De Rerum Natura

Lucretius

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

  1. Now come, and why beyond a looking-glass
  2. An image may be seen, perceive. For seen
  3. It soothly is, removed far within.
  4. 'Tis the same sort as objects peered upon
  5. Outside in their true shape, whene'er a door
  6. Yields through itself an open peering-place,
  7. And lets us see so many things outside
  8. Beyond the house. Also that sight is made
  9. By a twofold twin air: for first is seen
  10. The air inside the door-posts; next the doors,
  11. The twain to left and right; and afterwards
  12. A light beyond comes brushing through our eyes,
  13. Then other air, then objects peered upon
  14. Outside in their true shape. And thus, when first
  15. The image of the glass projects itself,
  16. As to our gaze it comes, it shoves ahead
  17. And drives along the air that's in the space
  18. Betwixt it and our eyes, and brings to pass
  19. That we perceive the air ere yet the glass.
  20. But when we've also seen the glass itself,
  21. Forthwith that image which from us is borne
  22. Reaches the glass, and there thrown back again
  23. Comes back unto our eyes, and driving rolls
  24. Ahead of itself another air, that then
  25. 'Tis this we see before itself, and thus
  26. It looks so far removed behind the glass.
  27. Wherefore again, again, there's naught for wonder
  28. . . . . . .
  29. In those which render from the mirror's plane
  30. A vision back, since each thing comes to pass
  31. By means of the two airs. Now, in the glass
  32. The right part of our members is observed
  33. Upon the left, because, when comes the image
  34. Hitting against the level of the glass,
  35. 'Tis not returned unshifted; but forced off
  36. Backwards in line direct and not oblique,-
  37. Exactly as whoso his plaster-mask
  38. Should dash, before 'twere dry, on post or beam,
  39. And it should straightway keep, at clinging there,
  40. Its shape, reversed, facing him who threw,
  41. And so remould the features it gives back:
  42. It comes that now the right eye is the left,
  43. The left the right.
  1. An image too may be
  2. From mirror into mirror handed on,
  3. Until of idol-films even five or six
  4. Have thus been gendered. For whatever things
  5. Shall hide back yonder in the house, the same,
  6. However far removed in twisting ways,
  7. May still be all brought forth through bending paths
  8. And by these several mirrors seen to be
  9. Within the house, since nature so compels
  10. All things to be borne backward and spring off
  11. At equal angles from all other things.
  12. To such degree the image gleams across
  13. From mirror unto mirror; where 'twas left
  14. It comes to be the right, and then again
  15. Returns and changes round unto the left.
  16. Again, those little sides of mirrors curved
  17. Proportionate to the bulge of our own flank
  18. Send back to us their idols with the right
  19. Upon the right; and this is so because
  20. Either the image is passed on along
  21. From mirror unto mirror, and thereafter,
  22. When twice dashed off, flies back unto ourselves;
  23. Or else the image wheels itself around,
  24. When once unto the mirror it has come,
  25. Since the curved surface teaches it to turn
  26. To usward. Further, thou might'st well believe
  27. That these film-idols step along with us
  28. And set their feet in unison with ours
  29. And imitate our carriage, since from that
  30. Part of a mirror whence thou hast withdrawn
  31. Straightway no images can be returned.
  32. Further, our eye-balls tend to flee the bright
  33. And shun to gaze thereon; the sun even blinds,
  34. If thou goest on to strain them unto him,
  35. Because his strength is mighty, and the films
  36. Heavily downward from on high are borne
  37. Through the pure ether and the viewless winds,
  38. And strike the eyes, disordering their joints.
  39. So piecing lustre often burns the eyes,
  40. Because it holdeth many seeds of fire
  41. Which, working into eyes, engender pain.
  42. Again, whatever jaundiced people view
  43. Becomes wan-yellow, since from out their bodies
  44. Flow many seeds wan-yellow forth to meet
  45. The films of things, and many too are mixed
  46. Within their eye, which by contagion paint
  47. All things with sallowness.