The Republic — Page 9
Or a more general division into two parts may be adopted; the first (Books I - IV) containing the description of a State framed generally in accordance with Hellenic notions of religion and morality, while in the second (Books V - X) the Hellenic State is transformed into an ideal kingdom of philosophy, of which all other governments are the perversions.
Oder es kann eine allgemeinere Einteilung in zwei Teile vorgenommen werden; der erste Teil (Bücher I - IV) enthält die Beschreibung eines Staates, der im Allgemeinen in Übereinstimmung mit hellenischen Vorstellungen von Religion und Moral gestaltet ist, während im zweiten Teil (Bücher V - X) der hellenische Staat in ein ideales Königreich der Philosophie verwandelt wird, dessen Entartungen alle anderen Regierungsformen sind.
These two points of view are really opposed, and the opposition is only veiled by the genius of Plato.
Diese beiden Gesichtspunkte stehen sich tatsächlich entgegen, und der Gegensatz wird nur durch das Genie Platons verschleiert.
The Republic, like the Phaedrus (see Introduction to Phaedrus), is an imperfect whole; the higher light of philosophy breaks through the regularity of the Hellenic temple, which at last fades away into the heavens.
Die Republik ist, wie der Phaidros (siehe Einleitung zum Phaidros), ein unvollkommenes Ganzes; das höhere Licht der Philosophie durchbricht die Regelmäßigkeit des hellenischen Tempels, der schließlich in den Himmeln verblasst.
Whether this imperfection of structure arises from an enlargement of the plan; or from the imperfect reconcilement in the writer's own mind of the struggling elements of thought which are now first brought together by him; or, perhaps, from the composition of the work at different times—are questions, like the similar question about the Iliad and the Odyssey, which are worth asking, but which cannot have a distinct answer.
Ob diese Unvollkommenheit der Struktur aus einer Erweiterung des Plans entsteht; oder aus der unvollkommenen Versöhnung im Geiste des Verfassers selbst jener miteinander ringenden Gedankenelemente, die nun erstmals von ihm zusammengeführt werden; oder vielleicht aus der Abfassung des Werkes zu verschiedenen Zeiten — das sind Fragen, die, ähnlich wie die entsprechende Frage über die Ilias und die Odyssee, es wert sind, gestellt zu werden, auf die jedoch keine eindeutige Antwort gegeben werden kann.
In the age of Plato there was no regular mode of publication, and an author would have the less scruple in altering or adding to a work which was known only to a few of his friends.
Im Zeitalter Platons gab es keine geregelte Form der Veröffentlichung, und ein Autor hätte umso weniger Bedenken gehabt, ein Werk zu verändern oder zu ergänzen, das nur wenigen seiner Freunde bekannt war.
Vocabulary
- Oder
- Conjunction meaning 'or', connecting alternatives
- es
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it'
- kann
- Modal verb meaning 'can' or 'is able to'
- eine
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine)
- allgemeinere
- More general, broader in scope or application
- Einteilung
- Classification or division into categories or parts
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'
- zwei
- The number two
- Teile
- Parts or sections of a whole
- vorgenommen
- Undertaken or carried out (past participle of vornehmen)
- werden
- Auxiliary verb meaning 'to become' or future marker
- der
- Definite article 'the' (masculine/genitive)
- erste
- First in order or sequence
- Teil
- A part or section of something larger
- Bücher
- Books, plural of Buch
- enthält
- Contains or holds within (third person singular)
- die
- Definite article 'the' (feminine/plural)
- Beschreibung
- A description or depiction of something
- eines
- Indefinite article 'a/an' in genitive case
- Staates
- Of a state; genitive form of Staat
- im
- Contraction of 'in dem', meaning 'in the'
- Allgemeinen
- In general, generally speaking
- Übereinstimmung
- Agreement or accordance with something
- mit
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- hellenischen
- Relating to ancient Greek (Hellenic) culture
- Vorstellungen
- Ideas, notions, or conceptions about something
- von
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
- Religion
- Religion, belief system involving worship
- und
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- Moral
- Morality, ethics, or moral principles
- gestaltet
- Shaped or formed in a particular way
- ist
- Third person singular of 'sein', meaning 'is'
- während
- While or during; conjunction indicating simultaneity
- zweiten
- Second, ordinal adjective in declined form
- hellenische
- Hellenic, pertaining to ancient Greek civilization
- Staat
- A state or nation as a political entity
- ein
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (neuter/masculine)
- ideales
- Ideal, perfect, representing the highest standard
- Königreich
- A kingdom ruled by a king
- Philosophie
- Philosophy, the study of knowledge and existence
- verwandelt
- Transformed or converted into something else
- wird
- Third person singular future/passive auxiliary 'becomes'
- dessen
- Whose or of which (genitive relative pronoun)
- alle
- All, every one of a group
- anderen
- Other, the remaining ones in a group
- Regierungsformen
- Forms of government or political systems
- sind
- Third person plural of 'sein', meaning 'are'
- Diese
- These, demonstrative pronoun referring to nearby things
- beiden
- Both, referring to two things together
- Gesichtspunkte
- Viewpoints or perspectives on a topic
- stehen
- To stand or be positioned
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'themselves' or 'each other'
- tatsächlich
- Actually, in fact, truly
- entgegen
- Against or contrary to; in opposition
- Gegensatz
- Contrast or opposition between two things
- nur
- Only, merely, just
- durch
- Through or by means of
- das
- Definite article 'the' (neuter) or demonstrative pronoun
- Genie
- Genius, extraordinary intellectual or creative ability
- verschleiert
- Veiled or obscured from view or understanding
- Die
- Definite article 'the' (feminine/plural nominative)
- Republik
- Republic, a form of representative government
- wie
- Like or as; used for comparison
- siehe
- See; imperative used to direct reader elsewhere
- Einleitung
- Introduction or preface to a text
- zum
- Contraction of 'zu dem', meaning 'to the'
- unvollkommenes
- Imperfect or incomplete, lacking full realization
- Ganzes
- A whole, entirety, complete unit
- höhere
- Higher, of greater elevation or importance
- Licht
- Light, illumination or enlightenment
- durchbricht
- Breaks through or penetrates an obstacle
- Regelmäßigkeit
- Regularity, orderliness, or consistency in structure
- des
- Definite article 'the' in genitive case
- Tempels
- Of a temple; genitive form of Tempel
- schließlich
- Finally, ultimately, in the end
- den
- Definite article 'the' in accusative/dative case
- Himmeln
- Heavens or skies, plural dative of Himmel
- verblasst
- Fades or becomes pale, loses intensity
- Ob
- Whether, introducing an indirect question
- diese
- These or this, demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- Unvollkommenheit
- Imperfection, a state of being incomplete or flawed
- Struktur
- Structure, the arrangement of parts forming a whole
- aus
- From or out of, indicating origin or source
- einer
- Indefinite article 'a/an' in dative/genitive feminine
- Erweiterung
- Expansion or extension of something existing
- Plans
- Of a plan; genitive form of Plan
- entsteht
- Arises, originates, or comes into being
- oder
- Or, connecting two alternatives
- unvollkommenen
- Imperfect, incomplete (declined adjective form)
- Versöhnung
- Reconciliation or resolution of opposing forces
- Geiste
- In the mind or spirit; dative form of Geist
- Verfassers
- Of the author; genitive form of Verfasser
- selbst
- Itself, himself, herself; emphasizing identity
- jener
- Those, that; demonstrative pronoun referring to distant things
- miteinander
- With one another, together
- ringenden
- Struggling or wrestling (present participle, declined)
- nun
- Now, at this point in time or argument
- erstmals
- For the first time
- ihm
- To him or it; dative personal pronoun
- zusammengeführt
- Brought together, united into one
- vielleicht
- Perhaps, maybe, possibly
- Abfassung
- Composition or drafting of a written work
- Werkes
- Of a work; genitive form of Werk
- zu
- To, toward, or too (preposition or particle)
- verschiedenen
- Various, different, diverse (declined adjective form)
- Zeiten
- Times or periods; plural of Zeit
- Fragen
- Questions or issues to be addressed
- ähnlich
- Similar or alike in nature or appearance
- entsprechende
- Corresponding or equivalent to something else
- Frage
- A question or matter under consideration
- über
- About, over, or concerning something
- wert
- Worth or deserving of something
- gestellt
- Asked or posed (past participle of stellen)
- auf
- On, onto, upon; a common preposition
- jedoch
- However, yet, nevertheless
- keine
- No, not any; negating article
- eindeutige
- Unambiguous, clear, definitive
- Antwort
- An answer or response to a question
- gegeben
- Given; past participle of geben
- Im
- Contraction of 'in dem', meaning 'in the'
- Zeitalter
- An age or era of history
- gab
- Gave; past tense of geben
- geregelte
- Regulated or orderly (declined adjective form)
- Form
- Form, shape, or format of something
- Veröffentlichung
- Publication, the act of making something public
- Autor
- Author, the writer of a text
- hätte
- Would have; subjunctive form of haben
- umso
- All the more, so much the more
- weniger
- Less, fewer; comparative of wenig
- Bedenken
- Reservations, concerns, or hesitations about something
- gehabt
- Had; past participle of haben
- Werk
- A work, particularly a literary or artistic creation
- verändern
- To change or alter something
- ergänzen
- To supplement or add to something existing
- wenigen
- Few, a small number (declined adjective form)
- seiner
- His or its; genitive/dative possessive pronoun
- Freunde
- Friends; plural of Freund
- bekannt
- Known or familiar to someone
- war
- Was; past tense of sein
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →