De Rerum Natura

Lucretius

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

  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.