Reissued to accompany stephen greenblatts the swerve. Lucretius forfattade hexameterdikten i sex bocker om tingens natur originaltitel. On the nature of things lucretius harvard university press. After discussing the ways in which the lucretian persona presents himself as a teacher and interacts with his student memmius, the chapter focuses on the relationship of poetry and philosophy projected by. His greatest success is in persuading the reader to see the poem as a whole, as a single, strange work of art, in which the. On the nature of things has been divided into the following sections. The importance of lucretius lucretius brings together the worlds of poetry and.
Book i 94k book ii 106k book iii 95k book iv 117k book v 9k book vi 122k download. The title of lucretius s work translates that of the chief work of epicurus, peri physeos on nature. On the nature of things is a firstcentury bc didactic poem by the roman poet and philosopher lucretius c. But of course i admire lucretius and his predecessor, epicurus and his predecessor because he really buckled down and looked out at the world, and inside himself, and showed in his logic the possible fortitude of the human mind. In six books compounded of solid reasoning, brilliant imagination, and noble poetry, he expounds the scientific theories of the greek. Wanneer hij geboren werd en overleed is onduidelijk. Next, when the force of the wind has grown hot through and through and the strong impulse of the fire has thrust in, then the thunderbolt, now as it were ripe, suddenly cleaves the cloud, and out flies the speeded when it is ready, the wind drives it forth, flame, sweeping over all. Learn latin with classics professor david noe as he analyzes and translates real examples from latin literature. On the nature of things work by lucretius britannica. The latin text of lucretius latin and english edition 9780299003647.
Humphries easy, varied lines are thoroughly readable. In it, he set out to explicate the universe, embracing and refuting ideas of the great greek philosophers. Epicurus affirmabat hominum tristitiam atque corruptionem penitus ex deorum potestatisque notione iraeque timore, quae credebatur in calamitatibus. The poem, written in some 7,400 dactylic hexameters, is divided into six untitled books, and explores epicurean physics through poetic. Epicureanism was a missionary philospohy, aiming to give man happiness by making him selfsufficient. Comprehensive commentary by cyril bailey, oxford university press 1947.
Lucretius regarded him as the spiritual savior of mankind. Epicuro etiam laudato duo principia disciplinae epicureanae explicit. It also alludes to his ethical and logical doctrines. Lucretius then moves into the nature of man and the mind.
On the nature of things, 1951 prose translation by r. The poem is the fullest extant statement of the physical theory of the greek philosopher epicurus. An exposition of epicurus atomic theory and the ethical tenets based upon it. Lucretius var ingen originell tankare, hans lara har till fullo inspirerats av epikuros och hans skola. This class can be taken in fulfilment of the requirements of both the ma and the research ma program in classics and ancient civilizations track classics, with differential requirements. This book represents the primary source of modern knowledge on epicurean thought, and it played an important role in the development of atomism. Proem mother of rome, delight of gods and men, dear venus that beneath the gliding stars makest to teem the manyvoyaged main and fruitful lands for all of living things through thee alone are evermore conceived, through thee are risen to visit the great sunbefore thee, goddess, and thy coming on, flee stormy wind and massy cloud away, for thee the daedal earth bears scented flowers, for. The title of lucretiuss work translates that of the chief work of epicurus, peri physeos on nature.
The poem explores lucretius belief about the gods, humanity, the senses, the world, and the universe, all through the philosophical framework of epicurus. I have translated from my own text published in the bibliotheca oxoniensi. The wheel of the sun and its heat cannot be the sun is about the same size as we see it. Now available in paperback, this annotated scholarly edition of the latin text ofde rerum naturahas long been hailed as one of the finest. The internet classics archive on the nature of things by. Study science in order to rid yourself of unneccesary fears, especially of the gods and death.
Lucretius roman poet titus lucretius carus was a roman poet and philosopher. The lawyers seem to plead and cite decrees, commanders they to fight and go at frays, sailors to live in combat with the winds, and we ourselves indeed to make this book, and still to seek the. And to whateer pursuit a man most clings absorbed, or what the affairs on which we theretofore have tarried much, and mind hath strained upon the more, we seem in sleep not rarely to go at the same. It is a formidable task to put 7,500 latin hexameter lines into english verse, but mr. Many comments have been posted about on the nature of things. Humphries admirable and exciting translation makes it easy to grasp the shape and the magnitude of lucretius conception. Mar 29, 2016 learn latin with classics professor david noe as he analyzes and translates real examples from latin literature. I have two years of college level latin experience including working with vergil and a smattering of plautus, and was wondering if it is a particularly difficult text for this level of latin experience. Drawing upon this materialist philosophy, lucretius cites the fear of death as the cause of mans ills, and shows the way to freedom from that fear. Lucretius begins with an account of the atomic theory of democritus and the nature of the cosmos.
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