On the nature of things is a firstcentury bc didactic poem by the roman poet and philosopher lucretius c. Lucretius regarded him as the spiritual savior of mankind. 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. First since we know a twofold nature exists, of things, both twain and utterly unlike. It is not only that certain striking phrases ring in ones earsvitai claustra.
Lucretius s on the nature of things is not easy latin. Study science in order to rid yourself of unneccesary fears, especially of the gods and death. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The poem is the fullest extant statement of the physical theory of the greek philosopher epicurus. On the nature of things lucretius audiobook online. Librivox recording of on the nature of things, by titus lucretius carus c.
His birth date is not certain, and little is known of his parentage or birthplace. Epicureanism was a missionary philospohy, aiming to give man happiness by making him selfsufficient. Introduction to lucretius on the nature of things sophia project. Check out other translated books in french, spanish. Titus lucretius carus was probably born in the early first century b. The poem is likely the lifes work of lucretius, probably written over. Titus lucretius carus was a roman poet and philosopher over 2050 years ago. On the nature of things work by lucretius britannica. The antagonism of religion and science, the relation of the investigation to the love of nature, the opposition of natural law and freewill are themes which seem. Humphries engagement with and translation of the epicurean.
Book i 94k book ii 106k book iii 95k book iv 117k book v 9k book vi 122k download. 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. Page 91 men fear death as children fear to go in the dark. The poem is divided into six books or sections and. If livy is easy and horace is hard, then lucretius is much closer to horace in difficulty. Though often referred to as lucretius, his official name is titus lucretius carus. The poems scope, even by modern standards, is staggering. On the nature of things has been divided into the following.
On the nature of things by lucretius the internet classics archive. Certainly, the contemplation of death, as the wages of sin and passage to another world, is holy and religious. Titus lucretius carus died mid to late 50s bce was an epicurean poet of the late roman republican era. Namely, lucretius explores the principles of atomism. After youve bought this ebook, you can choose to download either the pdf version or the epub, or both. The title of lucretius s work translates that of the chief work of epicurus, peri physeos on nature. Lucretius develops his argument in great detail, but gives minimal introduction to the method of his approach. It also alludes to his ethical and logical doctrines. Highly educated, he belonged to the aristocratic sector of the tricipitini, which often emerged in.
Humphries easy, varied lines are thoroughly readable. To that end lucretius, following epicurus largely lost. 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 titus lucretius carus snippet view 1997. Pdf lucretius on the nature of things download pdf free ebook. Lucretius peers into the secrets of nature with a kind of innocent curiosity and offers a scientific explanation for all sorts of phenomena. On the nature of things watson translation internet archive. The nature of things by titus lucretius carus 1743 edition. Histories written by lucretius read by charlton griffin format. Other than the contents of the biography by diogenes laertius, our most reliable source of information on epicurean philosophy comes from lucretius famous poem.
In a fresh interpretation of lucretius son the nature of things, charles segal reveals this great poetical account of epicurean philosophy as an important and profound document for the history of western attitudes toward death. Digital rights management drm the publisher has supplied this book in encrypted form, which means that you need to install free software in order to unlock and read it. Archived from the original pdf on october 10, 2015. Introduction to lucretius on the nature of things cyril baley o f the three great latin poets lucretius seems to make the most peculiar appeal to our own age. On the nature of the universe is a didactic epic poem. Also the building blocks for his ethical theory the universe is one large stable system. The poem, written in some 7,400 dactylic hexameters, is divided into six untitled books, and explores epicurean physics. In it, he set out to explicate the universe, embracing and refuting ideas of the great greek philosophers. It is a formidable task to put 7,500 latin hexameter lines into english verse, but mr.
For comparison purposes the less literal william leonard 1916 edition in poem form is available at perseus here. On the nature of things by titus lucretius carus free ebook. On the nature of things is sweeping in scope and detail, but in the end it is essentially a presentation of the epicurean method for answering the most common and troubling questions. Axioms of lucretius atomic theory of the universe nature resolves everything into its component atoms and never reduces anything to nothing there is vacuity in things material objects are of two kinds. Lucretius on the nature of things this wiki will contain the public domain translations of the daniel browne 1734 edition, the hugh munro 1886 edition, and the cyril bailey 1936 edition.
The project gutenberg ebook of of the nature of things, by titus lucretius carus lucretius this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. A useful recent translation of lucretius on the nature. Lucretius, on the nature of things loeb classical library. No one can set about translating lucretius into english without finding his head full of the great work of h. In this work, lucretius theorized unhappiness in life comes from fear of the gods. The universe described in the poem operates according to these physical principles. So, if you know a little latin, but youre not really great at it, this compact volume with the latin on the left. Titus lucretius carus, lucretius on the nature of things, trans. On the other hand, slavery, poverty, riches, liberty, war, concord, and other things by whose coming and going the nature of things abides untouched, these we are used, time is not a separate existence, but an accident of things.
Humphries admirable and exciting translation makes it easy to grasp the shape and the magnitude of lucretius conception. Charlton griffins verbal performance of rolfe humphries english translation is an. But yet because true reasoning and the nature of things constrains us, give heed, until in a few verses we set forth that there are things which exist with solid and everlasting body, which we show to be the seeds of things and their firstbeginnings, out of which the whole sum of things now stands created. Lucretiuss scientific poem on the nature of things c. On the nature of things a conversation with margaret graver, professor of classics, dartmouth college. Philosophy for the millions pdf the classical journal, vol. The internet classics archive on the nature of things by.
Lucretius on the nature of things translated by ian johnston vancouver island university nanaimo, british columbia canada 2010. The poem explores lucretius belief about the gods, humanity, the senses, the world, and the universe, all through the philosophical framework of epicurus. Little is known of his life, although two tantalizing bits of gossip were passed on by st. Pdf lucretius and the history of science researchgate. On the nature of things has been divided into the following sections. 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. On the nature of things lucretius audio book torrent free download, 7696. Aristotelian natural philosophy in on the nature of things according to proper. But yet because true reason and nature of things constrain us, come, whilst in few verses now i disentangle how there still exist bodies of solid, everlasting frame the seeds of things, the primal germs we teach, whence all creation around us came to be. Titus lucretius carus on the nature of things titus lucretius carus preface of the book. Of the nature of things, free pdf, ebook global grey.
1277 597 207 504 340 497 90 548 534 1293 528 1319 1056 13 653 312 1225 1033 474 1374 1068 891 1384 48 459 733 161 167 1411 1047 141 856 1301 426 1321 567 1354 636