλλὰ περιμένετε. ἀλλὰ περιμενοῦμεν, ἦ δʼ ὃς ὁ Γλαύκων.
"There he is," he said, "coming up behind; please wait." "Indeed we will wait," said Glaucon.
καὶ ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον ὅ τε Πολέμαρχος ἧκε καὶ Ἀδείμαντος ὁ τοῦ Γλαύκωνος ἀδελφὸς καὶ Νικήρατος ὁ Νικίου καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς ὡς ἀπὸ τῆς πομπῆς.
And a little later Polemarchus arrived, and Adeimantus, Glaucon's brother, and Niceratus, the son of Nicias, and several others, apparently returning from the procession.
ὁ οὖν Πολέμαρχος ἔφη· ὦ Σώκρατες, δοκεῖτέ μοι πρὸς ἄστυ ὡρμῆσθαι ὡς ἀπιόντες. οὐ γὰρ κακῶς δοξάζεις, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ.
Then Polemarchus said, "Socrates, you seem to me to be hastening toward the city, as if you were going away." "You do not judge poorly," I said.
ὁρᾷς οὖν ἡμᾶς, ἔφη, ὅσοι ἐσμέν; πῶς γὰρ οὔ; ἢ τοίνυν τούτων, ἔφη, κρείττους γένεσθε ἢ μένετʼ αὐτοῦ. οὐκοῦν, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, ἔτι ἓν λείπεται, τὸ ἢν πείσωμεν ὑμᾶς ὡς χρὴ ἡμᾶς ἀφεῖναι; ἦ καὶ δύναισθʼ ἄν, ἦ δʼ ὅς, πεῖσαι μὴ ἀκούοντας; οὐδαμῶς, ἔφη ὁ Γλαύκων.
"Do you see, then," he said, "how many of us there are?" "Of course." "Well, then," he said, "either prove yourselves stronger than these men, or remain here." "Is there not, then," I said, "still one alternative left: what if we persuade you that you must let us go?" "And could you really persuade us," he said, "if we refuse to listen?" "By no means," said Glaucon.
ὡς τοίνυν μὴ ἀκουσομένων, οὕτω διανοεῖσθε. §1.328καὶ ὁ Ἀδείμαντος, ἆρά γε, ἦ δʼ ὅς, οὐδʼ ἴστε ὅτι λαμπὰς ἔσται πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἀφʼ ἵππων τῇ θεῷ;
"Assume, then, that we will not listen, and make your plans accordingly." And Adeimantus said, "Do you really not even know that there is to be a torch race on horseback in the evening for the Goddess?" "On horseback?" I said.
ἀφʼ ἵππων; ἦν δʼ ἐγώ· καινόν γε τοῦτο.
"That is indeed a novelty.
λαμπάδια ἔχοντες διαδώσουσιν ἀλλήλοις ἁμιλλώμενοι τοῖς ἵπποις;
Will they hold torches and pass them to one another while racing on horses?
ἢ πῶς λέγεις; οὕτως, ἔφη ὁ Πολέμαρχος.
Or how do you mean?" "Just so," said Polemarchus.
καὶ πρός γε παννυχίδα ποιήσουσιν, ἣν ἄξιον θεάσασθαι·
"And besides, they will perform an all-night festival, which is well worth seeing.
ἐξαναστησόμεθα γὰρ μετὰ τὸ δεῖπνον καὶ τὴν παννυχίδα θεασόμεθα.
For we shall rise after dinner and watch the night festival.
καὶ συνεσόμεθά τε πολλοῖς τῶν νέων αὐτόθι καὶ διαλεξόμεθα.
And we shall be together with many of the young men there and converse.
ἀλλὰ μένετε καὶ μὴ ἄλλως ποιεῖτε. καὶ ὁ Γλαύκων, ἔοικεν, ἔφη, μενετέον εἶναι. ἀλλʼ εἰ δοκεῖ, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, οὕτω χρὴ ποιεῖν. ἦιμεν οὖν οἴκαδε εἰς τοῦ Πολεμάρχου, καὶ Λυσίαν τε αὐτόθι κατελάβομεν καὶ Εὐθύδημον, τοὺς τοῦ Πολεμάρχου ἀδελφούς, καὶ δὴ καὶ Θρασύμαχον τὸν Καλχηδόνιον καὶ Χαρμαντίδην τὸν Παιανιᾶ καὶ Κλειτοφῶντα τὸν Ἀριστωνύμου·
So remain, and do not do otherwise." And Glaucon said, "It seems we must stay." "Well, if it seems best," I said, "so we must do." We went then to the house of Polemarchus, and there we found Lysias and Euthydemus, the brothers of Polemarchus, and also Thrasymachus of Chalcedon, Charmantides of Paeania, and Cleitophon, the son of Aristonymus.
ἦν δʼ ἔνδον καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὁ τοῦ Πολεμάρχου Κέφαλος.
Cephalus, the father of Polemarchus, was also indoors.
καὶ μάλα πρεσβύτης μοι ἔδοξεν εἶναι· διὰ χρόνου γὰρ καὶ ἑωράκη αὐτόν.
He seemed to me to be very old, for it was indeed a long time since I had seen him.
καθῆστο δὲ ἐστεφανωμένος ἐπί τινος προσκεφαλαίου τε καὶ δίφρου· τεθυκὼς γὰρ ἐτύγχανεν ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ.
He was sitting on a cushioned chair, wearing a garland, as he happened to have just offered sacrifice in the courtyard.
ἐκαθεζόμεθα οὖν παρʼ αὐτόν· ἔκειντο γὰρ δίφροι τινὲς αὐτόθι κύκλῳ.
So we sat down beside him, for some chairs were placed there in a circle.
εὐθὺς οὖν με ἰδὼν ὁ Κέφαλος ἠσπάζετό τε καὶ εἶπεν· ὦ Σώκρατες, οὐ δὲ θαμίζεις ἡμῖν καταβαίνων εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ.
As soon as Cephalus saw me, he greeted me and said, "Socrates, you do not visit us often, coming down to the Piraeus.
χρῆν μέντοι.
You really ought to.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐγὼ ἔτι ἐν δυνάμει ἦ τοῦ ῥᾳδίως πορεύεσθαι πρὸς τὸ ἄστυ, οὐδὲν ἂν σὲ ἔδει δεῦρο ἰέναι, ἀλλʼ ἡμεῖς ἂν παρὰ σὲ ᾖμεν·
For if I still had the strength to travel easily to the city, there would be no need for you to come here, but we would go to you.
νῦν δέ σε χρὴ πυκνότερον δεῦρο ἰέναι.
As it is, you must come here more frequently.
ὡς εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι ἔμοιγε ὅσον αἱ ἄλλαι αἱ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα ἡδοναὶ ἀπομαραίνονται, τοσοῦτον αὔξονται αἱ περὶ τοὺς λόγους ἐπιθυμίαι τε καὶ ἡδοναί.
For be well assured that, for my part, as the other pleasures of the body fade away, the desires and pleasures of conversation increase in equal measure.
μὴ οὖν ἄλλως ποίει, ἀλλὰ τοῖσδέ τε τοῖς νεανίσκοις σύνισθι καὶ δεῦρο παρʼ ἡμᾶς φοίτα ὡς παρὰ φίλους τε καὶ πάνυ οἰκείους. καὶ μήν, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, ὦ Κέφαλε, χαίρω γε διαλεγόμενος τοῖς σφόδρα πρεσβύταις·
So do not do otherwise, but associate with these young men and come to visit us here, as to friends and very close relatives." "Indeed, Cephalus," I said, "I am delighted to converse with those who are very old.
δοκεῖ γάρ μοι χρῆναι παρʼ αὐτῶν πυνθάνεσθαι, ὥσπερ τινὰ ὁδὸν προεληλυθότων ἣν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἴσως δεήσει πορεύεσθαι, ποία τίς ἐστιν, τραχεῖα καὶ χαλεπή, ἢ ῥᾳδία καὶ εὔπορος.
For it seems to me that we ought to learn from them, as from travelers who have gone before us on a road which we too may have to travel, what kind of road it is—whether rough and difficult, or smooth and easy.
καὶ δὴ καὶ σοῦ ἡδέως ἂν πυθοίμην ὅτι σοι φαίνεται τοῦτο, ἐπειδὴ ἐνταῦθα ἤδη εἶ τῆς ἡλικίας ὃ δὴ
"ἐπὶ γήραος οὐδῷ"
φασιν εἶναι οἱ ποιηταί, πότερον χαλεπὸν τοῦ βίου, ἢ πῶς σὺ αὐτὸ ἐξαγγέλλεις.
And from you, in particular, I would gladly learn what your opinion is on this, since you are now at that time of life which the poets call 'on the threshold of old age'—whether you find it a difficult part of life, or how you report it yourself."