Pl. Symp. 216d

Greek Learning Greek
1

Dover’s text from Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics:

ἀλλὰ ἐγὼ δηλώσω, ἐπείπερ ἠρξάμην.
ὁρᾶτε γὰρ ὅτι Σωκράτης ἐρωτικῶς διάκειται τῶν καλῶν καὶ
ἀεὶ περὶ τούτους ἐστὶ καὶ ἐκπέπληκται, καὶ αὖ ἀγνοεῖ πάντα
καὶ οὐδὲν οἶδεν, ὡς τὸ σχῆμα αὐτοῦ τοῦτο οὐ σιληνῶδες;

OCT:

ἀλλὰ ἐγὼ δηλώσω, ἐπείπερ ἠρξάμην.
ὁρᾶτε γὰρ ὅτι Σωκράτης ἐρωτικῶς διάκειται τῶν καλῶν καὶ
ἀεὶ περὶ τούτους ἐστὶ καὶ ἐκπέπληκται, καὶ αὖ ἀγνοεῖ πάντα
καὶ οὐδὲν οἶδεν. ὡς τὸ σχῆμα αὐτοῦ τοῦτο οὐ σιληνῶδες;

I don’t understand why Dover prints a comma where the OCT prints a period. The OCT text makes sense to me: “…and in turn [that] he doesn’t know all things and knows nothing. As to his form surely this is Silenian?” But I can’t make sense of Dover’s text. He argues that the OCT’s punctuation creates a “curious blend of a declaration…with a question,” but I still don’t understand how he is translating this sentence. Does anyone have any ideas?

2

For myself, I could understand taking ὠς τὸ σχῆμα αὐτοῦ with what comes before, something like “and he knows nothing, as for his form.” And then τοῦτο οὐ σιληνῶδες being separate. But I don’t see a way to combine everything together.

3

Hi, vir & modus. Your suggestion, modus, is one of the suggestions given in
These notes by R.G. Bury @ Perseus.
Unfortunately, I cannot read Latin, nor am I sure I even understand this sentence but this might be of help to you. :slight_smile: