symposium-第12章

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s　procreation　is　the　union　of　man　and　woman；　and　is　a　divine　thing；　for　conception　and　generation　are　an　immortal　principle　in　the　mortal　creature；　and　in　the　inharmonious　they　can　never　be。　But　the　deformed　is　always　inharmonious　with　the　divine；　and　the　beautiful　harmonious。　Beauty；　then；　is　the　destiny　or　goddess　of　parturition　who　presides　at　birth；　and　therefore；　when　approaching　beauty；　the　conceiving　power　is　propitious；　and　diffusive；　and　benign；　and　begets　and　bears　fruit：　at　the　sight　of　ugliness　she　frowns　and　contracts　and　has　a　sense　of　pain；　and　turns　away；　and　shrivels　up；　and　not　without　a　pang　refrains　from　conception。　And　this　is　the　reason　why；　when　the　hour　of　conception　arrives；　and　the　teeming　nature　is　full；　there　is　such　a　flutter　and　ecstasy　about　beauty　whose　approach　is　the　alleviation　of　the　pain　of　travail。　For　love；　Socrates；　is　not；　as　you　imagine；　the　love　of　the　beautiful　only。〃　〃What　then？〃　〃The　love　of　generation　and　of　birth　in　beauty。〃　〃Yes；〃　I　said。　〃Yes；　indeed；〃　she　replied。　〃But　why　of　generation？〃　〃Because　to　the　mortal　creature；　generation　is　a　sort　of　eternity　and　immortality；〃　she　replied；　〃and　if；　as　has　been　already　admitted；　love　is　of　the　everlasting　possession　of　the　good；　all　men　will　necessarily　desire　immortality　together　with　good：　Wherefore　love　is　of　immortality。〃　　　All　this　she　taught　me　at　various　times　when　she　spoke　of　love。　And　I　remember　her　once　saying　to　me；　〃What　is　the　cause；　Socrates；　of　love；　and　the　attendant　desire？　See　you　not　how　all　animals；　birds；　as　well　as　beasts；　in　their　desire　of　procreation；　are　in　agony　when　they　take　the　infection　of　love；　which　begins　with　the　desire　of　union；　whereto　is　added　the　care　of　offspring；　on　whose　behalf　the　weakest　are　ready　to　battle　against　the　strongest　even　to　the　uttermost；　and　to　die　for　them；　and　will；　let　themselves　be　tormented　with　hunger　or　suffer　anything　in　order　to　maintain　their　young。　Man　may　be　supposed　to　act　thus　from　reason；　but　why　should　animals　have　these　passionate　feelings？　Can　you　tell　me　why？〃　Again　I　replied　that　I　did　not　know。　She　said　to　me：　〃And　do　you　expect　ever　to　become　a　master　in　the　art　of　love；　if　you　do　not　know　this？〃　〃But　I　have　told　you　already；　Diotima；　that　my　ignorance　is　the　reason　why　I　come　to　you；　for　I　am　conscious　that　I　want　a　teacher；　tell　me　then　the　cause　of　this　and　of　the　other　mysteries　of　love。〃　〃Marvel　not；〃　she　said；　〃if　you　believe　that　love　is　of　the　immortal；　as　we　have　several　times　acknowledged；　for　here　again；　and　on　the　same　principle　too；　the　mortal　nature　is　seeking　as　far　as　is　possible　to　be　everlasting　and　immortal：　and　this　is　only　to　be　attained　by　generation；　because　generation　always　leaves　behind　a　new　existence　in　the　place　of　the　old。　Nay　even　in　the　life；　of　the　same　individual　there　is　succession　and　not　absolute　unity：　a　man　is　called　the　same；　and　yet　in　the　short　interval　which　elapses　between　youth　and　age；　and　in　which　every　animal　is　said　to　have　life　and　identity；　he　is　undergoing　a　perpetual　process　of　loss　and　reparation…hair；　flesh；　bones；　blood；　and　the　whole　body　are　always　changing。　Which　is　true　not　only　of　the　body；　but　also　of　the　soul；　whose　habits；　tempers；　opinions；　desires；　pleasures；　pains；　fears；　never　remain　the　same　in　any　one　of　us；　but　are　always　coming　and　going；　and　equally　true　of　knowledge；　and　what　is　still　more　surprising　to　us　mortals；　not　only　do　the　sciences　in　general　spring　up　and　decay；　so　that　in　respect　of　them　we　are　never　the　same；　but　each　of　them　individually　experiences　a　like　change。　For　what　is　implied　in　the　word　'recollection；'　but　the　departure　of　knowledge；　which　is　ever　being　forgotten；　and　is　renewed　and　preserved　by　recollection；　and　appears　to　be　the　same　although　in　reality　new；　according　to　that　law　of　succession　by　which　all　mortal　things　are　preserved；　not　absolutely　the　same；　but　by　substitution；　the　old　worn…out　mortality　leaving　another　new　and　similar　existence　behind　unlike　the　divine；　which　is　always　the　same　and　not　another？　And　in　this　way；　Socrates；　the　mortal　body；　or　mortal　anything；　partakes　of　immortality；　but　the　immortal　in　another　way。　Marvel　not　then　at　the　love　which　all　men　have　of　their　offspring；　for　that　universal　love　and　interest　is　for　the　sake　of　immortality。〃　　　I　was　astonished　at　her　words；　and　said：　〃Is　this　really　true；　O　thou　wise　Diotima？〃　And　she　answered　with　all　the　authority　of　an　accomplished　sophist：　〃Of　that；　Socrates；　you　may　be　assured；…think　only　of　the　ambition　of　men；　and　you　will　wonder　at　the　senselessness　of　their　ways；　unless　you　consider　how　they　are　stirred　by　the　love　of　an　immortality　of　fame。　They　are　ready　to　run　all　risks　greater　far　than　they　would　have　for　their　children；　and　to　spend　money　and　undergo　any　sort　of　toil；　and　even　to　die；　for　the　sake　of　leaving　behind　them　a　name　which　shall　be　eternal。　Do　you　imagine　that　Alcestis　would　have　died　to　save　Admetus；　or　Achilles　to　avenge　Patroclus；　or　your　own　Codrus　in　order　to　preserve　the　kingdom　for　his　sons；　if　they　had　not　imagined　that　the　memory　of　their　virtues；　which　still　survives　among　us；　would　be　immortal？　Nay；〃　she　said；　〃I　am　persuaded　that　all　men　do　all　things；　and　the　better　they　are　the　more　they　do　them；　in　hope　of　the　glorious　fame　of　immortal　virtue；　for　they　desire　the　immortal。　　　〃Those　who　are　pregnant　in　the　body　only；　betake　themselves　to　women　and　beget　children…this　is　the　character　of　their　love；　their　offspring；　as　they　hope；　will　preserve　their　memory　and　giving　them　the　blessedness　and　immortality　which　they　desire　in　the　future。　But　souls　which　are　pregnant…for　there　certainly　are　men　who　are　more　creative　in　their　souls　than　in　their　bodies　conceive　that　which　is　proper　for　the　soul　to　conceive　or　contain。　And　what　are　these　conceptions？…wisdom　and　virtue　in　general。　And　such　creators　are　poets　and　all　artists　who　are　deserving　of　the　name　inventor。　But　the　greatest　and　fairest　sort　of　wisdom　by　far　is　that　which　is　concerned　with　the　ordering　of　states　and　families；　and　which　is　called　temperance　and　justice。　And　he　who　in　youth　has　the　seed　of　these　implanted　in　him　and　is　himself　inspired；　when　he　comes　to　maturity　desires　to　beget　and　generate。　He　wanders　about　seeking　beauty　that　he　may　beget　offspring…for　in　deformity　he　will　beget　nothing…and　naturally　embraces　the　beautiful　rather　than　the　deformed　body；　above　all　when　he　finds　fair　and　noble　and　well…nurtured　soul；　he　embraces　the　two　in　one　person；　and　to　such　an　one　he　is　full　of　speech　about　virtue　and　the　nature　and　pursuits　of　a　good　man；　and　he　tries　to　educate　him；　and　at　the　touch　of　the　beautiful　which　is　ever　present　to　his　memory；　even　when　absent；　he　brings　forth　that　which　he　had　conceived　long　before；　and　in　company　with　him　tends　that　which　he　brings　forth；　and　they　are　married　by　a　far　nearer　tie　and　have　a　closer　friendship　than　those　who　beget　mortal　children；　for　the　children　who　are　their　common　offspring　are　fairer　and　more　immortal。　Who；　when　he　thinks　of　Homer　and　Hesiod　and　other　great　poets；　would　not　rather　have　their　children　than　ordinary　human　ones？　Who　would　not　emulate　them　in　the　creation　of　children　such　as　theirs；　which　have　preserved　their　memory　an