22 Lucretius, De Rerum Natura (Book IV, 1–53)
1. Introductory Synthesis: The Magic and Materiality of Lucretius
The study of Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura offers a unique intersection of scientific inquiry and poetic “magic,” a quality famously articulated by Albert Einstein. As framed in the “Eikadistes” commentary (January 28, 2023), Einstein observed that for the individual who is not completely submerged in the spirit of the age—one who feels instead like a “spectator” of their contemporaries’ intellectual attitudes—the poem remains a vital force. He viewed Lucretius as an “independent man” equipped with lively senses and reasoning, seeking to liberate humanity from “slavish fear” through an “atomistic-mechanical worldview.” In this framework, the regular motion of immutable atoms accounts for all phenomena of life and experience, providing a rational foundation for existence.
This intellectual legacy is captured not only in the text’s philosophy but in its physical transmission as a cultural artifact. David Attenborough identifies the 1515 Aldine edition by Aldus Manutius as a “most precious” object, representing what Richard Dawkins termed “memes.” These books act as vessels in which human experience is embedded and handed down across generations, outside the biological body. Attenborough specifically highlights the “wonderfully elegant italic script typeface” of the Aldine press, noting that for 600 years, such printed books were the primary means of conveying the wisdom of classical authors. In the digital architecture of this OER, we treat the text not merely as data, but as a “meme” in the Attenborough sense—a living connection to the independent spirit Lucretius championed.
“The work of Lucretius will work its magic on anyone who does not completely wrap himself in the spirit of our time and, in particular, occasionally feels like a spectator of the intellectual attitude of his contemporaries. One sees here how an independent man equipped with lively senses and reasoning, endowed with scientific and speculative curiosity, a man who has not even the faintest notion of the results of today’s science that we are taught in childhood, before we can consciously, much less critically, confront them, imagines the world.”
2. SIBI IVCVNDISSIMVM ESSE… (Lines 1–25)
| Latin Text (Diels 1923) | English Translation |
| Avia Pieridum peragro loca nullius ante | I wander through the pathless haunts of the Pierides, |
| trita solo. iuvat integros accedere fontis | trodden by no foot before. I love to approach untasted springs |
| atque haurire, iuvatque novos decerpere flores | and drink, and I love to pluck new flowers |
| insignemque meo capiti petere inde coronam | and seek a glorious crown for my head from the place |
| unde prius nulli velarint tempora musae; | whence the Muses have never yet veiled the brows of any man; |
| primum quod magnis doceo de rebus et artis | first because I teach of great things and hasten to unbind |
| religionum animum nodis exsolvere pergo, | the mind from the tight knots of superstition, |
| deinde quod obscura de re tam lucida pango | and next because I write such lucid verse about a dark |
| carmina, musaeo contingens cuncta lepore. | subject, touching every part with the Muses’ grace. |
| id quoque enim non ab re esse videtur; | For this too seems not to be without purpose; |
| nam veluti pueris absinthia taetra medentes | just as healers, when they try to give nauseous wormwood |
| cum dare conantur, prius oras pocula circum | to children, first touch the rim of the cup all around |
| contingunt mellis dulci flavoque liquore, | with the sweet and golden liquid of honey, |
| ut puerorum aetas inprovida ludificetur | so that the unsuspecting age of children may be deceived |
| labrorum tenus, interea perpotet amarum | as far as the lips, and meanwhile drink down the bitter |
| absinthi laticem deceptaque non capiatur, | juice of the wormwood and, though deceived, not be harmed, |
| sed potius tali pacto recreata valescat, | but rather by such means be restored and regain health, |
| sic ego nunc, quoniam haec ratio plerumque videtur | so I now—since this philosophy often seems |
| tristior esse quibus non est tractata, retroque | too bitter to those who have not studied it, and the |
| volgus abhorret ab hac, volui tibi suaviloquenti | multitude shrinks back from it—have willed to explain |
| carmine Pierio rationem exponere nostram | our system to you in sweet-tongued Pierian song |
| et quasi musaeo dulci contingere melle, | and, as it were, to touch it with sweet Muses’ honey, |
| si tibi forte animum tali ratione tenere | if by such means I might perhaps hold your mind |
| versibus in nostris possem, dum percipis omnem | upon my verses, until you perceive the whole |
| naturam rerum ac persentis utilitatem. | nature of things and feel its usefulness. |
28a. DE SIMVLACRIS (Lines 26–53)
| Latin Text (Diels 1923) | English Translation |
| Quoniam docui cunctarum exordia rerum | Since I have taught the beginnings of all things, |
| qualia sint et quam variis distantia formis | what they are like and how they differ in their various shapes |
| sponte sua volitent aeterno percita motu | and fly about of their own accord, driven by eternal motion, |
| quove modo possint res ex his quaeque creari, | and in what way each thing can be created from them, |
| atque animi quoniam docui quae sit natura | and since I have taught what the nature of the mind is |
| et quibus e rebus cum corpore compta vigeat | and from what things it is formed and thrives with the body, |
| quove modo distracta resedat inordia prima, | and how, when torn apart, it returns to its first elements, |
| nunc agere incipiam tibi, quod vementer ad has res | now I will begin to discuss for you what is vitally relevant |
| attinet, esse ea quae rerum simulacra vocamus; | to these matters: the existence of what we call images of things; |
| quae, quasi membranae summo de corpore rerum | these, like films stripped from the outermost surface of things, |
| dereptae, volitant ultroque citroque per auras, | fly to and fro through the air, |
| atque eadem nobis vigilantibus obvia mentes | and these same, meeting us when we are awake, |
| terrificant atque in somnis, cum saepe figuras | terrify our minds, as also in sleep, when we often behold |
| contuimur miras simulacraque luce carentum, | strange shapes and images of those who have lost the light, |
| quae nos horrifice languentis saepe sopore | which have often startled us in horror as we lay |
| excierunt, ne forte animas Acherunte reamur | relaxed in sleep; lest we should happen to think that souls |
| effugere aut umbras inter vivos volitare | escape from Acheron or that ghosts fly about among the living |
| neve aliquid nostri post mortem posse relinqui, | or that any part of us can be left behind after death, |
| cum corpus simul atque animi natura perempta | when the body and the nature of the mind, destroyed together, |
| in sua discessum dederint primordia quaeque. | have departed each into its own first principles. |
| dico igitur rerum effigias tenuisque figuras | I say, therefore, that effigies of things and thin shapes |
| mittier ab rebus summo de cortice eorum; | are emitted from things from their outermost surface; |
| id licet hinc quamvis hebeti cognoscere corde. | this may be recognized, however dull one’s heart, from what follows. |
| principio quoniam mittunt in rebus apertis | To begin with, since among visible things |
| corpora multa leneis, partim diffusa solute, | many bodies emit particles, partly diffused loosely, |
| ut fumus dumtam gignit lignumque vaporem, | as smoke is produced by oak-logs and heat by fire, |
| partim contexta magis et condensata, ut olim | partly more closely woven and condensed, as when |
| cum teretes ponunt tunicas aestate cicadae, | the sleek cicadas drop their thin coats in summer, |
4. Critical Apparatus: Testimonia and Codices
The following notes are synthesized from the scholarship of Hermann Diels and the technical descriptions of the primary manuscripts used for this edition of Book IV, lines 1–53.
Testimonia
- IV 1: Cited by Quintilian (Inst. Orat. VIII 6, 44) as a primary example of allegory regarding the poet’s creative journey: “avia Pieridum peragro loca.”
- IV 11–25: Quintilian (Inst. Orat. III 1, 3) references the “honeyed” passage to illustrate how Lucretius employs poetic charm to entice a delicate audience toward the “bitter” precepts of Epicurean philosophy.
- IV 33: Servius (ad Aen. IV 606) and Priscian (Inst. XII 23) cite variations in the terminology of “images” (simulacra) and their impact on human perception.
Codices
- O (Oblongus): Codex Membraneus Leidensis Vossianus Latinus Fol. 30. A 9th-century manuscript from the Fulda school, written in an exquisite Carolingian minuscule. It was historically part of the Mainz library before entering the Voss collection.
- Q (Quadratus): Codex Membraneus Leidensis Vossianus Quadratus 94. Also 9th century, formerly of the monastery of St. Bertin. It represents a distinct branch of the transmission, notable for specific leaf displacements (schedae) that Diels used to reconstruct the archetype.
- G (Gottorpienses): Eight leaves of a 9th-century codex now in the Royal Library at Copenhagen. Its text is closely aligned with Q, derived from a common apograph.
- V/U (Vindobonenses): 9th-century fragments from the Vienna library. V consists of leaves from the same parent codex as G, while U comes from a contemporary but separate manuscript. Together, they provide essential evidence for the leaf order of the lost archetype.
5. Technical Note on the Diels Edition
The Diels edition of De Rerum Natura was published posthumously in 1923, having been nearly completed by Hermann Diels before his death in June 1922. The final publication was overseen by Johannes Mewaldt, who preserved Diels’ rigorous philological standards, including the retention of archaic orthography such as ai genitives (e.g., militiai, materiai). A critical feature of this edition is the attention paid to the “Saxonico” (Os) corrector, an Anglo-Saxon hand in the Codex Oblongus who corrected primary errors by referring to a highly accurate apograph or the archetype itself.
6. Pressbooks Implementation Guide
To ensure the parallel text tables in Sections 2 and 3 render correctly with a side-by-side view on the Pressbooks platform, users should apply the specific “Side-by-Side” CSS class to the table attributes. This will allow the Latin and English columns to remain aligned and responsive across different device types, including web, PDF, and ePub versions. In the Pressbooks visual editor, select the table, navigate to “Table Properties,” and enter the designated class name into the “Classes” field.
