Streams　up　is　ever　straightway　carried　off；
  And　thus　it　comes　to　pass　that　all　in　all
  There　is　no　overflow；　in　part　because
  The　burly　winds　（that　over…sweep　amain）
  And　skiey　sun　（that　with　his　rays　dissolves）
  Do　minish　the　level　seas；　in　part　because
  The　water　is　diffused　underground
  Through　all　the　lands。　The　brine　is　filtered　off；
  And　then　the　liquid　stuff　seeps　back　again
  And　all　regathers　at　the　river…heads；
  Whence　in　fresh…water　currents　on　it　flows
  Over　the　lands；　adown　the　channels　which
  Were　cleft　erstwhile　and　erstwhile　bore　along
  The　liquid…footed　floods。
  Now；　then；　of　air
  I'll　speak；　which　hour　by　hour　in　all　its　body
  Is　changed　innumerably。　For　whatso'er
  Streams　up　in　dust　or　vapour　off　of　things；
  The　same　is　all　and　always　borne　along
  Into　the　mighty　ocean　of　the　air；
  And　did　not　air　in　turn　restore　to　things
  Bodies；　and　thus　recruit　them　as　they　stream；
  All　things　by　this　time　had　resolved　been
  And　changed　into　air。　Therefore　it　never
  Ceases　to　be　engendered　off　of　things
  And　to　return　to　things；　since　verily
  In　constant　flux　do　all　things　stream。
  Likewise；
  The　abounding　well…spring　of　the　liquid　light；
  The　ethereal　sun；　doth　flood　the　heaven　o'er
  With　constant　flux　of　radiance　ever　new；
  And　with　fresh　light　supplies　the　place　of　light；
  Upon　the　instant。　For　whatever　effulgence
  Hath　first　streamed　off；　no　matter　where　it　falls；
  Is　lost　unto　the　sun。　And　this　'tis　thine
  To　know　from　these　examples：　soon　as　clouds
  Have　first　begun　to　under…pass　the　sun；
  And；　as　it　were；　to　rend　the　rays　of　light
  In　twain；　at　once　the　lower　part　of　them
  Is　lost　entire；　and　earth　is　overcast
  Where'er　the　thunderheads　are　rolled　along…
  So　know　thou　mayst　that　things　forever　need
  A　fresh　replenishment　of　gleam　and　glow；
  And　each　effulgence；　foremost　flashed　forth；
  Perisheth　one　by　one。　Nor　otherwise
  Can　things　be　seen　in　sunlight；　lest　alway
  The　fountain…head　of　light　supply　new　light。
  Indeed　your　earthly　beacons　of　the　night；
  The　hanging　lampions　and　the　torches；　bright
  With　darting　gleams　and　dense　with　livid　soot；
  Do　hurry　in　like　manner　to　supply
  With　ministering　heat　new　light　amain；
  Are　all　alive　to　quiver　with　their　fires；…
  Are　so　alive；　that　thus　the　light　ne'er　leaves
  The　spots　it　shines　on；　as　if　rent　in　twain：
  So　speedily　is　its　destruction　veiled
  By　the　swift　birth　of　flame　from　all　the　fires。
  Thus；　then；　we　must　suppose　that　sun　and　moon
  And　stars　dart　forth　their　light　from　under…births
  Ever　and　ever　new；　and　whatso　flames
  First　rise　do　perish　always　one　by　one…
  Lest；　haply；　thou　shouldst　think　they　each　endure
  Inviolable。
  Again；　perceivest　not
  How　stones　are　also　conquered　by　Time？…
  Not　how　the　lofty　towers　ruin　down；
  And　boulders　crumble？…　Not　how　shrines　of　gods
  And　idols　crack　outworn？…　Nor　how　indeed
  The　holy　Influence　hath　yet　no　power
  There　to　postpone　the　Terminals　of　Fate；
  Or　headway　make　'gainst　Nature's　fixed　decrees？
  Again；　behold　we　not　the　monuments
  Of　heroes；　now　in　ruins；　asking　us；
  In　their　turn　likewise；　if　we　don't　believe
  They　also　age　with　eld？　Behold　we　not
  The　rended　basalt　ruining　amain
  Down　from　the　lofty　mountains；　powerless
  To　dure　and　dree　the　mighty　forces　there
  Of　finite　time？…　for　they　would　never　fall
  Rended　asudden；　if　from　infinite　Past
  They　had　prevailed　against　all　engin'ries
  Of　the　assaulting　aeons；　with　no　crash。
  Again；　now　look　at　This；　which　round；　above；
  Contains　the　whole　earth　in　its　one　embrace：
  If　from　itself　it　procreates　all　things…
  As　some　men　tell…　and　takes　them　to　itself
  When　once　destroyed；　entirely　must　it　be
  Of　mortal　birth　and　body；　for　whate'er
  From　out　itself　giveth　to　other　things
  Increase　and　food；　the　same　perforce　must　be
  Minished；　and　then　recruited　when　it　takes
  Things　back　into　itself。
  Besides　all　this；
  If　there　had　been　no　origin…in…birth
  Of　lands　and　sky；　and　they　had　ever　been
  The　everlasting；　why；　ere　Theban　war
  And　obsequies　of　Troy；　have　other　bards
  Not　also　chanted　other　high　affairs？
  Whither　have　sunk　so　oft　so　many　deeds
  Of　heroes？　Why　do　those　deeds　live　no　more；
  Ingrafted　in　eternal　monuments
  Of　glory？　Verily；　I　guess；　because
  The　Sum　is　new；　and　of　a　recent　date
  The　nature　of　our　universe；　and　had
  Not　long　ago　its　own　exordium。
  Wherefore；　even　now　some　arts　are　being　still
  Refined；　still　increased：　now　unto　ships
  Is　being　added　many　a　new　device；
  And　but　the　other　day　musician…folk
  Gave　birth　to　melic　sounds　of　organing；
  And；　then；　this　nature；　this　account　of　things
  Hath　been　discovered　latterly；　and　I
  Myself　have　been　discovered　only　now；
  As　first　among　the　first；　able　to　turn
  The　same　into　ancestral　Roman　speech。
  Yet　if；　percase；　thou　deemest　that　ere　this
  Existed　all　things　even　the　same；　but　that
  Perished　the　cycles　of　the　human　race
  In　fiery　exhalations；　or　cities　fell
  By　some　tremendous　quaking　of　the　world；
  Or　rivers　in　fury；　after　constant　rains；
  Had　plunged　forth　across　the　lands　of　earth
  And　whelmed　the　towns…　then；　all　the　more　must　thou
  Confess；　defeated　by　the　argument；
  That　there　shall　be　annihilation　too
  Of　lands　and　sky。　For　at　a　time　when　things
  Were　being　taxed　by　maladies　so　great；
  And　so　great　perils；　if　some　cause　more　fell
  Had　then　assailed　them；　far　and　wide　they　would
  Have　gone　to　disaster　and　supreme　collapse。
  And　by　no　other　reasoning　are　we
  Seen　to　be　mortal；　save　that　all　of　us
  Sicken　in　turn　with　those　same　maladies
  With　which　have　sickened　in　the　past　those　men
  Whom　nature　hath　removed　from　life。
  Again；
  Whatever　abides　eternal　must　indeed
  Either　repel　all　strokes；　because　'tis　made
  Of　solid　body；　and　permit　no　entrance
  Of　aught　with　power　to　sunder　from　within
  The　parts　compact…　as　are　those　seeds　of　stuff
  Whose　nature　we've　exhibited　before；
  Or　else　be　able　to　endure　through　time
  For　this：　because　they　are　from　blows　exempt；
  As　is　the　void；　the　which　abides　untouched；
  Unsmit　by　any　stroke；　or　else　because
  There　is　no　room　around；　whereto　things　can；
  As　'twere；　depart　in　dissolution　all；…
  Even　as　the　sum　of　sums　eternal　is；
  Without　or　place　beyond　whereto　things　may
  Asunder　fly；　or　bodies　which　can　smite；
  And　thus　dissolve　them　by　the　blows　of　might。
  But　not　of　solid　body；　as　I've　shown；
  Exists　the　nature　of　the　world；　because
  In　things　is　intermingled　there　a　void；
  Nor　is　the　world　yet　as　the　void；　nor　are；
  Moreover；　bodies　lacking　which；　percase；
  Rising　from　out　the　infinite；　can　fell
  With　fury…whirlwinds　all　this　sum　of　things；
  Or　bring　upon　them　other　cataclysm
  Of　peril　strange；　and　yonder；　too；　abides
  The　infinite　space　and　the　profound　abyss…
  Whereinto；　lo；　the　ramparts　of　the　world
  Can　yet　be　shivered。　Or　some　other　power
  Can　pound　upon　them　till　they　perish　all。
  Thus　is　the　door　of　doom；　O　nowise　barred
  Against　the　sky；　against　the　sun　and　earth
  And　deep…sea　waters；　but　wide　open　stands
  And　gloats　upon　them；　monstrous　and　agape。
  Wherefore；　again；　'tis　needful　to　confess
  That　these　same　things　are　born　in　time；　for　things
  Which　are　of　mortal　body　could　indeed
  Never　from　infinite　past　until　to…day
  Have　spurned　the　multitudinous　assaults
  Of　the　immeasurable　aeons　old。
  Again；　since　battle　so　fiercely　one　with　other
  The　four　most　mighty　members　the　world；
  Aroused　in　an　all　unholy　war；
  Seest　not　that　there　may　be　for　them　an　end
  Of　the　long　strife？…　Or　when　the　skiey　sun
  And　all　the　heat　have　won　dominion　o'er
  The　sucked…up　waters　all？…　And　this　they　try
  Still　to　accomplish；　though　as　yet　they　fail；…
  For　so　aboundingly　the　streams　supply
  New　store　of　waters　that　'tis　rather　they
  Who　menace　the　world　with　inundations　vast
  From　forth　the　unplumbed　chasms　of　the　sea。
  But　vain…　since　winds　（that　over…sweep　amain）
  And　skiey　sun　（that　with　his　rays　dissolves）
  Do　minish　the　level　seas　and　trust　their　power
  To　dry　up　all；　before　the　waters　can
  Arrive　at　the　end　of　their　endeavouring。
  Breathing　such　vasty　warfare；　they　contend
  In　balanced　strife　the　one　with　other　still
  Concerning　mighty　issues；…　though　indeed
  The　fire　was　once　the　more　victorious；
  And　once…　as　goes　the　tale…　the　water　won
  A　kingdom　in　the　fields。　For　fire　o'ermastered
  And　licked　up　many　things　and　burnt　away；
  What　time　the　impetuous　horses　of　the　Sun
  Snatched　Phaethon　headlong　from　his　skiey　road
  Down　the　whole　ether　and　over　all　the　lands。
  But　the　omnipotent　Father　in　keen　wrath
  Then　with　the　sudden　smite　of　thunderbolt
  Did　hurl　the　mighty…minded　hero　off
  Those　horses　to　the　earth。　And　Sol；　his　sire；
  Meeting　him　as　he　fell；　caught　up　in　hand
  The　ever…blazing　lampion　of　the　world；
  And　drave　together　the　pell…mell　horses　there
  And　yoked　them　all　a…tremble；　and　amain；
  Steering　them　over　along　their　own　old　road；
  Restored　the　cosmos；…　as　forsooth　we　hear
  From　songs　of　ancient　poets　of　the　Greeks…
  A　tale　too　far　away　from　truth；　meseems。
  For　fire　can　win　when　from　the　infinite
  Has　risen　a　larger　throng　of　particles
  Of　fiery　stuff；　and　then　its　powers　succumb；
  Somehow　subdued　again；　or　else　at　last
  It　shrivels　in　torrid　atmospheres　the　world。
  And　whilom　water　too　began　to　win…
  As　goes　the　story…　when　it　overwhelmed
  The