| Τί ἐστι κόσμος; | What is the Universe? |
| Ἀκατάληπτος περιοχή, θεωρητικὸν κατασκεύασμα, ἀσύνοπτον ὕψωμα, αὐτογέννητον θεώρημα, πολυχάρακτον μόρφωμα, αἰώνιον διακράτημα, αἰθὴρ θρεπτικός, ἀπλανὲς κύκλευμα, ἡλίου φῶς, ἡμέρα, ἄστρα, σκότος, νύξ, γῆ, ἀήρ, ὕδωρ. | A circumference beyond our reach, a theoretic structure, an eminence not easily perceived in its entirety, a self-generated object of contemplation, a conformation with many aspects, an eternal establishment, nourishing ether, a globe that does not wander from its place, the light of the sun, day, stars, darkness, night, earth, air, water. |
| Τί ἐστιν ὠκεανός; | What is the Ocean? |
| Κόσμου ἐναγκάλισμα, ἐστεφανωμένον ὅριον, περίαμμα ἁλμυραῖον, δεσμὸς Ἀτλαντικός, πάσης φύσεως περίδρομος, ἡλιακὸς λαμπτήρ, οἰκουμένης κάτοχος. | The thing that embraces the world, the frontier by which the world is crowned, the girdle of brine, the Atlantic bond, a circuit embracing all nature, a mirror to reflect the sun's light, the holder of the inhabited world. |
| Τί θεός; | What is God? |
| Ἰδιόπλαστον ἀγαθόν, πολύμορφον εἴκασμα, ἀσύνοπτον ὕψωμα, πολυχάρακτον μόρφωμα, δυσνοούμενον ζήτημα, ἀθάνατος νοῦς, πολυδιοίκητον πνεῦμα, ἀκοίμητος ὀφθαλμός, πολυώνυμος δύναμις, παγκρατὲς φῶς. | A self-formed good, an image of many shapes, an eminence too lofty to be seen, a conformation with many aspects, a problem hard to understand, immortal intelligence, an all-pervading spirit, an eye that never closes in sleep, a power known by many names, light that prevails over all. |
| Τί ἡμέρα; | What is the Day? |
| Στάδιον κακοπαθείας, δωδεκάωρος διαδρομή, ἀρχὴ καθημερινή, ὑπόμνησις βιωτική, δειλινὴ ἀπότασις, ζωτικὴ ἔντευξις, αἰώνιον ἀρίθμημα, φυσικὸν ἐσόπτρισμα, παλίνδρομος ἀνάμνησις. | A stadium of toil, a twelve-hour course, the daily beginning, a reminder to get one's living, prolongation unto evening, lively contact with people, an everlasting reckoning on the calendar, Nature's mirror, back-running reminiscence. |
| Τί ἥλιος; | What is the Sun? |
| Οὐράνιος ὀφθαλμός, νυκτὸς ἀνταγωνιστής, αἰθέριον κύκλωμα, κοσμικὸς ἔλεγχος, ἀκήρατος φλόξ, ἀδιάστατον φέγγος, κεχορηγημένη λαμπάς, οὐράνιος ὁδοιπόρος, ἡμέρας κόσμιον. | The eye of the heavens, the adversary of night, a globe in the ether, the indicator of the cosmos, unsullied flame, unceasing light, a torch freely supplied, a traveler through the sky, the ornament of the day. |
| Τί σελήνη; | What is the Moon? |
| Οὐρανοῦ πορφύρα, νυκτερινὴ παραμυθία, πλεόντων παννύχισμα, ὁδευόντων παρηγορία, ἡλίου διαδοχή, κακούργων ἔχθρα, σημεῖον ἑορτῶν, μηνῶν ἀνακύκλευμα. | The crimson of the heavens, night-time consolation, an all-night vigil for sailors, encouragement for travelers, alternate to the sun, the enemy of evil-doers, the heralder of festivals, the cycle of the months. |
| Τί γῆ; | What is the Earth? |
| Οὐράνιος βάσις, κόσμου μεσότης, ἀπύθμευτον θεώρημα, ἀεροφυὲς ῥίζωμα, [ἀκατάληπτος περιοχή], γυμνάσιον ζωῆς, σύστημα θεόκτιστον, σελήνης παννύχισμα, ἀσύνοπτον θεώρημα, ὄμβρων τιθήνη, καρπῶν φύλαγμα καὶ μήτηρ, Ἅιδου καλυπτήρ, πολυδιοίκητον χώρημα, γέννα καὶ ἀποδοχὴ πάντων. | The base of the sky, the middle of the universe, a stage-scene without a foundation, a thing rooted in midair, an immeasurable circumference, the arena of life's struggle, a system established by God, the object of the moon's nightlong vigil, a spectacle that cannot be seen all at once, the nurse of the rains, the protection of the crops and their mother, the covering of Hades, a region occupied by many inhabitants, the origin of all things and their final repository. |
| Τί ἄνθρωπος; | What is Man? |
| Νοῦς σεσαρκωμένος, πνευματικὸν ἀγγεῖον, αἰσθητικὸν χώρημα, ἐπίπονος ψυχή, οἰκητήριον ὀλιγοχρόνιον, φάντασμα χρόνου, ὠστεωμένον ὄργανον, κατάσκοπος βίου, Τύχης παίγνιον, ἀπαράμονον ἀγαθόν, ζωῆς δαπάνημα, φυγὰς βίου, φωτὸς ἀποστάτης, γῆς ἀπαίτημα, αἰώνιος νεκρός. | Mind clothed in flesh, a vessel containing spirit, a receptacle for sense-perception, a toil-ridden spirit, a temporary dwelling-place, a phantom in the mirror of time, an organism fitted with bones, a scout on the trail of life, Fortune's plaything, a good thing that does not last, one of life's expenditures, an exile from life, a deserter of the light, something that earth will reclaim, a corpse forever. |
| Τί ἐστι κάλλος; | What is Beauty? |
| Φυσικὴ ζωγραφία, ἰδιόπλαστον ἀγαθόν, ὀλιγοχρόνιον εὐτύχημα, ἀπαράμονον κτῆμα, ἀνδρὸς εὐσεβοῦς ναυάγιον, σεσαρκωμένη ἐπιτυχία, ἡδονῶν ὑπηρεσία, ἄνθος μαραινόμενον, ἀσύνθετος πραγματεία, ἀνθρώπων ἐπιθυμία. | A picture drawn by Nature, a self-made blessing, a short-lived piece of good fortune, a possession that does not stay with us, the pious man's ruin, an accident of the flesh, the minister to pleasures, a flower that withers, an uncompounded product, the desire of men. |
| Τί ἐστι γυνή; | What is Woman? |
| Ἀνδρὸς ἐπιθυμία, συνεστιώμενον θηρίον, συνεγειρομένη μέριμνα, συμπλεκομένη ἀσέλγεια, συγκοιμωμένη λέαινα, ἱματισμένη ἔχιδνα, αὐθαίρετος μάχη, συγκοιμωμένη ἀκρασία, καθημερινὴ ζημία, οἰκίας χειμών, ἀμεριμνίας ἐμπόδιον, ἀνδρὸς ἀκρατοῦς ναυάγιον, μοιχῶν κατασκευή, βίου ἅλωσις, πολυτελὴς πόλεμος, ζῷον πονηρόν, ἱκανὸν φορτίον, ἐννεαπνεύμων ζάλη, ἰοβόλος ἀσπίς, ἀνθρωποποιὸν ὑπούργημα, ἀναγκαῖον κακόν. | A man's desire, a wild beast that shares one's board, the worry with which one rises in the morning, intertwining lustfulness, a lioness sharing one's bed, a viper in clothes, a battle voluntarily chosen, incontinence in the form of bed-partner, a daily loss, a storm in the house, a hindrance to serenity, the wreck of an incontinent man, the stock-in-trade of adulterers, the sacking of one's estate, an expensive war, an evil creature, too much of a burden, a nine-wind tempest, a venomous asp, a service rendered in the procreation of men, a necessary evil. |
| Τί φίλος; | What is a Friend? |
| Ζητούμενον ὄνομα, ἄνθρωπος ἀφανής, δυσεύρετον κτῆμα, ἀπορίας παραμύθιον, καταφυγὴ δυστυχίας, ἀγκὼν ταλαιπορίας, κατάσκοπος βίου, ἄνθρωπος ἀκατάληπτος, ἐνυπόστατον κειμήλιον, ἀκατάληπτος εὐτυχία. | A sought-after name, a man nowhere evident, a possession hard to find, an encouragement in time of distress, the refuge of misfortune, an arm for misery to lean upon, an observer of life, a man beyond reach, a substantial and valuable possession, unattainable good fortune. |
| Τί γεωργός; | What is a Farmer? |
| Καρπῶν ὑπηρέτης, ὄμβρων διαιτητής, ἐρημίας συνήθης, ἀθάλασσος ἔμπορος, ὕλης ἀνταγωνιστής, τροφῆς ὑπουργός, πεδίων ἀριστευτής, γῆς ἰατρός, δένδρων φυτουργός, ὀρέων παιδαγωγός, κακοπαθίας συνήθεια. | A servant to the crops, a judge of rains, the companion of solitude, a merchant having no business on the sea, an adversary to the woodland, a tender of the food supply, an improver of the fields, physician to the earth, a planter of trees, trainer of the mountain lands, one habituated to toil and hardship. |
| Τί ἐστι μονομάχος; | What is a Gladiator? |
| Θάνατος πωλούμενος, ἀγωνοθέτου θῦμα, [γαστριμαργίας ἐπιθυμία], διδασκαλουμένη μοῖρα, ἔναιμος τέχνη, Τύχης παράπτωμα, ὀξὺς θάνατος, περισαλπιζομένη μοῖρα, παραμένων μόρος, κακὴ νίκη. | Death on sale, a sacrificial offering made by the master of the show, gluttonous appetite, doom according to instructions, a bloody art, Fortune's mistake, speedy death, doom heralded by the trumpet, death ever at hand, a bad victory. |
| Τί ἐστι πλοῖον; | What is a Boat? |
| Ἐπίσαλος πρᾶξις, ἀθεμελίωτος οἰκία, ἡρμοσμένος τάφος, κυβικὴ σανίς, ἀνέμων ὁδοιπορία, ἀνιπταμένη φυλακή, συνδεδεμένη μοῖρα, ἀνέμων παίγνιον, ἐπιπλέων μόρος, ὄρνεον ξύλινον, πελάγιος ἵππος, ἠνεωγμένη γαλεάγρα, ἄδηλος σωτηρία, προσδοκώμενος θάνατος, ἐγκύματος ὁδοιπόρος. | A sea-tossed affair, a house without a foundation, a ready-made tomb, a three-dimensional timber, transportation by the winds, a prison in winged flight, fate bound up in a package, the plaything of the winds, a floating death, a bird made of wood, a seagoing horse, an open weasel-trap, uncertain safety, death in prospect, a traveler amid the waves. |
| Τί ἐστι ναύτης; | What is a Sailor? |
| Κυμάτων ὁδοιπόρος, θαλάσσιος βερεδάριος, ἀνέμων ἰχνευτής, ἀνέμων συνοδευτής, οἰκουμένης ξένος, γῆς ἀποστάτης, χειμῶνος ἀνταγωνιστής, διαπόντιος μονομάχος, ἄδηλος ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ, θανάτου γείτων, θαλάσσης ἐραστής. | One who travels through the waves, a courier on the sea, one who follows on the track of the winds, a fellow traveler with the winds, a stranger to the inhabited world, a deserter of the land, the opponent of the storm, a marine gladiator, one who is unsure of his safety, a neighbor to death, a lover of the sea. |
| Τί ἐστι πλοῦτος; | What is Wealth? |
| Χρυσοῦν φορτίον, ἡδονῶν ὑπηρέτης, φόβος ἐλπιζόμενος, ἀπόλαυσις ἄνευ φροντίδος, συνεστιώμενος φθόνος, καθημερινὴ μελέτη, εὐμετάπτωτον πρᾶγμα, φιλούμενον ἀτύχημα, ἐπιβουλευόμενον πρᾶγμα, ἀπλήρωτος ἐπιθυμία, πολυπόθητον ταλαιπώρημα, ὑψηλὸν πτῶμα, ἀργυρικὸν σύνθεμα, παρερχόμενον εὐτύχημα. | A burden of gold, the minister to pleasures, fear mingled with hope, a senseless reaping of profits, envy sharing one's board, a source of daily bother, an unstable thing, a beloved piece of misfortune, a thing full of insidious snares, desire that can never be sated, a much-longed for hardship, a high place to fall from, a value conveniently reckoned in terms of money, transitory good luck. |
| Τί ἐστι πενία; | What is Poverty? |
| Μισούμενον ἀγαθόν, ὑγείας μήτηρ, ἡδονῶν ἐμποδισμός, ἀμέριμνος διατριβή, δυσαπόσπαστον κτῆμα, ἐπινοιῶν διδάσκαλος, σοφίας εὑρετής, ἄφθονος πραγματεία, ἀσκόπευτος οὐσία, ἀζημίωτος ἐμπορία, ἀψήφιστον κέρδος, ἀσυκοφάντητον κτῆμα, ἄδηλος εὐτυχία, ἀμέριμνος εὐτυχία. | A good thing that is hated, the mother of health, a hindrance to pleasures, a way of life free of worry, a possession hard to cast off, the teacher of inventions, the finder of wisdom, a business that nobody envies, property unassessed, merchandise not subject to tariff, profit not to be reckoned in terms of cash, a possession not interfered with by informers, non-evident in good fortune, good fortune free of care. |
| Τί ἐστι γῆρας; | What is Old Age? |
| Εὔκτητον κακόν, ζῶν θάνατος, ὑγιαίνουσα νόσος, προσδοκωμένη μοῖρα, πολυχρόνιον γέλασμα, ἄτονος φρόνησις, ἔμπνους νεκρός, Ἀφροδίτης ἀλλότριος, θάνατος προσδοκώμενος, νεκρὸς κινούμενος. | An evil easy to acquire, a living death, a healthy disease, fate in prospect, a timeworn object of laughter, unstrung judgment, a breathing corpse, a stranger to love, the prospect of death, a corpse in movement. |
| Τί ὕπνος; | What is Sleep? |
| Καμάτων ἀνάπαυσις, ἰατρῶν κατόρθωμα, δεδεμένων λύσις, ἀγρυπνούντων σοφία, νοσούντων εὐχή, θανάτου εἰκών, ταλαιπωρούντων ἐπιθυμία, πάσης πνοῆς ἡσυχία, πλουσίων ἐπιτήδευμα, [πενήτων ἀδολεσχία], καθημερινὴ μελέτη. | Rest from toil the success of physicians, the release of those who are bound, the wisdom of the wakeful, what sick men pray for, an image of death, the desire of those who toil in hardship, the rest of all the spirit, a principal occupation of the rich, the idle chatter of poor men, a daily object of concern. |
| Τί ἐστι θάνατος; | What is Death? |
| Αἰώνιος ὕπνος, ἀνάλυσις σώματος, ταλαιπωρούντων ἐπιθυμία, πνεύματος ἀπόστασις, πλουσίων φόβος, πενήτων ἐπιθυμία, λύσις μελῶν, φυγὴ καὶ ἀπόκτησις βίου, ὕπνου πατήρ, ἀληθινὴ προθεσμία, ἀπόλυσις πάντων.” Τότε Ἀδριανὸς ἀναγνούς, καὶ μαθὼν τὴν αἰτίαν δι' ἣν σιωπὴν ἐφιλοσόφησεν, ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοῦ τὰς βίβλους ἐν τῇ ἱερατικῇ βιβλιοθήκῃ ἐντεθῆναι Σεκούνδου τοῦ φιλοσόφου | Everlasting sleep, the dissolution of the body, the desire of those who suffer, the departure of the spirit, the fear of rich men, the desire of paupers, the undoing of the limbs, flight from life and the loss of its possession, the father of sleep, an appointed day sure to be met, the breakup of all things. Thereupon Hadrian, after reading these things, and after learning the reason why he had made silence a philosophical practice, gave orders that his books should be deposited in the sacred library under the name of Secundus the Philosopher. |