Lucretius: DE RERVM NATVRA LIBRI SEX

Suave, mari magno turbantibus aequora ventis
e terra magnum alterius spectare laborem;
non quia vexari quemquamst iucunda voluptas,
sed quibus ipse malis careas quia cernere suavest.
suave etiam belli certamina magna tueri

Sweet, on the great sea when the winds are troubling the waters,
from land to behold another’s great labor;
not because it is a pleasing delight that anyone be vexed,
but because it is sweet to discern what evils you yourself are without.
sweet also to behold the great contests of war

per campos instructa tua sine parte pericli;

arrayed across the plains, with you having no share of peril;

sed nihil dulcius est, bene quam munita tenere

but nothing is sweeter than to hold well-fortified

edita doctrina sapientum templa serena,
despicere unde queas alios passimque videre
errare atque viam palantis quaerere vitae,

the serene temples, raised on high by the doctrine of the wise,
from whence you can look down and everywhere behold others
erring and, straggling, seek the path of life,

certare ingenio, contendere nobilitate,
noctes atque dies niti praestante labore
ad summas emergere opes rerumque potiri.
o miseras hominum mentes, o pectora caeca!
qualibus in tenebris vitae quantisque periclis

to vie in ingenuity, to contend in nobility,
nights and days to strive by outstanding labor
to emerge to the highest opulence and gain possession of things.
o wretched minds of men, o blind hearts!
in what darkness of life and how great perils

degitur hoc aevi quod cumquest! nonne videre
nihil aliud sibi naturam latrare, nisi ut qui
corpore seiunctus dolor absit, mente fruatur
iucundo sensu cura semota metuque?
ergo corpoream ad naturam pauca videmus

whatever of this span of life there is is spent! do you not see
that Nature cries out for nothing else for herself, except that he
be free from pain in the body, and that the mind enjoy
a pleasant sensation, with care and fear removed?
therefore toward the corporeal nature we see few things

esse opus omnino: quae demant cumque dolorem,
delicias quoque uti multas substernere possint
gratius inter dum, neque natura ipsa requirit,
si non aurea sunt iuvenum simulacra per aedes
lampadas igniferas manibus retinentia dextris,

that there is altogether need of these: things which remove pain whenever,
and that they also can strew many delights beneath, more pleasing at times,
nor does nature herself require,
if there are not golden simulacra of youths throughout the halls
holding fire-bearing lamps in their right hands,

lumina nocturnis epulis ut suppeditentur,
nec domus argento fulget auroque renidet
nec citharae reboant laqueata aurataque templa,
cum tamen inter se prostrati in gramine molli
propter aquae rivum sub ramis arboris altae

that lights be supplied for nocturnal banquets,
nor does the house gleam with silver and shine back with gold
nor do citharas reverberate through coffered and gilded halls,
when, however, stretched out together on soft grass
beside a stream of water beneath the branches of a tall tree

non magnis opibus iucunde corpora curant,
praesertim cum tempestas adridet et anni
tempora conspergunt viridantis floribus herbas.
nec calidae citius decedunt corpore febres,
textilibus si in picturis ostroque rubenti

not with great resources do they pleasantly care for their bodies,
especially when the weather smiles and the seasons of the year
sprinkle the verdant grasses with flowers.
nor do hot fevers depart more swiftly from the body,
even if amid woven pictures and ruddy purple-dye

iacteris, quam si in plebeia veste cubandum est.
quapropter quoniam nihil nostro in corpore gazae
proficiunt neque nobilitas nec gloria regni,
quod super est, animo quoque nil prodesse putandum;
si non forte tuas legiones per loca campi

you are tossed about, than if it must be lain in plebeian garb.
wherefore, since treasures in our body profit nothing, nor nobility nor the glory of kingship,
what remains is that they must be thought to profit nothing to the mind as well;
unless by chance your legions through the places of the plain

fervere cum videas belli simulacra cientis,
subsidiis magnis et opum vi constabilitas,
ornatas armis statuas pariterque animatas,
his tibi tum rebus timefactae religiones
effugiunt animo pavidae mortisque timores

when you see the simulacra of war seething, rousing,
buttressed by great subsidies and by the force of resources made stable,
statues adorned with arms and likewise animated,
then by these things for you the terror-struck religions
flee from the mind, timorous, and the fears of death

tum vacuum pectus lincunt curaque solutum.
quod si ridicula haec ludibriaque esse videmus,
re veraque metus hominum curaeque sequaces
nec metuunt sonitus armorum nec fera tela
audacterque inter reges rerumque potentis

then they leave a vacant breast and care unbound.
but if we see these things to be ridiculous and mere mockeries,
and in very truth the fears of men and their attendant cares
neither dread the sounds of arms nor savage weapons
and boldly among kings and those potent in affairs

versantur neque fulgorem reverentur ab auro
nec clarum vestis splendorem purpureai,
quid dubitas quin omnis sit haec rationis potestas,
omnis cum in tenebris praesertim vita laboret?
nam vel uti pueri trepidant atque omnia caecis

they move about and do not revere the gleam from gold
nor the bright splendor of the purple garment,
why do you doubt that this is the whole potency of reason,
since all life, especially, labors in darkness?
for even as boys tremble and all things in the dark

in tenebris metuunt, sic nos in luce timemus
inter dum, nihilo quae sunt metuenda magis quam
quae pueri in tenebris pavitant finguntque futura.
hunc igitur terrorem animi tenebrasque necessest
non radii solis neque lucida tela diei

in the dark they fear, thus we in the light fear
at times, things which are no more to be feared than
those which boys in the dark panic at and imagine will come.
therefore this terror of mind and these darknesses it is necessary
that not the rays of the sun nor the lucid shafts of day

discutiant, sed naturae species ratioque.
Nunc age, quo motu genitalia materiai
corpora res varias gignant genitasque resolvant
et qua vi facere id cogantur quaeque sit ollis
reddita mobilitas magnum per inane meandi,

disperse them, but Nature’s aspect and reason.
Now come, by what motion the generative bodies of matter
beget various things and resolve the things begotten,
and by what force they are compelled to do this, and what mobility has been rendered to them
for going through the great void,

expediam: tu te dictis praebere memento.
nam certe non inter se stipata cohaeret
materies, quoniam minui rem quamque videmus
et quasi longinquo fluere omnia cernimus aevo
ex oculisque vetustatem subducere nostris,

I will set forth: remember to offer yourself to my words.
for certainly matter does not cohere, packed tight within itself,
since we see each thing being diminished,
and we discern that all things, as it were, flow in long-distant age
and withdraw their oldness from our eyes,

cum tamen incolumis videatur summa manere
propterea quia, quae decedunt corpora cuique,
unde abeunt minuunt, quo venere augmine donant.
illa senescere, at haec contra florescere cogunt,
nec remorantur ibi. sic rerum summa novatur

although nevertheless the sum seems to remain intact
for this reason, because the bodies which depart from each thing,
they diminish where they go away from; where they have come, they endow with augmentation.
they compel those to grow old, but these, contrariwise, to flourish,
nor do they linger there. thus the sum of things is renewed

semper, et inter se mortales mutua vivunt.
augescunt aliae gentes, aliae minuuntur,
inque brevi spatio mutantur saecla animantum
et quasi cursores vitai lampada tradunt.
Si cessare putas rerum primordia posse

always, and mortals live by mutual exchange among themselves.
others are augmented, others are diminished,
and in a brief span the ages of animate beings are changed,
and, as if runners, they hand on the torch of life.
If you think the primordial-beginnings of things can cease

cessandoque novos rerum progignere motus,
avius a vera longe ratione vagaris.
nam quoniam per inane vagantur, cuncta necessest
aut gravitate sua ferri primordia rerum
aut ictu forte alterius. nam <cum> cita saepe

and, by ceasing, to beget new motions of things,
you stray, pathless, far from true reason.
for since they wander through the void, it is necessary that all
the first-beginnings of things be borne either by their own gravity
or by the blow, perchance, of another. for when often swift

obvia conflixere, fit ut diversa repente
dissiliant; neque enim mirum, durissima quae sint
ponderibus solidis neque quicquam a tergibus obstet.
et quo iactari magis omnia materiai
corpora pervideas, reminiscere totius imum

meeting head-on, they have clashed, so that suddenly they spring apart in different directions
nor indeed is it a wonder, since they are very hard
with solid weights, and nothing hinders them from their backs.
and in order that you may more fully perceive that all the bodies of matter
are being tossed about, recall the bottom of the whole

nil esse in summa, neque habere ubi corpora prima
consistant, quoniam spatium sine fine modoquest
inmensumque patere in cunctas undique partis
pluribus ostendi et certa ratione probatumst.
quod quoniam constat, ni mirum nulla quies est

that there is nothing at the summit, nor do the first bodies have where they might take their stand,
since space is without end and limit
and lies out immense into all parts on every side,
this has been shown by many and proved by certain reasoning.
since this is established, beyond doubt there is no rest.

reddita corporibus primis per inane profundum,
sed magis adsiduo varioque exercita motu
partim intervallis magnis confulta resultant,
pars etiam brevibus spatiis vexantur ab ictu.
et quae cumque magis condenso conciliatu

are returned to the first bodies through the deep void,
but rather, being exercised by incessant and various motion,
partly, thrust together after great intervals, they rebound,
part too are harried by blow in short spaces.
and whatever are with a more condensed concourse

100

exiguis intervallis convecta resultant,
indupedita suis perplexis ipsa figuris,
haec validas saxi radices et fera ferri
corpora constituunt et cetera <de> genere horum.
paucula quae porro magnum per inane vagantur,

driven together at slight intervals they rebound,
ensnared by their own intricate figures themselves,
these constitute the strong roots of rock and the fierce bodies
of iron, and the rest <of> the genus of these.
the few which moreover wander through the great void,

105

cetera dissiliunt longe longeque recursant
in magnis intervallis; haec aera rarum
sufficiunt nobis et splendida lumina solis.
multaque praeterea magnum per inane vagantur,
conciliis rerum quae sunt reiecta nec usquam

the rest leap apart far and rebound far back
in great intervals; these supply for us the rarefied air
and the splendid lights of the sun.
and many things besides wander through the great void,
which have been rejected from the assemblies of things and nowhere

110

consociare etiam motus potuere recepta.
Cuius, uti memoro, rei simulacrum et imago
ante oculos semper nobis versatur et instat.
contemplator enim, cum solis lumina cumque
inserti fundunt radii per opaca domorum:

the things received have also been able to consociate their motions.
Of which thing, as I recount, the simulacrum and image
always moves before our eyes and presses upon us.
behold, for when the lights of the sun, and when the inserted rays,
pour through the dark places of houses:

115

multa minuta modis multis per inane videbis
corpora misceri radiorum lumine in ipso
et vel ut aeterno certamine proelia pugnas
edere turmatim certantia nec dare pausam,
conciliis et discidiis exercita crebris;

many minute bodies in many modes through the void you will see
bodies to be mingled in the very light of the rays
and even, as in an eternal contest, battles, combats
to produce, contending in troops, and not to give a pause,
exercised by frequent conjunctions and divisions;

120

conicere ut possis ex hoc, primordia rerum
quale sit in magno iactari semper inani.
dum taxat, rerum magnarum parva potest res
exemplare dare et vestigia notitiai.
Hoc etiam magis haec animum te advertere par est

so that you may be able to conjecture from this, the primordia of things
what it is like to be ever tossed in the great void.
only to this extent, a small thing can, of great things,
give an exemplar and vestiges of knowledge.
This also all the more it is fitting that these things turn your mind to attend

125

corpora quae in solis radiis turbare videntur,
quod tales turbae motus quoque materiai
significant clandestinos caecosque subesse.
multa videbis enim plagis ibi percita caecis
commutare viam retroque repulsa reverti

the bodies which in the sun’s rays seem to be in turmoil,
because such turmoils also signify that motions of matter
clandestine and blind lie beneath.
for you will see many there, struck by blind blows,
change their path and, driven back, revert backward

130

nunc huc nunc illuc in cunctas undique partis.
scilicet hic a principiis est omnibus error.
prima moventur enim per se primordia rerum,
inde ea quae parvo sunt corpora conciliatu
et quasi proxima sunt ad viris principiorum,

now here, now there, into all parts on every side.
surely here, from the first principles, is the wandering of all.
for the first-beginnings of things are moved by themselves,
then those bodies which are in a slight combination of bodies,
and, as it were, are next to the forces of the first principles,

135

ictibus illorum caecis inpulsa cientur,
ipsaque <pro>porro paulo maiora lacessunt.
sic a principiis ascendit motus et exit
paulatim nostros ad sensus, ut moveantur
illa quoque, in solis quae lumine cernere quimus

impelled by their blind blows, they are stirred,
and they themselves <pro>in turn goad those a little larger.
thus from the principles motion ascends and issues forth
gradually to our senses, so that there are moved
those things too, which we can discern only in the sun’s light

140

nec quibus id faciant plagis apparet aperte.
Nunc quae mobilitas sit reddita materiai
corporibus, paucis licet hinc cognoscere, Memmi.
primum aurora novo cum spargit lumine terras
et variae volucres nemora avia pervolitantes

nor by what blows they do this does it appear openly.
Now what mobility has been rendered to the bodies of matter
it is permitted hence to learn in a few words, Memmius.
first, when dawn with new light sprinkles the lands
and various birds, flitting through the pathless groves,

145

aera per tenerum liquidis loca vocibus opplent,
quam subito soleat sol ortus tempore tali
convestire sua perfundens omnia luce,
omnibus in promptu manifestumque esse videmus.
at vapor is, quem sol mittit, lumenque serenum

through the tender air they fill the spaces with liquid voices,
how suddenly the sun, risen at such a time, is wont to clothe, suffusing all things with his own light,
we see to be in plain view and manifest to all.
but that vapor which the sun sends, and the serene light

150

non per inane meat vacuum; quo tardius ire
cogitur, aerias quasi dum diverberat undas;
nec singillatim corpuscula quaeque vaporis
sed complexa meant inter se conque globata;
qua propter simul inter se retrahuntur et extra 155
officiuntur, uti cogantur tardius ire.
at quae sunt solida primordia simplicitate,
cum per inane meant vacuum nec res remoratur
ulla foris atque ipsa suis e partibus unum,
unum, in quem coepere, locum conixa feruntur,

does not travel through the yawning void empty; whereby it is compelled
to go more slowly, as while it cleaves the airy waves;
nor do the little corpuscles of vapor go each singly,
but they go interlaced among themselves and also globed together;
wherefore at once they are drawn back among themselves and blocked from without, 155
so that they are forced to go more slowly.
But the first-beginnings which are solid in simplicity,
since they go through the inane void and nothing outside delays
them, and they themselves, from their own parts, striving, to one,
one place into which they began, are borne,

160

debent ni mirum praecellere mobilitate
et multo citius ferri quam lumina solis
multiplexque loci spatium transcurrere eodem
tempore quo solis pervolgant fulgura caelum.
                         * * *                                             164ax
nec persectari primordia singula quaeque,
ut videant qua quicque geratur cum ratione.
     At quidam contra haec, ignari materiai,
naturam non posse deum sine numine reddunt
tanto opere humanis rationibus atmoderate
tempora mutare annorum frugesque creare

they ought, no marvel, to excel in mobility
and to be borne much more swiftly than the lights of the sun,
and to run across a manifold span of place in the same
time wherein the sun’s fulgurations fly through the heaven.
                         * * *                                             164ax
nor to pursue the first-beginnings each and every one,
so that they may see by what ratio each thing is conducted.
     But certain men, against these things, unknowing of matter,
declare that nature cannot without a god’s numen
so greatly, adjusted to human reckonings,
change the seasons of the years and create the fruits

170

et iam cetera, mortalis quae suadet adire
ipsaque deducit dux vitae dia voluptas
et res per Veneris blanditur saecla propagent,
ne genus occidat humanum. quorum omnia causa
constituisse deos cum fingunt, omnibus rebus

and now the other things, which urge mortals to approach
ipsaque the very divine pleasure, the guide of life, leads down
and the matter blandishes that through Venus the generations may propagate,
lest the human race perish. of all which whose sake
when they feign that the gods have constituted [things], in all matters

175

magno opere a vera lapsi ratione videntur.
nam quamvis rerum ignorem primordia quae sint,
hoc tamen ex ipsis caeli rationibus ausim
confirmare aliisque ex rebus reddere multis,
nequaquam nobis divinitus esse creatam

they seem to have fallen far from true reason.
for although I am ignorant what the first-beginnings of things are,
yet from the very reasonings of the sky I would dare
to confirm this and to render it from many other matters,
that the world has by no means been created for us by divine agency.

180

naturam mundi: tanta stat praedita culpa.
quae tibi posterius, Memmi, faciemus aperta;
nunc id quod super est de motibus expediemus.
Nunc locus est, ut opinor, in his illud quoque rebus
confirmare tibi, nullam rem posse sua vi

the nature of the world: it stands endowed with so great a fault.
which we shall make open to you later, Memmius;
now we will set forth what remains concerning motions.
Now there is room, as I opine, in these matters also
to confirm for you that no thing can by its own force

185

corpoream sursum ferri sursumque meare.
ne tibi dent in eo flammarum corpora frudem;
sursus enim versus gignuntur et augmina sumunt
et sursum nitidae fruges arbustaque crescunt,
pondera, quantum in se est, cum deorsum cuncta ferantur.

that a corporeal thing is carried upward and goes upward.
lest in this the bodies of flames give you a deception;
for, turned upward, they are generated and take augmentations,
and upward the gleaming crops and the tree-plantings grow,
weights, so far as it lies in themselves, while all things are borne downward.

190

nec cum subsiliunt ignes ad tecta domorum
et celeri flamma degustant tigna trabesque,
sponte sua facere id sine vi subiecta putandum est.
quod genus e nostro com missus corpore sanguis
emicat exultans alte spargitque cruorem.

nor when fires leap up to the roofs of houses
and with swift flame they taste the timbers and beams,
is it to be thought that they do this of their own accord without an underlying force.
just as, when from our body blood sent forth
flashes out, exulting, on high and scatters the gore.

195

nonne vides etiam quanta vi tigna trabesque
respuat umor aquae? nam quo magis ursimus altum
derecta et magna vi multi pressimus aegre,
tam cupide sursum removet magis atque remittit,
plus ut parte foras emergant exiliantque.

do you not see also with how great force the moisture of the water repulses beams and timbers?
for the more we urge it down into the deep,
straight and with great force we many press it with difficulty,
so eagerly it removes upward and remits it back,
so that by a greater part they emerge forth and leap out.

200

nec tamen haec, quantum est in se, dubitamus, opinor,
quin vacuum per inane deorsum cuncta ferantur.
sic igitur debent flammae quoque posse per auras
aeris expressae sursum succedere, quamquam
pondera, quantum in <se> est, deorsum <de>ducere pugnent.

nor yet, I suppose, do we doubt, in so far as it is in itself,
that through the inane void downward all things are borne.
thus therefore flames too must be able through the airs
pressed out of the air to advance upward, although
weights, as far as is in themselves, strive to draw downward.

205

nocturnasque faces caeli sublime volantis
nonne vides longos flammarum ducere tractus
in quas cumque dedit partis natura meatum?
non cadere in terras stellas et sidera cernis?
sol etiam <caeli> de vertice dissipat omnis

and the nocturnal torches of the sky flying on high,
do you not see them draw long tracts of flames
into whatever parts nature has granted a passage?
do you not discern that stars and constellations do not fall to the earth?
the sun too from the summit of the sky scatters all things

210

ardorem in partis et lumine conserit arva;
in terras igitur quoque solis vergitur ardor.
transversosque volare per imbris fulmina cernis,
nunc hinc nunc illinc abrupti nubibus ignes
concursant; cadit in terras vis flammea volgo.

and he sows ardor into the parts and with light he sows the fields;
in to the lands therefore the sun’s ardor is also inclined.
and you discern thunderbolts flying crosswise through the showers,
now here, now there fires torn from the clouds
run together; a fiery force falls into the lands commonly.

215

Illud in his quoque te rebus cognoscere avemus,
corpora cum deorsum rectum per inane feruntur
ponderibus propriis, incerto tempore ferme
incertisque locis spatio depellere paulum,
tantum quod momen mutatum dicere possis.

This too among these matters we are eager that you come to know,
when bodies, as they are borne straight downward through the void
by their own weights, at an uncertain time, for the most part,
and in uncertain places, deflect a little by a space,
only so much that you can say their momentum has been changed.

220

quod nisi declinare solerent, omnia deorsum
imbris uti guttae caderent per inane profundum
nec foret offensus natus nec plaga creata
principiis; ita nihil umquam natura creasset.
Quod si forte aliquis credit graviora potesse

but unless they were wont to swerve, all things downward
would fall like drops of rain through the deep void,
nor would a collision have been born nor a blow created
for the first-beginnings; thus nature would never have created anything.
But if perchance someone believes that heavier things are able

225

corpora, quo citius rectum per inane feruntur,
incidere ex supero levioribus atque ita plagas
gignere, quae possint genitalis reddere motus,
avius a vera longe ratione recedit.
nam per aquas quae cumque cadunt atque aera rarum,

bodies, the more swiftly they are borne straight through the void,
to fall down from above upon the lighter ones and thus to beget blows
which can render generative motions,
strays far away from the true reasoning.
for whatever fall through waters and the rarefied air,

230

haec pro ponderibus casus celerare necessest
propterea quia corpus aquae naturaque tenvis
aeris haud possunt aeque rem quamque morari,
sed citius cedunt gravioribus exsuperata;
at contra nulli de nulla parte neque ullo 235
tempore inane potest vacuum subsistere rei,
quin, sua quod natura petit, concedere pergat;
omnia qua propter debent per inane quietum
aeque ponderibus non aequis concita ferri.
haud igitur poterunt levioribus incidere umquam

it is necessary that these falls be hastened in proportion to weights
because the body of water and the tenuous nature
of air are not able equally to delay each thing,
but, overpowered by the heavier, yield more quickly;
but on the contrary, to no one, from no part nor at any 235
time can the void, empty, stand fast against any thing,
nay rather, it goes on to concede what its nature seeks;
wherefore all things ought through the quiet void
to be borne equally, impelled, though with weights not equal.
therefore they will not be able ever to impinge upon the lighter

240

ex supero graviora neque ictus gignere per se,
qui varient motus, per quos natura gerat res.
quare etiam atque etiam paulum inclinare necessest
corpora; nec plus quam minimum, ne fingere motus
obliquos videamur et id res vera refutet.

from above the heavier things neither can generate by themselves blows
which would vary the motions, through which nature conducts things.
wherefore again and again it is necessary that the bodies incline a little;
and not more than the minimum, lest we seem to feign oblique motions
and the true reality refute it.

245

namque hoc in promptu manifestumque esse videmus,
pondera, quantum in <se> est, non posse obliqua meare,
ex supero cum praecipitant, quod cernere possis;
sed nihil omnino <recta> regione viai
declinare quis est qui possit cernere sese?

for we see this to be plain and manifest,
that weights, so far as it lies in themselves, cannot go obliquely,
when they precipitate from on high, which you can discern;
but that they swerve at all from the straight line of their way,
who is there that can perceive this for himself?

250

Denique si semper motu conectitur omnis
et vetere exoritur <motus> novus ordine certo
nec declinando faciunt primordia motus
principium quoddam, quod fati foedera rumpat,
ex infinito ne causam causa sequatur,

Finally, if all is always connected by motion
and from the old a new motion arises in a certain order,
nor by declining do the primordia make a certain principle of motion,
a principle which would break the treaties of fate,
lest out of the infinite cause follow cause,

255

libera per terras unde haec animantibus exstat,
unde est haec, inquam, fatis avolsa voluntas,
per quam progredimur quo ducit quemque voluptas,
declinamus item motus nec tempore certo
nec regione loci certa, sed ubi ipsa tulit mens?

free across the lands, whence does this exist for living beings,
whence is this, I say, this will avulsed from the fates,
through which we go forward where pleasure leads each one,
we also decline motions neither at a fixed time
nor in a fixed region of place, but where the mind itself has borne?

260

nam dubio procul his rebus sua cuique voluntas
principium dat et hinc motus per membra rigantur.
nonne vides etiam patefactis tempore puncto
carceribus non posse tamen prorumpere equorum
vim cupidam tam de subito quam mens avet ipsa?

for, beyond doubt, in these matters each one’s will
gives the principle, and from this the motions are regulated through the limbs.
do you not see even, with the starting-gates laid open in a point of time,
that the eager force of the horses nevertheless cannot burst forth
so suddenly as the mind itself craves?

265

omnis enim totum per corpus materiai
copia conciri debet, concita per artus
omnis ut studium mentis conixa sequatur;
ut videas initum motus a corde creari
ex animique voluntate id procedere primum,

for indeed the whole supply of matter throughout the body
must be stirred together, so that, once roused through the limbs,
the whole zeal of the mind, straining, may follow;
so that you may see the inception of motion created from the heart
and that it proceeds first from the mind’s volition,

270

inde dari porro per totum corpus et artus.
nec similest ut cum inpulsi procedimus ictu
viribus alterius magnis magnoque coactu;
nam tum materiem totius corporis omnem
perspicuumst nobis invitis ire rapique,

and thence to be given further through the whole body and the limbs.
nor is it the same as when, impelled by a blow,
by another’s great forces and by great coercion;
for then the material of the whole body, all of it,
it is perspicuous to us, though unwilling, to go and to be snatched away,

275

donec eam refrenavit per membra voluntas.
iamne vides igitur, quamquam vis extera multos
pellat et invitos cogat procedere saepe
praecipitesque rapi, tamen esse in pectore nostro
quiddam quod contra pugnare obstareque possit?

until the will reined it back through the limbs.
do you now see then, although an external force
drives many and compels the unwilling often to proceed
and be snatched headlong, nevertheless there is in our breast
something which can fight back and stand in the way?

280

cuius ad arbitrium quoque copia materiai
cogitur inter dum flecti per membra per artus
et proiecta refrenatur retroque residit.
quare in seminibus quoque idem fateare necessest,
esse aliam praeter plagas et pondera causam

at whose discretion too the supply of matter
is sometimes compelled to be bent through the limbs, through the joints,
and, when projected, is reined in and settles back.
wherefore in the seeds too you must needs confess the same,
that there is another cause besides blows and weights.

285

motibus, unde haec est nobis innata potestas,
de nihilo quoniam fieri nihil posse videmus.
pondus enim prohibet ne plagis omnia fiant
externa quasi vi; sed ne res ipsa necessum
intestinum habeat cunctis in rebus agendis                290
et devicta quasi cogatur ferre patique,
id facit exiguum clinamen principiorum
nec regione loci certa nec tempore certo.
     Nec stipata magis fuit umquam materiai
copia nec porro maioribus intervallis;

by motions, whence this innate power is in us,
since we see that nothing is able to be made from nothing.
for weight prevents that all things be done by blows
as by an external force; but lest the thing itself have an
internal necessity in the doing of all things, 290
and, as vanquished, be compelled to bear and to suffer,
this a slight clinamen of the principles brings about,
neither in a fixed region of place nor at a fixed time.
Nor was the supply of matter ever more packed together,
nor, further, with greater intervals;

295

nam neque adaugescit quicquam neque deperit inde.
qua propter quo nunc in motu principiorum
corpora sunt, in eodem ante acta aetate fuere
et post haec semper simili ratione ferentur,
et quae consuerint gigni gignentur eadem

for neither does anything increase nor perish from there.
wherefore, in what motion of the first-beginnings the bodies
are now, in the same they were in an age gone by,
and after these things they will always be borne in similar manner,
and the same things which have been accustomed to be begotten will be begotten.

300

condicione et erunt et crescent vique valebunt,
quantum cuique datum est per foedera naturai.
nec rerum summam commutare ulla potest vis;
nam neque quo possit genus ullum materiai
effugere ex omni quicquam est <extra>, neque in omne

by condition they will both be and increase, and by force they will prevail,
as much as to each has been given through the covenants of Nature.
nor can any force change the sum of things;
for neither is there any whither to which any kind of matter
can escape outside from the Whole, nor into the Whole

305

unde coorta queat nova vis inrumpere et omnem
naturam rerum mutare et vertere motus.
Illud in his rebus non est mirabile, quare,
omnia cum rerum primordia sint in motu,
summa tamen summa videatur stare quiete,

whence a new force could arise to break in and change the whole nature of things and overturn their motions.
This in these matters is not marvelous, why,
all the first-beginnings of things being in motion,
yet the sum-total nevertheless seems to stand at rest,

310

praeter quam siquid proprio dat corpore motus.
omnis enim longe nostris ab sensibus infra
primorum natura iacet; qua propter, ubi ipsa
cernere iam nequeas, motus quoque surpere debent;
praesertim cum, quae possimus cernere, celent

except when some motion from their own body gives a sign.
all the nature of the first-beginnings lies far beneath our senses;
wherefore, when you can no longer discern them themselves,
their motions too must escape;
especially since they conceal even the things we can discern

315

saepe tamen motus spatio diducta locorum.
nam saepe in colli tondentes pabula laeta
lanigerae reptant pecudes, quo quamque vocantes
invitant herbae gemmantes rore recenti,
et satiati agni ludunt blandeque coruscant; 320
omnia quae nobis longe confusa videntur
et velut in viridi candor consistere colli.
praeterea magnae legiones cum loca cursu
camporum complent belli simulacra cientes,
fulgor ubi ad caelum se tollit totaque circum

often, however, movements are drawn apart by the expanse of distances.
for often on a hill, grazing the joyous pastures,
wool-bearing flocks crawl, while the grasses, calling each whither,
invite, gemmed with recent dew,
and the sated lambs play and coruscate charmingly; 320
all which to us from afar seem confused,
and as if a whiteness were standing on a green hill.
furthermore, when great legions fill at a run the tracts
of the fields, arousing the simulacra of war,
where brilliance lifts itself to the sky and all around

325

aere renidescit tellus supterque virum vi
excitur pedibus sonitus clamoreque montes
icti reiectant voces ad sidera mundi
et circum volitant equites mediosque repente
tramittunt valido quatientes impete campos;

the earth gleams back with bronze, and beneath the men by force
a sound is roused by the feet, and the mountains by the clamor
struck, throw back voices to the stars of the world,
and around the horsemen fly and suddenly through the midst
they traverse the fields, shaking them with a strong impetus;

330

et tamen est quidam locus altis montibus, <unde>
stare videntur et in campis consistere fulgor.
Nunc age, iam deinceps cunctarum exordia rerum
qualia sint et quam longe distantia formis,
percipe, multigenis quam sint variata figuris;

and yet there is a certain place among lofty mountains, <whence>
they seem to stand, and the effulgence to take its stand upon the plains.
Now come, henceforth, the beginnings of all things,
of what sort they are and how far distant in forms,
perceive, how they are variegated with multigenous figures;

335

non quo multa parum simili sint praedita forma,
sed quia non volgo paria omnibus omnia constant.
nec mirum; nam cum sit eorum copia tanta,
ut neque finis, uti docui, neque summa sit ulla,
debent ni mirum non omnibus omnia prorsum

not because many are endowed with too little similar form,
but because not commonly do all things consist equal for everyone.
nor is it a marvel; for since their abundance is so great,
that neither end, as I have taught, nor any sum exists,
they ought, no wonder, not for all things altogether

340

esse pari filo similique adfecta figura.
Praeterea genus humanum mutaeque natantes
squamigerum pecudes et laeta armenta feraeque
et variae volucres, laetantia quae loca aquarum
concelebrant circum ripas fontisque lacusque,

to be woven with an equal thread and endowed with a like figure.
Moreover the human race, and mute, swimming scaly herds,
and the glad droves, and the wild beasts,
and the various birds, which the joyous places of waters
do throng together around the banks and the springs and the lakes,

345

et quae pervolgant nemora avia pervolitantes,
quorum unum quidvis generatim sumere perge;
invenies tamen inter se differre figuris.
nec ratione alia proles cognoscere matrem
nec mater posset prolem; quod posse videmus

and those which sweep through the pathless groves, flitting as they fly,
of which set yourself to take any single one, by kind;
you will find, nevertheless, that they differ among themselves in figures.
nor by any other rationale could the offspring recognize the mother,
nor the mother the offspring; which we see is possible

350

nec minus atque homines inter se nota cluere.
nam saepe ante deum vitulus delubra decora
turicremas propter mactatus concidit aras
sanguinis expirans calidum de pectore flumen;
at mater viridis saltus orbata peragrans

nor less than men are they known among themselves by marks.
for often before the god a calf in the fair shrines
falls, slaughtered, beside the incense-burning altars,
breathing out from his breast a hot river of blood;
but the mother, bereft, traversing the green woodland glades

355

novit humi pedibus vestigia pressa bisulcis,
omnia convisens oculis loca, si queat usquam
conspicere amissum fetum, completque querellis
frondiferum nemus adsistens et crebra revisit
ad stabulum desiderio perfixa iuvenci,

she knows the footprints on the ground, pressed by cloven hoofs,
surveying with her eyes all the places, if anywhere she might
catch sight of her lost fetus, and she fills with laments
the leaf-bearing grove as she stands by, and frequently revisits
the stall, transfixed with desire for the young bullock,

360

nec tenerae salices atque herbae rore vigentes
fluminaque ulla queunt summis labentia ripis
oblectare animum subitamque avertere curam,
nec vitulorum aliae species per pabula laeta
derivare queunt animum curaque levare;

nor do the tender willows and grasses flourishing with dew
nor any rivers gliding along their utmost banks
have power to delight the mind and avert the sudden care,
nor can the shapes of other calves through the joyful pastures
draw off the mind and lighten the care;

365

usque adeo quiddam proprium notumque requirit.
praeterea teneri tremulis cum vocibus haedi
cornigeras norunt matres agnique petulci
balantum pecudes; ita, quod natura resposcit,
ad sua quisque fere decurrunt ubera lactis.

to such a degree it requires something proper and known.
furthermore the tender kids, with tremulous voices,
know their horn-bearing mothers, and the petulant lambs
the bleating sheep; thus, as nature demands,
each for the most part runs down to its own udders of milk.

370

Postremo quodvis frumentum non tamen omne
quidque suo genere inter se simile esse videbis,
quin intercurrat quaedam distantia formis.
concharumque genus parili ratione videmus
pingere telluris gremium, qua mollibus undis

Finally, any grain—yet not all—
you will see each, in its own kind, to be similar among themselves,
yet some distance in forms runs between.
and the kind of shells we see by a like reasoning
to paint the bosom of the earth, where with soft waves

375

litoris incurvi bibulam pavit aequor harenam.
quare etiam atque etiam simili ratione necessest,
natura quoniam constant neque facta manu sunt
unius ad certam formam primordia rerum,
dissimili inter se quaedam volitare figura.

the level sea has soaked the bibulous sand of the curved shore.
wherefore again and again by similar reasoning it is necessary,
since they consist by nature and are not made by hand,
that the primordia of things are not to one fixed form,
that certain ones flit about with dissimilar figure among themselves.

380

Perfacile est animi ratione exsolvere nobis
quare fulmineus multo penetralior ignis
quam noster fluat e taedis terrestribus ortus;
dicere enim possis caelestem fulminis ignem
subtilem magis e parvis constare figuris

It is very easy by the mind’s reasoning for us to resolve
why the lightning-fire flows far more penetratingly
than our fire sprung from earthly torches;
for you could say that the celestial fire of the thunderbolt
consists of more subtle small figures

385

atque ideo transire foramina quae nequit ignis
noster hic e lignis ortus taedaque creatus.
praeterea lumen per cornum transit, at imber
respuitur. quare, nisi luminis illa minora
corpora sunt quam de quibus est liquor almus aquarum?

and therefore to pass through the openings which our fire cannot,
our fire here sprung from wood and fashioned from torch.
Moreover light passes through horn, but rain
is repelled. Why else, unless those bodies of light
are smaller than those of which the kindly liquid of waters is made?

390

et quamvis subito per colum vina videmus
perfluere, at contra tardum cunctatur olivom,
aut quia ni mirum maioribus est elementis
aut magis hamatis inter se perque plicatis,
atque ideo fit uti non tam diducta repente

and although we see wines suddenly flow through a colander,
yet, on the contrary, the olive-oil lingers, slow,
either because, doubtless, it is of larger elements,
or more hooked among themselves and throughout more plicated,
and therefore it comes about that they are not so suddenly drawn apart

395

inter se possint primordia singula quaeque
singula per cuiusque foramina permanare.
     Huc accedit uti mellis lactisque liquores
iucundo sensu linguae tractentur in ore;
at contra taetra absinthi natura ferique                400
centauri foedo pertorquent ora sapore;
ut facile agnoscas e levibus atque rutundis
esse ea quae sensus iucunde tangere possunt,
at contra quae amara atque aspera cumque videntur,
haec magis hamatis inter se nexa teneri

that the individual primordials can, each singly,
permeate through the several foramina of each.
to this is added that the liquors of honey and of milk
are handled with a pleasant sense of the tongue in the mouth;
but on the contrary the foul nature of absinthe and of the wild 400
centaur twist the mouth with a foul savor;
so that you may easily recognize that from smooth and rotund
are those which can pleasantly touch the senses,
but on the contrary, whatever things seem bitter and rough,
these are rather held bound among themselves with hooked ones

405

proptereaque solere vias rescindere nostris
sensibus introituque suo perrumpere corpus.
omnia postremo bona sensibus et mala tactu
dissimili inter se pugnant perfecta figura;
ne tu forte putes serrae stridentis acerbum

and for this reason they are wont to cut open ways for our senses,
and by their entrance to break through the body.
all things, finally—good and bad for the senses—by touch
do battle with one another, perfected in dissimilar figure;
lest by chance you think the acerbity of a strident saw

410

horrorem constare elementis levibus aeque
ac musaea mele, per chordas organici quae
mobilibus digitis expergefacta figurant;
neu simili penetrare putes primordia forma
in nares hominum, cum taetra cadavera torrent,

that horror consists of light elements equally
as a Musean melody, which through the strings of an organist
awakened by nimble fingers they fashion;
nor suppose that first-beginnings of similar form penetrate
into the nostrils of men, when foul cadavers scorch,

415

et cum scena croco Cilici perfusa recens est
araque Panchaeos exhalat propter odores;
neve bonos rerum simili constare colores
semine constituas, oculos qui pascere possunt,
et qui conpungunt aciem lacrimareque cogunt

and when the stage has been freshly drenched with Cilician saffron,
and the altar exhales Panchaean odors nearby;
nor set down that the good colors of things consist of a similar seed,
which can feed the eyes,
and which prick the sight and compel to weep

420

aut foeda specie foedi turpesque videntur.
omnis enim, sensus quae mulcet cumque, <tibi res>
haut sine principiali aliquo levore creatast;
at contra quae cumque molesta atque aspera constat,
non aliquo sine materiae squalore repertast.

or, foul in aspect, the foul appear base and ugly.
for every thing, whatever soothes the senses <to you, a thing>
has not been created without some primordial polish;
but on the contrary whatever consists as troublesome and asperous,
has not been found without some squalor of matter.

425

Sunt etiam quae iam nec levia iure putantur
esse neque omnino flexis mucronibus unca,
sed magis angellis paulum prostantibus, <ut quae>
titillare magis sensus quam laedere possint,
fecula iam quo de genere est inulaeque sapores.

There are also things which now are not by right considered light
nor altogether hooked with bent points,
but rather with little angles projecting a little, <as those which>
can tickle the senses more than injure,
sediments now, of the sort to which belong the flavors of elecampane.

430

Denique iam calidos ignis gelidamque pruinam
dissimili dentata modo conpungere sensus
corporis, indicio nobis est tactus uterque.
tactus enim, tactus, pro divum numina sancta,
corporis est sensus, vel cum res extera sese

Finally, that now hot fires and gelid hoarfrost
prick the senses of the body in a dissimilar dentate manner
is an indication to us that both are touch.
For touch—touch, by the sacred numina of the gods—
is a sense of the body, either when an external thing itself

435

insinuat, vel cum laedit quae in corpore natast
aut iuvat egrediens genitalis per Veneris res,
aut ex offensu cum turbant corpore in ipso,
semina confundunt inter se concita sensum;
ut si forte manu quamvis iam corporis ipse

insinuates itself, or when that which has arisen in the body wounds,
or pleases, the genital matter going out through the business of Venus,
or, from an offense (impact), when in the body itself they disturb,
the seeds, stirred up, confound sense among themselves;
as, if by chance, with the hand, although already himself of the body

440

tute tibi partem ferias atque experiare.
qua propter longe formas distare necessest
principiis, varios quae possint edere sensus.
Denique quae nobis durata ac spissa videntur,
haec magis hamatis inter sese esse necessest

you yourself may strike a part for yourself and make trial.
wherefore it is necessary that the forms differ widely in the principles,
which can put forth various senses.
finally, the things which seem to us hardened and dense,
it is necessary that these be more hook-armed among themselves

445

et quasi ramosis alte compacta teneri.
in quo iam genere in primis adamantina saxa
prima acie constant ictus contemnere sueta
et validi silices ac duri robora ferri
aeraque quae claustris restantia vociferantur.

and, as if held fast, compacted on high with ramose branchings.
in which kind now, among the first, adamantine stones
stand in the front line, accustomed to scorn blows,
and the stout flints and the hard bars of iron,
and bronzes which, standing fast with bolts, are loudly proclaimed.

450

illa quidem debent e levibus atque rutundis
esse magis, fluvido quae corpore liquida constant.
namque papaveris haustus itemst facilis quod aquarum;
nec retinentur enim inter se glomeramina quaeque
et perculsus item proclive volubilis exstat. 455
omnia postremo quae puncto tempore cernis
diffugere ut fumum nebulas flammasque, necessest,
si minus omnia sunt e levibus atque rotundis,
at non esse tamen perplexis indupedita,
pungere uti possint corpus penetrareque saxa,

those indeed ought rather to be from light and rotund [elements],
which with a fluid body subsist as liquids.
for the draught of poppy likewise is easy, as that of waters;
nor, in fact, are their several conglomerations held together among themselves,
and when struck it likewise shows itself voluble, prone to roll. 455
finally, all things which you discern in a point of time
to scatter like smoke, mists, and flames, must needs be,
if not all of light and round [elements],
yet at least not entangled in perplexed impediments,
so that they can prick the body and penetrate stones,

460

nec tamen haerere inter se; quod cumque videmus
sensibus dentatum, facile ut cognoscere possis
non e perplexis, sed acutis esse elementis.
sed quod amara vides eadem quae fluvida constant,
sudor uti maris est, minime mirabile debet

and yet not to stick among themselves; whatever we perceive by the senses as toothed, so that you may easily recognize that it is not from perplexed but from sharp elements. but that you see things which consist of a fluid body to be bitter, as the sweat of the sea is, ought to be least marvelous.

465

* * * 465a
nam quod fluvidus est, e levibus atque rotundis
est, sed levibus <sunt hamata> admixta doloris
corpora. nec tamen haec retineri hamata necessust:
scilicet esse globosa tamen, cum squalida constent,
provolvi simul ut possint et laedere sensus.

* * * 465a
for that which is fluid is from smooth and round [elements],
but with the smooth bodies of pain are mixed.
nor, however, is it necessary that these hooked be held fast:
evidently they are globose nevertheless, although they consist of squalid (rough) things,
so that they can roll forward at the same time and wound the senses.

470

et quo mixta putes magis aspera levibus esse
principiis, unde est Neptuni corpus acerbum,
est ratio secernendi seorsumque videndi,
umor dulcis ubi per terras crebrius idem
percolatur, ut in foveam fluat ac mansuescat;                475
linquit enim supera taetri primordia viri,
aspera quo magis in terris haerescere possint.
     Quod quoniam docui, pergam conectere rem quae
ex hoc apta fidem ducat, primordia rerum
finita variare figurarum ratione.

and where you would think that the rough are more mixed with the smooth
first-beginnings, whence Neptune’s body is bitter,
there is a rationale of separating and of seeing apart,
when the same sweet moisture more frequently through the lands
is percolated, so that it may flow into a pit and become mild;                475
for it leaves above the first-beginnings of foul slime,
so that the rougher may the more adhere in the earth.
     Since I have taught this, I will proceed to connect a matter which
from this, apt as it is, may lead to credence: that the first-beginnings of things,
being finite, vary by the rationale of figures.

480

quod si non ita sit, rursum iam semina quaedam
esse infinito debebunt corporis auctu.
namque in eadem una cuiusvis iam brevitate
corporis inter se multum variare figurae
non possunt. fac enim minimis e partibus esse

but if it is not so, then again certain seeds
would have to be of infinite augmentation of body.
for in the one and the same brevity of any given
body the figures cannot vary much among themselves.
for grant, indeed, that they are from the least parts

485

corpora prima tribus, vel paulo pluribus auge;
nempe ubi eas partis unius corporis omnis,
summa atque ima locans, transmutans dextera laevis,
omnimodis expertus eris, quam quisque det ordo
formai speciem totius corporis eius,

augment the first bodies threefold, or by a little more;
surely, when you, placing the highest and the lowest,
transmuting right with left, have arranged all those parts of one body,
you will have in every way made trial what order of form each gives
to the appearance of the whole body of it.

490

quod super est, si forte voles variare figuras,
addendum partis alias erit. inde sequetur,
adsimili ratione alias ut postulet ordo,
si tu forte voles etiam variare figuras.
ergo formarum novitatem corporis augmen

what remains, if by chance you should wish to vary the figures,
it will be necessary to add other parts. thence it will follow,
that by a similar rationale the order should require others,
if you by chance should wish also to vary the figures.
therefore the novelty of forms is an augment of the body

495

subsequitur. quare non est ut credere possis
esse infinitis distantia semina formis,
ne quaedam cogas inmani maximitate
esse, supra quod iam docui non posse probari.
iam tibi barbaricae vestes Meliboeaque fulgens

it follows. wherefore there is no way you can believe
that the seeds are set apart by infinite forms,
lest you compel certain ones to be of immense maximal magnitude,
a thing which above I have already taught cannot be proved.
now for you the barbaric garments and the Meliboean gleaming

500

purpura Thessalico concharum tacta colore,
aurea pavonum ridenti imbuta lepore
saecla novo rerum superata colore iacerent
et contemptus odor smyrnae mellisque sapores,
et cycnea mele Phoebeaque daedala chordis

purple, touched by the Thessalian color of shells,
golden, the peacocks’ laughing charm imbued,
the ages would lie overcome by a new color of things,
and the odor of myrrh and the savors of honey [would be] despised,
and the swan-song and the Phoebean art, deft upon strings

505

carmina consimili ratione oppressa silerent;
namque aliis aliud praestantius exoreretur.
cedere item retro possent in deteriores
omnia sic partis, ut diximus in melioris;
namque aliis aliud retro quoque taetrius esset

poems, suppressed by a similar reasoning, would fall silent;
for for others something else more preeminent would arise.
likewise they could cede backward into worse ones,
all things thus partitioned, as we have said, into the better;
for to others something else would also be more hideous in reverse.

510

naribus auribus atque oculis orisque sapori.
quae quoniam non sunt, <sed> rebus reddita certa
finis utrimque tenet summam, fateare necessest
materiem quoque finitis differe figuris.
denique ab ignibus ad gelidas hiemum usque pruinas

for the nostrils and the ears and the eyes and the mouth’s savor.
since these are not so, <but> a fixed limit, rendered to things, holds the total on both sides,
you must needs confess that matter too differs by finite figures.
finally, from fires all the way to the icy frosts of winter

515

finitumst retroque pari ratione remensumst.
omnis enim calor ac frigus mediique tepores
interutrasque iacent explentes ordine summam.
ergo finita distant ratione creata,
ancipiti quoniam mucroni utrimque notantur,

it is finite, and back again it has been remeasured by equal rationale.
for every heat and cold and the tepidities in the middle
lie between the two, filling out the sum in order.
therefore, created things are finite and stand apart by reason,
since on both sides they are marked by a two‑edged blade.

520

hinc flammis illinc rigidis infesta pruinis.
Quod quoniam docui, pergam conectere rem quae
ex hoc apta fidem ducat, primordia rerum,
inter se simili quae sunt perfecta figura,
infinita cluere. etenim distantia cum sit

hence on this side by flames, on that side by rigid hoarfrosts beset.
Since I have taught this, I will proceed to connect the matter which,
from this, may aptly draw credence: that the first-beginnings of things,
which among themselves are perfected with similar figure,
are held to be infinite. For indeed, since there is a distance

525

formarum finita, necesse est quae similes sint
esse infinitas aut summam materiai
finitam constare, id quod non esse probavi.
* * * 528a
versibus ostendam corpuscula materiai
ex infinito summam rerum usque tenere
undique protelo plagarum continuato.
nam quod rara vides magis esse animalia quaedam
fecundamque magis naturam cernis in illis,
at regione locoque alio terrisque remotis
multa licet genere esse in eo numerumque repleri;

the forms being finite, it is necessary that those which are similar be infinite, or that the sum of matter be finite, which I have proved is not so.
* * * 528a
in verses I will show that the tiny bodies of matter,
from the Infinite, keep the sum of things sustained
on every side by a drawn‑out continuum of blows.
for whereas you see certain animals to be rather rare,
and you discern a more fecund nature in others,
yet in another region and place and in far‑off lands
many may exist of that kind, and the number be replenished;

535

sicut quadripedum cum primis esse videmus
in genere anguimanus elephantos, India quorum
milibus e multis vallo munitur eburno,
ut penitus nequeat penetrari: tanta ferarum
vis est, quarum nos perpauca exempla videmus.

Just as, of quadrupeds, we see among the foremost in the kind the snake-handed elephants;
India, by many thousands of them, is fortified with an ivory rampart,
so that it cannot be penetrated deep within: so great is the force
of wild beasts, of which we see very few examples.

540

sed tamen id quoque uti concedam, quam lubet esto
unica res quaedem nativo corpore sola,
cui similis toto terrarum non sit, in orbi;
infinita tamen nisi erit vis materiai,
unde ea progigni possit concepta, creari

but yet, that too, let me grant, let it be whatever you please—
some single thing alone with a native body,
to which nothing similar exists in the whole orb of lands;
nevertheless, unless there is an infinite force of matter,
whence it might be able, once conceived, to be begotten, to be created

545

non poterit neque, quod super est, procrescere alique.
quippe etenim sumant alii finita per omne
corpora iactari unius genitalia rei,
unde ubi qua vi et quo pacto congressa coibunt
materiae tanto in pelago turbaque aliena? 550
non, ut opinor, habent rationem conciliandi:
sed quasi naufragiis magnis multisque coortis
disiactare solet magnum mare transtra cavernas
antemnas prorem malos tonsasque natantis,
per terrarum omnis oras fluitantia aplustra

it will neither be able, nor, what remains, to grow any further.
for indeed let others assume that through all
the universe there are tossed the finite bodies generative of a single thing,
whence, when, by what force and in what manner, once they have met, will they unite,
the matters, in so great a deep and in a foreign throng? 550
they do not, as I suppose, have a reason for conciliation:
but as, when great and many shipwrecks have arisen,
the great sea is wont to scatter cross-benches, hollow timbers,
yards, the prow, masts, and oars afloat,
stern-ornaments floating along all the shores of the lands

555

ut videantur et indicium mortalibus edant,
infidi maris insidias virisque dolumque
ut vitare velint, neve ullo tempore credant,
subdola cum ridet placidi pellacia ponti,
sic tibi si finita semel primordia quaedam

so that they may be seen and give an indication to mortals,
the ambushes of the treacherous sea and its forces and guile
so that they may wish to avoid, and at no time trust,
when the sly allurement of the placid sea smiles,
thus for you, if certain primordials once were finite

560

constitues, aevom debebunt sparsa per omnem
disiectare aestus diversi materiai,
numquam in concilium ut possint compulsa coire
nec remorari in concilio nec crescere adaucta;
quorum utrumque palam fieri manifesta docet res,

you will establish certain first-beginnings as finite; scattered through all the aeon,
the diverse surges of matter will be bound to fling them asunder,
so that, even when compelled, they could never come together into an assembly,
nor tarry in an assembly nor grow when augmented;
both of which things manifest reality teaches to happen openly,

565

et res progigni et genitas procrescere posse.
esse igitur genere in quovis primordia rerum
infinita palam est, unde omnia suppeditantur.
Nec superare queunt motus itaque exitiales
perpetuo neque in aeternum sepelire salutem,

and that things can be begotten and, once begotten, can grow forth.
therefore it is clear that the first-beginnings of things are infinite in any kind whatsoever
whence all things are supplied.
Nor therefore can the deadly motions overcome
continuously, nor bury safety forever,

570

nec porro rerum genitales auctificique
motus perpetuo possunt servare creata.
sic aequo geritur certamine principiorum
ex infinito contractum tempore bellum.
nunc hic nunc illic superant vitalia rerum

nor moreover can the generative and augmentative motions
preserve the created things perpetually.
thus in an equal contest of the principles
the war contracted from infinite time is carried on.
now here, now there, the vital elements of things prevail

575

et superantur item. miscetur funere vagor,
quem pueri tollunt visentis luminis oras;
nec nox ulla diem neque noctem aurora secutast,
quae non audierit mixtos vagitibus aegris
ploratus, mortis comites et funeris atri.                580
     Illud in his obsignatum quoque rebus habere
convenit et memori mandatum mente tenere,
nil esse, in promptu quorum natura videtur,
quod genere ex uno consistat principiorum,
nec quicquam quod non permixto semine constet.

and in turn they are overcome as well. The newborn’s wail is mixed with the funeral,
which children raise on reaching the borders of the seeing light;
nor has any night followed day nor dawn followed night
which has not heard laments mixed with sickly wailings,
companions of death and of gloomy funeral. 580
This too in these matters it is fitting to have sealed and to keep entrusted in a remembering mind,
that there is nothing, of those whose nature is seen in plain view,
which consists of one genus of first principles,
nor anything which does not consist by mingled seed.

585

et quod cumque magis vis multas possidet in se
atque potestates, ita plurima principiorum
in sese genera ac varias docet esse figuras.
Principio tellus habet in se corpora prima,
unde mare inmensum volventes frigora fontes

and whatever force more possesses many capacities within itself
and powers, thus it teaches that there are very many kinds of first-beginnings
and various figures in itself.
To begin with, the earth holds within itself the primal bodies,
whence the immense sea, the fountains rolling chills

590

adsidue renovent, habet ignes unde oriantur;
nam multis succensa locis ardent sola terrae,
ex imis vero furit ignibus impetus Aetnae.
tum porro nitidas fruges arbustaque laeta
gentibus humanis habet unde extollere possit,

may continually be renewed, it has fires whence they may arise;
for in many places the soils of the earth, ignited, burn, and indeed from the deepest fires the onrush of Etna rages.
then furthermore it has whence it can raise up for human peoples shining crops and glad arboreal plantings,

595

unde etiam fluvios frondes et pabula laeta
montivago generi possit praebere ferarum.
quare magna deum mater materque ferarum
et nostri genetrix haec dicta est corporis una.
Hanc veteres Graium docti cecinere poetae

whence also it can offer rivers, foliage, and lush pastures
for the mountain-roving race of wild beasts.
wherefore the great mother of the gods and mother of beasts
and the genetrix of our body this one has been called.
Her the ancient learned poets of the Greeks sang

600

sedibus in curru biiugos agitare leones,
aeris in spatio magnam pendere docentes
tellurem neque posse in terra sistere terram.
adiunxere feras, quia quamvis effera proles
officiis debet molliri victa parentum.

to drive two-yoked lions in a chariot from her seat,
teaching that in the space of the air the great earth hangs
and that earth cannot on the earth set earth.
they adjoined wild beasts, because although a savage offspring
ought to be softened, overcome by the offices of parents.

605

muralique caput summum cinxere corona,
eximiis munita locis quia sustinet urbes.
quo nunc insigni per magnas praedita terras
horrifice fertur divinae matris imago.
hanc variae gentes antiquo more sacrorum

and they encircled the highest head with a mural crown,
because, fortified with exceptional sites, it sustains cities.
with which insignia now, endowed, throughout the great lands
the image of the divine mother is borne in dread fashion.
her various peoples, in the ancient manner of sacred rites

610

Idaeam vocitant matrem Phrygiasque catervas
dant comites, quia primum ex illis finibus edunt
per terrarum orbes fruges coepisse creari.
Gallos attribuunt, quia, numen qui violarint
Matris et ingrati genitoribus inventi sint,

They call the mother Idaean, and Phrygian bands
they give as companions, because they declare that first from those borders
through the orbs of the lands crops began to be created.
They assign the Galli, because those who have violated the numen
of the Mother and have been found ungrateful to their genitors,

615

significare volunt indignos esse putandos,
vivam progeniem qui in oras luminis edant.
tympana tenta tonant palmis et cymbala circum
concava, raucisonoque minantur cornua cantu,
et Phrygio stimulat numero cava tibia mentis,

they wish to signify that those are to be thought unworthy,
who bring living progeny forth into the shores of light.
the stretched tympana thunder under the palms and the cymbals
hollow all around, and the horns menace with raucisonant song,
and with Phrygian measure the hollow pipe stimulates minds,

620

telaque praeportant, violenti signa furoris,
ingratos animos atque impia pectora volgi
conterrere metu quae possint numine divae.
ergo cum primum magnas invecta per urbis
munificat tacita mortalis muta salute,

and they carry before them weapons, tokens of violent frenzy,
to terrify with fear the ungrateful spirits and impious hearts of the crowd
by the numen of the goddess. Therefore, as soon as, borne through the great cities,
she bestows upon mortals, in silence, a mute safety,

625

aere atque argento sternunt iter omne viarum
largifica stipe ditantes ninguntque rosarum
floribus umbrantes matrem comitumque catervam.
hic armata manus, Curetas nomine Grai
quos memorant, Phrygias inter si forte catervas

with bronze and silver they strew the whole course of the roads
enriching with lavish largess of coin, and they snow with roses,
with flowers shading the Mother and the troop of companions.
here an armed band, whom the Greeks by name call the Curetes,
whom they relate, among Phrygian bands, as it happens,

630

ludunt in numerumque exultant sanguine laeti
terrificas capitum quatientes numine cristas,
Dictaeos referunt Curetas, qui Iovis illum
vagitum in Creta quondam occultasse feruntur,
cum pueri circum puerum pernice chorea

they play to the measure and exult, glad with blood,
shaking the terrifying crests of their heads by divine numen,
they recall the Dictaean Curetes, who are said
once in Crete to have hidden that cry of Jove,
when boys around a boy with a nimble dance

635

[armat et in numerum pernice chorea]
armati in numerum pulsarent aeribus aera,
ne Saturnus eum malis mandaret adeptus
aeternumque daret matri sub pectore volnus.
propterea magnam armati matrem comitantur,

[it arms, and in measure, the nimble dance]
armed, in measure, they would beat bronzes with bronzes,
lest Saturn, having gotten him, should chew him in his jaws
and give an eternal wound to the mother beneath her breast.
for this reason the armed accompany the great Mother,

640

aut quia significant divam praedicere ut armis
ac virtute velint patriam defendere terram
praesidioque parent decorique parentibus esse.
quae bene et eximie quamvis disposta ferantur,
longe sunt tamen a vera ratione repulsa.

or because they signify that the goddess foretells that with arms
and with virtue they should be willing to defend the fatherland land
and to be a protection and an honor to their parents.
which things, although well and excellently disposed as they may be carried,
are nevertheless far repulsed from true reason.

645

omnis enim per se divom natura necessest
inmortali aevo summa cum pace fruatur
semota ab nostris rebus seiunctaque longe;
nam privata dolore omni, privata periclis,
ipsa suis pollens opibus, nihil indiga nostri,

for the nature of the gods in and of itself must of necessity
enjoy with immortal age the highest peace,
removed from our affairs and far disjoined;
for, deprived of all pain, deprived of perils,
powerful in its own resources, in no way needy of us,

650

nec bene promeritis capitur neque tangitur ira.
terra quidem vero caret omni tempore sensu,
et quia multarum potitur primordia rerum,
multa modis multis effert in lumina solis.
hic siquis mare Neptunum Cereremque vocare

nor is it captured by well-merited services, nor touched by wrath.
indeed the earth truly is devoid at every time of sensation,
and because it possesses the first-beginnings of many things,
it brings many things in many modes into the light of the sun.
here, if anyone chooses to call the sea Neptune and the grain Ceres

655

constituet fruges et Bacchi nomine abuti
mavolt quam laticis proprium proferre vocamen,
concedamus ut hic terrarum dictitet orbem
esse deum matrem, dum vera re tamen ipse
religione animum turpi contingere parcat.

he will assign the crops and prefers to abuse the name of Bacchus
rather than to bring forth the proper appellation of the liquid,
let us concede that this man keeps calling the orb of lands
the mother of the gods to be, provided that he himself, in the truth of the matter,
would forbear to touch his mind with base religion.

680

Saepe itaque ex uno tondentes gramina campo

Often therefore, cropping the grasses from one field

660

lanigerae pecudes et equorum duellica proles
buceriaeque greges eodem sub tegmine caeli
ex unoque sitim sedantes flumine aquai
dissimili vivont specie retinentque parentum
naturam et mores generatim quaeque imitantur.

wool-bearing flocks and the warlike brood of horses
bucerial herds beneath the same covering of sky
and from one river of water slaking their thirst
live with dissimilar appearance and retain their parents’
nature and manners, each after its kind they imitate.

665

tanta est in quovis genere herbae materiai
dissimilis ratio, tanta est in flumine quoque.
Hinc porro quamvis animantem ex omnibus unam
ossa cruor venae calor umor viscera nervi
constituunt, quae sunt porro distantia longe,

so great is, in whatever kind of herb, the dissimilar ratio of matter
so great it is in a river as well.
Hence furthermore, although any living creature, any one out of all,
bones, blood, veins, heat, moisture, entrails, sinews
constitute it, which things, moreover, are far distant,

670

dissimili perfecta figura principiorum.
Tum porro quae cumque igni flammata cremantur.
si nil praeterea, tamen haec in corpore tradunt,
unde ignem iacere et lumen submittere possint
scintillasque agere ac late differre favillam.

perfected by the dissimilar form of the first-beginnings.
Then furthermore, whatever things inflamed by fire are burned.
if nothing else, yet these impart within their body,
whence they can hurl fire and emit light
and drive sparks and widely scatter the cinder.

675

cetera consimili mentis ratione peragrans
invenies igitur multarum semina rerum
corpore celare et varias cohibere figuras.
Denique multa vides, quibus et color et sapor una
reddita sunt cum odore in primis pleraque poma.

the rest, traversing with a like reasoning of mind,
you will find therefore the seeds of many things
to hide in a body and to confine various figures.
Finally, you see many things, to which both color and savor together
are bestowed along with odor—especially most fruits.

681

haec igitur variis debent constare figuris;
nidor enim penetrat qua fucus non it in artus,
fucus item sorsum, <sorsum> sapor insinuatur
sensibus; ut noscas primis differre figuris.

therefore these must consist of various figures;
for the reek/scent penetrates where the dye does not go into the parts,
the dye likewise apart, <sorsum> the savor insinuates itself
into the senses; so that you may recognize that they differ in their primary figures.

685

dissimiles igitur formae glomeramen in unum
conveniunt et res permixto semine constant.
Quin etiam passim nostris in versibus ipsis
multa elementa vides multis communia verbis,
cum tamen inter se versus ac verba necesse est

dissimilar forms therefore gather into one agglomeration,
they convene, and things subsist by a mingled seed.
More than that, even everywhere in our very verses
you see many elements common to many words,
although nevertheless among themselves it is necessary that verses and words

690

confiteare alia ex aliis constare elementis;
non quo multa parum communis littera currat
aut nulla inter se duo sint ex omnibus isdem,
sed quia non volgo paria omnibus omnia constant.
sic aliis in rebus item communia multa

You will acknowledge that different things consist of different elements;
not because many a letter runs too scant in common,
or that no two among them are composed out of all the same,
but because not commonly do all things for all stand constituted in equal fashion.
thus in other matters likewise many things are common

695

multarum rerum cum sint, primordia rerum
dissimili tamen inter se consistere summa
possunt; ut merito ex aliis constare feratur
humanum genus et fruges arbustaque laeta.
Nec tamen omnimodis conecti posse putandum est

since the first-beginnings of things, though they are of many things,
yet can subsist with a dissimilar aggregate among themselves;
so that with good reason it is reported that the human race and grains and lush orchards
consist from different [first-beginnings].
Nor, however, must it be thought that they can be connected in every mode

700

omnia; nam volgo fieri portenta videres,
semiferas hominum species existere et altos
inter dum ramos egigni corpore vivo
multaque conecti terrestria membra marinis,
tum flammam taetro spirantis ore Chimaeras

all things; for you would see portents occur commonly,
half-beast forms of men to come forth, and at times
among tall branches living bodies to be begotten,
and many terrestrial limbs to be connected with marine ones,
then Chimaeras breathing flame from a foul mouth

705

pascere naturam per terras omniparentis.
quorum nil fieri manifestum est, omnia quando
seminibus certis certa genetrice creata
conservare genus crescentia posse videmus.
scilicet id certa fieri ratione necessust.

to pasture upon the nature of the all-parent throughout the lands.
of which nothing is manifestly brought to pass, since we see that all things,
from fixed seeds, created by a fixed genetrix,
as they grow are able to preserve their kind.
surely it must be that this is done by a fixed reason.

710

nam sua cuique cibis ex omnibus intus in artus
corpora discedunt conexaque convenientis
efficiunt motus; at contra aliena videmus
reicere in terras naturam, multaque caecis
corporibus fugiunt e corpore percita plagis,

for to each, from all foods, their proper bodies pass within into the limbs,
and, being connected, produce motions that are congruent;
but, on the contrary, we see nature throw the alien back onto the lands,
and many bodies, struck by blind blows, flee out from the body,

715

quae neque conecti quoquam potuere neque intus
vitalis motus consentire atque imitari.
sed ne forte putes animalia sola teneri
legibus his, quaedam ratio res terminat omnis
nam vel uti tota natura dissimiles sunt

which neither have been able to be connected anywhere nor within to agree with the vital motions and to imitate them.
but lest by chance you think animals alone are held by these laws,
a certain ratio sets bounds to all things;
for either as they are wholly unlike in nature

720

inter se genitae res quaeque, ita quamque necessest
dissimili constare figura principiorum;
non quo multa parum simili sint praedita forma,
sed quia non volgo paria omnibus omnia constant.
semina cum porro distent, differre necessust

Whatever things are begotten from one another, it is necessary that each, in its way,
consist in a dissimilar figure of the principles;
not that many are endowed with a form too little similar,
but because not universally do all things stand equal for everyone.
since moreover the seeds are distinct, it is necessary that they differ.

725

intervalla vias conexus pondera plagas
concursus motus; quae non animalia solum
corpora seiungunt, sed terras ac mare totum
secernunt caelumque a terris omne retentant.
Nunc age dicta meo dulci quaesita labore

intervals, ways, connections, weights, strokes,
concourses, motions; which not living only
bodies do they sunder, but lands and the whole sea
they set apart, and they hold back all heaven from the lands.
Now come, the sayings sought by my sweet labor

730

percipe, ne forte haec albis ex alba rearis
principiis esse, ante oculos quae candida cernis,
aut ea quae nigrant nigro de semine nata;
nive alium quemvis quae sunt inbuta colorem,
propterea gerere hunc credas, quod materiai

perceive, lest perchance you suppose that these are white from white principles,
which you see white before your eyes,
or that those which blacken were born from black seed;
or that things which are imbued with any other color than snow
for that reason bear this, you would think, because the matter of things

735

corpora consimili sint eius tincta colore;
nullus enim color est omnino materiai
corporibus, neque par rebus neque denique dispar.
in quae corpora si nullus tibi forte videtur
posse animi iniectus fieri, procul avius erras.

that the bodies of matter be tinged with a similar color to it;
for there is no color at all in the bodies of matter,
neither equal to things nor, in fine, different.
into which bodies, if by chance it seems to you
that no in-throwing of mind can be made, you wander far, off the way.

740

nam cum caecigeni, solis qui lumina numquam
dispexere, tamen cognoscant corpora tactu
ex ineunte aevo nullo coniuncta colore,
scire licet nostrae quoque menti corpora posse
vorti in notitiam nullo circum lita fuco.                745
denique nos ipsi caecis quaecumque tenebris
tangimus, haud ullo sentimus tincta colore.
     Quod quoniam vinco fieri, nunc esse docebo.
omnis enim color omnino mutatur in omnis;
quod facere haud ullo debent primordia pacto;

for when the blind-born, who have never beheld the lights of the sun,
yet recognize bodies by touch,
from their dawning age conjoined with no color,
it is possible to know that bodies too can be turned for our mind
into cognition, with no cosmetic dye smeared around them. 745
and finally, whatever we ourselves touch in blind darknesses,
we perceive as tinged with no color at all.
Since I thus prove that this can occur, now I will show that it is so.
for every color is altogether transformed into all others;
which the first-beginnings ought in no way to do;

750

immutabile enim quiddam superare necessest,
ne res ad nihilum redigantur funditus omnes;
nam quod cumque suis mutatum finibus exit,
continuo hoc mors est illius quod fuit ante.
proinde colore cave contingas semina rerum,

for a certain immutable something must survive, lest all things be reduced utterly to nothing; for whatever, changed, departs from its own boundaries, this immediately is the death of that which it was before. therefore beware of touching the seeds of things with color,

755

ne tibi res redeant ad nihilum funditus omnes.
Praeterea si nulla coloris principiis est
reddita natura et variis sunt praedita formis,
e quibus omnigenus gignunt variantque colores,
propterea magni quod refert, semina quaeque

lest all things return utterly to nothing.
Moreover, if to the first-beginnings no nature of color has been rendered and they are endowed with various forms,
from which they beget every kind and vary colors,
therefore, which matters greatly, each seed

760

cum quibus et quali positura contineantur
et quos inter se dent motus accipiantque,
perfacile extemplo rationem reddere possis,
cur ea quae nigro fuerint paulo ante colore,
marmoreo fieri possint candore repente,

with which and in what position they are contained
and what motions they give and receive among themselves,
you could very easily at once render a reason,
why those things which a little before were of black color,
can suddenly become of marble candor,

765

ut mare, cum magni commorunt aequora venti,
vertitur in canos candenti marmore fluctus;
dicere enim possis, nigrum quod saepe videmus,
materies ubi permixta est illius et ordo
principiis mutatus et addita demptaque quaedam,

as the sea, when great winds stir the levels of the deep,
it is turned into hoary waves with shining marble;
for you could say that what we often see as black,
where its material has been intermixed and its order
changed in the principles, and certain things added and taken away,

770

continuo id fieri ut candens videatur et album.
quod si caeruleis constarent aequora ponti
seminibus, nullo possent albescere pacto;
nam quo cumque modo perturbes caerula quae sint,
numquam in marmoreum possunt migrare colorem.

immediately this comes to be, that it appears glowing and white.
but if the surfaces of the sea consisted of blue seeds,
they could in no way grow white;
for in whatever way you disturb things that are blue,
never can they migrate into a marble color.

775

sin alio atque alio sunt semina tincta colore,
quae maris efficiunt unum purumque nitorem,
ut saepe ex aliis formis variisque figuris
efficitur quiddam quadratum unaque figura,
conveniebat, ut in quadrato cernimus esse

but if the seeds are tinged with one color and another,
which effect the single pure luster of the sea,
as often from other forms and various figures
there is effected a certain square and a single figure,
it would be fitting, as in a square we discern there to be

780

dissimiles formas, ita cernere in aequore ponti
aut alio in quovis uno puroque nitore
dissimiles longe inter se variosque colores.
praeterea nihil officiunt obstantque figurae
dissimiles, quo quadratum minus omne sit extra;

dissimilar forms, so to discern on the level surface of the sea
or in any other single and pure sheen
colors far unlike among themselves and various.
moreover, unlike figures do nothing to hinder or obstruct,
whereby the square is any less entire on the outside;

785

at varii rerum inpediunt prohibentque colores,
quo minus esse uno possit res tota nitore.
Tum porro quae ducit et inlicit ut tribuamus
principiis rerum non numquam causa colores,
occidit, ex albis quoniam non alba creantur,

but the various colors of things impede and prohibit,
whereby the whole thing cannot be in a single luster.
Then furthermore the consideration which leads and allures us to ascribe
to the principles of things sometimes colors as a cause,
falls, since from white things non-white are created,

790

nec quae nigra cluent de nigris, sed variis ex.
quippe etenim multo proclivius exorientur
candida de nullo quam nigro nata colore
aut alio quovis, qui contra pugnet et obstet.
Praeterea quoniam nequeunt sine luce colores

nor do things that are black derive from blacks, but from various ones.
for indeed far more readily would white things arise
born from no color than from black color
or from any other whatsoever, which fights against and obstructs.
Moreover, since colors cannot be without light

795

esse neque in lucem existunt primordia rerum,
scire licet quam sint nullo velata colore;
qualis enim caecis poterit color esse tenebris?
lumine quin ipso mutatur propterea quod
recta aut obliqua percussus luce refulget;

nor do the first-beginnings of things either exist or come forth into the light,
one may know that they are veiled by no color;
for what kind of color could there be in blind darkness?
nay rather, it is changed by the light itself for this reason, that
struck by straight or oblique light it shines back;

800

pluma columbarum quo pacto in sole videtur,
quae sita cervices circum collumque coronat;
namque alias fit uti claro sit rubra pyropo,
inter dum quodam sensu fit uti videatur
inter caeruleum viridis miscere zmaragdos.

how the plumage of doves is seen in the sun,
which, set around the napes and the neck, crowns it;
for at times it happens that in the bright light it is red with pyrope,
at other times, by a certain sensation, it comes about that it seems
to mix green among cerulean emeralds.

805

caudaque pavonis, larga cum luce repleta est,
consimili mutat ratione obversa colores;
qui quoniam quodam gignuntur luminis ictu,
scire licet, sine eo fieri non posse putandum est.
Et quoniam plagae quoddam genus excipit in se

and the tail of the peacock, when it is replete with ample light,
turned, changes its colors by a similar rationale;
since these are generated by a certain stroke of light,
one may know that, without it, it is not to be thought they can occur.
And since it receives into itself a certain kind of blows

810

pupula, cum sentire colorem dicitur album,
atque aliud porro, nigrum cum et cetera sentit,
nec refert ea quae tangas quo forte colore
praedita sint, verum quali magis apta figura,
scire licet nihil principiis opus esse colore,

the pupil, when it is said to perceive the white color,
and, further, another, when it perceives black and the rest,
nor does it matter with what color the things you touch
happen to be endowed, but rather with what figure they are more apt,
one may know that there is no need of color for the principles,

815

sed variis formis variantes edere tactus.
Praeterea quoniam non certis certa figuris
est natura coloris et omnia principiorum
formamenta queunt in quovis esse nitore,
cur ea quae constant ex illis non pariter sunt

but, with various forms, to produce varying touches.
Moreover, since the nature of color is not certain to certain figures
the formations of the first-beginnings can all be in any luster,
why are the things which consist of them not likewise

820

omnigenus perfusa coloribus in genere omni?
conveniebat enim corvos quoque saepe volantis
ex albis album pinnis iactare colorem
et nigros fieri nigro de semine cycnos
aut alio quovis uno varioque colore.

of every kind suffused with colors of every kind?
for it would follow indeed that crows too, often as they fly,
would flaunt a white color from white feathers,
and that swans would become black from black seed,
or in any other color, single or variegated.

825

Quin etiam quanto in partes res quaeque minutas
distrahitur magis, hoc magis est ut cernere possis
evanescere paulatim stinguique colorem;
ut fit ubi in parvas partis discerpitur austrum:
purpura poeniceusque color clarissimus multo,

Nay even, the more each thing is drawn apart into minute parts,
the more it is that you can discern the color to evanesce little by little and be extinguished;
as happens when purple-dyed fabric is torn into small pieces:
the purple and the Phoenician hue, by far the most brilliant,

830

filatim cum distractum est, disperditur omnis;
noscere ut hinc possis prius omnem efflare colorem
particulas, quam discedant ad semina rerum.
Postremo quoniam non omnia corpora vocem
mittere concedis neque odorem, propterea fit

when it has been drawn out threadwise, all is destroyed;
so that from this you may learn that color first breathes out all its particles
before they depart to the seeds of things.
Finally, since you do not grant that all bodies send forth voice
nor odor, for this reason it happens

835

ut non omnibus adtribuas sonitus et odores:
sic oculis quoniam non omnia cernere quimus,
scire licet quaedam tam constare orba colore
quam sine odore ullo quaedam sonituque remota,
nec minus haec animum cognoscere posse sagacem

so that you do not attribute sounds and odors to all things:
thus, since with the eyes we cannot discern all things,
one may know that certain things stand constituted so bereft of color
as certain things are removed without any odor and sound,
and nonetheless that the sagacious mind is able to recognize these

840

quam quae sunt aliis rebus privata notare.
Sed ne forte putes solo spoliata colore
corpora prima manere, etiam secreta teporis
sunt ac frigoris omnino calidique vaporis,
et sonitu sterila et suco ieiuna feruntur,

than to mark those which are deprived of other things.
But lest by chance you think that the first bodies remain despoiled of color alone,
they are also separate from tepid warmth
and altogether from frigidity and from warm vapor,
and are held sterile of sound and fasting of juice,

845

nec iaciunt ullum proprium de corpore odorem.
sicut amaracini blandum stactaeque liquorem
et nardi florem, nectar qui naribus halat,
cum facere instituas, cum primis quaerere par est,
quod licet ac possis reperire, inolentis olivi

nor do they cast any proper odor of their own from the body.
just as the soothing liquor of amaracus (marjoram) and of stacte
and the flower of nard, nectar which breathes to the nostrils,
when you set about to make it, it is among the first things fitting to seek,
what it is permitted and you can find, of unscented olive

850

naturam, nullam quae mittat naribus auram,
quam minime ut possit mixtos in corpore odores
concoctosque suo contractans perdere viro,
propter eandem <rem> debent primordia rerum
non adhibere suum gignundis rebus odorem

a nature that sends no breath to the nostrils,
so that it may be as little as possible able, taking in the mingled odors in the body,
and, handling them, to destroy the concocted ones by its own sap,
for the same reason the first-beginnings of things
ought not to apply their own odor to things being begotten

855

nec sonitum, quoniam nihil ab se mittere possunt,
nec simili ratione saporem denique quemquam
nec frigus neque item calidum tepidumque vaporem,
cetera, quae cum ita sunt tamen ut mortalia constent,
molli lenta, fragosa putri, cava corpore raro,

nor sound, since they can send nothing from themselves,
nor, by a similar rationale, any savor at all,
nor cold, nor likewise hot and tepid vapor,
the rest, which, though they are thus, yet are such that mortal things consist of them,
soft, pliant, breakable with putrid decay, hollow with a rare body,

860

omnia sint a principiis seiuncta necessest,
inmortalia si volumus subiungere rebus
fundamenta, quibus nitatur summa salutis;
ne tibi res redeant ad nihilum funditus omnes.
Nunc ea quae sentire videmus cumque necessest

it is necessary that all things be separated from principles,
immortal foundations, if we wish to subjoin them to things,
foundations on which the sum of safety may rest;
lest all things for you return utterly to nothing.
Now those things which we see must needs feel

865

ex insensilibus tamen omnia confiteare
principiis constare. neque id manufesta refutant
nec contra pugnant, in promptu cognita quae sunt,
sed magis ipsa manu ducunt et credere cogunt
ex insensilibus, quod dico, animalia gigni.

yet you must confess that all things consist of insensible principles.
nor do manifest things refute this,
nor do the things known and in readiness fight against it,
but rather they themselves lead by the hand and compel belief
that animals, as I say, are begotten from insensibles.

870

quippe videre licet vivos existere vermes
stercore de taetro, putorem cum sibi nacta est
intempestivis ex imbribus umida tellus.
Praeterea cunctas itidem res vertere sese.
vertunt se fluvii in frondes et pabula laeta

for indeed one may see living worms come to exist from foul dung,
when the moist earth has gotten for itself a putrid reek
from unseasonable showers. Moreover, all things likewise turn themselves:
the rivers turn themselves into leaves and into luxuriant fodder,
they turn themselves into foliage and gladsome pasturage.

875

in pecudes, vertunt pecudes in corpora nostra
naturam, et nostro de corpore saepe ferarum
augescunt vires et corpora pennipotentum.
ergo omnes natura cibos in corpora viva
vertit et hinc sensus animantum procreat omnes,

into cattle; cattle turn into our bodies
nature, and from our body often there augment
the forces of wild beasts and the bodies of the pennipotent.
therefore nature turns all foods into living bodies,
and from this produces all the senses of living creatures,

880

non alia longe ratione atque arida ligna
explicat in flammas et <in> ignis omnia versat.
iamne vides igitur magni primordia rerum
referre in quali sint ordine quaeque locata
et commixta quibus dent motus accipiantque?

by no far different method than dry logs
it unfolds into flames and the fire turns all things into fire.
do you now see therefore that the first-beginnings of the great sum of things
bear upon in what order each is located
and with what commixed they may give motions and receive them?

885

Tum porro, quid id est, animum quod percutit, ipsum,
quod movet et varios sensus expromere cogit,
ex insensilibus ne credas sensile gigni?
ni mirum lapides et ligna et terra quod una
mixta tamen nequeunt vitalem reddere sensum.

Then furthermore, what is that which strikes the mind itself,
which moves it and compels it to bring forth various senses,
lest you believe that the sensible is begotten from insensibles?
no wonder that stones and woods and earth, although
mixed together as one, nevertheless are unable to render a vital sense.

890

illud in his igitur rebus meminisse decebit,
non ex omnibus omnino, quaecumque creant res
sensilia, extemplo me gigni dicere sensus,
sed magni referre ea primum quantula constent,
sensile quae faciunt, et qua sint praedita forma,

therefore, in these matters it will be proper to remember this:
not from absolutely all things, whatever things create
sensible things, am I to say that my senses are begotten at once,
but that it matters greatly first of what tiny elements those things consist,
which make the sensible, and with what form they are endowed,

895

motibus ordinibus posituris denique quae sint.
quarum nil rerum in lignis glaebisque videmus;
et tamen haec, cum sunt quasi putrefacta per imbres,
vermiculos pariunt, quia corpora materiai
antiquis ex ordinibus permota nova re

what their motions, their orders, their positions, in fine, are.
of which things we see nothing in timbers and clods;
and yet these, when they are, as it were, putrefied by rains,
bring forth little worms, because the bodies of matter
moved from their ancient orders by a new thing

900

conciliantur ita ut debent animalia gigni.
     Deinde ex sensilibus qui sensile posse creari
constituunt, porro ex aliis sentire sueti
                         * * *                                             903a
mollia cum faciunt; nam sensus iungitur omnis
visceribus nervis venis, quae cumque videmus
mollia mortali consistere corpore creta.
sed tamen esto iam posse haec aeterna manere;
nempe tamen debent aut sensum partis habere
aut similis totis animalibus esse putari.
at nequeant per se partes sentire necesse est:

They are brought together so that animals are begotten as they ought.
     Then those who establish that from sensibles a sensible can be created,
assert, further, being accustomed from other things to infer feeling,
                         * * *                                             903a
when they make soft things; for every sense is joined
to the viscera, nerves, veins—whatever we see
to consist of soft stuff, created in a mortal body.
But yet, grant for the moment that these can remain eternal;
nevertheless they must either have the sense of parts
or be thought to be like whole animals.
But it is necessary that the parts cannot feel by themselves:

910

namque animus sensus membrorum respuit omnis,
nec manus a nobis potis est secreta neque ulla
corporis omnino sensum pars sola tenere.
linquitur ut totis animantibus adsimulentur,
vitali ut possint consentire undique sensu.

for the mind rejects all the senses of the limbs,
nor is the hand able to be separate from us, nor can any
part of the body at all hold sensation by itself.
it remains that they be assimilated to whole animate beings,
so that they can consent with vital sense on every side.

915

qui poterunt igitur rerum primordia dici
et leti vitare vias, animalia cum sint,
atque animalia <sint> mortalibus una eademque?
quod tamen ut possint, at coetu concilioque
nil facient praeter volgum turbamque animantum,

How then will the first-beginnings of things be able to be said to avoid the ways of death, since they would be animals, and animals one and the same with mortals? and yet, even if they could, still by assembly and by council they would do nothing beyond the common crowd and throng of animate beings,

920

scilicet ut nequeant homines armenta feraeque
inter sese ullam rem gignere conveniundo.
sic itidem quae sentimus sentire necessest.
quod si forte suum dimittunt corpore sensum
atque alium capiunt, quid opus fuit adtribui id quod

as though men, herds, and wild beasts
among themselves could beget anything by convening.
so likewise the things which we sense must sense.
but if perchance they let go their own sense from the body
and take up another, what need was there to attribute that which

925

detrahitur? tum praeterea, quod fudimus ante,
quatinus in pullos animalis vertier ova
cernimus alituum vermisque effervere terra,
intempestivos quam putor cepit ob imbris,
scire licet gigni posse ex non sensibus sensus.

is it taken away? then besides, what we have poured forth before,
inasmuch as we discern that the eggs of winged creatures are turned into chicks
and that worms boil up out of the earth,
which putrid stench has seized because of unseasonable rains,
one may know that sense can be begotten from things without sense.

930

Quod si forte aliquis dicet, dum taxat oriri
posse ex non sensu sensus mutabilitate,
aut aliquo tamquam partu quod proditur extra,
huic satis illud erit planum facere atque probare,
non fieri partum nisi concilio ante coacto,

But if by chance someone will say, at least, that sense can arise from non-sense by mutability,
or that what is brought forth outside is by some kind of parturition,
for him it will be enough to make this plain and to prove,
that no parturition takes place unless a concourse has first been convened,

935

nec quicquam commutari sine conciliatu.
Principio nequeunt ullius corporis esse
sensus ante ipsam genitam naturam animantis,
ni mirum quia materies disiecta tenetur
aere fluminibus terris terraque creatis,

nor can anything be changed without a conciliation.
To begin with, the senses of any body cannot exist
before the very nature of the animate being has been begotten,
unless of course because the matter is held scattered
in air, in streams, in lands, and in the created earth,

940

nec congressa modo vitalis convenientes
contulit inter se motus, quibus omnituentes
accensi sensus animantem quamque tuentur.
Praeterea quamvis animantem grandior ictus,
quam patitur natura, repente adfligit et omnis

nor has the vital, merely by having come together, brought together among itself the fitting motions, by which, all-watchful, the kindled senses guard each animate being.
Moreover, although a grander blow upon a living creature, than nature suffers, suddenly strikes it down and all

945

corporis atque animi pergit confundere sensus.
dissoluuntur enim positurae principiorum
et penitus motus vitales inpediuntur,
donec materies omnis concussa per artus
vitalis animae nodos a corpore solvit

and he goes on to confound the senses of body and mind.
for the positions of the principles are dissolved,
and the vital motions are impeded deep within,
until all the matter, shaken through the limbs,
loosens the knots of the vital soul from the body

950

dispersamque foras per caulas eiecit omnis;
nam quid praeterea facere ictum posse reamur
oblatum, nisi discutere ac dissolvere quaeque?
fit quoque uti soleant minus oblato acriter ictu
reliqui motus vitalis vincere saepe,

and has cast out all of it, scattered outside through the pores;
for what besides do we reckon a blow, once applied, can do
except to scatter and dissolve each thing?
it also happens that, with a sharp blow having been applied,
the remaining vital motions are often less wont to prevail,

955

vincere et ingentis plagae sedare tumultus
inque suos quicquid rursus revocare meatus
et quasi iam leti dominantem in corpore motum
discutere ac paene amissos accendere sensus;
nam qua re potius leti iam limine ab ipso

to overcome and to soothe the tumult of the enormous blow,
and to recall whatever back into its own courses,
and, as though the motion of death were already dominating in the body,
to dispel it and to kindle senses almost lost;
for by what reason rather from death’s very threshold

960

ad vitam possint conlecta mente reverti,
quam quo decursum prope iam siet ire et abire?
Praeterea, quoniam dolor est, ubi materiai
corpora vi quadam per viscera viva per artus
sollicitata suis trepidant in sedibus intus,

to life could they, the mind gathered back, return,
rather than to that whither the course has now almost been run — to go and depart?
Moreover, since pain exists when the bodies of matter,
driven by a certain force through the living viscera and through the limbs,
agitated, quiver within in their own seats,

965

inque locum quando remigrant, fit blanda voluptas,
scire licet nullo primordia posse dolore
temptari nullamque voluptatem capere ex se;
quandoquidem non sunt ex ullis principiorum
corporibus, quorum motus novitate laborent

and when they migrate back into place, a charming pleasure arises,
it may be known that the first-beginnings can be assailed by no pain
and can take no pleasure from themselves;
since they are not composed from any bodies of first principles,
whose motions would suffer by novelty.

970

aut aliquem fructum capiant dulcedinis almae.
haut igitur debent esse ullo praedita sensu.
Denique uti possint sentire animalia quaeque,
principiis si iam est sensus tribuendus eorum,
quid, genus humanum propritim de quibus auctumst?

or take any fruit of kindly, nurturing sweetness.
therefore they ought not to be endowed with any sense at all.
Finally, in order that animals each may be able to feel,
if sense is now to be attributed to their principles,
what then? the human race in particular, which has been augmented from them?

975

scilicet et risu tremulo concussa cachinnant
et lacrimis spargunt rorantibus ora genasque
multaque de rerum mixtura dicere callent
et sibi proporro quae sint primordia quaerunt;
quando quidem totis mortalibus adsimulata

Surely they too, shaken with tremulous laughter, cachinnate,
and with dripping tears they sprinkle their faces and cheeks,
and they are skilled to speak many things about the mixture of things,
and, in turn, they inquire for themselves what the primordia are;
since indeed assimilated to all mortals

980

ipsa quoque ex aliis debent constare elementis,
inde alia ex aliis, nusquam consistere ut ausis;
quippe sequar, quod cumque loqui ridereque dices
et sapere, ex aliis eadem haec facientibus ut sit.
quod si delira haec furiosaque cernimus esse

they themselves too must consist of other elements,
then others from others, so that they would dare to take their stand nowhere;
for indeed I shall follow, that whatever you claim speaks and laughs
and is sapient, is so from others doing these same things.
but if we discern these things to be delirious and frenzied

985

et ridere potest non ex ridentibus auctus,
et sapere et doctis rationem reddere dictis
non ex seminibus sapientibus atque disertis,
qui minus esse queant ea quae sentire videmus
seminibus permixta carentibus undique sensu?

and it can laugh, not augmented from laughing ones,
and be wise and render a reason with learned sayings,
not from seeds that are sapient and eloquent—
why should the things which we see to feel be any the less able
to be mixed from seeds lacking sense on every side?

990

Denique caelesti sumus omnes semine oriundi;
omnibus ille idem pater est, unde alma liquentis
umoris guttas mater cum terra recepit,
feta parit nitidas fruges arbustaque laeta
et genus humanum, parit omnia saecla ferarum,

Finally we are all sprung from celestial seed;
to all he is the same father, whence kindly
mother earth, when she received the drops of liquid moisture,
pregnant, brings forth shining fruits and joyous orchards
and the human race; she brings forth all the generations of beasts,

995

pabula cum praebet, quibus omnes corpora pascunt
et dulcem ducunt vitam prolemque propagant;
qua propter merito maternum nomen adepta est.
cedit item retro, de terra quod fuit ante,
in terras, et quod missumst ex aetheris oris,

when she provides fodder, by which all feed their bodies
and lead a sweet life and propagate their progeny;
wherefore she has deservedly attained the maternal name.
likewise, what formerly was from earth yields back into the lands,
and what has been sent from the borders of aether,

1000

id rursum caeli rellatum templa receptant.
nec sic interemit mors res ut materiai
corpora conficiat, sed coetum dissupat ollis;
inde aliis aliud coniungit et efficit, omnis
res ut convertant formas mutentque colores

that, carried back again, the temples of the sky receive.
nor does death so take away things as to consume the bodies of matter,
but it scatters their assemblage;
then from these it joins one thing to another and brings it about, so that all
things may convert their forms and change their colors

1005

et capiant sensus et puncto tempore reddant;
ut noscas referre earum primordia rerum
cum quibus et quali positura contineantur
et quos inter se dent motus accipiantque,
neve putes aeterna penes residere potesse

and they take on senses and in a moment of time render them back;
so that you may know to refer it to the first-beginnings of those things
with which and in what positure they are contained,
and what motions they give and receive among themselves,
and lest you suppose that eternal things can reside in their possession.

1010

corpora prima quod in summis fluitare videmus
rebus et interdum nasci subitoque perire.
quin etiam refert nostris in versibus ipsis
cum quibus et quali sint ordine quaeque locata;
namque eadem caelum mare terras flumina solem

because we see the first bodies float on the surfaces of things,
and sometimes to be born and suddenly to perish.
nay even it matters in our very verses themselves
with which and in what order each is placed;
for the same [letters] make “heaven, sea, lands, rivers, sun”

1015

significant, eadem fruges arbusta animantis;
si non omnia sunt, at multo maxima pars est
consimilis; verum positura discrepitant res.
sic ipsis in rebus item iam materiai
[intervalla vias conexus pondera plagas]

they signify, the same, crops, orchards, living creatures;
if they are not all, yet by far the greatest part is
similar; but by position the things disagree.
thus in the things themselves likewise now of matter
[intervals, ways, connections, weights, strokes]

1020

concursus motus ordo positura figurae
cum permutantur, mutari res quoque debent.
Nunc animum nobis adhibe veram ad rationem.
nam tibi vehementer nova res molitur ad auris
accedere et nova se species ostendere rerum.

the concourse, motions, order, position, figures—
when they are interchanged, the things too must be changed.
Now apply your mind to our true reasoning.
for a very new matter is endeavoring to approach your ears,
and a new aspect of things to show itself.

1025

sed neque tam facilis res ulla est, quin ea primum
difficilis magis ad credendum constet, itemque
nil adeo magnum neque tam mirabile quicquam,
quod non paulatim minuant mirarier omnes,
principio caeli clarum purumque colorem

but neither is any matter so facile that it does not at first
stand as more difficult to believe; likewise
nothing is so great nor anything so marvelous,
which all do not little by little diminish to marvel at,
at the outset the bright and pure color of the sky

1030

quaeque in se cohibet, palantia sidera passim,
lunamque et solis praeclara luce nitorem;
omnia quae nunc si primum mortalibus essent
ex improviso si sint obiecta repente,
quid magis his rebus poterat mirabile dici,

and the things which it holds within itself, the wandering stars scattered everywhere,
and the moon and the sun’s preeminent luster of light;
all which, if now for the first time there were for mortals,
if, out of the unforeseen, they were suddenly set before them,
what could be said more marvelous than these things,

1035

aut minus ante quod auderent fore credere gentes?
nil, ut opinor; ita haec species miranda fuisset.
quam tibi iam nemo fessus satiate videndi,
suspicere in caeli dignatur lucida templa.
desine qua propter novitate exterritus ipsa

or what, before, would nations have dared to believe less would be?
nothing, as I suppose; so marvelous would this spectacle have been.
than which now no one, weary, sated with seeing,
deigns to look up at the lucid temples of heaven.
cease, therefore, on account of which, terrified by the novelty itself

1040

expuere ex animo rationem, sed magis acri
iudicio perpende, et si tibi vera videntur,
dede manus, aut, si falsum est, accingere contra.
quaerit enim rationem animus, cum summa loci sit
infinita foris haec extra moenia mundi,

to spit reason out of your mind, but rather with a keener
judgment weigh it; and if they seem true to you, give your hands, or, if it is false, gird yourself against it.
for the mind seeks a rationale, since the sum of place is
infinite outward, this beyond the walls of the world,

1045

quid sit ibi porro, quo prospicere usque velit mens
atque animi iactus liber quo pervolet ipse.
Principio nobis in cunctas undique partis
et latere ex utroque <supra> supterque per omne
nulla est finis; uti docui, res ipsaque per se

what there may be further, to which the mind wishes to look out continuously
and to which the free cast of spirit itself may fly through.
To begin with, for us in all directions on every side
and on each flank above and below through the whole
there is no end; as I have taught, and reality itself per se

1050

vociferatur, et elucet natura profundi.
nullo iam pacto veri simile esse putandumst,
undique cum vorsum spatium vacet infinitum
seminaque innumero numero summaque profunda
multimodis volitent aeterno percita motu,

it cries aloud, and the nature of the deep shines out.
by no means now ought it to be deemed verisimilar,
since in every direction the void space lies infinite,
and the seeds in innumerable number, both on high and in the deep,
flit in many modes, quickened by eternal motion,

1055

hunc unum terrarum orbem caelumque creatum,
nil agere illa foris tot corpora materiai;
cum praesertim hic sit natura factus et ipsa
sponte sua forte offensando semina rerum
multimodis temere in cassum frustraque coacta

that this single orb of lands and the heaven were created,
that those so many bodies of matter outside do nothing;
since especially this has been made by nature and by nature herself,
the seeds of things, of their own accord, by chance through colliding,
in many modes rashly to no purpose and in vain compelled

1060

tandem coluerunt ea quae coniecta repente
magnarum rerum fierent exordia semper,
terrai maris et caeli generisque animantum.
quare etiam atque etiam talis fateare necesse est
esse alios alibi congressus materiai,

at length those things which, suddenly cast together, would always become the beginnings of great matters,
of earth, of sea and of sky and of the race of living beings, have coalesced.
wherefore again and again you must confess that there are other meetings of matter elsewhere of such a kind.

1065

qualis hic est, avido complexu quem tenet aether.
Praeterea cum materies est multa parata,
cum locus est praesto nec res nec causa moratur
ulla, geri debent ni mirum et confieri res.
nunc et seminibus si tanta est copia, quantam

such as this is, which the aether holds in a greedy embrace.
Moreover, when much matter is prepared,
when place is at hand and neither any thing nor any cause delays
any, things ought, no marvel, to be carried on and effected.
now too, if there is so great an abundance of seeds as

1070

enumerare aetas animantum non queat omnis,
quis eadem natura manet, quae semina rerum
conicere in loca quaeque queat simili ratione
atque huc sunt coniecta, necesse est confiteare
esse alios aliis terrarum in partibus orbis

the whole age of living beings could not enumerate,
since the same nature remains, which is able to cast the seeds of things
into each several places by a like ratio
as they have been cast here, you must needs confess
there to be others in other parts of the lands of the orb

1075

et varias hominum gentis et saecla ferarum.
     Huc accedit ut in summa res nulla sit una,
unica quae gignatur et unica solaque crescat,
quin aliquoius siet saecli permultaque eodem
sint genere. in primis animalibus indice mente                1080
invenies sic montivagum genus esse ferarum,
sic hominum geminam prolem, sic denique mutas
squamigerum pecudes et corpora cuncta volantum.
qua propter caelum simili ratione fatendumst
terramque et solem, lunam mare cetera quae sunt,

and the various tribes of men and the generations of beasts.
     To this is added that, in sum, no thing is single,
unique such that it is begotten alone and alone grows,
but rather that it is of some lineage, and very many likewise
are of the same kind. Chiefly among animals, by the mind’s index                1080
you will find thus the mountain-roving kind of wild beasts to be,
thus the twin offspring of men, thus finally the mute
scaly flocks and all the bodies of the winged.
Wherefore it must be confessed that the heaven, by a like rationale,
and the earth and the sun, the moon, the sea, and the other things that are,

1085

non esse unica, sed numero magis innumerali;
quando quidem vitae depactus terminus alte
tam manet haec et tam nativo corpore constant
quam genus omne, quod his generatimst rebus abundans.
Quae bene cognita si teneas, natura videtur

not to be unique, but rather innumerable in number;
since indeed the boundary of life, driven deep,
so do these remain, and so stand firm with a native body,
as does every kind, which is abounding in these things by kinds.
Which things, if you keep well-known, nature seems

1090

libera continuo, dominis privata superbis,
ipsa sua per se sponte omnia dis agere expers.
nam pro sancta deum tranquilla pectora pace
quae placidum degunt aevom vitamque serenam,
quis regere immensi summam, quis habere profundi

free immediately, bereft of proud masters,
she herself by her own impulse does all things, with the gods not taking part.
for in the holy peace of the gods’ tranquil hearts,
who pass a placid aeon and a serene life,
who would rule the sum of the immense, who would possess the deep?

1095

indu manu validas potis est moderanter habenas,
quis pariter caelos omnis convertere et omnis
ignibus aetheriis terras suffire feracis,
omnibus inve locis esse omni tempore praesto,
nubibus ut tenebras faciat caelique serena

who is able, with hand, to manage with moderation the strong reins,
who alike can turn all the heavens and suffuse all
the fertile lands with aetherial fires,
or be present in all places at every time,
so that he may make darkness with clouds and the sky’s serene calms

1100

concutiat sonitu, tum fulmina mittat et aedis
saepe suas disturbet et in deserta recedens
saeviat exercens telum, quod saepe nocentes
praeterit exanimatque indignos inque merentes?
Multaque post mundi tempus genitale diemque

shake with a crash, then dispatch thunderbolts and his temples
often throw into disorder, and, withdrawing into deserts,
rage exercising the weapon, which often passes by the guilty
and makes lifeless the undeserving and also the deserving?
And many things after the world’s generative time and the day

1105

primigenum maris et terrae solisque coortum
addita corpora sunt extrinsecus, addita circum
semina, quae magnum iaculando contulit omne,
unde mare et terrae possent augescere et unde
appareret spatium caeli domus altaque tecta

the primigenial arising of sea and earth and sun—
bodies were added from outside, seeds were added around,
which, by hurling, contributed the entire great All,
whence the sea and the lands could augment, and whence
the expanse of heaven, its home and lofty roofs, would appear

1110

tolleret a terris procul et consurgeret aer.
nam sua cuique, locis ex omnibus, omnia plagis
corpora distribuuntur et ad sua saecla recedunt,
umor ad umorem, terreno corpore terra
crescit et ignem ignes procudunt aetheraque <aether>,

might lift far from the lands and the air rise up.
for to each its own, from all places, in every region,
all bodies are distributed and recede to their own ages,
moisture to moisture, earth grows by a terrene body,
and fires forge forth fire, and the aether <aether>,

1115

donique ad extremum crescendi perfica finem
omnia perduxit rerum natura creatrix;
ut fit ubi nihilo iam plus est quod datur intra
vitalis venas quam quod fluit atque recedit.
omnibus hic aetas debet consistere rebus,

until at last to the perfected extreme end of growing
the creatress nature of things has brought all things;
as happens when now there is no more that is given within
the vital veins than what flows and withdraws.
at this point age ought to stand still for all things,

1120

hic natura suis refrenat viribus auctum.
nam quae cumque vides hilaro grandescere adauctu
paulatimque gradus aetatis scandere adultae,
plura sibi adsumunt quam de se corpora mittunt,
dum facile in venas cibus omnis inditur et dum

here nature restrains the increase with its own forces.
for whatever things you see to grow grand with cheerful augmentation
and little by little to climb the grades of adult age,
take more to themselves than they send out from themselves in bodies,
while all food is easily inserted into the veins and while

1125

non ita sunt late dispessa, ut multa remittant
et plus dispendi faciant quam vescitur aetas.
nam certe fluere atque recedere corpora rebus
multa manus dandum est; sed plura accedere debent,
donec alescendi summum tetigere cacumen.

they are not so widely dispersed, as to send back much
and to make more dispendium than the age feeds upon.
for surely, that bodies flow and recede from things,
much allowance must be given; but more ought to come in,
until they have touched the topmost summit of growth.

1130

inde minutatim vires et robur adultum
frangit et in partem peiorem liquitur aetas.
quippe etenim quanto est res amplior, augmine adempto,
et quo latior est, in cunctas undique partis
plura modo dispargit et a se corpora mittit,

thence little by little it breaks strength and adult vigor,
and age is melted away into the worse part.
for indeed, the more a thing is ample, with increase taken away,
and the wider it is, into all parts on every side
the more it now disperses and sends bodies from itself,

1135

nec facile in venas cibus omnis diditur ei
nec satis est, pro quam largos exaestuat aestus,
unde queat tantum suboriri ac subpeditare.
iure igitur pereunt, cum rarefacta fluendo
sunt et cum externis succumbunt omnia plagis,

nor is all nourishment easily distributed into its veins
nor is it sufficient, in proportion to how copious a surge the heat seethes,
from whence so much might arise and supply.
rightly, therefore, they perish, when rarefied by flowing
and when all things succumb to external blows,

1140

quando quidem grandi cibus aevo denique defit,
nec tuditantia rem cessant extrinsecus ullam
corpora conficere et plagis infesta domare.
Sic igitur magni quoque circum moenia mundi
expugnata dabunt labem putrisque ruinas;

since indeed nourishment at last fails for great age,
nor do the pounding bodies from without cease to wear down any thing and to subdue, hostile with blows.
Thus therefore the walls around the great world also,
having been stormed, will yield decay and rotten ruins;

1145

omnia debet enim cibus integrare novando
et fulcire cibus, <cibus> omnia sustentare,
ne quiquam, quoniam nec venae perpetiuntur
quod satis est, neque quantum opus est natura ministrat.
Iamque adeo fracta est aetas effetaque tellus

for food must restore all things by renewing,
and food must prop, <food> must support all things,
but in vain, since neither the veins can endure
what is enough, nor does nature supply as much as there is need.
And now already the age is broken and the earth effete and exhausted

1150

vix animalia parva creat, quae cuncta creavit
saecla deditque ferarum ingentia corpora partu.
haud, ut opinor, enim mortalia saecla superne
aurea de caelo demisit funis in arva
nec mare nec fluctus plangentis saxa crearunt,

she scarcely creates even small animals, she who created all things,
and by birth she gave the generations of wild beasts their vast bodies.
surely not, as I suppose, were the mortal ages from above
let down into the fields by a golden rope from heaven,
nor did the sea, nor waves beating the rocks, create them,

1155

sed genuit tellus eadem quae nunc alit ex se.
praeterea nitidas fruges vinetaque laeta
sponte sua primum mortalibus ipsa creavit,
ipsa dedit dulcis fetus et pabula laeta;
quae nunc vix nostro grandescunt aucta labore,

but the same earth generated out of itself the things which it now nourishes.
besides, bright crops and fertile vineyards
of its own accord at first it itself created for mortals,
it itself gave sweet fruits and luxuriant pastures;
which now scarcely grow large, augmented by our labor,

1160

conterimusque boves et viris agricolarum,
conficimus ferrum vix arvis suppeditati:
usque adeo parcunt fetus augentque laborem.
iamque caput quassans grandis suspirat arator
crebrius, in cassum magnos cecidisse labores,

and we wear out the oxen and the strength of the farmers,
we consume the iron, scarcely supplied for the fields:
so much are the yields scant and they augment the labor.
and now, shaking his head, the great ploughman sighs
more and more, that great labors have fallen in vain,

1165

et cum tempora temporibus praesentia confert
praeteritis, laudat fortunas saepe parentis.
tristis item vetulae vitis sator atque <vietae>
temporis incusat momen saeclumque fatigat,
et crepat, antiquum genus ut pietate repletum

and when he compares the present times with the past, he often praises the fortunes of his parent.
likewise the gloomy planter of an old and worn-out vine
blames the impulse of the time and wearies the age,
and rattles on, that the ancient race was replete with piety

1170

perfacile angustis tolerarit finibus aevom,
cum minor esset agri multo modus ante viritim;
nec tenet omnia paulatim tabescere et ire
ad capulum spatio aetatis defessa vetusto.

very easily would he have borne his lifetime within narrow boundaries,
when earlier the measure of land per man was much smaller by far;
nor does he comprehend that all things little by little waste away and go
to the grave, worn out by the ancient span of age.