De Rerum Natura

Lucretius

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

  1. Nor sighs the woman always with feigned love,
  2. Who links her body round man's body locked
  3. And holds him fast, making his kisses wet
  4. With lips sucked into lips; for oft she acts
  5. Even from desire, and, seeking mutual joys,
  6. Incites him there to run love's race-course through.
  7. Nor otherwise can cattle, birds, wild beasts,
  8. And sheep and mares submit unto the males,
  9. Except that their own nature is in heat,
  10. And burns abounding and with gladness takes
  11. Once more the Venus of the mounting males.
  12. And seest thou not how those whom mutual pleasure
  13. Hath bound are tortured in their common bonds?
  14. How often in the cross-roads dogs that pant
  15. To get apart strain eagerly asunder
  16. With utmost might?- When all the while they're fast
  17. In the stout links of Venus. But they'd ne'er
  18. So pull, except they knew those mutual joys-
  19. So powerful to cast them unto snares
  20. And hold them bound. Wherefore again, again,
  21. Even as I say, there is a joint delight.