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Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §11.33.1

Figs in Winter and Desiring a Child No Longer Granted

Passage 445 of 486 · Greek

Summary

Using the folly of seeking a fig in winter as an analogy, the text argues that desiring a child when they are no longer granted is likewise an irrational act of madness.

§11.33.1Σῦκον χειμῶνος ζητεῖν μαινομένου· τοιοῦτος ὁ τὸ παιδίον ζητῶν, ὅτε οὐκέτι δίδοται.
To seek a fig in winter is the act of a madman; such is he who seeks his child when it is no longer given.

Notes

  1. §11.33.1μαινομένου — Genitive singular masculine of the present participle μαινόμενος ("being mad"). It functions as a genitive of characteristic (with a noun like ἔργον "act/task" implied), meaning "to seek... is the act of a madman."
  2. §11.33.1οὐκέτι δίδοται — Third-person singular present passive of the verb δίδωμι. The subject is the preceding τὸ παιδίον ("the child"), meaning "when the child is no longer given" (i.e., when the child has died or been taken away by fate).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §11.33.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:11.33.1

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