Meditations — Page 13
Public spirit was the most splendid political virtue of the ancient world, and it is here made cosmopolitan.
公共精神は古代世界において最も輝かしい政治的美徳であり、ここではそれが世界市民的なものとされている。
It is again instructive to note that Christian sages insisted on the same thing.
キリスト教の賢者たちが同じことを主張したと注目することも、また示唆に富む。
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.
キリスト教徒は、ギリシャ人もヘブライ人もなく、束縛された者も自由な者もない、世界的な兄弟関係の一員であること、そして神とともに働く者として生きることを教えられている。
Such is the system which underlies the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.
これが、マルクス・アウレリウスの『自省録』の根底にある体系である。
Some knowledge of it is necessary to the right understanding of the book, but for us the chief interest lies elsewhere.
この書を正しく理解するためにはそれについてのある程度の知識が必要であるが、我々にとっての主な興味は別のところにある。
We do not come to Marcus Aurelius for a treatise on Stoicism.
我々はストア主義についての論文を求めてマルクス・アウレリウスのもとへ来るのではない。
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.
彼は学生のために教義の体系を定める学派の長ではなく、他者が自分の書いたものを読むことさえも想定していない。
His philosophy is not an eager intellectual inquiry, but more what we should call religious feeling.
彼の哲学は熱心な知的探究ではなく、むしろ我々が宗教的感情と呼ぶべきものに近い。
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.
ゼノンやクリュシッポスの妥協なき硬直さは、敬虔で寛容、温和で偽りのない性質を通過することによって和らげられ変容し、ストア派の賢者にとって生を可能にした厳しい諦念は、彼においてはほとんど憧憬の気分となる。
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.
彼の書は、義務の重荷と多忙な生活の無数の煩わしさに耐えるのに役立つ道徳的格言や省察とともに、心の最も奥深い想いを、それを和らげるために書き記したものである。
It is instructive to compare the _Meditations_ with another famous book, the _Imitation of Christ_.
『自省録』を、もう一冊の有名な書である『キリストにならいて』と比較することは示唆に富む。
Vocabulary
- 公共
- kōkyō — Public, communal, shared by society
- 精神
- seishin — Spirit, mind, mental attitude
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese grammar
- 古代
- kodai — Ancient times, antiquity
- 世界
- sekai — World, the entire globe or realm
- において
- ni oite — In, at, regarding a place or context
- 最も
- mottomo — Most, extremely, to the greatest degree
- 輝かしい
- kagayakashii — Brilliant, glorious, shining with distinction
- 政治
- seiji — Politics, government, political affairs
- 的
- teki — Suffix meaning -ic, -al, relating to
- 美徳
- bitoku — Virtue, moral excellence, admirable quality
- で
- de — Particle indicating means, location, or copula
- あり
- ari — Exists, is; conjunctive form of ある
- ここ
- koko — Here, this place
- それ
- sore — That, it; refers to something nearby
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar
- 市民
- shimin — Citizen, civilian, member of society
- な
- na — Adjectival particle linking noun to noun
- もの
- mono — Thing, object, matter, one who is
- と
- to — Particle meaning and, with, or quotation
- さ
- sa — Nominalizing suffix; makes adjective into noun
- れ
- re — Passive or potential verb conjugation suffix
- て
- te — Conjunctive verb form linking sequential actions
- いる
- iru — To exist, to be, ongoing action marker
- キリスト
- Kirisuto — Christ, referring to Jesus Christ
- 教
- kyō — Religion, teaching, doctrine; suffix for faith
- の
- no — Possessive or linking particle between nouns
- 賢者
- kenja — Wise person, sage, philosopher
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings
- 同じ
- onaji — Same, identical, equal in nature
- こと
- koto — Thing, fact, matter, abstract concept
- を
- wo — Direct object marker particle in Japanese
- 主張
- shuchō — Claim, assertion, insistence on an opinion
- し
- shi — Conjunctive form of する, to do
- た
- ta — Past tense verb ending in Japanese
- 注目
- chūmoku — Attention, notice, watching with interest
- する
- suru — To do, to perform an action
- も
- mo — Also, too, even; inclusive particle
- また
- mata — Also, again, furthermore, additionally
- 示唆
- shisa — Suggestion, hint, implication, subtle indication
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or time
- 富む
- tomu — To be rich in, to abound with
- 教徒
- kyōto — Believer, follower of a religion
- ギリシャ
- Girisha — Greece, the ancient or modern Greek nation
- 人
- hito / jin — Person, human being, people
- ヘブライ
- Heburai — Hebrew, relating to ancient Israelite people
- なく
- naku — Without, lacking; negative conjunctive form
- 束縛
- sokubaku — Restraint, bondage, constraint on freedom
- 者
- mono / sha — Person, one who does or belongs
- 自由
- jiyū — Freedom, liberty, free will
- ない
- nai — Not, does not exist, negation form
- 兄弟
- kyōdai — Brothers, siblings, fraternal relationship
- 関係
- kankei — Relationship, connection, association between things
- 一員
- ichiin — A member, one part of a group
- ある
- aru — To exist, to be, to have
- そして
- soshite — And then, and also, furthermore
- 神
- kami / shin — God, deity, divine being
- とも
- tomo — Together with, also, even, both
- 働く
- hataraku — To work, to labor, to function
- として
- toshite — As, in the role of, acting as
- 生きる
- ikiru — To live, to be alive, to exist
- 教え
- oshie — Teaching, lesson, doctrine, instruction
- られ
- rare — Passive or potential conjugation suffix form
- これ
- kore — This, this thing close to speaker
- 自省録
- jisei-roku — Meditations, Marcus Aurelius's personal philosophical journal
- 根底
- kontei — Foundation, root, underlying basis of something
- 体系
- taikei — System, framework, organized structure of ideas
- この
- kono — This, referring to something close at hand
- 書
- sho — Book, writing, written work or text
- 正しく
- tadashiku — Correctly, rightly, in a proper manner
- 理解
- rikai — Understanding, comprehension, grasp of meaning
- ため
- tame — For the sake of, in order to
- ついて
- tsuite — About, concerning, regarding a topic
- 程度
- teido — Degree, extent, level of something
- 知識
- chishiki — Knowledge, information, learning, awareness
- 必要
- hitsuyō — Necessary, required, needed, essential
- 我々
- wareware — We, us, referring to a group
- とっ
- totte — For, from the perspective of someone
- 主な
- omona — Main, primary, principal, chief
- 興味
- kyōmi — Interest, curiosity, fascination in something
- 別
- betsu — Different, separate, another, distinct
- ところ
- tokoro — Place, point, situation, the fact that
- 主義
- shugi — Principle, doctrine, -ism, ideology
- 論文
- ronbun — Thesis, essay, academic paper or treatise
- 求め
- motome — Seeking, request, demand, pursuit of
- もと
- moto — Under, based on, origin, foundation
- へ
- e — Directional particle meaning toward, to
- 来る
- kuru — To come, to arrive, to approach
- 彼
- kare — He, him, that person (male)
- 学生
- gakusei — Student, learner attending school or university
- 教義
- kyōgi — Doctrine, dogma, religious or philosophical tenet
- 定める
- sadameru — To establish, to fix, to determine rules
- 学派
- gakuha — School of thought, academic sect or tradition
- 長
- chō — Head, leader, chief of a group
- 他者
- tasha — Others, other people, someone else
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself, myself, yourself, one's own self
- 書い
- kaite — Writing; conjunctive form of 書く (kaku)
- 読む
- yomu — To read, to decipher written text
- さえ
- sae — Even, as long as, just, particle of emphasis
- 想定
- sōtei — Assumption, supposition, premise taken for granted
- い
- i — Stem of いる; being, existing continuously
- 哲学
- tetsugaku — Philosophy, the study of fundamental truths
- 熱心
- nesshin — Enthusiasm, zeal, earnestness, passionate devotion
- 知的
- chiteki — Intellectual, relating to the intellect or mind
- 探究
- tankyū — Inquiry, investigation, deep pursuit of knowledge
- むしろ
- mushiro — Rather, instead, more precisely speaking
- 宗教
- shūkyō — Religion, faith, spiritual belief system
- 感情
- kanjō — Emotion, feeling, sentiment, affective state
- 呼ぶ
- yobu — To call, to name, to summon
- べき
- beki — Should, ought to, expressing obligation or expectation
- 近い
- chikai — Near, close, not far away
- や
- ya — And, or; listing particle for nouns
- 妥協
- dakyō — Compromise, concession, yielding to another's view
- なき
- naki — Without, lacking; classical negative attributive form
- 硬直
- kōchoku — Rigidity, stiffness, inflexibility in attitude
- 敬虔
- keiken — Piety, devoutness, sincere religious reverence
- 寛容
- kan'yō — Tolerance, generosity, broad-minded acceptance of others
- 温和
- onwa — Gentle, mild, calm, easygoing in nature
- 偽り
- itsuwari — Falsehood, deception, lie, untruth
- 性質
- seishitsu — Nature, character, property, inherent quality
- 通過
- tsūka — Passage through, transit, passing by
- よっ
- yotte — By means of, due to, because of
- 和らげ
- やわらげ (yawaragе) — Softening, easing, mitigating harshness
- 変容
- hen'yō — Transformation, metamorphosis, change in form
- 派
- ha — Sect, faction, school of thought
- 生
- sei / nama — Life, living, raw; existence
- 可能
- kanō — Possible, feasible, capable of being done
- 厳しい
- kibishii — Strict, severe, harsh, demanding in nature
- 諦念
- teinen — Resignation, acceptance of fate, stoic resignation
- ほとんど
- hotondo — Almost, mostly, nearly, for the most part
- 憧憬
- shōkei / dōkei — Longing, yearning, aspiration toward an ideal
- 気分
- kibun — Mood, feeling, atmosphere, mental state
- なる
- naru — To become, to turn into, to result in
- 義務
- gimu — Duty, obligation, responsibility one must fulfill
- 重荷
- omoni — Heavy burden, load, oppressive responsibility
- 多忙
- tabō — Busy, hectic, having many tasks at once
- 生活
- seikatsu — Daily life, lifestyle, way of living
- 無数
- musū — Countless, innumerable, without number
- 煩わしさ
- wazurawashisa — Troublesomeness, annoyance, bothersome nature of things
- 耐える
- taeru — To endure, to bear, to withstand hardship
- 役立つ
- yakudatsu — To be useful, to serve a purpose
- 道徳
- dōtoku — Morality, ethics, moral principles
- 格言
- kakugen — Maxim, proverb, wise saying or aphorism
- 省察
- seisatsu — Reflection, introspection, careful self-examination
- 心
- kokoro — Heart, mind, spirit, inner feelings
- 奥深い
- okufukai — Profound, deep, full of hidden depth
- 想い
- omoi — Thought, feeling, deep emotion or longing
- 和らげる
- yawarageru — To soften, to ease, to relieve tension
- 書き
- kaki — Writing; conjunctive form of 書く
- 記し
- shirushi — Record, note, mark; writing down something
- もう
- mō — Already, anymore, another, soon
- 一冊
- issatsu — One volume, one book (counter for books)
- 有名
- yūmei — Famous, well-known, renowned
- なら
- nara — If, in the case of, conditional particle
- 比較
- hikaku — Comparison, contrasting two or more things
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