Poets often talk of Eros (more widely known by his Roman name, Cupid) but Plato the philosopher made a lovely description of Eros and his brother Anteros (literally means "love returned"), who many times doesn' t put into a love story.
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| Marble sculpture of Eros and Anteros by François-Joseph LeClercq (1755-1826) |
"Love - Eros - makes his home in men's hearts, but not in every heart, for where there is hardness he departs. His greatest glory is that he cannot do wrong nor allow it; force never comes near him. For all men serve him of their own free will. And he whom Love touches not walks in darkness.
Anteros is given to his brother, Eros, who was lonely, because love must be answered if it is to prosper. It is the result of a great love for another person. The lover, inspired by beauty, is filled with divine love and filling the soul of the loved one with love in return. As a result, the loved one falls in love with the lover, though the love is only spoken of as friendship. They experience pain when the two are apart, and relief when they are together."
