Symposium.
Socrates, Phaedrus, Agathon.
The truth about Love. 569 be absolved from the promise which 1 made in ignorance, Sym- and which (as Euripides would say') was a promise of the P"^^"'"- lips and not of the mind. Farewell then to such a strain : Socratfs, ^ Phaedrus, for I do not praise in that way; no, indeed, I cannot. But if Agathon. you like to hear the truth about love, I am ready to speak in my own manner, though I will not make myself ridiculous by entering into any rivalry with you. Say then, Phaedrus, whether you would like to have the truth about love, spoken in any words and in any order which may happen to come into my mind at the time. Will that be agreeable to you? Aristodemus said that Phaedrus and the company bid him speak in any manner which he thought best. Then, he added, let me have your permission first to ask Agathon a few more questions, in order that I may take his admissions as the premisses of my discourse. I grant the permission, said Phaedrus : put your questions. Socrates then proceeded as follows : — In the magnificent oration which you have just uttered, I Love is of think that you were right, my dear Agathon, in proposing to something speak of the nature of Love first and afterwards of his works something — that is a way of beginning which I very much approve, ^inch he A . , , , ,r,- T does not And as you have spoken so eloquently of his nature, may 1 possess in ask you further, Whether love is the love of something or of himself. nothing? And here I must explain myself: I do not want you to say that love is the love of a father or the love of a mother — that would be ridiculous ; but to answer as you would, if I asked is a father a father of something? to which you would find no difficulty in replying, of a son or daughter : and the answer would be right. Very true, said Agathon. And you would say the same of a mother ? He assented. Yet let me ask you one more question in order to illustrate my meaning: Is not a brother to be regarded essentially as a brother of something ? Certainly, he replied. That is, of a brother or sister ? Yes, he said. ' Eiirip. Hyjjpolytus, 1. 6i 2.
