Socrates in Plato’s Phaedrus Passage 278

ΣΩ. ὁ δέ γε ἐν μὲν τῷ γεγραμμένῳ λόγῳ περὶ ἑκάστου παιδιάν τε ἡγούμενος πολλὴν ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι, καὶ οὐδένα πώποτε λόγον ἐν μέτρῳ οὐδʼ ἄνευ μέτρου μεγάλης ἄξιον σπουδῆς γραφῆναι, οὐδὲ λεχθῆναι ὡς οἱ ῥαψῳδούμενοι ἄνευ ἀνακρίσεως καὶ διδαχῆς πειθοῦς ἕνεκα ἐλέχθησαν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὄντι αὐτῶν τοὺς βελτίστους εἰδότων ὑπόμνησιν γεγονέναι, ἐν δὲ τοῖς διδασκομένοις καὶ μαθήσεως χάριν λεγομένοις καὶ τῷ ὄντι γραφομένοις ἐν ψυχῇ περὶ δικαίων τε καὶ καλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἐν μόνοις ἡγούμενος τό τε ἐναργὲς εἶναι καὶ τέλεον καὶ ἄξιον σπουδῆς· δεῖν δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους αὑτοῦ λέγεσθαι οἷον ὑεῖς γνησίους εἶναι, πρῶτον μὲν τὸν ἐν αὑτῷ, ἐὰν εὑρεθεὶς ἐνῇ, ἔπειτα εἴ τινες τούτου ἔκγονοί τε καὶ ἀδελφοὶ ἅμα ἐν ἄλλαισιν ἄλλων ψυχαῖς κατʼ ἀξίαν ἐνέφυσαν· τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους χαίρειν ἐῶν - οὗτος δὲ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀνὴρ κινδυνεύει, ὦ Φαῖδρε, εἶναι οἷον ἐγώ τε καὶ σὺ εὐξαίμεθʼ ἂν σέ τε καὶ ἐμὲ γενέσθαι. ΦΑΙ. παντάπασι μὲν οὖν ἔγωγε βούλομαί τε καὶ εὔχομαι ἃ λέγεις. ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν ἤδη πεπαίσθω μετρίως ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ λόγων· καὶ σύ τε ἐλθὼν φράζε Λυσίᾳ ὅτι νὼ καταβάντε ἐς τὸ Νυμφῶν νᾶμά τε καὶ μουσεῖον ἠκούσαμεν λόγων, οἳ ἐπέστελλον λέγειν Λυσίᾳ τε καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος συντίθησι λόγους, καὶ Ὁμήρῳ καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος αὖ ποίησιν ψιλὴν ἢ ἐν ᾠδῇ συντέθηκε, τρίτον δὲ Σόλωνι καὶ ὅστις ἐν πολιτικοῖς λόγοις νόμους ὀνομάζων συγγράμματα ἔγραψεν· εἰ μὲν εἰδὼς ᾗ τὸ ἀληθὲς ἔχει συνέθηκε ταῦτα, καὶ ἔχων βοηθεῖν, εἰς ἔλεγχον ἰὼν περὶ ὧν ἔγραψε, καὶ λέγων αὐτὸς δυνατὸς τὰ γεγραμμένα φαῦλα ἀποδεῖξαι, οὔ τι τῶνδε ἐπωνυμίαν ἔχοντα δεῖ λέγεσθαι τὸν τοιοῦτον, ἀλλʼ ἐφʼ οἷς ἐσπούδακεν ἐκείνων. ΦΑΙ. τίνας οὖν τὰς ἐπωνυμίας αὐτῷ νέμεις; ΣΩ. τὸ μὲν σοφόν, ὦ Φαῖδρε, καλεῖν ἔμοιγε μέγα εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ θεῷ μόνῳ πρέπειν· τὸ δὲ ἢ φιλόσοφον ἢ τοιοῦτόν τι μᾶλλόν τε ἂν αὐτῷ καὶ ἁρμόττοι καὶ ἐμμελεστέρως ἔχοι. ΦΑΙ. καὶ οὐδέν γε ἀπὸ τρόπου. ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν αὖ τὸν μὴ ἔχοντα τιμιώτερα ὧν συνέθηκεν ἢ ἔγραψεν ἄνω κάτω στρέφων ἐν χρόνῳ, πρὸς ἄλληλα κολλῶν τε καὶ ἀφαιρῶν, ἐν δίκῃ που ποιητὴν ἢ λόγων συγγραφέα ἢ νομογράφον προσερεῖς; ΦΑΙ. τί μήν; ΣΩ. ταῦτα τοίνυν τῷ ἑταίρῳ φράζε. ΦΑΙ. τί δὲ σύ; πῶς ποιήσεις; οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ τὸν σὸν ἑταῖρον δεῖ παρελθεῖν. ΣΩ. τίνα τοῦτον; ΦΑΙ. Ἰσοκράτη τὸν καλόν· ᾧ τί ἀπαγγελεῖς, ὦ Σώκρατες; τίνα αὐτὸν φήσομεν εἶναι;

Socrates. But the man who thinks that in the written word there is necessarily much that is playful, and that no written discourse, whether in meter or in prose, deserves to be treated very seriously (and this applies also to the recitations of the rhapsodes, delivered to sway people’s minds, without opportunity for questioning and teaching), but that the best of them really serve only to remind us of what we know; and who thinks that only in words about justice and beauty and goodness spoken by teachers for the sake of instruction and really written in a soul is clearness and perfection and serious value, that such words should be considered the speaker’s own legitimate offspring, first the word within himself, if it be found there, and secondly its descendants or brothers which may have sprung up in worthy manner in the souls of others, and who pays no attention to the other words, - that man, Phaedrus, is likely to be such as you and I might pray that we ourselves may become. Phaedrus. By all means that is what I wish and pray for. Socrates. We have amused ourselves with talk about words long enough. Go and tell Lysias that you and I came down to the fountain and sacred place of the nymphs, and heard words which they told us to repeat to Lysias and anyone else who composed speeches, and to Homer or any other who has composed poetry with or without musical accompaniment, and third to Solon and whoever has written political compositions which he calls laws: If he has composed his writings with knowledge of the truth, and is able to support them by discussion of that which he has written, and has the power to show by his own speech that the written words are of little worth, such a man ought not to derive his title from such writings, but from the serious pursuit which underlies them. Phaedrus. What titles do you grant them then? Socrates. I think, Phaedrus, that the epithet wise is too great and befits God alone; but the name philosopher, that is, lover of wisdom, or something of the sort would be more fitting and modest for such a man. Phaedrus. And quite appropriate. Socrates. On the other hand, he who has nothing more valuable than the things he has composed or written, turning his words up and down at his leisure, adding this phrase and taking that away, will you not properly address him as poet or writer of speeches or of laws? Phaedrus. Certainly. Socrates. Tell this then to your friend. Phaedrus. But what will you do? For your friend ought not to be passed by. Socrates. What friend? Phaedrus. The fair Isocrates. What message will you give him? What shall we say that he is?

[278b] ou frères des premiers, naissent dans d’autres âmes sans démentir leur origine, suppose enfin qu’il ne reconnaît que ceux là et rejette avec mépris tous les autres, cet homme pourra bien être tel que Phèdre et moi nous souhaiterions de devenir. PHÈDRE. Oui, certes, je le désire, et je le demande aux dieux. SOCRATE. Laissons donc ce badinage sur l’art de parler ; et toi, va dire à Lysias qu’étant descendus dans le ruisseau des nymphes et l’asile des Muses, nous avons entendu des discours qui nous commandaient [278c] d’aller dire à Lysias et à tous les discoureurs, puis à Homère et à tous les poètes lyriques ou non, enfin à Solon et à tous ceux qui ont écrit des discours dans le genre politique sous le nom de lois, que si, en composant ces ouvrages, quelqu’un d’eux est sûr de posséder la vérité, s’il est capable de défendre ce qu’il aura dit quand on en viendra à un examen sérieux, et de surpasser encore, ses écrits par ses paroles, il ne faut pas lui donner les noms dont nous nous sommes servis ; qu’il faut au contraire tirer son [278d] nom des choses dont il s’est sérieusement occupé. PHÈDRE. Eh bien, quels noms lui accordes-tu ? SOCRATE. Celui de sage me paraît trop grand et ne convenir qu’à Dieu seul ; mais le nom d’ami de la sagesse, le nom de philosophe, ou un autre semblable, lui conviendrait mieux et serait plus en harmonie avec son caractère. PHÈDRE. Cela me semble fort raisonnable. SOCRATE. Mais celui qui n’a rien de plus précieux que ce qu’il a composé ou écrit, après bien des corrections, des additions [278e] et des retranchements, tu avais raison de l’appeler poète, écrivain de discours, faiseur de lois. PHÈDRE. Je le conçois. SOCRATE. Va donc faire part à ton ami de tout cela. PHÈDRE. Mais toi, comment feras-tu ? il ne faut pas non plus oublier ton ami. SOCRATE. Lequel donc ? PHÈDRE. Le bel Isocrate. Que lui diras-tu, Socrate, ou que dirons-nous de lui ? SOCRATE. Isocrate est encore jeune, mon cher Phèdre ; mais je veux néanmoins