Plato's Republic 327-328 English

8/3/2019 Plato's Republic 327-328 English

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Yesterday, I went down into Piraeus with Glaucon, the son of Ariston, in order to

pray to the Goddess and wishing to see at the same time what kind of festival they

would conduct, since now for the first time they were leading it. Indeed the

procession of the natives seemed to be beautiful to me, however, the procession

seemed to be not less suitable to that which the Thracians were conducting. After

we prayed and looked on at the festival, we set out towards town. Having caught

sight of us then from afar while we had set out homeward, Polemarchus, the son of

Cephalus, ordered his slave to run and t order us to wait for him. And the slave

having grasped my garment from behind said, Polemarchus commands you to

wait. And I turned around and asked where he was. This one, he said, is

approaching from behind: but wait. Well then, we will wait, said this one of

Glaucon. And a little later, Polemarchus came, and Adeimantus, the brother of

Glaucon, and Niceratus, the son of Nicias, and some others apparently from the

procession. Then, Polemarchus said, O Socrates, you seem to me to have hastened

towards town as if going away. For you do not imagine at all badly, I myself said.

Then do you see, he said, how many we are?

How could I not?

Well then, he said, either become stronger than these or stay here.

Then, I said, isnt there still one thing remaining, namely we could persuade that

it is necessary to let us go?

Truly, could you persuade us, he said, if we do not listen?

Not at all, said Glaucon.



Well then, since we will not be listening, think it over.

And Adeimantus said, Do you not know that there will be a torch race on horseback

towards the evening in honor of the Goddess?

On horseback? I said, Indeed this is new. Will they hand over carrying torches to

one another and pass them along as they compete with the horses? How do you

mean?

In this way, said Polemarchus. And in addition they will conduct a night-festival,

which will be worthwhile to see; for after dinner we shall stand up from the dinner

table and we shall see the night-festival. And we shall both be with many of the

young people there and we shall discuss. But remain and do not be doing

otherwise.

And Glaucon said, It seems likely that it is worth waiting for.

But, I said, if it seems to be so, it is necessary to do so.

So, we went homeward to the house of Polemarchus, and we found there both Lisias

and Euthydemus, brother of Polemarchus, on there and also Thrasymachus the

Calchedonian and Charmantides of the deme of Paenia and Cleitophan, the son of

Aristonymus. And Cephalus, the father of Polemarchus, was also at home. And to me

he seemed to be a very old man, for I had not seen him over a long time. He was

seated having been honored with a certain head-cushion and with a chair, for he

happened to have sacrifice in the courtyard. Therefore we sat down at his side, for

some chairs were set there in a circle. Immediately then having seen me, Cephalus

welcomed me and said, O Socrates, you do not come down to us often to the Pireia.

However, it is proper to do so. For if I were still capable of journeying easily to town,



then it would not be at all necessary to come here, but we would come to you. Now

it is necessary for you to come more often here. So know well that as much as the

other pleasures waste away from the body, the pleasures and desires concerning

words are increasing. Therefore do not do otherwise, but associate here with these

young men and visit us here as if to your friends and to your very relatives.

And truly, I said, O Cephalus, I enjoy, conversing with the very old, for it seems to

me to be necessary to learn from them as if learning from ones having gone before

over some road which also it will be necessary for us likewise to travel, whatever

sort it is; rough and difficult or easy and easily done. In particular, I would gladly

learn from you what this appears to you, since you are already at that point of life,

which in fact the poets said to be on the threshold of of age, whether it is a hard

part of life or how do you yourself report it.

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Plato's Republic 327-328 English