ἐν γὰρ τῷ
κτλ. Thus Socr. practically defers the consideration
of the matter to “the Greek Kalends.” Rettig calls attention to
the catalectic hexameter in ἐν γὰρ...βουλευόμενοι,
which gives a touch of jocular liveliness.
ἀφεὶς ὥσπερ βέλη. Sc.
τοὺς λόγους. For this image applied to
“winged words,” cp. the use of βαλών 189 B; Phileb. 23 B
βέλη ἔχειν ἕτερα τῶν ἔμπροσθεν λόγων: Theaet. 180 A; Pind. Ol.
I. 112.
τετρῶσθαι. “I thought I had
winged him.” Cp. Theogn. 1287 ἀλλά σ᾽ ἐγὼ τρώσω
φεύγοντά περ: and the description of Eros as θηρευτὴς δεινός, 203 D.
τρίβωνα. Cp. Prot. 335 D; Ar. Ach. 184, etc. The vogue of
the “philosopher's cloak” (pallium) seems
to date from Socrates: cp. Plut. de disc. ad. 56 C. For the
incident, see also Lysias in Alcib. XIV. 25
(Teichmüller Litt. F. II. 267 ff.); Theocr. Id.
XVIII. 19; cp. Theogn. 1063 ff. ἐν δ᾽ ἥβῃ πάρα μὲν ξὺν
ὁμήλικι καλ λῖθ᾽ εὕδειν | ἱμερτῶν
ἔργων ἐξ ἔρον ἱέμενον. Notice the stylistic effect produced both by
the row of successive participles, mostly asyndetic (“der Sturmlauf ist
vergeblich” Rettig); and by the repetition of the pronoun (τούτῳ, -τον, -τουί, -τῳ, οὗτος). “Forsan haec
illustrat Soph. Trach. 944. Respexit
Alciphron I. 38” (Wyttenb.).
This text is part of:
The Symposium of Plato. R. G. Bury. 1909. Cambridge. W. Heffer and Sons.
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