symposium-第3部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

mother；　that　he　might　avoid　death　and　return　home；　and　live　to　a　good　old　age；　if　he　abstained　from　slaying　Hector。　Nevertheless　he　gave　his　life　to　revenge　his　friend；　and　dared　to　die；　not　only　in　his　defence；　but　after　he　was　dead　Wherefore　the　gods　honoured　him　even　above　Alcestis；　and　sent　him　to　the　Islands　of　the　Blest。　These　are　my　reasons　for　affirming　that　Love　is　the　eldest　and　noblest　and　mightiest　of　the　gods；　and　the　chiefest　author　and　giver　of　virtue　in　life；　and　of　happiness　after　death。　　　This；　or　something　like　this；　was　the　speech　of　Phaedrus；　and　some　other　speeches　followed　which　Aristodemus　did　not　remember；　the　next　which　he　repeated　was　that　of　Pausanias。　Phaedrus；　he　said；　the　argument　has　not　been　set　before　us；　I　think；　quite　in　the　right　form；…we　should　not　be　called　upon　to　praise　Love　in　such　an　indiscriminate　manner。　If　there　were　only　one　Love；　then　what　you　said　would　be　well　enough；　but　since　there　are　more　Loves　than　one；…should　have　begun　by　determining　which　of　them　was　to　be　the　theme　of　our　praises。　I　will　amend　this　defect；　and　first　of　all　I　would　tell　you　which　Love　is　deserving　of　praise；　and　then　try　to　hymn　the　praiseworthy　one　in　a　manner　worthy　of　him。　For　we　all　know　that　Love　is　inseparable　from　Aphrodite；　and　if　there　were　only　one　Aphrodite　there　would　be　only　one　Love；　but　as　there　are　two　goddesses　there　must　be　two　Loves。　　　And　am　I　not　right　in　asserting　that　there　are　two　goddesses？　The　elder　one；　having　no　mother；　who　is　called　the　heavenly　Aphrodite…she　is　the　daughter　of　Uranus；　the　younger；　who　is　the　daughter　of　Zeus　and　Dione…her　we　call　common；　and　the　Love　who　is　her　fellow…worker　is　rightly　named　common；　as　the　other　love　is　called　heavenly。　All　the　gods　ought　to　have　praise　given　to　them；　but　not　without　distinction　of　their　natures；　and　therefore　I　must　try　to　distinguish　the　characters　of　the　two　Loves。　Now　actions　vary　according　to　the　manner　of　their　performance。　Take；　for　example；　that　which　we　are　now　doing；　drinking；　singing　and　talking　these　actions　are　not　in　themselves　either　good　or　evil；　but　they　turn　out　in　this　or　that　way　according　to　the　mode　of　performing　them；　and　when　well　done　they　are　good；　and　when　wrongly　done　they　are　evil；　and　in　like　manner　not　every　love；　but　only　that　which　has　a　noble　purpose；　is　noble　and　worthy　of　praise。　The　Love　who　is　the　offspring　of　the　common　Aphrodite　is　essentially　common；　and　has　no　discrimination；　being　such　as　the　meaner　sort　of　men　feel；　and　is　apt　to　be　of　women　as　well　as　of　youths；　and　is　of　the　body　rather　than　of　the　soul…the　most　foolish　beings　are　the　objects　of　this　love　which　desires　only　to　gain　an　end；　but　never　thinks　of　accomplishing　the　end　nobly；　and　therefore　does　good　and　evil　quite　indiscriminately。　The　goddess　who　is　his　mother　is　far　younger　than　the　other；　and　she　was　born　of　the　union　of　the　male　and　female；　and　partakes　of　both。　　　But　the　offspring　of　the　heavenly　Aphrodite　is　derived　from　a　mother　in　whose　birth　the　female　has　no　part；…she　is　from　the　male　only；　this　is　that　love　which　is　of　youths；　and　the　goddess　being　older；　there　is　nothing　of　wantonness　in　her。　Those　who　are　inspired　by　this　love　turn　to　the　male；　and　delight　in　him　who　is　the　more　valiant　and　intelligent　nature；　any　one　may　recognise　the　pure　enthusiasts　in　the　very　character　of　their　attachments。　For　they　love　not　boys；　but　intelligent；　beings　whose　reason　is　beginning　to　be　developed；　much　about　the　time　at　which　their　beards　begin　to　grow。　And　in　choosing　young　men　to　be　their　companions；　they　mean　to　be　faithful　to　them；　and　pass　their　whole　life　in　company　with　them；　not　to　take　them　in　their　inexperience；　and　deceive　them；　and　play　the　fool　with　them；　or　run　away　from　one　to　another　of　them。　But　the　love　of　young　boys　should　be　forbidden　by　law；　because　their　future　is　uncertain；　they　may　turn　out　good　or　bad；　either　in　body　or　soul；　and　much　noble　enthusiasm　may　be　thrown　away　upon　them；　in　this　matter　the　good　are　a　law　to　themselves；　and　the　coarser　sort　of　lovers　ought　to　be　restrained　by　force；　as　we　restrain　or　attempt　to　restrain　them　from　fixing　their　affections　on　women　of　free　birth。　These　are　the　persons　who　bring　a　reproach　on　love；　and　some　have　been　led　to　deny　the　lawfulness　of　such　attachments　because　they　see　the　impropriety　and　evil　of　them；　for　surely　nothing　that　is　decorously　and　lawfully　done　can　justly　be　censured。　　　Now　here　and　in　Lacedaemon　the　rules　about　love　are　perplexing；　but　in　most　cities　they　are　simple　and　easily　intelligible；　in　Elis　and　Boeotia；　and　in　countries　having　no　gifts　of　eloquence；　they　are　very　straightforward；　the　law　is　simply　in　favour　of　these　connexions；　and　no　one；　whether　young　or　old；　has　anything　to　say　to　their　discredit；　the　reason　being；　as　I　suppose；　that　they　are　men　of　few　words　in　those　parts；　and　therefore　the　lovers　do　not　like　the　trouble　of　pleading　their　suit。　In　Ionia　and　other　places；　and　generally　in　countries　which　are　subject　to　the　barbarians；　the　custom　is　held　to　be　dishonourable；　loves　of　youths　share　the　evil　repute　in　which　philosophy　and　gymnastics　are　held　because　they　are　inimical　to　tyranny；　for　the　interests　of　rulers　require　that　their　subjects　should　be　poor　in　spirit　and　that　there　should　be　no　strong　bond　of　friendship　or　society　among　them；　which　love；　above　all　other　motives；　is　likely　to　inspire；　as　our　Athenian　tyrants…learned　by　experience；　for　the　love　of　Aristogeiton　and　the　constancy　of　Harmodius　had　strength　which　undid　their　power。　And；　therefore；　the　ill…repute　into　which　these　attachments　have　fallen　is　to　be　ascribed　to　the　evil　condition　of　those　who　make　them　to　be　ill…reputed；　that　is　to　say；　to　the　self…seeking　of　the　governors　and　the　cowardice　of　the　governed；　on　the　other　hand；　the　indiscriminate　honour　which　is　given　to　them　in　some　countries　is　attributable　to　the　laziness　of　those　who　hold　this　opinion　of　them。　In　our　own　country　a　far　better　principle　prevails；　but；　as　I　was　saying；　the　explanation　of　it　is　rather　perplexing。　For；　observe　that　open　loves　are　held　to　be　more　honourable　than　secret　ones；　and　that　the　love　of　the　noblest　and　highest；　even　if　their　persons　are　less　beautiful　than　others；　is　especially　honourable。　　　Consider；　too；　how　great　is　the　encouragement　which　all　the　world　gives　to　the　lover；　neither　is　he　supposed　to　be　doing　anything　dishonourable；　but　if　he　succeeds　he　is　praised；　and　if　he　fail　he　is　blamed。　And　in　the　pursuit　of　his　love　the　custom　of　mankind　allows　him　to　do　many　strange　things；　which　philosophy　would　bitterly　censure　if　they　were　done　from　any　motive　of　interest；　or　wish　for　office　or　power。　He　may　pray；　and　entreat；　and　supplicate；　and　swear；　and　lie　on　a　mat　at　the　door；　and　endure　a　slavery　worse　than　that　of　any　slave…in　any　other　case　friends　and　enemies　would　be　equally　ready　to　prevent　him；　but　now　there　is　no　friend　who　will　be　ashamed　of　him　and　admonish　him；　and　no　enemy　will　charge　him　with　meanness　or　flattery；　the　actions　of　a　lover　have　a　grace　which　ennobles　them；　and　custom　has　decided　that　they　are　highly　commendable　and　that　there　no　loss　of　character　in　them；　and；　what　is　strangest　of　all；　he　only　may　swear　and　forswear　himself　（so　men　say）；　and　the　gods　will　forgive　his　transgression；　for　there　is　no　such　thing　as　a　lover's　oath。　Such　is　the　entire　liberty　which　gods　and　men　have　allowed　the　lover；　according　to　the　custom　which　prevails　in　our　part　of　the　world。　From　this　point　of　view　a　man　fairly　argues　in　Athens　to　love　and　to　be　loved　is　held　to　be　a　very　honourable　thing。　But　when　parents　forbid　their　sons　to　talk　with　their　lovers；　and　place　them　under　a　tutor's　care；　who　is　appointed　to　see　to　these　things；　and　their　companions　and　equals　cast　in　their　teeth　anything　of　the　sort　which　they　may　observe；　and　their　elders　refuse　to　silence　the　reprovers　and　do　not　rebuke　them…any　one　who　reflects　on　all　this　will；　on　the　contrary；　think　that　we　hold　these　practices　to　be　most　disgraceful。　But；　as　I　was　saying　at　first；　the　truth　as　I　imagine　is；　that　whether　such　practices　are　honourable　or　whether　they　are　dishonourable　is　not　a　simple　question；　they　are　honourable　to　him　who　follows　them　honourably；　dishonourable　to　him　who　follows　them　dishonourably。　There　is　dishonour　in　yielding　to　the　evil；　or　in　an　evil　manner；　but　there　is　honour　in　yielding　to　the　good；　or　in　an　honourable　manner。　　　Evil　is　the　vulgar　lover　who　loves　the　body　rather　than　the　soul；　inasmuch　as　he　is　not　even　stable；　because　he　loves　a　thing　which　is　in　itself　unstable；　and　therefore　when　the　bloom　of　youth　which　he　was　desiring　is　over；　he　takes　wing　and　flies　away；　in　spite　of　all　his　words　and　promises；　whereas　the　love　of　the　noble　disposition　is　life…long；　for　it　becomes　one　with　the　everlasting。　The　custom　of　our　country　would　have　both　of　them　proven　well　and　truly；　and　would　have　us　yield　to　the　one　sort　of　lover　and　avoid　the　other；　and　therefore　encourages　some　to　pursue；　and　others　to　fly；　testing　both　the　lover　and　beloved　in　contests　and　trials；　until　they　show　to　which　of　the　two　classes　they　respectively　belong。　And　this　is　the　reason　why；　in　the　first　place；　a　hasty　attachment　is　held　to　be　dishonourable；　because　time　is　the　true　test　of　this　as