Book Iii - Part 02 - Nature And Composition Of The Mind Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJIKLMNOPQRJ STUVWOXYZA2B2C2D2E2F 2G2AH2I2A2J2K2L2SZM2 N2RO2P2Q2SR2SL2S2T2S Q2U2L2V2WAW2RX2Y2Z2A 3B3C3JD3E3F3L2G3RE2A 3 E2J2M2H3LZI3J3K3L3M3 F2N3F3L2O3P3H2Q3R3S3 T3U3V3W3ZN2J3X3Y3Z3Q 2ZA4SB4C4D4ZY3C2Y3ZE 4RF4AZY3TY3G4LSI2WIY 3Y3B2Y3W2H4G4RQY3GG4 Y3Y3Q2Y3E2PY3C2SSSI4 AL2Y3Y3Y3E2TV2Y3Y3J4 Y3K4Y3RL4Y3V2A3Z| First then I say the mind which oft we call | A |
| The intellect wherein is seated life's | B |
| Counsel and regimen is part no less | C |
| Of man than hand and foot and eyes are parts | D |
| Of one whole breathing creature But some hold | E |
| That sense of mind is in no fixed part seated | F |
| But is of body some one vital state | G |
| Named harmony by Greeks because thereby | H |
| We live with sense though intellect be not | I |
| In any part as oft the body is said | J |
| To have good health when health however 's not | I |
| One part of him who has it so they place | K |
| The sense of mind in no fixed part of man | L |
| Mightily diversly meseems they err | M |
| Often the body palpable and seen | N |
| Sickens while yet in some invisible part | O |
| We feel a pleasure oft the other way | P |
| A miserable in mind feels pleasure still | Q |
| Throughout his body quite the same as when | R |
| A foot may pain without a pain in head | J |
| Besides when these our limbs are given o'er | S |
| To gentle sleep and lies the burdened frame | T |
| At random void of sense a something else | U |
| Is yet within us which upon that time | V |
| Bestirs itself in many a wise receiving | W |
| All motions of joy and phantom cares of heart | O |
| Now for to see that in man's members dwells | X |
| Also the soul and body ne'er is wont | Y |
| To feel sensation by a harmony | Z |
| Take this in chief the fact that life remains | A2 |
| Oft in our limbs when much of body's gone | B2 |
| Yet that same life when particles of heat | C2 |
| Though few have scattered been and through the mouth | D2 |
| Air has been given forth abroad forthwith | E2 |
| Forever deserts the veins and leaves the bones | F2 |
| Thus mayst thou know that not all particles | G2 |
| Perform like parts nor in like manner all | A |
| Are props of weal and safety rather those | H2 |
| The seeds of wind and exhalations warm | I2 |
| Take care that in our members life remains | A2 |
| Therefore a vital heat and wind there is | J2 |
| Within the very body which at death | K2 |
| Deserts our frames And so since nature of mind | L2 |
| And even of soul is found to be as 'twere | S |
| A part of man give over harmony | Z |
| Name to musicians brought from Helicon | M2 |
| Unless themselves they filched it otherwise | N2 |
| To serve for what was lacking name till then | R |
| Whate'er it be they're welcome to it thou | O2 |
| Hearken my other maxims | P2 |
| Mind and soul | Q2 |
| I say are held conjoined one with other | S |
| And form one single nature of themselves | R2 |
| But chief and regnant through the frame entire | S |
| Is still that counsel which we call the mind | L2 |
| And that cleaves seated in the midmost breast | S2 |
| Here leap dismay and terror round these haunts | T2 |
| Be blandishments of joys and therefore here | S |
| The intellect the mind The rest of soul | Q2 |
| Throughout the body scattered but obeys | U2 |
| Moved by the nod and motion of the mind | L2 |
| This for itself sole through itself hath thought | V2 |
| This for itself hath mirth even when the thing | W |
| That moves it moves nor soul nor body at all | A |
| And as when head or eye in us is smit | W2 |
| By assailing pain we are not tortured then | R |
| Through all the body so the mind alone | X2 |
| Is sometimes smitten or livens with a joy | Y2 |
| Whilst yet the soul's remainder through the limbs | Z2 |
| And through the frame is stirred by nothing new | A3 |
| But when the mind is moved by shock more fierce | B3 |
| We mark the whole soul suffering all at once | C3 |
| Along man's members sweats and pallors spread | J |
| Over the body and the tongue is broken | D3 |
| And fails the voice away and ring the ears | E3 |
| Mists blind the eyeballs and the joints collapse | F3 |
| Aye men drop dead from terror of the mind | L2 |
| Hence whoso will can readily remark | G3 |
| That soul conjoined is with mind and when | R |
| 'Tis strook by influence of the mind forthwith | E2 |
| In turn it hits and drives the body too | A3 |
| - | |
| And this same argument establisheth | E2 |
| That nature of mind and soul corporeal is | J2 |
| For when 'tis seen to drive the members on | M2 |
| To snatch from sleep the body and to change | H3 |
| The countenance and the whole state of man | L |
| To rule and turn what yet could never be | Z |
| Sans contact and sans body contact fails | I3 |
| Must we not grant that mind and soul consist | J3 |
| Of a corporeal nature And besides | K3 |
| Thou markst that likewise with this body of ours | L3 |
| Suffers the mind and with our body feels | M3 |
| If the dire speed of spear that cleaves the bones | F2 |
| And bares the inner thews hits not the life | N3 |
| Yet follows a fainting and a foul collapse | F3 |
| And on the ground dazed tumult in the mind | L2 |
| And whiles a wavering will to rise afoot | O3 |
| So nature of mind must be corporeal since | P3 |
| From stroke and spear corporeal 'tis in throes | H2 |
| Now of what body what components formed | Q3 |
| Is this same mind I will go on to tell | R3 |
| First I aver 'tis superfine composed | S3 |
| Of tiniest particles that such the fact | T3 |
| Thou canst perceive if thou attend from this | U3 |
| Nothing is seen to happen with such speed | V3 |
| As what the mind proposes and begins | W3 |
| Therefore the same bestirs itself more swiftly | Z |
| Than aught whose nature's palpable to eyes | N2 |
| But what's so agile must of seeds consist | J3 |
| Most round most tiny that they may be moved | X3 |
| When hit by impulse slight So water moves | Y3 |
| In waves along at impulse just the least | Z3 |
| Being create of little shapes that roll | Q2 |
| But contrariwise the quality of honey | Z |
| More stable is its liquids more inert | A4 |
| More tardy its flow for all its stock of matter | S |
| Cleaves more together since indeed 'tis made | B4 |
| Of atoms not so smooth so fine and round | C4 |
| For the light breeze that hovers yet can blow | D4 |
| High heaps of poppy seed away for thee | Z |
| Downward from off the top but contrariwise | Y3 |
| A pile of stones or spiny ears of wheat | C2 |
| It can't at all Thus in so far as bodies | Y3 |
| Are small and smooth is their mobility | Z |
| But contrariwise the heavier and more rough | E4 |
| The more immovable they prove Now then | R |
| Since nature of mind is movable so much | F4 |
| Consist it must of seeds exceeding small | A |
| And smooth and round Which fact once known to thee | Z |
| Good friend will serve thee opportune in else | Y3 |
| This also shows the nature of the same | T |
| How nice its texture in how small a space | Y3 |
| 'Twould go if once compacted as a pellet | G4 |
| When death's unvexed repose gets hold on man | L |
| And mind and soul retire thou markest there | S |
| From the whole body nothing ta'en in form | I2 |
| Nothing in weight Death grants ye everything | W |
| But vital sense and exhalation hot | I |
| Thus soul entire must be of smallmost seeds | Y3 |
| Twined through the veins the vitals and the thews | Y3 |
| Seeing that when 'tis from whole body gone | B2 |
| The outward figuration of the limbs | Y3 |
| Is unimpaired and weight fails not a whit | W2 |
| Just so when vanished the bouquet of wine | H4 |
| Or when an unguent's perfume delicate | G4 |
| Into the winds away departs or when | R |
| From any body savour's gone yet still | Q |
| The thing itself seems minished naught to eyes | Y3 |
| Thereby nor aught abstracted from its weight | G |
| No marvel because seeds many and minute | G4 |
| Produce the savours and the redolence | Y3 |
| In the whole body of the things And so | Y3 |
| Again again nature of mind and soul | Q2 |
| 'Tis thine to know created is of seeds | Y3 |
| The tiniest ever since at flying forth | E2 |
| It beareth nothing of the weight away | P |
| Yet fancy not its nature simple so | Y3 |
| For an impalpable aura mixed with heat | C2 |
| Deserts the dying and heat draws off the air | S |
| And heat there's none unless commixed with air | S |
| For since the nature of all heat is rare | S |
| Athrough it many seeds of air must move | I4 |
| Thus nature of mind is triple yet those all | A |
| Suffice not for creating sense since mind | L2 |
| Accepteth not that aught of these can cause | Y3 |
| Sense bearing motions and much less the thoughts | Y3 |
| A man revolves in mind So unto these | Y3 |
| Must added be a somewhat and a fourth | E2 |
| That somewhat's altogether void of name | T |
| Than which existeth naught more mobile naught | V2 |
| More an impalpable of elements | Y3 |
| More small and smooth and round That first transmits | Y3 |
| Sense bearing motions through the frame for that | J4 |
| Is roused the first composed of little shapes | Y3 |
| Thence heat and viewless force of wind take up | K4 |
| The motions and thence air and thence all things | Y3 |
| Are put in motion the blood is strook and then | R |
| The vitals all begin to feel and last | L4 |
| To bones and marrow the sensation comes | Y3 |
| Pleasure or torment Nor will pain for naught | V2 |
| Enter so far nor a sharp ill seep through | A3 |
| B | Z |
Lucretius
(1)
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About Book Iii - Part 02 - Nature And Composition Of The Mind
Book Iii - Part 02 - Nature And Composition Of The Mind is a poem by Lucretius. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.