Dialogue

 1   Ion| company—in the company of good poets and of Homer, who is the
 2   Ion|      knows nothing of inferior poets, such as Hesiod and Archilochus;—
 3   Ion|       inspired by the God. The poets and their interpreters may
 4   Ion|        him are suspended other poets; there is also a chain of
 5   Ion|    this is the reason why some poets, like Homer, are restricted
 6   Ion|     the interpreters of single poets.~Ion is delighted at the
 7   Ion|      the Apology, he speaks of poets as the worst critics of
 8   Ion|     the Protagoras the ancient poets are recognized by Protagoras
 9   Ion|       the company of many good poets; and especially of Homer,
10   Ion|  interpreter of what these two poets say about divination, not
11   Ion|      about Hesiod or the other poets? Does not Homer speak of
12   Ion|    same themes which all other poets handle? Is not war his great
13   Ion| SOCRATES: And do not the other poets sing of the same?~ION: Yes,
14   Ion|       that Homer and the other poets, such as Hesiod and Archilochus,
15   Ion|  skilled in Homer and in other poets, since he himself acknowledges
16   Ion|    things; and that almost all poets do speak of the same things?~
17   Ion|     able to speak of all other poets; for poetry is a whole.~
18   Ion|  rhapsodes and actors, and the poets whose verses you sing, are
19   Ion|      inspiration. For all good poets, epic as well as lyric,
20   Ion|       right mind, so the lyric poets are not in their right mind
21   Ion|       the noble words in which poets speak concerning the actions
22   Ion|        takes away the minds of poets, and uses them as his ministers,
23   Ion|      work of God; and that the poets are only the interpreters
24   Ion|      the mouth of the worst of poets he sang the best of songs?
25   Ion|       I am persuaded that good poets by a divine inspiration
26   Ion|        the interpreters of the poets?~ION: There again you are
27   Ion|     first rings, which are the poets, depend others, some deriving