ADEIMANTOS: ( o Sokrates, why have you named

him fearless? ) ( and why wont he say more? )

( even if we ask ) ( poke ) ( he still wont speak )

( how is this being unafraid? ) ( doesnt he know

they-we want to hear everything about him? )

SOKRATES: for( it does )nt have-and-hold( the )nature

( growth-origin )( of )the steersman( kubernetes )

( they-dyad were steering )

( to bind himself )( to be in-need )of the sailors,

to be ruled( dyad-spider-web )by( from-under him )self.

οὐ γὰρ ἔχει φύσιν κυβερνήτην

ναυτῶν δεῖσθαι ἄρχεσθαι ὑφ᾽ αὑτοῦ

ADEIMANTOS: ( thinks for a minute ) ( o kubernetes,

what has-and-holds your nature, origin, growth? )

( where did you come from? ) ( how would you show us? )

i( we-being )i would take you to the spot by the lake,

( okay ) ( sprinkles! ) ( lets go together )

( and he would walk around the lake ) ( one way

or the other way, every day he could )

( some days the high path on the ridge, some days

the low ) ( sun, rain, or snow ) ( she found a place

to listen to herself ) ( in him ) ( we-seeking-we )

( we were right there ) ( we were reflection ) ( we

were seasons ) ( light and air and water ) ( so

neither are we a city man ) ( strictly )

( nor are we a business person ) ( at all ),

SOKRATES: nor(for)the wise(skilled-clever ones)

to go(up to)the double-folding-she-doors

(you will thrust out-of-doors)

of the wealthy-rich(ones),

οὐδὲ τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐπὶ τὰς τῶν πλουσίων θύρας ἰέναι,

ADEIMANTOS: ( but for four important years )

where i( we-being )i used to sit smoking as a teenager

( was in the city ) ( around the peopled streets

and metro of the nations capitol )

( to make it through high school, an urban glitch )

( the weird, the wild, the human unpredictable )

( for company and fumes to strengthen breadth )

( and yes, we walked the razors edge of her )

( as if self-damage would make her invincible )

( after some boy had said her joy was hideous )

SOKRATES: but still he(refining-subtlety-cleverly-inventing)this lied,

ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοῦτο κομψευσάμενος ἐψεύσατο,

ADEIMANTOS: ( but still excuse me Sokrates,

we didnt tell you everything he said.,

he also said she was an hysterical bitch ),

SOKRATES: but still he(refining-subtlety-cleverly-inventing)this lied,

ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοῦτο κομψευσάμενος ἐψεύσατο,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and he called her a self-entitled brat ),

SOKRATES: but still he(refining-subtlety-cleverly-inventing)this lied,

ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοῦτο κομψευσάμενος ἐψεύσατο,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and he called her profoundly selfish ),

SOKRATES: but still he(refining-subtlety-cleverly-inventing)this lied,

ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοῦτο κομψευσάμενος ἐψεύσατο,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and he told her she had to change her work,

to be more like his work,

and his work ),

SOKRATES: but still he(refining-subtlety-cleverly-inventing)this lied,

ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοῦτο κομψευσάμενος ἐψεύσατο,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and he said what she was doing was

the opposite of philosophy ),

SOKRATES: but still he(refining-subtlety-cleverly-inventing)this lied,

ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοῦτο κομψευσάμενος ἐψεύσατο,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and he forced her to repeat out loud

that anything she would ever put on paper

would make even the most expensive paper,

the finest, most exquisite paper — worthless ),

SOKRATES: but still he(refining-subtlety-cleverly-inventing)this lied,

ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοῦτο κομψευσάμενος ἐψεύσατο,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and he called her stupid

many times ),

SOKRATES: but still he(refining-subtlety-cleverly-inventing)this lied,

ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοῦτο κομψευσάμενος ἐψεύσατο,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and she remembers every one

of their names, the men who said those things,

and one of them was her father ),

SOKRATES: but still he(refining-subtlety-cleverly-inventing)this lied,

ἀλλ᾽ ὁ τοῦτο κομψευσάμενος ἐψεύσατο,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and self-care would make him invisible )

( but still this one didnt try to hide ) ( child bride )

( so he was punished many times ) ( from many

angles ) ( each one hurt ) ( this knucklehead )

( until thirty or thirty-five ) ( when he realized

the hurts were pulling him away from her )

( that was the line ) ( thats when the voice said ) ( no )

( then ) hiding fom the world ( he tried to save

what could be saved ) ( he tried to write a book

about his mermaid-brain ) ( before he left

to find the self he didnt know ) ( and he

found love, because he found another man

who did believe in her, and loved her too )

( so pieces by her paradise make whole )

SOKRATES: but the true( unconcealed )

has been brought-forth( by nature )

( they had been brought-forth )( to have brought-forth )

( it has flown, fled, flight )( to have escaped )

( the charge )( they had been in exile ),

τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς πέφυκεν,

ADEIMANTOS: ( but dreams, as Hamlet shows, hold on to you )

( and this one yanked a chain ) ( build me a temple )

( and somehow ) ( how? ) ( he knew that it was Theuth )

( as if that shadowed master called him home )

( how did it make him feel? ) ( afraid, of course )

( when your own heart is hounding you ) ( by force )

( he didnt rush? ) ( there was no need ) ( if true,

he couldnt slow the course of destiny )

and on the walk back to town ( he put it thus )

( what he would do in heaven ) ( with joy )

( why shouldnt he do it now? ) ( own victory )

( but music was his designated work )

SOKRATES: whether wealthy or poor

( he would )produce by work( make, fabricate )

( he would labor and toil, strive, exert, construct )

( he would be weary, exhausted, fatigued )

( and he would suffer, perhaps be ill,

until his work was done ) ( until hed done

his work ) ( you too ) ( youd do your work )

( you would produce, make, fabricate, labor

and toil, strive, exert, construct ) ( you would

be weary, exhausted, fatigued ) ( and you

would suffer, perhaps be ill ) ( but work, until

youve done your work ),

ἐάντε πλούσιος ἐάντε πένης κάμνῃ,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and never doing quite what we were told )

i( we-being )i would show you ( our coldscars )

( suffice to say he has some scars )

( and some of them youre holding now )

and this ones scars as well —

( but whose are colder? his are pretty cold )

( cold irons bound )

SOKRATES: to be forced( constraint-necessity )

( o prison-chained )

to go( up to )the double-folding-she-doors

( you will thrust out-of-doors )( of )doctors-healers,

ἀναγκαῖον (489ξ) εἶναι ἐπὶ ἰατρῶν θύρας ἰέναι

ADEIMANTOS: ( to take our time, we might pass by )

my favorite playground ( play is how we learn )

( its where we watch the boys do monkeybars )

( its where we ) ( going on the swing ) ( swing high )

( swing low ) ( big sky) ( sweet chariot ) ( blue way )

( to feel ) ( being-away ) ( from home ) ( my feelings )

( but the tire swing in the forest was the best )

SOKRATES: and( indeed for )all the( being-bound-

in-needing-of )to be ruled,

( to go )to( the double-folding-she-doors )

of he who is able( potentially )to rule

( to begin, to show, to be the first ),

καὶ πάντα τὸν ἄρχεσθαι δεόμενον ἐπὶ τὰς τοῦ ἄρχειν δυναμένου,

ADEIMANTOS: ( it was mostly safe to explore )

in my childhood neighborhood ( although the boys

next door were always cooking-up some evil plan )

( what is it with the boys? ) ( he wished he knew )

( but we follow newer sidewalks to the broken ones )

( and walking the older, darker curving roads )

( and finding paths through the adjacent woods )

( we wind our way along the creek ) ( we would

go wading in the silt ) ( once, he measured

pollutants in the water for the science fair )

( found it was a biohazard ) ( got first place )

( another year he wrote computer code

to simulate three algorithmic modes

of evolution ) ( for that, the prize

was from the cia ) ( then failed

to rsvp for a tour of langley )

( we-being intelligence )

( woof! woof! )

SOKRATES: ( and )not( for )the ruler( o beginners-showing-first )

( of )the ones-being-ruled( all those coming after us )

to be bound-to and in need-of( the ones-coming-after )

( and )( to be )ruled( to begin, to show, to be the first ),

οὐ τὸν ἄρχοντα δεῖσθαι τῶν ἀρχομένων ἄρχεσθαι,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and if we dared to dream of )

the house i( we-being )i wanted to live in,

( it would be safe and quiet and calm and light )

( with level floors that wouldnt seem to move )

( and high ceilings ) ( with room enough for thought )

( and an exceptionally cozy bed )

( and enough blankets and pillows and throws )

( and baskets and drawers to fold and put things in )

( and hooks on certain walls for hanging clothes

or brooms or spoons or other kinds of tools )

( and a woodstove for warm toes in the winter )

( assuming winter ) ( and slow-grown food

that tastes like loving care ) ( to keep us there )

SOKRATES: if( there )would be any( furtherance,

advantage )help( o help )of him( or for him ),

( to-by-for )the( she- )truth( unconcealed ),

οὗ ἂν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τι ὄφελος ᾖ.

ADEIMANTOS: ( but thats the house we wanted )

and the one next to it where no one does ( the chores )

( where no one wants to go up to the doors )

( but its ours too ) ( has been our house before )

( until Nobody does ) ( go up to the doors )

( and Nobody starts making him do chores )

( related to fake sailors ) ( and heres the truth )

( he cant predict what he will say or do )

( what will be said or done in response )

( but he knows this one is deadly dangerous )

( and look, Socrates, at what happened to you )

SOKRATES: but still, he wouldnt miss-the-mark

(and you wouldnt-wont miss),

(by likening-representing-comparing)

the now-ruling(rulers)(beginning-first)politicians

(political men),

to(for-by)the sailors(we)were just-now speaking(of),

ἀλλὰ τοὺς νῦν πολιτικοὺς ἄρχοντας ἀπεικάζων

οἷς ἄρτι ἐλέγομεν ναύταις

οὐχ ἁμαρτήσῃ,

ADEIMANTOS: ( he wanted never to go that way again )

i( we-being)i would walk you along the route,

( where he would rather talk about the flowers )

( or the gang of wild turkeys that cross our path )

( or the barred owl calling from the trees )

SOKRATES: and(indeed)the useless(unprofitable-

unserviceable ones)(so-spoken)by(from-under)these,

καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ τούτων ἀχρήστους λεγομένους

ADEIMANTOS: ( so we walk in ) to my old school ( at least,

one of them ) ( and there are many different schools )

( looking at random bulletins ) ( he calms his nerves )

( in a basement hallway ) ( until seminar gets out

and then the young come flooding in ) ( and then

somebody recognizes him ) ( its nighttime now )

( and cold ) ( and everyone is nicely dressed )

( or its the snowflakes on their eyelashes )

( and now he wants a cigarette ) ( its toxic )

( cozy ) ( colonial brick-red ) ( and dangerous )

( but somehow she survived ) ( and yes, its true,

he didnt want to leave ) ( and yes, its true,

he needed to ) ( but later there will be a dance )

( it was indeed a party school ) ( o un-wasted

youth ) ( but there were many different schools )

( so that his pirate coat has many pockets

and its the motif of democracy )

( ugly ) ( versatile ) ( pastiche

as Cheehaw Station )

SOKRATES: and(indeed)(ones being-)spoken(of

as)shop-talkers after heavenly-lofty(star-signs,

climate, weather-gossip)things

(to-for-by)(the)as-truly(unconcealedly)steersmen,

καὶ μετεωρολέσχας τοῖς ὡς ἀληθῶς κυβερνήταις.

HERA: who have(and hold the)broad sky(heavens),

οἳ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσι.

SAILORS: (at the)most-straight-upright-angles),

ὀρθότατα,

SOKRATES: ( he would )

show every corner with a story attached

( to his capacity ) ( as things come up ),

SAILORS: (he)was saying,

ἔφη.

SOKRATES: ( he would have memories )

and we would write our own

( braided ) ( poetry around them ),

HERA: now(you), consider(ponder-bethink-purpose-plan-

contrive-observe-beware)(you were considering),

lest(to-for-by)you, we(would)back-again(hereafter)craft

(devise-contrive-wile-counsel-plan)(we would)(we will)

(squeeze-out the juice)(curdle the milk)(you,

squeezed and curdled)some-

thing evil(ugly-bad),

φράζεο νῦν μή τοί τι κακὸν μητίσομ᾽ ὀπίσσω.

ADEIMANTOS: ( and his are the voices questioning him )

( he doesnt ask to be or not to be )

( he asks ) ( what is this-he? ) ( who does his best for you )

( in whom you trust ) ( that he might get it right )

on the faded streets ( about specific names,

and dates, and details ) ( or he might get it wrong )

( but he will write things other men dont like )

( he writes whom they would make impossible ),

SOKRATES: and therefore from these and( indeed )in these,

( its )not easy( for )the best pursuit to( have a )good

( well-seeming )reputation,

by( from-under )those pursuing( its dyad )opposites;

ἔκ τε τοίνυν τούτων καὶ ἐν τούτοις

οὐ ῥᾴδιον εὐδοκιμεῖν τὸ βέλτιστον ἐπιτήδευμα

ὑπὸ τῶν τἀναντία ἐπιτηδευόντων:

ADEIMANTOS: ( but there isnt much worth rescuing )

of this dying ( profession ), ( the gag that stole

the logos-word by which we sail ) ( she says

they treat her like their garbage can ) ( until

he takes her back for you ) ( slowly at first )

( until he cleans her up, empties her out )

( and keeps her warm until shes young and blew

and beautiful again ) ( enacting she

who holds our end ) ( or what, Sokrates? ),

SOKRATES: but by(far)many(the)greatest

and( indeed )most-forceful(violent-strong)slander

(false-accusation-charges)come-to-be

(to-by-for)philosophy(wisdom-love),

(489δ) πολὺ δὲ μεγίστη καὶ ἰσχυροτάτη διαβολὴ

γίγνεται φιλοσοφίᾳ

ADEIMANTOS: ( in the ashes of that ) darling town,

SOKRATES: through those claiming to pursue such things,

διὰ τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα φάσκοντας ἐπιτηδεύειν,

ADEIMANTOS: as statecraft,

( but what they do, o Sokrates

he beauty-calls ) as never-ending war 

against all life.

//

from Republic VI