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. Editions containing works of lucretius titus lucretius carus lucretius on atomic motion. For an introduction to lucretius, on the nature of things, use the following link. The version read here is an english verse translation written by william. A useful recent translation of lucretius on the nature of things by cassius amicus published october, 2012 introductory material, lucretius, texts on epicurus until today i was unaware of a 2010 edition of on the nature of things produced by ian johnston and available at the website linked here. From epicurean tenets lucretius dramatises and creates images for the follies of superstitious fears, passions, ambitions, attachment to nature, guilty. But i have not dis missed a single page of the translation without consulting the. The internet classics archive on the nature of things by. Humphries admirable and exciting translation makes it easy to grasp the shape and the magnitude of lucretius conception. On the nature of things work by lucretius britannica.
On the nature of things by lucretius the internet classics archive. Get an answer for how does lucretius explain book 4 in on the nature of the universe. Study science in order to rid yourself of unneccesary fears, especially of the gods and death. Readers will share our excitement in the discovery of this accurate and fluent prose rendering. This sumptuous account of a secular cosmos argues that the soul is mortal, that pleasure is the object of life, and that humanity has free will, among other ideas. The poem was lost during the middle ages, rediscovered in 1417, and first printed in 1473. Prepared from the sphere library book, translated martin ferguson smith 1969. In six books compounded of solid reasoning, brilliant imagination, and noble poetry, he expounds the scientific theories of the greek philosopher epicurus, with the aim of dispelling fear of the gods and fear of death and so enabling man to attain peace of mind and happiness.
Jun 26, 2011 if you really want to understand the text, id go for the one with the best and fullest notes, rather than focusing on the ease of the translation. Vlll remarks on the says, the verses are lucretiuss. I care about clarity and ease of reading more than accuracy or aesthetics. It also alludes to his ethical and logical doctrines. Lucretiuss denunciations in the fourth book4 are unmistakable. This elegant new translation at last restores the poetry to one of the greatest and most influential poems in the western tradition. A useful recent translation of lucretius on the nature of things by cassius amicus published october, 2012 introductory material, lucretius, texts on epicurus until today i was unaware of a 2010 edition of on the nature of things produced by ian johnston and available at. Until now, there has been no adequate english verse translation of lucretiuss work. I wander afield, thriving in sturdy thought, through unpathed haunts of the pierides, trodden by step of none before. Book i book ii book iii book iv book v book vi card. Book i 94k book ii 106k book iii 95k book iv 117k book v 9k book vi 122k.
Lucretius, on the nature of things loeb classical library. For this edition, professor smith provides a revised translation, new introduction, headnotes and. A useful recent translation of lucretius on the nature. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. The title of lucretiuss work translates that of the chief work of epicurus, peri physeos on nature. My main goal is to understand epicurean philosophy, though of course it would be nice if it sounded good too. On the nature of things lucretius, martin ferguson smith. On the nature of things by lucretius, part of the internet classics archive.
Epicureanism was a missionary philospohy, aiming to give man happiness by making him selfsufficient. Check our home page for introductory material on epicurus by clicking here. How does lucretius explain book 4 in on the nature of the. Its earliest published translation into any language french did not occur until 1650. The poem, written in some 7,400 dactylic hexameters, is divided into six untitled books, and explores epicurean physics through richly poetic language and. 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. Edidit joseph martin bibliotheca scriptorvm graecorvm et romanorvm tevbneriana. Anthony esolen fills that gap with a version that reproduceswith remarkable faithfulnessthe meaning, pace, and tone of the original latin. How the world became modern norton, a new book by cogan university professor and noted shakespeare scholar stephen greenblatt, to be published in september. Mother of aeneas and his race, darling of men and venus, aid me in my work gods, nurturing venus, a who beneath the smoothmoving heavenly signs fill with yourself the sea fullladen with ships, the earth that bears the crops, since through you every kind of living thing is conceived and rising up looks on the light of the sun.
Book 4 explains the nature of sensation and thought, and ends with an. Don fowler 2007 lucretius on creation and evolution. Mar 09, 2001 martin ferguson smiths work on lucretius is both well known and highly regarded. The poem is the fullest extant statement of the physical theory of the greek philosopher epicurus.
Book i 94k book ii 106k book iii 95k book iv 117k book v 9k book vi 122k download. This translation is based primarily upon the latin text of h. Lucretius titus lucretius carus lucretius oxford scholarly editions. On the nature of things, 1951 prose translation by r. Lucretius regarded him as the spiritual savior of mankind.
Lucretiuss most popular book is the way things are. A useful recent translation of lucretius on the nature of. This sumptuous account of a secular cosmos argues that the soul is mortal, that. By the mid1600s another translation into english by puritan lucy hutchinson was. 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.
Titus lucretius quotes 15 science quotes dictionary of. In the present reprint the translation has been adapted to the second edition of the. Lucretius carus first edition lucretius bauman rare. The poem explores lucretius belief about the gods, humanity, the senses, the world, and the universe, all through the philosophical framework of epicurus. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. In england, the wealthy diarist john evelyn translated the first book of lucretius poem, and isaac newton declared himself an atomist new yorker. Google this is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on. On the nature of things is a firstcentury bc didactic poem by the roman poet and philosopher lucretius c.
Reissued to accompany stephen greenblatts the swerve. Lucretius is a really difficult text and you need a translation that will point out his sources and what hes doing with them. 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 book summarizes and explains the principles of epicureanism, a philosophy founded by the greek philosopher epicurus around 300 bc. Humphries easy, varied lines are thoroughly readable. For a more detailed description of the contents of each book, please consult the. Who is able with mighty mind to build a song worthy the divine discoveries of epicurus of the majesty of nature and these discoveries. In six books compounded of solid reasoning, brilliant imagination, and noble poetry, he expounds the scientific theories of the greek. On the nature of things lucretius harvard university press. It is a formidable task to put 7,500 latin hexameter lines into english verse, but mr.
Latham, introduction and notes by john godwin, penguin revised edition 1994, isbn 0140446109. Or who is so potent in speech as to devise praises fit for his merits, who by his own intellect winning and gaining such treasures, has left them to us. A word cloud of the leonard translation of lucretius the nature of things. For, after all, a translator is to make his author appear as. And we ourselves indeed to make this book, and still to seek the nature of the world. Titus lucretius carus was probably born in the early first century b. The improbable story of how it reemerged, and how the mindset it advocated informs our present, is the subject of the swerve. Please click here to go to our dedicated site for lucretius. Drydens motives in translating lucretius appear to be twofold. Mourners, the elderly, nature and memmius raise their voices to debate the issue of mortality.
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