Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §2.7.1

Avoiding Distractions and Aimless Activity

Passage 24 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author advises creating leisure to learn something good to prevent being distracted by external events, while warning against another kind of wandering: engaging in aimless activities without a guiding purpose.

§2.7.1Περισπᾷ τί σε τὰ ἔξωθεν ἐμπίπτοντα;
Does something falling upon you from without distract you?
καὶ σχολὴν πάρεχε σεαυτῷ τοῦ προσμανθάνειν ἀγαθόν τι καὶ παῦσαι ῥεμβόμενος.
Then give yourself leisure to learn something good in addition, and cease wandering.
ἤδη δὲ καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν περιφορὰν φυλακτέον·
But now you must also guard against the other kind of wandering.
ληροῦσι γὰρ καὶ διὰ πράξεων οἱ κεκμηκότες τῷ βίῳ καὶ μὴ ἔχοντες σκοπόν, ἐφ’ ὃν πᾶσαν ὁρμὴν καὶ καθάπαξ φαντασίαν ἀπευθύνουσιν.
For those who are weary of life and have no target to which they direct their every impulse and, in short, every impression, are playing the fool even through their actions.

Notes

  1. §2.7.1τί — Not the interrogative pronoun, but the indefinite pronoun `τι` in the neuter nominative/accusative (or masculine/feminine nominative) which has acquired an acute accent `τί` due to the following enclitic `σε`. It functions to mean "something" or "anything" in relation to the subject.
  2. §2.7.1παῦσαι ῥεμβόμενος — The verb `παύομαι` (first aorist middle imperative second-person singular `παῦσαι`) taking a supplementary participle (nominative singular masculine `ῥεμβόμενος`), meaning "cease wandering."
  3. §2.7.1τὴν ἑτέραν περιφορὰν φυλακτέον — The verbal adjective `φυλακτέον` (one must guard against/avoid) retains the transitive force of the middle voice `φυλάσσομαι` and directly takes the accusative object `τὴν ἑτέραν περιφορὰν`.
  4. §2.7.1ληροῦσι γὰρ καὶ διὰ πράξεων — The verb `ληρέω` originally means "to talk nonsense" or "to babble," but here it means "to waste time in trifles" or "to act without purpose." The phrase `καὶ διὰ πράξεων` (even through actions) contrasts with the passive distraction of the mind described in the first sentence, showing that even active engagement, if lacking a goal, is a form of wandering.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §2.7.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.7.1

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