Greek, Plato, Apology

πρῶτον μὲν οὖν δίκαιός εἰμι ἀπολογήσασθαι, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι,

And first, it is fair for me to speak in my defence, men of Athens,

πρὸς τὰ πρῶτά μου ψευδῆ κατηγορημένα καὶ τοὺς πρώτους κατηγόρους,

against the first false accusations against me, and against my first accusers,

ἔπειτα δὲ πρὸς τὰ ὕστερον καὶ τοὺς ὑστέρους.

and then against the later accusations and the later accusers.

ἐμοῦ γὰρ πολλοὶ κατήγοροι γεγόνασι πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ πάλαι πολλὰ

For many have become accusers against me to you,

ἤδη ἔτη καὶ οὐδὲν ἀληθὲς λέγοντες,

even already many years ago, and speaking no truth,

οὓς ἐγὼ μᾶλλον φοβοῦμαι ἢ τοὺς ἀμφὶ Ἄνυτον,

whom I fear, more than those around Anutes,

καίπερ ὄντας καὶ τούτους δεινούς:

although these are also to be feared.

ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι δεινότεροι, ὦ ἄνδρες,

But those men more terrible, O men,

οἳ ὑμῶν τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐκ παίδων παραλαμβάνοντες ἔπειθόν τε καὶ κατηγόρουν ἐμοῦ μᾶλλον οὐδὲν ἀληθές,

who have taken charge of most of you from childhood, persuaded and accused me of nothing more true,

ὡς ἔστιν τις Σωκράτης σοφὸς ἀνήρ,

(are saying) that a certain Socrates is a wise man,

τά τε μετέωρα φροντιστὴς καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ γῆς πάντα ἀνεζητηκὼς καὶ τὸν ἥττω λόγον κρείττω ποιῶν.

both a thinker of things in the air and having investigated everything below the ground and making the weaker argument stronger.

οὗτοι, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι,

These, O Athenian men,

οἱ ταύτην τὴν φήμηνκατασκεδάσαντες,

spreading this rumour,

οἱ δεινοί εἰσίν μου κατήγοροι:

they are accusers to be feared:

οἱ γὰρ ἀκούοντες ἡγοῦνταιτοὺς ταῦτα ζητοῦντας οὐδὲ θεοὺς νομίζειν.

For those who listen, believe that those who research those things, also do not believe in the gods.

ἔπειτά εἰσιν οὗτοι οἱ κατήγοροι πολλοὶ καὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἤδη κατηγορηκότες,

Then there are these many accusers who have already accused (me) for a long time,

ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡλικίᾳ λέγοντες πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ᾗ ἂν μάλιστα ἐπιστεύσατε,

and further they are also speaking to you at this age when you were most likely to to believe,

παῖδες ὄντες ἔνιοι ὑμῶνκαὶ μειράκια,

since some of you were children and youths,

ἀτεχνῶς ἐρήμην κατηγοροῦντες ἀπολογουμένου οὐδενός.

they are simply accusing (me) in absentia with no one making a defence. (lit: when no one is replying)

ὃ δὲ πάντων ἀλογώτατον,

And the most unreasonable thing of them all is

ὅτι οὐδὲ τὰ ὀνόματα οἷόν τε αὐτῶν εἰδέναι καὶ εἰπεῖν,

that it is not possible to know and to say their names,

πλὴν εἴ τις κωμῳδοποιὸς τυγχάνει ὤν.

unless a certain one happens to be a comic poet.

ὅσοι δὲ φθόνῳ καὶ διαβολῇ χρώμενοι ὑμᾶς ἀνέπειθον

And those who persuaded you by using envy and slander

—οἱ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ πεπεισμένοι ἄλλους πείθοντες—

— And those who persuaded others after having been persuaded themselves —

οὗτοι πάντες ἀπορώτατοί εἰσιν:

all of these are most difficult to get at.

οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀναβιβάσασθαι οἷόν τ᾽ ἐστὶν αὐτῶν ἐνταυθοῖ οὐδ᾽ ἐλέγξαι οὐδένα,

For it is not possible to bring any of them to court or to refute anyone,

ἀλλ᾽ἀνάγκη ἀτεχνῶς ὥσπερ σκια μαχεῖν ἀπολογούμενόν τε καὶ ἐλέγχειν μηδενὸς ἀποκρινομένου.

but it is necessary (for me) simply to defend myself as though fighting with shadows and refuting with no one to answer.

ἀξιώσατε οὖν καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ λέγω,

And so you also (must) deem it (to be) just as I say,

διττούς μου τοὺς κατηγόρους γεγονέναι,

That there have been 2 groups of accusers for me,

ἑτέρους μὲν τοὺς ἄρτι κατηγορήσαντας,

on the one hand the ones accusing me recently

ἑτέρους δὲ τοὺς πάλαι οὓς ἐγὼ λέγω,

and the others on the other hand long ago of whom I speak

καὶ οἰήθητε δεῖν πρὸς ἐκείνους πρῶτόν με ἀπολογήσασθαι:

and you must believe that I should first defend myself against those accusers.

καὶ γὰρ ὑμεῖς ἐκείνων πρότερον ἠκούσατε κατηγορούντων καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἢ τῶν δε τῶν ὕστερον.

For you have also heard them accuse me earlier and much more than these later ones.

εἶεν: ἀπολογητέον δή, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι,

Well then, a defence indeed must be made, O Athenian men,

καὶ ἐπιχειρητέον ὑμῶν ἐξελέσθαι τὴν διαβολὴν ἣν ὑμεῖς ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ ἔσχετε ταύτηνἐν οὕτως ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ.

and an attempt must be made to take away from you this slander, which you have acquired over a long time, in a short time.

βουλοίμην μὲν οὖν ἂν τοῦτο οὕτως γενέσθαι,

And so I would wish that this may happen thus,

εἴ τι ἄμεινον καὶ ὑμῖν καὶ ἐμοί,

if (it is) in any way better for both you and for me,

καὶ πλέον τί με ποιῆσαι ἀπολογούμενον:

and that I may accomplish something by making a defence:

οἶμαι δὲ αὐτὸ χαλεπὸν εἶναι, καὶ οὐ πάνυ με λανθάνει οἷόν ἐστιν.

But I believe this to be difficult, and it does not at all escape my notice what sort of thing this is.

ὅμως τοῦτο μὲν ἴτω ὅπῃ τῷ θεῷ φίλον,

Nevertheless let this go in whatever way is dear to the god

τῷ δὲ νόμῳ πειστέον καὶ ἀπολογητέον.

but the law must be obeyed and a defence must be made.

ἀναλάβωμεν οὖν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τίς ἡ κατηγορία ἐστὶν ἐξ ἧς ἡ ἐμὴ διαβολὴ γέγονεν,

And so let us take up from the beginning what the accusation is from which has risen slander against me,

ᾗ δὴ καὶ πιστεύων Μέλητός με ἐγράψατο τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην.

which indeed is what Meletus trusted in (when) he brought this indictment against me.

εἶεν: τί δὴ λέγοντες διέβαλλον οἱ διαβάλλοντες;

Well then: What indeed were the slanderers saying to slander me?

ὥσπερ οὖν κατηγόρων τὴν ἀντωμοσίαν δεῖ ἀναγνῶναι αὐτῶν:

And so their sworn statement, as if they were accusers, must have read:

'Σωκράτης ἀδικεῖ καὶ περιεργάζεται ζητῶν τά τε ὑπὸ γῆς καὶ οὐράνια καὶ τὸν ἥττω λόγον κρείττω ' ποιῶν καὶ ἄλλους ταὐτὰ ταῦτα διδάσκων.'

"Socrates does injustice and interferes by investigating both the things under the earth and heavenly things and by making the weaker speech the stronger and by teaching others these same things."

τοιαύτη τίς ἐστιν:

It is something of this sort:

ταῦτα γὰρ ἑωρᾶτε καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀριστοφάνους κωμῳδίᾳ,

For you yourselves also used to see these things in the comedy of Aristophanes,

Σωκράτη τινὰ ἐκεῖ περιφερόμενον,

a certain Socrates was carried there,

φάσκοντά τε ἀεροβατεῖν καὶ ἄλλην πολλὴν φλυαρίαν φλυαροῦντα,

claiming that he was walking on air and talking much other nonsense

ὧν ἐγὼ οὐδὲν οὔτε μέγα οὔτε μικρὸν πέρι ἐπαΐω.

about which I have heard neither much nor little.

καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἀτιμάζων λέγω τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπιστήμην,

And I don't say this to dishonour this sort of knowledge,

εἴ τις περὶ τῶν τοιούτων σοφός ἐστιν

if a certain person is wise about such things

—μή πως ἐγὼ ὑπὸ Μελήτου τοσαύτας δίκας φεύγοιμι—

— may I never be prosecuted with such great lawsuits by Meletus—

ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐμοὶ τούτων, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, οὐδὲν μέτεστιν.

But in fact, I have no share in these things, O Athenian men.

μάρτυρας δὲ αὖ ὑμῶν τοὺς πολλοὺς παρέχομαι,

And again I provide many of you as witnesses,

καὶ ἀξιῶ ὑμᾶς ἀλλήλους διδάσκειν τε καὶ φράζειν,

and I think you fit to teach and tell each other,

ὅσοι ἐμοῦ πώποτε ἀκηκόατε διαλεγομένου

those of you who have ever heard me speak

—πολλοὶ δὲ ὑμῶν οἱ τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν—

— and there are many of this sort among you —

φράζετε οὖν ἀλλήλοις εἰ πώποτε ἢ μικρὸν ἢ μέγα ἤκουσέ τις ὑμῶν ἐμοῦ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων διαλεγομένου,

and so tell each other if any of you ever heard me speak about such things either little of much,

καὶ ἐκ τούτου γνώσεσθε ὅτι τοιαῦτ᾽ ἐστὶ καὶ τἆλλα περὶ ἐμοῦ ἃ οἱ πολλοὶ λέγουσιν.

and from this you will get to know that the same holds also the other things which many say about me.

ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὔτε τούτων οὐδέν ἐστιν,

But in fact none of these things are so,

οὐδέ γ᾽ εἴ τινος ἀκηκόατε ὡς ἐγὼ παιδεύειν ἐπι χειρῶ ἀνθρώπους καὶ χρήματα πράττομαι, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀληθές.

and if you (pl) have heard from anyone, that I am trying to educate human beings and am making money, that is not true either.

ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτό γέ μοι δοκεῖ καλὸν εἶναι,

Though this too seems good to me,

εἴτις οἷός τ᾽ εἴη παιδεύειν ἀνθρώπους

if one should be able to educate the human beings

ὥσπερ Γοργίας τε ὁ Λεοντῖνος καὶ Πρόδικος ὁ Κεῖος καὶ Ἱππίας ὁ Ἠλεῖος.

like Gorgias and Leontini and Prodicus of Ceos and Hippias of Elis.

τούτων γὰρ ἕκαστος, ὦ ἄνδρες,

For each of them, O men,

οἷός τ᾽ἐστὶν ἰὼν εἰς ἑκάστην τῶν πόλεων τοὺς νέους

is able, going into each of the cities, to persuade the young

—οἷς ἔξεστι τῶν ἑαυτῶν πολιτῶν προῖκα συν εῖναι ᾧ ἂν βούλωνται—

— for whom (who can) it is possible to associate with whomever of their own citizens they wish to for free —

τούτους πείθουσι τὰς ἐκείνων συνουσίας ἀπολιπόντας σφίσιν συνεῖναι χρήματα διδόντας καὶ χάριν προσειδέναι.

They persuade these (young men) to leave behind their associations with those (and) to associate with themselves(instead), (and) to give them money and to also feel grateful.

ἐπεὶ καὶ ἄλλος ἀνήρ ἐστι Πάριος ἐνθάδε σοφὸς ὃν ἐγὼ ᾐσθόμην ἐπι δημοῦντα:

And now there is another man here, from Paros, a wise man, whom I perceived to be in town:

ἔτυχον γὰρ προσελθὼν ἀνδρὶ ὃς τετέλεκε χρήματα σοφισταῖς πλείω ἢ σύμπαντες οἱ ἄλλοι, Καλλίᾳ τῷ Ἱππονίκου:

For I happened to meet a man who has paid more money to sophists than all the others, Callias son of Hipponiccus:

τοῦτον οὖν ἀνηρόμην—ἐστὸν γὰρ αὐτῷ δύο ὑεῖ— 'ὦ Καλλία,'

And so I questioned this man — for he has two sons — "O Callias,"

ἦν δ᾽ ἐγώ, 'εἰ μέν σου τὼ ὑεῖπώλω ἢ μόσχω ἐγενέσθην,

I said, "if your two sons had been born colts,

εἴχομεν ἂν αὐτοῖν ἐπιστάτην λαβεῖν καὶ μισθώσασθαι ὃς ' ἔμελλεν αὐτὼ καλώ τε κἀγαθὼ ποιήσειν τὴν προσ ήκουσαν ἀρετήν,

we would have been able to get and to hire an overseer for them who could make the two of them noble and good in their appropriate virtue,

ἦνδ᾽ ἂν οὗτος ἢ τῶν ἱππικῶν τις ἢ τῶν γεωργικῶν:

and he would have been someone, either (skilled) with horses or in farming:

νῦν δ᾽ ἐπειδὴ ἀνθρώπω ἐστόν, τίνα αὐτοῖν ἐν νῷ ἔχεις ἐπιστάτην λαβεῖν;

But now, since there are two people, whom do you have in mind to get as an overseer for the two of them;

τίς τῆς τοιαύτης ἀρετῆς, τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης τε καὶ πολιτικῆς, ἐπιστήμων ἐστίν;

who is knowledgeable in such virtue, that of humans and citizens;

οἶμαι γάρ σε ἐσκέφθαι διὰ τὴν τῶν ὑέων κτῆσιν.

for I know that you have considered it on account of having two sons.

ἔστιν τις,' ἔφην ἐγώ, 'ἢ οὔ;' 'πάνυ γε,' ἦ δ᾽ ὅς.

"Is there someone?" I said, "or not?;" "certainly," he said.

'τίς,' ἦν δ᾽ ἐγώ, 'καὶ ποδαπός, καὶ πόσου διδάσκει;'

"Who" I said "and where is he from, and how much does he teach for?"

'Εὔηνος,' ἔφη, 'ὦ Σώκρατες, Πάριος, πέντε μνῶν.'

"Evenus", he said, "O Socrates, from Parios, five minos."

καὶ ἐγὼ τὸν Εὔηνον ἐμακάρισα

And I regarded Evenus as blessed

εἰ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἔχοι ταύτην τὴν τέχνην καὶ οὕτως ἐμμελῶς διδάσκει.

if he should truly have this still and teaches so cheaply.

ἐγὼ γοῦν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκαλλυνόμην τε καὶ ἡβρυνόμην ἂν

As for myself, I would both pride myself and live delicately

εἰ ἠπιστάμην ταῦτα:

if I had knowledge of these things.

ἀλλ᾽ οὐ γὰρ ἐπίσταμαι, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι.

But in fact I do not have knowledge of them, O men of Athens.

ὑπολάβοι ἂν οὖν τις ὑμῶν ἴσως:

And so perhaps one of you who might reply:

'ἀλλ᾽, ὦ Σώκρατες, τὸ σὸν τί ἐστι πρᾶγμα;

"But, O Socrates, what is your intention?

πόθεν αἱ διαβολαί σοι αὗται γεγόνασιν;

Where have these slanders against you come from?

οὐ γὰρ δήπου σοῦ γε οὐδὲν τῶν ἄλλων περιττότερον πραγματευομένου ἔπειτα τοσαύτη φήμη τε καὶ λόγος γέγονεν, εἰ μή τι ἔπραττες ἀλλοῖον ἢ οἱ πολλοί.

For surely if you were in fact practising nothing more uncommon than others, then such a report and account would not have arisen, unless you were doing something different from the many.

λέγε οὖν ἡμῖν τί ' ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ ἡμεῖς περὶ σοῦ αὐτο σχεδιάζωμεν.'

And so say to us what it is, so that we do not judge you hastily."

ταυτί μοι δοκεῖ δίκαια λέγειν ὁ λέγων,

In this, it seems to me what the speaker says is just,

κἀγὼ ὑμῖν πειράσομαι ἀποδεῖξαι τί ποτ᾽ ἐστὶν τοῦτο ὃ ἐμοὶ πεποίηκεν τό τε ὄνομα καὶ τὴν διαβολήν.

and I will try to demonstrate to you whatever it is that has brought me to this reputation and slander.

ἀκούετε δή.

So listen.

καὶ ἴσως μὲν δόξω τι σὶνὑμῶν παίζειν:

Now perhaps I will seem to some of you to be joking:

εὖ μέντοι ἴστε, πᾶσαν ὑμῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐρῶ.

Know well however that I will tell you the whole truth.

ἐγὼ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι,

For I, men of Athens,

δι᾽ οὐδὲν ἀλλ᾽ ἢ διὰ σοφίαν τινὰ τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα ἔσχηκα.

have gotten this reputation through nothing but a wisdom of some sort.

ποίαν δὴ σοφίαν ταύτην;

Just what sort of wisdom is this?