of the nature of things-第7章

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As　far　as　the　lips；　and　meanwhile　swallow　down
The　wormwood's　bitter　draught；　and；　though　befooled；
Be　yet　not　merely　duped；　but　rather　thus
Grow　strong　again　with　recreated　health：
So　now　I　too　（since　this　my　doctrine　seems
In　general　somewhat　woeful　unto　those
Who've　had　it　not　in　hand；　and　since　the　crowd
Starts　back　from　it　in　horror）　have　desired
To　expound　our　doctrine　unto　thee　in　song
Soft…speaking　and　Pierian；　and；　as　'twere；
To　touch　it　with　sweet　honey　of　the　Muse…
If　by　such　method　haply　I　might　hold
The　mind　of　thee　upon　these　lines　of　ours；
Till　thou　see　through　the　nature　of　all　things；
And　how　exists　the　interwoven　frame。
　　But　since　I've　taught　that　bodies　of　matter；　made
Completely　solid；　hither　and　thither　fly
Forevermore　unconquered　through　all　time；
Now　come；　and　whether　to　the　sum　of　them
There　be　a　limit　or　be　none；　for　thee
Let　us　unfold；　likewise　what　has　been　found
To　be　the　wide　inane；　or　room；　or　space
Wherein　all　things　soever　do　go　on；
Let　us　examine　if　it　finite　be
All　and　entire；　or　reach　unmeasured　round
And　downward　an　illimitable　profound。
　　Thus；　then；　the　All　that　is　is　limited
In　no　one　region　of　its　onward　paths；
For　then　'tmust　have　forever　its　beyond。
And　a　beyond　'tis　seen　can　never　be
For　aught；　unless　still　further　on　there　be
A　somewhat　somewhere　that　may　bound　the　same…
So　that　the　thing　be　seen　still　on　to　where
The　nature　of　sensation　of　that　thing
Can　follow　it　no　longer。　Now　because
Confess　we　must　there's　naught　beside　the　sum；
There's　no　beyond；　and　so　it　lacks　all　end。
It　matters　nothing　where　thou　post　thyself；
In　whatsoever　regions　of　the　same；
Even　any　place　a　man　has　set　him　down
Still　leaves　about　him　the　unbounded　all
Outward　in　all　directions；　or；　supposing
A　moment　the　all　of　space　finite　to　be；
If　some　one　farthest　traveller　runs　forth
Unto　the　extreme　coasts　and　throws　ahead
A　flying　spear；　is't　then　thy　wish　to　think
It　goes；　hurled　off　amain；　to　where　'twas　sent
And　shoots　afar；　or　that　some　object　there
Can　thwart　and　stop　it？　For　the　one　or　other
Thou　must　admit　and　take。　Either　of　which
Shuts　off　escape　for　thee；　and　does　compel
That　thou　concede　the　all　spreads　everywhere；
Owning　no　confines。　Since　whether　there　be
Aught　that　may　block　and　check　it　so　it　comes
Not　where　'twas　sent；　nor　lodges　in　its　goal；
Or　whether　borne　along；　in　either　view
'Thas　started　not　from　any　end。　And　so
I'll　follow　on；　and　whereso'er　thou　set
The　extreme　coasts；　I'll　query；　〃what　becomes
Thereafter　of　thy　spear？〃　'Twill　come　to　pass
That　nowhere　can　a　world's…end　be；　and　that
The　chance　for　further　flight　prolongs　forever
The　flight　itself。　Besides；　were　all　the　space
Of　the　totality　and　sum　shut　in
With　fixed　coasts；　and　bounded　everywhere；
Then　would　the　abundance　of　world's　matter　flow
Together　by　solid　weight　from　everywhere
Still　downward　to　the　bottom　of　the　world；
Nor　aught　could　happen　under　cope　of　sky；
Nor　could　there　be　a　sky　at　all　or　sun…
Indeed；　where　matter　all　one　heap　would　lie；
By　having　settled　during　infinite　time。
But　in　reality；　repose　is　given
Unto　no　bodies　'mongst　the　elements；
Because　there　is　no　bottom　whereunto
They　might；　as　'twere；　together　flow；　and　where
They　might　take　up　their　undisturbed　abodes。
In　endless　motion　everything　goes　on
Forevermore；　out　of　all　regions；　even
Out　of　the　pit　below；　from　forth　the　vast；
Are　hurtled　bodies　evermore　supplied。
The　nature　of　room；　the　space　of　the　abyss
Is　such　that　even　the　flashing　thunderbolts
Can　neither　speed　upon　their　courses　through；
Gliding　across　eternal　tracts　of　time；
Nor；　further；　bring　to　pass；　as　on　they　run；
That　they　may　bate　their　journeying　one　whit：
Such　huge　abundance　spreads　for　things　around…
Room　off　to　every　quarter；　without　end。
Lastly；　before　our　very　eyes　is　seen
Thing　to　bound　thing：　air　hedges　hill　from　hill；
And　mountain　walls　hedge　air；　land　ends　the　sea；
And　sea　in　turn　all　lands；　but　for　the　All
Truly　is　nothing　which　outside　may　bound。
That；　too；　the　sum　of　things　itself　may　not
Have　power　to　fix　a　measure　of　its　own；
Great　nature　guards；　she　who　compels　the　void
To　bound　all　body；　as　body　all　the　void；
Thus　rendering　by　these　alternates　the　whole
An　infinite；　or　else　the　one　or　other；
Being　unbounded　by　the　other；　spreads；
Even　by　its　single　nature；　ne'ertheless
Immeasurably　forth。。。。
Nor　sea；　nor　earth；　nor　shining　vaults　of　sky；
Nor　breed　of　mortals；　nor　holy　limbs　of　gods
Could　keep　their　place　least　portion　of　an　hour：
For；　driven　apart　from　out　its　meetings　fit；
The　stock　of　stuff；　dissolved；　would　be　borne
Along　the　illimitable　inane　afar；
Or　rather；　in　fact；　would　ne'er　have　once　combined
And　given　a　birth　to　aught；　since；　scattered　wide；
It　could　not　be　united。　For　of　truth
Neither　by　counsel　did　the　primal　germs
'Stablish　themselves；　as　by　keen　act　of　mind；
Each　in　its　proper　place；　nor　did　they　make；
Forsooth；　a　compact　how　each　germ　should　move；
But　since；　being　many　and　changed　in　many　modes
Along　the　All；　they're　driven　abroad　and　vexed
By　blow　on　blow；　even　from　all　time　of　old；
They　thus　at　last；　after　attempting　all
The　kinds　of　motion　and　conjoining；　come
Into　those　great　arrangements　out　of　which
This　sum　of　things　established　is　create；
By　which；　moreover；　through　the　mighty　years；
It　is　preserved；　when　once　it　has　been　thrown
Into　the　proper　motions；　bringing　to　pass
That　ever　the　streams　refresh　the　greedy　main
With　river…waves　abounding；　and　that　earth；
Lapped　in　warm　exhalations　of　the　sun；
Renews　her　broods；　and　that　the　lusty　race
Of　breathing　creatures　bears　and　blooms；　and　that
The　gliding　fires　of　ether　are　alive…
What　still　the　primal　germs　nowise　could　do；
Unless　from　out　the　infinite　of　space
Could　come　supply　of　matter；　whence　in　season
They're　wont　whatever　losses　to　repair。
For　as　the　nature　of　breathing　creatures　wastes；
Losing　its　body；　when　deprived　of　food：
So　all　things　have　to　be　dissolved　as　soon
As　matter；　diverted　by　what　means　soever
From　off　its　course；　shall　fail　to　be　on　hand。
Nor　can　the　blows　from　outward　still　conserve；
On　every　side；　whatever　sum　of　a　world
Has　been　united　in　a　whole。　They　can
Indeed；　by　frequent　beating；　check　a　part；
Till　others　arriving　may　fulfil　the　sum；
But　meanwhile　often　are　they　forced　to　spring
Rebounding　back；　and；　as　they　spring；　to　yield；
Unto　those　elements　whence　a　world　derives；
Room　and　a　time　for　flight；　permitting　them
To　be　from　off　the　massy　union　borne
Free　and　afar。　Wherefore；　again；　again：
Needs　must　there　come　a　many　for　supply；
And　also；　that　the　blows　themselves　shall　be
Unfailing　ever；　must　there　ever　be
An　infinite　force　of　matter　all　sides　round。
　　And　in　these　problems；　shrink；　my　Memmius；　far
From　yielding　faith　to　that　notorious　talk：
That　all　things　inward　to　the　centre　press；
And　thus　the　nature　of　the　world　stands　firm
With　never　blows　from　outward；　nor　can　be
Nowhere　disparted…　since　all　height　and　depth
Have　always　inward　to　the　centre　pressed
（If　thou　art　ready　to　believe　that　aught
Itself　can　rest　upon　itself　）；　or　that
The　ponderous　bodies　which　be　under　earth
Do　all　press　upwards　and　do　come　to　rest
Upon　the　earth；　in　some　way　upside　down；
Like　to　those　images　of　things　we　see
At　present　through　the　waters。　They　contend；
With　like　procedure；　that　all　breathing　things
Head　downward　roam　about；　and　yet　cannot
Tumble　from　earth　to　realms　of　sky　below；
No　more　than　these　our　bodies　wing　away
Spontaneously　to　vaults　of　sky　above；
That；　when　those　creatures　look　upon　the　sun；
We　view　the　constellations　of　the　night；
And　that　with　us　the　seasons　of　the　sky
They　thus　alternately　divide；　and　thus
Do　pass　the　night　coequal　to　our　days；
But　a　vain　error　has　given　these　dreams　to　fools；
Which　they've　embraced　with　reasoning　perverse
For　centre　none　can　be　where　world　is　still
Boundless；　nor　yet；　if　now　a　centre　were；
Could　aught　take　there　a　fixed　position　more
Than　for　some　other　cause　'tmight　be　dislodged。
For　all　of　room　and　space　we　call　the　void
Must　both　through　centre　and　non…centre　yield
Alike　to　weights　where'er　their　motions　tend。
Nor　is　there　any　place；　where；　when　they've　come；
Bodies　ca