Shrines for the Children of the Soul
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Diotima — ἄλλοθι πολλαχοῦ ἄνδρες, καὶ ἐν Ἕλλησι καὶ ἐν βαρβάροις, πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ ἀποφηνάμενοι ἔργα, γεννήσαντες παντοίαν ἀρετήν· ὧν καὶ ἱερὰ πολλὰ ἤδη γέγονε διὰ τοὺς τοιούτους παῖδας, διὰ δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους οὐδενός πω. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τὰ ἐρωτικὰ ἴσως, ὦ Σώκρατες, κἂν σὺ
elsewhere in many places, both among Greeks and among barbarians, having displayed many and beautiful works, having begotten every kind of virtue; for whom indeed many shrines have already arisen because of such children, but because of the human ones for none yet. These, now, are perhaps the erotic matters, Socrates, into which even you
Diotima closes the account of the soul's offspring. Everywhere, among Greeks and barbarians, men who have displayed many beautiful works have begotten virtue of every kind — and for these, many shrines have already been raised because of such children, but for bodily children never yet. These, she says, are perhaps the erotic matters into which even Socrates might be initiated. The sentence opens the ascent at 210a.
With this the 'lesser mysteries' of love are complete: love is the reach for immortality, pursued first through bodily children, more nobly through the soul's offspring of virtue and wisdom, honoured with shrines. But Diotima marks it as only a threshold — tauta men oun ta erōtika … isōs kan sy myētheiēs, 'these are perhaps the erotic matters into which even you might be initiated.' The word myētheiēs (from the Eleusinian mystēria) signals that what follows in 210a is a higher grade of revelation: the teleа kai epoptika, the 'final and highest mysteries,' the ladder of ascent. Everything so far has been preparation. Now Diotima turns to the vision that crowns the dialogue — the climb from one beautiful body, to all bodies, to beautiful souls, laws, and knowledge, and at last to Beauty itself, absolute and everlasting, in which the lover gives birth not to images of virtue but to true virtue, and becomes, as far as a mortal may, immortal.
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