§7.801ΑΘ. εὐφημία, καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ τῆς ᾠδῆς γένος εὔφημον ἡμῖν πάντῃ πάντως ὑπαρχέτω;
ATH.: Let there be auspicious silence, and indeed let the genre of song as well be auspicious for us in every way and by all means?
ἢ μηδὲν ἐπανερωτῶ, τιθῶ δὲ τοῦτο οὕτως;
Or should I ask no further questions, but establish this as such?
ΚΛ. παντάπασι μὲν οὖν τίθει· νικᾷ γὰρ πάσαισι ταῖς ψήφοις οὗτος ὁ νόμος.
CL.: By all means establish it; for this law wins by all votes.
ΑΘ. τίς δὴ μετʼ εὐφημίαν δεύτερος ἂν εἴη νόμος μουσικῆς;
ATH.: Then, what would be the second law of music after auspicious silence?
ἆρʼ οὐκ εὐχὰς εἶναι τοῖς θεοῖς οἷς θύομεν ἑκάστοτε;
Is it not that there should be prayers to the gods to whom we sacrifice on each occasion?
ΚΛ. πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
CL.: How indeed?
ΑΘ. τρίτος δʼ οἶμαι νόμος, ὅτι γνόντας δεῖ τοὺς ποιητὰς ὡς εὐχαὶ παρὰ θεῶν αἰτήσεις εἰσίν, δεῖ δὴ τὸν νοῦν αὐτοὺς σφόδρα προσέχειν μή ποτε λάθωσιν κακὸν ὡς ἀγαθὸν αἰτούμενοι· γελοῖον γὰρ δὴ τὸ πάθος οἶμαι τοῦτʼ ἂν γίγνοιτο, εὐχῆς τοιαύτης γενομένης.
ATH.: And the third law, I think, is that, recognizing that prayers are requests from the gods, the poets must pay extremely close attention lest they ever, without realizing it, request something bad as if it were good; for I think this occurrence would indeed become ridiculous, if such a prayer were made.
ΚΛ. τί μήν;
CL.: How indeed?
ΑΘ. οὐκοῦν ἡμεῖς ἔμπροσθεν σμικρὸν τῷ λόγῳ ἐπείσθημεν ὡς οὔτε ἀργυροῦν δεῖ πλοῦτον οὔτε χρυσοῦν ἐν πόλει ἱδρυμένον ἐνοικεῖν;
ATH.: Did we not, then, a little while ago in our discourse, become convinced that neither silver nor golden wealth should dwell established in our city?
ΚΛ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
CL.: By all means.
ΑΘ. τίνος οὖν ποτε παράδειγμα εἰρῆσθαι φῶμεν τοῦτον τὸν λόγον;
ATH.: Of what, then, should we say this discourse was spoken as an example?
ἆρʼ οὐ τοῦδε, ὅτι τὸ τῶν ποιητῶν γένος οὐ πᾶν ἱκανόν ἐστι γιγνώσκειν σφόδρα τά τε ἀγαθὰ καὶ μή;
Is it not of this, that the race of poets is not altogether capable of knowing very well both what is good and what is not?
ποιήσας οὖν δήπου τὶς ποιητὴς ῥήμασιν ἢ καὶ κατὰ μέλος τοῦτο ἡμαρτημένον, εὐχὰς οὐκ ὀρθάς, ἡμῖν τοὺς πολίτας περὶ τῶν μεγίστων εὔχεσθαι τἀναντία ποιήσει· καίτοι τούτου, καθάπερ ἐλέγομεν, οὐ πολλὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἀνευρήσομεν μείζω.
Therefore, if some poet, no doubt, makes this error in words or even in melody, making prayers that are not right, he will make our citizens pray for the opposite concerning the greatest things; and yet, as we were saying, we shall not find many errors greater than this.
θῶμεν δὴ καὶ τοῦτον τῶν περὶ μοῦσαν νόμων καὶ τύπων ἕνα;
Shall we then establish this also as one of the laws and types concerning the Muse?
ΚΛ. τίνα;
CL.: What sort of thing?
σαφέστερον εἰπὲ ἡμῖν.
Tell us more clearly.
ΑΘ. τὸν ποιητὴν παρὰ τὰ τῆς πόλεως νόμιμα καὶ δίκαια ἢ καλὰ ἢ ἀγαθὰ μηδὲν ποιεῖν ἄλλο, τὰ δὲ ποιηθέντα μὴ ἐξεῖναι τῶν ἰδιωτῶν μηδενὶ πρότερον δεικνύναι, πρὶν ἂν αὐτοῖς τοῖς περὶ ταῦτα ἀποδεδειγμένοις κριταῖς καὶ τοῖς νομοφύλαξιν δειχθῇ καὶ ἀρέσῃ· σχεδὸν δὲ ἀποδεδειγμένοι εἰσὶν ἡμῖν οὓς εἱλόμεθα νομοθέτας περὶ τὰ μουσικὰ καὶ τὸν τῆς παιδείας ἐπιμελητήν.
ATH.: That the poet shall make nothing contrary to the customs, the just, the beautiful, or the good of the city, and it shall not be permitted for any of the private citizens to show what has been made to anyone before it has been shown to and approved by the judges appointed for these matters and by the guardians of the laws; and those whom we chose as legislators concerning music and the director of education are pretty much appointed for us as these.
τί οὖν;
What then?
ὃ πολλάκις ἐρωτῶ, κείσθω νόμος ἡμῖν καὶ τύπος ἐκμαγεῖόν τε τρίτον τοῦτο;
As I often ask, shall this be established as our law, type, and third mould?
ἢ πῶς δοκεῖ;
Or how does it seem?
ΚΛ. κείσθω· τί μήν;
CL.: Let it be established; how indeed?
ΑΘ. μετά γε μὴν ταῦτα ὕμνοι θεῶν καὶ ἐγκώμια κεκοινωνημένα εὐχαῖς ᾄδοιτʼ ἂν ὀρθότατα, καὶ μετὰ θεοὺς ὡσαύτως περὶ δαίμονάς τε καὶ ἥρωας μετʼ ἐγκωμίων εὐχαὶ γίγνοιντʼ ἂν τούτοις πᾶσιν πρέπουσαι.
ATH.: Furthermore, after these, hymns to gods and encomia joined with prayers would be most correctly sung; and after gods, likewise, prayers with encomia would be made to daemons and heroes, fitting for them all.
ΚΛ. πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
CL.: How indeed?
ΑΘ. μετά γε μὴν ταῦτʼ ἤδη νόμος ἄνευ φθόνων εὐθὺς γίγνοιτʼ ἂν ὅδε· τῶν πολιτῶν ὁπόσοι τέλος ἔχοιεν τοῦ βίου, κατὰ σώματα ἢ κατὰ ψυχὰς ἔργα ἐξειργασμένοι καλὰ καὶ ἐπίπονα καὶ τοῖς νόμοις εὐπειθεῖς γεγονότες, ἐγκωμίων αὐτοὺς τυγχάνειν πρέπον ἂν εἴη.
ATH.: Furthermore, after these, this law without envy would immediately come to be: for those of the citizens who have reached the end of their life, having performed beautiful and laborious works either in body or in soul and having been obedient to the laws, it would be fitting for them to obtain encomia.
ΚΛ. πῶς δʼ οὔ;
CL.: How indeed?