Eternity is a child playing, playing checkers; the kingdom belongs to a child.

The Cosmos is child's play: a child playing chess as King. | Using English idioms to parallel the original's wordplay. | History is a child building a sand-castle by the sea, and that child is the whole majesty of man’s power in the world. | A very free translation, as quoted in Contemporary Literature in Translation (1976), p. 21 | A lifetime is a child playing, playing checkers; the kingdom belongs to a child. | As quoted in The Beginning of All Wisdom: Timeless Advice from the Ancient Greeks (2003) by Steven Stavropoulos, p. 95 | Time is a game played beautifully by children. | A free translation, as quoted in Fragments (2001) translated by Brooks Haxton | Lifetime is a child at play, moving pieces in a game. Kingship belongs to the child. | As quoted in The Art and Thought of Heraclitus (1979) translated by Charles H. Kahn