§7.792ΑΘ. οὐκοῦν αἱ τροφοὶ σκοποῦσαι τίνος ἐπιθυμεῖ, τούτοις αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ προσφορᾷ τεκμαίρονται· οὗ μὲν γὰρ ἂν προσφερομένου σιγᾷ, καλῶς οἴονται προσφέρειν, οὗ δʼ ἂν κλάῃ καὶ βοᾷ, οὐ καλῶς.
ATH.: Therefore, the nurses, observing what the child desires, infer by these very things in what they offer: for when something is offered and he is silent, they think they are offering well, but when he weeps and cries out, they think they are not offering well.
τοῖς δὴ παιδίοις τὸ δήλωμα ὧν ἐρᾷ καὶ μισεῖ κλαυμοναὶ καὶ βοαί, σημεῖα οὐδαμῶς εὐτυχῆ·
Indeed, for children, the indication of what they love and hate is weepings and cryings—by no means auspicious signs.
ἔστιν δὲ ὁ χρόνος οὗτος τριῶν οὐκ ἐλάττων ἐτῶν, μόριον οὐ σμικρὸν τοῦ βίου διαγαγεῖν χεῖρον ἢ μὴ χεῖρον.
And this period is not less than three years, a not insignificant portion of life to spend worse or not worse.
ΚΛ. ὀρθῶς λέγεις.
CLIN.: You speak correctly.
ΑΘ. ὁ δὴ δύσκολος οὐδαμῶς τε ἵλεως ἆρʼ οὐ δοκεῖ σφῷν θρηνώδης τε εἶναι καὶ ὀδυρμῶν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ πλήρης μᾶλλον ἢ χρεών ἐστιν τὸν ἀγαθόν;
ATH.: Does not the bad-tempered and by no means gentle person seem to both of you to be mournful and, for the most part, more full of lamentations than a good person ought to be?
ΚΛ. ἐμοὶ γοῦν δοκεῖ.
CLIN.: To me, at least, it seems so.
ΑΘ. τί οὖν;
ATH.: What then?
εἴ τις τὰ τρίʼ ἔτη πειρῷτο πᾶσαν μηχανὴν προσφέρων ὅπως τὸ τρεφόμενον ἡμῖν ὡς ὀλιγίστῃ προσχρήσεται ἀλγηδόνι καὶ φόβοις καὶ λύπῃ πάσῃ κατὰ δύναμιν, ἆρʼ οὐκ οἰόμεθα εὔθυμον μᾶλλόν τε καὶ ἵλεων ἀπεργάζεσθαι τηνικαῦτα τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ τρεφομένου;
If someone should try, during these three years, employing every means so that the child nursed by us would experience as little pain, fears, and all grief as possible, do we not think that at that time we would render the soul of the child being nursed more cheerful and gentle?
ΚΛ. δῆλον δή, καὶ μάλιστά γʼ ἄν, ὦ ξένε, εἴ τις πολλὰς ἡδονὰς αὐτῷ παρασκευάζοι.
CLIN.: Clearly indeed, and most of all, stranger, if one were to provide many pleasures for him.
ΑΘ. τοῦτʼ οὐκέτʼ ἂν ἐγὼ Κλεινίᾳ συνακολουθήσαιμʼ ἄν, ὦ θαυμάσιε.
ATH.: In this, my admirable friend, I can no longer follow Cleinias.
ἔστιν γὰρ οὖν ἡμῖν ἡ τοιαύτη πρᾶξις διαφθορὰ μεγίστη πασῶν· ἐν ἀρχῇ γὰρ γίγνεται ἑκάστοτε τροφῆς.
For indeed, such a practice is for us the greatest corruption of all; for it occurs in every case at the beginning of nurture.
ὁρῶμεν δὲ εἴ τι λέγομεν.
Let us see if we are saying anything of worth.
ΚΛ. λέγε τί φῄς.
CLIN.: Say what you mean.
ΑΘ. οὐ σμικροῦ πέρι νῦν εἶναι νῷν τὸν λόγον.
ATH.: Our discussion now is about no small matter.
ὅρα δὲ καὶ σύ, συνεπίκρινέ τε ἡμᾶς, ὦ Μέγιλλε.
And do you also watch, and help us judge, Megillus.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐμὸς δὴ λόγος οὔθʼ ἡδονάς φησι δεῖν διώκειν τὸν ὀρθὸν βίον οὔτʼ αὖ τὸ παράπαν φεύγειν τὰς λύπας, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸ ἀσπάζεσθαι τὸ μέσον, ὃ νυνδὴ προσεῖπον ὡς ἵλεων ὀνομάσας, ἣν δὴ διάθεσιν καὶ θεοῦ κατά τινα μαντείας φήμην εὐστόχως πάντες προσαγορεύομεν.
For indeed, my argument says that the correct life should neither pursue pleasures nor, on the other hand, altogether flee from pains, but should embrace the middle itself, which I just now addressed, naming it as 'gentle'—which disposition we all, by some prophetic rumor, aptly address as that of God as well.
ταύτην τὴν ἕξιν διώκειν φημὶ δεῖν ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι θεῖον, μήτʼ οὖν αὐτὸν προπετῆ πρὸς τὰς ἡδονὰς γιγνόμενον ὅλως, ὡς οὐδʼ ἐκτὸς λυπῶν ἐσόμενον, μήτε ἄλλον, γέροντα ἢ νέον, ἐᾶν πάσχειν ταὐτὸν τοῦθʼ ἡμῖν, ἄρρενα ἢ θῆλυν, ἁπάντων δὲ ἥκιστα εἰς δύναμιν τὸν ἀρτίως νεογενῆ·
I say that this state must be pursued by whoever of us is to become godlike: neither himself becoming at all headlong toward pleasures—since he will not be free from pains either—nor allowing anyone else, old or young, male or female, to suffer this same thing among us, and least of all, as far as possible, the recently newborn.
κυριώτατον γὰρ οὖν ἐμφύεται πᾶσι τότε τὸ πᾶν ἦθος διὰ ἔθος.
For indeed, at that time, the entire character is most authoritatively implanted in all through habit.
ἔτι δʼ ἔγωγʼ, εἰ μὴ μέλλοιμι δόξειν παίζειν, φαίην ἂν δεῖν καὶ τὰς φερούσας ἐν γαστρὶ πασῶν τῶν γυναικῶν μάλιστα θεραπεύειν ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν, ὅπως μήτε ἡδοναῖς τισι πολλαῖς ἅμα καὶ μάργοις προσχρήσεται ἡ κύουσα μήτε αὖ λύπαις, τὸ δὲ ἵλεων καὶ εὐμενὲς πρᾷόν τε τιμῶσα διαζήσει τὸν τότε χρόνον.
And further, if I am not to seem to be jesting, I would say that of all women, those who are carrying in the womb must be cared for most of all during that year, so that the pregnant woman may neither indulge in many and gluttonous pleasures, nor on the other hand in pains, but may live through that time honoring the gentle, kindly, and mild.