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πρὸς τὸν ἔνθεον φίλον. ὅταν δὲ χρονίζῃ τοῦτο δρῶν καὶ πλησιάζῃ μετὰ τοῦ ἅπτεσθαι ἔν τε γυμνασίοις καὶ ἐν ταῖς C ἄλλαις ὁμιλίαις, τότ ̓ ἤδη ἡ τοῦ ῥεύματος ἐκείνου πηγή, ὃν ἵμερον Ζεὺς Γανυμήδους ἐρῶν ὠνόμασε, πολλὴ φερομένη πρὸς τὸν ἐραστήν, ἡ μὲν εἰς αὐτὸν ἔδυ, ἡ δ ̓ ἀπομεστου. μένου ἔξω ἀπορρεῖ· καὶ οἷον πνεῦμα ἤ τις ἠχὼ ἀπὸ λείων τε καὶ στερεῶν ἁλλομένη πάλιν ὅθεν ώρμήθη φέρεται, οὕτω τὸ τοῦ κάλλους ῥεῦμα πάλιν εἰς τὸν καλὸν διὰ τῶν ὀμμά των ιόν, ᾗ πέφυκεν ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἰέναι, ἀφικόμενον καὶ D ἀναπτερώσαν τὰς διόδους τῶν πτερῶν ἄρδει τε καὶ ὥρμησε πτεροφυείν τε, καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἐρωμένου αὖ ψυχὴν ἔρωτος ἐνέπλησεν. ἐρᾷ μὲν οὖν, ὅτου δέ, ἀπορεῖ· καὶ οὔθ ̓ ὅ πέπονθεν οἶδεν οὐδ ̓ ἔχει φράσαι, ἀλλ ̓ οἷον ἀπ ̓ ἄλλου ὀφθαλμίας ἀπολελαυκὼς πρόφασιν εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔχει, ὥσπερ δὲ ἐν κατόπτρῳ ἐν τῷ ἐρῶντι ἑαυτὸν ὁρῶν λέληθε. καὶ ὅταν μὲν ἐκεῖνος παρῇ, λήγει κατὰ ταὐτὰ ἐκείνῳ τῆς ὀδύνης· ὅταν δὲ ἀπῇ, κατὰ ταὐτὰ αὖ ποθεῖ καὶ ποθεῖται, εἴδωλον Ε ἔρωτος ἀντέρωτα ἔχων· καλεῖ δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ οἴεται

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ἔρωτα, ἀλλὰ φιλίαν εἶναι. ἐπιθυμεῖ δὲ ἐκείνῳ παραπλησίως μέν, ἀσθενεστέρως δὲ ὁρᾶν, ἅπτεσθαι, φιλεῖν, συγκατακεῖσθαι. και δή, οἷον εἰκός, ποιεῖ τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο ταχὺ ταῦτα. ἐν οὖν τῇ συγκοιμήσει τοῦ μὲν ἐραστοῦ ὁ ἀκόλαστος ἵππος ἔχει ὅ τι λέγει πρὸς τὸν ἡνίοχον, καὶ ἀξιοῖ ἀντὶ πολλῶν 256 πόνων σμικρὰ ἀπολαῦσαι· ὁ δὲ τῶν παιδικῶν ἔχει μὲν οὐδὲν εἰπεῖν, σπαργῶν δὲ καὶ ἀπορῶν περιβάλλει τὸν ἐραστὴν καὶ φιλεῖ, ὡς σφόδρ' εὔνουν ἀσπαζόμενος, ὅταν τε συγκατακέωνται, οἷός ἐστι μὴ ἂν ἀπαρνηθῆναι τὸ αὑτοῦ μέρος χαρίσασθαι τῷ ἐρῶντι, εἰ δεηθείη τυχεῖν· ὁ δὲ ὁμόζυξ αὐ μετὰ τοῦ ἡνιόχου πρὸς ταῦτα μετ ̓ αἰδοῦς καὶ λόγου ἀντιτείνει.

Ἐὰν μὲν δὴ οὖν εἰς τεταγμένην τε δίαιταν καὶ φιλοσοφίαν νικήσῃ τὰ βελτίω τῆς διανοίας ἀγαγόντα, μακάριον μὲν καὶ Β ὁμονοητικὸν τὸν ἐνθάδε βίον διάγουσιν, ἐγκρατεῖς αὑτῶν καὶ

Now when the Beloved continueth for awhile in this, and cometh near unto the Lover, touching him in the gymnasia and other places where they meet, then at last the fountain of that stream which Zeus, loving Ganymede, called by the name of Himeros, floweth mightily toward the Lover, and part thereof goeth down into him, and, when he is filled to overflowing, the other part runneth out: and even as the wind, or a voice, leapeth back from the smooth rock and rusheth to the place whence it came, so doth the Stream of Beauty return unto the Beautiful One through the Eyes, which is the natural way unto the Soul; and when it is come thither, it giveth the Soul wings—it watereth the passages of the feathers, and causeth them to sprout; and the Soul of the Beloved also is filled with love. The Beloved loveth, but knoweth not whom, nor hath understanding of what hath come to pass, for to tell it; but is like unto a man who hath been smitten with disease of the eyes by another man, but cannot tell the cause thereof; or like unto one who seeth himself in a glass, and knoweth not that it is himself, so doth the Lover stand as a glass before the Beloved: and when the Lover is present, the Beloved ceaseth from the pain of Love, even as the Lover also ceaseth; and when the Lover is absent, the Beloved longeth after him and is longed after, having Love-for-Love which is the Image of Love, yet calling and deeming it not Love but Friendship; and the Beloved desireth, even as the Lover desireth, but less vehemently, to see, to touch, to kiss, to embrace and doeth this quickly thereafter, as is like; concerning which the lascivious Horse of the Lover's Soul hath somewhat to say unto the Charioteer, and demandeth of him a little enjoyment as the reward of many labours. But the Horse of the Beloved hath nothing to say, but being swollen with desire, and knowing not what he doeth, throweth his arms round the Lover and kisseth him, greeting him as a dear friend, and when, they are come close unto each other, is ready to grant unto him all that he asketh; while the fellow Horse, obedient unto the Charioteer in all modesty and reasonableness, withstandeth. Wherefore, if then the better parts of the mind prevail, and lead the Soul into a constant way of life and true wisdom, then are men, all the days of their life here, blessed and at peace with themselves, having the mastery

κόσμιοι ὄντες, δουλωσάμενοι μὲν ᾧ κακία ψυχῆς ἐνεγίγνετο, ἐλευθερώσαντες δὲ ᾧ ἀρετή· τελευτήσαντες δὲ δή, ὑπόπτεροι καὶ ἐλαφροὶ γεγονότες, τῶν τριῶν παλαισμάτων τῶν ὡς ἀληθῶς Ολυμπιακῶν ἓν νενικήκασιν, οὗ μεῖζον ἀγαθὸν οὔτε σωφροσύνη ἀνθρωπίνη οὔτε θεία μανία δυνατὴ πορίσαι ἀνθρώπῳ. ἐὰν δὲ δὴ διαίτῃ φορτικωτέρᾳ τε καὶ ἀφιλοσόφῳ, ο φιλοτίμῳ δὲ χρήσωνται τάχ ̓ ἂν που ἐν μέθαις ἤ τινι ἄλλῃ ἀμελείᾳ τὰ ἀκολάστω αὐτοῖν ὑποζυγίω λαβόντε τὰς ψυχὰς ἀφρούρους, ξυναγαγόντε εἰς ταὐτόν, τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν πολλῶν μακαριστὴν αἵρεσιν εἱλέτην τε καὶ διεπράξαντο· καὶ διαπραξαμένω τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη χρῶνται μὲν αὐτῇ, σπανίᾳ δέ, ἅτε οὐ πάσῃ δεδογμένα τῇ διανοίᾳ πράττοντες. φίλω μὲν οὖν καὶ τούτω, ἧττον δὲ ἐκείνων ἀλλήλοιν διά τε τοῦ D ἔρωτος καὶ ἔξω γενομένω διάγουσι, πίστεις τὰς μεγίστας ἡγουμένω ἀλλήλοιν δεδωκέναι τε καὶ δεδέχθαι, ἃς οὐ θεμιτὸν εἶναι λύσαντας εἰς ἔχθραν ποτὲ ἐλθεῖν. ἐν δὲ τῇ τελευτῇ ἄπτεροι μέν, ὡρμηκότες δὲ πτεροῦσθαι ἐκβαίνουσι τοῦ σώματος, ὥστε οὐ σμικρὸν ἀθλον τῆς ἐρωτικής μανίας φέρονται· εἰς γὰρ σκότον καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ γῆς πορείαν οὐ νόμος ἐστὶν ἔτι ἐλθεῖν τοῖς κατηργμένοις ἤδη τῆς ὑπουρανίου πορείας, ἀλλὰ φανὸν βίον διάγοντας εὐδαιμονεῖν μετ' Ε ἀλλήλων πορευομένους, καὶ ὁμοπτέρους ἔρωτος χάριν, ὅταν γένωνται, γενέσθαι.

Ταῦτα τοσαῦτα, ὦ παῖ, καὶ θεῖα οὕτω σοι δωρήσεται ἡ παρ' ἐραστοῦ φιλία. ἡ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ ἐρῶντος οἰκειότης, σωφροσύνῃ θνητῇ κεκραμένη, θνητά τε καὶ φειδωλὰ οίκονομοῦσα, ἀνελευθερίαν ὑπὸ πλήθους ἐπαινουμένην ὡς ἀρετὴν 207 τῇ φίλῃ ψυχῇ ἐντεκοῦσα, ἐννέα χιλιάδας ἐτῶν περὶ γῆν κυλινδουμένην αὐτὴν καὶ ὑπὸ γῆς ἄνουν παρέξει.

over themselves, doing all things in order, having brought into bondage that part of the Soul wherein wickedness was found, and having made that part free wherein virtue dwelleth; and after this life is ended, they rise up lightly on their wings, having gained the victory in the first of the three falls at the True Olympic Games, than which victory no greater good can the Temperance of Man or the Madness from God bestow on Man.

But if any take unto themselves a baser way of life, seeking not after true wisdom but after honour, perchance when two such are well drunken, or at any time take no heed unto themselves, their two licentious Horses, finding their Souls without watch set, and bringing them together, make choice of that which most men deem the greatest bliss, and straightway do enjoy it; and having once enjoyed it, they have commerce with it afterward alway, but sparingly, for they do that which is not approved of their entire mind.

Now these two also are friends unto one another, but in less measure than those I before spake of, because they live for a while in the bonds of love, and then for a while out of them, and think that they have given and received the greatest pledges betwixt each other, the which it is never allowed to break and come to enmity one with another. When such do end their life here and go forth from the body, they are without wings, but have a vehement desire to get wings; which is no small recompense they receive for Madness of Love. Wherefore they are not compelled to go down unto the darkness and the journey under the Earth, seeing that they have already made a beginning of the heavenly journey; but they pass their time in the light of day, and journey happily together Lover and Beloved, and when they get wings, of the same feather do they get them, for their Love's sake.

These are the gifts, dear boy-behold how many they are and how divine !-which the friendship that cometh from the Lover shall bestow on thee: but the conversation of him who is no Lover, being mingled with the temperance of this mortal life, and niggardly dispensing things mortal, begetteth in the Soul of his friend that Covetousness which the multitude praise as Virtue, and causeth her hereafter to wander, devoid of understanding, round about the Earth and under the Earth, for a thousand years nine times told.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE PHAEDRUS MYTH

I

I think it necessary, at the outset of my observations on the Phaedrus Myth, to take notice-let it be brief of the tolerant, nay sympathetic, way in which Plato speaks (256 c-E) of the eρwτikỳ μavía of those who are not "true lovers." He speaks eloquently of it as a bond which unites aspiring souls in the after life. He speaks of those united by this bond as getting wings of the same feather in Heaven for their love's sake. His language is as sympathetic as the language in which Dante expresses his own sympathy, and awakens ours, with a very different pair of winged lovers-Francesca and Paolo flying together like storm-driven birds in Hell.1 It is astounding that Plato should allow himself to speak in this way. The explanation offered by Thompson 2 does not enable me to abate my astonishment:-The concluding portion of the Myth, he tells us," which stands more in need of apology,' ought to be considered in connection with the fact that the entire Discourse is intended as a pattern of philosophical Rhetoric, and is adapted, as all true Rhetoric must be, to the capacity of the hearer-in this case, of Phaedrus, who is somewhat of a sensualist. It is still to me astounding that Plato -even as dramatist in sympathy with the sensualism of one of his dramatis personae, the youth to whom his "Socrates addresses this Rhetorical Paradigm, if that is what the Phaedrus Myth is 3-should have ventured to speak, as he does here, of what he indeed elsewhere condemns as unequivocally as Aristotle condemns it."

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The reflection, in most cases a trite one, that even the best men are apt to become tolerant of the evil which prevails in the manners of their age, is hardly, in this case, a trite reflection, for it is such an oppressively sad one.

1 Inferno, v.

2 Phaedrus, p. 163.

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3 I entirely dissent from the view that this Myth is merely a pattern of philosophical Rhetoric; and also from the consequential view (Thompson's Introduction to Phaedrus, p. xix.), that it is mostly a deliberate allegory," unlike, it is added, other Platonic Myths in which the sign and the thing signified are blended, and sometimes confused. See infra, p. 339. 4 Laws, viii. 841 D.

5 E. N. vii. 5. 3. 1148 b 29.

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