From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordOrexis is a reaching toward or desire for something.
- In StobaeusThe Hermetic poem pairs orexis with Cytherea, or Aphrodite, among seven divine-human correspondences.
- In this edition“Desire” is clearest here; “desiderative impulse” helps distinguish the Greek family in an index.
- A place to beginDesire corresponds to Cytherea among the seven powers.
- English renderings
- desire; appetitive striving
Meaning
Orexis is a reaching toward or desire for something. The familiar technical range of the term must be checked against each source.
Use in the book
The Hermetic poem pairs orexis with Cytherea, or Aphrodite, among seven divine-human correspondences. In that poetic setting desire is one allotted experience alongside tears, laughter, speech, and sleep. The list does not divide desire into a complete philosophical taxonomy.
Places to read
- I.5.14bDesire corresponds to Cytherea among the seven powers.
Translation in this edition
“Desire” is clearest here; “desiderative impulse” helps distinguish the Greek family in an index.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 77–78. The order changes between the poem’s lists. Each named correspondence must be followed rather than inferred from its numerical position.