《沉思录·卷四·退隐于自己的心》第50条
It is a vulgar, but still a useful help towards contempt of death, to pass in review those who have tenaciously stuck to life. What more then have they gained than those who have died early? Certainly they lie in their tombs somewhere at last, Cadicianus, Fabius, Julianus, Lepidus, or any one else like them, who have carried out many to be buried, and then were carried out themselves. Altogether the interval is small [between birth and death]; and consider with how much trouble, and in company with what sort of people, and in what a feeble body, this interval is laboriously passed. Do not then consider life a thing of any value. + For look to the immensity of time behind thee, and to the time which is before thee, another boundless space. In this infinity then what is the difference between him who lives three days and him who lives three generations?
注释摘要
奥勒留在这一条里提出了一条通向死亡蔑视的路径，他自己也承认它并不高雅。他让人去看那些拼命抓住生命的人，再问一个问题：他们到头来比早死的人多得了什么？答案在坟墓里统一了。他列举了一串名字，这些罗马人曾经权势在握，忙于给人送葬，现在自己也被送走了。生与死的间距本来就窄，他还提醒，在这个窄缝中，身体脆弱，人事烦杂，整个旅程充满劳苦。由此他推导出一个激烈的结论：不…