Lucretius begins by invoking the name of venus as a creative force, appealing to memmius to whom the. Latham, introduction and notes by john godwin, penguin revised edition 1994, isbn 0140446109. Edidit joseph martin bibliotheca scriptorvm graecorvm et romanorvm tevbneriana. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Once more, we all from seed celestial spring, to all is that same father, from whom earth, the fostering mother, as she takes the drops. The poem was lost during the middle ages, rediscovered in 1417, and first printed in 1473. The sixth book contains an explanation of some of the most striking natural. Many comments have been posted about on the nature of things. Mother of aeneas and his race, darling of men and venus, aid me in my work gods, nurturing venus, a who beneath the smoothmoving heavenly signs fill with yourself the sea fullladen with ships, the earth that bears the crops, since through you every kind of living thing is conceived and rising up looks on the light of the sun. Leonards smooth blank verse gracefully captures lucretius elegant latin. This elegant new translation at last restores the poetry to one of the greatest and most influential poems in the western tradition.
Henri bergson, the philosophy of poetry, the genius of lucretius translated and edited by wade. In book 2 he explains atomic movement, the variety of atomic shapes, and. This book is available as part of oxford scholarly editions online explore trustworthy, annotated texts of writing worth reading. If the matter of death is reduced to sleep and rest, what can there be so bitter in it, that any one should pine in eternal grief for the decease of a friend. Now available in paperback, this annotated scholarly edition of the latin text ofde rerum naturahas long been hailed as one of the finest. Gauge 10 x 10 cm, 4 x 4 inch, in st st 22 sts x 32 rows, 3. Book i 94k book ii 106k, book iii 95k book iv 117k, book v 9k book vi 122k. And since ive read it in latin and in one translation that i wasnt particularly fond of, i cant recommend any translation in particular.
The introduction itself is for the most part unchanged updates appear in three notes but the section. Home collectionstexts perseus catalog research grants open source about help. On the nature of things work by lucretius britannica. My main goal is to understand epicurean philosophy, though of course it would be nice if it sounded good too. The title of lucretiuss work translates that of the chief work of epicurus, peri physeos on nature. Leonard and smith lucretius university of wisconsin press 1942.
And since ive read it in latin and in one translation that i wasnt particularly fond of. Book i book ii book iii book iv book v book vi card. Hide browse bar your current position in the text is marked in blue. Lucretius, on the nature of things loeb classical library. On the nature of things by lucretius the internet classics archive. Titus lucretius quotes 15 science quotes dictionary of. The rerum natura is characterised by a sophisticated alchemic style, according to its. Ancient understandings of the cosmos, evolution, atoms, mans place in the animal kingdom, that are spot on. On the nature of things, 1951 prose translation by r. This sumptuous account of a secular cosmos argues that the soul is mortal, that pleasure is the object of life, and.
With the same purpose of narrating the nature of things, the rerum natura is the name of a cosmetic collection inspired by authentic preparations. To watch anothers labouring anguish far, not that we. Prepared from the sphere library book, translated martin ferguson smith 1969. On the nature of things by lucretius, part of the internet classics archive. The poem, written in some 7,400 dactylic hexameters, is divided into six untitled books, and explores epicurean physics through poetic. On the nature of things by titus lucretius carus free ebook. Lucretius defence and explanation of epicureanism is witty, insightful, and sounds. Lucretius observations of the particularities of the world remain alive across the centuries.
Other than that, virtually nothing is known about lucretius other than what can be deduced from the poem itself. On the nature of things is a firstcentury bc didactic poem by the roman poet and philosopher lucretius c. Epicurus taught that the world could be understood by reason and that religion only arouses unnecessary fear. This study guide consists of approximately 68 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of on the nature of things. This sumptuous account of a secular cosmos argues that the soul is mortal, that pleasure is the object of life, and that humanity has free will, among other ideas. Leonard and smith lucretius university of wisconsin press 1942 richard minadeo, the lyre of science. The internet classics archive on the nature of things by.
Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. The poem explores lucretius belief about the gods, humanity, the senses, the world, and the universe, all through the philosophical framework of epicurus. Only a few more english translations appeared over the next two centuries, but in the 20th century translations began. Book i 94k book ii 106k book iii 95k book iv 117k book v 9k book vi 122k download. In it, he set out to explicate the universe, embracing and refuting ideas of the great greek philosophers. Stanford libraries official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. In six books compounded of solid reasoning, brilliant imagination, and noble poetry, he expounds the scientific theories of the greek philosopher epicurus, with the aim of dispelling fear of. Evelyns complete extant translation lacking book 2 not published until john evelyns translation of titus lucretius carus. It is sweet, when winds trouble the waters on the great sea, to behold from land the distress of others, not because it is a pleasure that any should be afflicted, but because it is sweet to see from what evils you are yourself exempt.
A word cloud of the leonard translation of lucretius the nature of things. The way things are by lucretius meet your next favorite book. More quotes from roman poet and philosopher titus lucretius carus c. On the nature of things has been divided into the following sections. We follow his enquiring, scientific mind as he investigates the workings of mirror images. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. This abridged presentation of lucretius famous sixbook poem on nature focuses mostly on those passages essential to epicureanism based on translations by. Its earliest published translation into any language french did not occur until 1650. Then throughout seas and mountains and sweeping torrents and the leafy dwellings of birds and verdant plains, striking alluring love into the breasts of all creatures, you cause them greedily to beget their generations after their kind. Proem mother of rome, delight of gods and men, dear venus that beneath the gliding stars makest to teem the manyvoyaged main and fruitful lands for all of living things through thee alone are evermore conceived, through thee are risen to visit the great sunbefore thee, goddess, and thy coming on, flee stormy wind and massy cloud away, for thee the daedal earth bears scented flowers, for. This book is available as part of oxford scholarly editions online explore trustworthy. Lucretius denounced popular beliefs in deities and supernatural creatures. An oldspelling critical edition ed repetzki, peter lang 2000 isbn 9780820443881.
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