De rerum natura ''De rerum natura'' (; ''On the Nature of Things'') is a first-century BC didactic poem by the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius ( – c. 55 BC) with the goal of explaining Epicurean philosophy to a Roman audience. The poem, written in some 7 ...

'' (usually translated as ''On the Nature of Things'') is a philosophical epic poem written by

Lucretius 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 usually is translated into E ...

in Latin around 55 BCE. The poem was lost during the Middle Ages, rediscovered in 1417, and first printed in 1473. Its earliest published translation into any language (French) did not occur until 1650; in English — although earlier partial or unpublished translations exist — the first complete translation to be published was that of

Thomas Creech Thomas Creech (1659 – found dead 19 July 1700) was an English translator of classical works, and headmaster of Sherborne School. Creech translated Lucretius into verse in 1682, for which he received a Fellowship at Oxford. He also produced En ...

, in

heroic couplet A heroic couplet is a traditional form for English poetry, commonly used in epic and narrative poetry, and consisting of a rhyming pair of lines in iambic pentameter. Use of the heroic couplet was pioneered by Geoffrey Chaucer in the ''Legend of ...

s, in 1682. Only a few more English translations appeared over the next two centuries, but in the 20th century translations began appearing more frequently. Only complete (or nearly complete) translations are listed. Notable translations of individual passages include the "invocation to Venus" by

Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; 1552/1553 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of ...

in ''

The Faerie Queene ''The Faerie Queene'' is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books IIII were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IVVI. ''The Faerie Queene'' is notable for its form: at over 36,000 lines and over 4,000 sta ...

'' IV.X.44-47; and five passages in

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...

's ''Sylvae'' (1685).

Key

* Year — The year of first publication (except where * indicates year of composition). * Translator * Publication — The name of the work as published; ISBNs and links to PDFs when available; other publication information. * Source — Some translators refer to multiple Latin editions; only the ''primary'' Latin source text (if known) is noted here. * Notes — "Prose" or the form of verse is always listed first, so that sorting on this column groups formally similar translations; other germane information follows.

Table

References

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External links

English verse translation by Lamberto Bozzi
(2022) at ''Centro Risorse Territoriale di Pesaro e Urbino'' {{DEFAULTSORT:De Rerum Natura Natural philosophy * Epic poems in Latin * Philosophy books Ancient Roman philosophical literature Translation-related lists