The private diaries of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius were never meant to be published. Now known as “The Meditations,” this 2,000-year-old collection of notes were written only for the benefit of Marcus himself, who journaled in order to practice the teachings of Stoicism.
Today, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are considered one of the greatest works of Stoic philosophy, and have been read by millions of people around the world. Many of them have wondered what the words in the ancent diary might have sounded like if they were spoken in the original Greek .
Although we don’t know exactly how Marcus Aurelius would have sounded if he were reading The Meditations out loud, today’s technology does allow us to hear something close to it. In this video, you’ll first hear a translation of Marcus’s words into English, followed by the same voice reading those passages in the original Greek.
Below, you can see each of the first five sections of Book One of The Meditations, with the English translations accompanied by how the passages look in Koine Greek.
Meditations Book 1.1
From my grandfather: character and self-control.
Παρὰ τοῦ πάππου Οὐήρου τὸ καλόηθες καὶ ἀόργητον.
Meditations Book 1.2
From the reputation and memory of my father: integrity and manliness.
Παρὰ τῆς δόξης καὶ μνήμης τῆς περὶ τοῦ γεννήσαντος τὸ αἰδῆμον καὶ ἀρρενικόν.
Meditations Book 1.3
From my mother: her reverence for the divine, her generosity, abstaining not only from doing evil, but even from the thought of such things. And living a simple life — not at all like the rich.
Παρὰ τῆς μητρὸς τὸ θεοσεβὲς καὶ μεταδοτικὸν καὶ ἀφεκτικὸν οὐ μόνον τοῦ κακοποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ ἐννοίας γίνεσθαι τοιαύτης: ἔτι δὲ τὸ λιτὸν κατὰ τὴν δίαιταν καὶ πόρρω τῆς πλουσιακῆς διαγωγῆς.
Meditations Book 1.4
From my great-grandfather: not to waste time in public schools, but rather to hire good private teachers at home. And to consider the cost of this as money well-spent.
Παρὰ τοῦ προπάππου τὸ μὴ εἰς δημοσίας διατριβὰς φοιτῆσαι καὶ τὸ ἀγαθοῖς διδασκάλοις κατ̓ οἶκον χρήσασθαι καὶ τὸ γνῶναι ὅτι εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα δεῖ ἐκτενῶς ἀναλίσκειν.
Meditations Book 1.5
From my first teacher: not to support one side or the other in chariot-races, or one fighter over another in the games. To bear hard work well and not make any demands of anyone. To do my own work, mind my own affairs, and not give any time to gossip.
Παρὰ τοῦ τροφέως τὸ μήτε Πρασιανὸς μήτε Βενετιανὸς μήτε Παλμουλάριος ἢ Σκουτάριος γενέσθαι: καὶ τὸ φερέπονον καὶ ὀλιγοδεές: καὶ τὸ αὐτουργικὸν καὶ ἀπολύπραγμον: καὶ τὸ δυσπρόσδεκτον διαβολῆς.