Section 30
Original Latin
Chapter 12
an vero tam parvi animi videamur esse omnes qui in re publica atque in his vitae periculis laboribusque versamur ut, cum usque ad extremum spatium nullum tranquillum atque otiosum spiritum duxerimus, nobiscum simul moritura omnia arbitremur? an statuas et imagines, non animorum simulacra, sed corporum, studiose multi summi homines reliquerunt; consiliorum relinquere ac virtutum nostrarum effigiem nonne multo malle debemus summis ingeniis expressam et politam? ego vero omnia quae gerebam iam tum in gerendo spargere me ac disseminare arbitrabar in orbis terrae memoriam sempiternam. haec vero sive a meo sensu post mortem afutura est, sive, ut sapientissimi homines putaverunt, ad aliquam animi mei partem pertinebit, nunc quidem certe cogitatione quadam speque delector.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from the Latin in Clark’s 1911 edition; source-language model review recorded. Perseus transcription: CC BY-SA 4.0, credited to the Perseus Project, Tufts University.
Chapter 12
Are all of us who work in public affairs, amid these dangers and labors of life, really to seem so small-minded that, although we have never drawn a peaceful, idle breath to the very end, we believe everything will die with us? Many great men have eagerly left behind statues and portraits, likenesses not of their minds but of their bodies. Should we not much prefer to leave an image of our purposes and virtues, shaped and polished by the finest talents? For my part, even as I acted, I believed that everything I did was being scattered like seed into the everlasting memory of the world. Whether after death I shall have no awareness of that memory, or whether, as the wisest men have thought, it will touch some part of my spirit, at least for now I find delight in the thought and hope of it.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation made independently and directly from the Latin, not from the Musean edition; source-language model review recorded. Perseus transcription: CC BY-SA 4.0, credited to the Perseus Project, Tufts University.
Chapter 12
We who work in politics spend our lives facing these dangers and burdens. Right to the end, we have never had a quiet, idle breath. Can all of us really be so petty as to think that everything will die when we do? Many great people have taken care to leave statues and portraits behind. Those show their bodies, not their minds. Surely we should much rather leave a picture of our decisions and our good qualities, created and refined by the greatest talents. As I was doing everything I did, I already thought I was sowing it like seed in the world’s everlasting memory. After death I may have no awareness of that memory. Or it may have something to do with a part of my mind, as the wisest thinkers have believed. For now, at least, thinking and hoping about it gives me pleasure.
About this section
Section 30 is part of For Archias the Poet by Marcus Tullius Cicero. This page sets the Latin original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is part 30 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
Open the work page for the full contents, every edition, and the download links, or go back to Explore to browse other complete works in the Roman tradition. The reader keeps your place when you are signed in and lets you compare the original with each translation, one edition at a time.