_I_ can explain it (says Sokrates). Your talent in expounding Homer is not an art, acquired by system and method--otherwise it would have been applicable to other poets besides. It is a special gift, imparted to you by divine power and inspiration. The like is true of the poet whom you expound. His genius does not spring from art, system, or method: it is a special gift emanating from the inspiration of the Muses.[13] A poet is a light, airy, holy, person, who cannot compose verses at all so long as his reason remains within him.[14] The Muses take away his reason, substituting in place of it their own divine inspiration and special impulse, either towards epic, dithyramb, encomiastic hymns, hyporchemata, &c., one or other of these. Each poet receives one of these special gifts, but is incompetent for any of the others: whereas, if their ability had been methodical or artistic, it would have displayed itself in all of them alike. Like prophets, and deliverers of oracles, these poets have their reason taken away, and become servants of the Gods.[15] It is not _they_ who, bereft of their reason, speak in such sublime strains: it is the God who speaks to us, and speaks through them. You may see this by Tynnichus of Chalkis; who composed his Pæan, the finest of all Pæans, which is in every one's mouth, telling us himself, that it was the invention of the Muses--but who never composed anything else worth hearing. It is through this worthless poet that the God has sung the most sublime hymn:[16] for the express purpose of showing us that these fine compositions are not human performances at all, but divine: and that the poet is only an interpreter of the Gods, possessed by one or other of them, as the case may be. [Footnote 13: Plato, Ion, 533 E--534 A. [Greek: pa/ntes ga\r oi(/ te tô=n e)pô=n poiêtai\ oi( a)gathoi\ ou)k e)k te/chnês a)ll' e)/ntheoi o)/ntes kai\ katecho/menoi pa/nta tau=ta ta\ kala\ le/gousi poiê/mata, kai\ oi( melopoioi\ oi( a)gathoi\ ô(sau/tôs; ô(/sper oi( korubantintiô=tes ou)k e)/mphrones o)/ntes o)rchou=ntai, ou(/tô kai\ oi(] melopoioi\ ou)k e)/mphrones o)/ntes ta\ kala\ me/lê tau=ta poiou=sin], &c.]] [Footnote 14: Plato, Ion, 534 B. [Greek: kou=phon ga\r chrê=ma poiêtê/s e)sti kai\ ptêno\n kai\ i(ero/n, kai\ ou) pro/teron oi(=o/s te poiei=n pri\n a)\n e)/ntheo/s te ge/nêtai kai\ e)/kphrôn kai\ o( nou=s mêke/ti e)n au)tô=| e)nê=|; e(/ôs d' a)\n touti\ e)/chê| to\ ktê=ma, a)du/natos pa=s poiei=n e)stin a)/nthrôpos kai\ chrêsmô|dei=n.]] [Footnote 15: Plato. Ion, 534 C-D. [Greek: dia\ tau=ta de\ o( theo\s e)xairou/menos tou/tôn to\n nou=n tou/tois chrê=tai u(pêre/tais kai\ toi=s chrêsmô|doi=s kai\ toi=s ma/ntesi toi=s thei/ois, i(/na ê(mei=s oi( a)kou/ontes ei)dô=men, o(/ti ou)ch ou(=toi/ ei)sin oi( tau=ta le/gontes ou(/tô pollou= a)/xia, a)ll' o( theo\s au)to/s e)stin o( le/gôn, dia\ tou/tôn de\ phthe/ggetai pro\s ê(ma=s.]]