Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §9.34.1

The Ruling Principle of Others and Vanity of Praise and Blame

Passage 366 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author urges to observe the ruling principles of others and see their poor souls naked, exposing the vanity of their thinking that they can harm by blaming or help by praising.

§9.34.1Τίνα τὰ ἡγεμονικὰ τούτων καὶ περὶ οἷα ἐσπουδάκασι καὶ δι’ οἷα φιλοῦσι καὶ τιμῶσι·
What their ruling principles are, and about what kind of things they are busy, and for what reasons they love and honor.
γυμνὰ νόμιζε βλέπειν τὰ ψυχάρια αὐτῶν.
Consider that you see their poor souls naked.
ὅτε δοκοῦσι βλάπτειν ψέγοντες ἢ ὠφελεῖν ἐξυμνοῦντες, ὅση οἴησις.
When they think they do harm by blaming or do good by praising, what vanity!

Notes

  1. §9.34.1Τίνα τὰ ἡγεμονικὰ τούτων — This indirect question clause at the beginning lacks a main governing verb. It can be interpreted as an independent rhetorical question, or as a proleptic topic or object function under βλέπειν (to see) in the subsequent sentence.
  2. §9.34.1γυμνὰ — The neuter plural accusative adjective functioning as a predicative adjunct to τὰ ψυχάρια. It expresses a dynamic description: 'consider that you see their souls in a naked state,' rather than a simple attributive 'naked souls'.
  3. §9.34.1ὅση οἴησις — An exclamatory nominal phrase with the copula ἐστίν omitted. It refers back to the entire preceding ὅτε clause (when...), strongly emphasizing the foolish vanity of human behavior at such times.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §9.34.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.34.1

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