ἀποδέδεικται μέν, ἔφη, ὦ Σιμμία τε καὶ Κέβης, ὁ Σωκράτης, καὶ νῦν, εἰ ᾽θέλετε συνθεῖναι τοῦτόν τε τὸν λόγον εἰς ταὐτὸν καὶ ὃν πρὸ τούτου ὡμολογήσαμεν, τὸ γίγνεσθαι πᾶν τὸ ζῶν ἐκ τοῦ τεθνεῶτος.
εἰ γὰρ ἔστιν μὲν (77d) ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ πρότερον, ἀνάγκη δὲ αὐτῇ εἰς τὸ ζῆν ἰούσῃ τε καὶ γιγνομένῃ μηδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν ἢ ἐκ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ τεθνάναι γίγνεσθαι, πῶς οὐκ ἀνάγκη αὐτὴν καὶ ἐπειδὰν ἀποθάνῃ εἶναι, ἐπειδή γε δεῖ αὖθις αὐτὴν γίγνεσθαι;
ἀποδέδεικται μὲν οὖν ὅπερ λέγετε καὶ νῦν.
ὅμως δέ μοι δοκεῖς σύ τε καὶ Σιμμίας ἡδέως ἂν καὶ τοῦτον διαπραγματεύσασθαι τὸν λόγον ἔτι μᾶλλον,
καὶ δεδιέναι τὸ τῶν παίδων, μὴ ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ ἄνεμος αὐτὴν ἐκβαίνουσαν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος διαφυσᾷ (77e) καὶ διασκεδάννυσιν,
ἄλλως τε καὶ ὅταν τύχῃ τις μὴ ἐν νηνεμίᾳ ἀλλ᾽ ἐν μεγάλῳ τινὶ πνεύματι ἀποθνῄσκων.
“Demonstratum est autem” ait, “O Simmia et Cebes,” Socrates, “eciam nunc, si vultis simul ponere hanc eciam racionem in illam, quam ante hanc confessi sumus, fieri omne vivens ex mortuo.
Si enim est anima eciam prius, necesse autem ipsi in vitam eunti et genite ex nullo alio quam ex morte et mori fieri, quo pacto non necesse ipsi eciam post quam obierit esse, quando quidem oportet ipsam rursum fieri?
Demonstratum est igitur quod dicebatur eciam nunc.
Tamen michi videris, tuque et Simmias, libenter quidem eciam hanc disquirere racionem adhuc magis,
et metuere id quod puerarum, ne quam vere ventus ipsam egredientem a corpore perflet et discindat,
aliterque eciam cum contingat quis non in tranquillo flatu, verum in magno quodam spiritu mori.”
“Demonstratum quidem (24) est”, inquit Socrates, “istud, o Simmia et o Cebes, etiam nunc, si modo velitis, et id quod (25) modo probatum est et illud quod ante concesseramus – videlicet omne vivens ex mor(26)tuo fieri – in unum connectere.
Si enim est anima prius et cum in hanc venit vitam fitque (27) homo, necesse est non aliunde eam quam ex mortuis proficisci. Cur non necessarium sit, (28) ut etiam post mortem corporis maneat, cum oporteat ipsam ad hanc vitam reverti?
De(29)monstratum igitur et nunc est quod dicitur.
Veruntamen videmini tu atque Simmias cu(30)pere idem rursus diligentius pertractari,
ac forsitan puerorum more formidatis, ne re(31)vera corpore egredientem ventus dissolvat atque dispergat,
praesertim si ventis vehemen(32)tius flantibus exeat.”
But that proof, Simmias and Cebes, has been already given, said Socrates, if you put the two arguments together--I mean this and the former one, in which we admitted that everything living is born of the dead.
For if the soul exists before birth, and in coming to life and being born can be born only from death and dying, must she not after death continue to exist, since she has to be born again?
--Surely the proof which you desire has been already furnished.
Still I suspect that you and Simmias would be glad to probe the argument further.
Like children, you are haunted with a fear that when the soul leaves the body, the wind may really blow her away and scatter her;
especially if a man should happen to die in a great storm and not when the sky is calm.