Lucretius III 624-669 | Dickinson College Commentaries

Praetereā sī inmortālis nātūra animāīst

et sentīre potest sēcrēta ā corpore nostrō,625

quīnque, ut opīnor, eam faciundum est sēnsibus auctam.

nec ratiōne aliā nōsmet prōpōnere nōbīs

possumus īnfernās animās Acherunte vagāre.

pictōrēs itaque et scrīptōrum saecla priōra

sīc animās intrō dūxērunt sēnsibus auctās.630

at neque sorsum oculī neque nārēs nec manus ipsa

esse potest animae neque sorsum lingua neque aurēs;

haud igitur per sē possunt sentīre neque esse.

Et quoniam tōtō sentīmus corpore inesse

vītālem sēnsum et tōtum esse animāle vidēmus,635

sī subitō medium celerī praecīderit ictū

vīs aliqua, ut sorsum partem sēcernat utramque,

dispertīta procul dubiō quoque vīs animāī

et discissa simul cum corpore dissiciētur.

at quod scinditur et partīs discēdit in ūllās,640

scīlicet aeternam sibi nātūram abnuit esse.

falciferōs memorant currūs abscīdere membra

saepe ita dē subitō permixtā caede calentis,

ut tremere in terrā videātur ab artubus id quod

dēcidit abscīsum, cum mēns tamen atque hominis vīs645

mōbilitāte malī nōn quit sentīre dolōrem;

et simul in pugnae studiō quod dēdita mēns est,

corpore rēlicuō pugnam caedēsque petessit,

nec tenet āmissam laevam cum tegmine saepe

inter equōs abstraxe rotās falcēsque rapācēs,650

nec cecidisse alius dextram, cum scandit et īnstat.

inde alius cōnātur adēmptō surgere crūre,

cum digitōs agitat propter moribundus humī pēs.

et caput abscīsum calidō vīventeque truncō

servat humī voltum vītālem oculōsque patentīs,655

dōnec rēliquiās animāī reddidit omnēs.

quīn etiam tibi sī, linguā vibrante, minantī

serpentis caudā, prōcērō corpore, utrumque

sit libitum in multās partīs discīdere ferrō,

omnia iam sorsum cernēs ancīsa recentī660

volnere tortārī et terram cōnspargere tābō,

ipsam sēque retrō partem petere ōre priōrem,

volneris ārdentī ut morsū premat icta dolōre.

omnibus esse igitur tōtās dīcēmus in illīs

particulīs animās? at eā ratiōne sequētur665

ūnam animantem animās habuisse in corpore multās.

ergō dīvīsāst ea quae fuit ūna simul cum

corpore; quāpropter mortāle utrumque putandumst,

in multās quoniam partīs discīditur aequē.

notes

624-633: If the soul existed outside the body, then it would be a sentient organism.

624: animaist = animai est (prodelision); animai is genitive singular.

626: faciundum est "it must happen," i.e., "it must be the case that;" this verb phrase authorizes the indirect discourse.

628: Acherunte local ablative; Lucretius always employs forms in Acherun-, never Acheron-; the nominative does not occur in Lucretius

630: intro duxerunt < introduco "introduce (into a story, play, etc.)," and so "represent."

632: animae dative of possession with esse.

634-669: One can see that some anima remains in a part severed from a living organism. Anything that is divisible is not immortal.

635: totum esse animale "that the entire [corpus] is animate." animale < animalis, -e "containing anima," "alive."

638: dispertita understand erit; this and dissicietur (line 639) are the verbs of the apodosis. discissa < discindo (3) is adjectival. procul dubio an idiomatic adverb phrase: "surely."

639: dissicietur < disicio (3); the -s- may be reduplicated for metrical reasons.

641: naturam is subject of esse, while aeternam is a predicate adjective.

643: de subito "suddenly." calentīs accusative plural.

644: videatur subject is the following id, and tremere is a complementary infinitive. artubus = artibus, which Lucretius rarely writes; Cf. lines 7 and 620; the thought is that one limb has been cut off from the others.

646: mobilitate mali "because of the rapidity of the evil." quit Lucretius does not always shift to the subjunctive in cum circumstantial clauses; Cf. line 651 below.

648: petessit < petesso (3) intensive < peto (3).

649: non tenet "does not grasp (with his mind)." amissam attributive, not in place of amissam esse. tegmine "shield."

650: abstraxe = abstraxisse (perfect active infinitive) < abstraho (3); infinitive in indirect discourse following tenet; subject is rotas falcesque rapaces. "...does not grasp that the wheels and swift scythes have carried away his missing left hand..."

653: propter adverbial.

657-659: lingua vibrante, minanti cauda, procero corpore ablatives of description. sit libitum < libet "if it should please you (tibi)." utrumque either (a) each component of the snake as a whole, i.e., its corpus and anima, or (b) each of two parts into which it has already been cut (thereby creating four or more segments as suggested by multas partis in line 659). This difficult use is somewhat illuminated by utrumque in line 668. In despair, some editors print Guissani's suggestion, truncum.

660: omnia ancisa "all (the parts) cut away." ancisa < ancisus < *ambi+caedo (3) ἅπαξ λεγόμενον. cernes the vivid apodosis is surprising in light of the cautious protasis.

662-663: ipsam ... partem ... priorem subject of petere. se, the direct object of both petere and premat, is an indirect reflexive pointing back to the serpens mentioned in line 658. volneris = vulneris and ardenti modify dolore, an instrumental ablative with icta, which describes the serpens.

667-668: ea quae fuit una "that which was a single thing," i.e., the anima. simul cum corpore "together with the body."

vocabulary

immortālis immortālis immortāle: immortal, not subject to death; eternal, everlasting, perpetual; imperishable

625

sēcrētus –a –um: separated, apart, retired, solitary; secret; unnoticed (> secerno)

quīnque; quīntus –a –um: 5; 5th

opīnor opīnārī opīnātus sum: to suppose, imagine

īnfernus –a –um: that which is below; of Hades, infernal (> inferus)

Acherōn –ontis m.: the Acheron, a river of Hades; the lower world

vagō –āre: to wander

pictor, pictōris m.: a painter, an embroider; an easel

scrīptor –ōris m.: writer, scribe

630

intrō: within, in; to the inside, indoors

seorsum: separately, apart

nāris –is f.: a nostril; nares -ium: the nostrils; the nose

īnsum inesse īnfuī: to be in

vītālis –e: pertaining to life; essential to life, vital (> vita)

animālis –e: consisting of air, aerial; animate, living

medium medi(ī) n.: middle

635

praecīdō praecīdere praecīdī praecīsum: to cut off, cut short

aliquā: by any way, in any direction, any whither

sēcernō sēcernere sēcrēvī sēcrētum: to separate

dispertiō, dispertīre, dispertīvī, dispertītum: to divide up, to distribute, to assign

discindō –ere –scidī –scissus: to tear asunder, pull in pieces, rend

640

dīsiciō –ere –iēcī –iectus: to throw, cast asunder; overthrow, demolish; scatter, disperse; cleave (> dis– and iacio)

abnuō abnuere abnuī abnuitūrus: to refuse, deny, decline; refuse by sign, shake head; reject; rule out

falcifer, -a, -um: scythed, sickled

memorō memorāre memorāvī memorātus: to remember; be mindful of (+ gen./acc.); mention/recount/relate, remind/speak of

abscīdō –ere –cīdī –cīsus: to cut off (> abs and caedo)

permisceō –ēre –miscuī –mistus or mixtus: to mix completely; mix, mingle; (fig.), disturb, confound

caleō –ēre –uī: to be warm; to glow

tremō tremere tremuī: to tremble

artus artūs m.: limb, leg

645

dēcidō –ere –cidī: to fall down; fall (> de and cado)

mōbilitās –ātis f.: mobility; swiftness, speed, velocity (> mobilis)

malum malī n.: evil, misfortune, calamity

queō quīre quīvī/quiī quitus: to be able

dēdō dēdere dēdidī dēditus: to give up, surrender, devote; to dedicate

laeva –ae f.: (sc. manus) the left hand; ab laeva, on the left side

tegmen (tegumen) –inis n.: a means of covering; skin, hide; clothing; shield; tegmen crurum, close–fitting trousers worn by Phrygians (> tego); shield

abstrahō –trahere –trāxī –tractum: to drag away

rota rotae f.: wheel

falx –cis f.: scythe, sickle

rapax –ācis: predatory, rapacious

650

scandō scandere scandī scānsus: to mount, climb, ascent

īnstō īnstāre īnstitī īnstatūrus: to pursue, threaten; approach, press hard; be close to (+ dat.); stand in/on

adimō adimere adēmī adēmptus: to withdraw, take away, carry off; castrate; deprive, steal, seize; annul; rescue

crūs –ūris n.: shin, leg

digitus digitī m.: finger

moribundus –a –um: in a dying condition; ready to die, dying; lifeless; mortal (> morior)

calidus –a –um: warm, hot; fiery, lusty; eager, rash, on the spot; having a warm climate/place

truncus –ī m.: the stem, stock, or trunk of a tree; stem, trunk; trunk of the human body

655

reliquiae –ārum f. pl.: relics, remains

vibrō vibrāre vibrāvī vibrātus: to set in tremulous motion, move to and fro, brandish, shake, agitate

minor minārī minātus sum: to threaten, speak/act menacingly; make threatening movement; give indication of

serpēns –entis (gen. pl. serpentum) m./f.: a creeping thing; snake, serpent (> serpo)

cauda –ae f.: the tail

procērus –a –um: tall, long

660

ancisus, -a, -um: cut up; chopped up; chopped around

tortō, tortāre, tortāvī, tortātum: to torture; to twist cōnspergō cōnspergere cōnspersī cōnspersum: to sprinkle, to strewtābum –ī n.: corrupt matter; putrid blood; gore (> tabeo)

retrō: backwards

morsus morsūs m.: a biting, bite

665

particula –ae f.: a small part, little bit, particle, grain, jot

animō animāre: to enliven, quicken, animate; to endow with, to give

ūnā: together, together with; at the same time, along with

quāpropter: for what, wherefore, why