Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §8.37.1

Vanity of Mourning the Dead and Physical Decay

Passage 308 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author points out the vanity of mourning the dead by showing that even those who watch over the tombs of deceased emperors are fated to grow old and die, emphasizing the physical insignificance of human existence.

§8.37.1Μήτι νῦν παρακάθηται τῇ Οὐήρου σορῷ Πάνθεια ἢ Πέργαμος;

Are Panthea or Pergamus now sitting by the tomb of Verus?

τί δέ, τῇ Ἁδριανοῦ Χαβρίας ἢ Διότιμος;

Or Chabrias or Diotimus by that of Hadrian?

γελοῖον.

Ridiculous.

τί δέ, εἰ παρεκάθηντο, ἔμελλον αἰσθάνεσθαι;

And if they were sitting there, would the dead perceive it?

τί δέ, εἰ ᾐσθάνοντο, ἔμελλον ἡσθήσεσθαι;

And if they did perceive it, would they be pleased?

τί δέ, εἰ ἥδοντο, ἔμελλον οὗτοι ἀθάνατοι εἶναι;

And if they were pleased, would these survivors become immortal?

οὐχὶ καὶ τούτους πρῶτον μὲν γραίας καὶ γέροντας γενέσθαι οὕτως εἵμαρτο, εἶτα ἀποθανεῖν;

Was it not fated that these also should first become old women and old men, and then die?

τί οὖν ὕστερον ἔμελλον ἐκεῖνοι ποιεῖν τούτων ἀποθανόντων;

What then would those do afterwards, when these were dead?

γράσος πᾶν τοῦτο καὶ λύθρος ἐν θυλάκῳ.

All this is but stench and blood-clot in a bag.

Notes

8.37.1ἔμελλον αἰσθάνεσθαι — The phrase "ἔμελλον + infinitive", following the counterfactual condition "εἰ παρεκάθηντο" (using the imperfect indicative), expresses a counterfactual apodosis: "would they have been likely to perceive it?" It highlights the impossibility of the logical consequence under a counterfactual hypothesis.
8.37.1γραίας καὶ γέροντας — Accusative subject complements in the accusative-and-infinitive clause "τούτους ... γενέσθαι". The feminine plural "γραίας" (old women) and masculine plural "γέροντας" (old men) are placed side-by-side to reflect the genders of the specific individuals mentioned earlier (the female Panthea, and the males Pergamus, Chabrias, and Diotimus).
8.37.1τούτων ἀποθανόντων — A genitive absolute construction. In the contrast between the pronouns, the near demonstrative genitive "τούτων" refers to the survivors (Panthea, Chabrias, etc.), while the far demonstrative "ἐκεῖνοι" in the main clause refers to the deceased emperors (Verus, Hadrian).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §8.37.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.37.1

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