If the man who is taken by love belongs among the followers of Zeus (Tw~n me\n ou]n Dio\j o0padw~n o9 lhfqei/j), he is able to bear the burden of the feathery one with some sedateness (e0mbriqe/steron du/natai fe/rein to\ tou= pterwnu/mou a1xqoj); but those who were attendants of Ares and made the circuit with him (o3soi de\ A0rew&j te qerapeutai\ kai\ met’ e0kei/nou periepo/loun), when they are captured by Love and think that they are being wronged in some way by the one they love (o3tan u9p’ E!rwtoj a9lw~si kai/ ti oi0hqw~sin a0dikei=sqai u9po\ tou= e0rwme/nou), become murderous and ready to sacrifice both themselves and their beloved (fonikoi\ kai\ e3toimoi kaqiereu/ein au9tou/j te kai\ ta\ paidika/). Just so (kai\ ou3tw) each man lives after the pattern of the god in whose chorus he was, honouring him by imitating him so far as he can (kaq’ e3kaston qe/on, ou[ e3kastoj h]n xoreuth=j, e0kei=non timw~n te kai\ mimou/menoj ei0j to\ dunato\n zh=|), so long as he is uncorrupted (e3wj a2n h2 a0dia/fqoroj) and living out the first of the lives which he enters here (kai\ th\n th=|de prw&thn ge/nesin bioteu/h|); and he behaves in this way in his associations both with those he loves and with everyone else (kai\ tou/tw| tw~| tro/pw| pro/j te tou\j e0rwme/nouj kai\ tou\j a1llouj o9milei= te kai\ prosfe/retai). So each selects his love from the ranks of the beautiful according to his own disposition (to\n te ou]n e1rwta tw~n kalw~n pro\j tro/pou e0kle/getai e3kastoj), and fashions and adores him like a statue, as if he were himself his god (kai\ w(j qeo\n au0to\n e0kei=non o1nta e9autw~| oi[on a1galma tektai/netai/ te kai\ katakosmei=), in order to honour him (w(j timh/swn te) and celebrate his mystic rites (kai\ o0rgia/swn). And so those who belong to Zeus (oi9 me\n dh\ ou]n Dio/j) seek that the one they love should be someone like Zeus in respect of his soul (di=o/n tina ei]nai zhtou=si th\n yuxh\n to\n u9f’ au9tw~n e0rw/menon); so they look to see (skopou=sin ou]n) whether he is naturally disposed towards philosophy and towards leadership (ei0 filo/sofo/j te kai\ h9gemoniko\j th\n fu/sin), and when they have found him (kai\ o3tan au0to\n eu9ro/ntej) and fall in love (e0rasqw~si) they do everything (pa=n poiou=sin) to make him of such a kind (o3pwj toiou=toj e1stai). So if they have not previously set foot on this way (e0a\n ou]n mh\ pro/teron e0mbebw~si tw~| e0pithdeu/mati), they undertake it now (to/te e0pixeirh/santej), both learning from wherever they can (manqa/nousi/ te o3qen a1n ti du/nwntai) and finding out for themselves (kai\ au0toi\ mete/rxontai); and as they follow the scent from within themselves (i0xneu/ontej de\ par’ e9autw~n) to the discovery of the nature of their own god (a0neuri/skein to\n tou= sfete/rou qeou= fu/sin), they find the means to it through the compulsion on them to gaze intensely on the god (eu0porou=si dia\ to\ sunto/nwj h0nagka/sqai pro\j to\n qeo\n ble/pein), and grasping him through memory (kai\ e0fapto/menoi au0tou= th=| mnh/mh|), and possessed by him (e0nqousiw~ntej), they take their habits and ways from him (e0c e0kei/nou lamba/nousi ta\ e1qh kai\ ta\ e0pithedeu/mata), to the extent that it is possible for man to share in god (kaq’ o3son dunato\n qeou= a0nqrw~pw| metasxei=n); and because they count their beloved responsible for these very things (kai\ tou/twn dh\ to\n e0rw&menon ai0tiw&menoi) they love him still more (e1ti te ma=llon a0gapw~si), and if it is from Zeus the draw (ka2n e0k Dio\j a0ru/twsin), like Bacchants (w#sper ai9 ba/kxai), they pour the draft over the soul of their loved one (e0pi\ th\n tou= e0rwme/nou yuxh\n e0pantlou=ntej) and make him as like their god as possible (poiou=sin w(j dunato\n o9moio/taton tw~| sfete/rw| qew~|). Those in their turn who followed with Hera (o3soi d’ au] meq’ H#raj ei3ponto) seek someone regal in nature (basiliko\n zhtou=si), and when the have found him (kai\ eu9ro/ntej) they do all the same things in respect of him (peri\ tou=ton pa/nta drw~sin ta\ au0ta/). Those who belong to Apollo (oi9 de\ A0po/llwno/j te) and each of the other gods (kai\ e9ka/stou tw~n qew~n) proceed in the same way in accordance with their god (ou3tw kata\ to\n qeo\n i0o/ntej) and seek that their boy should be of the same nature (zhtou=si to\n sfe/teron pai=da pefuke/nai), and when they acquire him (kai\ o3tan kth/swntai), imitating the god themselves (mimou/menoi au0toi/ te) and persuading and disciplining their beloved boy (kai\ ta\ paidika\ pei/qontej kai\ r9uqmi/zontej) they draw him into the way of life and pattern of the god (ei0j to\ e0kei/nou e0pith/deuma kai\ i0de/an a1gousin), to the extent that each is able (o3sh e9ka/stw| du/namij), without showing jealousy or mean ill-will towards their beloved (ou0 fqo/nw| ou0d’ a0neleuqe/rw| dusmenei/a| xrw&menoi pro\j ta\ paidika/); rather they act as they do because they are trying as much as they can, in every way, to draw him to complete resemblance to themselves and to whichever god they honour (a0ll’ ei0j o9moio/thta au9toi=j kai\ tw~| qew|~ o4n a2n timw&si pa=san pa/ntwj o3ti ma/lista peirw&menoi a1gein ou3tw poiou=si). The eagerness of those who are truly in love, then, and its issue (proqumi/a me\n ou]n tw~n w(j a0lhqw~j e0rw/ntwn kai\ teleth/), if, that is, they achieve what they eagerly desire in the way I have said (e0a/n ge diapra/cwntai o4 proqumou=ntai h[| le/gw), thus acquires nobility and brings happiness from the friend who is maddened through love to the object of his affection (ou3tw kalh/ te kai\ eu0daimonikh\ u9po\ tou= di’ e1rwta mane/ntoj fi/lou tw~| filhqe/nti gi/gnetai), if he is caught (e0a\n ai9reqh=|); and one who is caught is captured (a9li/sketai de\ dh\ o9 ai9reqei/j) in the following way (toiw|~de tro/pw|).
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