Book 1, Chapter 49
Original Latin
Harmodius in ore <est> et Aristogiton; Lacedaemonius Leonidas, Thebanus Epaminondas viget. nostros non norunt, quos enumerare magnum est: ita sunt multi, quibus videmus optabilis mortes fuisse cum gloria.
Quae cum ita sint, magna tamen eloquentia est utendum atque ita velut superiore e loco contionandum, ut homines mortem vel optare incipiant vel certe timere desistant?
117 nam si supremus ille dies non extinctionem, sed commutationem adfert loci, quid optabilius? sin autem perimit ac delet omnino, quid melius quam in mediis vitae laboribus obdormiscere et ita coniventem somno consopiri sempiterno? quod si fiat, melior Enni quam Solonis oratio. hic enim noster: ‘nemo me lacrimis decoret’ inquit ‘nec funera fletu faxit!’ at vero ille sapiens: Mors mea ne careat lacrimis: linquamus amicis Maerorem, ut celebrent funera cum gemitu.
118 nos vero, si quid tale acciderit, ut a deo denuntiatum videatur ut exeamus e vita, laeti et agentes gratias pareamus emittique nos e custodia et levari vinclis arbitremur, ut aut in aeternam et plane in nostram domum remigremus aut omni sensu molestiaque careamus; sin autem nihil denuntiabitur, eo tamen simus animo, ut horribilem illum diem aliis nobis faustum putemus nihilque in malis ducamus, quod sit vel a diis inmortalibus vel a natura parente omnium constitutum. non enim temere nec fortuito sati et creati sumus, sed profecto fuit quaedam vis, quae generi consuleret humano nec id gigneret aut aleret, quod cum exanclavisset omnes labores, tum incideret in mortis malum sempiternum: portum potius paratum nobis et perfugium putemus.
119 quo utinam velis passis pervehi liceat! sin reflantibus ventis reiciemur, tamen eodem paulo tardius referamur necesse est. quod autem omnibus necesse est, idne miserum esse uni potest? Habes epilogum, ne quid praetermissum aut relictum putes.
Ego vero, et quidem fecit etiam iste me epilogus firmiorem.
Optime, inquam. sed nunc quidem valetudini tribuamus aliquid, cras autem et quot dies erimus in Tusculano, agamus haec et ea potissimum, quae levationem habeant aegritudinum formidinum cupiditatum, qui omnis philosophiae est fructus uberrimus.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Harmodius <is> on their lips, and Aristogiton; Leonidas the Spartan and Epaminondas the Theban live on in their words. They do not know our own people, whom it would be a great task to enumerate: so many are those whose glorious deaths we see to have been desirable.
“Since this is so, must we still employ great eloquence, speaking as though from a raised platform, to make people begin to desire death, or at least cease to fear it?
117 “For if that final day brings not extinction but a change of place, what could be more desirable? And if it utterly destroys and abolishes us, what is better than to fall asleep amid life’s labors, close our eyes, and be lulled into everlasting sleep? If that is what happens, Ennius speaks better than Solon. For our own poet says, ‘Let no one honor me with tears or make my funeral a weeping.’ But that wise man says:
“‘Let not my death go without tears; let us leave our friends“‘Grief, that they may bury us with groans.’
118 “But if anything happens to us that seems a god’s notice to depart from life, let us obey gladly and with thanks, and consider ourselves released from custody and relieved of our chains, either to return to our eternal and truly native home or to be free of all sensation and trouble. But if no notice is given, let us nevertheless be so disposed as to think that day, dreadful to others, fortunate for us, and count nothing an evil that has been established either by the immortal gods or by nature, the parent of all things. For we were not sown and created carelessly or by chance. Surely there was some power that watched over the human race, and would not have brought into being or nurtured a creature that, after draining the cup of every hardship, would then fall into the everlasting evil of death. Let us think, instead, that a harbor and refuge has been prepared for us.
119 “If only we might reach it under full sail! But if contrary winds drive us back, we must nevertheless be carried to the same place a little later. Can what is necessary for everyone be miserable for any one person? There is your epilogue, so that you may not think anything has been omitted or left unfinished.”
“Yes, and that epilogue has made me still more steadfast.”
“Excellent,” I said. “But now let us give some attention to our health. Tomorrow, and every day that we are at Tusculum, let us discuss these matters, especially those that bring relief from distress, fears, and desires—the richest fruit of all philosophy.”
Plain English translation
Complete independent machine-assisted translation directly from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Harmodius and Aristogiton are on their lips. Leonidas the Spartan and Epaminondas the Theban are still celebrated. They don’t know our own people. Listing them would be a big task: there are so many whose deaths, as we can see, were desirable and glorious.
“Since that’s so, do we still need to use great eloquence, addressing people as though from a raised platform, to make them begin to want death, or at least stop being afraid of it?
117 “Suppose that final day is a move elsewhere, not an end to our existence. Could we ask for anything better? Or suppose it utterly destroys us and leaves nothing. What could be better than dropping off to sleep amid the hard work of life, shutting our eyes and sinking into a sleep that never ends? If that’s the outcome, Ennius speaks better than Solon. ‘Don’t pay me honors in tears,’ says our poet, ‘or weep at my funeral!’ But the wise Solon says: “‘Don’t let my death go tearless; let us leave our friends “‘Grief, so they mark our burial with groaning.’
118 “If some event seems to give us a god’s command to quit this life, we should comply with thanks and joy. Think of it as release from prison, the removal of our chains. We’re either going back to a home that’s eternal and genuinely ours, or losing all feeling and distress. Even without any such command, let’s regard that day as lucky for us, however terrifying others find it. Nothing decreed by the gods or by nature, who mothers everything, should count as an evil. It wasn’t thoughtlessly or accidentally that we were planted here and brought to life. Some power surely took thought for humanity. It wouldn’t create and sustain us only to have us pass through every hardship and then meet an endless evil in death. Better to believe a harbor and a refuge await us, made ready for our use.
119 “I wish we could reach it under full sail! Should the wind turn against us and drive us back, we must nevertheless be brought there eventually, with only a little delay. If everyone has to undergo something, can it bring misery to one person alone? Well, that’s your closing appeal. You needn’t think I’ve skipped or left anything unfinished.”
“Yes, and that closing appeal has made me still more certain.”
“Excellent,” I said. “But now let’s give our health a little attention. Tomorrow, and every day we’re at Tusculum, let’s discuss these matters, especially the ones that offer relief from distress, fears, and desires. That’s the richest benefit of all philosophy.”
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 49 is part of Tusculan Disputations 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 chapter 49 of 189 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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