Meditations — Page 13
Public spirit was the most splendid political virtue of the ancient world, and it is here made cosmopolitan.
L'esprit civique était la plus éclatante vertu politique du monde antique, et il est ici rendu cosmopolite.
It is again instructive to note that Christian sages insisted on the same thing.
Il est de nouveau instructif de noter que les sages chrétiens insistaient sur la même chose.
Christians are taught that they are members of a worldwide brotherhood, where is neither Greek nor Hebrew, bond nor free and that they live their lives as fellow-workers with God.
On enseigne aux chrétiens qu'ils sont membres d'une fraternité mondiale, où il n'y a ni Grec ni Hébreu, ni esclave ni libre, et qu'ils vivent leur vie en tant que collaborateurs de Dieu.
Such is the system which underlies the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.
Tel est le système qui sous-tend les Méditations de Marc Aurèle.
Some knowledge of it is necessary to the right understanding of the book, but for us the chief interest lies elsewhere.
Une certaine connaissance de ce système est nécessaire à la bonne compréhension du livre, mais pour nous l'intérêt principal réside ailleurs.
We do not come to Marcus Aurelius for a treatise on Stoicism.
Nous ne venons pas à Marc Aurèle pour un traité sur le stoïcisme.
He is no head of a school to lay down a body of doctrine for students; he does not even contemplate that others should read what he writes.
Il n'est pas le chef d'une école chargé d'établir un corpus de doctrine pour des étudiants ; il n'envisage même pas que d'autres puissent lire ce qu'il écrit.
His philosophy is not an eager intellectual inquiry, but more what we should call religious feeling.
Sa philosophie n'est pas une ardente enquête intellectuelle, mais plutôt ce que nous appellerions un sentiment religieux.
The uncompromising stiffness of Zeno or Chrysippus is softened and transformed by passing through a nature reverent and tolerant, gentle and free from guile; the grim resignation which made life possible to the Stoic sage becomes in him almost a mood of aspiration.
La rigidité intransigeante de Zénon ou de Chrysippe est adoucie et transformée en passant par une nature révérencieuse et tolérante, douce et exempte de ruse ; la sombre résignation qui rendait la vie possible au sage stoïcien devient en lui presque un élan d'aspiration.
His book records the innermost thoughts of his heart, set down to ease it, with such moral maxims and reflections as may help him to bear the burden of duty and the countless annoyances of a busy life.
Son livre consigne les pensées les plus intimes de son cœur, couchées sur le papier pour le soulager, avec les maximes morales et les réflexions susceptibles de l'aider à porter le fardeau du devoir et les innombrables contrariétés d'une vie bien remplie.
It is instructive to compare the _Meditations_ with another famous book, the _Imitation of Christ_.
Il est instructif de comparer les _Méditations_ avec un autre livre célèbre, l'_Imitation de Jésus-Christ_.
Vocabulary
- esprit
- eh-spree — Mind, spirit, or wit of a person
- civique
- see-veek — Relating to civic duty or citizenship
- était
- eh-teh — Was; third-person singular imperfect of 'être'
- plus
- plü — More; used in comparisons or negations
- éclatante
- ay-klah-tahnt — Dazzling, brilliant, or striking in quality
- vertu
- vehr-tü — Virtue; moral excellence or goodness
- politique
- poh-lee-teek — Political; relating to governance or public affairs
- monde
- mohnd — World; also used to mean 'people'
- antique
- ahn-teek — Ancient; relating to classical antiquity
- ici
- ee-see — Here; indicating a nearby place or context
- rendu
- rahn-dü — Made, rendered; past participle of 'rendre'
- cosmopolite
- kohs-moh-poh-leet — Cosmopolitan; belonging to the whole world
- nouveau
- noo-voh — New; also used in 'de nouveau' meaning again
- instructif
- an-strük-teef — Instructive; providing useful information or lessons
- noter
- noh-tay — To note, observe, or take note of something
- sages
- sahzh — Wise men; plural of 'sage', meaning wise person
- chrétiens
- kray-tyaN — Christians; followers of the Christian faith
- insistaient
- aN-sees-teh — Were insisting; imperfect tense of 'insister'
- même
- mehm — Same, even; used for emphasis or comparison
- chose
- shohz — Thing; a general word for an object or matter
- On
- ohN — One, we, they; impersonal subject pronoun
- enseigne
- ahn-sehn-yuh — Teaches; third-person singular of 'enseigner'
- membres
- mahm-bruh — Members; persons belonging to a group or body
- fraternité
- frah-tehr-nee-tay — Brotherhood, fraternity; bond among people
- mondiale
- mohN-dyahl — Worldwide, global; relating to the entire world
- où
- oo — Where; relative or interrogative adverb of place
- y
- ee — There; pronoun replacing a place or idea
- ni
- nee — Neither, nor; negative conjunction pairing items
- Grec
- grehk — Greek; a person from ancient or modern Greece
- Hébreu
- ay-bruh — Hebrew; referring to Jewish people or language
- esclave
- es-klahv — Slave; a person owned or controlled by another
- libre
- lee-bruh — Free; not constrained, enslaved, or restricted
- vivent
- veev — Live; third-person plural present of 'vivre'
- leur
- luhr — Their; third-person plural possessive adjective
- vie
- vee — Life; one's existence or way of living
- tant
- taN — As, so much; used in expressions like 'en tant que'
- collaborateurs
- koh-lah-boh-rah-tuhr — Collaborators; people working together toward a goal
- Dieu
- dyuh — God; the supreme being in monotheistic religions
- Tel
- tehl — Such; indicating a particular kind or example
- système
- sees-tehm — System; an organized set of principles or methods
- sous-
- soo — Under-, sub-; prefix indicating beneath or underlying
- tend
- taN — Tends; third-person singular of 'tendre', to tend
- Méditations
- may-dee-tah-syohN — Meditations; title of Marcus Aurelius's philosophical work
- certaine
- sehr-tehn — A certain, some; indicating a degree of something
- connaissance
- koh-neh-sahNs — Knowledge, acquaintance; familiarity with a subject
- nécessaire
- nay-seh-sehr — Necessary; required or essential for a purpose
- bonne
- bohn — Good; feminine form of 'bon', meaning good
- compréhension
- kohm-pray-ahN-syohN — Understanding, comprehension; grasping meaning or content
- livre
- lee-vruh — Book; a written or printed literary work
- mais
- meh — But; conjunction showing contrast or opposition
- intérêt
- aN-tay-reh — Interest; attention, concern, or financial return
- principal
- praN-see-pahl — Main, principal; most important or primary
- réside
- ray-zeed — Resides, lies; third-person singular of 'résider'
- ailleurs
- ah-yuhr — Elsewhere; in or at another place
- venons
- vuh-nohN — Come; first-person plural present of 'venir'
- traité
- treh-tay — Treatise; a formal written work on a subject
- stoïcisme
- stoh-ee-seesm — Stoicism; ancient Greek philosophy of virtue and endurance
- chef
- shef — Head, leader; person in charge of a group
- école
- ay-kohl — School; institution for learning or a philosophical movement
- chargé
- shar-zhay — Charged with, tasked; having a responsibility or duty
- établir
- ay-tah-bleer — To establish, set up; to create something formal
- corpus
- kor-püs — Corpus; a body of texts or established knowledge
- doctrine
- dok-treen — Doctrine; a set of beliefs or teachings
- étudiants
- ay-tü-dyaN — Students; people engaged in learning or study
- envisage
- aN-vee-zahzh — Envisages, considers; third-person singular of 'envisager'
- autres
- oh-truh — Others; referring to different or additional people
- puissent
- pwees — May, might; subjunctive of 'pouvoir', to be able
- lire
- leer — To read; infinitive of the verb 'lire'
- écrit
- ay-kree — Writing, written work; past participle of 'écrire'
- philosophie
- fee-loh-zoh-fee — Philosophy; the study of fundamental questions and wisdom
- ardente
- ar-dahNt — Ardent, fervent; passionate or intensely felt
- enquête
- aN-keht — Inquiry, investigation; a systematic search for knowledge
- intellectuelle
- aN-teh-lek-tü-ehl — Intellectual; relating to the mind and reasoning
- plutôt
- plü-toh — Rather, instead; indicating preference or correction
- appellerions
- ah-peh-luh-ryohN — Would call; conditional of 'appeler', to call
- sentiment
- sahN-tee-mahN — Feeling, sentiment; an emotional state or sense
- religieux
- ruh-lee-zhyuh — Religious; relating to faith, belief, or worship
- rigidité
- ree-zhee-dee-tay — Rigidity; inflexibility in thought or practice
- intransigeante
- aN-traN-zee-zhahNt — Intransigent; refusing to compromise or show flexibility
- adoucie
- ah-doo-see — Softened, mellowed; past participle of 'adoucir'
- transformée
- traNs-for-may — Transformed; changed in form or character significantly
- passant
- pah-sahN — Passing; present participle of 'passer', to pass
- nature
- nah-tür — Nature; the essential character or natural world
- révérencieuse
- ray-vay-raNs-yuhz — Reverent; showing deep respect or veneration
- tolérante
- toh-lay-rahNt — Tolerant; accepting differences without judgment or hostility
- douce
- doos — Gentle, sweet; feminine form of 'doux'
- exempte
- eg-zahNpt — Exempt, free from; not subject to something
- ruse
- rüz — Cunning, trick; cleverness used deceptively
- sombre
- sohm-bruh — Gloomy, dark; lacking brightness or cheerfulness
- résignation
- ray-zee-nyah-syohN — Resignation; passive acceptance of an unpleasant situation
- rendait
- raN-deh — Made, rendered; imperfect tense of 'rendre'
- possible
- poh-see-bluh — Possible; capable of happening or being done
- sage
- sahzh — Wise man; a person of wisdom or prudence
- stoïcien
- stoh-ee-syaN — Stoic; relating to or following Stoic philosophy
- devient
- duh-vyaN — Becomes; third-person singular present of 'devenir'
- lui
- lwee — Him, he; third-person masculine pronoun (stressed)
- presque
- presk — Almost, nearly; indicating something just short of completion
- élan
- ay-lahN — Momentum, enthusiasm; a surge of energy or spirit
- aspiration
- as-pee-rah-syohN — Aspiration; a strong desire or ambition to achieve
- consigne
- kohN-seen-yuh — Entrusts, records; third-person singular of 'consigner'
- pensées
- pahN-say — Thoughts; reflections or ideas in written form
- intimes
- aN-teem — Intimate, private; deeply personal and innermost
- cœur
- kuhr — Heart; the emotional or symbolic center of a person
- couchées
- koo-shay — Laid down, written down; past participle of 'coucher'
- papier
- pah-pyay — Paper; material for writing or printing
- soulager
- soo-lah-zhay — To relieve, to ease; to reduce pain or burden
- maximes
- mahk-seem — Maxims; short statements expressing general truths or rules
- morales
- moh-rahl — Moral; relating to principles of right and wrong
- réflexions
- ray-flek-syohN — Reflections; thoughts or meditations on a subject
- susceptibles
- sü-sep-tee-bluh — Likely, capable; susceptible to or apt to do something
- aider
- ay-day — To help, to aid; to assist someone with something
- porter
- por-tay — To carry, to bear; to support a weight or burden
- fardeau
- far-doh — Burden, load; a heavy responsibility or weight
- devoir
- duh-vwar — Duty, obligation; what one is morally required to do
- innombrables
- ee-nohm-bra-bluh — Innumerable, countless; too many to be counted
- contrariétés
- kohN-trah-ryay-tay — Frustrations, setbacks; annoying obstacles or difficulties
- bien
- byaN — Well, good; indicating quality, approval, or degree
- remplie
- rahN-plee — Filled; past participle of 'remplir', to fill
- comparer
- kohm-pah-ray — To compare; to examine similarities and differences
- autre
- oh-truh — Other, another; a different person or thing
- célèbre
- say-leh-bruh — Famous, celebrated; widely known and recognized
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