The Nature of Things
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3.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Lucretius' poem On the Nature of Things combines a scientific and philosophical treatise with some of the greatest poetry ever written. With intense moral fervour he demonstrates to humanity that in death there is nothing to fear since the soul is mortal, and the world and everything in it is governed by the mechanical laws of nature and not by gods; and that by believing this men can live in peace of mind and happiness. He bases this on the atomic theory expounded by the Greek philosopher Epicurus, and continues with an examination of sensation, sex, cosmology, meteorology, and geology, all of these subjects made more attractive by the poetry with which he illustrates them.
Customer Reviews
one thing to keep in mind.
this translation was made as poetry in english and not as written in the original latin. In latin they would have have used rhyme like the translator does here to allow us to capture the work as they would have back then. I believe the introduction explains that very well.
Neat and Contemporary Translation
AE Stalling’s neat and contemporary-sounding rhymed fourteeners give room for her to capture the sense of each line in such a way as to give the reader a very satisfying experience. The original Latin was in hexameter (six poetic feet) while Stalling’s is in heptameter (seven poetic feet). While some of the translation contains anachronistic terms, it still conveys the essential meaning of the text. It is a very worthwhile read.
Sampe size is insufficient.
There are many copies of this book available through iBooks. I am looking at them all in squence to find a palatable script. In this, the sample only contains the intriduction, and none of the actual text of the translation. Please expand the sample of these types of works to include at least a page or two of the actual lines of the principle text.