§2.1262aὥστε πάντες ὁμοίως ὀλιγωρήσουσιν.
So that all will show neglect equally.
ἔτι οὕτως ἕκαστος
"ἐμὸς"
λέγει τὸν εὖ πράττοντα τῶν πολιτῶν ἢ κακῶς, ὁπόστος τυγχάνει τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὤν, οἷον ἐμὸς ἢ τοῦ δεῖνος, τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον λέγων καθʼ ἕκαστον τῶν χιλίων, ἢ ὅσων ἡ πόλις ἐστί, καὶ τοῦτο διστάζων· ἄδηλον γὰρ ᾧ συνέβη γενέσθαι τέκνον καὶ σωθῆναι γενόμενον.
Furthermore, in this way each person says "mine" of whichever citizen is doing well or ill, depending on what number he happens to be, saying for example "mine" or "so-and-so's," speaking in this manner of each of the thousand, or of however many the city consists of, and doing this with doubt; for it is unclear to whom a child happened to be born and, once born, to have survived.
καίτοι πότερον οὕτω κρεῖττον τὸ ἐμὸν λέγειν ἕκαστον, τὸ αὐτὸ ἐμὸν προσαγορεύοντα δισχιλίων καὶ μυρίων, ἢ μᾶλλον ὡς νῦν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι τὸ ἐμὸν λέγουσιν;
And yet, is it better for each to say "mine" in this way, addressing the same person as "mine" among two thousand or ten thousand, or rather as they now say "mine" in the cities?
ὁ μὲν γὰρ υἱὸν αὑτοῦ ὁ δὲ ἀδελφὸν αὑτοῦ προσαγορεύει τὸν αὐτόν, ὁ δʼ ἀνεψιόν, ἢ κατʼ ἄλλην τινὰ συγγένειαν πρὸς αἵματος ἢ κατʼ οἰκειότητα καὶ κηδείαν αὑτοῦ πρῶτον ἢ τῶν αὑτοῦ, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἕτερος φράτορα φυλέτην.
For one calls the same person his own son, another his brother, another his cousin, or according to some other blood relationship, or according to some affinity and marriage connection of himself first or of his relatives, and besides these, another calls him a clansman or tribesman.
κρεῖττον γὰρ ἴδιον ἀνεψιὸν εἶναι ἢ τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον υἱόν.
For it is better to be a cousin in one's own right than a son in this fashion.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ διαφυγεῖν δυνατὸν τὸ μή τινας ὑπολαμβάνειν ἑαυτῶν ἀδελφούς τε καὶ παῖδας καὶ πατέρας καὶ μητέρας· κατὰ γὰρ τὰς ὁμοιότητας αἳ γίνονται τοῖς τέκνοις πρὸς τοὺς γεννήσαντας ἀναγκαῖον λαμβάνειν περὶ ἀλλήλων τὰς πίστεις.
Nevertheless, it is not even possible to avoid some people supposing certain others to be their brothers, children, fathers, and mothers; for because of the resemblances that occur in children to their parents, they must inevitably form their beliefs about one another.
ὅπερ φασὶ καὶ συμβαίνειν τινὲς τῶν τὰς τῆς γῆς περιόδους πραγματευομένων· εἶναι γάρ τισι τῶν ἄνω Λιβύων κοινὰς τὰς γυναῖκας, τὰ μέντοι γινόμενα τέκνα διαιρεῖσθαι κατὰ τὰς ὁμοιότητας.
This is what some of those who write accounts of travels around the earth say actually happens; for they say that among some of the upper Libyans wives are held in common, but the children born are distributed according to their resemblances.
εἰσὶ δέ τινες καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων, οἷον ἵπποι καὶ βόες, αἳ σφόδρα πεφύκασιν ὅμοια ἀποδιδόναι τὰ τέκνα τοῖς γονεῦσιν, ὥσπερ ἡ ἐν Φαρσάλῳ κληθεῖσα Δικαία ἵππος.
And there are also some women, and females of other animals, such as horses and cattle, which by nature produce offspring extremely like their parents, as did the mare called "Just" in Pharsalus.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰς τοιαύτας δυσχερείας οὐ ῥᾴδιον εὐλαβηθῆναι τοῖς ταύτην κατασκευάζουσι τὴν κοινωνίαν, οἷον αἰκίας καὶ φόνους ἀκουσίους τοὺς δὲ ἑκουσίους, καὶ μάχας καὶ λοιδορίας· ὧν οὐδὲν ὅσιόν ἐστι γίνεσθαι πρὸς πατέρας καὶ μητέρας καὶ τοὺς μὴ πόρρω τῆς συγγενείας ὄντας, ὥσπερ πρὸς τοὺς ἄπωθεν· ἃ καὶ πλεῖον συμβαίνειν ἀναγκαῖον ἀγνοούντων ἢ γνωριζόντων, καὶ γενομένων τῶν μὲν γνωριζομένων ἐνδέχεται τὰς νομιζομένας γίνεσθαι λύσεις, τῶν δὲ μή, οὐδεμίαν.
Furthermore, it is not easy for those establishing this community to guard against such difficulties as assaults, involuntary or voluntary homicides, and fights and slanders; none of which is it holy to commit against fathers, mothers, and those not far removed in kinship, as it is against those who are far off; and these things must happen more often when people are ignorant of them than when they know them, and when they do happen, if they are known, it is possible for the customary expiations to be made, but if they are not known, none is possible.
ἄτοπον δὲ καὶ τὸ κοινοὺς ποιήσαντα τοὺς υἱοὺς τὸ συνεῖναι μόνον ἀφελεῖν τῶν ἐρώντων, τὸ δʼ ἐρᾶν μὴ κωλῦσαι, μηδὲ τὰς χρήσεις τὰς ἄλλας ἃς πατρὶ πρὸς υἱὸν εἶναι πάντων ἐστὶν ἀπρεπέστατον καὶ ἀδελφῷ πρὸς ἀδελφόν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ ἐρᾶν μόνον.
It is also absurd that, after making sons common, they only forbid lovers from sexual intercourse, but do not prevent loving, nor the other practices which of all are most unseemly between father and son, and brother and brother, since even loving alone is so.
ἄτοπον δὲ καὶ τὸ τὴν συνουσίαν ἀφελεῖν διʼ ἄλλην μὲν αἰτίαν μηδεμίαν, ὡς λίαν δὲ ἰσχυρᾶς τῆς ἡδονῆς γινομένης, ὅτι δʼ ὁ μὲν πατὴρ ἢ υἱός, οἱ δʼ ἀδελφοὶ ἀλλήλων, μηδὲν οἴεσθαι διαφέρειν.
It is also absurd to forbid sexual intercourse for no other reason than that the pleasure is too strong, while thinking that it makes no difference that one is father or son, or that they are brothers of one another.
ἔοικε δὲ μᾶλλον τοῖς γεωργοῖς εἶναι χρήσιμον τὸ κοινὰς εἶναι τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἢ τοῖς φύλαξιν·
And having wives and children in common seems to be more useful for the farmers than for the guardians.