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English Page · Branch 42 of 65
Alcibiades I · 125d–126b
Ancient Greek
p. 78ΣΩ. Ἀλλὰ τί ποτε λέγεις χρωμένων ἀνθρώπων ἀνθρώποις οἷόν τ’ εἶναι ἄρχειν;
ΑΛ. Κοινωνούντων ἔγωγε λέγω πολιτείας καὶ συμβαλλόντων πρὸς ἀλλήλους, τούτων ἄρχειν τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει.
ΣΩ. Τίς οὖν αὕτη ἡ τέχνη; ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ σε ἐροίμην πάλιν τὰ νυνδή, κοινωνούντων ναυτιλίας ἐπίστασθαι ἄρχειν τίς ποιεῖ τέχνη;
ΑΛ. Κυβερνητική.
125eΣΩ. Κοινωνούντων δ’ ᾠδῆς, ὡς νυνδὴ ἐλέγετο, τις ἐπιστήμη ποιεῖ ἄρχειν;
ΑΛ. Ἥνπερ σὺ ἄρτι ἔλεγες, ἡ χοροδιδασκαλία.
ΣΩ. Τί δέ; πολιτείας κοινωνούντων τίνα καλεῖς ἐπιστήμην;
ΑΛ. Εὐβουλίαν ἔγωγε, ὦ Σώκρατες.
ΣΩ. Τί δέ; μῶν ἀβουλία δοκεῖ εἶναι ἡ τῶν κυβερνητῶν;
ΑΛ. Οὐ δῆτα.
ΣΩ. Ἀλλ’ εὐβουλία;
126aΑΛ. Ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ, εἴς γε τὸ σῴζεσθαι πλέοντας.
ΣΩ. Καλῶς λέγεις. τί δέ; ἣν σὺ λέγεις εὐβουλίαν, εἰς τί ἐστιν;
ΑΛ. Εἰς τὸ ἄμεινον τὴν πόλιν διοικεῖν καὶ σῴζεσθαι.
ΣΩ. Ἄμεινον δὲ διοικεῖται καὶ σῴζεται τίνος παραγιγνομένου ἢ ἀπογιγνομένου; ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ σύ με ἔροιο· “Ἄμεινον διοικεῖται σῶμα καὶ σῴζεται τίνος παραγιγνομένου ἢ ἀπογιγνομένου;” εἴποιμ’ ἂν ὅτι ὑγιείας μὲν παραγιγνομένης, νόσου δὲ ἀπογιγνομένης. οὐ καὶ σὺ οἴει οὕτως;
126bΑΛ. Ναί.
ΣΩ. Καὶ εἴ μ’ αὖ ἔροιο· “Τίνος δὲ παραγιγνομένου ἄμεινον ὄμματα;” ὡσαύτως εἴποιμ’ ἂν ὅτι ὄψεως μὲν παραγιγνομένης, τυφλότητος δὲ ἀπογιγνομένης. καὶ ὦτα δὲ
Alcibiades I
p. 79Soc. Then what on earth do you mean by being able to rule men who make use of men?
Alc. Those who share in the life of the city and have dealings with one another: ruling these, the people in the city, I mean.
Soc. Then what craft is this? As if I were to ask you again what I asked just now: what craft makes one know how to rule those who share in a voyage?
Alc. Piloting.
Soc. 125e And what knowledge, as was said just now, makes one rule those who share in song?1
Alc. The one you spoke of just now: chorus-training.
Soc. Well then: those who share in the life of the city, what do you call the knowledge of ruling them?
Alc. Good counsel, I would say, Socrates.
Soc. Well then: surely the pilots’ knowledge doesn’t seem to you to be want of counsel?
Alc. Certainly not.
Soc. Good counsel, then?
Alc. 126a So it seems to me, for being kept safe at sea, at any rate.
Soc. Well said. And the good counsel you speak of, what is it for?
Alc. For ordering the city better and keeping it safe.
Soc. And what is it whose presence or absence makes the city better ordered and kept safe? Just as if you were to ask me, “What is it whose presence or absence makes a body better ordered and kept safe?”, I would say: the presence of health and the absence of disease. Don’t you think so too?
Alc. 126b Yes.
Soc. And if you were to ask me again, “And what is it whose presence makes eyes better?”, I would say likewise: the presence of sight and the absence of blindness. And ears,
Socrates
Reading Alcibiades I · Alcibiades I · 125d–126b
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.