From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordHaireō means take, capture, win; here, secure the beloved.
- In LysisThe second-aorist subjunctive ἕλῃς asks what happens if Hippothales “catches” his beloved.
- Reading contextIt does not itself establish a reciprocal relationship or justify equating erotic success with friendship: that connection remains something the dialogue has to investigate.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “for if you catch your beloved.”
- English renderings
- Take, capture, win; here, secure the beloved
Meaning
Take, capture, win; here, secure the beloved.
Grammatical category: verb.
Use in the book
The second-aorist subjunctive ἕλῃς asks what happens if Hippothales “catches” his beloved. Socrates then advises the accomplished lover not to praise the beloved before he has caught him.
The verb introduces the hunting imagery developed through a hunter, quarry, and difficulty of capture. It describes the lover’s pursuit from his strategic perspective. It does not itself establish a reciprocal relationship or justify equating erotic success with friendship: that connection remains something the dialogue has to investigate.