wealthy　and　wise；　and　his　mother　poor　and　foolish。　Such；　my　dear　Socrates；　is　the　nature　of　the　spirit　Love。　The　error　in　your　conception　of　him　was　very　natural；　and　as　I　imagine　from　what　you　say；　has　arisen　out　of　a　confusion　of　love　and　the　beloved；　which　made　you　think　that　love　was　all　beautiful。　For　the　beloved　is　the　truly　beautiful；　and　delicate；　and　perfect；　and　blessed；　but　the　principle　of　love　is　of　another　nature；　and　is　such　as　I　have　described。〃　　　I　said；　〃O　thou　stranger　woman；　thou　sayest　well；　but；　assuming　Love　to　be　such　as　you　say；　what　is　the　use　of　him　to　men？〃　〃That；　Socrates；〃　she　replied；　〃I　will　attempt　to　unfold：　of　his　nature　and　birth　I　have　already　spoken；　and　you　acknowledge　that　love　is　of　the　beautiful。　But　some　one　will　say：　Of　the　beautiful　in　what；　Socrates　and　Diotima？…or　rather　let　me　put　the　question　more　dearly；　and　ask：　When　a　man　loves　the　beautiful；　what　does　he　desire？〃　I　answered　her　〃That　the　beautiful　may　be　his。〃　〃Still；〃　she　said；　〃the　answer　suggests　a　further　question：　What　is　given　by　the　possession　of　beauty？〃　〃To　what　you　have　asked；〃　I　replied；　〃I　have　no　answer　ready。〃　〃Then；〃　she　said；　〃Let　me　put　the　word　'good'　in　the　place　of　the　beautiful；　and　repeat　the　question　once　more：　If　he　who　loves　good；　what　is　it　then　that　he　loves？　〃The　possession　of　the　good；〃　I　said。　〃And　what　does　he　gain　who　possesses　the　good？〃　〃Happiness；〃　I　replied；　〃there　is　less　difficulty　in　answering　that　question。〃　〃Yes；〃　she　said；　〃the　happy　are　made　happy　by　the　acquisition　of　good　things。　Nor　is　there　any　need　to　ask　why　a　man　desires　happiness；　the　answer　is　already　final。〃　〃You　are　right。〃　I　said。　〃And　is　this　wish　and　this　desire　common　to　all？　and　do　all　men　always　desire　their　own　good；　or　only　some　men？…what　say　you？〃　〃All　men；〃　I　replied；　〃the　desire　is　common　to　all。〃　〃Why；　then；〃　she　rejoined；　〃are　not　all　men；　Socrates；　said　to　love；　but　only　some　them？　whereas　you　say　that　all　men　are　always　loving　the　same　things。〃　〃I　myself　wonder；〃　I　said；…why　this　is。〃　〃There　is　nothing　to　wonder　at；〃　she　replied；　〃the　reason　is　that　one　part　of　love　is　separated　off　and　receives　the　name　of　the　whole；　but　the　other　parts　have　other　names。〃　〃Give　an　illustration；〃　I　said。　She　answered　me　as　follows：　〃There　is　poetry；　which；　as　you　know；　is　complex；　and　manifold。　All　creation　or　passage　of　non…being　into　being　is　poetry　or　making；　and　the　processes　of　all　art　are　creative；　and　the　masters　of　arts　are　all　poets　or　makers。〃　〃Very　true。〃　〃Still；〃　she　said；　〃you　know　that　they　are　not　called　poets；　but　have　other　names；　only　that　portion　of　the　art　which　is　separated　off　from　the　rest；　and　is　concerned　with　music　and　metre；　is　termed　poetry；　and　they　who　possess　poetry　in　this　sense　of　the　word　are　called　poets。〃　〃Very　true；〃　I　said。　〃And　the　same　holds　of　love。　For　you　may　say　generally　that　all　desire　of　good　and　happiness　is　only　the　great　and　subtle　power　of　love；　but　they　who　are　drawn　towards　him　by　any　other　path；　whether　the　path　of　money…making　or　gymnastics　or　philosophy；　are　not　called　lovers　…the　name　of　the　whole　is　appropriated　to　those　whose　affection　takes　one　form　only…they　alone　are　said　to　love；　or　to　be　lovers。〃　〃I　dare　say；〃　I　replied；　〃that　you　are　right。〃　〃Yes；〃　she　added；　〃and　you　hear　people　say　that　lovers　are　seeking　for　their　other　half；　but　I　say　that　they　are　seeking　neither　for　the　half　of　themselves；　nor　for　the　whole；　unless　the　half　or　the　whole　be　also　a　good。　And　they　will　cut　off　their　own　hands　and　feet　and　cast　them　away；　if　they　are　evil；　for　they　love　not　what　is　their　own；　unless　perchance　there　be　some　one　who　calls　what　belongs　to　him　the　good；　and　what　belongs　to　another　the　evil。　For　there　is　nothing　which　men　love　but　the　good。　Is　there　anything？〃　〃Certainly；　I　should　say；　that　there　is　nothing。〃　〃Then；〃　she　said；　〃the　simple　truth　is；　that　men　love　the　good。〃　〃Yes；〃　I　said。　〃To　which　must　be　added　that　they　love　the　possession　of　the　good？　〃Yes；　that　must　be　added。〃　〃And　not　only　the　possession；　but　the　everlasting　possession　of　the　good？〃　〃That　must　be　added　too。〃　〃Then　love；〃　she　said；　〃may　be　described　generally　as　the　love　of　the　everlasting　possession　of　the　good？〃　〃That　is　most　true。〃　　　〃Then　if　this　be　the　nature　of　love；　can　you　tell　me　further；〃　she　said；　〃what　is　the　manner　of　the　pursuit？　what　are　they　doing　who　show　all　this　eagerness　and　heat　which　is　called　love？　and　what　is　the　object　which　they　have　in　view？　Answer　me。〃　〃Nay；　Diotima；〃　I　replied；　〃if　I　had　known；　I　should　not　have　wondered　at　your　wisdom；　neither　should　I　have　come　to　learn　from　you　about　this　very　matter。〃　〃Well；〃　she　said；　〃I　will　teach　you：…The　object　which　they　have　in　view　is　birth　in　beauty；　whether　of　body　or；　soul。〃　〃I　do　not　understand　you；〃　I　said；　〃the　oracle　requires　an　explanation。〃　〃I　will　make　my　meaning　dearer；〃　she　replied。　〃I　mean　to　say；　that　all　men　are　bringing　to　the　birth　in　their　bodies　and　in　their　souls。　There　is　a　certain　age　at　which　human　nature　is　desirous　of　procreation…procreation　which　must　be　in　beauty　and　not　in　deformity；　and　this　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　a