Image of On the Nature of Things

On the Nature of Things

by Lucretius

De rerum natura is a first-century BC didactic poem by the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius with the goal of explaining Epicurean philosophy to a Roman audience. The poem, written in some 7,400 dactylic hexameters, is divided into six untitled books, and explores Epicurean physics through poetic language and metaphors. Namely, Lucretius explores the principles of atomism; the nature of the mind and soul; explanations of sensation and thought; the development of the world and its phenomena; and explains a variety of celestial and terrestrial phenomena. The universe described in the poem operates according to these physical principles, guided by fortuna ("chance"), and not the divine intervention of the traditional Roman deities.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

Latin

Published In

First-Century BC

Genre/Category

Tags/Keywords

Author

Lucretius image

Titus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is the philosophical poem De rerum natura, a didactic work about the tenets and philosophy of Epicureanism, and which usuall...

More on Lucretius

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

A Collection of Ballads Cover image

A Collection of Ballads by Andrew Lang

A Collection of Ballads is a treasury of classic and lesser-known ballads from around the world. It is a must-have for anyone who loves poetry and sto...

Random Readings In Racy Rhyme: A Repast For The Recluse, A Refreshment For The Railway Reader Cover image

Random Readings In Racy Rhyme: A Repast For The Recluse, A Refreshment For The Railway Reader by Charles Harwood Greene

This poetry showcases Greene's wit and humor, as he explores various topics ranging from love and romance to the everyday struggles of life. The poems...

The Iliad of Homer, Rendered into English Blank Verse Cover image

The Iliad of Homer, Rendered into English Blank Verse by Homer

The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter, traditionally attributed to Homer. Usually considered to have been written down circa t...

Flower-Patch Among the Hills Cover image

Flower-Patch Among the Hills by Flora Klickmann

Tucked away in the hills of the Wye Valley, there is a little flower-patch where anything is possible. "Flower-Patch Among the Hills" is a collectio...

The Odyssey Cover image

The Odyssey by Homer

A wandering king who's a war-hero doomed to roam the earth by a vengeful God, a plethora of fantastic experiences, a wife battling the invasion of sui...

Fables de Florian Cover image

Fables de Florian by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian

Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian's *Fables de Florian* is a collection of fables written in the 18th century, known for its graceful style and moralistic...

Georgica Cover image

Georgica by Virgil

Vergil's Georgica is the culmination of a long tradition in antiquity of poems about agriculture, beginning with Hesiod in the eighth c. BC. His poem...

Lockerbie Street Cover image

Lockerbie Street by James Whitcomb Riley

The poem takes place on Lockerbie Street, a quiet and peaceful neighborhood where the speaker lived as a child. Through the poem, the speaker reminisc...

Chimneysmoke  Cover image

Chimneysmoke by Christopher Morley

A collection of short poems on various themes by the author.

Aladdin, Or, The Wonderful Lamp (A Dramatic Poem, in Two Parts) Cover image

Aladdin, Or, The Wonderful Lamp (A Dramatic Poem, in Two Parts) by Adam Oehlenschläger

It is a retelling of the classic tale of Aladdin and his magical lamp, which has captured the imagination of readers for generations. The book was fi...

Reviews for On the Nature of Things

No reviews posted or approved, yet...