Fragments 21–30
Original Ancient Greek
21 θάνατός ἐστιν ὁκόσα ἐγερθέντες ὁρέομεν, ὁκόσα δὲ εὕδοντες ὕπνος.
22 χρυσὸν γὰρ οἱ διζήμενοι γῆν πολλὴν ὀρύσσουσι καὶ εὑρίσκουσιν ὀλίγον.
23 Δίκης ὄνομα οὐκ ἂν ἤιδεσαν, εἰ ταῦτα μὴ ἦν.
24 ἀρηιφάτους θεοὶ τιμῶσι καὶ ἄνθρωποι.
25 μόροι γὰρ μέζονες μέζονας μοίρας λαγχάνουσι.
26 ἄνθρωπος ἐν εὐφρόνηι φάος ἅπτεται ἑαυτῶι ἀποθανών, [ἀποσβεσθεὶς ὄψεις], ζῶν δέ· ἅπτεται τεθνεῶτος εὕδων, ἀποσβεσθεὶς ὄψεις, ἐγρηγορὼς ἅπτεται εὕδοντος.
27 ἀνθρώπους μένει ἀποθανόντας ἅσσα οὐκ ἔλπονται οὐδὲ δοκέουσιν.
28 δοκέοντα γὰρ ὁ δοκιμώτατος γινώσκει, φυλάσσει· καὶ μέντοι καὶ Δίκη καταλήψεται ψευδῶν τέκτονας καὶ μάρτυρας.
29 αἱρεῦνται γὰρ ἓν ἀντὶ ἁπάντων οἱ ἄριστοι, κλέος ἀέναον θνητῶν, οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ κεκόρηνται ὅκωσπερ κτήνεα.
30 κόσμον τόνδε, τὸν αὐτὸν ἁπάντων, οὔτε τις θεῶν οὔτε ἀνθρώπων ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ’ ἦν ἀεὶ καὶ ἔστιν καὶ ἔσται πῦρ ἀείζωον, ἁπτόμενον μέτρα καὶ ἀποσβεννύμενον μέτρα.
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.
21 All we see awake is death; all we see asleep is sleep.
22 For those who seek gold dig much earth and find little.
23 They would not know Justice’s name if these things did not exist.
24 Gods and humans honor those slain in war.
25 For greater deaths win greater shares.
26 A man at night kindles a light for himself, dead, [his sight extinguished], yet living; asleep, his sight extinguished, he touches the dead; awake, he touches the sleeper.
27 What waits for people after death is what they neither expect nor imagine.
28 For the most esteemed knows and guards what seems true; yet Justice will seize the makers and witnesses of lies.
29 For the best choose one thing over all: undying renown among mortals. The many are stuffed like cattle.
30 This world-order, the same for all, no god or human made. It always was and is and will be: ever-living fire, kindling in measures and going out in measures.
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.
21 Everything we see when awake is death; everything we see when asleep is sleep.
22 For people looking for gold dig up a lot of earth and find little.
23 They would not know the name of Justice if these things did not exist.
24 Gods and people honor those killed in battle.
25 For greater deaths win greater shares.
26 A person lights a light for himself at night, dead, [his sight extinguished], yet alive. In sleep he touches the dead, his sight extinguished; awake, he touches the sleeping.
27 After death, people face things they do not expect or imagine.
28 For the most respected person knows and guards what seems true. Yet Justice will catch those who make up lies and those who testify to them.
29 For the best choose one thing over everything else: everlasting fame among mortals. But most people stuff themselves like cattle.
30 No god or human made this world-order, the same for all. It always was, is, and will be ever-living fire, lighting up in measured amounts and going out in measured amounts.
About this section
Fragments 21–30 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 3 of 13 in the work, which is kept in the Greek tradition.
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