ADEIMANTOS: friend Pan, and as many other we-beings as come

by this-she-here. grant me to be born by beauty

from within. but as many as we hold without, 

may these, by me, be friends to things within.

so may these be my best attempts to mend 

the parts of us available to me.

by me, may parts be fine for how they seem.

as circles, black or white, or sticks, or hearts,

or scat from butterfly, parts do not judge.

when shark, grant that we not slice-off my fin.

without which we cant swim nor steer nor stay

alive, removing which unholds me from myself.

and when we see me, fin-less, sink and die

and helpless at the bottom of the sea,

me-un-survived, yet would these mean no harm.

do we still need something else, Sokrates?

SOKRATES: ( and indeed )would come-to-know( perceive, 

know by reflection, by observation, discern, distinguish, 

recognize )and( indeed )truly( unconcealedly )

would( living )be alive,

γνοίη τε καὶ ἀληθῶς ζῴη

ADEIMANTOS: so would we be delivered from our sentences.

and to that end, grant me a ( head full of words )

that ( flood in ) from without, so wed be kept afloat

at favorable proportions to her wind,

SOKRATES: and( indeed )would be nurtured( reared, brought-up, 

bringing-forth, maintained, supported, educated )

( thickening-curdled-congealed ),

καὶ τρέφοιτο

ADEIMANTOS: so that we may, through sound experience,

across the seas ( in all the languages ),

discover and recover kubernesis ( steering art ).

and may there be ( silly little things ) aswim

to keep us generously entertained,

SOKRATES: and( indeed )thus would cease 

the labor-pangs( throes of childbirth ),

καὶ οὕτω λήγοι ὠδῖνος, 

ADEIMANTOS: be our perfection ( not important ).

but not until ( a soup of sounds and phrases ) out,

of our many names and voices carried from

afar, meet in some kind of harmony,

SOKRATES: but not until( that ),

πρὶν δ᾽ οὔ;

HERAKLES: ( even indeed )( we )being a child

( slave, servant )of Zeus of Kronos,

Ζηνὸς μὲν πάϊς ἦα Κρονίονος,

SAILORS: and( three-hundred )as such,

ὡς οἷόν τ᾽, 

SOKRATES: would we cease ( finding connections ) and binding-needs-

we-beingly vessels adrift, to make 

and do ( the most important ) work,

SAILORS: ( he )was saying,

ἔφη, 

SOKRATES: to demonstrate ( opening doors ) between,

and ( portraying the lightness ) and resilience of things 

such as lyres, rainbows, longbows, and vessels,

SAILORS: ( the )most-measured( things ),

μετριώτατα.

SOKRATES: and still partaking in ( the stream ) of Ocean,

we being neither stranded, nor alone, but sheltered by

the ship-like temples ( of shared rooms ) abroad

and in uncharted territories,

HERA: but still, ( o she-being ), ( o she-dyad )being far

( in a far country and in after-times )away from you, 

( we will )( meta-be )among( go-between )( go-in-quest-of )

( approach )( pursue-with-vengeance )( and have a share in, 

go among, go seek, in quest of, a claim )to immortal gods,

ἀλλ᾽ ἀπὸ σεῖο

(330) τηλόθ᾽ ἐοῦσα θεοῖσι μετέσσομαι ἀθανάτοισιν.

SAILORS: to hate,

μισεῖν,

SOKRATES: neither the unknown, nor even the far from me,

nor indeed the strange, but always ( flowing two ways )

to trust and let ( the closeness ) of her heart

be sought and gathered by our speaking-through,

SAILORS: ( he )was saying,

ἔφη.

SOKRATES: so that we may be ( connecting the dots ) 

to give birth in and by the beautiful

to life, to animals, to human beings,

and earths in blessed commonwealth ( of shared thoughts ).

ALL: for common are the shes of friends, by which

we go and come, unchained and sailing again.

// 

from hymn to Apollo

Republic VI

head full of words

shared air