of the nature of things-第5部分

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！


Which　in　no　wise　at　all　the　germs　can　do。
Since　an　immutable　somewhat　still　must　be；
Lest　all　things　utterly　be　sped　to　naught；
For　change　in　anything　from　out　its　bounds
Means　instant　death　of　that　which　was　before。
Wherefore；　since　those　things；　mentioned　heretofore；
Suffer　a　changed　state；　they　must　derive
From　others　ever　unconvertible；
Lest　an　things　utterly　return　to　naught。
Then　why　not　rather　presuppose　there　be
Bodies　with　such　a　nature　furnished　forth
That；　if　perchance　they　have　created　fire；
Can　still　（by　virtue　of　a　few　withdrawn；
Or　added　few；　and　motion　and　order　changed）
Fashion　the　winds　of　air；　and　thus　all　things
Forevermore　be　interchanged　with　all？
　　〃But　facts　in　proof　are　manifest；〃　thou　sayest；
〃That　all　things　grow　into　the　winds　of　air
And　forth　from　earth　are　nourished；　and　unless
The　season　favour　at　propitious　hour
With　rains　enough　to　set　the　trees　a…reel
Under　the　soak　of　bulking　thunderheads；
And　sun；　for　its　share；　foster　and　give　heat；
No　grains；　nor　trees；　nor　breathing　things　can　grow。〃
True…　and　unless　hard　food　and　moisture　soft
Recruited　man；　his　frame　would　waste　away；
And　life　dissolve　from　out　his　thews　and　bones；
For　out　of　doubt　recruited　and　fed　are　we
By　certain　things；　as　other　things　by　others。
Because　in　many　ways　the　many　germs
Common　to　many　things　are　mixed　in　things；
No　wonder　'tis　that　therefore　divers　things
By　divers　things　are　nourished。　And；　again；
Often　it　matters　vastly　with　what　others；
In　what　positions　the　primordial　germs
Are　bound　together；　and　what　motions；　too；
They　give　and　get　among　themselves；　for　these
Same　germs　do　put　together　sky；　sea；　lands；
Rivers；　and　sun；　grains；　trees；　and　breathing　things；
But　yet　commixed　they　are　in　divers　modes
With　divers　things；　forever　as　they　move。
Nay；　thou　beholdest　in　our　verses　here
Elements　many；　common　to　many　worlds；
Albeit　thou　must　confess　each　verse；　each　word
From　one　another　differs　both　in　sense
And　ring　of　sound…　so　much　the　elements
Can　bring　about　by　change　of　order　alone。
But　those　which　are　the　primal　germs　of　things
Have　power　to　work　more　combinations　still；
Whence　divers　things　can　be　produced　in　turn。
　　Now　let　us　also　take　for　scrutiny
The　homeomeria　of　Anaxagoras；
So　called　by　Greeks；　for　which　our　pauper…speech
Yieldeth　no　name　in　the　Italian　tongue；
Although　the　thing　itself　is　not　o'erhard
For　explanation。　First；　then；　when　he　speaks
Of　this　homeomeria　of　things；　he　thinks
Bones　to　be　sprung　from　littlest　bones　minute；
And　from　minute　and　littlest　flesh　all　flesh；
And　blood　created　out　of　drops　of　blood；
Conceiving　gold　compact　of　grains　of　gold；
And　earth　concreted　out　of　bits　of　earth；
Fire　made　of　fires；　and　water　out　of　waters；
Feigning　the　like　with　all　the　rest　of　stuff。
Yet　he　concedes　not　any　void　in　things；
Nor　any　limit　to　cutting　bodies　down。
Wherefore　to　me　he　seems　on　both　accounts
To　err　no　less　than　those　we　named　before。
Add　too：　these　germs　he　feigns　are　far　too　frail…
If　they　be　germs　primordial　furnished　forth
With　but　same　nature　as　the　things　themselves；
And　travail　and　perish　equally　with　those；
And　no　rein　curbs　them　from　annihilation。
For　which　will　last　against　the　grip　and　crush
Under　the　teeth　of　death？　the　fire？　the　moist？
Or　else　the　air？　which　then？　the　blood？　the　bones？
No　one；　methinks；　when　every　thing　will　be
At　bottom　as　mortal　as　whate'er　we　mark
To　perish　by　force　before　our　gazing　eyes。
But　my　appeal　is　to　the　proofs　above
That　things　cannot　fall　back　to　naught；　nor　yet
From　naught　increase。　And　now　again；　since　food
Augments　and　nourishes　the　human　frame；
'Tis　thine　to　know　our　veins　and　blood　and　bones
And　thews　are　formed　of　particles　unlike
To　them　in　kind；　or　if　they　say　all　foods
Are　of　mixed　substance　having　in　themselves
Small　bodies　of　thews；　and　bones；　and　also　veins
And　particles　of　blood；　then　every　food；
Solid　or　liquid；　must　itself　be　thought
As　made　and　mixed　of　things　unlike　in　kind…
Of　bones；　of　thews；　of　ichor　and　of　blood。
Again；　if　all　the　bodies　which　upgrow
From　earth；　are　first　within　the　earth；　then　earth
Must　be　compound　of　alien　substances。
Which　spring　and　bloom　abroad　from　out　the　earth。
Transfer　the　argument；　and　thou　may'st　use
The　selfsame　words：　if　flame　and　smoke　and　ash
Still　lurk　unseen　within　the　wood；　the　wood
Must　be　compound　of　alien　substances
Which　spring　from　out　the　wood。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Right　here　remains
A　certain　slender　means　to　skulk　from　truth；
Which　Anaxagoras　takes　unto　himself；
Who　holds　that　all　things　lurk　commixed　with　all
While　that　one　only　comes　to　view；　of　which
The　bodies　exceed　in　number　all　the　rest；
And　lie　more　close　to　hand　and　at　the　fore…
A　notion　banished　from　true　reason　far。
For　then　'twere　meet　that　kernels　of　the　grains
Should　oft；　when　crunched　between　the　might　of　stones；
Give　forth　a　sign　of　blood；　or　of　aught　else
Which　in　our　human　frame　is　fed；　and　that
Rock　rubbed　on　rock　should　yield　a　gory　ooze。
Likewise　the　herbs　ought　oft　to　give　forth　drops
Of　sweet　milk；　flavoured　like　the　uddered　sheep's；
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
Sh