Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/ancient-Greece/plato-paideia-cave.asp

ELPENOR - Home of the Greek Word

Three Millennia of Greek Literature
 

Plato Bilingual Anthology : PAIDEIA - OUT OF THE CAVE

from Politeia, * 514a-518d, translated by B. Jowett
* Parts translated by Elpenor in <angle brackets>

Greek Fonts / Plato Complete works / Plato Concept


ELPENOR EDITIONS IN PRINT
ND now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. I see. And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.

παιδεία - ἐκ σκότους εἰς φῶς

Μετὰ ταῦτα δή͵ εἶπον͵ ἀπείκασον τοιούτῳ πάθει τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν παιδείας τε πέρι καὶ ἀπαιδευσίας. ἰδὲ γὰρ ἀνθρώπους οἷον ἐν καταγείῳ οἰκήσει σπηλαιώδει͵ ἀναπεπταμένην πρὸς τὸ φῶς τὴν εἴσοδον ἐχούσῃ μακρὰν παρὰ πᾶν τὸ σπήλαιον͵ ἐν ταύτῃ ἐκ παίδων ὄντας ἐν δεσμοῖς καὶ τὰ σκέλη καὶ τοὺς αὐχένας͵ ὥστε μένειν τε αὐτοὺς εἴς τε τὸ πρόσθεν μόνον ὁρᾶν͵ κύκλῳ δὲ τὰς κεφαλὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ δεσμοῦ ἀδυνάτους περιάγειν͵ φῶς δὲ αὐτοῖς πυρὸς ἄνωθεν καὶ πόρρωθεν καόμενον ὄπισθεν αὐτῶν͵ μεταξὺ δὲ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τῶν δεσμωτῶν ἐπάνω ὁδόν͵ παρ΄ ἣν ἰδὲ τειχίον παρῳκοδομημένον͵ ὥσπερ τοῖς θαυματοποιοῖς πρὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρόκειται τὰ παραφράγματα͵ ὑπὲρ ὧν τὰ θαύματα δεικνύασιν. Ὁρῶ͵ ἔφη. Ὅρα τοίνυν παρὰ τοῦτο τὸ τειχίον φέροντας ἀνθρώπους σκεύη τε παντοδαπὰ ὑπερέχοντα τοῦ τειχίου καὶ ἀνδριάντας καὶ ἄλλα ζῷα λίθινά τε καὶ ξύλινα καὶ παντοῖα εἰργασμένα͵ οἷον εἰκὸς τοὺς μὲν φθεγγομένους͵ τοὺς δὲ σιγῶντας τῶν παραφερόντων.

Next Page

Three Millennia of Greek Literature


Greek Literature - Ancient, Medieval, Modern

Learned Freeware

Reference address : https://ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/ancient-Greece/plato-paideia-cave.asp