Julian and the Antiochians
“The letter “chi”, they said, did not do any injustice to the city
nor did the letter ‘kappa”, but we are finding interpreters…
we learned that these letters are the first letters of names,
the first denotes Christ and the second Constantius.”
Julian’s, Misopogon
Was it ever possible for them to renounce
their beautiful lifestyle, the variety
of their daily amusements; their amazing theatre
where a fast union took place between
Art and the carnal tendencies of the flesh!
They were immoral, up to a point, perhaps mostly.
But they had the satisfaction that their lives
were the most talked about lives of Antioch,
the lustful, in absolute good taste.
To renounce all this, to pay attention to what?
To his airy talk about false gods,
his boring, self-centred talk,
his childish fear of the theatre,
his graceless prudery; his ridiculous beard.
Ah, most certainly they preferred the “Chi”
most certainly, they preferred the “Kappa” a hundred times over.
Libros Libertad 