Cicadas, contentment, and song against tax collectors

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Procopius is closing his playful letter, still quoting the imagined speech of Dionysus about the poor man devoted to the Muses, and then turns to direct advice for the addressee.

They 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.

Greek

τρεφόμενοι ὅλας ἐν αὐτοῖς χωροῦσι τὰς Μούσας, καὶ εἴποις ἂν ἀκούων ὡς ἄνθρωποί τε ἦσαν καὶ γεγόνασι τέττιγες". Οὐκοῦν στέργειν τοῖς παροῦσιν εἰκός, κἂν οἱ πράκτορες ἐνοχλῶσιν, ᾆδε μόνον αὐτοῖς, καὶ τῶν χρημάτων εὐθὺς ἐπιλήσονται.

About this text

A playful letter from Procopius of Gaza blaming Dionysus for a poor scholar's thin harvest, and concluding that no one is rich in both words and money.

Procopius of Gaza, a Christian sophist and head of the rhetorical school in Gaza, wrote this letter to a correspondent named Hieronymus. The letter belongs to a large surviving collection of his elaborately rhetorical letters, which provide most of what is known about his life. It was written from Gaza to Elusa in Palestine.

He then introduces Dionysus, who might be blamed for overlooking a poor man devoted to the Muses and Graces, a man who dreams of taxes even from his bedding.

In an imagined speech, Dionysus explains that one cannot be rich in both words and money. Procopius concludes that one should be content with present circumstances, since singing alone can make tax collectors immediately forget about money.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 87 (Greek)

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