Letter 654: Lysimachus is truly my pupil, to judge by what he says and writes — both in panegyrics of governors and in practice...
To Lysimachus. (361 AD)
Lysimachus is truly my pupil, to judge by what he says and writes — both in panegyrics of governors and in practice declamations. No wonder Eros came flying to us, when such a tongue set his wings in motion.
As for that sycophant, that beast — he has paid one penalty and will pay another. I foresaw this and told Lysimachus the wretch would come to a wretched end.
Since you are a friend of the Muses and they possess your soul and you give birth to beautiful verses, honor with epigrams a splendid and grand house built at Daphne [the suburb of Antioch] by a friend of ours. His name is Olympius. He has no children and never has, but he consoles himself for that misfortune with the marvel of his house.
Make use of the material, and add to the beauty of the colonnades and fountains the beauty that comes from verse.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Λυσιμάχῳ. (361)
παῖς ὄντως ἐμὸς ὁ Λυσίμαχος τοιαῦτα καὶ λέγων καὶ
γράφων, τοῦτο μὲν ἐν ἐπαίνοις ἀρχόντων, τοῦτο δὲ ἐν τοῖς
κατὰ μελέτην ἀγῶσιν· ὥστ’ οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν εἰ πετόμενος
ἧκεν ὡς ἡμᾶς ὁ Ἔρως τοιαύτης αὐτῷ γλώττης κινούσης τὸ
πτερόν.
ὁ δὲ συκοφάντης ἐκεῖνος, τὸ θηρίον, δίκην τὴν
μὲν ἔδωκε, τὴν δὲ δώσει καὶ ταῦτα ἐγὼ προῄδειν καὶ πρὸς
Λυσίμαχον εἶπον ὡς ἀπολεῖται κακὸς κακῶς.
ἐπεὶ δὲ
Μούσαις εἶ φίλος καί σου κατέχουσι τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ κάλλος
τίκτεις ἐπῶν, τίμησον ἐπιγράμμασιν οἰκίαν λαμπράν τε καὶ
μεγάλην ὑπ’ ἀνδρὸς ἡμὶν ἑταίρου πεποιημένην ἐν Δάφνῃ. τὸ
μὲν ὄνομα Ὀλύμπιος αὐτῷ, παίδων δὲ οὔτ’ ἐστὶν οὔτ᾿ ἐγένετο
πατήρ, παραμυθεῖται δὲ τὴν περὶ ταῦτα τύχην τῷ τῆς οἰκίας
θαύματι.
χρῆσαι δὴ ταῖς ἀφορμαῖς καὶ πρόσθες τῇ τῶν
στοῶν καὶ κρηνῶν ὥρᾳ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπῶν.
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