Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §6.36.1

The Smallness of All Things and Evils as Byproducts

Passage 173 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author shows the insignificance of individual things in comparison with the vastness of the universe and eternity, explaining that even unpleasant phenomena are byproducts of the noble source of all things.

§6.36.1Ἡ Ἀσία, ἡ Εὐρώπη γωνίαι τοῦ κόσμου· πᾶν πέλαγος σταγὼν τοῦ κόσμου· Ἄθως βωλάριον τοῦ κόσμου· πᾶν τὸ ἐνεστὼς τοῦ χρόνου στιγμὴ τοῦ αἰῶνος.
Asia and Europe are corners of the universe; every sea is a drop of the universe; Athos is a tiny clod of the universe; every present moment of time is an instant of eternity.
πάντα μικρά, εὔτρεπτα, ἐναφανιζόμενα.
All things are small, changeable, vanishing.
Πάντα ἐκεῖθεν ἔρχεται, ἀπ’ ἐκείνου τοῦ κοινοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ ὁρμήσαντα ἣ κατ’ ἐπακολούθησιν.
All things come from that other world, having started from that common ruling power, either directly or by way of consequence.
καὶ τὸ χάσμα οὖν τοῦ λέοντος καὶ τὸ δηλητήριον καὶ πᾶσα κακουργία ὡς ἄκανθα, ὡς βόρβορος, ἐκείνων ἐπιγεννήματα τῶν σεμνῶν καὶ καλῶν.
Therefore, even the gaping mouth of the lion, and poison, and every noxious thing, like thorns or mud, are byproducts of those things which are noble and beautiful.
μὴ οὖν αὐτὰ ἀλλότρια τούτου οὗ σέβεις φαντάζου, ἀλλὰ τὴν πάντων πηγὴν ἐπιλογίζου.
Do not then picture these to yourself as alien to that which you revere, but reflect upon the source of all things.

Notes

  1. 6.36.1ὁρμήσαντα ἣ κατ’ ἐπακολούθησιν — The participle ὁρμήσαντα (having originated/started) and the prepositional phrase κατ’ ἐπακολούθησιν (by way of consequence/sequel) are coordinated by ἤ (or). The former indicates a direct, active emanation from the ruling principle, while the latter represents a necessary, secondary consequence accompanying the primary design.
  2. 6.36.1ἐκείνων ἐπιγεννήματα τῶν σεμνῶν καὶ καλῶν — The genitive ἐκείνων τῶν σεμνῶν καὶ καλῶν (of those noble and beautiful things) depends on the noun ἐπιγεννήματα (byproducts, accessory products). In Stoic physics, seemingly harmful or ugly phenomena (like thorns or mud) are understood as necessary physical consequences (consequentia) accompanying the creation of the greater, beautiful cosmic order.
  3. 6.36.1τούτου οὗ σέβεις — The relative pronoun οὗ (of which/that) is attracted into the genitive case from its original accusative (ὅ, as the direct object of the transitive verb σέβεις) to match the case of its antecedent, the demonstrative pronoun τούτου (which is in the genitive governed by the adjective ἀλλότρια, meaning 'alien to').

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §6.36.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.36.1

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