Titus Lucretius
Translated by Frank Olin Copley
W. W. Norton, New York, 2011; originally published In English translation from Latin, 15th cent.
Poetry
ISBN: 9780393341362

Epic philosophical poem written in the waning days of the Roman Republic, in which the poet Lucretius (c. 99 B.C.–c. 55 B.C.) lays out the beliefs of Epicureanism.

On 2 book lists
Emilio Ambasz

On the Nature of Things (De Rerum Natura) is a first-century B.C. epic poem by the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius. It deals with the principles of atomism; the nature of the mind; explanations of sensation and thought; the development of the world and its phenomena; and explains a variety of celestial and terrestrial phenomena. The poem grandly proclaims the reality of our role in a universe that is ruled by chance, with no interference from gods. It is a statement of personal responsibility in a world in which everyone is driven by hungers and passions with which they were born and do not understand.

Temple St. Clair

This is another classic that I keep nearby. The modernity of this 200-year-old text is astounding.

comments powered by Disqus