Letter 484: You reproach me for my silence — and this when the birds have been stirred to song by spring.
Ὀλυμπίῳ. (356)
Ὅτι σιγῶ, μέμφῃ καὶ ταῦτα τῶν ὀρνίθων εἰς ᾠδὴν ὑπὸ
τοῦ ἦρος κεκινημένων. ἰδοὺ δή, φθέγγομαι καὶ αὐτός, ἐπειδή
μοι τὰ γράμματα ἔαρ ὑπὸ σοῦ γεγένηται.
δώσεις γάρ μοι
τὸν μὲν περὶ τῆς μεταστάσεως φόβον χειμῶνα καλεῖν, τοῦ
φόβου δὲ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν ἦρος χάριν. ἣν διὰ πολλῶν μὲν
ἀκούω μοι πεπρᾶχθαι, καὶ πολλά γε ἀγαθὰ γένοιτο πᾶσιν
ὁπόσοι τι συνεισήνεγκαν.
εἰ δ’ οἱ τῶν ποταμῶν ἀπολαύ-
οντες εἰς καλὸν ταῖς πηγαῖς ἂν εἰκότως εἰδεῖεν τὴν χάριν, καὶ
τὰ τούτων ἁπάντων σὰ θετέον. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς σῆς, οἶμαι, γνώ-
μης ἅπαντα ἐρρύη.
ταυτὶ μὲν οὖν ἱκανῶς ἐκπεπλήρωταί
σοι, τοἶς κακοῖς δὲ ἐκείνοις ἃ περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ᾔδεις ὄντα
μοι προσετέθη κακὸν ἕτερον πικρόν τε καὶ συνεχές, ὃ παῦσαι
τῆς σῆς ἂν εἴη χειρός, ὡς αἴ γε τῶν ἄλλων ἥττηνται.
καὶ
κεῖμαι νῦν ὑπὸ τῶν νεφρῶν εἰς ἐλπίδα μίαν τὴν σὴν ἄφιξιν
ὁρῶν. μᾶλλον δέ, καὶ δι’ ἐπιστολῆς, ὦ δαιμόνιε, βοήθει καὶ
ποίησον τὴν βοήθειαν βιβλίον, ὅπως ἐμοί τε ᾐ σωθῆναι καὶ
τοῖς ἰατροῖς μαθεῖν, ὅτῳ τρόπῳ τὸ πάθος ἐξοριστέον.
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