out of the past

Reprints from the classics; biographies of famous homosexuals.

Extracts from

THE SYMPOSIUM

by Plato

(as translated by W. HAMILTON)

Socrates has previously established certain of his views concerning love, good, immortality, and beauty. As to the first three, it was asserted that love is love of the perpetual possession of the good. Then, since immortality for mankind involves procreation, which can be consummated only in association with beauty, it was further asserted that the object of love is to "procreate and bring forth in beauty." Now it is brought forward that, with mortal creatures, procreation is of that sort which brings forth mortal progeny; but with man, who lives a mental and a social life distinct from the physical, procreation has also a spiritual aspect in which individuals seek immortality in terms of social reputation and renown. Great personages of Greek history and legend are cited Lycurgus, Achilles, Homer, Solon, etc. who immortalized themselves in man's memory through deeds of courage, displays of wisdom, or accomplishments in the arts. Diotima continues:

""Those whose creative instinct is physical have recourse to women and show their love in this way, believing that by begetting children they can secure for themselves an immortal and blessed memory hereafter for ever; but there are some

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whose creative desire is of the soul, who conceive spiritually the progeny which it is the nature of the soul to conceive and bring forth. This progeny is wisdom and virtue in general (and) far the greatest and fairest branch of wisdom is that which is concerned with the due ordering of states and families, whose name is moderation and justice. When by divine inspiration a man finds himself from his youth up spiritually pregnant with these qualities, and desires to bring forth and be delivered, (he) goes in search of a beautiful environment for his children; for he can never bring forth in ugliness...

'(His search) begins in contemplation of physical beauty, and one who is properly guided will first be attracted to one particular beautiful person, and beget noble ideas in partnership with him. Later he will observe that physical beauty in one is closely akin to that in another, and therefore it would be folly not to acknowledge that all such beauty is one and the same. Then he will relax the intensity of his passion for one particular person, seeing this to be beneath him and of small account. The next stage is for him to reckon beauty of soul more valuable than beauty of body, and from this

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