Letter 90: Procopius imagines becoming Perseus so he could fly to Sabinus.
Procopius of Gaza→Sabinus, correspondent of Procopius of Gaza|c. 515 AD|Procopius of Gaza|From Gaza, Palaestina Prima|AI-assisted
late antique Greek letters; Sabinus; longing; Perseus; dreams; recommendation; bearer
The recommendation is embedded in a miniature myth of longing, dreams, wings, and Perseus.
If one day is enough to age people in love, you could not finish counting how old I have grown. Once I was happy: I saw you, held close what was yours, and found everything good. Your face was the sweetest sight, your words enchanted the ear, and your judgment supplied goodwill. Whatever good a person desired, it was enough simply to look toward you.
Now I have suddenly been left empty of everything. I am at a loss, in love with myths, and wish I could become that Perseus; then perhaps I might lift myself into the air a little and console longing. But why did my friendly heart say such things to me? See, longing has already remade me with wings. I have become Perseus, a myth, and everything a desiring mind easily invents.
I was delighted even to see you in a dream, and when I woke I immediately consoled myself with the sight. If you help the bearer of this letter, you will please me and confirm the opinion he already held: that if you received a letter from me, there is nothing you would not easily do.
If one day is enough to age people in love, you could not finish counting how old I have grown. Once I was happy: I saw you, held close what was yours, and found everything good. Your face was the sweetest sight, your words enchanted the ear, and your judgment supplied goodwill. Whatever good a person desired, it was enough simply to look toward you.
Now I have suddenly been left empty of everything. I am at a loss, in love with myths, and wish I could become that Perseus; then perhaps I might lift myself into the air a little and console longing. But why did my friendly heart say such things to me? See, longing has already remade me with wings. I have become Perseus, a myth, and everything a desiring mind easily invents.
I was delighted even to see you in a dream, and when I woke I immediately consoled myself with the sight. If you help the bearer of this letter, you will please me and confirm the opinion he already held: that if you received a letter from me, there is nothing you would not easily do.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.