De Rerum Natura

Book V – Verses 1240-1295

…….
Moving on, they discovered copper, gold, iron,
and also the weight of silver and the power of lead,
When fires reared in flames the vast forests
On great mountains, whether a thunderbolt had fallen from the sky,
Whether men, engaging in wars in the woods,
Had thrown fire to land the enemies,
Whether induced by the goodness of the soil they wanted to open
fertile soils or change the countryside into pastures,
Or kill beasts and enrich themselves with their spoils.
In fact hunting with pits and with fire began even before
Than girding the woods with nets and poaching with dogs.
However, for whatever reason the outbreak of flames
Had devoured with terrible clamor the forests
From deep roots, and baked the earth with fire,
From the searing veins emanated and flowed
In the hollows of the ground streams of gold and silver,
And together of copper and lead; and men, on seeing them later
represent and shine in the land of vivid colors,
Were taken by enchantment for the smooth and graceful clarity,
Noting that they were formed with the same figure
Of the concave earth’s footprint previously occupied by each.
Then the idea that metals, liquefied in heat, penetrated them,
could be cast in any form and effigy of objects,
And that furthermore, by forging them, they could draw themselves at will
In sharp pointed cusps of spikes,
so as to give themselves appropriate tools for felling logs,
Rough out lumber, shave polished beams,
And open holes and cracks through them.
At first they employed gold and silver for this use.
As the robust copper suitable for violent exertion,
But in vain, for the temper of those bent won,
Nor could he equally withstand the hard work.
So copper was in greater value, and gold in disuse
For useless use, mussed in the weak tips.
Now copper is wasted, and gold followed in value.
Thus time approximates the turn of all things.
What previously had honor becomes of no importance;
And immediately other follows him and comes out of the ancient contempt
And every day more and more is sought, and discovered flourishes
Of praise and among men lives in admirable esteem.
In what way was the nature of iron discovered
Now, O Memmio, it is easy for you to learn for yourself.
Ancient weapons were the hands, the nails, the teeth,
And the stones and splinters of forest branches,
And the flames and the fire as soon as they were known.
Later the strength of iron and bronze was discovered.
But the use of bronze was known even before the use of iron,
since it is more ductile in nature and is more abundant.
With bronze they tilled the soil, with bronze they aroused
the billows of war, sowed atrocious wounds, preyed on fields
And livestock; for all that made unarmed and naked
easily yielded to those who were armed.
Thereafter the iron sword appeared hand in hand,
And fell into disuse the bronze shape of the scythe;
With iron they began to cleave the surface of the ground,
And warlike conflicts were made uncertain.
…….