The Erotic Essay

Well, since you wish to hear the essay, I shall bring it out and read it aloud; but first you must understand its purpose. The writer’s desire is to praise Epicrates,[*](It was at the house of a certain Epicrates that Lysias was supposed to have delivered his love-speech; Plat. Phaedrus 227b.) whom he thought to be the most charming young man in the city, although there were many fine gentlemen among those of his own age, and to surpass him more in understanding than in beauty of person. Observing also that, generally speaking, most erotic compositions attach shame rather than honor to those about whom they are written, he has taken precautions that this should not happen in his case, and has written only what he says he is convinced of by his judgement, believing that an honest lover would neither do anything shameful nor request it.[*](This topic is treated by Cicero De Amic. 12.)

Now, that part of my essay which you may find to be the most erotic, so to speak, is on this topic, but the rest of it in part praises the lad himself and in part counsels about his education and his design for living.[*](The author plainly hints at a threefold partition of his theme: the erotic part, Dem. 61.3-9, eulogy, Dem. 61.10-32, and the protrepticus, Dem. 61.36-55. Blass sees a twofold division only, eulogy and protrepticus. In either case the remaining sections serve as introduction, transition and epilogue. Exhortations to the study of philosophy were called protreptics.) whole essay is written as one would put it into a book, because discourses intended to be delivered ought to be written simply and just as one might speak offhand, while those of the other kind, which are planned to last longer, are properly composed in the manner of poetry and ornately.[*](There is a reference to these two styles in Isoc. 4.11, as Blass notes. The epideictic is akin to poetry in the use of figures of speech (see Dem. 61.11); the reference of ornately is chiefly to rhythm. In both the Funeral Speech (Dem. 60) and the Erotic Essay there is careful avoidance of hiatus; rhythmical clausulae are not infrequent; Gorgianic parallel clausulae occur (Dem. 61.32).) For it is the function of the former to win converts and of the latter to display one’s skill. Accordingly, to avoid spoiling the essay for you or rehearsing my own opinions about these questions, I ask you to lend your attention, since you are immediately going to hear the essay itself, because Epicrates is also at hand, whom I wished to hear it.

Observing that certain of those who are loved and possess their share of good looks make the right use of neither one of these blessings, but put on grand airs because of the comeliness of their appearance and exhibit reluctance to associate with their admirers,[*](The Greek word means lover or sweetheart, applied to men as well as women.) and so far fail in judging what is best that, because of those who pervert the thing, they assume a surly attitude toward those also who desire to associate with them from pure motives, I concluded that such young men not only defeat their own interests but also engender evil habits in the rest,