Socrates continues: Then tell me this (to/de dh/ moi ei0pe/): the sensible farmer (o9 nou=n e1xwn gewrgo/j) who had some seeds he cared about (w{n sperma/twn kh/doito) and wanted to bear fruit (kai\ e1gkarpa bou/loito gene/sqai) – would he sow them with serious purpose during the summer in some garden of Adonis (po/tera spoudh=| a2n qe/rouj ei0j A0dw&nidoj kh/pouj a0rw~n),
***
Hackfoth
remarks on ‘garden of Adonis’: ‘A pot or window-box for forcing plants at the
festival of Adonis‘. Adonis was a beautiful youth beloved by Aphrodite; while
hunting he was killed by a boar, a jealous Hephaestus or a jealous Ares
disguised as a boar.
***
and delight
watching it becoming beautiful within eight days (xai/roi qewrw~n
kalou\j e0n h9me/raisin o0ktw_ gignome/nouj), or would he do that for the sake of amusement on a
feast-day (h2 tau=ta me\n dh\ paidia=j te kai\ e9orth=j xa/rin drw|&h a1n), when he did it at all (o3te kai\ poioi=); whereas for the purposes about
which he was in earnest (e0f’ oi[j de\ e0spou/daken), he would make use of the science of
farming (th=| gewrgikh=| xrw&menoj a2n te/xnh|) and sow them in appropriate soil (spei/raj ei0j to\
prosh=kon), being
content (a0gapw&|h a1n) if what he sowed reached maturity in the eighth month (e0n o0gdo/w| mhni\
o3sa e1speiren te/loj labo/nta;)?
Phaedrus: Just
so, I think (Ou3tw pou),
Socrates (w} Sw&kratej):
he would do the one sort of thing in earnest (ta\ me\n spoudh=|), the other in the other way (ta\ de\ w(j
e9te/rwj a1n), the way
you say (h[| le/geij poioi=).
Socrates: And
are we to say that the man who has pieces of knowledge about what is just, fine
and good has a less sensible attitude towards his seeds than the farmer (To\n de\ dikai/wn
te kai\ kalw~n kai\ a0gaqw~n e0pisth/maj e1xonta tou= gewrgou= fw~men h[tton
nou=n e1xein ei0j ta\ e9autou= spe/rmata;)?
Phaedrus: Certainly
not (H#kista/
ge).
Socrates: In
that case he will not be in earnest about writing them in water – black water (Ou0k a1ra spoudh|=
au0ta\ e0n u3dati gra/yei me/lani), sowing them through a pen (spei/rwn dia\ kala/mou) with words which are incapable of
speaking in their own support (meta\ lo/gwn a0duna/twn me\n au9toi=j lo/gw| bohqei=n), and incapable of adequately
teaching what is true (a0duna/twn de\ i9kanw~j ta0lhqh= dida/cai).
Phaedrus: It
certainly isn’t likely (Ou1koun dh\ to/ g’ ei0ko/j).
Socrates:
No, it isn’t (Ou0 ga/r); but
his gardens of letters (a0lla\ tou\j me\n e0n gra\mmasi kh/pouj), it seems (w(j e1oike), he will sow and write for
amusement (paidia=j xa/rin sperei= te kai\ gra/yei), when he does write (o3tan de\ gra/fh|), laying up a store of reminders both
for himself (e9autw~| te u9pomnh/mata qhsaurizo/menoj), when he ‘reaches a forgetful old age’ (ei0j to\ lh/qhj
gh=raj e0a\n i3khtai),
and for anyone who is following the same track (kai\ panti\ tw~| tau0to\n i1xnoj
metio/nti), and he will
be pleased as he watches their tender growth (h9sqh/setai/ te au0tou\j qewrw~n fuome/nouj
a9palou/j); and when
others resort to other sorts of amusements (o3tan d’ a1lloi paidiai=j
a1llaij xrw~ntai),
watering themselves with drinking-parties (sumposi/oij te a1rdontej au9tou/j) and the other things which go along
with these (e9te/roij te o3sa tou/twn a0delfa/), then he (to/t’ e0kei=noj), it seems (w(j e1oiken), will spend his time amusing himself with the things
I say, instead of these (a0nti\ tou&twn oi[j le/gw pai/zwn dia/cei).
Phaedrus: A very
fine form of amusement it is you’re talking of, Socrates, in contrast with a
mean one (Pagka/lhn le/geij para\ fau/lhn
paidia/n, w} Sw&kratej) – that of the man who is able to amuse himself with words (tou= e0n lo/goij
duname/nou pai/zein), telling
stories about justice and the other subjects you speak of (dikaiosu/nhj te
kai\ a1llwn w{n le/geij pe/ri muqologou=nta).
Socrates: Yes,
Phaedrus, just so (E!sti ga/r, w} fi/le Fai=dre, ou3tw);
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