Customer Reviews

The Way Things Are: The De Rerum Natura of Titus Lucretius Carus

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A number of other English translations, in prose or verse, have emerged since this book was first published in 1968. While most have their good points, this one stands out for its clarity, unforced feel, and the sheer beauty of its poetry. (It doesn't hurt that it is reasonably priced!) In this Lucretius, the poet and philosopher are inextricably mixed and cannot be put asunder.

The naturalistic view of a beautiful but cold, and unfeeling universe is limned brilliantly and passionately. The gods appear, but only as a literary conceit, or as a faint concession to the possibility of higher realms of being. We are left "all alone", but not "all afraid". The light of understanding banishes dark terrors: Nothing; no horrors await us in death. Our lives here remain what we make them. Far from leading to nihilism and despair, this knowledge renews our sense of purpose. Play your part well; there is no second act.

I can only hint at the excitement that awaits the interested reader within these pages. If anything written here has failed to convey the pleasure of this book, or has proven off-putting, then I apologize. "Tole et lege!"

I ordered this with some trepidation: Lucretius was difficult enough to understand in prose, never mind poetry. It turns out that this translation is the CLEAREST and MOST READABLE Lucretius I have ever seen. Lucretius is an author I read regularly. He has accomnpanied me through my life for years. This is now the translation which I will turn to. This is a book to study, memorize sections from, enjoy, and be dazzled by. I want to thank the author for his evident love for the material to turn out such an excellent translation.

Lovers of quality literature should be grateful that Rolfe Humphries, finest Latin-English translator to ever live, employed his formidable talents in a translation of the monumental De Rerum Natura. The poem itself is an undisputed masterpiece, a philosophical tour de force that has influenced writers across 2000 years of time, from Vergil to Robert Frost. Yet Lucretius is most often translated into prose, causing De Rerum Natura to be viewed as more philosophy than poetry. Humphries' fine translation not only breathes fresh life into a great work, but also reminds us that, though he was a didactic Epicurean philosopher, Titus Lucretius Carus was, first and foremost, a poet. Apart from reading the Latin, there is no better way to experience De Rerum Natura than through Humphries' rendering.

This is a wonderful book. Rolfe Humphries did a magnificent job of making this philosophical poet relevant to us in the 20th. The translation is eminently readable and at times reaches heights of beauty that does the great Roman Epicurean justice. I discovered Humphries' Lucretius 20 years ago. I've found no other translation to be as accessible or as beautiful. It's been a consolation to me often in the last two decades and I'm sure it will continue to be in the future. Lucretius has much to say to us and we owe Rolfe Humphries a lot for giving him to us in a translation that manages to be both profound and charming at the same time.

I can only second the opinions presented here. This is great poetry and great philosophy. Lucretius is truly amazing in his presentation of science, much of it the foundations of today's; he was the first and remains the best of popular science writers. The translation is dazzling. For once we are not reading to get an approximation of the original author's intentions, but for sheer excitement. This book should restore faith in the vital interplay of ancient and modern culture and dispel the myth of dualism between art and science.

This was my first encounter with Lucretius, and I was reminded a bit of my first encounter with Euripides. That is to say, while both are clearly products of their time, there is also something distinctly "modern" about their works that make one easily forget they're reading works thousands (!) of years old. As I read De Rerum Natura, three distinct elements stood out to me--the poetry, the science, and the philosophy of the work--and so I will discuss each separately in order to better organize my thoughts in order to review this book.

First off, the poetry. While it is strange to the modern reader to read a book on science and philosophy in hexameter verse, the adjustment is made quickly and there is something compelling, rhythmic, and concise about this approach. Much of this is due to Lucretius himself obviously, but much credit also goes to Humphries for his elegant yet accessible translation. Even though the translation is now 40-odd years old, it has not shown its age in the way that some older translations tend to.

Then there is the atomistic science--"materialistic" in the literal sense, not the way the term is used colloquially--which at times is striking for its similarities with modern science, but more often striking for its departures. While the modern reader will have to slog through a number of assertions that seem a bit absurd when viewed with 2000 years of hindsight, the scientific foundation of "the way things are" is indispensable for the philosophical argumentation of the way things ARE. If you are like me, you might start to ask whether the inaccuracies contained in this "foundation" weaken the philosophical structures built upon it ... but personally, the only support needed to make the grander arguments work was the general materialistic argumentation, not the specific scientific "facts" themselves.

As much as I enjoy the poetic turns of phrase and the scientific musings, it is the philosophy at the heart of De Rerum Natura that makes this an unforgettable work, even now. The grace with which Lucretius built his own arguments and the way he reduced his philosophical rivals' arguments to absurdity is simply masterful. For me, the pinnacle of this work are the last 250 or so lines of Book III when Lucretius addresses the issue of death, having just argued for the materialistic nature of the body and soul. These are lines sure to "burn and bother" the reader, alternately inspiring fear and comfort of a type completely different from that found in religious doctrine. Materialistic, yet not nihilistic ... Lucretius will reward the reader who invests the time to dive into this fascinating and oddly captivating work.

This is a fine prose translation for those who wish to read Lucretius' poetry in English and learn about his philosophy. It is not, however, a very useful tool for the Latin student looking to make sense of Lucretius' language, which can be quite difficult at times. Humphries' translation is NOT very literal or faithful to the original Latin; in fact, there are many times when matching the English and Latin texts together is surprisingly difficult.
I would suggest this translation for those who aren't reading the poem in Latin, but for students of the language, look elsewhere - this translation will not be very helpful.

Blending science, psychology, and philosophy into an epic poem, Lucretius (ca. 99 BCE- ca. 55 BCE) explores the science of atoms, what we now call physics; hints at the principles of "natural selection"; and promotes the enlightened view of reason over superstition. Some of Lucretius claims are patently absurd to our modern ears, still much of his sounder thoughts paved the way for modern science and philosophy. Clearly he was a visionary, a man ahead of his time. Ovid, Cicero, Montaigne, and more recently, George Santayana, praised Lucretius, and yet not suprisingly, for centuries the Catholic Church denounced Lucretius as an enemy of religion and did their best to suppress his work. This incredible poem which seeks to understand our very beginnings in the cosmic universe builds a bridge between Lucretius' ancient world and our modern scientific civilization.

Humphries uses clear modern English that meets the challenges of Lucretius' poetry. His translation was nominated for the National Book Award in 1969.

I have been going through many of the classics lately as well as studying the history of scientific thought. I decided to read Lucretius and based on many good reviews I chose this translation. It turned out to be a very rewarding choice. Not only was the content good, but the translation was very readable.

Lucretius' main goal seemed to be the dispelling many of the superstitions prevalent during his time. I've read many other works from this time period such as Suetonius and they are full of portents and superstitions. The author applies observation and reason to various phenomena that are traditionally ascribed to the `gods'. In doing this he is surprisingly close to modern science in many of his explanations, but is way off on others. I found myself at times impressed with his reasoning and at other times I was laughing because of the absurdity of what he just said.

I also learned a lot about Epicureanism from him. I had just read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, so I had a good contrast with Stoicism. It is an interesting way to look at the world that still leads to moral behavior, but the biggest issue I had with Epicureanism was the belief in the annihilation of the soul at death. There were many points I agreed with, but many that I don't accept.

I highly recommend this book. It covered many areas that I am interested in including philosophy, religion, science, and history.

Amazing, wonderful book..explains everything and does it in in poetic form. Humphries translation is the best I've seen. How fortunate that the religionoids were not able to destroy all copies.