Lucretius, on the nature of things loeb classical library. Book i 94k book ii 106k book iii 95k book iv 117k book v 9k book vi 122k. Lucretius on human history this world is the product of nature, things colliding into. This translation is based primarily upon the latin text of h. At present 062718 transcription of book one is now complete, with books two through six remaining to be done. On the nature of things work by lucretius britannica. Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library.
Epicureanism was a missionary philospohy, aiming to give man happiness by making him selfsufficient. Study science in order to rid yourself of unneccesary fears, especially of the gods and death. The poems scope, even by modern standards, is staggering. A useful recent translation of lucretius on the nature. Lucretius forfattade hexameterdikten i sex bocker om tingens natur originaltitel. This paper argues that the former organizations scheme derives. Namely, lucretius explores the principles of atomism. Lucretius article about lucretius by the free dictionary. Lucretius poem on the nature of things combines a scientific and philosophical treatise with some of.
My main goal is to understand epicurean philosophy, though of course it would be nice if it sounded good too. Transcription of book 1 of the daniel browne edition is now complete, and we are in the process of adding the remaining five books, with crossreferences of each book against the latin text. In six books compounded of solid reasoning, brilliant imagination, and noble poetry, he expounds the scientific theories of the greek. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. 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. 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. American thought leaders the epoch times 342,596 views. Check our home page for introductory material on epicurus by clicking here. Prepared from the sphere library book, translated martin ferguson. Its earliest published translation into any language french did not occur until 1650.
Martin ferguson smiths work on lucretius is both well known and highly regarded. On the nature of things leonard translation titus lucretius carus c. Google this is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on. On the nature of things, 1951 prose translation by r. The introduction itself is for the most part unchanged updates appear in three notes but the section. Please click here to go to our dedicated site for lucretius. Mar 09, 2001 martin ferguson smiths work on lucretius is both well known and highly regarded. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Download m4b part 1 85mb download m4b part 2 97mb download m4b part 3 118mb download cover art download cd case insert.
The text of the browne translation needs to be typed into books two through six, and then line equivalent line. I care about clarity and ease of reading more than accuracy or aesthetics. He knows the poem as thoroughly as he knows the scholarship that bears on it an admirable translation. The internet classics archive on the nature of things by. 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. A word cloud of the leonard translation of lucretius the nature of things. Comprehensive commentary by cyril bailey, oxford university press 1947. 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. Lucretius poem on the nature of things combines a scientific and philosophical treatise with some of the greatest poetry ever written. Book i 94k book ii 106k book iii 95k book iv 117k book v 9k book vi 122k download. Until now, there has been no adequate english verse translation of lucretiuss work.
How the world became modern norton, a new book by cogan university professor and noted shakespeare scholar stephen greenblatt, to be published in september. On the nature of things by lucretius, part of the internet classics archive. Lucretius titus lucretius carus article about lucretius. Latham, introduction and notes by john godwin, penguin revised edition 1994, isbn 0140446109. Titus lucretius carus was a roman poet and philosopher over 2050 years ago. It is a formidable task to put 7,500 latin hexameter lines into english verse, but mr. Readers will share our excitement in the discovery of this accurate and fluent prose rendering.
Humphries easy, varied lines are thoroughly readable. On the nature of things has been divided into the following sections. 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. On the nature of things lucretius, martin ferguson smith. On the nature of things is a firstcentury bc didactic poem by the roman poet and philosopher lucretius c. This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. Hutchinsons translation well represents the complex world view of the roman philosopher lucretius, and his curiously modern understanding of atoms and their. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. For this edition, professor smith provides a revised translation, new introduction, headnotes and bibliography. This book represents the primary source of modern knowledge on epicurean thought, and it played an important role in the development of atomism. Humphries admirable and exciting translation makes it easy to grasp the shape and the magnitude of lucretius conception. A useful recent translation of lucretius on the nature of. 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.
The version read here is an english verse translation written by william. Little is known of his life, although two tantalizing bits of gossip were passed on by st. Lucretius regarded him as the spiritual savior of mankind. The poem was lost during the middle ages, rediscovered in 1417, and first printed in 1473.
The poem consists of six untitled books, in dactylic hexameter. Don fowler 2007 lucretius on creation and evolution. On the nature of things by lucretius the internet classics archive. Once more, if nature should of a sudden send a voice abroad, and her own self inveigh against us so. In book 3 he expounds the nature and composition of mind and spirit, proves. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Anthony esolen fills that gap with a version that reproduceswith remarkable faithfulnessthe.
Book i book ii book iii book iv book v book vi card. 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. Lucretius on the nature of things matter and void, part i. Editions containing works of lucretius titus lucretius carus lucretius on atomic motion. The title of lucretiuss work translates that of the chief work of epicurus, peri physeos on nature. Proem mother of rome, delight of gods and men, dear venus that beneath the. Many comments have been posted about on the nature of things. Lucretius is a really difficult text and you need a translation that will point out his sources and what hes doing with them. The improbable story of how it reemerged, and how the mindset it advocated informs our present, is the subject of the swerve. Englerts translation of the poem is indeed accurate and readable. In the present reprint the translation has been adapted. For a more detailed description of the contents of each book, please consult the.
Commentary references to this page 3 john conington, commentary on vergils aeneid, volume 1, 1. Titus lucretius carus was probably born in the early first century b. Jerome speaks of the loss of his reason through taking a love potion. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. It states that in sane intervals he had written books that were later emended by cicero. It is a statement of personal responsibility in a world in which everyone is driven by hungers and.
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