Section One. The Opinions of the Philosophers

Aristotlewas asked about the cause of the corruption of the mind that results from passionate love (eros), and he said: “Its cause is dryness of the brain in consequence of the departure of the lifeblood, disconsolateness, [157] and bewilderment.” Thereupon Kībās said to him, “O philosopher, explain to us the cause of the brain's becoming dry, which you have said is the cause of the corruption of the mind.” To this he replied: “Persistent desire causes the blood to bum, and when the blood bums it is transformed into black bile. When the black bile increases, it causes obsessive thought. Now when thought dwells on things that cannot be obtained, heat flares up and the yellow bile is inflamed. When the yellow bile bums, it becomes turbid and is corrupted, and having thus been corrupted it tends towards black bile and supplements it, and consequently the black bile boils up.”

Isiyūs said to him, “Tell us the cause of the bewilderment of the mind that results from passionate love.” To this he replied: “It is the nature of black bile to corrupt thought, and when thought is corrupted, the humors fall into disorder because of the corruption that has come about. When the corruption becomes strong, bewilderment sets in. At this point occur deficiency of mind and hope for what cannot be. Now if the deficiency of mind reaches its extreme limit as a result of the dryness of the brain, it causes [158] madness, which, if it becomes firmly established, drives the person to kill himself. Or perhaps he may suddenly die, because of accumulated grief, prolonged brooding, and his estrangement from other people.”

Jarsiyūs said to him, “O philosopher, tell us what causes the lover to fall into a swoon when he looks at his beloved.” To this he replied: “The reason for this is the intense joy of the spirit. By this we mean that when the lover looks at his beloved suddenly, his spirit becomes agitated inside him for joy. As a result, his spirit flees and disappears for twenty- four hours, and it is when his spirit disappears that he faints.