From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Lyre
λύρα
lyraLyra means lyre; the musical instrument Lysis is permitted to handle.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordLyra means lyre; the musical instrument Lysis is permitted to handle.
- In LysisThe accusative λύραν names the instrument Lysis takes up in Socrates’ second counterexample to the explanation by age.
- Reading contextNo claim is made that Lysis’ musical knowledge extends to every other household or political responsibility.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “when you take up the lyre.”
- English renderings
- Lyre; the musical instrument Lysis is permitted to handle
Meaning
Lyre; the musical instrument Lysis is permitted to handle.
Grammatical category: noun, feminine.
Use in the book
The accusative λύραν names the instrument Lysis takes up in Socrates’ second counterexample to the explanation by age. His parents allow him to tighten and loosen strings, pluck them, and strike them with the plectrum.
This is music as learned practical competence, contrasted with Hippothales’ ineffective singing. The instrument is not merely a cultural ornament: the freedom to operate it depends on knowing what one is doing. No claim is made that Lysis’ musical knowledge extends to every other household or political responsibility.
Places to read
- 209bτὴν λύραν λάβῃς — when you take up the lyre.
From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Lyre
λύρα
luraLyra is the lyre, a stringed musical instrument.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordLyra is the lyre, a stringed musical instrument.
- In StobaeusThe Phaedo argument observes that the lyre and its strings exist before their harmony, whereas harmony depends on their being appropriately arranged.
- In this edition“Lyre” names the instrument precisely; a generic “music” would remove the material example.
- A place to beginThe instrument’s priority to its harmony challenges a proposed account of soul.
- English renderings
- lyre
Meaning
Lyra is the lyre, a stringed musical instrument. Philosophical comparisons can use its material construction and tuning to examine relations between soul and body.
Use in the book
The Phaedo argument observes that the lyre and its strings exist before their harmony, whereas harmony depends on their being appropriately arranged. This becomes an objection to identifying soul with harmony while also accepting that soul existed before the body. The example tests the consistency of two commitments.
Places to read
- I.49.13.3The instrument’s priority to its harmony challenges a proposed account of soul.
Translation in this edition
“Lyre” names the instrument precisely; a generic “music” would remove the material example.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 334. The argument is directed against the soul-as-harmony proposal; it does not reject every analogy between psychic order and music.