“Ion” by Plato (translated by Paul Woodruff)

This is a short dialogue between Socrates and Ion, a rhapsode (a reciter of the poetry of Homer), on his profession, the nature of poetry, mastery of knowledge, and divine inspiration. Socrates asserts, “You are powerless to speak about Homer on the basis of knowledge or mastery. Because if your ability came by mastery, you would be able to speak about all the other poets as well. Look, there is an art to poetry as a whole…. That’s not a subject you have mastered—speaking well about Homer; it’s a divine power that moves you…. The Muse makes some people inspired herself, and then through those who are inspired a chain of other enthusiasts is suspended. You know, none of the epic poets, if they’re good, are masters of their subject; they are inspired, possessed, and that is how they utter all those beautiful poems…. For a poet is an airy thing, winged and holy, and he is not able to make poetry until he becomes inspired and goes out of his mind and his intellect in his possession he will always lack the power to make poetry or sing prophecy.” One must remember what Socrates has already said about poets, and Homer in particular, corrupting the well-ordered city-state in “Republic” and “Phaedrus” through their madness as opposed to philosophers. Socrates also cannot help but to get in one little dig at Ion, contrasting himself, “As for me, I say nothing but the truth, as you’d expect from an ordinary man.”