Gadfly, the Wisest Man: Part 3 (A)
A: Day of the death of Socrates
It’s early morning and Crito has been the first to enter to see Socrates
SOCRATES
(Stretching)
Crito, why are you coming at this hour?
Isn’t it still early?
CRITO
Yes, Socrates, it’s early.
SOCRATES
Exactly what time is it?
CRITO
The sun has barely shun.
SOCRATES
How did you get in?
CRITO
The guard is a friend of so much coming and entertainment.
In addition, I have paid him.
SOCRATES
Have you been here for a long time or are you here now?
CRITO
Quite a while ago I have arrived.
SOCRATES
Why didn’t you wake me up
And have remained silent by my side?
CRITO
By Zeus, my friend, I would not like to be in a state of sleeplessness and distress
If I were to find myself in your shoes.
I have seen how peacefully you sleep and I am amazed.
I didn’t want to disturb your rest.
You know, my friend, all your life I have considered you happy,
Your character is light,
You are not what we commonly think of as joyful,
That to the honeyed people.
Your spirit, Socrates, is serene and clear,
With your forehead straight.
(Pause)
O friend, the happiest I consider you now.
You won’t be stunned,
Even with a coming misfortune
Your soul is sober.
SOCRATES
At our age, my friend, if dying is close,
It is not proper to get irritated.
CRITO
Some are also in prison and have our years,
Yet they are irritated.
SOCRATES
Maybe it will be like that, Crito, I don’t see any point in it.
(Pause)
Tell me, why did you come so early?
CRITO
The situation, Socrates, is painful for everyone.
SOCRATES
Crito, for whom is it painful?
CRITO
Your friends and family, Socrates, everyone around you.
We don’t want you to die because you were unjustly condemned.
SOCRATES
And what, Crito? Would you rather I had been justly condemned?
(Crito shuts up for a moment)
CRITO
Socrates, save yourself and listen to me.
Your death is not a misfortune just to you,
I lose a friend, one of the best, that makes me better.
Besides, Socrates, others will think I have abandoned you.
I can save you, I have money in my bags,
But you exhort me to keep it.
I will have the most embarrassing reputation.
They will say that I prefer money to my allies.
Most will not be convinced that you have not been saved,
Being able to do so and with resources of our own.
SOCRATES
Why does the opinion of the majority make your soul anxious?
The opinion of people close to us is what matters to us
And they know how the plot went.
Why do you behave like them?
CRITO
In the opinion of the majority, Socrates, one must be looked at.
Most are not only capable of doing wrong,
They are also capable of doing the worst,
If someone is not of their liking.
SOCRATES
O Crito, you are innocent and candid.
By Zeus, that most were capable of doing the worst,
For he who does the most evil also does the most good if he wants it.
They are capable of none, they have no side.
They work under the influence of chance. They are incapable of making anyone sensible
Or pervert it and make them foolish.
It is a tide that drags through an area,
But in itself, it lacks trajectory.
(Pause)
Oh friend, most of them don’t have a tail or head,
It is as useless and dangerous as a herd.
CRITO
I understand, Socrates. We can accept it.
It was not in me to make you angry.
I know your situation is uncomfortable
And to tell you the truth, you look strange.
I could dare to say that you are exalted,
I don’t know what else is tormenting your mood
But who would be right in this scenario,
In your case I would be bursting into a rage.
SOCRATES
I’m fine, Crito. Your restlessness praises me.
My mood is clear.
CRITO
Well, hearing that is pleasing.
But, Socrates, with your escape I am forced.
Are you not worried that your loved ones will suffer because of it?
Leave it, if you are afraid of something,
It’s only fair that we take the risk to save you,
Even if it were a great danger.
(Pause)
O Socrates, listen to me.
The weight of money for us is light.
Also, buying the guards is not expensive.
Simmias and Cebes have brought enough for payment.
In escaping, they show no concern or hesitation.
If your fear is to fend for yourself elsewhere,
In many places you will be welcomed with honor.
(Pause)
If you don’t save yourself when you can, you betray yourself.
You give to your enemies what you have worked for.
Besides, you also betray your children.
You abandon them and avoid raising them,
Their destiny will be what despair chooses.
Either one should not have children, or one should raise and educate them.
For the most comfortable you choose,
But in us falls the dishonor.
We didn’t help you before the trial.
We let ourselves get carried away by fearful things.
We haven’t saved you,
Even you have not saved yourself.
O Socrates, let no more harm be done.
Run away at this very hour.
(Pause)
The divine genius in reason has not made you enter, perhaps?
What does the Daemon say, who advises you?
SOCRATES
It would be admirable your will, if it were honest.
The more intense, the more painful.
Let’s reflect on your suggestion.
One must always see the best logic.
My arguments would not change despite my conviction,
They are equally important.
If, at the present time, we do not say something better than nothing,
I will not agree with you, not even by force.
Friend, I care for you, but I’m sick of this fight.
With the Daemon, to pressure me you attack me.
Pressure does not make it advisable,
Truth he only seeks.
So, Crito, let’s examine your idea,
So as to finally give a break to this dispute
Do you think that all human opinions should be considered
Or should we consider scarce opinions?
CRITO
Not all opinions should be considered.
SOCRATES
Should we estimate the valuable things and not estimate the bad ones?
CRITO
You are accurate.
SOCRATES
Are the opinions of good men good,
And those of men of poor judgment, bad?
CRITO
Socrates, you do not err.
SOCRATES
A man who is dedicated to gymnastics,
Does he take into account the opinion of any person, their praise,
Or that of the person, who trains him?
My friend, answer.
CRITO
Only one person considers.
SOCRATES
To this I will say, Crito, you have already given light:
He will not pay attention to the majority, but to only one soul.
CRITO
You say, O Socrates, right things.
SOCRATES
On the other hand, my friend, if he listens to everyone, what happens?
Wouldn’t he cause himself offence?
CRITO
I affirm what you say. I have no reply.
SOCRATES
Well, Crito, that happens with the things that remain.
Regarding the just and unjust, the ugly and beautiful things,
The bad things and the good things,
Should we follow the majority opinion and fear it
Or to one who understands things?
If we don’t follow that one, things get damaged.
If it was the body,
Harm to himself was given.
Can we live with our body miserable and ruined?
CRITO
No way.
SOCRATES
Is the justice, than the body, higher?
CRITO
Justice is higher.
SOCRATES
So, Crito, can we live with that which harms justice?
CRITO
Living that way is inadequate.
SOCRATES
Then, dear friend, we should not mind most
And much less what they say.
We must be concerned with those who understand and love just things,
The one who cares about truth and philosophy,
Even if it was only one person.
Your proposal, Crito, was wrong.
(Pause)
But someone would say that most people would condemn anyone to death.
CRITO
Someone could say it.
SOCRATES
Perhaps that could be a genuine concern,
But the next thing, my friend, examine:
Is life more important than a just life?
CRITO
It is better, Socrates, the just life.
SOCRATES
Then we must examine whether our actions will be just,
If it were only fair that I should run away from here.
If it is fair, I will escape from here,
But if it’s not, I’d ask you to drop the subject.
CRITO
We will have to examine to find the true things.
SOCRATES
Let us look for Sofia.
If the truth is with what I was saying,
I ask you, my friend, not to repeat the same phrase anymore:
<<That from here I have to escape>>.
With this I am done,
I want to put an end to this dispute.
CRITO
Let’s start your request.
SOCRATES
Do we affirm that one should never do evil willingly or with desire?
Is it shameful who commits injustice?
CRITO
He who commits injustice is shameful.
SOCRATES
Then in no way should injustice be done.
CRITO
You don’t tell a lie.
SOCRATES
Nor should one respond with injustice if it is received,
As most people believe,
Since injustice must never be done.
CRITO
I do not argue anything.
SOCRATES
Tell me, my friend, must evil be done?
CRITO
No, my friend, must not be done.
SOCRATES
When evil is received it is fair to respond by doing bad things,
As most people say?
CRITO
It would be an injustice.
SOCRATES
For hurting people and committing injustice,
You can’t tell them apart.
Then no man should do wrong or injustice,
Even if you receive bad things from them.
It is preferable to suffer an injustice,
To commit or respond with an injustice
CRITO
I don’t see any fallacy in your talk.
SOCRATES
What has been agreed upon with someone as justice,
Should we do it or give it a false start?
CRITO
Doing justice is necessary.
SOCRATES
If we leave the city without persuading, we will flee,
We hurt then the citizens.
CRITO
I do not understand. Your words are blurred and undefined.
SOCRATES
Consider the following measure.
If, when we were at the point of our escape
The common people of the city and the laws would come, their daughters,
You don’t think they would say:
<<Oh Socrates, what are you attempting against us Daughters?
You want to destroy the population with your action,
You turn them into a city where trials mean nothing>>.
Wouldn’t we say to plead them out:
<<The city, O Daughters, has committed injustice,
The sentence and decision were twisted>>.
CRIT
For Zeus, that would be the safeguard.
SOCRATES
Perhaps the laws, the Daughters, would tell us:
<<Is this the right thing to do?
Didn’t we give you life?
Wasn’t it the laws that gave you cause by your parents?
Are not the laws the ones that cultivate man?
The man, who tells us that we are chosen,
Nurtures under our gift.
Whoever follows them is under their grace,
But being the newborn person,
Of the laws he is their slave.
You, speaker of virtue, do not challenge the fatherland,
Who under your bosom as parents nourished you,
Now you are ready to destroy us?
You, who are so wise, don’t you think that the Daughters
Who under the name of laws, which were worthy,
Deserve respect and not to be broken?
Don’t you see that we shaped the country
And the homeland is to be respected and flattered?>>
Don’t the Daughters speak truthfully, Crito?
CRITO
The conversation is difficult and arduous.
SOCRATES
The laws, Crito, are not created, they are grasped.
Man takes them from what his sight allows,
Wanting to establish true justice,
Justice, in turn, is mother and daughter.
Mother of the laws, but of something else she is a daughter.
(Pause)
So, Crito, our laws are daughters of the Daughters.
Man’s eyesight, my friend, is opaque,
But that does not dishonor his beloved
Especially when you know you constantly have to look for it.
So, man generates his own daughter from the Daughters,
And with this, human justice is born,
Even though she is parallel and minor, she is a sister of the divine one.
The laws, O Crito, would then tell us:
<<Oh Socrates, it doesn’t matter if we have justice or not,
You led your life under us.
You could have made us strangers,
You could have left Athens and gone to Thessaly,
Where you might agree with those daughters.
But not only here under our law do you dwell,
You did here the rest of your life,
Where you had a wife and to children you gave life.
You lived for a long time in advantage,
And back then you never turned your back on us,
Why now that you suffered an injustice
Do you seek to destroy the laws?
You have had an agreement with us all your life,
And there in accepting it is justice.
Whether or not the interpretation is true,
What humans give with their opaque eyesight,
Agreeing to them, already harbors justice.
Well, Socrates, if you go to Thessaly,
Against us you commit injustice.
Well, attend to our fame,
That we educate you in your life,
Keep justice in your heart,
Even if you don’t seem to like her face now.
If to Hades, you go away,
You will be unjustly condemned by men; not by the Daughters,
But if clumsily of gears,
Paying back injustice for injustice,
You’ll have us all riled up,
And you may not see punishment as long as you live,
But in Hades or wherever your destiny lies,
Our laws, mothers and sisters,
With you they will be rough>>.
(Pause)
That, Crito, listens my soul,
And the echo echoes of these words
Inside my dwelling.
There’s no room for anything else,
It will be in vain what you say,
But if you think something would convince me,
Speak up.
CRITO
I cannot, Socrates, say anything.
SOCRATES
Then, this discussion will have to be terminated,
I don’t expect any more trouble from you.
CRITO
I understand, friend.
Xanthippe arrives
XANTHIPPE
Oh dear, I wanted my visit to be previous,
But I was dealing with Lamprocles, one of your sons.
It is difficult to treat him with his spoiled character,
Whatever I do, I will never be a serious matter to him.
SOCRATES
Tell me, dear, did you bring him with you?
If so, bring him in for a reprimand.
XANTHIPPE
Yes, Socrates, talk to him, I beg you.
He is coming with me; I will tell him to come.
(Goes for Lamprocles)
SOCRATES
Crito, do you mind if you leave for a few moments?
I want to enjoy my children’s visit.
CRITO
At once, Socrates, I retire.
(Crito leaves and enters Xanthippe with Sofroniscus, Menexenus and Lamprocles, the first two, bastards, are very small, while Lamprocles is a teenager)
XANTHIPPE
Here it is. I hope he listens to you.
SOCRATES
Tell me, Lamprocles, why are you aggressive with your mother?
LAMPROCLES
Why do you ask what comes as no surprise?
SOCRATES
I see your tongue is loose.
What’s going on, son?
Why are you so impulsive?
With her you must be more benign.
LAMPROCLES
Just like you are with her?
I am not the only one to whom your notice applies.
SOCRATES
Your attitude is haughty.
(Pause)
Tell me, son, is there anything bothering you?
LAMPROCLES
You ask again what lacks surprise.
It is an old trick to make your mind alienated.
(Pause)
You know well the reason of my fierceness.
As if nothing happened, you show yourself.
You seem to be very calm,
Maybe you are, I wouldn’t be too surprised,
But as you, you expect us to be,
We are not you, O Socrates, philosopher and wise man.
SOCRATES
Of my death, what besets you?
LAMPROCLES
Now, Father, your charade is old.
This pain punctures and penetrates.
It’s not so much that we are left in poverty,
It is that without suspicion or remorse you leave us.
My mother, every day and night, cries for you,
And you, without interest or concern, show yourself.
We are used to a lost father,
I don’t think they’ll remember you later, because your other children,
Are still very small.
You abandon us and you leave us,
But it is a reflection of what we have experienced,
A long time ago, you gave us the slip,
With your death, your negligence is confirmed.
Oh father, what did we do
So that we would be in your oblivion?
(Pause)
I will not deny that my discomfort comes from elsewhere.
You have been unjustly condemned, there is nothing more certain,
Even the judges knew at the trial itself.
You gave everything for this city, for Athens
And what does it give you as a reward?
They spit in your face and with your suffering rejoice.
You ask for that which is not hidden.
SOCRATES
The sins I committed before you I carry into my niche.
In a moment and with an apology, no amendment will be made,
Years of neglect I gave you will not be repaired.
(Pause)
Many times I stopped to examine my tests,
I was torn between the duality,
But learn from me this, my son,
You may not agree with what I have decided,
But the best and least understood,
It is to go vehemently on the path you have chosen.
(Pause)
You may not be sure
That you’re on the right track.
One makes himself with the repairs done along the way,
What you do has you defined,
Not what you say.
LAMPROCLES
(Cries)
Oh father, don’t die.
I will be good to my mother, accept my offering.
SOCRATES
Be good to her so you can be whole
Be good to everyone, even if they are not good to you.
What it is, dear son,
Is indifferent to whoever is its witness
Because it always remains the same,
Although different by people is seen.
Love for you is never in short supply,
You were my everything and my big reason,
Even if it didn’t look like that.
I leave my life for you to grow.
(Lamprocles continues to cry, Socrates sobs and embraces him. He brings his other two children closer and hugs them. He gives them one last kiss on their foreheads to say goodbye. Xanthippe grabs them and takes them out. Then she returns. Socrates and Xanthippe remain silent for a while)
XANTHIPPE
You look different, Socrates, as if you were divided.
I know that death is no match for you,
It is something else that has taken away your shinning.
It’s her, right? She’s gone?
(Socrates remains silent)
XANTHIPPE
Although I never understood you, my love,
For everything you did, I admire you.
In your life, I have had many surprises.
I had an exciting life, I don’t complain.
But there is one big surprise that stays with me,
Although in you, you harbor
A hellish internal struggle,
It is the eternal equanimity that you make external.
But now I see you as if you had already died,
A part of you, at least,
And the other remains resigned, without effort.
(Pause)
You know, she was the one I was jealous of,
It was never from Alcibiades or from the other.
I envied the Daemon, your faithful companion
Well, I know you were alone in your fearlessness,
And she gave you little comfort.
Because she’s gone, I don’t know the cause.
Maybe I could never generate you as she did, I’m calm,
But, my beloved, I tell you this:
For helping humanity, like Prometheus,
You suffer similar fate.
You gave everything for them,
You carried like Atlas with Athens.
You did it in the best way,
Always seeking the truth, the beautiful and the good.
Soon you will have hemlock on your tongue,
What would I give if that weren’t
And that I would drink in your place.
But my soul is largely serene,
Seeing how your delivery went.
You gave your child very good advice,
From time to time you should listen to what you recommend,
For what you say is good and sincere.
(Keeps silent for a few moments)
My love, from you I detach myself,
I hope that I lodge onto you at least as an echo.
May Zeus and Hera praise and protect you.
Goodbye, midwife of Athens.
SOCRATES
Your words, my beloved, bring me comfort.
My soul plays with this idea,
The other, if any,
I’m leaving without paying what I owe.
(Xanthippe remains silent and cries)
XANTHIPPE
Oh Socrates, this is no time for regrets,
You will never know if what you did was right.
Do not turn back or back away.
For he who speaks with sincerity leaves out fear.
(Xanthippe returns to silence, then begins to laugh)
XANTHIPPE
O Socrates, do not turn back or go backwards,
You will never know if what you did was right,
But this is not the time for regrets,
For he who speaks with sincerity leaves out fear.
(Xanthippe returns to silence and then explodes)
XANTHIPPE
O Socrates, he who speaks with sincerity leaves out fear!
Don’t turn back or back away!
This is no time for regrets!
You’ll never know if what you did was right!
(In the face of the scandal, Crito arrives and begins to take her away)
XANTHIPPE
Oh Socrates, you will never know if what you did was right!
(Socrates is left alone and silent for a while. He says nothing and does not move. After a long time, Simmias, Cebes, Crito, Glaucon, other friends of Socrates and the guard enter. Socrates does not notice their presence until he is interrupted by the guard, who enters to remove his shackles. Socrates slowly bends his leg and massages his hand)
SOCRATES
It is strange, friends, that which we call pleasant,
It acquires fervor in the face of its opposite, the painful,
But they are not present at the same time,
They perform a happy dance,
Where one chases the other.
We focus on one,
But when you have one of them in jail,
It gets the other one as if it were a head and two bodies.
What an opportunity Aesop has missed,
It would make for an interesting story.
(Pause)
The irons were causing me pain in my legs and hands,
Now that they are removed, the pleasure is felt.
SIMMIAS
Is dying for you pleasant?
CEBES
Is dying for you painful?
SOCRATES
I see among you that one or the other is missing.
I don’t see Plato, the little one.
Why, Glaucon, is he not with us?
GLAUCON
He was indisposed,
He felt tremendous pain in his stomach.
SOCRATES
Dying, Simmias and Cebes, is neither one nor the other.
Death is expressed in these two faces.
Tell me, Simmias and Cebes, are you afraid at night?
Do they sleep in wonder?
SIMMIAS
We are not afraid of the night.
CEBES
One tries to sleep without fear.
For if something disturbs him, he cannot sleep.
SOCRATES
So it does not hurt me to know that I will soon be dead.
SIMMIAS
But, Socrates, sleep is indeed pleasant.
CEBES
You compare death to sleep.
SOCRATES
Things are not black and white,
Reality has different chromos.
Death depends on how you look at its appearance,
For some it will be painful
And others will be pleased.
So it is with sleep,
It depends on how it is seen and how it is done.
Sleeping without tiredness causes miscarriage,
Sleeping when exhausted is pleasant.
The body hurts when it sleeps less,
If I sleep too much, I also torment it.
(Pause)
You will see: death is not sleep,
We know sleep,
But death is the greatest mystery.
SIMMIAS
You will die soon, master.
You will face the great mystery.
CEBES
In view of the unknown that you will soon suffer,
Do you have any fears?
SOCRATES
Why are you asking me this?
You were present, if I remember correctly,
When I spoke about the incognito at the trial
And I said that I didn’t feel fear.
In the face of death I do not feel fear.
Fear of respect is not the same.
Because we don’t know if death is the best thing.
SIMMIAS
No, Socrates, to death as an evil you argued against.
CEBES
But to the unknown we can show fear.
SOCRATES
You are right.
Do you want to hear my response?
SIMMIAS
That’s what we want.
We are amazed and at the same time not that you show yourself collected.
Well, it’s not surprising that we appreciate that boldness.
CEBES
But because of that, as a human you don’t look like one.
Anyone in this situation would show, however slight, misgivings.
And you show yourself as if it were a mere formality, a process.
SOCRATES
(Meditate for a few moments)
Death is a mystery,
But that doesn’t mean we don’t know it completely.
Death has its opposite,
Just as the pleasant is opposed to the painful.
Life and death, one pursues the other.
They are two sides of the same organ,
The vital death and the mortal life, their full names.
They are nothing and they are nonexistent, one without the other.
You work the same way.
Tell me: can the day without the night be understood?
SIMMIAS
O Socrates, it cannot be understood.
CEBES
We judge the day with the night, like sleep with being awake.
SOCRATES
Then with life it happens evenly.
Do we prefer one and the other we do not?
SIMMIAS
For Zeus, yes, we prefer.
CEBES
Some would prefer to stay awake all their lives
Because they are afraid of not waking up from a dream.
SIMMIAS
Others reject pain and prefer pleasure.
SOCRATES
What do you think about it?
Should we see the opposites as different
Or see as one, see them united?
(Pause)
Tell me: would you prefer an eternal waking life?
Would you like a life of pleasure without suffering?
SIMMIAS
Well, Socrates, I would rather be awake.
CEBES
And I would prefer pleasure without suffering.
SOCRATES
Ha, ha, anyone would answer that if they didn’t give it enough thought.
But I can see that you didn’t hear what I said first.
SIMMIAS
O Socrates, you speak also with many riddles.
CEBES
It is not possible to follow up on everything you say.
SOCRATES
It will be rather for your fine character.
When you arrived, the shackles were removed from me.
My body was suffering before and it was tense,
But once they were removed I was filled with joy.
One of them both we prefer,
We see pleasure better than suffering,
We see waking better than sleeping,
But if we don’t have that part that we consider lousy,
We cannot consider what we believe to be good.
I would not have felt pleasure without first having been in suffering.
So it is the same with being dead and alive.
One is not knowable and neither is it appreciable if the other is made unaware of it.
SIMMIAS
Socrates, you are right.
One enjoys even more when the change is energetic.
CEBES
Well, it seems that one gets rid of a strong weight.
Opposites are not disjointed.
SOCRATES
Cebes, what you say is true,
Otherwise everything is understood.
We know the beautiful because we see the ugly,
We know hot from cold,
The uneasy from the serenity,
The dishonest from the honest,
The unjust from the just,
Chaos from order,
Order from chaos.
Then death is compared with life.
CEBES
Of course.
SIMMIAS
Which of the two will we say is preferred:
To be alive or dead?
SOCRATES
Ah, Simmias, you’re on the right track.
What happens the opposites I mentioned before?
SIMMIAS
We know them.
CEBES
We experienced them both.
SOCRATES
What happens to being alive and being dead?
SIMMIAS
We only know one of them.
No one has ever experienced being dead.
CEBES
For death to us is a stranger.
Any knowledge of death is external.
SOCRATES
We compare life with the good
And to death with the bad.
Clearly one we know,
The other to us is uncertain.
Why do we say that being alive is higher?
CEBES
It is obvious, Socrates, he who dies is missed.
We long for he who is gone.
There is a hollow left in the others who miss him.
You long the person and their absence causes suffering.
SIMMIAS
It’s not obvious, Cebes, although you are right about one thing.
In the face of someone’s death, we are hurt,
But of him who dies let us speak,
We do not know if pain or pleasure is present in the dead.
CEBES
(Gets angry)
Ah, Simmias, what you say has no thought.
SIMMIAS
(Responds warmly)
You better listen before you cast aspersions.
Imagine, if it fits in your head, this:
From Socrates let us examine his scenario,
Suppose that like him we all find ourselves in prison.
Freedom, we all want,
Even when we are together and friends are,
We prefer to be outside than inside,
In a jail being prisoners.
We are united by this desire,
We played with the idea of what would become of one having escaped.
In our days and nights we want freedom.
With the idea in mind, we fall asleep.
And if one of us were to escape arrest,
Even if the rest of us were still in prison,
We would feel joy and happiness for his freedom,
Then we would know that he is doing better than those inside.
Even we miss that free one,
We would prefer him to be free than to be a slave.
Like a prison, it is our breath.
SOCRATES
I consider, Simmias, your speech adequate.
It is the consideration we must hold in the intellect.
Death can be either case,
But we hasten to say that living is good
And that dying is bad.
The answer is uncertain and lies in hesitation.
Dying to us will always be uncertain,
Until we die, we will know the answer.
CEBES
Sorry, Simmias, the outburst,
With your example, it has become clear to me.
O Socrates, how should we view life?
SOCRATES
Life and death are prepared by philosophy.
Since the guard is in a hurry
And death is coming,
This will be the last thing I say to you.
(Pause)
We can never have a definitive answer to anything,
This is the incessant work of philosophy.
Our beloved is elusive,
When else it seems that we will have her captive,
She escapes without spending energy.
Death is our great unknown.
Is there anything else with death or does it all end?
From one or the other, there will always be opinion.
We must not get lost in this enigma,
Our soul must always look for Sophia.
Where does our focus lie?
In deterring and breaking our haughtiness.
It is true that death determines life,
We feel it as a weight on our shoulders,
It causes us fear because it is unknown,
But in response we must hold on to life.
(Pause)
Life before us is fixed,
Our actions have consequences as daughters,
What we do is what determines us,
And perhaps in the face of death those daughters will accompany us.
Let death be something else, let it continue,
It should not be decisive for our sashes.
This is the result of our fall.
We do not act for the things themselves,
We do this by expecting a prize
And not because justice is done.
Death in that enslaves us,
Our actions of death have an expectation,
That if something later continues or if everything ends,
This is determined by our actions,
We are good because we fear torment in death,
As if we were appearing before the law.
We believe that in Hades we will introduce ourselves to a minister,
That after examining our life it demands from us:
<<You did that and committed misery,
For having been negligent and selfish, the divine law punishes you,
Your sentence consists of an eternity of discomfort full of melancholy>>.
(Pause)
Whatever death follows,
One must act in a charitable way,
No matter what a punishment or a bonus awaits us,
Or even if justice is non-existent after death,
It must be done for the things themselves.
To be good for the sake of being good and to love the good, that is where the truth lies.
Let’s break, friends, our egocentricity,
Our false belief of our pseudo divine wisdom.
I implore you to abandon this ridiculous tragedy.
(Pause)
Let’s go back to when we were kids,
But not in thought or doctrine,
In awe and wonder,
We must go through the complex and elusive things,
To transform them into beauty and simple things.
Light the fire of your soul with philosophy,
Prepare for death in this life,
But for that which we know, which is life.
Don’t be afraid of what is in store, and what you can expect
And above all, even though everything is dark, your soul should not give darken.
(Pause)
He who truly loves Sophia,
Fights at all times for her reach,
Leaving aside and ignoring the fatigue,
He never stops or gives up his soul,
No flinching, no truce, no farewell,
Until we reach the things themselves,
And that’s when he wants and craves it the most,
Because virtue makes him better,
He seeks to unite and be part of things themselves,
Like a lover who is in agony without his beloved,
It acquires the true food and the true life,
By continuing to love divine things.
Only in this way is the true relic revealed to us.
In this incessant search and beating,
In all our struggle she divinizes us.
There will be times when it seems lost to us,
Where darkness over light predominates,
But one must illuminate oneself.
(Pause)
This is how I conceive life.
(Those present remain silent. The guard enters with the hemlock in a cup. They keep an uncomfortable silence until Crito speaks, trembling)
CRITO
Socrates, the moment is coming.
Is there anything you would like us to do?
SOCRATES
What I continually tell you, nothing is ignored.
Take care, friends, at all times.
Take care of your soul, not only your body.
There are many things I have said in the past.
Virtue will be your best ally.
CRIT=
We will work on that.
And how will we bury you?
SOCRATES
I leave that to your care.
Just make sure you have buried me,
So that my body does not escape.
(Laughs sweetly)
SOCRATES
I think, friends, that Crito does not believe that I am that Socrates who is dialoguing
And that in a few moments will be dead.
I will no longer be with you, having drunk the poison.
I will leave for the adventures reserved for the blessed.
He thinks I’m saying this in vain,
Both for you and for me to bring comfort.
That I would come out alive, Crito had sworn.
I will have escaped death many times,
But not this time or in this oment.
I will not stay after I have died,
But I will leave, abandoning you.
It is necessary, Crito, that you have courage to bury my body.
Bury it in a way that pleases you.
(Socrates stands up. He goes to a room to wash. Crito accompanies him and the others wait in the cell. Once Socrates returns, his children and Xanthippe enter. Socrates sits down and the guard approaches him)
GUARD
Socrates, even if you were to reproach me, I would remain silent,
Not like with those who drink the poison,
As I am forced by the judges.
As for you, I have recognized in this time,
But also at other times,
That you are the most noble, kindest and most beautiful man.
You know well what I give you,
May Zeus give you the deserved complement.
Have a good death, wise man.
SOCRATES
Goodbye to you too, and let’s do it!
(The guard leaves crying)
SOCRATES
What an educated man!
He has visited me throughout this time,
He talked to me for a few moments,
And he behaved like an aristocrat.
Now his crying is delicate.
(Pause)
It is then time to drink the poison.
(Socrates takes the cup to his lips and Crito stops him)
CRITO
Oh Socrates, wait still for a few moments.
The sun has not yet set.
Until it gets, drink, but not before, I beg you.
There is still time.
SOCRATES
It is natural, Crito, that death is delayed,
They think they are making a profit by doing so;
It is also natural that I am not like them.
I will gain nothing, if I am late drinking.
I’ll just left a grotesque look,
By showing attachment to life,
When there is no discount left.
Come on! Take my word for it.
(Socrates calls the guard)
Guard, you are understood in this.
What do I have to do to make it work?
GUARD
(Crying)
When that you have drunk, take several steps
Until you notice the weight on your legs,
When it happens, you should stay in bed.
The poison will do the rest.
SOCRATES
One should pray to the gods for a good journey.
So be it, that’s what I’m praying for now.
(Crito lets Socrates drink the hemlock, observing the scene, everyone, except Socrates, breaks into tears. Crito leaves the room desolate. Some begin to scream, lamenting)
SOCRATES
Friends, what are you doing?
Dying must be done in silence.
If I had known that you would end up desolate,
I would have chosen to die in isolation.
Be brave, show yourselves to be serene.
(Some, admonished, cease their crying. Socrates walks around the room, listening to the guard’s advice. His walk slowly becoming stiff)
GLAUCON
You are losing the feeling in your body.
SOCRATES
Yes, my friend, I can’t stand anymore.
The cold is slowly rising.
Soon it will reach the heart and everything will be over.
(Crito returns. Socrates lies down and covers himself with the mantle completely, but quickly uncovers himself to say)
SOCRATES
Crito, we owe a rooster to the god Asclepius,
Because he provides us with the remedies.
So pay him,
As he has liberated me.
(Socrates dies. He remains motionless and with his mouth and eyes open. Crito approaches to close them and cover him)
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