Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §4.6.1

Inevitability of Human Behavior and Shortness of Life

Passage 56 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author explains that the actions of certain people are naturally inevitable, comparing the wish to prevent them to wanting a fig tree to have no sap, and urges to remember that both oneself and others will soon die and be forgotten.

§4.6.1Ταῦτα οὕτως ὑπὸ τῶν τοιούτων πέφυκε γίνεσθαι ἐξ ἀνάγκης, ὁ δὲ τοῦτο μὴ θέλων θέλει τὴν συκῆν ὀπὸν μὴ ἔχειν.
These things are naturally bound to happen in this way by the hands of such persons of necessity, and he who does not wish this to be so wants the fig tree not to have juice.
ὅλως δὲ ἐκείνου μέμνησο, ὅτι ἐντὸς ὀλιγίστου χρόνου καὶ σὺ καὶ οὗτος τεθνήξεσθε, μετὰ βραχὺ δὲ οὐδὲ ὄνομα ὑμῶν ὑπολειφθήσεται.
In short, remember this, that within a very short time both you and he will be dead, and after a short while not even your name will be left behind.

Notes

  1. §4.6.1πέφυκε γίνεσθαι — The perfect active form πέφυκε (from φύω) is used intransitively to mean 'is by nature constituted' or 'is naturally bound to', taking the infinitive γίνεσθαι to express what naturally and inevitably happens.
  2. §4.6.1τὴν συκῆν ὀπὸν μὴ ἔχειν — An accusative with infinitive clause functioning as the object of the main verb θέλει, consisting of the subject accusative τὴν συκῆν, the object ὀπὸν (fig-juice/sap), and the negative infinitive μὴ ἔχειν. The milky sap is an essential property of the fig tree, representing the impossibility of wishing away natural characteristics.
  3. §4.6.1ἐκείνου μέμνησο, ὅτι — The neuter genitive singular demonstrative pronoun ἐκείνου is governed by the imperative verb μέμνησο ('remember'). The following ὅτι clause is in apposition to ἐκείνου, specifying the actual content of what must be remembered.
  4. §4.6.1τεθνήξεσθε — The future perfect active (second-person plural) of θνῄσκω. Rather than a simple future ('you will die'), it emphasizes the completed state in the future ('you will be dead').

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §4.6.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.6.1

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