Dialogue
Socrates: (cont.) And doing this, sitting since early morning, he gave it up and went for a walk—knowing the speech thoroughly, I would guess, by the dog; unless it is very long indeed.
// 228β
καὶ τοῦτο δρῶν ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ καθήμενος ἀπειπὼν εἰς περίπατον ᾔει, ὡς μὲν ἐγὼ οἶμαι, νὴ τὸν κύνα, ἐξεπιστάμενος τὸν λόγον, εἰ μὴ πάνυ τι ἦν μακρός
//
Socrates: (cont.) But even that wasn’t enough. And he, managing to take possession of the book, examined what his heart most desired (epithumos).
// 228β
τῷ δὲ οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἦν ἱκανά, ἀλλὰ τελευτῶν παραλαβὼν τὸ βιβλίον ἃ μάλιστα ἐπεθύμει ἐπεσκόπει
//
Socrates: (cont.) Well do I know, that when he heard Lysias' speech, he didn’t hear it only once. But often and repeatedly, Phaedrus urged him to speak. And Lysias eagerly (prothumos) obliged.
// 228α-228β
εὖ οἶδα ὅτι Λυσίου λόγον ἀκούων ἐκεῖνος οὐ μόνον ἅπαξ ἤκουσεν, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις ἐπαναλαμβάνων ἐκέλευέν οἱ λέγειν, ὁ δὲ ἐπείθετο προθύμως
//
Socrates: O Phaedrus—if i fail to know my Phaedrus, i have forgotten my own self.
// 228α
ὦ Φαῖδρε, εἰ ἐγὼ Φαῖδρον ἀγνοῶ, καὶ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐπιλέλησμαι
//
Phaedrus: what could you mean, O best Socrates? when Lysias, who is the cleverest (deinos) of contemporary writers, composed it over a long time, and at his leisure; while i’m just—any old body—(idiotes)—
how could i remember this, in a way worthy of that ?
so i lack, abundantly; and yet, i’d want to— more than much gold becoming mine.
// 227δ-228α
Phaedrus: indeed Socrates, and the hearing relates to you; for the account was — of our spending, somehow, i don’t know — erotic; for Lysias has written the temptation (peirein) of a beauty; but not by a lover (erastes), this is his very subtlety — he says one must gratify (charisteos/charizomai) one who is not a lover, rather than a lover (era-o)
// 227ξ
καὶ μήν, ὦ Σώκρατες, προσήκουσα γέ σοι ἡ ἀκοή: ὁ γάρ τοι λόγος ἦν, περὶ ὃν διετρίβομεν, οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὅντινα τρόπον ἐρωτικός. γέγραφε γὰρ δὴ ὁ Λυσίας πειρώμενόν τινα τῶν καλῶν, οὐχ ὑπ᾽ ἐραστοῦ δέ, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ κεκόμψευται: λέγει γὰρ ὡς χαριστέον μὴ ἐρῶντι μᾶλλον ἢ ἐρῶντι
//
Socrates: O beloved (philos) Phaedrus, whereto and wherefrom?
Phaedrus: from Lysias, Socrates, son of Cephalus, and i am going for a walk outside the wall; for i spent a long time there, sitting since early morning; persuaded by your fellow and mine, Acumenus, i make my walkabout along the paths; he says they remedy weariness better than the racetracks
Socrates: beautifully said, O fellow; but it seems Lysias was in town
Phaedrus: yes, at Epicrates', the house of Morychus near the Olympian temple
Socrates: so what was the spending? or obviously Lysias was feasting you with speeches?
Phaedrus: you will learn, if you have leisure (schole) to hear as you go
Socrates: what, don’t you think i make it, as Pindar says, “a matter higher even than business” (a-scholias) to hear about your and Lysias' spending?
Phaedrus: then lead
Socrates: and speak
// 227α-β