On the Nature of Things
Lucretius · English
On the Nature of Things (De rerum natura) is a Latin didactic poem in six books by the Roman poet Lucretius, written in the first century BC to set…
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Pagera Editor's Note
On the Nature of Things (De rerum natura) is a Latin didactic poem in six books by the Roman poet Lucretius, written in the first century BC to set out the philosophy of Epicurus. Opening with a hymn to Venus, it argues that everything consists of atoms moving through the void, that nothing comes from nothing, and that the soul is mortal, so death is nothing to fear. Later books explain perception, the origin of the world, of life, and of human society, and natural phenomena such as thunder, earthquakes, and disease, closing with the plague of Athens. This edition is an English verse translation.
On the Nature of Things
Lucretius · English
On the Nature of Things (De rerum natura) is a Latin didactic poem in six books by the Roman poet Lucretius, written in the first century BC to set…
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Original (English)
Mother of Rome, delight of Gods and men, Dear Venus that beneath the gliding stars Makest to teem the many-voyaged main And fruitful lands--for all of living things Through thee alone are evermore conceived, Through thee are risen to visit the great sun-- Before thee, Goddess, and thy coming on, Flee stormy wind and massy cloud away, For thee the daedal Earth bears scented flowers, For thee waters of the unvexed deep Smile, and the hollows of the
Pagera Editor's Note
On the Nature of Things (De rerum natura) is a Latin didactic poem in six books by the Roman poet Lucretius, written in the first century BC to set out the philosophy of Epicurus. Opening with a hymn to Venus, it argues that everything consists of atoms moving through the void, that nothing comes from nothing, and that the soul is mortal, so death is nothing to fear. Later books explain perception, the origin of the world, of life, and of human society, and natural phenomena such as thunder, earthquakes, and disease, closing with the plague of Athens. This edition is an English verse translation.
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