第17章

But, by obtaining germs of many things, In many a way she brings the many forth Into the light of sun.And here, whoso Decides to call the ocean Neptune, or The grain-crop Ceres, and prefers to abuse The name of Bacchus rather than pronounce The liquor's proper designation, him Let us permit to go on calling earth Mother of Gods, if only he will spare To taint his soul with foul religion.

So, too, the wooly flocks, and horned kine, And brood of battle-eager horses, grazing Often together along one grassy plain, Under the cope of one blue sky, and slaking From out one stream of water each its thirst, All live their lives with face and form unlike, Keeping the parents' nature, parents' habits, Which, kind by kind, through ages they repeat.

So great in any sort of herb thou wilt, So great again in any river of earth Are the distinct diversities of matter.

Hence, further, every creature- any one From out them all- compounded is the same Of bones, blood, veins, heat, moisture, flesh, and thews-All differing vastly in their forms, and built Of elements dissimilar in shape.

Again, all things by fire consumed ablaze, Within their frame lay up, if naught besides, At least those atoms whence derives their power To throw forth fire and send out light from under, To shoot the sparks and scatter embers wide.

If, with like reasoning of mind, all else Thou traverse through, thou wilt discover thus That in their frame the seeds of many things They hide, and divers shapes of seeds contain.

Further, thou markest much, to which are given Along together colour and flavour and smell, Among which, chief, are most burnt offerings.......

Thus must they be of divers shapes composed.

A smell of scorching enters in our frame Where the bright colour from the dye goes not;And colour in one way, flavour in quite another Works inward to our senses- so mayst see They differ too in elemental shapes.

Thus unlike forms into one mass combine, And things exist by intermixed seed.

But still 'tmust not be thought that in all ways All things can be conjoined; for then wouldst view Portents begot about thee every side:

Hulks of mankind half brute astarting up, At times big branches sprouting from man's trunk, Limbs of a sea-beast to a land-beast knit, And nature along the all-producing earth Feeding those dire Chimaeras breathing flame From hideous jaws- Of which 'tis simple fact That none have been begot; because we see All are from fixed seed and fixed dam Engendered and so function as to keep Throughout their growth their own ancestral type.

This happens surely by a fixed law:

For from all food-stuff, when once eaten down, Go sundered atoms, suited to each creature, Throughout their bodies, and, conjoining there, Produce the proper motions; but we see How, contrariwise, nature upon the ground Throws off those foreign to their frame; and many With viewless bodies from their bodies fly, By blows impelled- those impotent to join To any part, or, when inside, to accord And to take on the vital motions there.

But think not, haply, living forms alone Are bound by these laws: they distinguished all.......

For just as all things of creation are, In their whole nature, each to each unlike, So must their atoms be in shape unlike-Not since few only are fashioned of like form, But since they all, as general rule, are not The same as all.Nay, here in these our verses, Elements many, common to many words, Thou seest, though yet 'tis needful to confess The words and verses differ, each from each, Compounded out of different elements-Not since few only, as common letters, run Through all the words, or no two words are made, One and the other, from all like elements, But since they all, as general rule, are not The same as all.Thus, too, in other things, Whilst many germs common to many things There are, yet they, combined among themselves, Can form new wholes to others quite unlike.

Thus fairly one may say that humankind, The grains, the gladsome trees, are all made up Of different atoms.Further, since the seeds Are different, difference must there also be In intervening spaces, thoroughfares, Connections, weights, blows, clashings, motions, all Which not alone distinguish living forms, But sunder earth's whole ocean from the lands, And hold all heaven from the lands away.

ABSENCE OF SECONDARY QUALITIES

Now come, this wisdom by my sweet toil sought Look thou perceive, lest haply thou shouldst guess That the white objects shining to thine eyes Are gendered of white atoms, or the black Of a black seed; or yet believe that aught That's steeped in any hue should take its dye From bits of matter tinct with hue the same.

For matter's bodies own no hue the least-Or like to objects or, again, unlike.

But, if percase it seem to thee that mind Itself can dart no influence of its own Into these bodies, wide thou wand'rest off.

For since the blind-born, who have ne'er surveyed The light of sun, yet recognise by touch Things that from birth had ne'er a hue for them, 'Tis thine to know that bodies can be brought No less unto the ken of our minds too, Though yet those bodies with no dye be smeared.

Again, ourselves whatever in the dark We touch, the same we do not find to be Tinctured with any colour.

Now that here I win the argument, I next will teach......

Now, every colour changes, none except, And every...

Which the primordials ought nowise to do.

Since an immutable somewhat must remain, Lest all things utterly be brought to naught.

For change of anything from out its bounds Means instant death of that which was before.

Wherefore be mindful not to stain with colour The seeds of things, lest things return for thee All utterly to naught.