本书简介:
《沉思录》是古罗马皇帝奥勒留写给自己的书,内容大部分是他在鞍马劳顿中写成的。作品来自奥勒留对身羁宫廷的自己和自己所处混乱世界的感受,追求一种冷静而达观的生活。这部著作是斯多葛学派的一个里程碑,亦是温总理放在枕边,读了不下百遍的书。
本书原文由古希腊文而作,英文版选择比较权威的George Long的版本,中文版选择何怀宏的版本作参考。笔记中的英文释义摘自《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》

 作者简介:
马可•奥勒留(Marcus Aurelius,公元121—180年),著名的“帝王哲学家”,古罗马帝国皇帝,在希腊文学和拉丁文学、修辞、哲学、法律、绘画方面受过很好的教育,晚期斯多葛学派代表人物之一。奥勒留也许是西方历史上唯一的一位哲学家皇帝。他是一个比他的帝国更加完美的人,他的勤奋工作最终并没有能够挽救古罗马,但是他的《沉思录》却成为西方历史上的伟大名著。

卷五08

5.17 Think of the universal substance, of which thou hast a very small portion; and of universal time, of which a short and indivisible interval has been assigned to thee; and of that which is fixed by destiny, and how small a part of it thou art.

5.18 Let the part of thy soul which leads and governs be undisturbed by the movements in the flesh, whether of pleasure or of pain; and let it not unite with them, but let it circumscribe itself and limit those affects to their parts. But when these affects rise up to the mind by virtue of that other sympathy that naturally exists in a body which is all one, then thou must not strive to resist the sensation, for it is natural: but let not the ruling part of itself add to the sensation the opinion that it is either good or bad.

 Notes:
circumscribe [v]~ sth
                   1. [often passive](formal) to limit sb./sth's freedom,rights, power, etc.
                   2. (technical) to draw a circle around another shape.
                  [n](uncountable) 

5.19 Why do unskilled and ignorant souls disturb him who has skill and knowledge? What soul then has skill and knowledge? That which knows beginning and end, and knows the reason whichpervades all substance and through all time by fixed periods (revolutions) administers the universe.

 Notes:
pervade 
[v]~ something (formal) 
              to spread through and be noticeable in every part of something

 先尝试自己翻译一下吧,参考译文见下:

中文翻译:
5.17 想想普遍的实体,你只占有它很少的一部分;想想普遍的时间,你只分到它一个短暂和不可分的间隔;想想那被命运所确定的东西,你是它多么小的一部分。

5.18 让你的灵魂中那一指导和支配的部分不受肉体活动的扰乱吧,无论那是快乐还是痛苦;让它不要与它们统一起来,而是让它自己限定自己,让那些感受局限于它们自身而不影响灵魂。而当这些感情通过那自然地存在于作为一个整体的身体之中的别的同情而出现于心灵之中时,那么你决不要拼命抵制这感觉,因为它是自然的,而是不要让自身的支配部分对这一感觉加上认为它是好的或坏的意见。

5.19 无能和无知的灵魂怎么会打扰有能力和有知识的人呢?那么什么灵魂有能力和有知识呢?那知道开端和结尾的,知道那隐涵在整个实体和在全部时间中以确定的时代(变革)管理着宇宙的理性的灵魂。

回顾:《沉思录》读书笔记系列>>