Cicero · Letters to Atticus §12.46.1-12.46.2

Resolve to Go to Tusculum and Effect of Literature

Passage 320 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero decides to conquer his grief and proceed to his Tusculan villa, reflecting that literature has made his mind more sensitive to sorrow rather than numbing it, and encourages Atticus to visit or write as convenient.

§12.46.1vincam, opinor, animum et Lanuvio pergam in Tusculanum.

I shall, I think, conquer my feelings and proceed from Lanuvium to my Tusculan villa.

aut enim mihi in perpetuum fundo illo carendum est (nam dolor idem manebit, tantum modo occultius) aut nescio quid intersit utrum illuc nunc veniam an ad decem annos.

For either I must avoid that estate forever (for the grief will remain the same, only more concealed), or I do not know what difference it makes whether I go there now or ten years from now.

neque enim ista maior admonitio quam quibus adsidue conficior et dies et noctes.

For that place is not a greater reminder than the things by which I am continually worn out both day and night.

"quid ergo?" inquies, "nihil litterae?" in hac quidem re vereor ne etiam contra; nam essem fortasse durior.

"What then?" you will say, "Does literature do nothing?" In this matter indeed I fear it is even the opposite; for without it I would perhaps be more unfeeling.

exculto enim animo nihil agreste, nihil inhumanum est.

For to a cultivated mind, nothing is rustic, nothing is unfeeling.

§12.46.2tu igitur, ut scripsisti, nec id incommodo tuo.

You therefore, as you wrote, and that not to your inconvenience (should come).

vel binae enim poterunt litterae.

For even a letter every two days will be possible.

occurram etiam si necesse erit.

I will even meet you if it is necessary.

ergo id quidem ut poteris.

Therefore, do that indeed as you are able.

Notes

12.46.1fundo illo carendum est — An impersonal construction combining the dative of agent `mihi` and the gerundive of `careo`, which governs the ablative `fundo illo`. Literally, "that estate must be lacked by me."
12.46.1nescio quid intersit — The impersonal verb `intersit` (from `interest`, "it matters, makes a difference") is in the subjunctive present because it is introduced by `nescio quid` ("I do not know what"), forming an indirect question.
12.46.1quam quibus — The demonstrative pronoun (such as `iis`, acting as the antecedent to `quibus`) is omitted after `quam`, resulting in a condensed structure equivalent to `quam iis quibus...` ("than [by] those things by which...").
12.46.1essem fortasse durior — The subjunctive imperfect `essem` is used in the apodosis of a conditional sentence contrary to fact (with the protasis "if it were not for literature" implied). `durior` here means "more unfeeling" or "more calloused" to grief.
12.46.2vel binae... litterae — The distributive numeral `binae` is used with the plural-only noun `litterae` (letters). It can mean "two letters [at a time]" or "a letter every two days"; the latter is adopted here, meaning that corresponding every other day would be sufficient.

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §12.46.1-12.46.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:12.46.1-12.46.2

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