§252ΣΩ. ὅθεν δὴ ἑκοῦσα εἶναι οὐκ ἀπολείπεται, οὐδέ τινα τοῦ καλοῦ περὶ πλείονος ποιεῖται, ἀλλὰ μητέρων τε καὶ ἀδελφῶν καὶ ἑταίρων πάντων λέλησται, καὶ οὐσίας διʼ ἀμέλειαν ἀπολλυμένης παρʼ οὐδὲν τίθεται, νομίμων δὲ καὶ εὐσχημόνων, οἷς πρὸ τοῦ ἐκαλλωπίζετο, πάντων καταφρονήσασα δουλεύειν ἑτοίμη καὶ κοιμᾶσθαι ὅπου ἂν ἐᾷ τις ἐγγυτάτω τοῦ πόθου· πρὸς γὰρ τῷ σέβεσθαι τὸν τὸ κάλλος ἔχοντα ἰατρὸν ηὕρηκε μόνον τῶν μεγίστων πόνων.
SOCRATES: For this reason, she does not willingly leave him, and holds no one in higher regard than the beautiful one, but has forgotten mothers, brothers, and all companions, and thinks nothing of her property being destroyed through neglect, and having despised all the customs and decorums in which she previously took pride, she is ready to serve and to sleep wherever anyone allows her as close as possible to her object of desire; for in addition to revering him who possesses beauty, she has found in him the only physician for her greatest pains.
τοῦτο δὲ τὸ πάθος, ὦ παῖ καλέ, πρὸς ὃν δή μοι ὁ λόγος, ἄνθρωποι μὲν ἔρωτα ὀνομάζουσιν, θεοὶ δὲ ὃ καλοῦσιν ἀκούσας εἰκότως διὰ νεότητα γελάσῃ.
This affection, my beautiful boy—the one to whom my speech is directed—men call Eros, but when you hear what the gods call him, you will likely laugh because of your youth.
λέγουσι δὲ οἶμαί τινες Ὁμηριδῶν ἐκ τῶν ἀποθέτων ἐπῶν δύο ἔπη εἰς τὸν ἔρωτα, ὧν τὸ ἕτερον ὑβριστικὸν πάνυ καὶ οὐ σφόδρα τι ἔμμετρον· ὑμνοῦσι δὲ ὧδε—
"
τὸν δʼ ἤτοι θνητοὶ μὲν ἔρωτα καλοῦσι ποτηνόν,
ἀθάνατοι δὲ Πτέρωτα, διὰ πτεροφύτορʼ ἀνάγκην.
I think some of the Homeridae quote from their hidden verses two lines on Eros, of which the one is quite insolent and not very metrical; and they sing as follows: "Mortals indeed call him winged Eros, but the immortals call him Pteros, because of the wing-growing necessity.
"
τούτοις δὴ ἔξεστι μὲν πείθεσθαι, ἔξεστιν δὲ μή· ὅμως δὲ ἥ γε αἰτία καὶ τὸ πάθος τῶν ἐρώντων τοῦτο ἐκεῖνο τυγχάνει ὄν.
"Now, one may believe these things or not; nevertheless, the cause and the affection of lovers happens to be just this.
τῶν μὲν οὖν Διὸς ὀπαδῶν ὁ ληφθεὶς ἐμβριθέστερον δύναται φέρειν τὸ τοῦ πτερωνύμου ἄχθος· ὅσοι δὲ Ἄρεώς τε θεραπευταὶ καὶ μετʼ ἐκείνου περιεπόλουν, ὅταν ὑπʼ Ἔρωτος ἁλῶσι καί τι οἰηθῶσιν ἀδικεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐρωμένου, φονικοὶ καὶ ἕτοιμοι καθιερεύειν αὑτούς τε καὶ τὰ παιδικά.
He, then, who is captured from among the followers of Zeus is able to bear the burden of the wing-named one with greater dignity; but as many as were servants of Ares and went round with him, when they are captured by Eros and think they are being wronged in some way by their beloved, become murderous and are ready to sacrifice both themselves and their darlings.
καὶ οὕτω καθʼ ἕκαστον θεόν, οὗ ἕκαστος ἦν χορευτής, ἐκεῖνον τιμῶν τε καὶ μιμούμενος εἰς τὸ δυνατὸν ζῇ, ἕως ἂν ᾖ ἀδιάφθορος καὶ τὴν τῇδε πρώτην γένεσιν βιοτεύῃ, καὶ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ πρός τε τοὺς ἐρωμένους καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ὁμιλεῖ τε καὶ προσφέρεται.
And so according to each god, in whose choir each was a dancer, he lives honoring and imitating that god to the extent of his ability, so long as he remains uncorrupted and lives his first generation here, and in this manner he consorts and behaves toward his beloved and others.
τόν τε οὖν ἔρωτα τῶν καλῶν πρὸς τρόπου ἐκλέγεται ἕκαστος, καὶ ὡς θεὸν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ὄντα ἑαυτῷ οἷον ἄγαλμα τεκταίνεταί τε καὶ κατακοσμεῖ, ὡς τιμήσων τε καὶ ὀργιάσων.
Therefore, each selects his love from among the beautiful ones according to his own character, and as if that person were his very god, he fashions and adorns him like a holy image for himself, as if to honor him and celebrate his rites.
οἱ μὲν δὴ οὖν Διὸς δῖόν τινα εἶναι ζητοῦσι τὴν ψυχὴν τὸν ὑφʼ αὑτῶν ἐρώμενον· σκοποῦσιν οὖν εἰ φιλόσοφός τε καὶ ἡγεμονικὸς τὴν φύσιν, καὶ ὅταν αὐτὸν εὑρόντες ἐρασθῶσι, πᾶν ποιοῦσιν ὅπως τοιοῦτος ἔσται.
Those, then, who belong to Zeus seek that the soul of the one beloved by them be some Zeus-like person; they watch, therefore, to see if he is by nature a lover of wisdom and capable of leadership, and when they have found him and fallen in love, they do everything so that he shall be such.
§253ΣΩ. ἐὰν οὖν μὴ πρότερον ἐμβεβῶσι τῷ ἐπιτηδεύματι, τότε ἐπιχειρήσαντες μανθάνουσί τε ὅθεν ἄν τι δύνωνται καὶ αὐτοὶ μετέρχονται, ἰχνεύοντες δὲ παρʼ ἑαυτῶν ἀνευρίσκειν τὴν τοῦ σφετέρου θεοῦ φύσιν εὐποροῦσι διὰ τὸ συντόνως ἠναγκάσθαι πρὸς τὸν θεὸν βλέπειν, καὶ ἐφαπτόμενοι αὐτοῦ τῇ μνήμῃ ἐνθουσιῶντες ἐξ ἐκείνου λαμβάνουσι τὰ ἔθη καὶ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα, καθʼ ὅσον δυνατὸν θεοῦ ἀνθρώπῳ μετασχεῖν·
SOCRATES: If, then, they have not previously entered upon this pursuit, they then attempt it and learn from wherever they can and pursue it themselves, and tracking it from within themselves, they succeed in discovering the nature of their own god, because they have been forced to look intently toward their god.
καὶ τούτων δὴ τὸν ἐρώμενον αἰτιώμενοι ἔτι τε μᾶλλον ἀγαπῶσι, κἂν ἐκ Διὸς ἀρύτωσιν ὥσπερ αἱ βάκχαι, ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ἐρωμένου ψυχὴν ἐπαντλοῦντες ποιοῦσιν ὡς δυνατὸν ὁμοιότατον τῷ σφετέρῳ θεῷ.
And touching him with their memory, being inspired, they receive from him their habits and pursuits, as far as it is possible for a human being to share in a god; and attributing the cause of this to their beloved, they love him still more, and if they draw water from Zeus like the Bacchantes, they pour it over the soul of the beloved, making him as similar as possible to their own god.
ὅσοι δʼ αὖ μεθʼ Ἥρας εἵποντο, βασιλικὸν ζητοῦσι, καὶ εὑρόντες περὶ τοῦτον πάντα δρῶσιν τὰ αὐτά.
And those, on the other hand, who followed Hera seek a royal one, and when they have found him, they do all the same things concerning him.
οἱ δὲ Ἀπόλλωνός τε καὶ ἑκάστου τῶν θεῶν οὕτω κατὰ τὸν θεὸν ἰόντες ζητοῦσι τὸν σφέτερον παῖδα πεφυκέναι, καὶ ὅταν κτήσωνται, μιμούμενοι αὐτοί τε καὶ τὰ παιδικὰ πείθοντες καὶ ῥυθμίζοντες εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου ἐπιτήδευμα καὶ ἰδέαν ἄγουσιν, ὅση ἑκάστῳ δύναμις, οὐ φθόνῳ οὐδʼ ἀνελευθέρῳ δυσμενείᾳ χρώμενοι πρὸς τὰ παιδικά, ἀλλʼ εἰς ὁμοιότητα αὑτοῖς καὶ τῷ θεῷ ὃν ἂν τιμῶσι πᾶσαν πάντως ὅτι μάλιστα πειρώμενοι ἄγειν οὕτω ποιοῦσι.
And those of Apollo and each of the other gods, going in this way according to their god, seek that their own boy be by nature like him, and when they have acquired him, imitating their god themselves and persuading and training their darlings, they lead them into that god's pursuit and form, to the best of each one's ability, using no envy nor illiberal malice toward their darlings, but trying by every means in every way to lead them to the greatest possible likeness to themselves and to the god whom they honor, they act in this way.
προθυμία μὲν οὖν τῶν ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐρώντων καὶ τελετή, ἐάν γε διαπράξωνται ὃ προθυμοῦνται ᾗ λέγω, οὕτω καλή τε καὶ εὐδαιμονικὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ διʼ ἔρωτα μανέντος φίλου τῷ φιληθέντι γίγνεται, ἐὰν αἱρεθῇ· ἁλίσκεται δὲ δὴ ὁ αἱρεθεὶς τοιῷδε τρόπῳ.
The eagerness, then, of those who truly love, and their initiation, if they accomplish what they eager for in the way I say, becomes thus beautiful and blessed from the friend who has gone mad through love to the beloved, if he is captured; and the one who is captured is indeed caught in the following way.
καθάπερ ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦδε τοῦ μύθου τριχῇ διείλομεν ψυχὴν ἑκάστην, ἱππομόρφω μὲν δύο τινὲ εἴδη, ἡνιοχικὸν δὲ εἶδος τρίτον, καὶ νῦν ἔτι ἡμῖν ταῦτα μενέτω.
As in the beginning of this myth we divided each soul into three, two parts being horse-shaped forms, and the third being the charioteer form, so now let these remain for us.
τῶν δὲ δὴ ἵππων ὁ μέν, φαμέν, ἀγαθός, ὁ δʼ οὔ· ἀρετὴ δὲ τίς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἢ κακοῦ κακία, οὐ διείπομεν, νῦν δὲ λεκτέον.
And of the horses, one, we say, is good, and the other is not; but what the virtue of the good is or the vice of the bad, we did not describe, but now we must tell.
ὁ μὲν τοίνυν αὐτοῖν ἐν τῇ καλλίονι στάσει ὢν τό τε εἶδος ὀρθὸς καὶ διηρθρωμένος, ὑψαύχην, ἐπίγρυπος, λευκὸς ἰδεῖν, μελανόμματος, τιμῆς ἐραστὴς μετὰ σωφροσύνης τε καὶ αἰδοῦς, καὶ ἀληθινῆς δόξης ἑταῖρος, ἄπληκτος, κελεύσματι μόνον καὶ λόγῳ ἡνιοχεῖται·
Now the one of them that is in the better position is upright in form and clean-limlimbed, high-necked, with a hooked nose, white to look at, dark-eyed, a lover of honor with temperance and modesty, and a companion of true glory, without being struck, he is guided by command and reason alone.
ὁ δʼ αὖ σκολιός, πολύς, εἰκῇ συμπεφορημένος, κρατεραύχην, βραχυτράχηλος, σιμοπρόσωπος, μελάγχρως, γλαυκόμματος, ὕφαιμος, ὕβρεως καὶ ἀλαζονείας ἑταῖρος, περὶ ὦτα λάσιος, κωφός, μάστιγι μετὰ κέντρων μόγις ὑπείκων.
But the other, on the contrary, is crooked, bulky, randomly pieced together, strong-necked, short-throated, flat-faced, dark-colored, grey-eyed, bloodshot, a companion of wantonness and boastfulness, shaggy around the ears, deaf, with difficulty yielding to the whip and goads.