symposium   

Scene: The House of Agathon.

Concerning the things about which you ask to be informed I believe

that I am not ill-prepared with an answer. For the day before

yesterday I was coming from my own home at Phalerum to the city, and

one of my acquaintance, who had caught a sight of me from behind,

hind, out playfully in the distance, said: Apollodorus, O thou

Phalerian man, halt! So I did as I was bid; and then he said, I was

looking for you, Apollodorus, only just now, that I might ask you

about the speeches in praise of love, which were delivered by

Socrates, Alcibiades, and others, at Agathon's supper. Phoenix, the

son of Philip, told another person who told me of them; his

narrative was very indistinct, but he said that you knew, and I wish

that you would give me an account of them. Who, if not you, should

be the reporter of the words of your friend? And first tell me, he

said, were you present at this meeting?

Your informant, Glaucon, I said, must have been very indistinct

indeed, if you imagine that the occasion was recent; or that I could

have been of the party.

Why, yes, he replied, I thought so.

Impossible: I said. Are you ignorant that for many years Agathon has

not resided at Athens; and not three have elapsed since I became

acquainted with Socrates, and have made it my daily business to know

all that he says and does. There was a time when I was running about

the world, fancying myself to be well employed, but I was really a

most wretched thing, no better than you are now. I thought that I

ought to do anything rather than be a philosopher.

Well, he said, jesting apart, tell me when the meeting occurred.

In our boyhood, I replied, when Agathon won the prize with his first

tragedy, on the day after that on which he and his chorus offered

the sacrifice of victory.

Then it must have been a long while ago, he said; and who told

you-did Socrates?