219

“Having commanded them to be especially zealous not to bring any offspring to light, if one should be conceived; but if any should force the issue, to expose it on the ground that there is no nourishment for such a child.” Such are his views on the conduct of women. But as for unlawful love, listen to what sort of things they are:

13.20.1 20. ON UNLAWFUL LOVE “But when he has been doing this for a long time, and is near him, and touches him in the gymnasia and other places of meeting, then indeed the fountain of that stream, which Zeus, when in love with Ganymede, named Himeros (desire), flows in a volume toward the lover; part of it entered into him, but the part that overflows runs away outside; and as a breeze or an echo, rebounding from smooth and solid bodies, is borne back to the place from which it set out, so the stream of beauty returns to the beautiful one through the eyes, the natural inlet to the soul; and when it arrives there, it waters the passages of the wings, and starts them growing, and fills the soul of the beloved in turn with love. So he loves, but he is at a loss as to what he loves; nor does he know what has happened to him, nor can he explain it, but like one who has caught ophthalmia from another, he cannot give a reason.” 13.20.2 And he adds next: “He desires, in a similar way to the other, but more weakly, to see, to touch, to kiss, to lie down with him; and, as is likely, he soon does these things that follow. So in their lying together, the intemperate horse of the lover has something to say to the charioteer, and demands to enjoy a little pleasure in return for its many toils; but the one of the beloved has nothing to say, but swelling with desire and in perplexity embraces and kisses the lover, welcoming him as exceedingly well-disposed; and when they lie together, he is ready not to refuse his part in gratifying the lover, if he should happen to ask for it. - 13.20.3 If, then, the better elements of the mind, which lead to an ordered life and to philosophy, prevail, they will lead a blessed and harmonious life here, being masters of themselves and orderly.” 13.20.4 Then after other things he adds: “But if they adopt a coarser and unphilosophical, but ambitious, way of life, perhaps in a moment of drunkenness or some other carelessness, the two intemperate steeds of their souls, finding them off guard, will bring them together and choose and accomplish that which is deemed most blissful by the many; and having once done this, for the rest of their lives they continue the practice, but sparingly, as doing what is not approved by their whole mind. 13.20.5 These two also, therefore, are friends, though less so than the others; they live together both during their love and after it has passed, believing that they have given and received the greatest pledges, which it is not lawful to break and fall into enmity. 13.20.6 And at the end of their lives, they depart from the body wingless, yet having begun to grow wings, so that they carry off no small prize for their erotic madness. For it is not the law for those who have once begun the heavenly journey to go any more into the darkness and the path under the earth, but they live a bright life and are happy, journeying together, and for the sake of love they will be winged together. These rewards, so great and so divine, my boy, the friendship of a lover will confer upon you.” 13.20.7 Such are the words of Plato, but not of Moses, who explicitly legislates the opposite of these things, pronouncing with a loud voice the appropriate penalty against pederasts. For he says: “Whoever lies with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death, they are guilty” and: “Cursed is every one who lies with a man as with a woman.” 13.20.8 Why must I now refute, how the wisest of men, having passed over the pederast—for he did not see fit in his Laws to ordain a penalty of death against pederasts—orders that a slave who did not report it be punished by death

219

«∆ιακελευσάμενοι προθυμεῖσθαι μάλιστα μὲν μὴ εἰς φῶς ἐκφέρειν κύημα μηδέν, ἐὰν γένηται· ἐὰν δέ τις βιάσηται, οὕτω τιθέναι ὡς οὐκ οὔσης τροφῆς τῷ τοιούτῳ.» Καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ γυναικῶν ἀγωγῆς τοιαῦτα. τὰ δὲ περὶ ἔρωτος ἐκθέσμου ἐπάκουσον οἷα τυγχάνει·

13.20.1 κʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΕΡΩΤΟΣ ΕΚΘΕΣΜΟΥ «Ὅταν δὲ χρονίζῃ τοῦτο δρῶν καὶ πλησιάζῃ μετὰ τοῦ ἅπτεσθαι ἔν τε γυμνασίοις καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις ὁμιλίαις, τότε δὴ ἡ τοῦ ῥεύματος ἐκείνου πηγή, ὃν ἵμερον Ζεὺς Γανυμήδους ἐρῶν ὠνόμασε, πολλὴ φερομένη πρὸς τὸν ἐραστὴν ἡ μὲν εἰς αὐτὸν ἔδυ, ἡ δ' ἀπομεστουμένου ἔξω ἀπορρεῖ· καὶ οἷον πνεῦμα ἤ τις ἠχὼ ἀπὸ λείων τε καὶ στερεῶν ἁλλομένη πάλιν ὅθεν ὡρμήθη φέρεται, οὕτω τὸ τοῦ κάλλους ῥεῦμα πάλιν εἰς τὸν καλὸν διὰ τῶν ὀμμάτων ἰόν, ᾗ πέφυκεν ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἰέναι ἀφικόμενον, καὶ ἀναπτερῶσαν τὰς διόδους τῶν πτερῶν ἄρδει τε καὶ ὥρμησε πτεροφυεῖν καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἐρωμένου αὖ ψυχὴν ἔρωτος ἐνέπλησεν. ἐρᾷ μὲν οὖν, ὅτου δέ, ἀπορεῖ καὶ οὔθ' ὅ τι πέπονθεν οὐδ' ἔχει φράσαι, ἀλλ' οἷον ἀπ' ἄλλου ὀφθαλμίας ἀπολελαυκὼς πρόφασιν εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔχει.» 13.20.2 Καὶ ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς· «Ἐπιθυμεῖ δὲ ἐκείνῳ παραπλησίως μέν, ἀσθενεστέρως δέ, ὁρᾶν, ἅπτεσθαι, φιλεῖν, συγκατακεῖσθαι· καὶ δέ, οἷον εἰκός, ποιεῖ τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο ταχὺ ταῦτα. ἐν οὖν τῇ συγκοιμήσει τοῦ μὲν ἐραστοῦ ὁ ἀκόλαστος ἵππος ἔχει ὅ τι λέγει πρὸς τὸν ἡνίοχον καὶ ἀξιοῖ ἀντὶ πολλῶν πόνων σμικρὰ ἀπολαῦσαι· ὁ δὲ τῶν παιδικῶν ἔχει μὲν οὐδὲν εἰπεῖν, σπαργῶν δὲ καὶ ἀπορῶν περιβάλλει τὸν ἐραστὴν καὶ φιλεῖ, ὡς σφόδρα εὔνουν ἀσπαζόμενος· ὅταν τε συγκατακέωνται, οἷός τέ ἐστι μὴ ἀπαρνηθῆναι τὸ αὑτοῦ μέρος χαρίσασθαι τῷ ἐρῶντι, εἰ δεηθείη τυγχάνειν. - 13.20.3 ἐὰν μὲν δὴ οὖν εἰς τεταγμένην δίαιταν καὶ φιλοσοφίαν νικήσῃ τὰ βελτίω τῆς διανοίας, μακάριον καὶ ὁμονοητικὸν τὸν ἐνθάδε βίον διάξουσιν, ἐγκρατεῖς ἑαυτῶν καὶ κόσμιοι ὄντες.» 13.20.4 Εἶτα μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιλέγει· «Ἐὰν δὲ διαίτῃ φορτικωτέρᾳ τε καὶ ἀφιλοσόφῳ, φιλοτίμῳ δὲ χρήσωνται, τάχ' ἄν που ἐν μέθαις ἤ τινι ἄλλῃ ἀμελείᾳ τὼ ἀκολάστω αὐτοῖν ὑποζυγίω λαβόντε τὰς ψυχὰς ἀφρούρους, συναγαγόντες εἰς ταὐτὸ τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν πολλῶν μακαριστὴν αἵρεσιν εἱλέσθην καὶ διεπραξάσθην· καὶ διαπραξαμένω τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη χρῶνται μὲν αὐτῇ, σπανίᾳ δέ, ἅτε οὐ πάσῃ δεδογμένα τῇ διανοίᾳ πράτ 13.20.5 τοντες. φίλω μὲν οὖν καὶ τούτω, ἧττον δὲ ἐκείνων, ἀλλήλοιν διά τε τοῦ ἔρωτος καὶ ἔξω γενομένω διάγουσι, πίστεσι ταῖς μεγίσταις ἡγουμένω ἀλλήλοιν δεδωκέναι τε καὶ δεδέχθαι, ἃς οὐ θεμιτὸν εἶναι λύσαντας εἰς ἔχθραν 13.20.6 ποτὲ ἐλθεῖν. ἐν δὲ τῇ τελευτῇ ἄπτεροι μέν, ὡρμηκότες δὲ πτεροῦσθαι ἐκβαίνουσι τοῦ σώματος, ὥστε οὐ σμικρὸν ἆθλον τῆς ἐρωτικῆς μανίας φέρονται. εἰς γὰρ σκότον καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ γῆς πορείαν οὐ νόμος ἐστὶν ἔτι ἐλθεῖν τοῖς κατηργμένοις ἤδη τῆς ὑπουρανίου πορείας, ἀλλὰ φανὸν βίον διαγαγόντας εὐδαιμονεῖν μετ' ἀλλήλων πορευομένους καὶ ὁμοπτέρους ἔρωτος χάριν. ταῦτα τοσαῦτα, ὦ παῖ, καὶ οὕτω θεῖά σοι δωρήσεται ἡ παρ' ἐραστοῦ φιλία.» 13.20.7 Τοιαῦτα μὲν τὰ Πλάτωνος, ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ Μωσέως, ὃς διαρρήδην τούτοις ἐναντία νομοθετεῖ, μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ τὴν κατὰ παιδεραστῶν προσήκουσαν προφερόμενος δίκην. φησὶ γοῦν· «Ὃς ἂν κοιμηθῇ μετὰ ἄρσενος κοίτην γυναι κός, βδέλυγμα ἐποίησαν ἀμφότεροι· θανάτῳ θανατούσθωσαν, ἔνοχοί εἰσι» καί· «Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὁ κοιμώμενος μετὰ ἄρσενος κοίτην γυναικός.» 13.20.8 τί δεῖ τὰ νῦν ἀπελέγχειν, ὡς παρεὶς ὁ σοφώτατος τὸν παιδεραστὴν οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς Νόμοις ἠξίωσε κατὰ παιδεραστῶν θανάτου δίκην ὁρίσασθαι προστάττει θανάτῳ ζημιοῦν οἰκετῶν τὸν μὴ καταμηνύσαντα