Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §7.50.1

Death as the Return of Elements and Dissolution of Atoms

Passage 246 of 486 · Greek

Summary

Quoting verses of Euripides, the text explains death as either the return of elements to their origins or the dissolution of atomic entanglements and the scattering of impassive elements.

§7.50.1Καὶ "τὰ μὲν ἐκ γαίας φύντ’ εἰς γαῖαν, τὰ δ’ ἀπ’ αἰθερίου βλάστοντα γονῆς εἰς οὐράνιον πάλιν ἦλθε πόλον. " Ἢ τοῦτο διάλυσις τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἀτόμοις ἀντεμπλοκῶν καὶ τοιοῦτός τις σκορπισμὸς τῶν ἀπαθῶν στοιχείων.
And: "Earth-born things return to earth, and those which have sprung from ethereal seed go back again to the celestial vault." Or this is the dissolution of the mutual entanglements in the atoms, and some such scattering of the impassive elements.

Notes

  1. §7.50.1φύντ’ — The elided form of φύντα, the second aorist active participle (neuter plural nominative) of φύω (to produce). Together with the preceding article τὰ, it forms the noun phrase meaning "things that have grown/sprung".
  2. §7.50.1ἀντεμπλοκῶν — Genitive plural of the feminine noun ἀντεμπλοκή (mutual interlocking/entanglement). Modified by the prepositional phrase ἐν ταῖς ἀτόμοις (in the atoms), it refers to the physical interlocking of atoms in Democritus' or Epicurus' atomism.
  3. §7.50.1ἀπαθῶν στοιχείων — Genitive plural of the adjective ἀπαθής (impassive/unaffected) and the neuter noun στοιχεῖον (element). It refers to the constituent elements that do not undergo qualitative changes from external influences (or inert materials lacking sensation).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §7.50.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.50.1

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