Humanitext Reader

Cicero · Letters to Atticus §12.50.1

Regret over Atticus's Departure and Request for Return

Passage 324 of 461 · Latin

Summary

Cicero expresses his sadness over his friend's departure, urging him to visit again once the business of Sextus's auction is settled, and notes that he would have gone to Rome himself if a certain matter had been resolved.

§12.50.1ut me levarat tuus adventus sic discessus adfiixit.
Just as your arrival had cheered me up, so your departure has cast me down.
qua re cum poteris, id est cum Sexti auctioni operam dederis, revises nos.
Therefore, when you are able, that is, when you have attended to the auction of Sextus, you will visit me again.
vel unus dies mihi erit utilis, quid dicam "gratus" ? ipse Romam venirem ut una essemus, si satis consultum quadam de re haberem.
Even a single day will be of use to me, or should I say "pleasing"? I myself would come to Rome so that we might be together, if I had a sufficiently clear plan regarding a certain matter.

Notes

  1. §12.50.1ut me levarat tuus adventus sic discessus adfiixit — A contrastive structure with ut... sic... ('just as... so...'). levarat is a syncopated form of leviaverat (pluperfect), representing the relief brought by the arrival before the departure, which is contrasted with adfiixit (perfect), indicating the current state of dejection.
  2. §12.50.1revises nos — The second-person singular future indicative revises, accompanied by the cum-clause, functions as a mild and friendly command or invitation.
  3. §12.50.1quid dicam "gratus" — quid dicam is a deliberative subjunctive expressing hesitation or rhetorical self-questioning ('why should I say...'). gratus is quoted as a stronger alternative to the preceding utilis.
  4. §12.50.1si satis consultum quadam de re haberem — The combination of habere with the perfect participle (consultum) denotes a sustained state of having something resolved. The entire sentence is a present counterfactual conditional (subjunctive imperfect in both venirem and haberem).

Cite this passage

Cicero, Letters to Atticus §12.50.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi057.humanitext-lat1:12.50.1

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