of the nature of things-第6节

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！


Indeed　we　ought　to　find；　when　crumbling　up
The　earthy　clods；　there　herbs；　and　grains；　and　leaves；
All　sorts　dispersed　minutely　in　the　soil；
Lastly　we　ought　to　find　in　cloven　wood
Ashes　and　smoke　and　bits　of　fire　there　hid。
But　since　fact　teaches　this　is　not　the　case；
'Tis　thine　to　know　things　are　not　mixed　with　things
Thuswise；　but　seeds；　common　to　many　things；
Commixed　in　many　ways；　must　lurk　in　things。
　　〃But　often　it　happens　on　skiey　hills〃　thou　sayest；
〃That　neighbouring　tops　of　lofty　trees　are　rubbed
One　against　other；　smote　by　the　blustering　south；
Till　all　ablaze　with　bursting　flower　of　flame。〃
Good　sooth…　yet　fire　is　not　ingraft　in　wood；
But　many　are　the　seeds　of　heat；　and　when
Rubbing　together　they　together　flow；
They　start　the　conflagrations　in　the　forests。
Whereas　if　flame；　already　fashioned；　lay
Stored　up　within　the　forests；　then　the　fires
Could　not　for　any　time　be　kept　unseen；
But　would　be　laying　all　the　wildwood　waste
And　burning　all　the　boscage。　Now　dost　see
（Even　as　we　said　a　little　space　above）
How　mightily　it　matters　with　what　others；
In　what　positions　these　same　primal　germs
Are　bound　together？　And　what　motions；　too；
They　give　and　get　among　themselves？　how；　hence；
The　same；　if　altered　'mongst　themselves；　can　body
Both　igneous　and　ligneous　objects　forth…
Precisely　as　these　words　themselves　are　made
By　somewhat　altering　their　elements；
Although　we　mark　with　name　indeed　distinct
The　igneous　from　the　ligneous。　Once　again；
If　thou　suppose　whatever　thou　beholdest；
Among　all　visible　objects；　cannot　be；
Unless　thou　feign　bodies　of　matter　endowed
With　a　like　nature；…　by　thy　vain　device
For　thee　will　perish　all　the　germs　of　things：
'Twill　come　to　pass　they'll　laugh　aloud；　like　men；
Shaken　asunder　by　a　spasm　of　mirth；
Or　moisten　with　salty　tear…drops　cheeks　and　chins。

THE　INFINITY　OF　THE　UNIVERSE

　　Now　learn　of　what　remains！　More　keenly　hear！
And　for　myself；　my　mind　is　not　deceived
How　dark　it　is：　But　the　large　hope　of　praise
Hath　strook　with　pointed　thyrsus　through　my　heart；
On　the　same　hour　hath　strook　into　my　breast
Sweet　love　of　the　Muses；　wherewith　now　instinct；
I　wander　afield；　thriving　in　sturdy　thought；
Through　unpathed　haunts　of　the　Pierides；
Trodden　by　step　of　none　before。　I　joy
To　come　on　undefiled　fountains　there；
To　drain　them　deep；　I　joy　to　pluck　new　flowers；
To　seek　for　this　my　head　a　signal　crown
From　regions　where　the　Muses　never　yet
Have　garlanded　the　temples　of　a　man：
First；　since　I　teach　concerning　mighty　things；
And　go　right　on　to　loose　from　round　the　mind
The　tightened　coils　of　dread　religion；
Next；　since；　concerning　themes　so　dark；　I　frame
Songs　so　pellucid；　touching　all　throughout
Even　with　the　Muses'　charm…　which；　as　'twould　seem；
Is　not　without　a　reasonable　ground：
But　as　physicians；　when　they　seek　to　give
Young　boys　the　nauseous　wormwood；　first　do　touch
The　brim　around　the　cup　with　the　sweet　juice
And　yellow　of　the　honey；　in　order　that
The　thoughtless　age　of　boyhood　be　cajoled
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　bea