Loving vs liking; better ones fail only to comfort
And we suppose that loving is more divine and, so to speak, spiritual, while liking is bodily and more human. And perhaps—since no base person loves—one must observe that concerning the better ones it says: “there is none comforting her from all who love her,” but concerning the lesser: “all who like her have set her aside; they have become enemies to her.” For the more deficient both set her aside and became enemies to her; but the better ones only did not comfort.
Greek
Klagel. Jerem. 1, 2. Oἰόμεθα δὲ τὸ μὲν ἀγαπᾶν θειότερον εἶναι καί, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, πνευματικόν, τὂ δὲ φιλεῖν σωματικὸν καὶ ἐνθρωπικώτερον. τάχα δέ, οὐδενὸς φαύλου ἀγαπῶντος, παρατηρητέον ὅτι περὶ μὲν τῶν κρειττόνων φησί· οὐχ ὑπάρχει παρακαλῶν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἀγαπώντων αὐτήν, περὶ δὲ τῶν ἐλαττόνων· πάντες οἱ φιλοῦντες αὐτὴν ἠθέτησαν αὐτήν, ἐγένοντο αὐτῇ εἰς ἐχθρούς. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑποδεέστεροι καὶ ἠθέτησαν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐγένοντο αὐτῇ ἐχθροί· οἱ δὲ κρείττονες μόνον οὐ παρεκάλεσαν.
About this text
Origen, Fragments on Lamentations. Original English Translation from the Greek (Klostermann).
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.