De Rerum Natura

Lucretius

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

  1. Likewise, thou canst ne'er
  2. Believe the sacred seats of gods are here
  3. In any regions of this mundane world;
  4. Indeed, the nature of the gods, so subtle,
  5. So far removed from these our senses, scarce
  6. Is seen even by intelligence of mind.
  7. And since they've ever eluded touch and thrust
  8. Of human hands, they cannot reach to grasp
  9. Aught tangible to us. For what may not
  10. Itself be touched in turn can never touch.
  11. Wherefore, besides, also their seats must be
  12. Unlike these seats of ours,- even subtle too,
  13. As meet for subtle essence- as I'll prove
  14. Hereafter unto thee with large discourse.
  15. Further, to say that for the sake of men
  16. They willed to prepare this world's magnificence,
  17. And that 'tis therefore duty and behoof
  18. To praise the work of gods as worthy praise,
  19. And that 'tis sacrilege for men to shake
  20. Ever by any force from out their seats
  21. What hath been stablished by the Forethought old
  22. To everlasting for races of mankind,
  23. And that 'tis sacrilege to assault by words
  24. And overtopple all from base to beam,-
  25. Memmius, such notions to concoct and pile,
  26. Is verily- to dote. Our gratefulness,
  27. O what emoluments could it confer
  28. Upon Immortals and upon the Blessed
  29. That they should take a step to manage aught
  30. For sake of us? Or what new factor could,
  31. After so long a time, inveigle them-
  32. The hitherto reposeful- to desire
  33. To change their former life? For rather he
  34. Whom old things chafe seems likely to rejoice
  35. At new; but one that in fore-passed time
  36. Hath chanced upon no ill, through goodly years,
  37. O what could ever enkindle in such an one
  38. Passion for strange experiment? Or what
  39. The evil for us, if we had ne'er been born?-
  40. As though, forsooth, in darkling realms and woe
  41. Our life were lying till should dawn at last
  42. The day-spring of creation! Whosoever
  43. Hath been begotten wills perforce to stay
  44. In life, so long as fond delight detains;
  45. But whoso ne'er hath tasted love of life,
  46. And ne'er was in the count of living things,
  47. What hurts it him that he was never born?
  48. Whence, further, first was planted in the gods
  49. The archetype for gendering the world
  50. And the fore-notion of what man is like,
  51. So that they knew and pre-conceived with mind
  52. Just what they wished to make? Or how were known
  53. Ever the energies of primal germs,
  54. And what those germs, by interchange of place,
  55. Could thus produce, if nature's self had not
  56. Given example for creating all?
  57. For in such wise primordials of things,
  58. Many in many modes, astir by blows
  59. From immemorial aeons, in motion too
  60. By their own weights, have evermore been wont
  61. To be so borne along and in all modes
  62. To meet together and to try all sorts
  63. Which, by combining one with other, they
  64. Are powerful to create, that thus it is
  65. No marvel now, if they have also fallen
  66. Into arrangements such, and if they've passed
  67. Into vibrations such, as those whereby
  68. This sum of things is carried on to-day
  69. By fixed renewal.