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Three Millennia of Greek Literature
 

Plato Bilingual Anthology : A NATURE OF WONDROUS BEAUTY

from Symposium, * 209e-212c, translated by B. Jowett

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ELPENOR EDITIONS IN PRINT
Page 4

And the true order of going, or being led by another, to the things of love, is to begin from the beauties of earth and mount upwards for the sake of that other beauty, using these as steps only, and from one going on to two, and from two to all fair forms, and from fair forms to fair practices, and from fair practices to fair notions, until from fair notions he arrives at the notion of absolute beauty, and at last knows what the essence of beauty is. This, my dear Socrates," said the stranger of Mantineia, "is that life above all others which man should live, in the contemplation of beauty absolute; a beauty which if you once beheld, you would see not to be after the measure of gold, and garments, and fair boys and youths, whose presence now entrances you; and you and many a one would be content to live seeing them only and conversing with them without meat or drink, if that were possible-you only want to look at them and to be with them. τοῦτο γὰρ δή ἐστι τὸ ὀρθῶς ἐπὶ τὰ ἐρωτικὰ ἰέναι ἢ ὑπ΄ ἄλλου ἄγεσθαι͵ ἀρχόμενον ἀπὸ τῶνδε τῶν καλῶν ἐκείνου ἕνεκα τοῦ καλοῦ ἀεὶ ἐπανιέναι͵ ὥσπερ ἐπαναβασμοῖς χρώμενον͵ ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἐπὶ δύο καὶ ἀπὸ δυοῖν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ καλὰ σώματα͵ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν καλῶν σωμάτων ἐπὶ τὰ καλὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα͵ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἐπὶ τὰ καλὰ μαθήματα͵ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν μαθημάτων ἐπ΄ ἐκεῖνο τὸ μάθημα τελευτῆσαι͵ ὅ ἐστιν οὐκ ἄλλου ἢ αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου τοῦ καλοῦ μάθημα͵ καὶ γνῷ αὐτὸ τελευτῶν ὃ ἔστι καλόν. ἐνταῦθα τοῦ βίου͵ ὦ φίλε Σώκρατες͵ ἔφη ἡ Μαντινικὴ ξένη͵ εἴπερ που ἄλλοθι͵ βιωτὸν ἀνθρώπῳ͵ θεωμένῳ αὐτὸ τὸ καλόν. ὃ ἐάν ποτε ἴδῃς͵ οὐ κατὰ χρυσίον τε καὶ ἐσθῆτα καὶ τοὺς καλοὺς παῖδάς τε καὶ νεανίσκους δόξει σοι εἶναι͵ οὓς νῦν ὁρῶν ἐκπέπληξαι καὶ ἕτοιμος εἶ καὶ σὺ καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοί͵ ὁρῶντες τὰ παιδικὰ καὶ συνόντες ἀεὶ αὐτοῖς͵ εἴ πως οἷόν τ΄ ἦν͵ μήτ΄ ἐσθίειν μήτε πίνειν͵ ἀλλὰ θεᾶσθαι μόνον καὶ συνεῖναι.
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