Letter 65: Procopius receives Zacharias's letter with joy but asks not to be hurt by silence again.

I received your letter. It should have happened long ago, but even now, when it has happened, it has not dulled any of the pleasure. This is the sort of thing lovers feel. When they are unlucky, the matter seems hard and they cannot bear it. But when they obtain what they long for, they forget the pains that came before, as though they had suffered nothing. Still, do not learn this and then distress me again with silence before writing. I would not choose to suffer much and then be delighted again. The Delphians would not choose Apollo to be absent altogether, even if they hold a festival as soon as he returns.

Ζαχαρίαι Τὴν παρ' ὑμῶν ἐδεξάμην ἐπιστολήν, ὅπερ ἔδει μὲν καὶ πάλαι γενέσθαι, ὅμως δ' οὐδὲ νῦν γενόμενον ἀπήμβλυνέ τι τῆς χάριτος. τοιοῦτόν τι τῶν ἐρώντων τὸ πάθος· ἐπειδὰν μὲν ἀτυχῶσι, δυσχερὲς αὐτοῖς τὸ πρᾶγμα δοκεῖ καὶ φέρειν οὐ δύνανται· ἡνίκα δὲ λάβωνται τοῦ ποθουμένου, ὡς μηδὲν παθόντες τῶν προλαβόντων πόνων ἐπιλανθάνονται. ἀλλ' ὅπως μὴ νῦν τοῦτο μαθὼν πρίν τι γράφειν αὖθις ἡμᾶς ἀνιάσῃς τῇ σιωπῇ· οὐδὲ γὰρ βουλοίμην ἔγωγε πολλὰ παθὼν εἶτα πάλιν εὐφραίνεσθαι. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν οἱ Δελφοὶ ὅλως αὐτῶν ἀπεῖναι τὸν Πύθιον ἕλοιντο, εἰ καὶ παρόντος εὐθὺς ἑορτὴν ἄγουσι τὴν ἐπιδημίαν Ἀπόλλωνος.