Plato, Timaeus 21a · 21a

The deed that was really done

Critias — οὗ νῦν ἐπιμνησθεῖσιν πρέπον ἂν ἡμῖν εἴη σοί τε ἀποδοῦναι χάριν καὶ τὴν θεὸν ἅμα ἐν τῇ πανηγύρει δικαίως τε καὶ ἀληθῶς οἷόνπερ ὑμνοῦντας ἐγκωμιάζειν.
Socrates — εὖ λέγεις. ἀλλὰ δὴ ποῖον ἔργον τοῦτο Κριτίας οὐ λεγόμενον μέν, ὡς δὲ πραχθὲν ὄντως ὑπὸ τῆσδε τῆς πόλεως ἀρχαῖον διηγεῖτο κατὰ τὴν Σόλωνος ἀκοήν;
Critias — ἐγὼ φράσω, παλαιὸν ἀκηκοὼς λόγον οὐ νέου ἀνδρός. ἦν μὲν γὰρ δὴ τότε Κριτίας, ὡς ἔφη, σχεδὸν ἐγγὺς

Critias: Now that we have recalled it, it would be fitting for us both to thank you and to praise the goddess at the same time, at her festival, justly and truly, as if singing her a hymn. Socrates: Well said. But what is this deed that Critias was telling of, as an ancient deed not merely told as a story but really done by this city, according to what Solon heard? Critias: I will tell it, since I heard an old account from a man who was not young. For Critias was then, as he said, nearly

Word by word

Critias

οὗhoûthisνῦνnŷnnowἐπιμνησθεῖσινepimnēstheîsinhaving recalledπρέπονpréponfittingἂνànwouldἡμῖνhēmînfor usεἴηeíēbeσοίsoíyouτεtebothἀποδοῦναιapodoûnaito repayχάρινchárinthanksκαὶkaìandτὴνtḕntheθεὸνtheòngoddessἅμαhámaat the same timeἐνenatτῇtêitheπανηγύρειpanēgýreifestivalδικαίωςdikaíōsjustlyτεte—καὶkaìandἀληθῶςalēthôstrulyοἷόνπερhoîónperjust as ifὑμνοῦνταςhymnoûntassinging hymnsἐγκωμιάζεινenkōmiázeinto praise.

Socrates

εὖeûwellλέγειςlégeisyou say.ἀλλὰallàbutδὴdḕnowποῖονpoîonwhat sort ofἔργονérgondeedτοῦτοtoûtothisΚριτίαςKritíasCritiasοὐounotλεγόμενονlegómenontoldμένmén—,ὡςhōsasδὲdèbutπραχθὲνprachthèndoneὄντωςóntōsreallyὑπὸhypòbyτῆσδεtêsdethisτῆςtês—πόλεωςpóleōscityἀρχαῖονarchaîonancientδιηγεῖτοdiēgeîtowas tellingκατὰkatàaccording toτὴνtḕn—ΣόλωνοςSólōnosSolon'sἀκοήνakoḗnhearing;

Critias

ἐγὼegṑIφράσωphrásōwill tell,παλαιὸνpalaiònoldἀκηκοὼςakēkoṑshaving heardλόγονlógonaccountοὐounotνέουnéouyoungἀνδρόςandrósa man.ἦνênwasμὲνmèn—γὰρgàrforδὴdḕ—τότεtótethenΚριτίαςKritíasCritias,ὡςhōsasἔφηéphēhe said,σχεδὸνschedònnearlyἐγγὺςengỳsclose to

The setting

Critias says it is fitting to thank Socrates and honour the goddess at her festival. Socrates asks what deed he means, and Critias begins with the source of the story, an old man he heard it from.

A note on this passage

Socrates puts two participles side by side: legomenon, "being told," which ou negates, and prachthen, "done," which ontōs, "really," strengthens. The pair is held together by men ... de, so the question is about a deed Critias had presented as something that happened and not as something only recounted. Critias's own opening sentence uses dikaiōs te kai alēthōs, "both justly and truly," for the praise owed to the goddess, so the words for truth are already in the air before the story starts.

Critias answers by naming his source and says nothing yet about the deed. He will pass on palaion logon, "an old account," from ou neou andros, a man who was not young. Solon's part is akoē, "hearing," the word for what one has heard by report, and the chain of tellers begins to show here. The old Critias is introduced with hōs ephē, "as he said," which makes his age a matter of his own report.

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