Symposium

be compulsory, what I propose next is that we bid farewell to the pipe-girl who has just come in, and let her pipe for herself, or, if she wants, for the women inside, and that we be with one another today through speeches; and through what kind of speeches, if you want, I am willing to propose to you.”

177aThen they all said that they wanted it, and told him to propose it. So Eryximachus said, “The beginning of my speech follows Euripides’ Melanippe: for the tale is not mine,¹ but Phaedrus’ here, that I am about to tell. For Phaedrus is always saying to me in vexation, ‘Is it not dreadful, Eryximachus,’ he says, ‘that hymns and paeans have been made by the poets to some other gods, while for Love,² a god so great and so mighty, not one of so many 177b poets there have been has ever made any encomium?³ And if you want to look into the decent sophists in turn, they compose praises of Heracles and others in prose, like the most excellent Prodicus⁴ — and this is less marvellous; but I for my part once came across a book by a wise man⁵ in which there was salt, given a marvellous praise for its benefit,⁶ and other such things, 177c many of them, you could see made the subject of encomia — that so much earnestness should be spent on such things, and that no human being should yet have dared, to this very day, to hymn Love worthily! So neglected has so great a god been.’ In this, I think, Phaedrus speaks well. So I desire both to bring him my contribution and to gratify him, and at the same time it seems to me fitting, on the present occasion, for us who are present to adorn the god. If, then, 177d you think so too, we should have sufficient pastime in speeches; for I think each of us should speak a speech in praise of Love, going to the right, the most beautiful he can, and that Phaedrus should begin