De Rerum Natura
Lucretius
Lucretius. De Rerum Natura. William Ellery Leonard. E. P. Dutton. 1916.
- Nor doth that man who keeps away from love
- Yet lack the fruits of Venus; rather takes
- Those pleasures which are free of penalties.
- For the delights of Venus, verily,
- Are more unmixed for mortals sane-of-soul
- Than for those sick-at-heart with love-pining.
- Yea, in the very moment of possessing,
- Surges the heat of lovers to and fro,
- Restive, uncertain; and they cannot fix
- On what to first enjoy with eyes and hands.
- The parts they sought for, those they squeeze so tight,
- And pain the creature's body, close their teeth
- Often against her lips, and smite with kiss
- Mouth into mouth,- because this same delight
- Is not unmixed; and underneath are stings
- Which goad a man to hurt the very thing,
- Whate'er it be, from whence arise for him
- Those germs of madness. But with gentle touch
- Venus subdues the pangs in midst of love,
- And the admixture of a fondling joy
- Doth curb the bites of passion. For they hope
- That by the very body whence they caught
- The heats of love their flames can be put out.
- But nature protests 'tis all quite otherwise;
- For this same love it is the one sole thing
- Of which, the more we have, the fiercer burns
- The breast with fell desire. For food and drink
- Are taken within our members; and, since they
- Can stop up certain parts, thus, easily
- Desire of water is glutted and of bread.
- But, lo, from human face and lovely bloom
- Naught penetrates our frame to be enjoyed
- Save flimsy idol-images and vain-
- A sorry hope which oft the winds disperse.
- As when the thirsty man in slumber seeks
- To drink, and water ne'er is granted him
- Wherewith to quench the heat within his members,
- But after idols of the liquids strives
- And toils in vain, and thirsts even whilst he gulps
- In middle of the torrent, thus in love
- Venus deludes with idol-images
- The lovers. Nor they cannot sate their lust
- By merely gazing on the bodies, nor
- They cannot with their palms and fingers rub
- Aught from each tender limb, the while they stray
- Uncertain over all the body. Then,
- At last, with members intertwined, when they
- Enjoy the flower of their age, when now
- Their bodies have sweet presage of keen joys,
- And Venus is about to sow the fields
- Of woman, greedily their frames they lock,
- And mingle the slaver of their mouths, and breathe
- Into each other, pressing teeth on mouths-
- Yet to no purpose, since they're powerless
- To rub off aught, or penetrate and pass
- With body entire into body- for oft
- They seem to strive and struggle thus to do;
- So eagerly they cling in Venus' bonds,
- Whilst melt away their members, overcome
- By violence of delight. But when at last
- Lust, gathered in the thews, hath spent itself,
- There come a brief pause in the raging heat-
- But then a madness just the same returns
- And that old fury visits them again,
- When once again they seek and crave to reach
- They know not what, all powerless to find
- The artifice to subjugate the bane.
- In such uncertain state they waste away
- With unseen wound.