De Rerum Natura

Lucretius

Lucretius. De Rerum Natura. William Ellery Leonard. E. P. Dutton. 1916.

  1. And as said before,
  2. That seed is roused in us when once ripe age
  3. Has made our body strong...
  4. As divers causes give to divers things
  5. Impulse and irritation, so one force
  6. In human kind rouses the human seed
  7. To spurt from man. As soon as ever it issues,
  8. Forced from its first abodes, it passes down
  9. In the whole body through the limbs and frame,
  10. Meeting in certain regions of our thews,
  11. And stirs amain the genitals of man.
  12. The goaded regions swell with seed, and then
  13. Comes the delight to dart the same at what
  14. The mad desire so yearns, and body seeks
  15. That object, whence the mind by love is pierced.
  16. For well-nigh each man falleth toward his wound,
  17. And our blood spurts even toward the spot from whence
  18. The stroke wherewith we are strook, and if indeed
  19. The foe be close, the red jet reaches him.
  20. Thus, one who gets a stroke from Venus' shafts-
  21. Whether a boy with limbs effeminate
  22. Assault him, or a woman darting love
  23. From all her body- that one strains to get
  24. Even to the thing whereby he's hit, and longs
  25. To join with it and cast into its frame
  26. The fluid drawn even from within its own.
  27. For the mute craving doth presage delight.
  1. This craving 'tis that's Venus unto us:
  2. From this, engender all the lures of love,
  3. From this, O first hath into human hearts
  4. Trickled that drop of joyance which ere long
  5. Is by chill care succeeded. Since, indeed,
  6. Though she thou lovest now be far away,
  7. Yet idol-images of her are near
  8. And the sweet name is floating in thy ear.
  9. But it behooves to flee those images;
  10. And scare afar whatever feeds thy love;
  11. And turn elsewhere thy mind; and vent the sperm,
  12. Within thee gathered, into sundry bodies,
  13. Nor, with thy thoughts still busied with one love,
  14. Keep it for one delight, and so store up
  15. Care for thyself and pain inevitable.
  16. For, lo, the ulcer just by nourishing
  17. Grows to more life with deep inveteracy,
  18. And day by day the fury swells aflame,
  19. And the woe waxes heavier day by day-
  20. Unless thou dost destroy even by new blows
  21. The former wounds of love, and curest them
  22. While yet they're fresh, by wandering freely round
  23. After the freely-wandering Venus, or
  24. Canst lead elsewhere the tumults of thy mind.
  1. Nor doth that man who keeps away from love
  2. Yet lack the fruits of Venus; rather takes
  3. Those pleasures which are free of penalties.
  4. For the delights of Venus, verily,
  5. Are more unmixed for mortals sane-of-soul
  6. Than for those sick-at-heart with love-pining.
  7. Yea, in the very moment of possessing,
  8. Surges the heat of lovers to and fro,
  9. Restive, uncertain; and they cannot fix
  10. On what to first enjoy with eyes and hands.
  11. The parts they sought for, those they squeeze so tight,
  12. And pain the creature's body, close their teeth
  13. Often against her lips, and smite with kiss
  14. Mouth into mouth,- because this same delight
  15. Is not unmixed; and underneath are stings
  16. Which goad a man to hurt the very thing,
  17. Whate'er it be, from whence arise for him
  18. Those germs of madness. But with gentle touch
  19. Venus subdues the pangs in midst of love,
  20. And the admixture of a fondling joy
  21. Doth curb the bites of passion. For they hope
  22. That by the very body whence they caught
  23. The heats of love their flames can be put out.
  24. But nature protests 'tis all quite otherwise;
  25. For this same love it is the one sole thing
  26. Of which, the more we have, the fiercer burns
  27. The breast with fell desire. For food and drink
  28. Are taken within our members; and, since they
  29. Can stop up certain parts, thus, easily
  30. Desire of water is glutted and of bread.
  31. But, lo, from human face and lovely bloom
  32. Naught penetrates our frame to be enjoyed
  33. Save flimsy idol-images and vain-
  34. A sorry hope which oft the winds disperse.
  35. As when the thirsty man in slumber seeks
  36. To drink, and water ne'er is granted him
  37. Wherewith to quench the heat within his members,
  38. But after idols of the liquids strives
  39. And toils in vain, and thirsts even whilst he gulps
  40. In middle of the torrent, thus in love
  41. Venus deludes with idol-images
  42. The lovers. Nor they cannot sate their lust
  43. By merely gazing on the bodies, nor
  44. They cannot with their palms and fingers rub
  45. Aught from each tender limb, the while they stray
  46. Uncertain over all the body. Then,
  47. At last, with members intertwined, when they
  48. Enjoy the flower of their age, when now
  49. Their bodies have sweet presage of keen joys,
  50. And Venus is about to sow the fields
  51. Of woman, greedily their frames they lock,
  52. And mingle the slaver of their mouths, and breathe
  53. Into each other, pressing teeth on mouths-
  54. Yet to no purpose, since they're powerless
  55. To rub off aught, or penetrate and pass
  56. With body entire into body- for oft
  57. They seem to strive and struggle thus to do;
  58. So eagerly they cling in Venus' bonds,
  59. Whilst melt away their members, overcome
  60. By violence of delight. But when at last
  61. Lust, gathered in the thews, hath spent itself,
  62. There come a brief pause in the raging heat-
  63. But then a madness just the same returns
  64. And that old fury visits them again,
  65. When once again they seek and crave to reach
  66. They know not what, all powerless to find
  67. The artifice to subjugate the bane.
  68. In such uncertain state they waste away
  69. With unseen wound.