Letter 569: Iamblichus left us in tears, saying, "Will I ever see the East again?
Ἀνατολίῳ. (357)
Μετὰ δακρύων Ἰάμβλιχος ἐξῄει παρ’ ἡμῶν ἆρά ποτε
τὴν ἑῴαν ὄψομαι; λέγων. καὶ πάνυ γε ἔφην· ἐν Ἰλλυ-
ριοῖς αὐτίκα μάλα τῶν τῆς ἑῴας ὄψει τὸ κάλλιστον.
ὁ δὲ ἅτε ὢν ὀξὺς καὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἐκείνης, ἣ διήνεγκε τῷ φρο-
νεῖν, εἶδεν ὃ λέγω καὶ τῶν δακρύων ἐπαύσατο ταῖς ἐνταῦθα
πόλεσιν ἀντιτιθεὶς ἕνα, δι’ ὃν αἱ τῇδε πόλεις ἐν δόξῃ.
εὐθὺς
μὲν οὖν αὐτὸν τιμήσεις πατρός τε εἴνεκα καὶ θείου καὶ πάπ-
που, πεῖραν δὲ λαμβάνων τῆς γνώμης, καὶ γὰρ ἐπέδωκεν εἰς
τὸ βέλτιστος εἶναι, τούτῳ θαυμάσῃ τὸν ἄνδρα.
λόγον
δὲ περὶ ἡμῶν ἀπαιτῶν ὄψει μὲν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ διηγήσει τὰ σὰ
μιμούμενον εἰς ἐμέ, τοῦτο δὲ αἰσθόμενος παῖδα σαυτοῦ νο-
μιεῖς· τοιοῦτον γὰρ δὴ τὸ σὸν περὶ τὸν πρόθυμον εἰς ἐμέ.
τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα οὗτος ἐρεῖ, λόγων πλῆθος, ἴσως δέ τι
καὶ κάλλος, νέων πλῆθος καὶ περὶ τοὺς νέους πόνους, νέους
πόνων ἐραστάς, φίλους πολλούς τε καὶ φαιδρούς, ἐχθροὺς οὐ
πολλοὺς καὶ ταπεινούς.
ὃ δὲ οὗτος μὲν οὐκ ἐρεῖ, σεσιγῆ-
σθαι δὲ οὐ καλόν, δεσπότην με τῶν αὑτοῦ μεθ’ αὑτοῦ πε-
ποίηται τὴν συγγένειαν αἰδούμενος. ταὐτὸ δ’ ἂν οἶμαι ποιῆσαι
καὶ πρὸς ἄλλον οὐ συγγενῆ μέν, ἀγαθὸν δέ.
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