Lucretius: The Way Things Are: The De Rerum Natura of Titus Lucretius Carus"Mr. Humphries' admirable and exciting translation makes it easy to grasp the shape and the magnitude of Lucretius' conception. It is a formidable task to put 7,500 Latin hexameter lines into English verse, but Mr. Humphries' easy, varied lines are thoroughly readable. (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 mind of the natural philosopher is one with the mind of the poet." David Furley, The New York Times Book Review. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Acheron Anaxagoras animals atomic theory atomists atoms basic beasts blood body born breath bring bronze cause clouds cold color course creatures dark death deep Democritus disease earth elements Empedocles Epicureans Epicurus everything exist eyes fear feel fires of heaven first-beginnings flame flying force forever geocentric model gods heat heaven heaven's fire Heraclitus human images immortal infinite keep kind lack light limbs living Lucretius mass matter Memmius mind and spirit moon mortal motes motion mountains move nature never objects ocean once pain particles penetrate poem poet primal elements rain reason reductio ad absurdum rocks Rolfe Humphries seems sensation sense shape shatter shining solid soul sound space stars stir substance sum of things sweet teleology terror theory there's thunderbolt Tityos touch truth turn violence voices void weight wind wonder words