Κρατύλος

Lines

383 – 384 384 – 385 385 – 385 385 – 386 386 – 387 387 – 388 388 – 388 388 – 389 389 – 390 390 – 391 391 – 391 392 – 392 392 – 393 393 – 393 394 – 394 394 – 395 395 – 395 396 – 396 396 – 397 397 – 398 398 – 398 398 – 399 399 – 399 399 – 400 400 – 401 401 – 402 402 – 402 403 – 403 403 – 404 404 – 405 405 – 405 406 – 406 406 – 407 407 – 408 408 – 409 409 – 409 410 – 410 410 – 411 411 – 411 412 – 412 413 – 413 413 – 414 414 – 414 415 – 415 416 – 416 416 – 417 417 – 418 418 – 418 419 – 419 419 – 419 420 – 420 420 – 421 421 – 422 422 – 422 423 – 423 423 – 424 424 – 424 425 – 425 426 – 426 426 – 426 427 – 427 427 – 428 428 – 429 429 – 430 430 – 430 430 – 431 431 – 432 432 – 432 432 – 433 433 – 434 434 – 434 434 – 435 435 – 436 436 – 437 437 – 437 438 – 438 438 – 439 439 – 440 440 – 440 440 – 440

İngilizce Yunanca

432 Socrates. Then do not be faint-hearted, but have the courage to admit that one name may be correctly and another incorrectly given; do not insist that it must have all the letters and be exactly the same as the thing named, but grant that an inappropriate letter may be employed. But if a letter, then grant that also a noun in a clause, and if a noun, then also a clause in a sentence may be employed which is not appropriate to the things in question, and the thing may none the less be named and described, so long as the intrinsic quality of the thing named is retained, as is the case in the names of the letters of the alphabet, if you remember what Hermogenes and I were saying a while ago.

433 Cratylus. Yes, I remember.

433 Socrates. Very well, then. So long as this intrinsic quality is present, even though the name have not all the proper letters, the thing will still be named; well, when it has all the proper letters; badly, when it has only a few of them. Let us, then, grant this, my friend, or we shall get into trouble, like the belated night wanderers in the road at Aegina,This seems to refer to some story unknown to us. and in very truth we shall be found to have arrived too late; otherwise you must look for some other principle of correctness in names, and must not admit that a name is the representation of a thing in syllables and letters. For if you maintain both positions, you cannot help contradicting yourself.

433 Cratylus. Well, Socrates, I think what you say is reasonable, and I accept it.

433 Socrates. Then since we are agreed about this, let us consider the next point. If a name, we say, is to be a good one, it must have the proper letters?

433 Cratylus. Yes.

433 Socrates. And the proper letters are those which are like the things named?

433 Cratylus. Yes, certainly.

← Previous 69 / 80 Next →

Şifre Yenileme