Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Atticus §12.15.1

Reading in Woodland Solitude and Replying to Brutus

Passage 288 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero asks Atticus to arrange daily excuses for him to Appuleius and describes his days of mourning in solitude and reading in the woods. He also mentions that he will write back to Brutus as advised.

§12.15.1apud Appuleium, quoniam in perpetuum non placet, in dies ut excuser videbis.
As for Appuleius, since a permanent excuse is not desirable, please see to it that I am excused from day to day.
in hac solitudine careo omnium conloquio, cumque mane me in silvam abstrusi densam et asperam, non exeo inde ante vesperum.
In this solitude, I lack the conversation of anyone, and when in the morning I have hidden myself in a thick and rugged wood, I do not come out of it before evening.
secundum te nihil est mihi amicius solitudine.
Next to you, nothing is more friendly to me than solitude.
in ea mihi omnis sermo est cum litteris.
In it, all my conversation is with books.
eum tamen interpellat fletus; cui repugno quoad possum, sed adhuc pares non sumus.
Yet tears interrupt it; to which I resist as much as I can, but as yet we are not an equal match.
Bruto ut suades, rescribam.
I will write back to Brutus, as you advise.
eas litteras cras habebis.
You will have that letter tomorrow.
cum erit cui des, dabis.
When there is someone to whom you may give it, you will send it.

Notes

  1. §12.15.1videbis — The future tense videbis is used here to express a mild command or request ("see to it that...", "please take care that...") common in friendly correspondence. It takes the subordinate clause ut excuser (subjunctive present passive) as its object/purpose.
  2. §12.15.1secundum te — The preposition secundum with the accusative means here "next to" or "after" in order of preference. In this context, it implies "next to you (who are first), nothing is more friendly to me than solitude."
  3. §12.15.1pares non sumus — The nominative plural of the adjective par (equal, a match). The implied subject is Cicero (or his resolve) and the "tears (fletus)", meaning "we (I and my tears) are not yet an equal match," indicating his inability to overcome his grief.
  4. §12.15.1cui des — Inside the relative clause introduced by cui (dative), the verb des is the second-person singular present subjunctive of do (to give). This subjunctive expresses purpose, suitability, or obligation ("someone to whom you may give it"), serving as a characterizing subjunctive with an implied antecedent (such as aliquis).

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §12.15.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:12.15.1

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

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.