Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §7.61.1

The Art of Life as Wrestling Rather Than Dancing

Passage 257 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author points out that the art of life is more like wrestling than dancing, in that one must stand ready and unshaken against unforeseen difficulties.

§7.61.1Ἡ βιωτικὴ τῇ παλαιστικῇ ὁμοιοτέρα ἤπερ τῇ ὀρχηστικῇ κατὰ τὸ πρὸς τὰ ἐμπίπτοντα καὶ οὐ προεγνωσμενα ἕτοιμος καὶ ἀπτὼς ἑστάναι.
The art of life is more like the wrestler's art than the dancer's, in respect of its standing ready and unshaken against accidental and unforeseen onslaughts.

Notes

  1. §7.61.1κατὰ τὸ ... ἑστάναι — The perfect active infinitive ἑστάναι (from ἵστημι) with the neuter article τὸ is governed by the preposition κατά, forming an adverbial phrase meaning 'in respect of standing...'.
  2. §7.61.1ἕτοιμος καὶ ἀπτὼς — These nominative adjectives function as predicates for the infinitive ἑστάναι. They agree in gender, number, and case with the subject of the sentence, the feminine noun ἡ βιωτική (or implied τέχνη). Since both ἕτοιμος and ἀπτώς are adjectives of two endings (where the feminine form is identical to the masculine), they are used here as nominative singular feminine.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §7.61.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.61.1

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