Who
does not know that the flame emits rays into her eyes, and spreads from
these as centres into the countenance, and also descends into the
breast, and sets the heart on fire, and thereby affects (a youth), just
as a fire with its heat and light affects a person standing near it?
That heat is love, and that light is the beauty of love. The whole world
is agreed, and firm in the opinion, that every one is lovely and
beautiful according to his love: nevertheless the love of the male sex
differs from that of the female. Male love is the love of growing wise,
and female love is that of loving the love of growing wise in the male;
so far therefore as a youth is the love of growing wise, so far he is
lovely and beautiful to a maiden; and so far as a maiden is the love of
a youth's wisdom, so far she is lovely and beautiful to a youth;
wherefore as love meets and kisses the love of another, so also do
beauties. I conclude therefore, that love forms beauty into a
resemblance of itself."
383. After him arose a second, with a view of discovering, in a neat and
elegant speech, the origin of beauty.
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