A Letter to an Absent Friend

My dear friend, you are the kind of person whose absence is too unbearable to be borne bravely. I am depressed at not being able to see you but the sadness gives its own peculiar satisfaction. If I cannot help rejoicing when you are near, how can I avoid being sad when you are far away? It would be dreadful if I could do that. My only joy in your absence is that I am unable to avoid feeling lonely. My consolation now is in embracing my sadness.

St. Augustine: Letter 27, 1