Fragments 1–10
Original Ancient Greek
1 τοῦ δὲ λόγου τοῦδ’ ἐόντος ἀεὶ ἀξύνετοι γίνονται ἄνθρωποι καὶ πρόσθεν ἢ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ ἀκούσαντες τὸ πρῶτον· γινομένων γὰρ πάντων κατὰ τὸν λόγον τόνδε ἀπείροισιν ἐοίκασι, πειρώμενοι καὶ ἐπέων καὶ ἔργων τοιούτων, ὁκοίων ἐγὼ διηγεῦμαι διαιρέων ἕκαστον κατὰ φύσιν καὶ φράζων ὅκως ἔχει. τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους λανθάνει ὁκόσα ἐγερθέντες ποιοῦσιν, ὅκωσπερ ὁκόσα εὕδοντες ἐπιλανθάνονται.
2 διὸ δεῖ ἕπεσθαι τῶι ⟨ξυνῶι, τουτέστι τῶι⟩ κοινῶι· ξυνὸς γὰρ ὁ κοινός. τοῦ λόγου δ’ ἐόντος ξυνοῦ ζώουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ ὡς ἰδίαν ἔχοντες φρόνησιν.
3 (περὶ μεγέθους ἡλίου) εὖρος ποδὸς ἀνθρωπείου.
4 (H. dixit quod) si felicitas esset in delectationibus corporis, boves felices diceremus, cum inveniant orobum ad comedendum.
5 καθαίρονται δ’ ἄλλως αἵματι μιαινόμενοι οἷον εἴ τις εἰς πηλὸν ἐμβὰς πηλῶι ἀπονίζοιτο. μαίνεσθαι δ’ ἂν δοκοίη, εἴ τις αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιφράσαιτο οὕτω ποιέοντα. καὶ τοῖς ἀγάλμασι δὲ τουτέοισιν εὔχονται, ὁκοῖον εἴ τις δόμοισι λεσχηνεύοιτο, οὔ τι γινώσκων θεοὺς οὐδ’ ἥρωας οἵτινές εἰσι.
6 (ὁ ἥλιος οὐ μόνον, καθάπερ ὁ Ἡ. φησι,) νέος ἐφ’ ἡμέρηι (ἐστίν, ἀλλ’ ἀεὶ νέος συνεχῶς).
7 εἰ πάντα τὰ ὄντα καπνὸς γένοιτο, ῥῖνες ἂν διαγνοῖεν.
8 τὸ ἀντίξουν συμφέρον καὶ ἐκ τῶν διαφερόντων καλλίστην ἁρμονίαν καὶ πάντα κατ’ ἔριν γίνεσθαι.
9 ὄνους σύρματ’ ἂν ἑλέσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ χρυσόν.
10 συνάψιες ὅλα καὶ οὐχ ὅλα, συμφερόμενον διαφερόμενον, συνᾶιδον διᾶιδον, καὶ ἐκ πάντων ἓν καὶ ἐξ ἑνὸς πάντα.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation of all 130 genuine fragments in Hermann Diels’s Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker (4th ed., 1922), made directly from the Ionic Greek and Latin and checked against the printed page. Words of the ancient authors who quote Heraclitus stand in round parentheses.
1 Though this Logos is forever, people remain without understanding, both before they hear it and when they have first heard it. For all things come to pass according to this Logos, yet they seem without experience, though they experience such words and deeds as I unfold, distinguishing each according to its nature and showing how it is. The rest of humanity is unaware of what it does awake, just as it forgets what it does asleep.
2 So we must follow the common, that is, what is shared; for what is shared is common. Yet though the Logos is common, the many live as if they had a private understanding.
3 (On the sun’s size:) the width of a human foot.
4 (Heraclitus said that) if happiness lay in bodily pleasures, we would call oxen happy when they found bitter vetch to eat.
5 They cleanse themselves in vain by staining themselves with blood, as if someone who had stepped in mud washed himself with mud. Anyone who saw him doing this would think him mad. And they pray to these statues as if one were chatting with houses, knowing nothing of who the gods and heroes are.
6 (The sun is not only, as Heraclitus says,) new each day (but always new, continually).
7 If all that exists became smoke, noses would tell one thing from another.
8 What opposes unites; from differences comes the most beautiful harmony; all things come to pass through strife.
9 Donkeys would choose sweepings over gold.
10 Joinings: wholes and not wholes, converging diverging, in tune out of tune; from all things one, and from one all things.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same 130 fragments. Words of the ancient authors who quote Heraclitus stand in round parentheses.
1 Although this account (the Logos) holds forever, people do not understand it, either before hearing it or when they first hear it. Everything happens according to the Logos, but they seem inexperienced even as they experience words and actions like those I explain, examining each thing according to its nature and saying how it is. Other people are unaware of what they do when awake, just as they forget what they do when asleep.
2 So we must follow what is common, that is, what is shared. For what is shared is common. Although the Logos is common, most people live as if they had an understanding of their own.
3 (On the sun’s size:) the width of a human foot.
4 (Heraclitus said that) if happiness were found in bodily pleasures, we would call cattle happy when they find bitter vetch to eat.
5 They try to purify themselves in vain by staining themselves with blood. It is as if someone stepped into mud and tried to wash himself clean with mud. Anyone who noticed him doing this would think he was mad. And they pray to these statues, as if someone were chatting with houses, without knowing at all who the gods or heroes are.
6 (The sun is not only, as Heraclitus says,) new each day (but is always and continuously new).
7 If everything that exists became smoke, noses could tell things apart.
8 What opposes also unites. The finest harmony comes from things that differ, and everything comes about through conflict.
9 Donkeys would choose sweepings rather than gold.
10 Connections: whole and not whole, coming together and pulling apart, in tune and out of tune; from all things, one, and from one, all things.
About this section
Fragments 1–10 is part of Fragments by Heraclitus. This page sets the Ancient Greek original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 1 of 13 in the work, which is kept in the Greek tradition.
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