Meditations — Page 9
Cyprus has been from time immemorial a meeting-place of the East and West, and although we cannot grant any importance to a possible strain of Phoenician blood in him (for the Phœnicians were no philosophers), yet it is quite likely that through Asia Minor he may have come in touch with the Far East.
Chipre ha sido desde tiempos inmemoriales un punto de encuentro entre el Oriente y el Occidente, y aunque no podemos conceder ninguna importancia a una posible ascendencia de sangre fenicia en él (pues los fenicios no eran filósofos), es muy probable que a través de Asia Menor haya podido entrar en contacto con el Lejano Oriente.
He studied under the cynic Crates, but he did not neglect other philosophical systems.
Estudió bajo la tutela del cínico Crates, pero no descuidó otros sistemas filosóficos.
After many years' study he opened his own school in a colonnade in Athens called the Painted Porch, or Stoa, which gave the Stoics their name.
Tras muchos años de estudio, abrió su propia escuela en una columnata de Atenas llamada el Pórtico Pintado, o Stoa, que dio a los estoicos su nombre.
Next to Zeno, the School of the Porch owes most to Chrysippus (280--207 b.c.), who organised Stoicism into a system.
Después de Zenón, la Escuela del Pórtico debe más que a nadie a Crisipo (280-207 a.C.), quien organizó el estoicismo en un sistema.
Of him it was said,
De él se decía,
'But for Chrysippus, there had been no Porch.'
«Sin Crisipo, no habría habido Pórtico.»
The Stoics regarded speculation as a means to an end and that end was, as Zeno put it, to live consistently (ὁμολογουμένος ζῆν), or as it was later explained, to live in conformity with nature (ὁμολογουμένος τῇ φύσει ζῆν).
Los estoicos consideraban la especulación como un medio para un fin, y ese fin era, según lo expresó Zenón, vivir de manera coherente (ὁμολογουμένος ζῆν), o como se explicó posteriormente, vivir en conformidad con la naturaleza (ὁμολογουμένος τῇ φύσει ζῆν).
This conforming of the life to nature was the Stoic idea of Virtue.
Esta conformidad de la vida con la naturaleza era la idea estoica de la Virtud.
This dictum might easily be taken to mean that virtue consists in yielding to each natural impulse; but that was very far from the Stoic meaning.
Este dictamen podría fácilmente interpretarse como que la virtud consiste en ceder a cada impulso natural; pero eso estaba muy lejos del significado estoico.
Vocabulary
- Chipre
- Mediterranean island nation, historically significant crossroads
- ha
- Auxiliary verb 'has' used in perfect tenses
- sido
- Past participle of 'ser'; meaning 'been'
- desde
- Preposition meaning 'since' or 'from'
- tiempos
- Plural of 'tiempo'; meaning 'times' or 'ages'
- inmemoriales
- Adjective meaning 'immemorial,' beyond recorded memory
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'
- punto
- Noun meaning 'point' or 'spot'
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
- encuentro
- Noun meaning 'meeting' or 'encounter'
- entre
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- el
- Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular)
- Oriente
- Noun meaning 'the East' or 'Orient'
- y
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- Occidente
- Noun meaning 'the West' or 'Occident'
- aunque
- Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though'
- no
- Negation word meaning 'no' or 'not'
- podemos
- First person plural of 'poder'; 'we can'
- conceder
- Verb meaning 'to grant' or 'to concede'
- ninguna
- Adjective/pronoun meaning 'none' or 'no' (feminine)
- importancia
- Noun meaning 'importance' or 'significance'
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at'
- una
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine)
- posible
- Adjective meaning 'possible' or 'potential'
- ascendencia
- Noun meaning 'ancestry' or 'descent'
- sangre
- Noun meaning 'blood'
- fenicia
- Adjective meaning 'Phoenician,' relating to ancient Phoenicia
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'on'
- él
- Personal pronoun meaning 'he' or 'him'
- pues
- Conjunction meaning 'since,' 'because,' or 'well'
- los
- Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine plural)
- fenicios
- Noun meaning 'Phoenicians,' ancient Mediterranean traders
- eran
- Imperfect tense of 'ser'; meaning 'they were'
- filósofos
- Noun meaning 'philosophers,' lovers of wisdom
- es
- Third person singular of 'ser'; meaning 'is'
- muy
- Adverb meaning 'very' or 'quite'
- probable
- Adjective meaning 'probable' or 'likely'
- que
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'
- través
- Noun used in 'a través de' meaning 'through'
- Asia
- Proper noun referring to the continent Asia
- Menor
- Adjective meaning 'Minor'; refers to Asia Minor
- haya
- Subjunctive form of 'haber'; meaning 'has/have'
- podido
- Past participle of 'poder'; meaning 'been able to'
- entrar
- Verb meaning 'to enter' or 'to come into'
- contacto
- Noun meaning 'contact' or 'connection'
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- Lejano
- Adjective meaning 'far' or 'distant'; 'Far East'
- Estudió
- Preterite of 'estudiar'; meaning 'he/she studied'
- bajo
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'beneath'
- la
- Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular)
- tutela
- Noun meaning 'tutelage,' 'guidance,' or 'guardianship'
- del
- Contraction of 'de' and 'el' meaning 'of the'
- cínico
- Adjective/noun meaning 'Cynic,' follower of Cynic philosophy
- pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but' or 'however'
- descuidó
- Preterite of 'descuidar'; meaning 'he neglected'
- otros
- Adjective/pronoun meaning 'other' or 'others'
- sistemas
- Noun meaning 'systems' or 'frameworks'
- filosóficos
- Adjective meaning 'philosophical,' relating to philosophy
- Tras
- Preposition meaning 'after' or 'following'
- muchos
- Adjective meaning 'many' or 'much'
- años
- Noun meaning 'years'
- estudio
- Noun meaning 'study' or 'study room'
- abrió
- Preterite of 'abrir'; meaning 'he/she opened'
- su
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its'
- propia
- Adjective meaning 'own' or 'proper' (feminine)
- escuela
- Noun meaning 'school' or 'school of thought'
- columnata
- Noun meaning 'colonnade,' a row of columns
- llamada
- Past participle meaning 'called' or 'named'
- Pórtico
- Noun meaning 'portico' or 'covered walkway'
- Pintado
- Adjective meaning 'painted' or 'decorated'
- o
- Conjunction meaning 'or'
- Stoa
- Greek term for a covered walkway; Stoic school origin
- dio
- Preterite of 'dar'; meaning 'gave'
- estoicos
- Noun meaning 'Stoics,' followers of Stoic philosophy
- nombre
- Noun meaning 'name'
- Después
- Adverb meaning 'after' or 'afterwards'
- Escuela
- Noun meaning 'school' or 'philosophical school'
- debe
- Third person singular of 'deber'; meaning 'owes' or 'must'
- más
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'most'
- nadie
- Pronoun meaning 'nobody' or 'no one'
- a.C.
- Abbreviation for 'antes de Cristo'; meaning 'BC'
- quien
- Relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'whoever'
- organizó
- Preterite of 'organizar'; meaning 'he organized'
- estoicismo
- Noun meaning 'Stoicism,' ancient Greek philosophical school
- sistema
- Noun meaning 'system' or 'organized structure'
- De
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
- se
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself,' 'herself,' or 'itself'
- decía
- Imperfect of 'decir'; meaning 'it was said'
- Sin
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- habría
- Conditional of 'haber'; meaning 'there would have been'
- habido
- Past participle of 'haber'; meaning 'existed' or 'been'
- Los
- Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine plural)
- consideraban
- Imperfect of 'considerar'; meaning 'they considered'
- especulación
- Noun meaning 'speculation' or 'theoretical reasoning'
- como
- Conjunction/adverb meaning 'as' or 'like'
- medio
- Noun meaning 'means' or 'medium'; also 'half'
- para
- Preposition meaning 'for,' 'in order to'
- fin
- Noun meaning 'end,' 'goal,' or 'purpose'
- ese
- Demonstrative adjective/pronoun meaning 'that'
- era
- Imperfect of 'ser'; meaning 'was' or 'it was'
- según
- Preposition/conjunction meaning 'according to'
- lo
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it' or 'that'
- expresó
- Preterite of 'expresar'; meaning 'he/she expressed'
- vivir
- Infinitive meaning 'to live'
- manera
- Noun meaning 'manner,' 'way,' or 'method'
- coherente
- Adjective meaning 'coherent' or 'consistent'
- explicó
- Preterite of 'explicar'; meaning 'he/she explained'
- posteriormente
- Adverb meaning 'subsequently' or 'later on'
- conformidad
- Noun meaning 'conformity' or 'accordance'
- naturaleza
- Noun meaning 'nature' or 'natural world'
- Esta
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (feminine)
- vida
- Noun meaning 'life'
- idea
- Noun meaning 'idea' or 'concept'
- estoica
- Adjective meaning 'Stoic' (feminine form)
- Virtud
- Noun meaning 'virtue' or 'moral excellence'
- Este
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (masculine)
- dictamen
- Noun meaning 'ruling,' 'opinion,' or 'verdict'
- podría
- Conditional of 'poder'; meaning 'could' or 'might'
- fácilmente
- Adverb meaning 'easily' or 'readily'
- interpretarse
- Reflexive infinitive meaning 'to be interpreted'
- virtud
- Noun meaning 'virtue' or 'moral goodness'
- consiste
- Third person singular of 'consistir'; meaning 'consists of'
- ceder
- Verb meaning 'to yield,' 'to give in,' or 'to cede'
- cada
- Adjective meaning 'each' or 'every'
- impulso
- Noun meaning 'impulse' or 'urge'
- natural
- Adjective meaning 'natural' or 'innate'
- eso
- Neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that'
- estaba
- Imperfect of 'estar'; meaning 'was' (state or condition)
- lejos
- Adverb meaning 'far' or 'far away'
- significado
- Noun meaning 'meaning' or 'significance'
- estoico
- Adjective meaning 'Stoic,' relating to Stoic philosophy
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