Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §7.6.1

The Oblivion of the Praised and the Praisers

Passage 202 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author points out the transience of life, noting that both those who were once highly praised and those who praised them have now equally vanished and been forgotten.

§7.6.1Ὅσοι μὲν πολυύμνητοι γενόμενοι ἤδη λήθῃ παραδέδονται, ὅσοι δὲ τούτους ὑμνήσαντες πάλαι ἐκποδών.
How many who were once highly celebrated have already been surrendered to oblivion, and how many who sang their praises have long since disappeared!

Notes

  1. §7.6.1πολυύμνητοι γενόμενοι — The aorist participle γενόμενοι, accompanying the adjective πολυύμνητος ("much sung of", "highly celebrated"), means "having become much celebrated." It creates a clear semantic and voice contrast between the passive state in the first clause and the active participle ὑμνήσαντες ("having sung praises") in the second.
  2. §7.6.1ἐκποδών — An adverb meaning "out of the way" or "out of sight." The main verb is omitted in this latter clause, and the third-person plural copula εἰσίν must be supplied, yielding the sense "are long since gone."

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §7.6.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.6.1

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