Book i book ii book iii book iv book v book vi card. In it, he set out to explicate the universe, embracing and refuting ideas of the great greek philosophers. In a fresh interpretation of lucretius s on the nature of things, charles segal reveals this great poetical account of epicurean philosophy as an important and profound document for the history of western attitudes toward death. In a fresh interpretation of lucretiuss on the nature of things, charles segal reveals this great poetical account of epicurean philosophy as an important and profound document for the history of western attitudes toward death. Leonard and smith lucretius university of wisconsin press 1942 richard minadeo, the lyre of science. This is the first commentary to take account of the remarkable discoveries and reevaluations in the field of hellenistic philosophy over the past thirty years, which have been stimulated by the publication of many more. Lucretius on creation and evolution gordon campbell. The poem was lost during the middle ages, rediscovered in 1417, and first printed in 1473.
Lucretius is a really difficult text and you need a translation that will point out his sources and what hes doing with them. Its earliest published translation into any language french did not occur until 1650. Henri bergson, the philosophy of poetry, the genius of lucretius translated and edited by wade. Listen download whole book zip file download subscribe by itunes itunes rss feed rss download torrent torrent. The internet classics archive on the nature of things by. Georgia nugent follow this and additional works at. This wrath was supposed to be displayed by the misfortunes inflicted in this life and by the everlasting tortures that were the lot of the guilty in a future state or, where these feelings were not strongly developed, from a vague dread of gloom and misery after death. Leonard and smith lucretius university of wisconsin press 1942. And since ive read it in latin and in one translation that i wasnt particularly fond of. It is a mechanistic theory that does away with the need for any divine design, and has been seen as a forerunner of darwins theory of evolution. An oldspelling critical edition ed repetzki, peter lang 2000 isbn 9780820443881. Drawing upon this materialist philosophy, lucretius cites the fear of death as the cause of mans ills, and shows the way to freedom from that fear. This sumptuous account of a secular cosmos argues that the soul is mortal, that pleasure is the object of life, and.
Despite the jumping around, this commentary provides and excellent amount of grammatical and vocabulary notes accompanied by an excellent supply of references to similar works of philosophy, mythology, and rhetoric provided in order that the reader may compare and contrast the prevalent ancient views on life and death, atomic and. Many comments have been posted about on the nature of things. Drawing on the atomism theory of democritus, dating over 400 years prior to his masterwork, lucretius main aim with his. Fowler, lucrece, titus lucretius carus oxford university press, 2002 literary criticism 5 pages. O then the fears of death leave heart so free of care. Evelyns complete extant translation lacking book 2 not published until john evelyns translation of titus lucretius carus. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. On the nature of things by titus lucretius carus free ebook.
On the nature of things is a firstcentury bc didactic poem by the roman poet and philosopher lucretius c. An exposition of epicurus atomic theory and the ethical tenets based upon it. Stanford libraries official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. Mother of aeneas and his race, darling of men and venus, aid me in my work gods, nurturing venus, a who beneath the smoothmoving heavenly signs fill with yourself the sea fullladen with ships, the earth that bears the crops, since through you every kind of living thing is conceived and rising up looks on the light of the sun. Lucretius is so moved by the force of this paradox that in emotional tones he says. Jun 26, 2011 if you really want to understand the text, id go for the one with the best and fullest notes, rather than focusing on the ease of the translation. Other than that, virtually nothing is known about lucretius other than what can be deduced from the poem itself. It is also for people who believe in myths, they, perhaps more than anyone should read lucretius too. Pages 207454 are tanaquilli fabri emendations et conjecturae of tanaquillus faber tanneguy lefebvre, daughter of anna and andre dacier on the six books. This elegant new translation at last restores the poetry to one of the greatest and most influential poems in the western tradition.
This is a must have book for any humanist, free thinker, scientifically oriented person. Project gutenberg offers 61,938 free ebooks to download. Download now this elegant new translation at last restores the poetry to one of the greatest and most influential poems in the western tradition. This commentary seeks to locate lucretius in both the ancient and modern. And since ive read it in latin and in one translation that i wasnt particularly fond of, i cant recommend any translation in particular. This study guide consists of approximately 68 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of on the nature of things. Then throughout seas and mountains and sweeping torrents and the leafy dwellings of birds and verdant plains, striking alluring love into the breasts of all creatures, you cause them greedily to beget their generations after their kind. M4b audio book, part 1 159mb m4b audio book, part 2. If you really want to understand the text, id go for the one with the best and fullest notes, rather than focusing on the ease of the translation.