Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §4.19.1

The Vanity of Posthumous Fame and Present Gifts

Passage 69 of 486 · Greek

Summary

This passage argues the vanity of seeking posthumous fame, pointing out that those who remember us will soon die, memory itself will fade, and even if it were immortal, praise is useless to both the living and the dead, resulting only in the neglect of present natural gifts.

§4.19.1Ὁ περὶ τὴν ὑστεροφημίαν ἐπτοημένος οὐ φαντάζεται ὅτι ἕκαστος τῶν μεμνημένων αὐτοῦ τάχιστα καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποθανεῖται·

He who is excited about posthumous fame does not imagine that each of those who remember him will also himself very quickly die.

εἶτα πάλιν ὁ ἐκεῖνον διαδεξάμενος, μέχρι καὶ πᾶσα ἡ μνήμη ἀποσβῇ διὰ ἁπτομένων καὶ σβεννυμένων προιοῦσα.

Then again, the one who succeeds him will also die, until all memory is extinguished, progressing through those who catch fire and are extinguished.

ὑπόθου δ᾽, ὅτι καὶ ἀθάνατοι μὲν οἱ μεμνησόμενοι, ἀθάνατος δὲ ἡ μνήμη· τί οὖν τοῦτο πρὸς σέ;

But suppose that those who will remember are even immortal, and the memory immortal: what then is this to you?

καὶ οὐ λέγω, ὅτι οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν τεθνηκότα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν ζῶντα τί ὁ ἔπαινος, πλὴν ἄρα δι’ οἰκονομίαν τινά;

And I do not say this because it is nothing to the dead, but to the living, what is praise? Except perhaps for some practical utility.

πάρες γὰρ νῦν ἀκαίρως τὴν φυσικὴν δόσιν ἄλλου τινὸς ἐχομένην λόγου λοιπόν.

For you now unseasonably dismiss the gift of nature, which is dependent on the talk of someone else hereafter.

Notes

4.19.1διὰ ἁπτομένων καὶ σβεννυμένων — Meaning "through things/persons that are kindled and extinguished." The participles ἁπτομένων and σβεννυμένων can be understood as neuter or masculine, metaphorically referring to successive generations of human beings or individual minds that light up and are extinguished like torches.
4.19.1καὶ οὐ λέγω, ὅτι οὐδὲν — Literally "and I do not say that it is nothing to the dead," but in context, that fame is useless to the dead is taken for granted. This phrase is thus understood elliptically as "I do not even need to say that it is nothing to the dead, but [rather ask]..." or "I do not merely say that it is nothing to the dead, but [even] to the living..."
4.19.1τὴν φυσικὴν δόσιν ἄλλου τινὸς ἐχομένην — The present participle ἐχομένην (feminine accusative singular) agrees with δόσιν. The verb ἔχομαι with a genitive means "to depend on" or "to cling to." Grammatically, it means "the gift of nature, which is dependent on the future talk of another," though semantically it implies that the subject, by clinging to others' words, is neglecting the natural gift.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §4.19.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.19.1

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