Pliny on Loss

"Our friend Marcinus has had a terrible blow; he has lost his wife, ... Marcinus has indeed the great consolation of having possessed such a treasure for so long, though it is this that makes his loss so hard to bear; for our enjoyment of pleasure increases the pain of deprivation. So I shall continue to be anxious for him, for I love him dearly, until he can permit himself some distraction and allow his wound to heal; nothing can do this but acceptance of the inevitable, lapse of time, and surfeit of grief."

[Pliny The Younger; Letter to Rosianus Geminus]