Hrvatski / A2
Kućica, a odveć golema
Sokrat je šetao uz more s mladim Harmidom. Stigli su do male kuće. Radnici su upravo završavali posao.
„Tu kuću grade za mene“, rekao je Sokrat. „To je moj novi dom.“
Harmid je pitao:
„Zar je tako mala? Uz tebe ovdje mogu biti još samo tri čovjeka!“
„Imaš pravo“, odgovorio je Sokrat. „Ovdje ima mjesta za mene i još trojicu. Ali kada ti budeš gradio kuću, neka bude još manja.“
Sokrat je zatim objasnio svoj odgovor:
„Tražim tri prava prijatelja. Želim da sutra budu ovdje sa mnom.“
Ali za Sokrata je i ta kuća bila prevelika: nije mogao naći tri takva prijatelja.
Harmidu je kuća bila mala jer je u njoj bilo malo mjesta. Sokratu je bila prevelika jer nije imao tri prava prijatelja za ta mjesta.
English summary · includes the ending
Socrates is walking along the seashore with a young man called Charmides. They come to a place where workers are finishing a small, narrow house. Socrates says that they are building it for him and that it will be his new home.
Charmides is surprised by its size. He says that, besides Socrates himself, there is barely room for three more people. Socrates agrees with this estimate. However, he advises Charmides to be more careful when he builds his own house: it should be even smaller and narrower.
Socrates explains that he is looking for three sincere friends to fill his little home with him the following day. Yet even this house is too large, because he cannot find three such friends. The ending changes the meaning of the discussion about space. The difficulty is finding true friends, rather than finding enough room for them.
Adapted for Lejrbål from the credited source.
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