of the nature of things-第33节

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But　what　can　be　throughout　the　universe；
In　divers　worlds　on　divers　plan　create；
This　only　do　I　show；　and　follow　on
To　assign　unto　the　motions　of　the　stars
Even　several　causes　which　'tis　possible
Exist　throughout　the　universal　All；
Of　which　yet　one　must　be　the　cause　even　here
Which　maketh　motion　for　our　constellations。
Yet　to　decide　which　one　of　them　it　be
Is　not　the　least　the　business　of　a　man
Advancing　step　by　cautious　step；　as　I。
　　Nor　can　the　sun's　wheel　larger　be　by　much
Nor　its　own　blaze　much　less　than　either　seems
Unto　our　senses。　For　from　whatso　spaces
Fires　have　the　power　on　us　to　cast　their　beams
And　blow　their　scorching　exhalations　forth
Against　our　members；　those　same　distances
Take　nothing　by　those　intervals　away
From　bulk　of　flames；　and　to　the　sight　the　fire
Is　nothing　shrunken。　Therefore；　since　the　heat
And　the　outpoured　light　of　skiey　sun
Arrive　our　senses　and　caress　our　limbs；
Form　too　and　bigness　of　the　sun　must　look
Even　here　from　earth　just　as　they　really　be；
So　that　thou　canst　scarce　nothing　take　or　add。
And　whether　the　journeying　moon　illuminate
The　regions　round　with　bastard　beams；　or　throw
From　off　her　proper　body　her　own　light；…
Whichever　it　be；　she　journeys　with　a　form
Naught　larger　than　the　form　doth　seem　to　be
Which　we　with　eyes　of　ours　perceive。　For　all
The　far　removed　objects　of　our　gaze
Seem　through　much　air　confused　in　their　look
Ere　minished　in　their　bigness。　Wherefore；　moon；
Since　she　presents　bright　look　and　clear…cut　form；
May　there　on　high　by　us　on　earth　be　seen
Just　as　she　is　with　extreme　bounds　defined；
And　just　of　the　size。　And　lastly；　whatso　fires
Of　ether　thou　from　earth　beholdest；　these
Thou　mayst　consider　as　possibly　of　size
The　least　bit　less；　or　larger　by　a　hair
Than　they　appear…　since　whatso　fires　we　view
Here　in　the　lands　of　earth　are　seen　to　change
From　time　to　time　their　size　to　less　or　more
Only　the　least；　when　more　or　less　away；
So　long　as　still　they　bicker　clear；　and　still
Their　glow's　perceived。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Nor　need　there　be　for　men
Astonishment　that　yonder　sun　so　small
Can　yet　send　forth　so　great　a　light　as　fills
Oceans　and　all　the　lands　and　sky　aflood；
And　with　its　fiery　exhalations　steeps
The　world　at　large。　For　it　may　be；　indeed；
That　one　vast…flowing　well…spring　of　the　whole
Wide　world　from　here　hath　opened　and　out…gushed；
And　shot　its　light　abroad；　because　thuswise
The　elements　of　fiery　exhalations
From　all　the　world　around　together　come；
And　thuswise　flow　into　a　bulk　so　big
That　from　one　single　fountain…head　may　stream
This　heat　and　light。　And　seest　thou　not；　indeed；
How　widely　one　small　water…spring　may　wet
The　meadow…lands　at　times　and　flood　the　fields？
'Tis　even　possible；　besides；　that　heat
From　forth　the　sun's　own　fire；　albeit　that　fire
Be　not　a　great；　may　permeate　the　air
With　the　fierce　hot…　if　but；　perchance；　the　air
Be　of　condition　and　so　tempered　then
As　to　be　kindled；　even　when　beat　upon
Only　by　little　particles　of　heat…
Just　as　we　sometimes　see　the　standing　grain
Or　stubble　straw　in　conflagration　all
From　one　lone　spark。　And　possibly　the　sun；
Agleam　on　high　with　rosy　lampion；
Possesses　about　him　with　invisible　heats
A　plenteous　fire；　by　no　effulgence　marked；
So　that　he　maketh；　he；　the　Fraught…with…fire；
Increase　to　such　degree　the　force　of　rays。
　　Nor　is　there　one　sure　cause　revealed　to　men
How　the　sun　journeys　from　his　summer　haunts
On　to　the　mid…most　winter　turning…points
In　Capricorn；　the　thence　reverting　veers
Back　to　solstitial　goals　of　Cancer；　nor
How　'tis　the　moon　is　seen　each　month　to　cross
That　very　distance　which　in　traversing
The　sun　consumes　the　measure　of　a　year。
I　say；　no　one　clear　reason　hath　been　given
For　these　affairs。　Yet　chief　in　likelihood
Seemeth　the　doctrine　which　the　holy　thought
Of　great　Democritus　lays　down：　that　ever
The　nearer　the　constellations　be　to　earth
The　less　can　they　by　whirling　of　the　sky
Be　borne　along；　because　those　skiey　powers
Of　speed　aloft　do　vanish　and　decrease
In　under…regions；　and　the　sun　is　thus
Left　by　degrees　behind　amongst　those　signs
That　follow　after；　since　the　sun　he　lies
Far　down　below　the　starry　signs　that　blaze；
And　the　moon　lags　even　tardier　than　the　sun：
In　just　so　far　as　is　her　course　removed
From　upper　heaven　and　nigh　unto　the　lands；
In　just　so　far　she　fails　to　keep　the　pace
With　starry　signs　above；　for　just　so　far
As　feebler　is　the　whirl　that　bears　her　on；
（Being；　indeed；　still　lower　than　the　sun）；
In　just　so　far　do　all　the　starry　signs；
Circling　around；　o'ertake　her　and　o'erpass。
Therefore　it　happens　that　the　moon　appears
More　swiftly　to　return　to　any　sign
Along　the　Zodiac；　than　doth　the　sun；
Because　those　signs　do　visit　her　again
More　swiftly　than　they　visit　the　great　sun。
It　can　be　also　that　two　streams　of　air
Alternately　at　fixed　periods
Blow　out　from　transverse　regions　of　the　world；
Of　which　the　one　may　thrust　the　sun　away
From　summer…signs　to　mid…most　winter　goals
And　rigors　of　the　cold；　and　the　other　then
May　cast　him　back　from　icy　shades　of　chill
Even　to　the　heat…fraught　regions　and　the　signs
That　blaze　along　the　Zodiac。　So；　too；
We　must　suppose　the　moon　and　all　the　stars；
Which　through　the　mighty　and　sidereal　years
Roll　round　in　mighty　orbits；　may　be　sped
By　streams　of　air　from　regions　alternate。
Seest　thou　not　also　how　the　clouds　be　sped
By　contrary　winds　to　regions　contrary；
The　lower　clouds　diversely　from　the　upper？
Then；　why　may　yonder　stars　in　ether　there
Along　their　mighty　orbits　not　be　borne
By　currents　opposite　the　one　to　other？
　　But　night　o'erwhelms　the　lands　with　vasty　murk
Either　when　sun；　after　his　diurnal　course；
Hath　walked　the　ultimate　regions　of　the　sky
And　wearily　hath　panted　forth　his　fires；
Shivered　by　their　long　journeying　and　wasted
By　traversing　the　multitudinous　air；
Or　else　because　the　self…same　force　that　drave
His　orb　along　above　the　lands　compels
Him　then　to　turn　his　course　beneath　the　lands。
Matuta　also　at　a　fixed　hour
Spreadeth　the　roseate　morning　out　along
The　coasts　of　heaven　and　deploys　the　light；
Either　because　the　self…same　sun；　returning
Under　the　lands；　aspires　to　seize　the　sky；
Striving　to　set　it　blazing　with　his　rays
Ere　he　himself　appear；　or　else　because
Fires　then　will　congregate　and　many　seeds
Of　heat　are　wont；　even　at　a　fixed　time；
To　stream　together…　gendering　evermore
New　suns　and　light。　Just　so　the　story　goes
That　from　the　Idaean　mountain…tops　are　seen
Dispersed　fires　upon　the　break　of　day
Which　thence　combine；　as　'twere；　into　one　ball
And　form　an　orb。　Nor　yet　in　these　affairs
Is　aught　for　wonder　that　these　seeds　of　fire
Can　thus　together　stream　at　time　so　fixed
And　shape　anew　the　splendour　of　the　sun。
For　many　facts　we　see　which　come　to　pass
At　fixed　time　in　all　things：　burgeon　shrubs
At　fixed　time；　and　at　a　fixed　time
They　cast　their　flowers；　and　Eld　commands　the　teeth；
At　time　as　surely　fixed；　to　drop　away；
And　Youth　commands　the　growing　boy　to　bloom
With　the　soft　down　and　let　from　both　his　cheeks
The　soft　beard　fall。　And　lastly；　thunder…bolts；
Snow；　rains；　clouds；　winds；　at　seasons　of　the　year
Nowise　unfixed；　all　do　come　to　pass。
For　where；　even　from　their　old　primordial　start
Causes　have　ever　worked　in　such　a　way；
And　where；　even　from　the　world's　first　origin；
Thuswise　have　things　befallen；　so　even　now
After　a　fixed　order　they　come　round
In　sequence　also。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Likewise；　days　may　wax
Whilst　the　nights　wane；　and　daylight　minished　be
Whilst　nights　do　take　their　augmentations；
Either　because　the　self…same　sun；　coursing
Under　the　lands　and　over　in　two　arcs；
A　longer　and　a　briefer；　doth　dispart
The　coasts　of　ether　and　divides　in　twain
His　orbit　all　unequally；　and　adds；
As　round　he's　borne；　unto　the　one　half　there
As　much　as　from　the　other　half　he's　ta'en；
Until　he　then　arrives　that　sign　of　heaven
Where　the　year's　node　renders　the　shades　of　night
Equal　unto　the　periods　of　light。
For　when　the　sun　is　midway　on　his　course
Between　the　blasts　of　northwind　and　of　south；
Heaven　keeps　his　two　goals　parted　equally；
By　virtue　of　the　fixed　position　old
Of　the　whole　starry　Zodiac；　through　which
That　sun；　in　winding　onward；　takes　a　year；
Illumining　the　sky　and　all　the　lands
With　oblique　light…　as　men　declare　to　us
Who　by　their　diagrams　have　charted　well
Those　regions　of　the　sky　which　be　adorned
With　the　arranged　signs　of　Zodiac。
Or　else；　because　in　certain　parts　the　air
Under　the　lands　is　denser；　the　tremulous
Bright　beams　of　fire　do　waver　tardily；
Nor　easily　can　penetrate　that　air
Nor　yet　emerge　unto　their　rising…place：
For　this　it　is　that　nights　in　winter　time
Do　linger　long；　ere　comes　the　many…rayed
Round　Badge　of　the　day。　Or　else　because；　as　said；
In　alternating　seasons　of　the　year
Fires；　now　more　quick；　and　now　more　slow；　are　wont
To　stream　together；…　the　fires　which　make　the　sun
To　rise　in　some　one　spot…　therefore　it　is
That　those　men　seem　to　speak　the　truth　＇who　hold
A　new　sun　is　with　each　new　daybreak　born＇。
　　The　moon　she　possibly　doth　shine　because
Strook　by　the　rays　of　sun；　and　day　by　day
May　turn　unto　our　gaze　her　light；　the　more
She　doth　recede　from　orb　of　sun；　until；
Facing　him　opposite　across　the　world；
She　hath　wit