Plato, Timaeus 22b · 22b

You Greeks are always children

Critias — καὶ Πύρρας ὡς διεγένοντο μυθολογεῖν, καὶ τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν γενεαλογεῖν, καὶ τὰ τῶν ἐτῶν ὅσα ἦν οἷς ἔλεγεν πειρᾶσθαι διαμνημονεύων τοὺς χρόνους ἀριθμεῖν· καί τινα εἰπεῖν τῶν ἱερέων εὖ μάλα παλαιόν· ὦ Σόλων, Σόλων, Ἕλληνες ἀεὶ παῖδές ἐστε, γέρων δὲ Ἕλλην οὐκ ἔστιν. ἀκούσας οὖν, πῶς τί τοῦτο λέγεις; φάναι. νέοι ἐστέ, εἰπεῖν, τὰς ψυχὰς πάντες· οὐδεμίαν γὰρ ἐν αὐταῖς ἔχετε διʼ ἀρχαίαν ἀκοὴν παλαιὰν δόξαν οὐδὲ μάθημα χρόνῳ πολιὸν οὐδέν. τὸ

Critias: And to tell the story of how Pyrrha and Deucalion survived, to trace the line of their descendants, and, by recalling the years, to try to count up the times of the events he was telling of. And one of the priests, a very old man, said: "O Solon, Solon, you Greeks are always children, and there is no old Greek." Hearing this, Solon said, "What do you mean by that?" "You are young," the priest said, "all of you, in your souls. For you hold in them no belief from ancient report and no learning grown grey with time. The

Word by word

Critias

καὶkaìandΠύρραςPýrrasPyrrhaὡςhōshowδιεγένοντοdiegénontosurvivedμυθολογεῖνmythologeînto tell the myth,καὶkaìandτοὺςtoùsthoseἐξexfromαὐτῶνautônthemγενεαλογεῖνgenealogeînto trace the line,καὶkaìandτὰtà—τῶνtônof theἐτῶνetônyearsὅσαhósahow manyἦνênwereοἷςhoîsthatἔλεγενélegenhe was telling ofπειρᾶσθαιpeirâsthaito tryδιαμνημονεύωνdiamnēmoneúōnrecallingτοὺςtoùstheχρόνουςchrónoustimesἀριθμεῖνarithmeînto count·καίkaíandτιναtinaoneεἰπεῖνeipeînsaidτῶνtônof theἱερέωνhieréōnpriestsεὖeû—μάλαmálaveryπαλαιόνpalaiónold·ὦôOΣόλωνSólōnSolon,ΣόλωνSólōnSolon,ἝλληνεςHéllēnesGreeksἀεὶaeìalwaysπαῖδέςpaîdéschildrenἐστεesteare,γέρωνgérōnoldδὲdèandἝλληνHéllēnGreekοὐκouknoἔστινéstinthere is.ἀκούσαςakoúsason hearingοὖνoûnso,πῶςpôshowτίtíwhatτοῦτοtoûtothisλέγειςlégeisdo you mean;φάναιphánaisaid.νέοιnéoiyoungἐστέestéare,εἰπεῖνeipeînsaid,τὰςtàs—ψυχὰςpsychàssoulsπάντεςpántesall·οὐδεμίανoudemíannoγὰρgàrforἐνeninαὐταῖςautaîsthemἔχετεécheteyou haveδιʼdiʼthroughἀρχαίανarchaíanancientἀκοὴνakoḕnreportπαλαιὰνpalaiànoldδόξανdóxanbeliefοὐδὲoudènorμάθημαmáthēmalearningχρόνῳchrónōiwith timeπολιὸνpoliòngreyοὐδένoudénat all.τὸtò—

The setting

Solon tells the oldest Greek tales of Pyrrha and Deucalion and counts the years. An old priest answers him with the best known line of the whole story.

A note on this passage

The line itself is built on a pair of words that cannot sit together in Greek or in English, paides and gerōn, "children" and "old man." The priest says the Greeks are always paides and that a gerōn Hellēn, "an old Greek," does not exist. Solon asks what he means, and the answer moves the charge from the Greeks' years to their psychai: they are neoi tas psychas, "young in their souls." The accusative of respect, tas psychas, says in what way they are young. Then the priest names what is missing, a doxa, a held belief, from archaian akoēn, "ancient report," and a mathēma, something learned, polion, "grey" with time.

In the digital text this edition starts from, phanai and neoi ran together with no space. Burnet's printed page separates them with a full stop, and so does this edition: "he said" closes Solon's question and "you are young" opens the priest's answer.

Read the full commentary — and tap any word for its dictionary entry — in the interlinear reader.

Open Plato, Timaeus 22b in the full reader

Always open passages in the reader

From the Great Library

You are reading a page of the Plato, Timaeus — the whole book is free in our interlinear reader.

The Great Library Project presses the classics in their original languages, glossed word by word — free to read, always. Browse the whole library.

Also on our shelves:

❦

Plato, Timaeus 22b — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/timaeus/22b/