《沉思录·卷四·退隐于自己的心》第33条
The words which were formerly familiar are now antiquated: so also the names of those who were famed of old, are now in a manner antiquated, Camillus, Caeso, Volesus, Leonnatus, and a little after also Scipio and Cato, then Augustus, then also Hadrianus and Antoninus. For all things soon pass away and become a mere tale, and complete oblivion soon buries them. And I say this of those who have shone in a wondrous way. For the rest, as soon as they have breathed out their breath they are gone, and no man speaks of them. And, to conclude the matter, what is even an eternal remembrance? A mere nothing. What then is that about which we ought to employ our serious pains? This one thing, thoughts just, and acts social, and words which never lie, and a disposition which gladly accepts all that happens, as necessary, as usual, as flowing from a principle and source of the same kind.
注释摘要
奥勒留在这一段里做了一次思想实验，用的是他自己最熟悉的方式——列举那些曾经如雷贯耳的名字，然后看着它们一个个坠入寂静。他先说词语，那些从前人人挂在嘴边的词，现在听起来古旧陌生；然后转向人名，卡米路斯、凯索、沃勒苏斯、列奥纳图斯，这些人在他生活的时代已经是历史课本上的铅字了。接着他拉近距离，提到近一些的：西庇阿、加图，再近一些：奥古斯都、哈德良，最后是自己的…