[lit-ideas] Marcus Aurelius In Love
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:49:50 EST
-- Today I received my copy of Fronto, #1 -- Loeb has 2. I guess I was moved
to order _that_ particular title, among the 400 that I still lack, because I
had --
(i) overviewed the contents online
(ii) found interesting secondary bibliography.
--- I had ordered Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations", but for some reason, the
bookseller was unable to find the copy he was promoting, so I will have to
order that again in the future.
This online site showed that this Fronto contained correspondence BY Marcus
Aurelius. I was able to read the stuff -- indeed letters -- in a plain Latin I
was able to follow.
Then I found through amazon.com that there's this book, "Marcus Aurelius In
Love", which I don't think I will order in the near future, unless
second-hand.
So, who was Marcus Aurelius -- and what are the achievements of his emperor
years? -- and who was in love with?
He was in love with a _man_ (or male, as the affair started when the male
was pretty young). No photographs of the male survive (of busts, I mean).
Which
is a pity, as I believe _eros_ excites through kalos, first and foremost. In
this case, it's hardly through the male's character as he seemed to bit a
bit on the dull boring side. He was Aurelius's teacher, and yes, his name was
Fronto.
Aurelius was _really_ *obsessed* with the male, and kept sending his
epistulae, which must have been a pain in the neck for the receiver, and for
everyone involved in the proceedings -- there were no special delivery then but
via
_slaves_ and scribes.
The letter by Marcus Aurelius are boring in that, the typical goes:
Hi darling master, the greatest of them all,
I love you, and I love myself because I love you.
My love cannot be greatest, and again, let me
tell you how much I love you.
Thinking of you, I love you more, and by
knowing that you know how much I love you,
I love you,
X X X X X X X
Your darling tutee Marcus
------
The man at first (Fronto) tried to evade problems. And he constantly refers
to as the "not in love" (me erastes). He says, "You _are_ beautiful, Marcus,
-- kalos -- (they wrote each other in Greek although they were both
'barbarian' Romans -- and they _knew_ that and called each other,
affectionately,
'barbarian' --. "And I can tell you how beautiful you are because I'm not in
love
with you. Only a non-lover can say that, and take truthfully". His nickname
was "Verisimus" so there may be some truth to that.
Some other correspondence was even more disappointing -- and in "Roman":
"Dear Marcus,
Thanks for your letter.
Today, I have been seized, with a most
severe pain in the neck.
Also, pain in my left foot.
Sorry for my mood.
Fronto
"cervicum dolore gravissimo correptus sum; quoque de pede dolor". Another
letter,
Dear Marcus,
The pains in my neck are not easier. But
my mind was set at rest as soon as I knew
that you had been able to take a bath."
Vale,
Fronto.
dolores quidem cervicum nihil remiserunt, sed animo bene buit quom te
baleneo cognovi.
Dear Marcus,
I have been seized with very severe pain
in the groin. All the pain from the back
and the loins have concentrated itself
there.
Vale,
Gravissimo dolore inguinis sum arreptus, quo omnis dolor a torse et lumbis
incubuit. Vale."
Dear Marcus,
I have now been seized with very severe pains again
now in the other side of the groin.
"Ego gravissime arreputs sum iterum ab altero inguine."
Dear Marcus,
I have had such a cholearic attack
that I lost my voice, gasped and struggled for
breath; finally my circulation failed."
Dear Marcus,
"I am laid up with pain in the sole of my foot."
"Plantae dolore impedior."
Dear Macus,
This is the third day that I have been
troubled all night long with griping in the
stomach and diarrhoea. Last night indeed
I suffered so much that I have not been able
to go out. The doctors recommend a bath.
"Tertius est dies, quod per noctem morsus ventris cum profluvio patior. Hac
vero necte ita sum vexatus, uti prodier non potuerim. Medici suadent balneo
uti."
Dear Marcus,
Thank you for your letter.
These last days, I've had a
wretched sore throat which also
has made me feverish all night.
My knee also pains me quite a
bit.
"Fauces miseras habeo, unde etiam valui per noctem. In genu dolor non est
modicus."
Etc. I suppose this is high literature, but indeed! I praise Loeb for the
publication and it *is* a nice addition to the Swimming Pool Library, and I
guess I'll try to read more into these two men and am especially interested in
the campaigns of Marcus Aurelius. However, he seems to have been quite a furry
little cat. Not only does he complain of diorrhea too but goes on to expand
on the infirmities of his sister and mother -- Once, he was almost beaten by a
scorpion:
Dear Teacher,
Thank the Gods we seeem to have
some hopes for reovery. The diarrhoea is
stopped, the feverish attacks got rid of;
but the emaciation is extreme, and there
is still some cough."
Alvi fluxus contitit, febriculae depulsae; macies tamen pervenuis, et
tussicula nonnihil restat.
Dear Teacher,
Sorry to hear of your illnesses. We
are not any better at home.
This is how I have passed the last
few days.:
My sister was seized suddenly with such
pain in the privy parts, that it was
dreadful to see her.
"Soror dolore muliebrium partium ita correpta est repente, ut faciem
horrendam viderim."
Moreover, my mother, in the flurry of the
moment, inadvertently ran her side against
a corner of the wall, causing us as well
as herself great pain by the accident.
"Mater autem mea in ea trepidatione imprudens angulo parietis costam
inflixit."
As for myself, when I went to lie down
I came upon a scorpion in my bed;
however I was able to kill it before
lying down upon it."
"Ipse quom cubitum irem, scorpionen in lecto offendi: occupavi tamen eum
occidere priusquam accumberem.
Cheers,
J. L. Speranza, Esq.
The Swimming Pool Library
St. Michael Hall,
Calle 58, No. 611,
La Plata B1900 BPY
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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