Letter 7007: Perfect love does not suffer the losses of bodily absence, nor is the serene union of souls diminished by the...
Ennodius to Helpidius the Deacon.
Perfect love does not suffer the losses of bodily absence, nor is the serene union of souls diminished by the separation of journeys. Those whose souls are joined together by Christ in love cannot be divided by any stretch of land between them. Secure in this hope -- or rather this certainty -- and confident in your conscience, I address one who loves me as though he were standing in my embrace.
Cherish, my lord Helpidius, the one you received with God between us. Let the world keep its cunning, and let it call the skill of deception "wisdom" if it wishes -- it will be condemned for it. But mix nothing into that sweetness I have tested in you, except what may lead us step by step to the good of perfect love.
My lord, in offering the fullest greeting as above, I ask that you inform me through frequent letters of your own well-being and that of those who love us.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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