Diotimos Library · Plato Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Facing Pages · Branch 41 of 65
Alcibiades I · 125b–125d
Ancient Greek
p. 76ΣΩ. Ἦ οὖν λέγεις τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας εἶναι καὶ κακούς;
ΑΛ. Οὐ δῆτα.
ΣΩ. Ἀλλὰ τίνας ποτὲ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς λέγεις;
ΑΛ. Τοὺς δυναμένους ἔγωγε ἄρχειν ἐν τῇ πόλει.
ΣΩ. Οὐ δήπου ἵππων γε;
ΑΛ. Οὐ δῆτα.
ΣΩ. Ἀλλ’ ἀνθρώπων;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
ΣΩ. Ἆρα καμνόντων;
ΑΛ. Οὔ.
ΣΩ. Ἀλλὰ πλεόντων;
ΑΛ. Οὔ φημι.
ΣΩ. Ἀλλὰ θεριζόντων;
ΑΛ. Οὔ.
125cΣΩ. Ἀλλ’ οὐδὲν ποιούντων ἤ τι ποιούντων;
ΑΛ. Ποιούντων λέγω.
ΣΩ. Τί; πειρῶ καὶ ἐμοὶ δηλῶσαι.
ΑΛ. Οὐκοῦν τῶν καὶ συμβαλλόντων ἑαυτοῖς καὶ χρωμένων ἀλλήλοις, ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς ζῶμεν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν.
ΣΩ. Οὐκοῦν ἀνθρώπων λέγεις ἄρχειν ἀνθρώποις χρωμένων;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
ΣΩ. Ἆρα κελευστῶν χρωμένων ἐρέταις;
ΑΛ. Οὐ δῆτα.
ΣΩ. Κυβερνητικὴ γὰρ αὕτη γε ἀρετή;
ΑΛ. Ναί.
ΣΩ. Ἀλλ’ ἀνθρώπων λέγεις ἄρχειν αὐλητῶν, ἀνθρώποις 125d ἡγουμένων ᾠδῆς καὶ χρωμένων χορευταῖς;
ΑΛ. Οὐ δῆτα.
ΣΩ. Χοροδιδασκαλικὴ γὰρ αὕτη γ’ αὖ;
ΑΛ. Πάνυ γε.
Alcibiades I
p. 77Soc. Do you say, then, that good men are bad as well?
Alc. Certainly not.
Soc. Then whom on earth do you mean by the good?
Alc. Those who are able to rule in the city, I mean.
Soc. Not over horses, surely?
Alc. Certainly not.
Soc. Over men, then?
Alc. Yes.
Soc. Over sick men?
Alc. No.
Soc. Over men at sea?
Alc. I say no.
Soc. Over men harvesting?
Alc. No.
Soc. 125c Over men doing nothing, or men doing something?
Alc. Doing something, I mean.
Soc. Doing what? Try to make it clear to me too.
Alc. Well, men who have dealings with one another and make use of one another, as we live in our cities.
Soc. So you mean ruling men who make use of men?
Alc. Yes.
Soc. Boatswains who make use of rowers?1
Alc. Certainly not.
Soc. Because that, at least, is the virtue of piloting?
Alc. Yes.
Soc. Then do you mean ruling men who are pipers, who lead men 125d in song and make use of dancers?
Alc. Certainly not.
Soc. Because that, in turn, is the virtue of chorus-training?
Alc. Certainly.
Socrates
Reading Alcibiades I · Alcibiades I · 125b–125d
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
Socrates and Alcibiades examine political ambition, education, justice, and the care of the soul. Their inquiry turns on what it means to know oneself. This complete revised edition presents the dialogue, 103a–135e, across fifty-eight Greek–English page pairs, with an introduction, Key Words of the Dialogue, an outline, glossary, critical apparatus, and translator’s notes. The dialogue is transmitted among Plato’s works; its authorship remains disputed.
Historical Text and Translation
The Greek follows John Burnet’s Platonis Opera, volume II (Oxford, 1901), in a later Oxford impression printed by John Johnson and published by Humphrey Milford. The words were taken from the Perseus Digital Library transcription and checked against the supplied printed pages. Burnet’s lineation and critical apparatus are retained, including the extended mirror passage at 133c. The supplied PDF preserves the complete printed layout.
About Diotimos Editions
Diotimos Editions prepared and revised this independent English translation directly from the Greek, preserving the argument’s distinctions, consistent key terms, Socrates’ humor, and the quick exchanges with Alcibiades. Each English dialogue page translates the Greek page opposite it. Translator’s notes accompany their passages. The introduction and Key Words of the Dialogue precede the text; the Outline, Editorial Note, Glossary of Key Terms, and Note on this Edition follow it. Introductory and concluding matter reflows for the screen.
Rights
The ancient Greek work and Burnet’s printed edition are in the public domain. The Perseus digital Greek transcription and its modifications are attributed to the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, and reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. The independent English translation and Diotimos editorial matter are © 2026 Diotimos Editions.