- Source
- Seneca, Lucius Annaeus. Ad Lucilium Epistulae Morales, Vol 1-3. Gummere, Richard Mott, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1917-1925.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi1017.phi015.humanitext-lat2:103.1-103.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The author warns of the sudden and persistent danger that comes from other humans, advising a retreat into philosophy for safety, while cautioning against boasting of philosophy or alienating oneself from public customs.
Quid1 ista circumspicis, quae tibi possunt fortasse evenire, sed possunt et non evenire? Incendium dico, ruinam, alia, quae nobis incidunt, non insidiantur; illa potius vide, illa devita, quae nos observant, quae captant. Rariores sunt casus, etiam si graves, naufragium facere, vehiculo everti; ab homine homini cotidianum periculum. Adversus hoc te expedi, hoc intentis oculis intuere. Nullum est malum frequentius, nullum pertinacius, nullum blandius.
Why do you look around at those things which can perhaps happen to you, but can also not happen? I mean fire, collapse, and other things which fall upon us but do not lie in wait for us; look rather at those things, avoid those things which watch us, which target us. Shipwreck and being thrown from a carriage, even if serious, are rarer occurrences; danger from man to man is a daily affair. Prepare yourself against this, look upon this with intent eyes. No evil is more frequent, none more persistent, none more flattering.
Ac tempestas minatur antequam surgat, crepant aedificia antequam corruant, praenuntiat fumus incendium; subita est ex homine pernicies et eo diligentius tegitur, quo propius accedit.2 Erras, si istorum tibi qui occurrunt vultibus credis; hominum effigies habent, animos ferarum, nisi quod illarum perniciosus est primus incursus; quos transiere, non quaerunt. Numquam enim illas ad nocendum nisi necessitas incitat; aut fame aut timore coguntur ad pugnam; homini perdere hominem libet.
And a storm threatens before it rises, buildings creak before they fall, smoke foretells fire; ruin from man is sudden, and it is concealed all the more carefully the closer it approaches. You are mistaken if you trust the faces of those who meet you; they have the form of men, but the hearts of wild beasts, except that the first charge of wild beasts is the dangerous one, and they do not seek out those whom they have passed. For nothing except necessity ever incites them to harm; they are forced into battle either by hunger or by fear; but for man, it is a pleasure to destroy man.
Tu tamen ita cogita, quod ex homine periculum sit, ut cogites, quod sit hominis officium.3 Alterum intuere, ne laedaris, alterum ne laedas. Commodis omnium laeteris, movearis incommodis et memineris, quae praestare debeas, quae cavere.
Yet, think of the danger that comes from man in such a way that you also think of what the duty of man is. Look upon the one so that you may not be harmed, and upon the other so that you may not harm. Rejoice in the advantages of all, be moved by their disadvantages, and remember what you ought to perform and what you ought to avoid.
Sic vivendo quid consequaris? Non te ne noceant, sed ne fallant.4 Quantum potes autem, in philosophiam recede: illa te sinu suo proteget, in huius sacrario eris aut tutus aut tutior. Non arietant inter se nisi in eadem ambulantes via. Ipsam autem philosophiam non debebis iactare; multis fuit periculi causa insolenter tractata et contumaciter.
By living in this way, what will you achieve? Not that they will not harm you, but that they will not deceive you. As much as you can, however, retreat into philosophy: she will protect you in her bosom; in her sanctuary, you will be either safe or safer. Men do not collide with one another unless they are walking in the same path. But you must not boast of philosophy itself; for many, when treated insolently and stubbornly, it has been the cause of danger.
Tibi vitia detrahat, non aliis exprobret. Non abhorreat a publicis moribus nec hoc agat, ut quicquid non facit, damnare videatur. Licet sapere sine pompa, sine invidia. VALE.
Let it strip away your own vices, not reproach those of others. Let it not shrink from public customs, nor act in such a way as to seem to condemn whatever it does not do. One is permitted to be wise without display, and without envy. FAREWELL.
- 103.1Quid
The neuter accusative singular of the interrogative pronoun is used adverbially to mean "why" or "for what purpose."
- 103.2eo diligentius tegitur, quo propius accedit
The correlative construction eo... quo... with comparatives means "the closer it approaches, the more carefully it is concealed."
- 103.3ita cogita, quod ex homine periculum sit, ut cogites, quod sit hominis officium
The first quod introduces a noun clause specifying the thought, and ita... ut... forms a result or purpose clause meaning "think of the danger from man in such a way that you also think..."
- 103.4Non te ne noceant, sed ne fallant
This functions as the answer to the preceding question quid consequaris. The clauses introduced by ne function as substantive clauses of result/purpose dependent on the implied verb.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1