{"id":53,"date":"2026-06-12T16:06:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T15:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/chapter\/pressbooks-oer-module-lucretius-de-rerum-natura-book-iii-lines-417-633\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T14:34:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T13:34:29","slug":"pressbooks-oer-module-lucretius-de-rerum-natura-book-iii-lines-417-633","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/chapter\/pressbooks-oer-module-lucretius-de-rerum-natura-book-iii-lines-417-633\/","title":{"raw":"Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, Book III, Lines 417\u2013633","rendered":"Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, Book III, Lines 417\u2013633"},"content":{"raw":"

Module Introduction: The Enduring \"Magic\" of Lucretius<\/h2>\nThe poetry of Lucretius occupies a singular position in the history of Western thought, bridging the gap between ancient speculative philosophy and the rigorous causal inquiries of modern science. As Albert Einstein observed in his 1924 foreword to Hermann Diels\u2019 edition, the poem works its \"magic\" on those who feel like spectators of their own age and its intellectual attitudes. For Einstein, Lucretius represents the archetypal \"independent thinker,\" one who sought to understand the world through the \"causal connectedness\" of an atomistic-mechanical worldview. This perspective, ascribing only geometric-mechanical qualities to immutable atoms, allowed Lucretius to imagine a world intelligible through reason rather than superstition.\n\nThe physical preservation of this intellectual legacy is equally significant. Naturalist David Attenborough identifies the 1515 Aldine edition by Aldus Manutius as one of his \"most precious books.\" Attenborough prizes the volume not only for its elegant italic script\u2014the hallmark of the Venetian printer\u2014but also for its role as a \"meme,\" a vessel in which human experience and wisdom are embedded and transmitted across generations.\n\nThe objective of this module is to explore Lucretius' arguments for the mortality of the soul as presented in the authoritative 1923 edition by Hermann Diels. Following Diels\u2019 tradition of scholarship, which Einstein praised for verses that read so \"naturally\" they transcend the feeling of translation, we examine the mechanical demonstration of the soul's synchronous life and death with the body.\n

ANIMAM NATIVAM ET MORTALEM ESSE (416a)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Diels\u2019 1923 Latin Text<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
417<\/b> Nunc age, natiuos animantibus et mortalis<\/td>\nCome now, that you may learn that the minds and light souls<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
418<\/b> esse animos animasque leuis ut noscere possis,<\/td>\nof living things are born and are mortal,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
419<\/b> conglomera uitam precanti carmina cura.<\/td>\nI will proceed to set forth verses for you with long-pondered care.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
420<\/b> tu fac utrumque uno sub nomine iungas,<\/td>\nSee that you link both under one name,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
421<\/b> cum pocius animam uerbi causa luear,<\/td>\nand when, for example, I speak of the soul,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
422<\/b> nam quoniam fieri quiddam coniunctius unum<\/td>\nshowing it to be mortal, believe me to speak of the mind as well,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
423<\/b> inter se docui mortalem esse, ostendam.<\/td>\nsince in their connection they are found to be a single thing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
424<\/b> principio quoniam tenuem constare minutis<\/td>\nFirst, since I have shown the soul to be thin and formed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
425<\/i> corporibus docui multoque minoribus esse<\/td>\nof minute bodies, far smaller<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
426<\/b> principiis, quam limpidus est umor aquai<\/td>\nthan the seeds that make up the clear fluid of water<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
427<\/b> aut nebula aut fumus (nam longe mobilitate<\/td>\nor cloud or smoke (for it far surpasses these<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
428<\/b> praestat et a tenui causa magis icta mouetur,<\/td>\nin mobility, and is moved by a more slender cause,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
429<\/b> quippe ubi imaginibus fumi nebulaeque mouetur:<\/td>\nsince it is moved by the very images of smoke and cloud:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
430<\/b> quod fieri totum per somnum cernimus, alta<\/td>\njust as when we see in sleep high altars<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
431<\/b> cum fabere exhalare uidentur et ire<\/td>\nbreathing forth steam and sending up smoke;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
432<\/b> nam dubio procul haec ad nos mittuntur imago),<\/td>\nfor doubtless these images are wafted to us),<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
433<\/b> nunc igitur quoniam quassatis undique uasis<\/td>\nnow, therefore, since you see water flow out<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
434<\/b> diffluere umorem et laticem discedere cernis<\/td>\nwhen vessels are shattered, and the liquid scatter,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
435<\/i> et nebula ac fumus quoniam discedit in auras,<\/td>\nand since cloud and smoke vanish into the breezes,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
436<\/b> crede animam quoque diffundi multoque perire<\/td>\nbelieve that the soul also is spilled and perishes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
437<\/b> ocius et citius dissolui in corpora prima,<\/td>\nmore quickly, and is more readily dissolved into its first bodies,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
438<\/b> cum semel ex hominis membris ablata recessit.<\/td>\nonce it has been withdrawn from the limbs of a man.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
439<\/b> quippe etenim corpus, quod uas quasi constitit eius,<\/td>\nFor indeed, if the body, which serves as its vessel,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
440<\/b> cum pocius nequeat percussum quolibet aeuo<\/td>\ncannot contain it when shattered by some blow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
441<\/b> attenuari, aliqua si ritate laxatum,<\/td>\nor thinned by the withdrawal of blood from the veins,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
442<\/b> qui pocius uento credas conconstare inane?<\/td>\nhow can you believe the soul can be held by the air,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
443<\/b> quippe magis cohibet quod non magis esse inane<\/td>\nwhich is a more porous container than our own body?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
444<\/b> corpore nostro et ritate esse uidetur?<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

ANIMVM ET CORPVS SIMVL NASCI ET CRESCERE ET SIMVL INTERIRE (444a)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Diels\u2019 1923 Latin Text<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
445<\/b> Praeterea gigni pariter cum corpore et una<\/td>\nFurthermore, we feel that the mind is born with the body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
446<\/b> crescere sentimus pariterque senescere mentem.<\/td>\ngrows with it, and ages along with it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
447<\/b> nam uelut infirmum pueri tenerumque trementi<\/td>\nFor just as children wander with a weak and tender body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
448<\/b> corpore cum sequitur, sic consilium sequitur.<\/td>\nso a slender judgment follows them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
449<\/b> inde ubi robustis adoleuit uiribus aetas,<\/td>\nThen, when their age has ripened with robust strength,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
450<\/i> consilium quoque maius et auctior est animi uis.<\/td>\ntheir judgment is greater and the power of the mind increased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
451<\/b> post ubi iam ualidis quassatum est uiribus aeui<\/td>\nAfterward, when the body is shattered by the powerful forces of time<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
452<\/b> corpus et optusis ceciderunt uiribus artus,<\/td>\nand the limbs have failed with blunted strength,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
453<\/b> claudicat ingenium, delirat lingua, mens labat,<\/td>\nthe intellect halts, the tongue raves, the mind gives way,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
454<\/b> omnia deficiunt atque uno tempore desunt.<\/td>\nall things fail and are found wanting at once.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
455<\/i> ergo dissolui quoque conuenit omnem<\/td>\nTherefore, it is fitting that the whole nature of the soul<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
456<\/b> naturam animai, ceu fumus, in altas<\/td>\nbe dissolved like smoke into the high breezes of the air,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
457<\/b> aeris auras, quoniam gigni pariterque<\/td>\nsince we see it born with the body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
458<\/b> crescere sentimus pariterque senescere mentem.<\/td>\nand growing and failing with it in synchronous time.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
459<\/b> huc accedit uti uideamus, corpus ut ipsum<\/td>\nTo this is added that we see, just as the body itself<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
460<\/i> suscipere inmanis morbos durumque dolorem,<\/td>\nsuffers cruel diseases and hard pain,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
461<\/b> sic animum curas acris luctumque metumque;<\/td>\nso the mind suffers sharp cares and grief and fear;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
462<\/b> quare participem leti quoque conuenit esse.<\/td>\nwherefore it is fitting that it also shares in death.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
463<\/b> quin etiam morbis in corporis aucius erro<\/td>\nIndeed, in the diseases of the body, the mind often wanders;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
464<\/b> saepe animus; dementit enim deliraque fatur<\/td>\nfor it loses its reason and speaks raucously in delirium,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
465<\/i> interdumque graui lethargo fertur in altum<\/td>\nand sometimes is carried into the deep, heavy sleep<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
466<\/b> aeternumque soporem oculis nutuue cadenti,<\/td>\nof a lethargy with drooping eyes and nodding head,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
467<\/b> unde neque exaudit uoces nec noscere uoltus<\/td>\nfrom which it hears no voices and cannot recognize the faces<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
468<\/b> eorum potest, uitam qui circumstantes<\/td>\nof those who stand around, calling it back to life,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
469<\/b> ad uitam reuocant sursum reuocantque.<\/td>\ntheir cheeks and eyes wet with tears.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
470<\/i> quare animum quoque fateri necesse est<\/td>\nTherefore, you must confess that the mind also<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
471<\/b> dissolui, quoniam penetrant contagia morbi.<\/td>\nis dissolved, since the contagion of disease penetrates it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
472<\/b> nam dolor ac morbus leti fabricator uterquest,<\/td>\nFor both pain and disease are the craftsmen of death,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
473<\/b> multorum exitio perdocti quod sumus ante.<\/td>\na fact we have been taught by the ruin of many before.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
474<\/b> denique cur, hominem cum uini uis penetrauit<\/td>\nFinally, why is it that when the pungent strength of wine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
475<\/i> acris et in uenas discessit laetitiai,<\/td>\nhas entered a man and its heat has spread into his veins,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
476<\/b> consequitur grauitas membrorum, praepediuntur<\/td>\nthere follows a heaviness of the limbs, his legs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
477<\/b> crura uacillanti, tardescit lingua, mens madet,<\/td>\nare impeded and he totters, his tongue is sluggish, his mind sodden,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
478<\/b> nant oculi, clamor, singultus, iurgia gliscunt,<\/td>\nhis eyes swim, shouting, sobs, and brawls break out,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
479<\/b> et iam cetera de genere hoc quae cumque sequuntur,<\/td>\nand all other such things that follow in this train\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
480<\/i> cur ea fiunt, nisi uiolenta uini uis<\/td>\nwhy do they happen, unless the violent force of the wine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
481<\/b> conturbare animam consueuit corpore in ipso?<\/td>\nis accustomed to perturb the soul within the body itself?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
482<\/b> at quae cumque regunt conturbari inque pediri,<\/td>\nBut whatever can be perturbed and impeded<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
483<\/b> significant, paulo si conualitior esset<\/td>\nshows that, if a slightly more powerful cause<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
484<\/b> causa, fore ut perirent aeui priuata futuro.<\/td>\nshould enter, it would perish, robbed of future life.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
485<\/i> quin etiam subito ui morbi saepe coactus<\/td>\nMoreover, often a man, seized by the sudden force of disease,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
486<\/b> ante oculos aliquis nostros, ut fulminis ictu,<\/td>\nfalls before our eyes as if struck by a lightning bolt,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
487<\/b> concidit et spumas agit, ingemit et tremit artus,<\/td>\nand foams at the mouth, groans and trembles in his limbs,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
488<\/b> desipit, extentat neruos, torquetur, anhelat<\/td>\nloses his wits, strains his muscles, is racked and pants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
489<\/b> inconstanter et in iactando membra fatigat.<\/td>\nfitfully, and tires his limbs with tossing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
490<\/i> nimirum quia uis morbi distracta per artus<\/td>\nSurely this is because the force of disease, spread through the limbs,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
491<\/b> turbat agens animam, spumans ut in aequore salso<\/td>\nperturbs the soul, seething as the waves of the salt sea<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
492<\/b> uentorum ualidis feruescit uiribus unda.<\/td>\nfoam under the mighty strength of the winds.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
493<\/b> exprimitur porro gemitus, quia membra dolore<\/td>\nA groan is forced out because the limbs are constricted<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
494<\/b> afficiuntur et omnino huc iactantur uocis<\/td>\nwith pain, and generally the seeds of the voice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
495<\/i> corpora quae capiunt uiai de ore feruntur.<\/td>\nare ejected and carried out by the mouth, where they usually pass.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
496<\/b> desipientia fit, quia uis animi atque animai<\/td>\nLoss of reason occurs because the power of the mind and soul<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
497<\/b> conturbatur et, ut docui, diuisa seorsum<\/td>\nis perturbed and, as I have shown, is distracted<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
498<\/b> disicitur per eadem distracta ueneno.<\/td>\nand driven apart, scattered by that same poison.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
499<\/b> inde ubi iam morbi reflexit causa gualisque<\/td>\nThen, when the cause of the disease has retreated<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
500<\/i> corporis in latebras acer gualumque recessit,<\/td>\nand the bitter humor of the sick body has returned to its secret lair,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
501<\/b> tum quasi uacillans primum consurgit et omnis<\/td>\nthen the man first rises, as if reeling, and<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
502<\/b> paulatim reccipit sensus animamque reccipit.<\/td>\ngradually recovers all his senses and his soul.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
503<\/b> haec igitur cum sint in corpore tanto<\/td>\nSince, therefore, these souls are tossed by such great disorders<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
504<\/b> morbis distracta et uisceribus distracta,<\/td>\nwithin the body and are miserably distracted in the very flesh,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
505<\/i> qui credit sine corpore in sensus aurasque<\/td>\nwhy do you believe they can endure without a body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
506<\/b> posse eadem consistere cum uentis furibundis?<\/td>\nin the open air, amidst the raging winds?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
507<\/b> et quoniam mentem sanari, corpus ut aegrum,<\/td>\nAnd since we see the mind can be healed, like a sick body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
508<\/b> cernimus et flecti medicina posse uidemus,<\/td>\nand can be changed by medicine,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
509<\/b> id quoque praesagit mortalem uiuere uitam.<\/td>\nthis also foretells that it lives a mortal life.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
510<\/i> addere enim partis aut ordine traicere aequomst<\/td>\nFor it is necessary to add parts or to change their order<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
511<\/b> aut aliquid prorsum de summa detrahere hilum,<\/td>\nor to take away at least some small bit from the whole,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
512<\/b> quicumque adortus animum mutare uolutar<\/td>\nwhoever attempts and moves to change the mind<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
513<\/b> aut aliam quamuis naturam flectere quaerit.<\/td>\nor seeks to alter any other nature.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
514<\/b> at neque transferri partis inmortale sinit<\/td>\nBut an immortal thing does not allow its parts to be shifted,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
515<\/i> hilum neque addi prorsum de summa detrahi<\/td>\nnor does it allow anything to be added or taken away;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
516<\/b> nam quodcumque suis mutatum finibus exit,<\/td>\nfor whatever is changed and leaves its own boundaries,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
517<\/b> continuo hoc mors est illius quod fuit ante.<\/td>\nthis is the immediate death of that which was before.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
518<\/b> ergo seu morbo flectatur siue medendo,<\/td>\nTherefore, whether the mind is changed by disease or medicine,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
519<\/b> mortalem praebet signum, ut docui, quoniam<\/td>\nit gives signs of mortality, since, as I have shown,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
520<\/i> quoniam mutari quicquam prorsum de summa<\/td>\nwhatever is changed must either be increased<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
521<\/b> aut ordine traicere aequomst aut prorsum de summa<\/td>\nor its parts transposed or some small bit perish<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
522<\/b> hilum detrahere, ut dixi, quicumque uolutar.<\/td>\nfrom the whole, as I have said.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
523<\/b> usque adeo uerae res obuiat ire falsis<\/td>\nSo much does true fact go to meet false reasoning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
524<\/b> nec dat effugium, sed utrumque redarguit ore.<\/td>\nand cuts off escape, proving the error by a double refutation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
525<\/i> denique saepe hominem paulatim cernimus ire<\/td>\nFinally, we often see a man pass away limb by limb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
526<\/b> et membratim uitalem amittere sensum;<\/td>\nand lose the vital sense of his members one by one;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
527<\/b> in pedibus primum digitos liuere et unguis,<\/td>\nfirst the toes and nails of the feet grow blue,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
528<\/b> inde pedes et crura mori, post inde per artus<\/td>\nthen the feet and legs die, and then through the rest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
529<\/b> ire alios tractim gelidi uestigia leti.<\/td>\nof the limbs go the cold footsteps of death.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
530<\/i> scilicet haec quoniam diuiditur uis animai<\/td>\nSince the nature of this soul is thus divided<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
531<\/b> nec semel integra emittitur, mortalis habendast.<\/td>\nand does not come out whole at once, it must be held mortal.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
532<\/b> quod si forte putas ipsam se posse per artus<\/td>\nBut if you think that the soul can draw itself<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
533<\/b> introsum trahere et partis conducere in unum<\/td>\ninward through the limbs and contract its parts into one place<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
534<\/b> atque ideo cunctis sensum deducere membris,<\/td>\nand so withdraw sense from all the members,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
535<\/i> at locus ille tamen, quo copia tanta animai<\/td>\nthen that place where such a great mass of soul<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
536<\/b> cogitur, in sensu debet maiore uideri;<\/td>\nis collected ought to be seen to possess greater sense;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
537<\/b> qui quoniam nusquamst, ut diximus ante, deorsum<\/td>\nbut since this place is nowhere, as we said before,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
538<\/b> scilicet et distracta foras, ideoque perit.<\/td>\nsurely it is distracted and scattered abroad, and so it perishes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
539<\/b> quin etiam si iam libeat concedere falsum<\/td>\nNay, even if I chose to grant what is false,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
540<\/i> et dare posse animam glomerari in corpore eorum,<\/td>\nand allow that the soul could be gathered in the bodies of those<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
541<\/b> lumina qui linquunt morientes particulatim,<\/td>\nwho die piece by piece as they leave the light,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
542<\/b> mortalem tamen esse fateri debebis;<\/td>\nyet you must confess that the soul is mortal;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
543<\/b> nec refert utrum per auras dispulsa perire<\/td>\nnor does it matter whether it perishes scattered through the air<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
544<\/b> an contracta suis e partibus obbrutescat,<\/td>\nor becomes dull as its parts are contracted,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
545<\/i> quando hominem totum magis ac magis undique sensus<\/td>\nsince the whole man's sense fails him more and more<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
546<\/b> deficit et uitae minus ac minus undique restat.<\/td>\non all sides, and less and less of life remains.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

DE SENSIBVS ANIMAE ET ANIMI (623a)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Diels\u2019 1923 Latin Text<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
624<\/b> Praeterea si inmortalis natura animaist<\/td>\nFurthermore, if the nature of the soul is immortal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
625<\/b> et sentire potest secreta a corpore nostro,<\/td>\nand can feel when separated from our body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
626<\/b> quinque, ut opinor, eam debemus sensibus auctam<\/td>\nwe must, I think, assume it to be endowed with five senses;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
627<\/b> fingere. nec ratione alia hinc inferna mansi<\/td>\nin no other way can we imagine the souls of the dead<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
628<\/b> Acherunte uagare. itaque pictores et ueteres<\/td>\nwandering in the regions of Acheron. And so painters<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
629<\/b> scriptorum saecla induxerunt sensibus auctas.<\/td>\nand ancient generations of writers have introduced souls<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
630<\/b> at neque sorsum oculi neque nares nec manus ipsa<\/td>\nwith senses. But eyes cannot exist apart, nor noses,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
631<\/b> esse potest animae neque sorsum lingua, neque aures<\/td>\nnor the hand itself for the soul, nor the tongue, nor ears;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
632<\/b> auditu per se possunt sentire neque esse.<\/td>\ntherefore they cannot feel by themselves nor even exist.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
633<\/b> [Textual transition regarding the scattering of atoms]<\/td>\n[The soul atoms inevitably scatter upon the body's end.]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

CRITICAL APPARATUS [Lines 438\u2013468]<\/h2>\n

TESTIMONIA<\/h3>\n
    \n \t
  • 449, 450<\/b>: Cited in Nonius<\/i> 203, 33 regarding the growth of mental power (robustis adoleuit uiribus aetas<\/i>).<\/li>\n \t
  • 453<\/b>: Mens labat<\/i> (Diels reconstruction); calor ignist<\/i> (Bockem\u00fcller) noted in parallel discussions of atomic heat.<\/li>\n \t
  • 459<\/b>: Servius<\/i> ad Aen.<\/i> III 587 (Observations on the mental perception of physical time and action).<\/li>\n \t
  • 467<\/b>: Servius<\/i> ad Aen.<\/i> VI 688 (Regarding the recognition of faces during the transition to the afterlife).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    CODICES<\/h3>\n
      \n \t
    • 438<\/b> recessit<\/i> OQ<\/i> : recesset<\/i> G<\/i>.<\/li>\n \t
    • 440<\/b> pocius<\/i> O<\/i> : potius<\/i> QG<\/i>.<\/li>\n \t
    • 442<\/b> ucredis<\/i> O<\/i> : ucredes<\/i> G<\/i>.<\/li>\n \t
    • 449<\/b> adoleuit<\/i> OQ<\/i> : adoliuit<\/i> G<\/i>.<\/li>\n \t
    • 452<\/b> optusis<\/i> O<\/i> : obtusis<\/i> QG<\/i>.<\/li>\n \t
    • 453<\/b> mens labat<\/i> Diels : mentis<\/i> OQG<\/i>.<\/li>\n \t
    • 455<\/b> conuenit<\/i> O<\/i> : conuinet<\/i> Q<\/i>.<\/li>\n \t
    • 456<\/b> animai<\/i> OQ<\/i> : animae<\/i> G<\/i>.<\/li>\n \t
    • 463<\/b> morbis<\/i> OQ<\/i> : morbus<\/i> G<\/i>.<\/li>\n \t
    • 467<\/b> uoltus<\/i> O<\/i> : uultus<\/i> QG<\/i>.<\/li>\n \t
    • 468<\/b> eorum<\/i> O<\/i> : corum<\/i> Q<\/i>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","rendered":"

      Module Introduction: The Enduring “Magic” of Lucretius<\/h2>\n

      The poetry of Lucretius occupies a singular position in the history of Western thought, bridging the gap between ancient speculative philosophy and the rigorous causal inquiries of modern science. As Albert Einstein observed in his 1924 foreword to Hermann Diels\u2019 edition, the poem works its “magic” on those who feel like spectators of their own age and its intellectual attitudes. For Einstein, Lucretius represents the archetypal “independent thinker,” one who sought to understand the world through the “causal connectedness” of an atomistic-mechanical worldview. This perspective, ascribing only geometric-mechanical qualities to immutable atoms, allowed Lucretius to imagine a world intelligible through reason rather than superstition.<\/p>\n

      The physical preservation of this intellectual legacy is equally significant. Naturalist David Attenborough identifies the 1515 Aldine edition by Aldus Manutius as one of his “most precious books.” Attenborough prizes the volume not only for its elegant italic script\u2014the hallmark of the Venetian printer\u2014but also for its role as a “meme,” a vessel in which human experience and wisdom are embedded and transmitted across generations.<\/p>\n

      The objective of this module is to explore Lucretius’ arguments for the mortality of the soul as presented in the authoritative 1923 edition by Hermann Diels. Following Diels\u2019 tradition of scholarship, which Einstein praised for verses that read so “naturally” they transcend the feeling of translation, we examine the mechanical demonstration of the soul’s synchronous life and death with the body.<\/p>\n

      ANIMAM NATIVAM ET MORTALEM ESSE (416a)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Diels\u2019 1923 Latin Text<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      417<\/b> Nunc age, natiuos animantibus et mortalis<\/td>\nCome now, that you may learn that the minds and light souls<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      418<\/b> esse animos animasque leuis ut noscere possis,<\/td>\nof living things are born and are mortal,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      419<\/b> conglomera uitam precanti carmina cura.<\/td>\nI will proceed to set forth verses for you with long-pondered care.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      420<\/b> tu fac utrumque uno sub nomine iungas,<\/td>\nSee that you link both under one name,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      421<\/b> cum pocius animam uerbi causa luear,<\/td>\nand when, for example, I speak of the soul,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      422<\/b> nam quoniam fieri quiddam coniunctius unum<\/td>\nshowing it to be mortal, believe me to speak of the mind as well,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      423<\/b> inter se docui mortalem esse, ostendam.<\/td>\nsince in their connection they are found to be a single thing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      424<\/b> principio quoniam tenuem constare minutis<\/td>\nFirst, since I have shown the soul to be thin and formed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      425<\/i> corporibus docui multoque minoribus esse<\/td>\nof minute bodies, far smaller<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      426<\/b> principiis, quam limpidus est umor aquai<\/td>\nthan the seeds that make up the clear fluid of water<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      427<\/b> aut nebula aut fumus (nam longe mobilitate<\/td>\nor cloud or smoke (for it far surpasses these<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      428<\/b> praestat et a tenui causa magis icta mouetur,<\/td>\nin mobility, and is moved by a more slender cause,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      429<\/b> quippe ubi imaginibus fumi nebulaeque mouetur:<\/td>\nsince it is moved by the very images of smoke and cloud:<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      430<\/b> quod fieri totum per somnum cernimus, alta<\/td>\njust as when we see in sleep high altars<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      431<\/b> cum fabere exhalare uidentur et ire<\/td>\nbreathing forth steam and sending up smoke;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      432<\/b> nam dubio procul haec ad nos mittuntur imago),<\/td>\nfor doubtless these images are wafted to us),<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      433<\/b> nunc igitur quoniam quassatis undique uasis<\/td>\nnow, therefore, since you see water flow out<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      434<\/b> diffluere umorem et laticem discedere cernis<\/td>\nwhen vessels are shattered, and the liquid scatter,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      435<\/i> et nebula ac fumus quoniam discedit in auras,<\/td>\nand since cloud and smoke vanish into the breezes,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      436<\/b> crede animam quoque diffundi multoque perire<\/td>\nbelieve that the soul also is spilled and perishes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      437<\/b> ocius et citius dissolui in corpora prima,<\/td>\nmore quickly, and is more readily dissolved into its first bodies,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      438<\/b> cum semel ex hominis membris ablata recessit.<\/td>\nonce it has been withdrawn from the limbs of a man.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      439<\/b> quippe etenim corpus, quod uas quasi constitit eius,<\/td>\nFor indeed, if the body, which serves as its vessel,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      440<\/b> cum pocius nequeat percussum quolibet aeuo<\/td>\ncannot contain it when shattered by some blow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      441<\/b> attenuari, aliqua si ritate laxatum,<\/td>\nor thinned by the withdrawal of blood from the veins,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      442<\/b> qui pocius uento credas conconstare inane?<\/td>\nhow can you believe the soul can be held by the air,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      443<\/b> quippe magis cohibet quod non magis esse inane<\/td>\nwhich is a more porous container than our own body?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      444<\/b> corpore nostro et ritate esse uidetur?<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      ANIMVM ET CORPVS SIMVL NASCI ET CRESCERE ET SIMVL INTERIRE (444a)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Diels\u2019 1923 Latin Text<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      445<\/b> Praeterea gigni pariter cum corpore et una<\/td>\nFurthermore, we feel that the mind is born with the body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      446<\/b> crescere sentimus pariterque senescere mentem.<\/td>\ngrows with it, and ages along with it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      447<\/b> nam uelut infirmum pueri tenerumque trementi<\/td>\nFor just as children wander with a weak and tender body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      448<\/b> corpore cum sequitur, sic consilium sequitur.<\/td>\nso a slender judgment follows them.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      449<\/b> inde ubi robustis adoleuit uiribus aetas,<\/td>\nThen, when their age has ripened with robust strength,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      450<\/i> consilium quoque maius et auctior est animi uis.<\/td>\ntheir judgment is greater and the power of the mind increased.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      451<\/b> post ubi iam ualidis quassatum est uiribus aeui<\/td>\nAfterward, when the body is shattered by the powerful forces of time<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      452<\/b> corpus et optusis ceciderunt uiribus artus,<\/td>\nand the limbs have failed with blunted strength,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      453<\/b> claudicat ingenium, delirat lingua, mens labat,<\/td>\nthe intellect halts, the tongue raves, the mind gives way,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      454<\/b> omnia deficiunt atque uno tempore desunt.<\/td>\nall things fail and are found wanting at once.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      455<\/i> ergo dissolui quoque conuenit omnem<\/td>\nTherefore, it is fitting that the whole nature of the soul<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      456<\/b> naturam animai, ceu fumus, in altas<\/td>\nbe dissolved like smoke into the high breezes of the air,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      457<\/b> aeris auras, quoniam gigni pariterque<\/td>\nsince we see it born with the body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      458<\/b> crescere sentimus pariterque senescere mentem.<\/td>\nand growing and failing with it in synchronous time.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      459<\/b> huc accedit uti uideamus, corpus ut ipsum<\/td>\nTo this is added that we see, just as the body itself<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      460<\/i> suscipere inmanis morbos durumque dolorem,<\/td>\nsuffers cruel diseases and hard pain,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      461<\/b> sic animum curas acris luctumque metumque;<\/td>\nso the mind suffers sharp cares and grief and fear;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      462<\/b> quare participem leti quoque conuenit esse.<\/td>\nwherefore it is fitting that it also shares in death.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      463<\/b> quin etiam morbis in corporis aucius erro<\/td>\nIndeed, in the diseases of the body, the mind often wanders;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      464<\/b> saepe animus; dementit enim deliraque fatur<\/td>\nfor it loses its reason and speaks raucously in delirium,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      465<\/i> interdumque graui lethargo fertur in altum<\/td>\nand sometimes is carried into the deep, heavy sleep<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      466<\/b> aeternumque soporem oculis nutuue cadenti,<\/td>\nof a lethargy with drooping eyes and nodding head,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      467<\/b> unde neque exaudit uoces nec noscere uoltus<\/td>\nfrom which it hears no voices and cannot recognize the faces<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      468<\/b> eorum potest, uitam qui circumstantes<\/td>\nof those who stand around, calling it back to life,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      469<\/b> ad uitam reuocant sursum reuocantque.<\/td>\ntheir cheeks and eyes wet with tears.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      470<\/i> quare animum quoque fateri necesse est<\/td>\nTherefore, you must confess that the mind also<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      471<\/b> dissolui, quoniam penetrant contagia morbi.<\/td>\nis dissolved, since the contagion of disease penetrates it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      472<\/b> nam dolor ac morbus leti fabricator uterquest,<\/td>\nFor both pain and disease are the craftsmen of death,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      473<\/b> multorum exitio perdocti quod sumus ante.<\/td>\na fact we have been taught by the ruin of many before.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      474<\/b> denique cur, hominem cum uini uis penetrauit<\/td>\nFinally, why is it that when the pungent strength of wine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      475<\/i> acris et in uenas discessit laetitiai,<\/td>\nhas entered a man and its heat has spread into his veins,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      476<\/b> consequitur grauitas membrorum, praepediuntur<\/td>\nthere follows a heaviness of the limbs, his legs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      477<\/b> crura uacillanti, tardescit lingua, mens madet,<\/td>\nare impeded and he totters, his tongue is sluggish, his mind sodden,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      478<\/b> nant oculi, clamor, singultus, iurgia gliscunt,<\/td>\nhis eyes swim, shouting, sobs, and brawls break out,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      479<\/b> et iam cetera de genere hoc quae cumque sequuntur,<\/td>\nand all other such things that follow in this train\u2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      480<\/i> cur ea fiunt, nisi uiolenta uini uis<\/td>\nwhy do they happen, unless the violent force of the wine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      481<\/b> conturbare animam consueuit corpore in ipso?<\/td>\nis accustomed to perturb the soul within the body itself?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      482<\/b> at quae cumque regunt conturbari inque pediri,<\/td>\nBut whatever can be perturbed and impeded<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      483<\/b> significant, paulo si conualitior esset<\/td>\nshows that, if a slightly more powerful cause<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      484<\/b> causa, fore ut perirent aeui priuata futuro.<\/td>\nshould enter, it would perish, robbed of future life.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      485<\/i> quin etiam subito ui morbi saepe coactus<\/td>\nMoreover, often a man, seized by the sudden force of disease,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      486<\/b> ante oculos aliquis nostros, ut fulminis ictu,<\/td>\nfalls before our eyes as if struck by a lightning bolt,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      487<\/b> concidit et spumas agit, ingemit et tremit artus,<\/td>\nand foams at the mouth, groans and trembles in his limbs,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      488<\/b> desipit, extentat neruos, torquetur, anhelat<\/td>\nloses his wits, strains his muscles, is racked and pants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      489<\/b> inconstanter et in iactando membra fatigat.<\/td>\nfitfully, and tires his limbs with tossing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      490<\/i> nimirum quia uis morbi distracta per artus<\/td>\nSurely this is because the force of disease, spread through the limbs,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      491<\/b> turbat agens animam, spumans ut in aequore salso<\/td>\nperturbs the soul, seething as the waves of the salt sea<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      492<\/b> uentorum ualidis feruescit uiribus unda.<\/td>\nfoam under the mighty strength of the winds.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      493<\/b> exprimitur porro gemitus, quia membra dolore<\/td>\nA groan is forced out because the limbs are constricted<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      494<\/b> afficiuntur et omnino huc iactantur uocis<\/td>\nwith pain, and generally the seeds of the voice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      495<\/i> corpora quae capiunt uiai de ore feruntur.<\/td>\nare ejected and carried out by the mouth, where they usually pass.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      496<\/b> desipientia fit, quia uis animi atque animai<\/td>\nLoss of reason occurs because the power of the mind and soul<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      497<\/b> conturbatur et, ut docui, diuisa seorsum<\/td>\nis perturbed and, as I have shown, is distracted<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      498<\/b> disicitur per eadem distracta ueneno.<\/td>\nand driven apart, scattered by that same poison.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      499<\/b> inde ubi iam morbi reflexit causa gualisque<\/td>\nThen, when the cause of the disease has retreated<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      500<\/i> corporis in latebras acer gualumque recessit,<\/td>\nand the bitter humor of the sick body has returned to its secret lair,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      501<\/b> tum quasi uacillans primum consurgit et omnis<\/td>\nthen the man first rises, as if reeling, and<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      502<\/b> paulatim reccipit sensus animamque reccipit.<\/td>\ngradually recovers all his senses and his soul.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      503<\/b> haec igitur cum sint in corpore tanto<\/td>\nSince, therefore, these souls are tossed by such great disorders<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      504<\/b> morbis distracta et uisceribus distracta,<\/td>\nwithin the body and are miserably distracted in the very flesh,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      505<\/i> qui credit sine corpore in sensus aurasque<\/td>\nwhy do you believe they can endure without a body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      506<\/b> posse eadem consistere cum uentis furibundis?<\/td>\nin the open air, amidst the raging winds?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      507<\/b> et quoniam mentem sanari, corpus ut aegrum,<\/td>\nAnd since we see the mind can be healed, like a sick body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      508<\/b> cernimus et flecti medicina posse uidemus,<\/td>\nand can be changed by medicine,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      509<\/b> id quoque praesagit mortalem uiuere uitam.<\/td>\nthis also foretells that it lives a mortal life.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      510<\/i> addere enim partis aut ordine traicere aequomst<\/td>\nFor it is necessary to add parts or to change their order<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      511<\/b> aut aliquid prorsum de summa detrahere hilum,<\/td>\nor to take away at least some small bit from the whole,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      512<\/b> quicumque adortus animum mutare uolutar<\/td>\nwhoever attempts and moves to change the mind<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      513<\/b> aut aliam quamuis naturam flectere quaerit.<\/td>\nor seeks to alter any other nature.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      514<\/b> at neque transferri partis inmortale sinit<\/td>\nBut an immortal thing does not allow its parts to be shifted,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      515<\/i> hilum neque addi prorsum de summa detrahi<\/td>\nnor does it allow anything to be added or taken away;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      516<\/b> nam quodcumque suis mutatum finibus exit,<\/td>\nfor whatever is changed and leaves its own boundaries,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      517<\/b> continuo hoc mors est illius quod fuit ante.<\/td>\nthis is the immediate death of that which was before.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      518<\/b> ergo seu morbo flectatur siue medendo,<\/td>\nTherefore, whether the mind is changed by disease or medicine,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      519<\/b> mortalem praebet signum, ut docui, quoniam<\/td>\nit gives signs of mortality, since, as I have shown,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      520<\/i> quoniam mutari quicquam prorsum de summa<\/td>\nwhatever is changed must either be increased<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      521<\/b> aut ordine traicere aequomst aut prorsum de summa<\/td>\nor its parts transposed or some small bit perish<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      522<\/b> hilum detrahere, ut dixi, quicumque uolutar.<\/td>\nfrom the whole, as I have said.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      523<\/b> usque adeo uerae res obuiat ire falsis<\/td>\nSo much does true fact go to meet false reasoning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      524<\/b> nec dat effugium, sed utrumque redarguit ore.<\/td>\nand cuts off escape, proving the error by a double refutation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      525<\/i> denique saepe hominem paulatim cernimus ire<\/td>\nFinally, we often see a man pass away limb by limb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      526<\/b> et membratim uitalem amittere sensum;<\/td>\nand lose the vital sense of his members one by one;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      527<\/b> in pedibus primum digitos liuere et unguis,<\/td>\nfirst the toes and nails of the feet grow blue,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      528<\/b> inde pedes et crura mori, post inde per artus<\/td>\nthen the feet and legs die, and then through the rest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      529<\/b> ire alios tractim gelidi uestigia leti.<\/td>\nof the limbs go the cold footsteps of death.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      530<\/i> scilicet haec quoniam diuiditur uis animai<\/td>\nSince the nature of this soul is thus divided<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      531<\/b> nec semel integra emittitur, mortalis habendast.<\/td>\nand does not come out whole at once, it must be held mortal.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      532<\/b> quod si forte putas ipsam se posse per artus<\/td>\nBut if you think that the soul can draw itself<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      533<\/b> introsum trahere et partis conducere in unum<\/td>\ninward through the limbs and contract its parts into one place<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      534<\/b> atque ideo cunctis sensum deducere membris,<\/td>\nand so withdraw sense from all the members,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      535<\/i> at locus ille tamen, quo copia tanta animai<\/td>\nthen that place where such a great mass of soul<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      536<\/b> cogitur, in sensu debet maiore uideri;<\/td>\nis collected ought to be seen to possess greater sense;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      537<\/b> qui quoniam nusquamst, ut diximus ante, deorsum<\/td>\nbut since this place is nowhere, as we said before,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      538<\/b> scilicet et distracta foras, ideoque perit.<\/td>\nsurely it is distracted and scattered abroad, and so it perishes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      539<\/b> quin etiam si iam libeat concedere falsum<\/td>\nNay, even if I chose to grant what is false,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      540<\/i> et dare posse animam glomerari in corpore eorum,<\/td>\nand allow that the soul could be gathered in the bodies of those<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      541<\/b> lumina qui linquunt morientes particulatim,<\/td>\nwho die piece by piece as they leave the light,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      542<\/b> mortalem tamen esse fateri debebis;<\/td>\nyet you must confess that the soul is mortal;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      543<\/b> nec refert utrum per auras dispulsa perire<\/td>\nnor does it matter whether it perishes scattered through the air<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      544<\/b> an contracta suis e partibus obbrutescat,<\/td>\nor becomes dull as its parts are contracted,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      545<\/i> quando hominem totum magis ac magis undique sensus<\/td>\nsince the whole man’s sense fails him more and more<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      546<\/b> deficit et uitae minus ac minus undique restat.<\/td>\non all sides, and less and less of life remains.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      DE SENSIBVS ANIMAE ET ANIMI (623a)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Diels\u2019 1923 Latin Text<\/td>\nEnglish Translation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      624<\/b> Praeterea si inmortalis natura animaist<\/td>\nFurthermore, if the nature of the soul is immortal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      625<\/b> et sentire potest secreta a corpore nostro,<\/td>\nand can feel when separated from our body,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      626<\/b> quinque, ut opinor, eam debemus sensibus auctam<\/td>\nwe must, I think, assume it to be endowed with five senses;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      627<\/b> fingere. nec ratione alia hinc inferna mansi<\/td>\nin no other way can we imagine the souls of the dead<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      628<\/b> Acherunte uagare. itaque pictores et ueteres<\/td>\nwandering in the regions of Acheron. And so painters<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      629<\/b> scriptorum saecla induxerunt sensibus auctas.<\/td>\nand ancient generations of writers have introduced souls<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      630<\/b> at neque sorsum oculi neque nares nec manus ipsa<\/td>\nwith senses. But eyes cannot exist apart, nor noses,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      631<\/b> esse potest animae neque sorsum lingua, neque aures<\/td>\nnor the hand itself for the soul, nor the tongue, nor ears;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      632<\/b> auditu per se possunt sentire neque esse.<\/td>\ntherefore they cannot feel by themselves nor even exist.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      633<\/b> [Textual transition regarding the scattering of atoms]<\/td>\n[The soul atoms inevitably scatter upon the body’s end.]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      CRITICAL APPARATUS [Lines 438\u2013468]<\/h2>\n

      TESTIMONIA<\/h3>\n
        \n
      • 449, 450<\/b>: Cited in Nonius<\/i> 203, 33 regarding the growth of mental power (robustis adoleuit uiribus aetas<\/i>).<\/li>\n
      • 453<\/b>: Mens labat<\/i> (Diels reconstruction); calor ignist<\/i> (Bockem\u00fcller) noted in parallel discussions of atomic heat.<\/li>\n
      • 459<\/b>: Servius<\/i> ad Aen.<\/i> III 587 (Observations on the mental perception of physical time and action).<\/li>\n
      • 467<\/b>: Servius<\/i> ad Aen.<\/i> VI 688 (Regarding the recognition of faces during the transition to the afterlife).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        CODICES<\/h3>\n
          \n
        • 438<\/b> recessit<\/i> OQ<\/i> : recesset<\/i> G<\/i>.<\/li>\n
        • 440<\/b> pocius<\/i> O<\/i> : potius<\/i> QG<\/i>.<\/li>\n
        • 442<\/b> ucredis<\/i> O<\/i> : ucredes<\/i> G<\/i>.<\/li>\n
        • 449<\/b> adoleuit<\/i> OQ<\/i> : adoliuit<\/i> G<\/i>.<\/li>\n
        • 452<\/b> optusis<\/i> O<\/i> : obtusis<\/i> QG<\/i>.<\/li>\n
        • 453<\/b> mens labat<\/i> Diels : mentis<\/i> OQG<\/i>.<\/li>\n
        • 455<\/b> conuenit<\/i> O<\/i> : conuinet<\/i> Q<\/i>.<\/li>\n
        • 456<\/b> animai<\/i> OQ<\/i> : animae<\/i> G<\/i>.<\/li>\n
        • 463<\/b> morbis<\/i> OQ<\/i> : morbus<\/i> G<\/i>.<\/li>\n
        • 467<\/b> uoltus<\/i> O<\/i> : uultus<\/i> QG<\/i>.<\/li>\n
        • 468<\/b> eorum<\/i> O<\/i> : corum<\/i> Q<\/i>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"menu_order":18,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-53","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":18,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/53\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/53\/revisions\/54"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/18"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/53\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.psgaesthetics.uk\/lucretius\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}