Fragments Of Heraclitus Audiobook

Fragments of Heraclitus Chapter 1 The Way of Inquiry 1. Although this Logos is eternally valid, yet men are unable to understand it. Not only before hearing it, but even after they have heard it for the first time. That is to say, although all things come to pass, in accordance with this Logos, men seem to be quite without any experience of it. At least if they are judged in the light of such words and deeds, as I am he setting forth. My method, is to distinguish each thing, according to its nature, and to specify how it behaves. Other men, on the contrary, are as forgetful and heedless, in their waking moments of what is going on around and within them, as they are during sleep. 2. We should let ourselves be guided by what is common to all. Yet, although the Logos is common to all, most men live as if each of them had a private intelligence of his own. 3. Men who love wisdom, should acquaint themselves with a great many particulars. 4. Seekers after gold, who dig up much earth and find little. 5. Let us not make arbitrary conjectures about the greatest matters. 6. Much learning does not teach understanding. 7. Of those whose discourses I have heard, there is not one who attains to the realization, that wisdom stands apart from all else. 8. I have searched myself. 9. It pertains to all men, to know themselves and to be temperate. 10. To be temperate is the greatest virtue. Wisdom consists in speaking, and acting the truth, giving heed to the nature of things. 11. The things of which there can be sight, hearing, and learning. These are what I specially prize. 12. Eyes, are more accurate witnesses than ears. 13. Eyes and ears, are bad witnesses to men having barbarian souls. 14. One should not act, or speak, as if he were asleep. 15. The waking, have one world in common. Sleepers, have each a private world of his own. 16. Whatever we see when awake, is death. When asleep, dreams. 17. Nature, loves to hide. 18. The Lord whose oracle is at day fee, neither speaks nor conceals, but gives signs. 19. Unless you expect the unexpected, you will never find truth. For it is hard to discover, and hard to attain. Chapter 2 Universal Flux 20. Everything flows, and nothing abides. Everything gives way, and nothing stays fixed. 21. You cannot step twice into the same river, for other waters are continually flowing on. 22. Cool things become warm. The warm grows cool. The moist dries. The parched becomes moist. 23. It is in changing, that things find repose. 24. Time is a child moving counters in a game. The royal power is a child's. 25. War, is both father and king of all. Some, he has shown forth as gods, and others, as men. Some, he has made slaves, and others, free. 26. It should be understood, that war is the common condition. That strife is justice. And that all things come to pass through the compulsion of strife. 27. Omeros was wrong in saying, would that strife might perish from amongst gods and men. For if that were to occur, then all things would cease to exist. Chapter 3 The Processes of Nature 28. There is exchange of all things for fire, and of fire for all things. As there is of wares for gold, and of gold for wares. 29. This universe, which is the same for all, has not been made by any god or man. But it always has been, is, and will be, an ever-living fire. Candling itself by regular measures, and going out by regular measures. 30. The faces of fire, craving and satiety. 31. It throws apart, to then brings together again. It advances, and retires. 32. The transformations of fire are. First. Sea. And of sea. Half becomes earth. And half, the lightning flash. 33. When earth has melted into sea. The resultant amount is the same, as there had been, before the sea became hardened into earth. 34. Fire, lives in the death of earth. Air, in the death of fire. Water, in the death of air. And earth, in the death of water. 35. The thunderbolt pilots all things. 36. The sun, is new each day. 37. The sun, is the breadth of a man's foot. 38. If there were no sun, the other stars would not suffice to prevent its being night. 39. The boundary line, of evening and morning, is the bare. And opposite the bare, is the boundary of brightness. 40. The fairest universe, is but a heap of rubbish, piled up at random. 41. Every beast, is driven to pasture by a blow. Chapter 4. Human Soul. 42. You could not discover the limits of soul, even if you travelled every road to do so. Such is the depth of its meaning. 43. Soul, is the vaporization, out of which everything else is derived. Moreover, it is the least corporeal of things, and is in ceaseless flux. For the moving world, can only be known by what is in motion. 44. Souls, are vaporized from what is moist. 45. Souls, has its own principle of growth. 46. A dry soul, is wisest and best. 47. Souls, take pleasure in becoming moist. 48. A drunken man, has to be led by a young boy. Whom he follows stumbling, and not knowing whether he goes. For his soul is moist. 49. It is death to souls, to become water. And it is death to water, to become earth. Conversely. Water, comes into existence out of earth. And souls, out of water. 50. Even the sacred bell a drink, separates when it is not stirred. 51. It is hard to fight against impulsive desire. Whatever it wants, it will buy at the cost of soul. 52. It would not be better, if things happen to men just as they wish. 53. Although it is better, to hide our ignorance. This is hard to do, when we relax over wine. 54. The foolish man, is a flutter at every word. 55. Fools, although they hear. Are like the deaf. To them, the edit applies. That when present, they are absent. 56. Negatory, is the sacred disease. 57. Most people, do not take heed of the things they encounter. Nor do they grasp them, even when they have learned about them. Although they suppose they do. 58. If all existing things, were smoke. It is by smell, that we would distinguish them. 59. In arduous, souls perceive by smelling. 60. Corpses, are more fit to be thrown out than done. Chapter 5. In Religious Perspective. 61. Human nature, has no real understanding. Only the divine nature has it. 62. Man, is not rational. Only what encompasses him, is intelligent. 63. What is divine, escapes man's notice, because of their incredulity. 64. Although intimately connected with the logos. Men keep setting themselves against it. 65. As in the night time, a man condoles for himself alike. So when a living man lies down in death, with his vision extinguished. He attaches himself to the state of death. Even as one who has been awake, lies down with his vision extinguished. And attaches himself to the state of sleep. 66. Immortals, become mortals. Mortals, become immortals. They live in each other's death, and die in each other's life. 67. There awake men after death, such things as they neither expect, nor have any conception of. 68. They arise into wakefulness, and become guardians, of the living and the dead. 69. A man's character, is his guardian divinity. 70. Greater dooms, win greater destinies. 71. Justice, will overtake fabricators of lies, and false witnesses. 72. Fire, in its advance, will judge and overtake all things. 73. How can anyone hide, from that which never sets? 74. When some visitors, unexpectedly found Heraclitus warning himself by the cooking fire. Here, too, are gods. 75. They pray to images. Much as if they should talk to houses. For they do not know, the nature of gods and heroes. 76. Nightwalkers, magicians, bachants, revelers, and participants in the mysteries. What are regarded as mysteries among men, are unholy rituals. 77. Their processions, and their phallic hymns, would be disgraceful exhibitions. Were it not that they are done, in honor of Dionysus. But Dionysus, in whose honor, they rave and hold big feasts. Is the same as Ardys. 78. When defiled, they purify themselves with blood. As the one who had stepped into filth, should wash himself with filth. If any of his fellowmen, should perceive him acting in such a way. They would regard him as mad. 79. The sea will act with raving mouth, utter solemn, unadorned, unlovely words. But she reaches out, over a thousand years with her voice, because of the god in her. Chapter 6. Man among men. 80. Thinking, is common to all. 81. Men should speak with rational awareness. And thereby hold them strongly, to that which is shared in common. As a city, holds on to its law. And even more strongly. For all human laws, are nourished by the one divine law. Which prevails as far as it wishes. Suffices for all things. And yet is something more than that. 82. The people should fight for their law, as for their city wall. 83. Love, involves obeying the counsel of one. 84. To me, one man is worth ten thousand, if he is first rate. 85. The best of men, choose one thing, in preference to all else. Immortal glory, in preference to mortal goods. Whereas the masses, simply glut themselves, like cattle. 86. Courts and men, honour those slain in battle. 87. Even he who is most in repute, knows only what is reputed, and holds fast to it. 88. To extinguish a breeze, is more needful than to extinguish a fire. 89. It is veriness, to keep toiling at the same things, so that one becomes ruled by them. 90. Dogs, bark at a person whom they do not know. 91. What mental grasp, what sense have they? They believe the tales of the poets, and follow the crowd as their teachers. Ignoring the adage, that the many are bad, the good are few. 92. Men are deceived, in their knowledge of things that are manifest. Even as Omerus was, although he was the wisest of all Greeks. For he was even deceived by Boers killing lice, when they said to him. What we have seeing and grasp, these we leave behind. Whereas what we have not seen and grasped, these we carry away. 93. Omerus, should be turned out of the lice, and flogged. And Achela cursed too. 94. Isiododes, distinguishes between good days and evil days. Not knowing that every day is like every other. 95. The Aphesians had better go hang themselves, every man of them. And leave their city to be governed by youngsters. For they have banished Amateros. The finest man among them. Declaring, let us not have anyone amongst us who excels the rest. If there should be such a one, let him go and live elsewhere. 96. May you have plenty of wealth, you men of Ephesus. In order that you may be punished, for your evil ways. 97. After birth, men wish to live, and accept their dooms. Then they leave behind them children, to become dunes in their tongue. Chapter 7. Relativity and Paradox. 98. Opposition brings concord. Out of discord, comes the fairest harmony. 99. It is by disease, that health is pleasant. By evil, that good is pleasant. 100. Men would not have known the name of justice, if these things had not occurred. 101. Sea water, is at once very pure and very foul. It is drinkable and healthful for fishes. But undrinkable and deadly for men. 102. Donkeys, would prefer straw to gold. 103. Pigs, wash in mud. And domestic fowls, in dust or ashes. 104. The handsomest ape, is ugly compared with humankind. The wisest man, appears as an ape when compared with a god. In wisdom, in beauty, and in all other ways. 105. A man is regarded as childish, by a spirit. Just as a boy is, by a man. 106. To God, all things are beautiful, good, and right. Men, on the other hand, deem some things, right, and others, wrong. 107. Doctors, cut, burn, and torture the sick. And then demand of them, an undeserved fee for such services. 108. The way up, and the way down, are one and the same. 109. In the circle, the beginning and the end are common. 110. Into the same rivers, we step, and we do not step. 111. For walk-others, the straight way and the winding way, are one and the same. 112. The bones, connected by joints, are at once a unitary whole, and not a unitary whole. To be in agreement, is to differ. The concordant, is the discordant. From out of all the many particulars, comes oneness. And out of oneness, come all the many particulars. 113. It is one and the same thing, to be living or dead. Awake, or asleep. Young, or old. The former aspect in each case, becomes the latter. And the latter, again, the former. A sudden unexpected reversal. 114. Easy-oders, whom so many accept as their wise teacher, who did not even understand the nature of day and night, for they are one. 115. The name of the bow, is life. But its work, is death. Chapter 8. The Hidden Harmony. 116. The hidden harmony, is better than the obvious. 117. People do not understand, how that which is at variance with itself, agrees with itself. There is a harmony, in the bending back. As in the case of the bow and the lyre. 118. Listening not to me, but to the Logos. It is wise to acknowledge, that all things are one. 119. Wisdom is one and unique. It is unwilling, and yet willing to be called by the name of Zeus. 120. Wisdom is one. To know the intelligence, for which all things are steered through all things. 121. God, is day, and night. Winter, and summer. War, and peace. Satiety, and want. But he undergoes transformations. Just as Pyrolybes. When it is mixed with a fragrance. Is named according to the particular sever, that is introduced. 122. The sun, will not overstep his measures. If he were to do so. The Arrhenius. Handmaids of justice. Would seek him out. 123. All things, come in their due seasons. 124. Even sleepers, are workers and collaborators, in what goes on in the universe.