Choosing the Best Meditations Translation
The translator decides how closely the work’s Greek reaches the English reader.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Every translation of the Meditations is an interpretation. Marcus Aurelius wrote the work in Greek as private notes, with no title and no plan for publication, and each translator decides how plain or formal its English should be. The five translations compared here are by Gregory Hays, Martin Hammond, C. R. Haines, Robin Waterfield and George Long; Haines’s 1916 translation is also available as a free PDF.
Translation Comparison at a Glance
| Translation | Readability | Accuracy | Tone | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hays (2002) | Very high | Very good | Direct, unornamented | First-time readers |
| Hammond (2006) | High | Very good | Clear, measured | Readers wanting notes and indexes |
| Haines (1916) | Moderate | Good | Formal, older English | A free, annotated text |
| Waterfield (2021) | Moderate | Excellent | Precise, philosophical | Serious study |
| Long (1862) | Moderate | Good | Victorian, formal | Historical comparison |
#1 — Meditations — trans. Gregory Hays (2002)
- Readability: Very high — Fresh, unencumbered present-day English; very easy to follow.
- Accuracy: Very good — Conveys the spareness and compression of the Greek.
- Tone: Direct, plain and sometimes blunt.
- Accessibility: Requires no classical training; published by Modern Library in 2002.
Which translation suits which reader
- Hays suits first-time readers, because the unencumbered present-day English requires no classical background.
- Hammond suits readers who want present-day English supported by an introduction, notes, a chronology and full indexes.
- Haines suits readers who want a free, fully annotated text and accept older English forms such as thou and thyself.
- Waterfield suits readers who want an accurate, idiomatic translation with an introduction and extensive notes for serious study.
- Long suits readers who want a Victorian public-domain text for historical comparison with the modern translations.
#2 — Meditations — trans. Martin Hammond (2006)
- Readability: High — Readable present-day English prose.
- Accuracy: Very good — Careful rendering by an experienced classical translator.
- Tone: Measured and even.
- Accessibility: Introduction, notes, chronology, further reading and full indexes.
#3 — Meditations — trans. C. R. Haines (1916)
- Readability: Moderate — Older English forms such as thou and thyself.
- Accuracy: Good — Loeb translation with the Greek on facing pages.
- Tone: Formal and archaic.
- Accessibility: Free; read online or as a bookmarked PDF.
#4 — Meditations — trans. Robin Waterfield (2021)
- Readability: Moderate — Present-day English, described by reviewers as idiomatic.
- Accuracy: Excellent — Described by publisher’s reviewers as accurate.
- Tone: Scholarly and idiomatic.
- Accessibility: Introduction and extensive notes, detailed but clear.
#5 — Meditations — trans. George Long (1862)
- Readability: Moderate — Older English forms such as thou and thyself.
- Accuracy: Good — Established Victorian translation.
- Tone: Formal and archaic.
- Accessibility: Public domain and widely reprinted.
About the Translators
Gregory Hays is a classicist at the University of Virginia. His translation of the Meditations was published by Modern Library in 2002. The publisher describes it as fresh and unencumbered English that conveys the spareness and compression of the original Greek.
Martin Hammond was Head of Classics at Eton College, then Headmaster of the City of London School from 1984 and of Tonbridge School from 1990. He also translated Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey for Penguin Classics. His Meditations appeared in Penguin Classics in 2006.
C. R. Haines’s translation of the Meditations was published in 1916 in the Loeb Classical Library, with the Greek text on facing pages. It is in the public domain. The RavensEdge Publishing edition of the translation is free.
Robin Waterfield is a British classical scholar, translator and editor specializing in ancient Greek philosophy and history. His translations include Plato’s Republic, Herodotus’s Histories and Aesop’s Fables. He lives in Greece. Basic Books published his Meditations in 2021.
George Long (1800-1879) was professor of ancient languages at the University of Virginia from 1824 to 1828, then professor of Greek at the University of London (now University College London). His translation of Marcus Aurelius was published in 1862; he also translated Epictetus’s Discourses (1877).
Themes
Marcus Aurelius was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD. He wrote the twelve books of the Meditations in Greek as private notes to himself, mostly during the last decade of his reign (170-180 AD), on campaign against the Quadi and Marcomanni on the Danube frontier. The work was never intended for publication and has no original title. Book I lists what Marcus owed to his family, his teachers, his adoptive father Antoninus Pius and the gods.
Haines (1916) and Long (1862) use older English forms such as thou and thyself. Haines renders the opening of Book IV, section 3 as “Men seek out retreats for themselves in the country, by the seaside, on the mountains” and “thou canst at a moment’s notice retire into thyself”. Long gives “Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains” and “it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself”. Hays, Hammond and Waterfield translate into present-day English.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Meditations about?
The Meditations is a set of private notes written in Greek by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, mostly between 170 and 180 AD on the Danube frontier. Book I lists his debts to family, teachers, Antoninus Pius and the gods.
Is Meditations hard to read?
Difficulty depends largely on the translation. Hays, Hammond and Waterfield use present-day English, while Haines (1916) and Long (1862) use older forms such as thou and thyself. The work was written as private notes and has no original title.
Which Meditations translation is best?
No single translation is best for every reader. Hays suits first-time readers, Hammond readers wanting notes and indexes, Waterfield serious study, and Haines and Long readers who want free public-domain texts or historical comparison.
Hays vs Waterfield — which should I choose?
Hays’s 2002 Modern Library translation is fresh, unencumbered English that conveys the spareness of the Greek. Waterfield’s 2021 annotated edition has an introduction and extensive notes. Hays suits readers wanting plain prose; Waterfield suits those wanting detailed annotation.
Which translation is easiest to read?
Hays is rated Very high for readability. The publisher describes the translation as fresh and unencumbered English. Hammond is rated High, while Waterfield, Haines and Long are rated Moderate.
Which translation is most accurate?
Waterfield is rated Excellent for accuracy. The publisher’s reviewers call the translation accurate and idiomatic. Hays and Hammond are rated Very good, and Haines and Long Good.
What is the Martin Hammond Penguin Classics translation like?
Hammond’s translation was published by Penguin Classics in 2006, with his notes and an introduction by Diskin Clay. The edition has a chronology, further reading and full indexes. Hammond was Headmaster of Tonbridge School and also translated Homer for Penguin.
Should I read a free public-domain translation instead?
Free public-domain translations exist: Long’s 1862 version and Haines’s 1916 version. The RavensEdge Publishing free PDF of Haines’s translation contains all twelve books with footnotes, a short commentary, a preface, an introduction, an essay on Stoicism and appendices. Both use older English.
Translator and edition details checked against the publishers’ editions, university records and the texts themselves. Last reviewed: October 2026.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Haines’s translation can be read online book by book, with his footnotes and the site’s commentary. The Book-by-Book Synopsis gives an overview of the twelve books, the Key Terms Glossary explains the Stoic vocabulary behind each translation, Names in the Text identifies the people Marcus mentions, and The World of Marcus Aurelius covers his reign and the Danube frontier.