Letter 384: Before I had cleanly recovered from the affliction in my head, a greater evil seized me — one that filled my soul...
Στρατηγίῳ. (358/59)
Οὔπω με καθαρῶς ἀπαλλαγέντα τοῦ ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ κα-
κοῦ μεῖζον ἕτερον ἔλαβε κακόν, ὃ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐνέπλησε ζόφου
καὶ δι’ ὃ πολλοὶ τῶν φίλων πολύν μοι παρεκάθηντο χρόνον
πάσαις ἐπῳδαῖς πειρώμενοι διασῶσαί μου τὰς φρένας.
τίνα
γὰρ οἴει με γενέσθαι πυθόμενον ὡς ἡ φιλτάτη πόλις ἐπὶ τοῖς
φιλτάτοις πέπτωκεν ἀνδράσιν; ἠμέλησα μὲν σιτίων, ἔρριψα δὲ
λόγους, ἀπεωσάμην δὲ ὕπνον, σιγῇ δὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐκείμην,
δάκρυα δὲ ἡμῶν ἅμα μὲν ἐπ’ ἐκείνοις, τῶν δὲ ἐπιτηδείων ἐπ
ἐμοί, πρὶν δή τις παρῄνεσεν ἐν λόγοις θρηνῆσαι τήν τε πόλιν
καὶ τὸν οὐ τοιαύτης ἄξιον, ὦ Ζεῦ, τελευτῆς. ᾧ πεισθεὶς καὶ
τοῦ πάθους τι μέρος ἐπὶ τῆς γραφῆς ἐκβαλὼν ἤδη πενθῶ
σωφρονῶν.
εἰ μὲν οὗν μὴ καὶ σοὶ τεταράχθαι τὴν γνώμην
ἡγούμην ἐστερημένῳ φίλου δείξαντος ἔργοις τοὔνομα, ἐδεό-
μην ἄν μοι παρὰ σοῦ φοιτᾶν παραμυθίαν· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ πληγὴ
κοινή, λείπεταί μοι στένειν, ὃ δὴ καὶ ποιῶ.
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