Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §11.17.1

Contemplation on Origin, Transformation, and Harmlessness

Passage 429 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The passage outlines the subjects of contemplation: whence each thing comes, its constituents, its transformation, its state after transformation, and how it suffers no harm.

§11.17.1Πόθεν ἐλήλυθεν ἕκαστον καὶ ἐκ τίνων ἕκαστον ὑποκειμένων καὶ εἰς τί μεταβάλλει καὶ οἷον ἔσται μεταβαλὸν καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν κακὸν πείσεται.
Whence each thing has come, and from what underlying elements each is composed, and into what it changes, and what it will be after it has changed, and how it will suffer no evil.

Notes

  1. §11.17.1Πόθεν ἐλήλυθεν... — This sentence lacks a main verb or governing clause (such as "consider" or "observe") and consists solely of parallel indirect question clauses. This is a bullet-like writing style typical of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, listing themes for self-reflection.
  2. §11.17.1ἐκ τίνων ἕκαστον ὑποκειμένων — ὑποκείμενον in Stoic philosophy refers to the "substratum" or "underlying matter." τίνων is an interrogative pronoun qualifying ὑποκειμένων ("from what underlying materials").
  3. §11.17.1μεταβαλὸν — The aorist active participle (neuter singular nominative) of μεταβάλλω, agreeing with ἕκαστον. It is interpreted temporally or conditionally as "after it has changed" or "when it changes."
  4. §11.17.1ὡς — Looking at the parallel structure with the preceding interrogative words (πόθεν, ἐκ τίνων, εἰς τί, οἷον), ὡς here is most naturally interpreted not as a conjunction meaning "that," but as an indirect interrogative adverb meaning "how."

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §11.17.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:11.17.1

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