Fish

Oct 4, 2026 ∞

VIII.xxiv. ( we wont ) rot ( unless ) we forget ( its his pòò ) in the well

ADEIMANTOS: O sailors of our craft, O Polly-tay,

how blows the wind on this, her holly-day?

SAILORS: who( which-all? )( what-all? )( -all? ), then,

( o somebodys )( o anybodys )( o many anyones )

( do you pay the price? )( do you pay-off your debt? )

( she-dyad-god )( was she binding )( bind, you )( god-

needed-bound )( was she in-need )( need, you )

( she-dyad-god )( indeed )must( be ) ?

τίνες δή;

ADEIMANTOS: aaah . . . she holds so much uncertainty,

but still its me, o yet-un-answered-we !

and how exhilaration bellows off the sea !

these breezes high indeed, and so far-flung

from smog of city men, she saves our lung.

but ( the air is thick with the smell of rot )

below, within our private pilots cell.

for she without be she within as well,

and ( weve been burning dupa ) given me

as gifts from islanders who welcome guests.

for there be no more pious men than what

some unreal men call swarthy savages,

gave scent helps me-ears mingling mightly.

whereby ( we hear ) shes ( clinging on tightly )

to what, an ear, an oar, the yard-arm or

the mast, broke be that merry beam no more,

no scrub for me, no scrub for her, sailors

supplied to do all dirtier chores,

let me, let be, relax, o soothing sea.. ( . . . Enya )

. . ( ..and then we talk )-( with her and really listening )-( better ),

HERA: but still( he )who, at least,

braver( stronger-mightier-better ) — be(

we )as much as far-sounding( euru-opa )Zeus( would be

braver )( mightier )( stronger )( better )( than )Kronos,

ἀλλ᾽ ὅ γε φέρτερος ἔστω, ὅσον Κρόνου εὐρύοπα Ζεύς.

SOKRATES: which( even-indeed, o )most wonderful

( marvellous, extraordinary )of all to hear,

ὃ μὲν πάντων θαυμαστότατον ἀκοῦσαι,

ADEIMANTOS: lets fare-thee-well, O best goddess !

at least as much as Euru-dike would-( we

)-be braver than Euru-opa? what crazy ratios.

but would that she ( who made herself in me ) meet herself ( in we ) !

our promise as our payment, dear divine,

( and everything Achilles would to pine ),

yet smouldering ( of leaves ) leaves air unclear.

( the what ifs and the buts ) begin to appear

soon as our flourish in pink ( -ink ) on papier,

SOKRATES: that in each of( those )which( we )praised

( approved, commended )( of )the( she- )nature

( growth-birth-origin )

( it )destroys( demolishes )( slays )( lays waste )( loses )

the( she- )having-holding-

( they cool )( we cool )( to be cool )( cooling )( of her )-soul

( life, spirit, ghost, source, self ),

ὅτι ἓν ἕκαστον ὧν ἐπῃνέσαμεν τῆς φύσεως ἀπόλλυσι τὴν ἔχουσαν ψυχὴν

ADEIMANTOS: and indeed to live in crucial-fiction, which ( witch ) brings

us to the ever-controversial ( mushrooms ).

first thing a mushroom ( we are ) many things.

it goes both ways, or three or four, parts-sing.

( we recommend those only grown on dung

or best discovered with a trusted pig. )

eat me, they seem to say, eat her, or you?

or you-know-who! or him? not mine to say.

and mushrooms come in different kinds, my kids,

( unsafe to say weve tried more than a few? )

they do a number on my surely-temple,

on whom, we wait for guidance from above

as sailors hit the decks, tripping-( and for

a moment )-if our sailors loose the ship —

SOKRATES: and( indeed, it )( would )tears- and drag( away-

from )( you )( would )( be tearing-away-

from )( she- )philosophy( wisdom-love ),

καὶ ἀποσπᾷ φιλοσοφίας.

ADEIMANTOS: as which, we call a mushroom bad-for-you ( poison ).

( but this has been a little prophecy )

( exteeeeeeeeeeeeeeended metaphor )

( a little pharmacy of written word )

( translating too all of the media that

the vast

numbers of men consume ) ( and possibly soul-

alter-

altar-ring technology ) ( which leaves a lot

of room ) ( we maybe beauty-calling scrolls )

but ( we flip? ) into this irony ( of anti-scroll

as these-shes grow the trippiest of blooms )

and how spores drift in the all-pink

( a soul put under things at her own risk )

( and men on-going tax her stretchiness )

( he-they his remedy or pharmakon for his )

( he-they his own doctor his own ills )

as ( the hopeful dreams ) gathering- and holding-in,

( and the things we refuse to say ) to my best friend,

( really? ) ( of course ) my best friend ( we-being ) second-self,

( easy for him to say ) ( just stole to-for-by Aristotle )

( we are true pirates, through it all )-( but shhh )

in letters like a daily vitamin,

in some ancient cloud of shroom, weird-stream,

( by our best-friend-ship )-( we forget to hate myself )

and so this mushroom got our horses out,

SOKRATES: but( we would )say( she- )manliness( courage ),

λέγω δὲ ἀνδρείαν,

ADEIMANTOS: ( and you pinch )-( the goblin that lives in my head )

not hard! ( but fit to chase it out of bed )

( then baits it with a bite ) of ( sprinkles! ) sweet medicine.

and possibly the goblin could turn cat

( or rat ) ( or dinosaur ) ( and it could bite me pretty bad )

( but we wont let go of the wanting ) and even

as we never did, even in ( my scare-

crone heart )-( born on fragrant spring mornings )

( in her salad days ) ( before the unrealpolitik )

( before bad wisdom ) yet salvaging the goods

( as drawing butterflies on whats discarded )

( to-by-for ) me and you ( becoming beautiful

and young again ) ( in-seeming poetics of )

SOKRATES: ( she-)moderation( sophrosune )( sound-

mindedness, prudence, discretion )

and( indeed )

( all things )which( she-dyad )( we )go through

all( which )( things )( his-so-called-all )( the she-dyad ),

σωφροσύνην καὶ πάντα ἃ διήλθομεν.

ADEIMANTOS: but we have some words on poems

haphazard heraldry ( even seeming innocuously )

when living words get put down as fixed form.

( they turn into the ache of yearning ) tossed

across however many continents,

with latitude and longitude intact,

but tissue burden highly over-stretched,

for ( the yearning ) never could yearning dispell

and such i( wheres the we? )s life, and such i( wheres the we? )s happiness,

all mans desire(s residuum ) ( keeps poisoning

the well of hope ) like all my cold hard pennies cast

for wishes

( swallowed fishes )

( empty stare )

HERAKLES: but Hermes sent( escorted-conducted )me,

and( look, you )gleaming-( glaukopis )-

eyed Athena( o Athens, o Politeia ),

Ἑρμείας δέ μ᾽ ἔπεμψεν ἰδὲ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη.'

ADEIMANTOS: so circumnavigated metaphors,

but written as ourselves of messy words,

or forceful dreams, dreams of a force to reckon

with her eyesight even ( as intense as the nettles )

would we guard ( the dreaming ) until ( we earn his name ) ?

and even as we drink ( the water never fully clear ) ?

and as to navigation ( on some how-divided-line ) ?

whats some logos ( word-speech-ratio-account ) as set down

here, that would ( will ) keep us well on the way?

SAILORS: placeless( out-of-place, out-of-the-way, un-

wonted, extra-ordinary, strange,

para-doxical, ab-surd )

( a-topos ),

ἄτοπον,

SOKRATES: ( smiles primly and steeples his hands )

well even ( with their outstretched arms ) in love

( no matter how hard we keep trying ) him ( its purifying! )

( my nettle tea ) he wont ( we wont ) seize hold of me,

ADEIMANTOS: even( indeed )beautiful( her-we-being )

therefore( to-by-for )me,

καλὴ μὲν οὖν μοι

SAILORS: ( he )was saying,

ἔφη,

SOKRATES: and indeed they ( reach for me on my way home )

( theres always a drop somewhere ) ( or how do you live? )

but he wont ( we wont ) be poisoned by his hope ( or his despair ),

ADEIMANTOS: and( indeed )the( she- )guidance( pompe )

( conduct, escort, sending-home, sending-mission, she-procession )

( of )( the local customs )( of the chorus )( of the dances )

( on the open spaces )( epi-chorion )( on the chora )

would seem-seemly to( we-being )be,

καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων πομπὴ ἔδοξεν εἶναι,

SAILORS: to hear,

ἀκοῦσαι. (491ξ)

SOKRATES: from the unsightly, he may feel fear.

however ( not quite touching ) his unseen ( she )heart,

he wont ( we wont ) look backwards at her shade.

ADEIMANTOS: not however( even-indeed-by-you )inferior

( o worse, weaker, less, fewer )( did she )appear( shining-

forth )to resemble( be conspicuously like, befit, beseem )

( she )whom the Thracians( o Thracians )( we )were sending, <3

οὐ μέντοι ἧττον ἐφαίνετο πρέπειν ἣν οἱ Θρᾷκες ἔπεμπον.

SOKRATES: just so, he holds my trust and confidence

no worse than they hold my written art;

( and then it spreads ) abroad our pharmakon.

ALL: ( and blowing in the wind for all to hear )

and then it spreads abroad our pharmakon !

ADEIMANTOS: ( . . . ) ( later in our private cell )

yet he left me with more questions than when ( whò? )

began. ( yet it had been the ) END ( of ) part VIII

( until ) ( . . . )

from hymn to Apollo

Republic I, VI, X

Odyssey. 11.613-626

Sep 18, 2026 ∞

VIII.x. ( from the ashes of this ) darling town ( a phoenix in ) fall colours

ADEIMANTOS: ( o Sokrates, why have you named

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

( even if we ask ) ( poke ) hm-mm.

( he still wont speak ) ( his irony

grows thick as wool ) baaa ( but 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 while ) ( o kubernetes )

night falls over the town in a blink ( o sprinkles! )

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

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

we would take you to the spot by the lake,

( okay, lets go ) ( and walk around it ) ( one way

and the other way ) ( but walking anytime we 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 air and water ) ( burning

star ) ( so ) ( neither are we a city man ) ( strictly )

( nor are we a business person ) ( really? )

( cant be ) ( not here ),

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: ( in the rebellious phases of my youth )

we inhale the cellar-like scent in the air,

( and we reflect upon the few important years )

( sprinkles! ) ( spent waiting for the metro line )

( or behind the gynmasium of a public school )

( and lets be near the nations capital )

( coming-and-going to the man-made-real )

( the weird, the wild, the human unpredictable )

( for company and fumes to strengthen breadth )

( by breath of fog ) ( where sky looks like a cave )

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

where we used to sit smoking as a teenager,

( as if self-damage would make her invincible )

( after some boy had said her joy was hideous ),