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Plato Bilingual Anthology : PAIDEIA - OUT OF THE CAVE

from Politeia, * 514a-518d, translated by B. Jowett
* Parts translated by Elpenor in <angle brackets>

Greek Fonts / Plato Complete works / Plato Concept


ELPENOR EDITIONS IN PRINT
Page 6

To be sure, he said. And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the den, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death. No question, he said. This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. Καὶ μάλα γ΄͵ ἔφη. Τὰς δὲ δὴ σκιὰς ἐκείνας πάλιν εἰ δέοι αὐτὸν γνωματεύοντα διαμιλλᾶσθαι τοῖς ἀεὶ δεσμώταις ἐκείνοις͵ ἐν ᾧ ἀμβλυώττει͵ πρὶν καταστῆναι τὰ ὄμματα͵ οὗτος δ΄ ὁ χρόνος μὴ πάνυ ὀλίγος εἴη τῆς συνηθείας͵ ἆρ΄ οὐ γέλωτ΄ ἂν παράσχοι͵ καὶ λέγοιτο ἂν περὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀναβὰς ἄνω διεφθαρμένος ἥκει τὰ ὄμματα͵ καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἄξιον οὐδὲ πειρᾶσθαι ἄνω ἰέναι; καὶ τὸν ἐπιχειροῦντα λύειν τε καὶ ἀνάγειν͵ εἴ πως ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ δύναιντο λαβεῖν καὶ ἀποκτείνειν͵ ἀποκτεινύναι ἄν; Σφόδρα γ΄͵ ἔφη. Ταύτην τοίνυν͵ ἦν δ΄ ἐγώ͵ τὴν εἰκόνα͵ ὦ φίλε Γλαύκων͵ προσαπτέον ἅπασαν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν λεγομένοις͵ τὴν μὲν δι΄ ὄψεως φαινομένην ἕδραν τῇ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου οἰκήσει ἀφομοιοῦντα͵ τὸ δὲ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐν αὐτῇ φῶς τῇ τοῦ ἡλίου δυνάμει· τὴν δὲ ἄνω ἀνάβασιν καὶ θέαν τῶν ἄνω τὴν εἰς τὸν νοητὸν τόπον τῆς ψυχῆς ἄνοδον τιθεὶς οὐχ ἁμαρτήσῃ τῆς γ΄ ἐμῆς ἐλπίδος͵ ἐπειδὴ ταύτης ἐπιθυμεῖς ἀκούειν. θεὸς δέ που οἶδεν εἰ ἀληθὴς οὖσα τυγχάνει.
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Reference address : https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/ancient-greece/plato-paideia-cave.asp?pg=6