Selections from De Rerum Natura, The Nature of Things, Book V
EDEN (V. 772 – 877)
This remains: since throughout the cerulean places of the great world
I have unraveled with reason those things which come to be whatever
can so that the varied courses of the sun meanderings of the moon
we can know what force and cause summons
how they can: perish like stars six feet under their light
blocked shadows cover the unsuspecting lands
just as when they squint their eyes now the aperture opens
inspect all places bright with brilliant light
now I return to the novelty of the world the soft fields
of earth what in the next litter they had in mind at first to
raise to the shores of light to commit to the uncertain winds
In the beginning the family of grasses and green splendor
earth gave around the hills through all fields
meadows flickered in bloom greening
a great contest was given to the trees
to grow through the breezes reins loose
just as now feathers and first hairs and bristles are
created for limbs of four-leggers the frame of
able-winged
then the new earth first raised the grasses bushes
next created the mortal generations
many things arose in many ways with their own
philosophies couldn’t: animals fell out of the sky
land-lubbers sprung from salty lagoons
true: the earth earned the name
Mother since from the earth she created all
even now animals mushroom from rain-swept
lands curdle in the sun’s humidity
no less shocking if greater more fertile things arose
made adult by a new world and sky
In the beginning the family of wings a medley of things in flight
left their eggs hatched by springtime
just as now cicadas abandon their smooth
cocoons instinctively pursuing food and life
then the earth gave to you the mortal
generations heat and moisture the victors of ploughland
when some place offered itself a suitable region
wombs grew fixed to the earth with roots
when time dilated them full
infant fish lungs fled seeking the air
nature translated the earth’s openings
turned them like horses ships moonpaths
forced sap in her open veins to flow
very much like milk just as now a woman
after she’s pregnant stores within herself sweet
milk which every impulse to feed translates to her
breasts the earth food for boys mist clothing grass a bed
she gave many things overflowing with soft stubble
like that of a young man’s first beard
the novel world was not used to summoning. harsh cold spells
too long droughts winds of great might
all things grow equally take their strength at the same time
The earth earned the name Mother she made the family
of man and flooded the great mountains with every lunatic
animal she filled the sky with wings
since everything should have an end for fruitfulness
she stopped just like a woman tired in old age
time changes the nature of the whole world
one state should take all its parts from the last
nor should any thing remain similar to itself all things leave return
nature changes all things forces them to
shift something rots weak grows tired with age
something grows up from under escapes from hated
circumstances time changes the nature of the whole world
one state takes all its parts from the last
its bears what it could not before could bear what it has not before
Many were the miracles the world tried to
make every face and limb a wonder:
a woman who’s a man not in between or both far
from either some animals missing their feet some blind
some with all their limbs tangled tucked into their bodies
they couldn’t: do anything go
anywhere avoid evil take what they needed
nature reaped them the great pruner
they couldn’t: touch the bloom of old age longed
for find food join in the (austere and lonely) offices of love
for we see many things must happen just right in many ways
so that through children we might forge a legacy
first: food then: that fluid starting point hidden away like fire in flint
which drips from our arching frames like sweat blood honey
a woman can be joined with another they possess shared bliss
who exchange it between one another
Back then the mass destruction of many generations of the living was
unavoidable since they could not through children forge a legacy
everything you see feeding on the living air
is there either by lying or courage or speed
from the very beginning each one his brother’s keeper
many are here pledged to us entrusted to our protection by their utility
in the beginning the fierce family of lions savage
generations courage protected lying foxes and flight deer
but the light sleeping minds of loyal-hearted dogs
every race born of pack animal lineage
wool-bearing flocks horned herds
all these were pledged to the protection of
mankind eagerly fled beasts sought peace
multiplied with scarce food great labor
things we gave as prizes for the sake of their usefulness
those for whom nature allotted nothing
who were unable on their own to live or to prove to
us any usefulness why we should suffer
their family to be fed by our protection to be
safe surely these lay as prizes profit for others
every one trammeled by mortal chains
until nature reduced that family to extinction
THE MYTH OF YESTERDAY (V. 925 – 1010)
But that kind of man in the fields before was
hardier than you’d expect because the hard earth crafted
them with larger more powerful bones within
built fitted with strong muscles in their
flesh the sort not easily caught fever or cold
not by the novelty of food or any bodily illness
for many solar cycles twisting round the sky
they traced their lives in the manner of wide-wandering beasts
no strong someone was the tamer of the curved plough
no one knew how: to soften the earth with
metal to bury young plants into the earth up above
to cut down old tree branches with shears like my grandfather
because the sun and rain had given because the earth had crafted
on her own a gift that used to soothe hearts enough
many used to preen one another among the acorn-bearing oaks
those arbutes you see now in wintertime
growing ripe scarlet
then the earth bore even more abundantly
heavier so the blooming newness of the world
gave way too much hardy fare fitting for
wretched mortals but rivers and fountains were calling out to
settle thirst just as now waterfalls from great mountains
brightly invoke the thirsty clans of beasts
then they made footholds in wooded regions of nymphs known
from wanderings where they knew flowing water
washed the slippery wet rocks overflowing beyond the brim
wet rocks dripping from above from green moss some
which gushes in the floodplains some breaks forth into the fields
Things they did not know: how to wield fire how to use
pelts how to clothe their bodies in the corpses of beasts
made their homes in groves and mountain caves and woods
buried their dirty bodies among the apple trees
driven by the rain avoiding the pounding wind
how to see the common good know
customs or use laws
each one took only what chance gave
learned to live on her own
in the woods Love joined the bodies of lovers
arranged them either by mutual consent
or the violence of the man his destructive want
or an exchange: acorns strawberries pears
Depending as one does on youth friends intelligence sword
they depend on the wonderful virtue of their hands and feet
pursuing the woodland clans of beasts
with stone slings the heavy weight of a club
they vanquished many vanished from some in hiding places
caught by the night they gave their naked woodland limbs
like bristling boars to the ground
nesting themselves with leaves branches
never sought in nightshade palewandering
daylight the sun in the fields no great cry
but silently they waited buried in dream
while the rosy firebrand sun raised his eyes to the sky
Ever since they were little they saw
sunrise nightfall one after the other
never miraculous
they did not fear everlasting night
more of a consideration than light were the clans of beasts
making sleep so often hostile to those insomniacs
thrown from their homes they fled their stone roofs
at the arrival of a boar or a strong lion foaming like a rip curl
they yielded in the dead of night their beds
laid with branches shivering at their savage guests
Not too much more then than now were the mortal
generations departing the sweet lights of life with tears
when one of them was caught
she provided a still squirming meal for beasts slurped through teeth groves and mountains and woods she filled with shrieking
seeing living flesh buried in a living tomb
and those who saved themselves from digestion
holding their trembling hands over filthy gashes
begged in terrible tones for death
while ulcers robbed them of a savage life
deprived of assistance not knowing what their wounds want
not yet were thousands of boys sent over there
Baghdad Fallujah Mosul Sadr City
now Sarmada Raqqa Palmyra al-Bab Ildib
to their Dunkirks their Cannaes their Birnam Woods
their Children’s Crusade
not yet was one day giving them to destruction nor was the mutinous
seaskin dashing the ships against the rocks and men
by chance no purpose uselessly the sea rose often
raging—like panthers enraged birds like lunatic poison
coursing through the veins like winds like love—
lightly placing empty threats as a high roller places
bets the quiet sea’s charm could not charm anyone
into a costly mistake while the waves snickered
the wicked skill of sailing lay secret still
then the scarcity of food gave weary limbs to death
while now we are drowned in an abundance of stuff
those who once poisoned themselves unknowingly now
turn their venom on others with skill
ALPHABETA TESTING (1011 – 1090)
After they obtained homes and pelts and fire
and women joined to partners yielded to one…
(much is to be desired here some clarification on the
hegemony of the union the battles won and lost sex is in between the
lines) knew how to see their legacy created from themselves
at which point hardy mankind began to soften
they cared for their hearths since not even now
can they bear the cold on their chilly bodies under the vault of heaven
Venus shrunk their strength children
easily shattered their parents’ proud dispositions with their
cuteness then willing neighbors began to form friendships
not to harm or to be harmed
they entrusted children and womankind into their care
with words and gestures they stutteringly signify
that it is right to respect all those who are vulnerable
not in every way could harmony come to be
a good and great part of humankind kept their promises
unbroken might have been destroyed already then
might not have forged a legacy through children
Nature forced the varied sounds of tongue
to broadcast their usefulness minted the names of things
lack of language draws boys and girls to gestures
forces them pointing to show what’s standing right in front of them
each soul feels the weight of itself:
before a young bull’s horns are born on his
forehead in anger they attack rivals thrust with them
cubs of leopards whelps of lions
with claws and paws they play at fighting even then with
bites when scarcely their teeth and nails have grown
every generation of birds we see
trusts in their wings seeks featherquaking aid
but it is ridiculous to then extrapolate that somebody
has distributed all the names to things taught all
men vocabulary from the start
Why was this man above all others able
to trademark the diverse sounds of language to broadcast his voice
and at the same time others are not considered able to have done this?
if others did not also use their voices
among themselves before from where was knowledge of this usefulness
sown like seeds buried like a treasure chest from where was the first power given
so that they could know and see in their mind’s eye what they wanted to do
just so one man was not able to force many to master the vanquished
so that they would want to learn the names of things
to teach with any logic to tell the wind
what work must be done is no easy task for they could not allow
they would not bear too long for any reason
indecipherable noises of voice to thump their ears
uselessly what would be so surprising in this matter
if the human race in whom voice and language
thrives should mark experiences with diverse sounds
each according to a different feeling?
just as the mute flocks the generations of beasts
are accustomed to summon sounds different and mutable
when they are afraid or aggrieved or when they
swell like firestorms or waves with joy
surely it’s possible to understand this phenomenon after some examples
When provoked the soft wide mouths
of Molossian hounds growl baring hard teeth
their throats tuned far from any other sound as they threaten
enraged they howl fill the world with their voice
or when they try to lick their pups with cooing language
toss them attacking with their paws and nips
play at devouring gently their lips drawn back
fawn over them with another agreement of sound yelping
or when abandoned in the house they whine or
crying their downcast bodies avoid their master’s heavy
hand it seems not so different from whinnies
when among mares one colt of flowering youth
rages struck by the spurs of wing-bearing Desire
gives out a neigh to arms from flared nostrils
and when elsewise his limbs are struck he
whinnies finally the race of flight and wings
vultures bone breakers divers
hunting for food and life in the waves of the salt sea
let forth certain sounds at certain times
when they vie for food when their food fights back
at times they change their hoarse-sounding songs as
one in storms just as the long lived generations of crows
and murders of ravens when they are said to invoke wet weather
rain to call winds breezes
even if different emotions act upon animals
although they are senseless they give voice to different sounds
how much more likely is it for mortal men to have been able
to designate different sounds for different feelings
CB Brady is a writer and translator from Hawaii, based in the Bay Area. He writes poetry about dead things, especially languages. He produced a limited-run podcast about the crossroads of classical and American pop culture. He writes for CBR about comics and movies.
An early Christian scholar from the 4th c. CE writes of Lucretius’s life as such: “94 BCE … The poet Titus Lucretius is born. He was later driven mad by a love philtre and, having composed between bouts of insanity several books (which Cicero afterwards corrected), committed suicide at the age of 44.”
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