Even　as　the　heavier　more　of　matter　shows；
  And　how　much　less　of　vacant　room　inside。
  That　which　we're　seeking　with　sagacious　quest
  Exists；　infallibly；　commixed　with　things…
  The　void；　the　invisible　inane。
  Right　here
  I　am　compelled　a　question　to　expound；
  Forestalling　something　certain　folk　suppose；
  Lest　it　avail　to　lead　thee　off　from　truth：
  Waters　（they　say）　before　the　shining　breed
  Of　the　swift　scaly　creatures　somehow　give；
  And　straightway　open　sudden　liquid　paths；
  Because　the　fishes　leave　behind　them　room
  To　which　at　once　the　yielding　billows　stream。
  Thus　things　among　themselves　can　yet　be　moved；
  And　change　their　place；　however　full　the　Sum…
  Received　opinion；　wholly　false　forsooth。
  For　where　can　scaly　creatures　forward　dart；
  Save　where　the　waters　give　them　room？　Again；
  Where　can　the　billows　yield　a　way；　so　long
  As　ever　the　fish　are　powerless　to　go？
  Thus　either　all　bodies　of　motion　are　deprived；
  Or　things　contain　admixture　of　a　void
  Where　each　thing　gets　its　start　in　moving　on。
  Lastly；　where　after　impact　two　broad　bodies
  Suddenly　spring　apart；　the　air　must　crowd
  The　whole　new　void　between　those　bodies　formed；
  But　air；　however　it　stream　with　hastening　gusts；
  Can　yet　not　fill　the　gap　at　once…　for　first
  It　makes　for　one　place；　ere　diffused　through　all。
  And　then；　if　haply　any　think　this　comes；
  When　bodies　spring　apart；　because　the　air
  Somehow　condenses；　wander　they　from　truth：
  For　then　a　void　is　formed；　where　none　before；
  And；　too；　a　void　is　filled　which　was　before。
  Nor　can　air　be　condensed　in　such　a　wise；
  Nor；　granting　it　could；　without　a　void；　I　hold；
  It　still　could　not　contract　upon　itself
  And　draw　its　parts　together　into　one。
  Wherefore；　despite　demur　and　counter…speech；
  Confess　thou　must　there　is　a　void　in　things。
  And　still　I　might　by　many　an　argument
  Here　scrape　together　credence　for　my　words。
  But　for　the　keen　eye　these　mere　footprints　serve；
  Whereby　thou　mayest　know　the　rest　thyself。
  As　dogs　full　oft　with　noses　on　the　ground；
  Find　out　the　silent　lairs；　though　hid　in　brush；
  Of　beasts；　the　mountain…rangers；　when　but　once
  They　scent　the　certain　footsteps　of　the　way；
  Thus　thou　thyself　in　themes　like　these　alone
  Can　hunt　from　thought　to　thought；　and　keenly　wind
  Along　even　onward　to　the　secret　places
  And　drag　out　truth。　But；　if　thou　loiter　loth
  Or　veer；　however　little；　from　the　point；
  This　I　can　promise；　Memmius；　for　a　fact：
  Such　copious　drafts　my　singing　tongue　shall　pour
  From　the　large　well…springs　of　my　plenished　breast
  That　much　I　dread　slow　age　will　steal　and　coil
  Along　our　members；　and　unloose　the　gates
  Of　life　within　us；　ere　for　thee　my　verse
  Hath　put　within　thine　ears　the　stores　of　proofs
  At　hand　for　one　soever　question　broached。
  NOTHING　EXISTS　per　se　EXCEPT　ATOMS　AND　THE　VOID
  But；　now　again　to　weave　the　tale　begun；
  All　nature；　then；　as　self…sustained；　consists
  Of　twain　of　things：　of　bodies　and　of　void
  In　which　they're　set；　and　where　they're　moved　around。
  For　common　instinct　of　our　race　declares
  That　body　of　itself　exists：　unless
  This　primal　faith；　deep…founded；　fail　us　not；
  Naught　will　there　be　whereunto　to　appeal
  On　things　occult　when　seeking　aught　to　prove
  By　reasonings　of　mind。　Again；　without
  That　place　and　room；　which　we　do　call　the　inane；
  Nowhere　could　bodies　then　be　set；　nor　go
  Hither　or　thither　at　all…　as　shown　before。
  Besides；　there's　naught　of　which　thou　canst　declare
  It　lives　disjoined　from　body；　shut　from　void…
  A　kind　of　third　in　nature。　For　whatever
  Exists　must　be　a　somewhat；　and　the　same；
  If　tangible；　however　fight　and　slight；
  Will　yet　increase　the　count　of　body's　sum；
  With　its　own　augmentation　big　or　small；
  But；　if　intangible　and　powerless　ever
  To　keep　a　thing　from　passing　through　itself
  On　any　side；　'twill　be　naught　else　but　that
  Which　we　do　call　the　empty；　the　inane。
  Again；　whate'er　exists；　as　of　itself；
  Must　either　act　or　suffer　action　on　it；
  Or　else　be　that　wherein　things　move　and　be：
  Naught；　saving　body；　acts；　is　acted　on；
  Naught　but　the　inane　can　furnish　room。　And　thus；
  Beside　the　inane　and　bodies；　is　no　third
  Nature　amid　the　number　of　all　things…
  Remainder　none　to　fall　at　any　time
  Under　our　senses；　nor　be　seized　and　seen
  By　any　man　through　reasonings　of　mind。
  Name　o'er　creation　with　what　names　thou　wilt；
  Thou'lt　find　but　properties　of　those　first　twain；
  Or　see　but　accidents　those　twain　produce。
  A　property　is　that　which　not　at　all
  Can　be　disjoined　and　severed　from　a　thing
  Without　a　fatal　dissolution：　such；
  Weight　to　the　rocks；　heat　to　the　fire；　and　flow
  To　the　wide　waters；　touch　to　corporal　things；
  Intangibility　to　the　viewless　void。
  But　state　of　slavery；　pauperhood；　and　wealth；
  Freedom；　and　war；　and　concord；　and　all　else
  Which　come　and　go　whilst　nature　stands　the　same；
  We're　wont；　and　rightly；　to　call　accidents。
  Even　time　exists　not　of　itself；　but　sense
  Reads　out　of　things　what　happened　long　ago；
  What　presses　now；　and　what　shall　follow　after：
  No　man；　we　must　admit；　feels　time　itself；
  Disjoined　from　motion　and　repose　of　things。
  Thus；　when　they　say　there　〃is〃　the　ravishment
  Of　Princess　Helen；　〃is〃　the　siege　and　sack
  Of　Trojan　Town；　look　out；　they　force　us　not
  To　admit　these　acts　existent　by　themselves；
  Merely　because　those　races　of　mankind
  （Of　whom　these　acts　were　accidents）　long　since
  Irrevocable　age　has　borne　away：
  For　all　past　actions　may　be　said　to　be
  But　accidents；　in　one　way；　of　mankind；…
  In　other；　of　some　region　of　the　world。
  Add；　too；　had　been　no　matter；　and　no　room
  Wherein　all　things　go　on；　the　fire　of　love
  Upblown　by　that　fair　form；　the　glowing　coal
  Under　the　Phrygian　Alexander's　breast；
  Had　ne'er　enkindled　that　renowned　strife
  Of　savage　war；　nor　had　the　wooden　horse
  Involved　in　flames　old　Pergama；　by　a　birth
  At　midnight　of　a　brood　of　the　Hellenes。
  And　thus　thou　canst　remark　that　every　act
  At　bottom　exists　not　of　itself；　nor　is
  As　body　is；　nor　has　like　name　with　void；
  But　rather　of　sort　more　fitly　to　be　called
  An　accident　of　body；　and　of　place
  Wherein　all　things　go　on。
  CHARACTER　OF　THE　ATOMS
  Bodies；　again；
  Are　partly　primal　germs　of　things；　and　partly
  Unions　deriving　from　the　primal　germs。
  And　those　which　are　the　primal　germs　of　things
  No　power　can　quench；　for　in　the　end　they　conquer
  By　their　own　solidness；　though　hard　it　be
  To　think　that　aught　in　things　has　solid　frame；
  For　lightnings　pass；　no　less　than　voice　and　shout；
  Through　hedging　walls　of　houses；　and　the　iron
  White…dazzles　in　the　fire；　and　rocks　will　burn
  With　exhalations　fierce　and　burst　asunder。
  Totters　the　rigid　gold　dissolved　in　heat；
  The　ice　of　bronze　melts　conquered　in　the　flame；
  Warmth　and　the　piercing　cold　through　silver　seep；
  Since；　with　the　cups　held　rightly　in　the　hand；
  We　oft　feel　both；　as　from　above　is　poured
  The　dew　of　waters　between　their　shining　sides：
  So　true　it　is　no　solid　form　is　found。
  But　yet　because　true　reason　and　nature　of　things
  Constrain　us；　come；　whilst　in　few　verses　now
  I　disentangle　how　there　still　exist
  Bodies　of　solid；　everlasting　frame…
  The　seeds　of　things；　the　primal　germs　we　teach；
  Whence　all　creation　around　us　came　to　be。
  First　since　we　know　a　twofold　nature　exists；
  Of　things；　both　twain　and　utterly　unlike…
  Body；　and　place　in　which　an　things　go　on…
  Then　each　must　be　both　for　and　through　itself；
  And　all　unmixed：　where'er　be　empty　space；
  There　body's　not；　and　so　where　body　bides；
  There　not　at　all　exists　the　void　inane。
  Thus　primal　bodies　are　solid；　without　a　void。
  But　since　there's　void　in　all　begotten　things；
  All　solid　matter　must　be　round　the　same；
  Nor；　by　true　reason　canst　thou　prove　aught　hides
  And　holds　a　void　within　its　body；　unless
  Thou　grant　what　holds　it　be　a　solid。　Know；
  That　which　can　hold　a　void　of　things　within
  Can　be　naught　else　than　matter　in　union　knit。
  Thus　matter；　consisting　of　a　solid　frame；
  Hath　power　to　be　eternal；　though　all　else；
  Though　all　creation；　be　dissolved　away。
  Again；　were　naught　of　empty　and　inane；
  The　world　were　then　a　solid；　as；　without
  Some　certain　bodies　to　fill　the　places　held；
  The　world　that　is　were　but　a　vacant　void。
  And　so；　infallibly；　alternate…wise
  Body　and　void　are　still　distinguished；
  Since　nature　knows　no　wholly　full　nor　void。
  There　are；　then；　certain　bodies；　possessed　of　power
  To　vary　forever　the　empty　and　the　full；
  And　these　can　nor　be　sundered　from　without
  By　beats　and　blows；　nor　from　within　be　torn
  By　penetration；　nor　be　overthrown
  By　any　assault　soever　through　the　world…
  For　without　void；　naught　can　be　crushed；　it　seems；
  Nor　broken；　nor　severed　by　a　cut　in　twain；
  Nor　can　it　take　the　damp；　or　seeping　cold
  Or　piercing　fire；　those　old　destroyers　three；
  But　the　more　void　within　a　thing；　the　more
  Entirely　it　totters　at　their　sure　assault。
  Thus　if　first　bodies　be；　as　I　have　taught；
  Solid；　without　a　void；　they　must　be　then
  Eternal；　and；　if　matter　ne'er　had　been
  Eternal；　long　ere　now　had　all　things　gone
  Back　into　nothing　utterly；　and　all
  We　see　around　from　nothing　had　been　born…
  But　since　I　taught　above　that　naught　can　be
  From　naught　created；　nor　the　once　begotten
  To　naught　be　summoned　back；　these　primal　germs
  Must　have　an　immortality　of　frame。
  And　into　these　must　each　thing　be　resolved；
  When　comes　its