of the nature of things-第39章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


In　like　proportions；　and　then　earth　was　young。
　　Wherefore；　again；　again；　how　merited
Is　that　adopted　name　of　Earth…　The　Mother！…
Since　she　herself　begat　the　human　race；
And　at　one　well…nigh　fixed　time　brought　forth
Each　breast　that　ranges　raving　round　about
Upon　the　mighty　mountains　and　all　birds
Aerial　with　many　a　varied　shape。
But；　lo；　because　her　bearing　years　must　end；
She　ceased；　like　to　a　woman　worn　by　eld。
For　lapsing　aeons　change　the　nature　of
The　whole　wide　world；　and　all　things　needs　must　take
One　status　after　other；　nor　aught　persists
Forever　like　itself。　All　things　depart；
Nature　she　changeth　all；　compelleth　all
To　transformation。　Lo；　this　moulders　down；
A…slack　with　weary　eld；　and　that；　again；
Prospers　in　glory；　issuing　from　contempt。
In　suchwise；　then；　the　lapsing　aeons　change
The　nature　of　the　whole　wide　world；　and　earth
Taketh　one　status　after　other。　And　what
She　bore　of　old；　she　now　can　bear　no　longer；
And　what　she　never　bore；　she　can　to…day。
　　In　those　days　also　the　telluric　world
Strove　to　beget　the　monsters　that　upsprung
With　their　astounding　visages　and　limbs…
The　Man…woman…　a　thing　betwixt　the　twain；
Yet　neither；　and　from　either　sex　remote…
Some　gruesome　Boggles　orphaned　of　the　feet；
Some　widowed　of　the　hands；　dumb　Horrors　too
Without　a　mouth；　or　blind　Ones　of　no　eye；
Or　Bulks　all　shackled　by　their　legs　and　arms
Cleaving　unto　the　body　fore　and　aft；
Thuswise；　that　never　could　they　do　or　go；
Nor　shun　disaster；　nor　take　the　good　they　would。
And　other　prodigies　and　monsters　earth
Was　then　begetting　of　this　sort…　in　vain；
Since　Nature　banned　with　horror　their　increase；
And　powerless　were　they　to　reach　unto
The　coveted　flower　of　fair　maturity；
Or　to　find　aliment；　or　to　intertwine
In　works　of　Venus。　For　we　see　there　must
Concur　in　life　conditions　manifold；
If　life　is　ever　by　begetting　life
To　forge　the　generations　one　by　one：
First；　foods　must　be；　and；　next；　a　path　whereby
The　seeds　of　impregnation　in　the　frame
May　ooze；　released　from　the　members　all；
Last；　the　possession　of　those　instruments
Whereby　the　male　with　female　can　unite；
The　one　with　other　in　mutual　ravishments。
　　And　in　the　ages　after　monsters　died；
Perforce　there　perished　many　a　stock；　unable
By　propagation　to　forge　a　progeny。
For　whatsoever　creatures　thou　beholdest
Breathing　the　breath　of　life；　the　same　have　been
Even　from　their　earliest　age　preserved　alive
By　cunning；　or　by　valour；　or　at　least
By　speed　of　foot　or　wing。　And　many　a　stock
Remaineth　yet；　because　of　use　to　man；
And　so　committed　to　man's　guardianship。
Valour　hath　saved　alive　fierce　lion…breeds
And　many　another　terrorizing　race；
Cunning　the　foxes；　flight　the　antlered　stags。
Light…sleeping　dogs　with　faithful　heart　in　breast；
However；　and　every　kind　begot　from　seed
Of　beasts　of　draft；　as；　too；　the　woolly　flocks
And　horned　cattle；　all；　my　Memmius；
Have　been　committed　to　guardianship　of　men。
For　anxiously　they　fled　the　savage　beasts；
And　peace　they　sought　and　their　abundant　foods；
Obtained　with　never　labours　of　their　own；
Which　we　secure　to　them　as　fit　rewards
For　their　good　service。　But　those　beasts　to　whom
Nature　has　granted　naught　of　these　same　things…
Beasts　quite　unfit　by　own　free　will　to　thrive
And　vain　for　any　service　unto　us
In　thanks　for　which　we　should　permit　their　kind
To　feed　and　be　in　our　protection　safe…
Those；　of　a　truth；　were　wont　to　be　exposed；
Enshackled　in　the　gruesome　bonds　of　doom；
As　prey　and　booty　for　the　rest；　until
Nature　reduced　that　stock　to　utter　death。
　　But　Centaurs　ne'er　have　been；　nor　can　there　be
Creatures　of　twofold　stock　and　double　frame；
Compact　of　members　alien　in　kind；
Yet　formed　with　equal　function；　equal　force
In　every　bodily　part…　a　fact　thou　mayst；
However　dull　thy　wits；　well　learn　from　this：
The　horse；　when　his　three　years　have　rolled　away；
Flowers　in　his　prime　of　vigour；　but　the　boy
Not　so；　for　oft　even　then　he　gropes　in　sleep
After　the　milky　nipples　of　the　breasts；
An　infant　still。　And　later；　when　at　last
The　lusty　powers　of　horses　and　stout　limbs；
Now　weak　through　lapsing　life；　do　fail　with　age；
Lo；　only　then　doth　youth　with　flowering　years
Begin　for　boys；　and　clothe　their　ruddy　cheeks
With　the　soft　down。　So　never　deem；　percase；
That　from　a　man　and　from　the　seed　of　horse；
The　beast　of　draft；　can　Centaurs　be　composed
Or　e'er　exist　alive；　nor　Scyllas　be…
The　half…fish　bodies　girdled　with　mad　dogs…
Nor　others　of　this　sort；　in　whom　we　mark
Members　discordant　each　with　each；　for　ne'er
At　one　same　time　they　reach　their　flower　of　age
Or　gain　and　lose　full　vigour　of　their　frame；
And　never　burn　with　one　same　lust　of　love；
And　never　in　their　habits　they　agree；
Nor　find　the　same　foods　equally　delightsome…
Sooth；　as　one　oft　may　see　the　bearded　goats
Batten　upon　the　hemlock　which　to　man
Is　violent　poison。　Once　again；　since　flame
Is　wont　to　scorch　and　burn　the　tawny　bulks
Of　the　great　lions　as　much　as　other　kinds
Of　flesh　and　blood　existing　in　the　lands；
How　could　it　be　that　she；　Chimaera　lone；
With　triple　body…　fore；　a　lion　she；
And　aft；　a　dragon；　and　betwixt；　a　goat…
Might　at　the　mouth　from　out　the　body　belch
Infuriate　flame？　Wherefore；　the　man　who　feigns
Such　beings　could　have　been　engendered
When　earth　was　new　and　the　young　sky　was　fresh
（Basing　his　empty　argument　on　new）
May　babble　with　like　reason　many　whims
Into　our　ears：　he'll　say；　perhaps；　that　then
Rivers　of　gold　through　every　landscape　flowed；
That　trees　were　wont　with　precious　stones　to　flower；
Or　that　in　those　far　aeons　man　was　born
With　such　gigantic　length　and　lift　of　limbs
As　to　be　able；　based　upon　his　feet；
Deep　oceans　to　bestride　or　with　his　hands
To　whirl　the　firmament　around　his　head。
For　though　in　earth　were　many　seeds　of　things
In　the　old　time　when　this　telluric　world
First　poured　the　breeds　of　animals　abroad；
Still　that　is　nothing　of　a　sign　that　then
Such　hybrid　creatures　could　have　been　begot
And　limbs　of　all　beasts　heterogeneous
Have　been　together　knit；　because；　indeed；
The　divers　kinds　of　grasses　and　the　grains
And　the　delightsome　trees…　which　even　now
Spring　up　abounding　from　within　the　earth…
Can　still　ne'er　be　begotten　with　their　stems
Begrafted　into　one；　but　each　sole　thing
Proceeds　according　to　its　proper　wont
And　all　conserve　their　own　distinctions　based
In　nature's　fixed　decree。

　ORIGINS　AND　SAVAGE　PERIOD　OF　MANKIND

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　But　mortal　man
Was　then　far　hardier　in　the　old　champaign；
As　well　he　should　be；　since　a　hardier　earth
Had　him　begotten；　builded　too　was　he
Of　bigger　and　more　solid　bones　within；
And　knit　with　stalwart　sinews　through　the　flesh；
Nor　easily　seized　by　either　heat　or　cold；
Or　alien　food　or　any　ail　or　irk。
And　whilst　so　many　lustrums　of　the　sun
Rolled　on　across　the　sky；　men　led　a　life
After　the　roving　habit　of　wild　beasts。
Not　then　were　sturdy　guiders　of　curved　ploughs；
And　none　knew　then　to　work　the　fields　with　iron；
Or　plant　young　shoots　in　holes　of　delved　loam；
Or　lop　with　hooked　knives　from　off　high　trees
The　boughs　of　yester…year。　What　sun　and　rains
To　them　had　given；　what　earth　of　own　accord
Created　then；　was　boon　enough　to　glad
Their　simple　hearts。　Mid　acorn…laden　oaks
Would　they　refresh　their　bodies　for　the　nonce；
And　the　wild　berries　of　the　arbute…tree；
Which　now　thou　seest　to　ripen　purple…red
In　winter　time；　the　old　telluric　soil
Would　bear　then　more　abundant　and　more　big。
And　many　coarse　foods；　too；　in　long　ago
The　blooming　freshness　of　the　rank　young　world
Produced；　enough　for　those　poor　wretches　there。
And　rivers　and　springs　would　summon　them　of　old
To　slake　the　thirst；　as　now　from　the　great　hills
The　water's　down…rush　calls　aloud　and　far
The　thirsty　generations　of　the　wild。
So；　too；　they　sought　the　grottos　of　the　Nymphs…
The　woodland　haunts　discovered　as　they　ranged…
From　forth　of　which　they　knew　that　gliding　rills
With　gush　and　splash　abounding　laved　the　rocks；
The　dripping　rocks；　and　trickled　from　above
Over　the　verdant　moss；　and　here　and　there
Welled　up　and　burst　across　the　open　flats。
As　yet　they　knew　not　to　enkindle　fire
Against　the　cold；　nor　hairy　pelts　to　use
And　clothe　their　bodies　with　the　spoils　of　beasts；
But　huddled　in　groves；　and　moun