Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §9.32.1

Dispelling Troubles through the Contemplation of the Cosmos

Passage 364 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author advises removing superfluous troubles, which depend entirely on judgment, and gaining immense mental space by contemplating the universe, eternity, and the rapid change of all things.

§9.32.1Πολλὰ περισσὰ περιελεῖν τῶν ἐνοχλούντων σοι δύνασαι ὅλα ἐπὶ τῇ ὑπολήψει σου κείμενα, καὶ πολλὴν εὐρυχωρίαν περιποιήσεις ἤδη σεαυτῷ τῷ τὸν ὅλον κόσμον περιειληφέναι τῇ γνώμῃ καὶ τὸν ἀίδιον αἰῶνα περινοεῖν καὶ τὴν τῶν κατὰ μέρος ἑκάστου πράγματος ταχεῖαν μεταβολὴν ἐπινοεῖν, ὡς βραχὺ μὲν τὸ ἀπὸ γενέσεως μέχρι διαλύσεως, ἀχανὲς δὲ τὸ πρὸ τῆς γενέσεως, ὡς καὶ τὸ μετὰ τὴν διάλυσιν ὁμοίως ἄπειρον.
You can rid yourself of many superfluous troubles, for they all depend entirely on your own judgment; and you will already secure great spaciousness for yourself by embracing the whole universe in your mind, contemplating infinite time, and reflecting on the rapid change of each particular thing—seeing how brief is the interval from generation to dissolution, how boundless is the time before generation, and how that after dissolution is likewise infinite.

Notes

  1. 9.32.1ὅλα ἐπὶ τῇ ὑπολήψει σου κείμενα — This participial phrase modifies "Πολλὰ περισσὰ" and expresses the reason ("since they all depend..."). The noun "ὑπόληψις" is a crucial concept in Stoic philosophy, referring to the subjective evaluation or judgment of external events.
  2. 9.32.1τῷ τὸν ὅλον κόσμον περιειληφέναι — The dative articular infinitive "τῷ..." governing "περιειληφέναι", "περινοεῖν", and "ἐπινοεῖν" functions adverbially to express means or manner ("by embracing... by contemplating... by reflecting...") for the verb "περιποιήσεις".
  3. 9.32.1ὡς βραχὺ μὲν τὸ ἀπὸ γενέσεως — The word "ὡς" functions as an exclamatory adverb ("how...") modifying the adjectives "βραχὺ", "ἀχανὲς", and "ἄπειρον", introducing object clauses under "ἐπινοεῖν" (to reflect on). Although it can be interpreted as a causal conjunction ("since..."), the exclamatory reading more naturally details the "rapid change" mentioned right before.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §9.32.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.32.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.