Trafika Europe 9/10 - UK in Europe

BY HERA, THIS HERE IS A FINΕ RESTING SPOT, FOR THE PLANE TREE IS SWARTHY AND TALL, AND THE HEIGHT AND SHADE OF THE WICKER ARE JUST RIGHT, AND BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF ITS BLOOMING SEASON, IT FILLS THE PLACE WITH FRAGRANCE. THE SPRING, TOO, UNDER THE PLANE TREE IS CHARMING AND THE WATER FLOWS PLENTIFUL AND COLD IF YOU DIP YOUR FOOT IN IT. AND IF YOU WANT ME TO (230ξ) SAY MORE, HOW DEAR AND UNBELIEVABLY SWEET THE LOCAL BREEZE: WITH A CLEAR AND SUMMERY SOUND IT ACCOMPA- NIES THE CHORUS OF THE CICADAS. SMARTER, HOWEVER, THAN ALL THE REST IS THE GRASS FOR IT HAS GROWN AT A SLIGHT ANGLE IDEALLY SUITED FOR RESTING ONE’S HEAD WHILE LYING DOWN. [230Β]

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SOCRATES RESEMBLES THESE CICADAS A LOT, WHICH ARE ENTHUSED WITH SINGING... LIKE THEM, SOCRATES DEDI- CATES HIMSELF TO MUSIC, NOT CARING ABOUT ITS WRITTEN INSCRIPTION. (LE TOMBEAU DE LA CIGALE 54)

ΠΛΑΤΩΝ: ΦΑΙΔΡΟΣ

[258] ΣΩ. σχολὴ μὲν δή, ὡς ἔοικε: καὶ ἅμα μοι δοκοῦσιν ὡς ἐν τῷ πνίγει ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἡμῶν οἱ τέττιγες ᾁδοντες καὶ [259α] ἀλλήλοις διαλεγόμενοι καθορᾶν καὶ ἡμᾶς. εἰ οὖν ἴδοιεν καὶ νὼ καθάπερ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ μὴ διαλεγομένους ἀλλὰ νυστάζοντας καὶ κηλουμένους ὑφ᾽ αὑτῶν δι᾽ ἀργίαν τῆς διανοίας, δικαίως ἂν καταγελῷεν, ἡγούμενοι ἀνδράποδ᾽ ἄττα σφίσιν ἐλθόντα εἰς τὸ καταγώγιον ὥσπερ προβάτια μεσημβριάζοντα περὶ τὴν κρήνην εὕδειν: ἐὰν δὲ ὁρῶσι διαλεγομένους καὶ παραπλέοντάς σφας ὥσπερ Σειρῆνας [259β] ἀκηλήτους, ὃ γέρας παρὰ θεῶν ἔχουσιν ἀνθρώποις διδόναι, τάχ᾽ ἂν δοῖεν ἀγασθέντες. ΦΑΙ. ἔχουσι δὲ δὴ τί τοῦτο; ἀνήκοος γάρ, ὡς ἔοικε, τυγχάνω ὤν. ΣΩ. οὐ μὲν δὴ πρέπει γε φιλόμουσον ἄνδρα τῶν τοιούτων ἀνήκοον εἶναι. λέγεται δ᾽ ὥς ποτ᾽ ἦσαν οὗτοι ἄνθρωποι τῶν πρὶν μούσας γεγονέναι, γενομένων δὲ Μουσῶν καὶ φανείσης ᾠδῆς οὕτως ἄρα τινὲς τῶν τότε ἐξεπλάγησαν ὑφ᾽ ἡδονῆς, [259ξ] ὥστε ᾁδοντες ἠμέλησαν σίτων τε καὶ ποτῶν, καὶ ἔλαθον τελευτήσαντες αὑτούς: ἐξ ὧν τὸ τεττίγων γένος μετ᾽ ἐκεῖνο φύεται, γέρας τοῦτο παρὰ Μουσῶν λαβόν, μηδὲν τροφῆς δεῖσθαι γενόμενον, ἀλλ᾽ ἄσιτόν τε καὶ ἄποτον εὐθὺς ᾁδειν, ἕως ἂν τελευτήσῃ, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐλθὸν παρὰ μούσας ἀπαγγέλλειν τίς τίνα αὐτῶν τιμᾷ τῶν ἐνθάδε. Τερψιχόρᾳ μὲν οὖν τοὺς ἐν τοῖς χοροῖς τετιμηκότας αὐτὴν ἀπαγγέλλοντες [259δ] ποιοῦσι προσφιλεστέρους, τῇ δὲ Ἐρατοῖ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἐρωτικοῖς, καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις οὕτως, κατὰ τὸ εἶδος ἑκάστης τιμῆς: τῇ δὲ πρεσβυτάτῃ Καλλιόπῃ καὶ τῇ μετ᾽ αὐτὴν Οὐρανίᾳ τοὺς ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ... διάγοντάς τε καὶ τιμῶντας τὴν ἐκείνων μουσικὴν ἀγγέλλουσιν, αἳ δὴ μάλιστα τῶν Μουσῶν περί τε οὐρανὸν καὶ λόγους οὖσαι θείους τε καὶ ἀνθρωπίνους ἱᾶσιν καλλίστην φωνήν. πολλῶν δὴ οὖν ἕνεκα λεκτέον τι καὶ οὐ καθευδητέον ἐν τῇ μεσημβρίᾳ.

SOCRATES: And it is leisure time, it seems. And then, I think the cicadas singing in the noonday heat over our head, if they saw us doing what most people do, not conversing in themiddle of the day but, instead, being sleepy and subcumbing to their enchantment out of our mental laziness, they would be right to mock us, taking us for be some slaves who’ve come to this resting place like sheep at noon, to sleep by the spring. But if they see us con- versing and passing them by as if they were the Sirens, sailing on impervious, then, out of admiration, they might award us, the prize they have from the gods to give to humans. charmed # unaffected κηλ-έω: A. charm, bewitch, beguile , esp. by music, “κηλῶν τῇ φωνῇ ὥσπερ Ὀρφεύς” Id.Prt.315a, charm by incantation ἀκήλητος, ον: A. proof against enchant- ment , Od.10.329 (dub. vers.), Pl.Phdr.259b PHAEDRUS: Have they such a thing, really? Because, I don’t seem to have heard of it. SOCRATES: But it’s not right for a man who loves the muses to not have heard of such things. So, then, it is said that, before the Muses turned up, cicadas were human beings and when the Muses were born and singing came into being, some of the humans were so surprised by the pleasure of it, that they neglected to take food and drink for the sake of singing and before they knew it, they were dead. From these people originated the genus of the cicadas who received this gift from the Muses, to not need to eat from the moment they are born but, rather, to start singing straight away with no food or drink until they die and, afterwards, they go to the Muses and announce which of the mortals here honors which one among them. So, by announcing to Terpsichore those who honor her through dances, they render themmore dear to her, to Erato, thosewhohonor her through love songs and similarly with the rest of them, those who render the honor suitable to each. And to the greatest one, Calliope and the one after her, Urania, they announce those who philoso- phise and honor the musical art, because out of the Muses they are the ones who are most taken up with the Heavens and the divine and human speeches, and with who has the best voice. For many reasons, then, we ought to be saying something at noon and not fall asleep.