(translation from Daphnis and Chloe 2.7)
They sat in wonder as Philetas told the story, transfixed as
if by a fable. And when he finished, they showered him with questions - “When
was this? Who is Eros? Is he a child or a bird? What are his powers? And so
Philetas hushed them and spoke his reply:
Love is a beautiful power, my children
it makes eternally young
the souls that it inflames
with the pursuit of beauty
and lifts us to ecstasies
that even the Gods cannot touch.
Love can move the Earth, the stars,
the planets –
you think you move
your flocks but love is
the power which animates
all life – the trees and the flowers
love is there -
and in the torrents
and in the air
