Symposium by Socrates Recorded by Plato Translated by B. Jowett

Symposium is famous because Socrates's name is attached to it and there are different translations available for the same from different authors. I read read the one by B. Jowett and it is the first time I read a book which directly gives the words of Socrates otherwise he was just a name in some brainy quotations.

Anyways the book is about Love. There is a drinking party (symposium actually means that only) and seven participants give their views about Love. These seven speakers whose speech was reportedly recorded by Plato are : Phaderus, Pausanias, Eryximachus, Aristophanes, Agathon, Socrates and Alcibiades.

I really don't remember what each of them said separately but overall I liked below points :

1. That love lies in the synergy and detachment. Love is like the relation between bow and arrow. Both are destined to be separated but it is still the synergy that keeps them together and same is the case of love. Or we can call it the 'Harmony of Opposites'.

2. Love is divine and it has it divine reasons of existence. It was backed by mythological examples.

3. The reason of love is not exactly the human love. It is more like an instrument for getting the highest point in life. It is defined as more like that love is Love of Wisdom rather than the any definition of love.

And the best part in Socrates' speech is that love is the son of Resource and Poverty, which was defined beautifully. Socrates says that love is actually a desire to create which leads to the immortality. In the nutshell the knowledgeable people end up with same desire of Immortality but through the knowledge and leaving behind the pupil who will keep the thought (knowledge) alive.These pupils are more like an intellectual child which carry on the legacy and make the person immortal.

Love is a very flexible word and we can mold it according to our own liking or what suits us most because each one of us is different. For most of the people who think they can talk about love or they know what is love are only quoting the passionate lines from others and it is not actually what they think because there is no thinking process behind the quoting.

Wish I could have read some more translations but it was a Great read anyways.