De Rerum Natura

Lucretius

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

  1. And yet in those days not much more than now
  2. Would generations of mortality
  3. Leave the sweet light of fading life behind.
  4. Indeed, in those days here and there a man,
  5. More oftener snatched upon, and gulped by fangs,
  6. Afforded the beasts a food that roared alive,
  7. Echoing through groves and hills and forest-trees,
  8. Even as he viewed his living flesh entombed
  9. Within a living grave; whilst those whom flight
  10. Had saved, with bone and body bitten, shrieked,
  11. Pressing their quivering palms to loathsome sores,
  12. With horrible voices for eternal death-
  13. Until, forlorn of help, and witless what
  14. Might medicine their wounds, the writhing pangs
  15. Took them from life. But not in those far times
  16. Would one lone day give over unto doom
  17. A soldiery in thousands marching on
  18. Beneath the battle-banners, nor would then
  19. The ramping breakers of the main seas dash
  20. Whole argosies and crews upon the rocks.
  21. But ocean uprisen would often rave in vain,
  22. Without all end or outcome, and give up
  23. Its empty menacings as lightly too;
  24. Nor soft seductions of a serene sea
  25. Could lure by laughing billows any man
  26. Out to disaster: for the science bold
  27. Of ship-sailing lay dark in those far times.
  28. Again, 'twas then that lack of food gave o'er
  29. Men's fainting limbs to dissolution: now
  30. 'Tis plenty overwhelms. Unwary, they
  31. Oft for themselves themselves would then outpour
  32. The poison; now, with nicer art, themselves
  33. They give the drafts to others.