Timaeus — Plato

poetry feeds and waters the passions instead of drying them up ; she lets them rule, although they ought to be controlled, if mankind are ever to increase in happiness and virtue. I cannot deny it.

Therefore, Glaucon, I said, whenever you meet with any of the eulogists of Homer declaring that he has been the educator of Hellas, and that he is profitable for education and for the ordering of human things, and that you should take him up again and again and get to know him and 607 regulate your whole life according to him, we may love and honour those who say these things — they are excellent people, as far as their lights extend ; and we are ready to acknowledge that Homer is the greatest of poets and first of tragedy writers ; but we must remain firm in our conviction that hymns to the gods and praises of famous men are the only poetry which ought to be admitted into our State.

For if you go beyond this and allow the honeyed muse to enter, either in epic or lyric verse, not law and the reason of mankind, which by common consent have ever been deemed best, but pleasure and pain will be the rulers in our State. That is most true, he said.

And now since we have reverted to the subject of poetry, let this our defence serve to show the reasonableness of our former judgment in sending away out of our State an art having the tendencies which we have described ; for reason constrained us.

But that she may not impute to us any harshness or want • of politeness, let us tell her that there is an ancient quarrel between philosophy and poetry ; of which there are many proofs, such as the saying of ' the yelping hound howling at her lord,' or of one ' mighty in the vain talk of fools,' and ' the mob of sages circumventing Zeus,' and the ' subtle thinkers who are beggars after all ' ; and there are innumerable other signs of ancient enmity between them.

Notwithstanding this, let us assure our sweet friend and the sister arts of imitation, that if she will only prove her title to exist in a well-ordered State we shall be delighted to receive her — we are very conscious of her charms ; but we may not on that account betray the truth.

*What ivili it profit a maiif 323 I dare say, Glaucon, that you are as much charmed by her RepubUc.x. as I am, especially when she appears m Homer? Socrates, Yes, indeed, I am greatly charmed. Glaucon. Shall I propose, then, that she be allowed to return from exile, but upon this condition only — that she make a defence of herself in lyrical or some other metre? Certainly.

And we may further grant to those of her defenders who are lovers of poetry and yet not poets the permission to speak in prose on her behalf : let them show not only that she is pleasant but also useful to States and to human Hfe, and we will listen in a kindly spirit ; for if this can be proved we shall surely be the gainers — I mean, if there is a use in poetry as well as a delight? Certainly, he said, we shall be the gainers.

If her defence fails, then, my dear friend, like other persons who are enamoured of something, but put a restraint upon themselves when they think their desires are opposed to their interests, so too must we after the manner of lovers give her up, though not without a struggle.

We Poetry is at- ^ too are inspired by that love of poetry which the education no^^/rle 608 of noble States has implanted in us, and therefore we would have her appear at her best and truest ; but so long as she is unable to make good her defence, this argument of ours shall be a charm to us, which we will repeat to ourselves while we listen to her strains ; that we may not fall away into the childish love of her which captivates the many.

At all events we are well aware ^ that poetry being such as we have described is not to be regarded seriously as attaining to the truth ; and he who listens to her, fearing for the safety of the city which is within him, should be on his guard against her seductions and make our words his law. Yes, he said, I quite agree with you.

Yes, I said, my dear Glaucon, for great is the issue at stake, greater than appears, whether a man is to be good or bad. And what will any one be profited if under the influence of honour or money or power, aye, or under the excitement of poetry, he neglect justice and virtue? ' Or, if we accept Madvig's ingenious but unnecessary emendation (iffdueda, ' At all events we will sing, that ' &c.

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The immortality of the soul.

Republic X. sockates, Glaucon.

'I'he rewards of virtue extend not only to this little space of human life hut to the whole of existence.

Kverything has a good and an evil, and if not destroyed by its own evil, will not be destroyed hy that of another.