Phaedrus 235e-236a

Greek Specific Text Questions
1

The last word of this quote is λέγοντι. It seems to me that it ought to be τινι/τῳ λέγοντι or τῷ λέγοντι.

αὐτίκα περὶ οὗ ὁ λόγος, τίνα οἴει λέγοντα ὡς χρὴ μὴ ἐρῶντι μᾶλλον ἢ ἐρῶντι χαρίζεσθαι, παρέντα τοῦ μὲν τὸ φρόνιμον ἐγκωμιάζειν, τοῦ δὲ τὸ ἄφρον ψέγειν, ἀναγκαῖα γοῦν ὄντα, εἶτ᾽ ἄλλ᾽ ἄττα ἕξειν λέγειν; ἀλλ᾽οἶμαι τὰ μὲν τοιαῦτα ἐατέα καὶ συγγνωστέα λέγοντι·

Here’s my rough translation: First concerning what the speech is about, who do you think, saying that it’s necessary to gratify a non-lover over a lover, [would] avoid praising the one for good sense and reproaching the other for senselessness (inevitable [arguments] though they are), and would [still] have other things to say? Surely, I think, those things would be permissible and forgivable for the/a speaker.

I realize that in the question, ἐρῶντι and μὴ ἐρῶντι don’t have an article, but they seem to be generalized whereas in the case of λέγοντι, there is a specific speaker who is making a case.

Mark

2

I see what you mean, but I think the bare λέγοντι is acceptable as it stands, a simple circumstantial participle (“when/if he makes such arguments”) admittedly rather loosely attached but sufficiently in keeping with the rest, whereas either τῷ or enclitic τῳ might make too much of it. Of course these things are very difficult to decide, but I see no reason to doubt the given text.

3

Thanks, Michael! It seems like λέγοντι is a reference to τίνα λέγοντα from the previous question. It seems a bit of a stretch to me, but there are multiple passages in the dialog which seem to defy grammar and which commentators accept as examples of Plato’s “lively style”.

4

I wouldn’t say it defies grammar Mark. There’s nothing for the participle explicitly to agree with but you can understand αυτῷ easily enough if it helps (“such things are to be forgiven him if he says them”).