Meditations IX.39 — academic edition

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MED. 9.39Discipline of desire

George Long · 1862EN · Long

DOGMAEither all things proceed from one intelligent source and come together as in one body, DOGMAand the part ought not to find fault with what is done for the benefit of the whole; DOGMAor there are only atoms, and nothing else than mixture and dispersion. Why, then, art thou disturbed? Say to the TERMruling faculty, Art thou dead, art thou corrupted, art thou playing the hypocrite, art thou become a beast, dost thou herd and feed with the rest?

Original · ancient Greek

Ἤτοι ἀπὸ μιᾶς πηγῆς νοερᾶς πάντα ὡς ἑνὶ σώματι ἐπισυμβαίνει καὶ οὐ δεῖ τὸ μέρος τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὅλου γινομένοις μέμφεσθαι· ἢ ἄτομοι καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ κυκεὼν καὶ σκεδασμός· τί οὖν ταράσσῃ; τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ λέγειν· τέθνηκας, ἔφθαρσαι, τεθηρίωσαι, ὑποκρίνῃ, συναγελάζῃ, βόσκῃ;

Leopold · Teubner 1908

Commentary

Providence or atoms — again. The same disjunction as at 9.28: either all is "from one intelligent source" (μία πηγὴ νοερά) and coheres DOGMA"as in one body" (ὡς ἑνὶ σώματι) — and then DOGMAit does not befit the part to blame what is done for the sake of the Whole; or DOGMAatoms, "a jumble and a scattering" (κυκεὼν καὶ σκεδασμός). Under either outcome the disturbance is groundless.

A shout to the ruling part. The close is a set of sharp questions to the TERMἡγεμονικόν: "are you dead? corrupted? turned beast? playing a part? grazing in the herd?" If the ruling part is alive and rational, it has nothing to be disturbed by; if it has given way, the questions strike at its torpor and rouse it to its own nature. The governing discipline is desire (to accept the order of the Whole), the sustaining one assent.

Textual note. The editions print τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ λέγειν — an imperatival infinitive ("say to the ruling part"); both Long ("Say to the ruling faculty") and Rogovin ("Скажи руководящему началу") follow it. The indicative λέγεις ("you say"), found in part of the tradition, severs the sentence from both translations; λέγειν is printed here.

Discipline of desire

George Long · 1862· EN · Long

DOGMAEither all things proceed from one intelligent source and come together as in one body, DOGMAand the part ought not to find fault with what is done for the benefit of the whole; DOGMAor there are only atoms, and nothing else than mixture and dispersion. Why, then, art thou disturbed? Say to the TERMruling faculty, Art thou dead, art thou corrupted, art thou playing the hypocrite, art thou become a beast, dost thou herd and feed with the rest?

Original · ancient Greek

Ἤτοι ἀπὸ μιᾶς πηγῆς νοερᾶς πάντα ὡς ἑνὶ σώματι ἐπισυμβαίνει καὶ οὐ δεῖ τὸ μέρος τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὅλου γινομένοις μέμφεσθαι· ἢ ἄτομοι καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ κυκεὼν καὶ σκεδασμός· τί οὖν ταράσσῃ; τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ λέγειν· τέθνηκας, ἔφθαρσαι, τεθηρίωσαι, ὑποκρίνῃ, συναγελάζῃ, βόσκῃ;

Leopold · Teubner 1908

Related3

TERMἡγεμονικόνruling part, the soul's governing principle DOGMAProvidence — the world is purposively ordered for the good of the Whole DOGMAThe unity of the cosmos — all things bound by a single Logos

Commentary

Providence or atoms — again. The same disjunction as at 9.28: either all is "from one intelligent source" (μία πηγὴ νοερά) and coheres DOGMA"as in one body" (ὡς ἑνὶ σώματι) — and then DOGMAit does not befit the part to blame what is done for the sake of the Whole; or DOGMAatoms, "a jumble and a scattering" (κυκεὼν καὶ σκεδασμός). Under either outcome the disturbance is groundless.

A shout to the ruling part. The close is a set of sharp questions to the TERMἡγεμονικόν: "are you dead? corrupted? turned beast? playing a part? grazing in the herd?" If the ruling part is alive and rational, it has nothing to be disturbed by; if it has given way, the questions strike at its torpor and rouse it to its own nature. The governing discipline is desire (to accept the order of the Whole), the sustaining one assent.

Textual note. The editions print τῷ ἡγεμονικῷ λέγειν — an imperatival infinitive ("say to the ruling part"); both Long ("Say to the ruling faculty") and Rogovin ("Скажи руководящему началу") follow it. The indicative λέγεις ("you say"), found in part of the tradition, severs the sentence from both translations; λέγειν is printed here.

DisciplineDiscipline of desire

Record added2026-07-16

Statuspublished