Second Letter

1You truly carry the Graces themselves upon your tongue, and it seems to me that a precinct of theirs—a temple—has been established for you somewhere here, and it charms the goddesses: a soul with a pure plectrum sounding in varied response upon the tongue. That is why they rejoice in it more than when they look upon Naxos, which tradition holds to be the island of the Graces—the place where Dionysus was defeated by Ariadne and lived with her as her husband. But how fittingly the son of Semele has come into our discussion! If he were not a god, how much accusation he would have received from us, for overlooking a man who is poor, who dreams of taxes even from his very bedding, but is otherwise devoted to the Muses and the Graces.

2He had only a small plot of land, Dionysus, and he was holding on to the hopes that came from it, waiting to receive what the vines seemed ready to give. Why did you not come in abundance and show them heavy with fruit? If only you had stepped onto the wine vats and danced the Bacchic dance, and no part of the new wine had been left empty! From that he would have had wealth in fine measure, and he would have danced for pleasure and been more musical himself. Do you want to learn what Dionysus says to all this?

3"It is not possible," he says, "to be rich in words and in money at the same time. Therefore I was withdrawing the grape clusters, so that I might cultivate his tongue more. For even the cicadas, feeding on dew alone, hold the Muses within themselves."

4They feed on dew alone, yet they contain the whole Muses within themselves. Hearing them, you would say that they were once human and have become cicadas.” So it is fitting to be content with present circumstances. And even if the tax collectors are troubling you, only sing to them, and they will immediately forget about the money.