§196ἁπτόμενον οὖν ἀεὶ καὶ ποσὶν καὶ πάντῃ ἐν μαλακωτάτοις τῶν μαλακωτάτων, ἁπαλώτατον ἀνάγκη εἶναι.
Therefore, since he is always touching, with his feet and in every way, the softest of the softest, it is necessary that he is the most delicate.
νεώτατος μὲν δή ἐστι καὶ ἁπαλώτατος, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὑγρὸς τὸ εἶδος.
Indeed, he is the youngest and the most delicate, and in addition to these, he is fluid in form.
οὐ γὰρ ἂν οἷός τʼ ἦν πάντῃ περιπτύσσεσθαι οὐδὲ διὰ πάσης ψυχῆς καὶ εἰσιὼν τὸ πρῶτον λανθάνειν καὶ ἐξιών, εἰ σκληρὸς ἦν.
For he would not have been able to wrap himself around everywhere, nor to enter and leave every soul undetected at first, if he were hard.
συμμέτρου δὲ καὶ ὑγρᾶς ἰδέας μέγα τεκμήριον ἡ εὐσχημοσύνη, ὃ δὴ διαφερόντως ἐκ πάντων ὁμολογουμένως Ἔρως ἔχει· ἀσχημοσύνῃ γὰρ καὶ Ἔρωτι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀεὶ πόλεμος.
And a great proof of his symmetrical and fluid form is his gracefulness, which indeed Eros is universally acknowledged to possess preeminently; for there is always a war between gracelessness and Eros.
χρόας δὲ κάλλος ἡ κατʼ ἄνθη δίαιτα τοῦ θεοῦ σημαίνει· ἀνανθεῖ γὰρ καὶ ἀπηνθηκότι καὶ σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ καὶ ἄλλῳ ὁτῳοῦν οὐκ ἐνίζει Ἔρως, οὗ δʼ ἂν εὐανθής τε καὶ εὐώδης τόπος ᾖ, ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ ἵζει καὶ μένει.
And the beauty of his complexion is shown by the god's dwelling among flowers; for he does not settle on a body or a soul or anything else that is flowerless or has lost its bloom, but wherever there is a place blooming and fragrant, there he both settles and remains.
περὶ μὲν οὖν κάλλους τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ταῦτα ἱκανὰ καὶ ἔτι πολλὰ λείπεται, περὶ δὲ ἀρετῆς Ἔρωτος μετὰ ταῦτα λεκτέον, τὸ μὲν μέγιστον ὅτι Ἔρως οὔτʼ ἀδικεῖ οὔτʼ ἀδικεῖται οὔτε ὑπὸ θεοῦ οὔτε θεόν, οὔτε ὑπʼ ἀνθρώπου οὔτε ἄνθρωπον.
So, concerning the beauty of the god, even this is sufficient, though much still remains; next, we must speak of the virtue of Eros. First and greatest is that Eros neither does injustice nor suffers injustice, either by a god or to a god, either by a human or to a human.
οὔτε γὰρ αὐτὸς βίᾳ πάσχει, εἴ τι πάσχει—βία γὰρ Ἔρωτος οὐχ ἅπτεται· οὔτε ποιῶν ποιεῖ—πᾶς γὰρ ἑκὼν Ἔρωτι πᾶν ὑπηρετεῖ, ἃ δʼ ἂν ἑκὼν ἑκόντι ὁμολογήσῃ, φασὶν
"οἱ πόλεως βασιλῆς νόμοι"
δίκαια εἶναι.
For he himself does not suffer by force, if he suffers anything—for force does not touch Eros—nor does he do what he does by force; for everyone willingly serves Eros in everything, and whatever a willing party agrees with another willing party, the 'kingly laws of the city' say is just.
πρὸς δὲ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σωφροσύνης πλείστης μετέχει.
And in addition to justice, he shares in the greatest moderation.
εἶναι γὰρ ὁμολογεῖται σωφροσύνη τὸ κρατεῖν ἡδονῶν καὶ ἐπιθυμιῶν, Ἔρωτος δὲ μηδεμίαν ἡδονὴν κρείττω εἶναι· εἰ δὲ ἥττους, κρατοῖντʼ ἂν ὑπὸ Ἔρωτος, ὁ δὲ κρατοῖ, κρατῶν δὲ ἡδονῶν καὶ ἐπιθυμιῶν ὁ Ἔρως διαφερόντως ἂν σωφρονοῖ.
For it is agreed that moderation is the mastery over pleasures and desires, and that no pleasure is stronger than Eros; but if they are weaker, they would be mastered by Eros, and he would master them. And mastering pleasures and desires, Eros would be preeminently moderate.
καὶ μὴν εἴς γε ἀνδρείαν Ἔρωτι
"οὐδʼ Ἄρης ἀνθίσταται.
And indeed, as for courage, 'not even Ares stands against' Eros.
"
οὐ γὰρ ἔχει ἔρωτα Ἄρης, ἀλλʼ Ἔρως Ἄρη—Ἀφροδίτης, ὡς λόγος—κρείττων δὲ ὁ ἔχων τοῦ ἐχομένου·
For Ares does not possess Eros, but Eros possesses Ares—of Aphrodite, as the story goes—and the possessor is stronger than the possessed.
τοῦ δʼ ἀνδρειοτάτου τῶν ἄλλων κρατῶν πάντων ἂν ἀνδρειότατος εἴη.
And mastering the most courageous of all others, he would be the most courageous of all.
περὶ μὲν οὖν δικαιοσύνης καὶ σωφροσύνης καὶ ἀνδρείας τοῦ θεοῦ εἴρηται, περὶ δὲ σοφίας λείπεται· ὅσον οὖν δυνατόν, πειρατέον μὴ ἐλλείπειν.
So, concerning the justice, moderation, and courage of the god, it has been said, but concerning wisdom, it remains; therefore, as far as possible, one must try not to fall short.
καὶ πρῶτον μέν, ἵνʼ αὖ καὶ ἐγὼ τὴν ἡμετέραν τέχνην τιμήσω ὥσπερ Ἐρυξίμαχος τὴν αὑτοῦ, ποιητὴς ὁ θεὸς σοφὸς οὕτως ὥστε καὶ ἄλλον ποιῆσαι· πᾶς γοῦν ποιητὴς γίγνεται,
"κἂν ἄμουσος ᾖ τὸ πρίν,"
οὗ ἂν Ἔρως ἅψηται.
And first, so that I too in turn may honor our art, just as Eryximachus honored his own, the god is so wise a poet that he makes another a poet as well; at any rate, everyone becomes a poet, 'even if he was unmusical before,' whomever Eros touches.
ᾧ δὴ πρέπει ἡμᾶς μαρτυρίῳ χρῆσθαι, ὅτι ποιητὴς ὁ Ἔρως ἀγαθὸς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ πᾶσαν ποίησιν τὴν κατὰ μουσικήν· ἃ γάρ τις ἢ μὴ ἔχει ἢ μὴ οἶδεν, οὔτʼ ἂν ἑτέρῳ δοίη οὔτʼ ἂν ἄλλον διδάξειεν.
This indeed we ought to use as proof, that Eros is a good creator, in sum, of all creation in the realm of music; for what one either does not have or does not know, one can neither give to another nor teach to another.