Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §10.18.1

Contemplating the Dissolution and Decay of All Things

Passage 392 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author urges the reader to contemplate every object as being in a state of dissolution, change, decay, or natural death.

§10.18.1Εἰς ἕκαστον τῶν ὑποκειμένων ἐφιστάντα ἐπινοεῖν αὐτὸ ἤδη διαλυόμενον καὶ ἐν μεταβολῇ καὶ οἷον σήψει ἢ σκεδάσει γινόμενον ἢ καθότι ἕκαστον πέφυκεν ὥσπερ θνῄσκειν.
Directing your attention to each of the objects before you, consider that it is already dissolving and in a state of change, and as it were undergoing decay or dispersion, or that each thing is by its nature born to die, as it were.

Notes

  1. §10.18.1ἐφιστάντα — Present active participle, masculine accusative singular. It agrees with the implied accusative subject (σεαυτόν, "yourself") of the infinitive ἐπινοεῖν which is used here as an imperative. It is an elliptical form of the idiom ἐφιστάναι τὸν νοῦν ("to direct one's mind to"), with τὸν νοῦν omitted.
  2. §10.18.1πέφυκεν — Third-person singular perfect active of φύω. While perfect in form, it has a present meaning ("is by nature constitutionally inclined to"). Together with the infinitive θνῄσκειν, it expresses the inherent necessity of perishing that belongs to each object.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §10.18.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:10.18.1

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