Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Friends §9.11.1-9.11.2

Grief over Tullia's Death and Hope of Reunion

Passage 183 of 413 · Latin

Summary

Cicero expresses his deep grief over his daughter's death while affirming his inner spiritual strength, and shares his anticipation of their upcoming reunion and gratitude for the recipient's support.

§9.11.1vel meo ipsius interitu mallem litteras meas desiderares quam eo casu, quo sum gravissime adflictus; quem ferrem certe moderatius, si te haberem; nam et oratio tua prudens et amor erga me singularis multum levaret.
I would have preferred that you should miss my letters because of my own death rather than because of this misfortune by which I have been most grievously afflicted; which I would certainly bear more moderately if I had you with me; for both your wise speech and your singular love toward me would have greatly relieved me.
sed quoniam brevi tempore, ut opinio nostra est, te sum visurus, ita me adfectum offendes, ut multum a te possim iuvari; non quo ita sim fractus, ut aut hominem me esse oblitus sim aut fortunae succumbendum putem, sed tamen hilaritas illa nostra et suavitas, quae te praeter ceteros delectabat, erepta mihi omnis est; firmitatem tamen et constantiam, si modo fuit aliquando in nobis, eandem cognosces quam reliquisti.
But since, as is my opinion, I shall see you in a short time, you will find me so affected that I can be greatly helped by you; not that I am so broken that I have forgotten that I am human or think that I must succumb to fortune, but nevertheless all that old cheerfulness and sweetness of ours, which used to delight you above all others, has been completely snatched away from me; yet strength and constancy, if only there ever was any in me, you will recognize to be the very same as what you left behind.
§9.11.2quod scribis proelia te mea causa sustinere, non tam id laboro ut, si qui mihi obtrectent, a te refutentur, quam intellegi cupio, quod certe intellegitur, me a te amari.
As for your writing that you are undertaking battles on my behalf, I do not so much labor that, if any detract from me, they should be refuted by you, as I desire it to be understood—which indeed is understood—that I am loved by you.
quod ut facias, te etiam atque etiam rogo, ignoscasque brevitati litterarum mearum; nam et celeriter una futuros nos arbitror et nondum satis sum confirmatus ad scribendum.
That you may continue to do so, I ask you again and again, and that you may forgive the brevity of my letter; for I think we shall soon be together, and I am not yet sufficiently recovered to write.

Notes

  1. 9.11.1mallem — An imperfect subjunctive expressing an unrealized wish contrary to a past fact (the death of his daughter), taking the imperfect subjunctive `desiderares` (with `ut` omitted) as its complementary clause.
  2. 9.11.1non quo — A construction introducing a rejected reason that is not the actual case, which requires the subjunctive mood (`sim`). The true reason is contrasted afterward starting with `sed tamen`.
  3. 9.11.2quod scribis — The introductory `quod` is a conjunction meaning 'as for the fact that you write' or 'regarding what you write,' serving to introduce the topic for the main clause `non tam id laboro...`.
  4. 9.11.2quod ut facias — The neuter singular accusative relative pronoun `quod` is used in the connecting relative construction, referring back to 'being loved by you' (`me amari`) and serving as the direct object of `ut facias`.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Friends §9.11.1-9.11.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi056.humanitext-lat1:9.11.1-9.11.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

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