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
Song so pellucid, touching all throughout
Even with the Muses’ charm- which, as ‘twould seem,
Is not without a reasonable ground:
For 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 dost learn the nature of all things
And understandest their utility.
(Lucretius)
More Poetry from Lucretius:
Lucretius Poems based on Topics: Mind, Man, Nature, Thought & Thinking, Flowers, Religions & Spirituality, Medicine & Medical, Health- Of The Nature Of Things: Book V - Part 07 - Beginnings Of Civilization (Lucretius Poems)
- Of The Nature Of Things: Book III - Part 03 - The Soul Is Mortal (Lucretius Poems)
- Book III - Part 03 - The Soul is Mortal (Lucretius Poems)
- Of The Nature Of Things: Book II - Part 03 - Atomic Forms And Their Combinations (Lucretius Poems)
- Of The Nature Of Things: Book V - Part 04 - Formation Of The World (Lucretius Poems)
- Of The Nature Of Things: Book III - Part 02 - Nature And Composition Of The Mind (Lucretius Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Man Poems, Mind Poems, Nature Poems, Flowers Poems, Thought & Thinking Poems, Medicine & Medical Poems, Health Poems, Religions & Spirituality PoemsBased on Keywords: befooled, cajoled, recreated, unpathed, understandest, pierides, soft-speaking