TRANSLATION OF THE DISCOURSE OF DIOTIMA What then is Eros?-is he Mortal? Nay, Mortal he verily is not. What then is he? Betwixt Mortal and Immortal, she answered. What sayest thou, Diotima? He is a great Daemon, Socrates: for the whole tribe of Daemons is betwixt God and Mortal. And what is their office? said I. They are Interpreters, and carry up to the Gods the things which come from men, and unto men the things which come from the Gods our prayers and burnt-offerings, and their commands and the recompenses of our burnt-offerings. The tribe of Daemons being in the midst betwixt these twain -the Godhead and Mankind-filleth up that distance, so that the Universe is held together in the bond of unity. Through the intermediation of these cometh all divination; the art of priests cometh also through them, and of them that have to do with burnt-offerings and initiations and enchantments and every sort of soothsaying and witchery. The Godhead mingleth not with Mankind; but it is through the Daemons only that Gods converse with men, both when we are awake and when we are asleep and he who hath the wisdom whereby he understandeth this work of the Daemons is a man inspired, and he who hath any other wisdom whereby he excelleth in some art or craft is a mechanic. Now these Daemons are many and of all sorts: and one of them is Eros. And who is his Father, I said, and who is his Mother? That is a longer story, she said, but I will tell it unto thee. On the day that Aphrodite was born, the Gods made a feast, and with them sat Abundance the son of Prudence. When they had eaten, Poverty, perceiving that there was good cheer, came for to beg, and she stood at the door. Now Abundance, having made himself drunken with nectar-for there was no wine then,-entered into the Garden of Zeus, and being heavy with drink, slept; and Poverty, being minded by reason of her helplessness to have a child by Abundance, lay with him, and she conceived and bore Eros. Wherefore Eros became the companion and servant of Aphrodite; for οὔσης. ἅτε οὖν Πόρου καὶ Πενίας υἱὸς ὢν ὁ Ἔρως ἐν τοιαύτῃ τύχῃ καθέστηκε. πρῶτον μὲν πένης ἀεί ἐστι, καὶ πολλοῦ δεῖ ἁπαλός τε καὶ καλός, οἷον οἱ πολλοὶ οἴονται, D ἀλλὰ σκληρὸς καὶ αὐχμηρὸς καὶ ἀνυπόδητος καὶ ἄοικος, χαμαιπετὴς ἀεὶ ὢν καὶ ἄστρωτος, ἐπὶ θύραις καὶ ἐν ὁδοῖς ὑπαίθριος κοιμώμενος, τὴν τῆς μητρὸς φύσιν ἔχων ἀεὶ ἐνδείᾳ ξύνοικος. κατὰ δὲ αὖ τὸν πατέρα ἐπίβουλός ἐστι τοῖς καλοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, ἀνδρεῖος ὢν καὶ ἴτης καὶ σύντονος, θηρευτὴς δεινός, ἀεί τινας πλέκων μηχανάς, καὶ φρονήσεως ἐπιθυμητής, καὶ πόριμος, φιλοσοφῶν διὰ παντὸς τοῦ βίου, δεινὸς γόης καὶ φαρμακεὺς καὶ σοφιστής· καὶ οὔτε ὡς Ε ἀθάνατος πέφυκεν οὔτε ὡς θνητός, ἀλλὰ τοτὲ μὲν τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας θάλλει τε καὶ ζῇ, ὅταν εὐπορήσῃ, τοτὲ δὲ ἀποθνήσκει, πάλιν δὲ ἀναβιώσκεται διὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς φύσιν. τὸ δὲ ποριζόμενον ἀεὶ ὑπεκρεῖ, ὥστε οὔτε ἀπορεῖ Ἔρως ποτὲ οὔτε πλουτεῖ. σοφίας τε αὖ καὶ ἀμαθίας ἐν μέσῳ ἐστίν. ἔχει γὰρ ὧδε θεῶν οὐδεὶς φιλοσοφεῖ οὐδ ̓ ἐπιθυμεῖ σοφὸς γενέσθαι· ἔστι γάρ· οὐδ ̓ εἴ τις ἄλλος 204 σοφός, οὐ φιλοσοφεῖ. οὐδ ̓ αὖ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς φιλοσοφοῦσιν οὐδ ̓ ἐπιθυμοῦσι σοφοὶ γενέσθαι· αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι χαλεπὸν ἀμαθία, τὸ μὴ ὄντα καλὸν κἀγαθὸν μηδὲ φρόνιμον δοκεῖν αὑτῷ εἶναι ἱκανόν. οὔκουν ἐπιθυμεῖ ὁ μὴ οἰόμενος ἐνδεὴς εἶναι οὗ ἂν μὴ οἴηται ἐπιδεῖσθαι. Τίνες οὖν, ἔφην ἐγώ, ὦ Διοτίμα, οἱ φιλοσοφοῦντες, εἰ μήτε οἱ σοφοὶ μήτε Β οἱ ἀμαθεῖς; Δῆλον δή, ἔφη, τοῦτό γε ἤδη καὶ παιδί, ὅτι οἱ μεταξὺ τούτων ἀμφοτέρων, ὧν αὖ καὶ ὁ Ἔρως. ἔστι γὰρ δὴ τῶν καλλίστων ἡ σοφία, Ἔρως δ ̓ ἐστὶν ἔρως περὶ τὸ καλόν, ὥστε ἀναγκαῖον Ἔρωτα φιλόσοφον εἶναι, φιλόσοφον δὲ ὄντα μεταξὺ εἶναι σοφοῦ καὶ ἀμαθοῦς. αἰτία δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τούτων ἡ γένεσις· πατρὸς μὲν γὰρ σοφοῦ he was begotten on her birthday, and is, moreover, by nature a lover of Beauty and of Aphrodite the Beautiful. Inasmuch, then, as Eros is the son of Abundance and Poverty, his case standeth thus:-First, he is poor alway; and so far is he from being tender and fair, as most do opine, that he is rough and squalid, and he goeth barefoot and hath no house to dwell in, but lieth alway on the bare earth at doors and on the highways, sleeping under the open sky; for his mother's nature he hath, and he dwelleth alway in company with want. But he hath also his Father's nature, and ever plotteth against the fair and good; being a bold lad, and ever ready with bow strung, a mighty hunter, alway weaving devices, eagerly desiring knowledge, full of inventions, playing the philosopher all his life, a mighty charlatan and master of enchantments and subtle reasons. Inasmuch, then, as he hath the nature neither of Immortal nor of Mortal, he bloometh and liveth when that aboundeth unto him which his heart desireth, and, anon, the very same day he dieth; and then he cometh to life again, because of his Father's nature: that which is continually supplied unto him in abundance runneth away continually, so that he is neither poor nor rich. Moreover, he standeth in the midst betwixt Wisdom and Ignorance; for the matter standeth thus-No God is a Philosopher, to wit, one who desireth to become wise, for a God is already wise; and if there be any man who is wise, neither is he a Philosopher. Nor are the ignorant Philosophers; they desire not to become wise; for herein lieth the evil of Ignorance, that when a man is without Virtue and Wisdom, he nevertheless thinketh that he is sufficiently furnished therewith, and no man desireth that which he thinketh he lacketh not. Who, then, Diotima, said I, are the Philosophers, if neither the wise nor the ignorant are Philosophers? A child could answer that, she said: They that are betwixt the two sorts, even as Eros himself is. For Wisdom indeed is of the number of those things which are the most beautiful; and Eros is desire that fluttereth about the Beautiful; wherefore it followeth that Eros is a Lover of Wisdom, a Philosopher, being betwixt the wise and and the ignorant. Whereof his parentage is the cause also; for his Father ἐστι καὶ εὐπόρου, μητρὸς δὲ οὐ σοφῆς καὶ ἀπόρου. ἡ μὲν οὖν φύσις τοῦ δαίμονος, ὦ φίλε Σώκρατες, αὕτη· ὃν δὲ σὺ Ο ᾠήθης Ἔρωτα εἶναι, θαυμαστὸν οὐδὲν ἔπαθες. ᾠήθης δέ, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τεκμαιρομένῃ ἐξ ὧν σὺ λέγεις, τὸ ἐρώμενον Ἔρωτα εἶναι, οὐ τὸ ἐρῶν. διὰ ταῦτά σοι, οἶμαι, πάγκαλος ἐφαίνετο ὁ Ἔρως. καὶ γὰρ ἔστι τὸ ἐραστὸν τὸ τῷ ὄντι καλὸν καὶ ἁβρὸν καὶ τέλεον καὶ μακαριστόν· τὸ δέ γε ἐρῶν ἄλλην ἰδέαν τοιαύτην ἔχον, οἵαν ἐγὼ διῆλθον. 206 Δ Εστιν ἄρα ξυλλήβδην, ἔφη, ὁ ἔρως τοῦ τὸ ἀγαθὸν αὑτῷ εἶναι ἀεί. Αληθέστατα, ἔφην ἐγώ, λέγεις. B Ὅτε δὴ τούτου ὁ ἔρως ἐστὶν ἀεί, ἡ δ ̓ ἤ, τῶν τίνα τρόπον διωκόντων αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν τίνι πράξει ἡ σπουδὴ καὶ ἡ σύντασις ἔρως ἂν καλοῖτο ; τί τοῦτο τυγχάνει ἂν τὸ ἔργον ; ἔχεις εἰπεῖν; Οὐ μέντ ̓ ἂν σέ, ἔφην ἐγώ, ὦ Διοτίμα, ἐθαύμαζον ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ καὶ ἐφοίτων παρὰ σὲ αὐτὰ ταῦτα μαθησόμενος. ̓Αλλ ̓ ἐγώ σοι, ἔφη, ἐρῶ. ἔστι γὰρ τοῦτο τόκος ἐν καλῷ καὶ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα καὶ κατὰ τὴν ψυχήν. Μαντείας, ἦν δ ̓ ἐγώ, δεῖται ὅ τι ποτὲ λέγεις, καὶ οὐ μανθάνω. Αλλ ̓ ἐγώ, ἡ δ ̓ ἥ, σαφέστερον ἐρῶ. κνοῦσι γάρ, ἔφη, ὦ Σώκρατες, πάντες ἄνθρωποι καὶ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα καὶ κατὰ τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ ἐπειδὰν ἔν τινι ἡλικίᾳ γένωνται, τίκτειν ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡμῶν ἡ φύσις. τίκτειν δὲ ἐν μὲν αἰσχρῷ οὐ δύναται, ἐν δὲ τῷ καλῷ. ἡ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς συνουσία τόκος ἐστίν. ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο θεῖον τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ τοῦτο ἐν θνητῷ ὄντι τῷ ζώῳ ἀθάνατον ἔνεστιν, ἡ κύησις καὶ ἡ γέννησις. ταῦτα δ ̓ ἐν τῷ ἀναρμόστῳ ἀδύνατον Ο γενέσθαι. ἀνάρμοστον δ ̓ ἐστὶ τὸ αἰσχρὸν παντὶ τῷ θείῳ, τὸ δὲ καλὸν ἁρμόττον. καλλονή ἐστι τῇ γενέσει. πελάζῃ τὸ κυοῦν, ἵλεών διαχεῖται καὶ τίκτει τε καὶ γεννῇ· ὅταν δὲ αἰσχρῷ, σκυθρωπόν τε καὶ λυπούμενον συσπειρᾶται καὶ ἀποτρέπεται Μοῖρα οὖν καὶ Ειλείθυια ἡ διὰ ταῦτα ὅταν μὲν καλῷ προστε γίγνεται καὶ εὐφραινόμενον is wise and rich, and his Mother is not wise and poor. This, my dear Socrates, is the nature of the Daemon Eros; and I marvel not that thou thoughtest another was Eros for thou thoughtest, as I judge from what thou sayest, that the Beloved, not That which Loveth, is Eros. For this cause, methinks, Eros seemed all beautiful in thine eyes, for 'tis the Beloved that is indeed fair and delicate and perfect, and worthy to be accounted happy; but as for That which Loveth, it is of another kind, such as I have declared. own. The sum of the whole matter, she said, is this: That Love which is Eros is the desire of having the Good alway for his Most true, I said. Since this is what Love ever desireth, she said, how shall a man follow after this, and what shall he do that his diligence and endeavour in following after it may be rightly called Love? What is the very thing which he must bring to pass? Canst thou tell it? I cannot tell it, I said, else should I not be here drawn by thy wisdom, thy disciple come unto thee to learn this very thing. Then I will tell it unto thee, she said:-The bringing of somewhat to timely birth in Beauty, both according to the flesh and according to the spirit—that is the Work of Love. Thy meaning needeth a prophet for the interpretation thereof, I said I understand it not. Well, I will make it plain, she said. All mankind, Socrates, do conceive according to the flesh and according to the spirit; and when we are come to the proper time of life, our nature desireth to bring forth: but it cannot bring forth in that which is deformed, only in that which is beautiful: and this work which it doeth when it conceiveth and begetteth is divine: this work is that which in the life of the mortal creature hath immortality; but it cannot be accomplished in aught that is unfit: now, that which is deformed is unfit for the divine; and the beautiful is fit: Beauty, therefore, is the Fate which ruleth nativities and the Divine Midwife. Wherefore, when that which hath conceived cometh nigh unto that which is beautiful, it is filled with soft delight, and being thereby relaxed bringeth forth and begetteth; but when it cometh nigh unto that which is deformed, it is drawn together with frowning and pain, and |