Plato, Timaeus 23d · 23d

Solon asks to hear everything

Critias — τὸν οὐρανὸν ἡμεῖς ἀκοὴν παρεδεξάμεθα. ἀκούσας οὖν ὁ Σόλων ἔφη θαυμάσαι καὶ πᾶσαν προθυμίαν σχεῖν δεόμενος τῶν ἱερέων πάντα διʼ ἀκριβείας οἱ τὰ περὶ τῶν πάλαι πολιτῶν ἑξῆς διελθεῖν. τὸν οὖν ἱερέα φάναι· φθόνος οὐδείς, ὦ Σόλων, ἀλλὰ σοῦ τε ἕνεκα ἐρῶ καὶ τῆς πόλεως ὑμῶν, μάλιστα δὲ τῆς θεοῦ χάριν, ἣ τήν τε ὑμετέραν καὶ τήνδε ἔλαχεν καὶ ἔθρεψεν καὶ ἐπαίδευσεν, προτέραν μὲν τὴν παρʼ

heaven, of which we have received report. So when Solon heard this, he said he marvelled and felt every eagerness, and he begged the priests to tell him everything about the citizens of long ago, exactly and in order. The priest then said: There is no grudge, Solon, and I will speak for your sake and your city's, and most of all for the goddess's sake, who received by lot, raised and educated both your city and ours, yours first, the one among

Word by word

Critias

τὸνtòn—οὐρανὸνouranònheavenἡμεῖςhēmeîsweἀκοὴνakoḕnreportπαρεδεξάμεθαparedexámethahave received.ἀκούσαςakoúsasheardοὖνoûnsoὁho—ΣόλωνSólōnSolonἔφηéphēsaidθαυμάσαιthaumásaimarvelledκαὶkaìandπᾶσανpâsaneveryπροθυμίανprothymíaneagernessσχεῖνscheînfeltδεόμενοςdeómenosbeggingτῶνtôntheἱερέωνhieréōnpriestsπάνταpántaeverythingδιʼdiʼwithἀκριβείαςakribeíasexactnessοἱhoito himτὰtà—περὶperìaboutτῶνtôntheπάλαιpálaiof long agoπολιτῶνpolitôncitizensἑξῆςhexêsin orderδιελθεῖνdieltheînrelate.τὸνtòntheοὖνoûnthenἱερέαhieréapriestφάναιphánaisaid·φθόνοςphthónosgrudgeοὐδείςoudeísno,ὦô—ΣόλωνSólōnSolon,ἀλλὰallàbutσοῦsoûyouτεtebothἕνεκαhénekafor the sake ofἐρῶerôI will speakκαὶkaìandτῆςtês—πόλεωςpóleōscityὑμῶνhymônyour,μάλισταmálistamost of allδὲdèandτῆςtêstheθεοῦtheoûgoddessχάρινchárinfor the sake of,ἣhḕwhoτήνtḗn—τεtebothὑμετέρανhymetéranyourκαὶkaìandτήνδεtḗndeoursἔλαχενélachenreceived by lotκαὶkaì—ἔθρεψενéthrepsenraisedκαὶkaìandἐπαίδευσενepaídeuseneducated,προτέρανprotéranfirstμὲνmèn—τὴνtḕnthe oneπαρʼparʼamong

The setting

Solon asks the priests to tell him about the earliest Athenians, and the priest agrees for the sake of the goddess who founded both cities.

A note on this passage

Solon answers the way a good listener does. Ephē thaumásai, he said he marvelled, and pâsan prothymían scheîn, he felt every eagerness. He asks the priests di' akribeías, with exactness, to go through the old citizens hexês, in order. In the Greek the report now has three layers: the priest speaks, Solon asked, and Critias repeats it.

The priest begins with phthónos oudeís, "no grudge," a polite way of saying he holds nothing back. The goddess is called only hē theós, and her verbs run on: élachen, she received by lot, then éthrepsen, she raised, then epaídeusen, she educated. The same goddess is said to have done this for both the Greek city and the Egyptian one, which is why he tells the story for her sake.

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