Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §5.7.1

Praying Simply and Frankly like the Athenians

Passage 108 of 486 · Greek

Summary

Using a simple Athenian prayer for rain as an example, the author argues that one should either not pray at all, or pray in a simple and frank manner without calculation.

§5.7.1Εὐχὴ Ἀθηναίων· ὗσον, ὗσον, ὦ φίλε Ζεῦ, κατὰ τῆς ἀρούρας τῆς Ἀθηναίων καὶ τῶν πεδίων. ἤτοι οὐ δεῖ εὔχεσθαι ἢ οὕτως ἁπλῶς καὶ ἐλευθέρως.
A prayer of the Athenians: "Rain, rain, dear Zeus, down upon the plowed land of the Athenians and their plains." Either one ought not to pray at all, or else to pray in this simple and noble manner.

Notes

  1. 5.7.1ὗσον — Second person singular aorist active imperative of the verb ὕω (to rain). Here used transitively, "send rain," addressing the vocative ὦ φίλε Ζεῦ.
  2. 5.7.1ἐλευθέρως — Adverb meaning "freely," "generously," or "frankly." Here it describes an open, noble, and uncalculating attitude in prayer, free from selfish or slavish pleading.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §5.7.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.7.1

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