M/M: Two Hearts Melting into One, Synesius 152

Pylaemenem me puta, ipsum animum animo ipso complecti. Desunt mihi verba quibus quanta est voluntatis animi mei vis effundatur, vel potius ne ipse quidem affectus cuiusmodi erga te in animo meo insit, invenio. Sed homo quidam exstitit amatoriarum rerum peritus, Plato Aristonis filius Atheniensis in amatoris natura, eoque quod circa delicias suas sibi accidere vellet, inveniendo solers, in explicando disertus ac facilis. Quare is pro me istud et inveniat et dicat. Vellet igitur, ait ille, Vulcani quadam arte colliquari et coalescere, unumque ex ambobus effici.

--Synesius, Letter 152; Translated into Latin by J. P. Migne (1864); Greek text forthcoming

When I put my arms around you,  Pylaemenes, I feel like my soul is embracing your soul. I can’t express in words how much my heart gushes on and on about you, and I can’t even understand the depths of my feelings for you. But one person can—Plato the Athenian, the relationship expert, in his book on Love [Symposium]. He cleverly researched & eloquently described what a person in love wants to happen when they find their soulmate. Therefore let Plato’s words count as mine: he said that a soulmate would want Vulcan to melt them down and fuse them together, creating one person out of two.

SYNESIUS	MAP:
Name:  Synesius Date:  4th c. CE Works:  Letters	REGION  3
BIO:	Timeline:
Synesius was a Greek writer and statesman from Cyrene (modern Libya). He is known as one of Hypatia’s most famous students. His education took him to both Alexandria, Egypt and Athens, Greece; he spent many years in Constantinople advocating on behalf of his community. His letters are still extant, and provide us with unique insights into this time period.	POST CONSTANTINOPLE