Lucretius carus first edition lucretius bauman rare. On the nature of things work by lucretius britannica. Reissued to accompany stephen greenblatts the swerve. In it, he set out to explicate the universe, embracing and refuting ideas of the great greek philosophers. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. On the nature of things, 1951 prose translation by r. Book i 94k book ii 106k book iii 95k book iv 117k book v 9k book vi 122k download. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. A useful recent translation of lucretius on the nature. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Titus lucretius carus was probably born in the early first century b. 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. Titus lucretius carus was a roman poet and philosopher over 2050 years ago. Don fowler 2007 lucretius on creation and evolution.
Having in the preceding books discoursed of atoms, the generation of. The title of lucretiuss work translates that of the chief work of epicurus, peri physeos on nature. 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. Translated by cyril bailey fellow of balliol college. Little is known of his life, although two tantalizing bits of gossip were passed on by st. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Lucretius is a really difficult text and you need a translation that will point out his sources and what hes doing with them. Book i book ii book iii book iv book v book vi card.
This elegant new translation at last restores the poetry to one of the greatest and most influential poems in the western tradition. This translation by esolen is not as arcane as william ellery leonards, just so you know. Readers will share our excitement in the discovery of this accurate and fluent prose rendering. 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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Prepared from the sphere library book, translated martin ferguson smith 1969. The poem, written in dactylic hexameter, is divided into six books, and concentrates heavily on epicurean physics. In the present reprint the translation has been adapted to the second. The ideal for the individual then is not far to seek, and epicurus is above all an individualist. Book 5 describes the nature and formation of our world, astronomical.
It is a formidable task to put 7,500 latin hexameter lines into english verse, but mr. 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. The internet classics archive on the nature of things by. In first place, if the mighty sphere of heaven revolveth round, then needs we must aver that on the upper and the under pole presses a certain air, and from without confines them and encloseth at each end. Editions containing works of lucretius titus lucretius carus lucretius on atomic motion. From epicurean tenets lucretius dramatises and creates images for the follies of superstitious fears, passions, ambitions, attachment to nature, guilty fears of retribution for sins. In england, the wealthy diarist john evelyn translated the first book of lucretius poem, and isaac newton declared himself an atomist new yorker. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you. On the nature of things has been divided into the following sections. Book i 94k book ii 106k book iii 95k book iv 117k book v 9k book vi 122k. This translation is based primarily upon the latin text of h. On the nature of things lucretius, martin ferguson smith.
On the nature of things by lucretius, part of the internet classics archive. Lucretius regarded him as the spiritual savior of mankind. Check our home page for introductory material on epicurus by clicking here. Lucretius, on the nature of things loeb classical library. On the nature of things is a firstcentury bc didactic poem by the roman poet and philosopher lucretius c. This sumptuous account of a secular cosmos argues that the soul is mortal, that pleasure is the object of life, and. Mar 09, 2001 martin ferguson smiths work on lucretius is both well known and highly regarded. Please click here to go to our dedicated site for lucretius. A useful recent translation of lucretius on the nature of. For a more detailed description of the contents of each book, please consult the. 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.
Epicureanism was a missionary philospohy, aiming to give man happiness by making him selfsufficient. In six books compounded of solid reasoning, brilliant imagination, and noble poetry, he expounds the scientific theories of the greek. The section in the middle of the first book,5 in which lucretius criticizes rival theories of the. Latham, introduction and notes by john godwin, penguin revised edition 1994, isbn 0140446109. On the nature of things lucretius harvard university press. The poem, written in some 7,400 dactylic hexameters, is divided into six untitled books, and explores epicurean physics through richly poetic language and metaphors. 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. Of the life of lucretius but little information has reached us. 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.
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