To　water；　add　who　deem　that　things　can　grow
  Out　of　the　four…　fire；　earth；　and　breath；　and　rain；
  As　first　Empedocles　of　Acragas；
  Whom　that　three…cornered　isle　of　all　the　lands
  Bore　on　her　coasts；　around　which　flows　and　flows
  In　mighty　bend　and　bay　the　Ionic　seas；
  Splashing　the　brine　from　off　their　gray…green　waves。
  Here；　billowing　onward　through　the　narrow　straits；
  Swift　ocean　cuts　her　boundaries　from　the　shores
  Of　the　Italic　mainland。　Here　the　waste
  Charybdis；　and　here　Aetna　rumbles　threats
  To　gather　anew　such　furies　of　its　flames
  As　with　its　force　anew　to　vomit　fires；
  Belched　from　its　throat；　and　skyward　bear　anew
  Its　lightnings'　flash。　And　though　for　much　she　seem
  The　mighty　and　the　wondrous　isle　to　men；
  Most　rich　in　all　good　things；　and　fortified
  With　generous　strength　of　heroes；　she　hath　ne'er
  Possessed　within　her　aught　of　more　renown；
  Nor　aught　more　holy；　wonderful；　and　dear
  Than　this　true　man。　Nay；　ever　so　far　and　pure
  The　lofty　music　of　his　breast　divine
  Lifts　up　its　voice　and　tells　of　glories　found；
  That　scarce　he　seems　of　human　stock　create。
  Yet　he　and　those　forementioned　（known　to　be
  So　far　beneath　him；　less　than　he　in　all）；
  Though；　as　discoverers　of　much　goodly　truth；
  They　gave；　as　'twere　from　out　of　the　heart's　own　shrine；
  Responses　holier　and　soundlier　based
  Than　ever　the　Pythia　pronounced　for　men
  From　out　the　triped　and　the　Delphian　laurel；
  Have　still　in　matter　of　first…elements
  Made　ruin　of　themselves；　and；　great　men；　great
  Indeed　and　heavy　there　for　them　the　fall：
  First；　because；　banishing　the　void　from　things；
  They　yet　assign　them　motion；　and　allow
  Things　soft　and　loosely　textured　to　exist；
  As　air；　dew；　fire；　earth；　animals；　and　grains；
  Without　admixture　of　void　amid　their　frame。
  Next；　because；　thinking　there　can　be　no　end
  In　cutting　bodies　down　to　less　and　less
  Nor　pause　established　to　their　breaking　up；
  They　hold　there　is　no　minimum　in　things；
  Albeit　we　see　the　boundary　point　of　aught
  Is　that　which　to　our　senses　seems　its　least；
  Whereby　thou　mayst　conjecture；　that；　because
  The　things　thou　canst　not　mark　have　boundary　points；
  They　surely　have　their　minimums。　Then；　too；
  Since　these　philosophers　ascribe　to　things
  Soft　primal　germs；　which　we　behold　to　be
  Of　birth　and　body　mortal；　thus；　throughout；
  The　sum　of　things　must　be　returned　to　naught；
  And；　born　from　naught；　abundance　thrive　anew…
  Thou　seest　how　far　each　doctrine　stands　from　truth。
  And；　next；　these　bodies　are　among　themselves
  In　many　ways　poisons　and　foes　to　each；
  Wherefore　their　congress　will　destroy　them　quite
  Or　drive　asunder　as　we　see　in　storms
  Rains；　winds；　and　lightnings　all　asunder　fly。
  Thus　too；　if　all　things　are　create　of　four；
  And　all　again　dissolved　into　the　four；
  How　can　the　four　be　called　the　primal　germs
  Of　things；　more　than　all　things　themselves　be　thought；
  By　retroversion；　primal　germs　of　them？
  For　ever　alternately　are　both　begot；
  With　interchange　of　nature　and　aspect
  From　immemorial　time。　But　if　percase
  Thou　think'st　the　frame　of　fire　and　earth；　the　air；
  The　dew　of　water　can　in　such　wise　meet
  As　not　by　mingling　to　resign　their　nature；
  From　them　for　thee　no　world　can　be　create…
  No　thing　of　breath；　no　stock　or　stalk　of　tree：
  In　the　wild　congress　of　this　varied　heap
  Each　thing　its　proper　nature　will　display；
  And　air　will　palpably　be　seen　mixed　up
  With　earth　together；　unquenched　heat　with　water。
  But　primal　germs　in　bringing　things　to　birth
  Must　have　a　latent；　unseen　quality；
  Lest　some　outstanding　alien　element
  Confuse　and　minish　in　the　thing　create
  Its　proper　being。
  But　these　men　begin
  From　heaven；　and　from　its　fires；　and　first　they　feign
  That　fire　will　turn　into　the　winds　of　air；
  Next；　that　from　air　the　rain　begotten　is；
  And　earth　created　out　of　rain；　and　then
  That　all；　reversely；　are　returned　from　earth…
  The　moisture　first；　then　air　thereafter　heat…
  And　that　these　same　ne'er　cease　in　interchange；
  To　go　their　ways　from　heaven　to　earth；　from　earth
  Unto　the　stars　of　the　aethereal　world…
  Which　in　no　wise　at　all　the　germs　can　do。
  Since　an　immutable　somewhat　still　must　be；
  Lest　all　things　utterly　be　sped　to　naught；
  For　change　in　anything　from　out　its　bounds
  Means　instant　death　of　that　which　was　before。
  Wherefore；　since　those　things；　mentioned　heretofore；
  Suffer　a　changed　state；　they　must　derive
  From　others　ever　unconvertible；
  Lest　an　things　utterly　return　to　naught。
  Then　why　not　rather　presuppose　there　be
  Bodies　with　such　a　nature　furnished　forth
  That；　if　perchance　they　have　created　fire；
  Can　still　（by　virtue　of　a　few　withdrawn；
  Or　added　few；　and　motion　and　order　changed）
  Fashion　the　winds　of　air；　and　thus　all　things
  Forevermore　be　interchanged　with　all？
  〃But　facts　in　proof　are　manifest；〃　thou　sayest；
  〃That　all　things　grow　into　the　winds　of　air
  And　forth　from　earth　are　nourished；　and　unless
  The　season　favour　at　propitious　hour
  With　rains　enough　to　set　the　trees　a…reel
  Under　the　soak　of　bulking　thunderheads；
  And　sun；　for　its　share；　foster　and　give　heat；
  No　grains；　nor　trees；　nor　breathing　things　can　grow。〃
  True…　and　unless　hard　food　and　moisture　soft
  Recruited　man；　his　frame　would　waste　away；
  And　life　dissolve　from　out　his　thews　and　bones；
  For　out　of　doubt　recruited　and　fed　are　we
  By　certain　things；　as　other　things　by　others。
  Because　in　many　ways　the　many　germs
  Common　to　many　things　are　mixed　in　things；
  No　wonder　'tis　that　therefore　divers　things
  By　divers　things　are　nourished。　And；　again；
  Often　it　matters　vastly　with　what　others；
  In　what　positions　the　primordial　germs
  Are　bound　together；　and　what　motions；　too；
  They　give　and　get　among　themselves；　for　these
  Same　germs　do　put　together　sky；　sea；　lands；
  Rivers；　and　sun；　grains；　trees；　and　breathing　things；
  But　yet　commixed　they　are　in　divers　modes
  With　divers　things；　forever　as　they　move。
  Nay；　thou　beholdest　in　our　verses　here
  Elements　many；　common　to　many　worlds；
  Albeit　thou　must　confess　each　verse；　each　word
  From　one　another　differs　both　in　sense
  And　ring　of　sound…　so　much　the　elements
  Can　bring　about　by　change　of　order　alone。
  But　those　which　are　the　primal　germs　of　things
  Have　power　to　work　more　combinations　still；
  Whence　divers　things　can　be　produced　in　turn。
  Now　let　us　also　take　for　scrutiny
  The　homeomeria　of　Anaxagoras；
  So　called　by　Greeks；　for　which　our　pauper…speech
  Yieldeth　no　name　in　the　Italian　tongue；
  Although　the　thing　itself　is　not　o'erhard
  For　explanation。　First；　then；　when　he　speaks
  Of　this　homeomeria　of　things；　he　thinks
  Bones　to　be　sprung　from　littlest　bones　minute；
  And　from　minute　and　littlest　flesh　all　flesh；
  And　blood　created　out　of　drops　of　blood；
  Conceiving　gold　compact　of　grains　of　gold；
  And　earth　concreted　out　of　bits　of　earth；
  Fire　made　of　fires；　and　water　out　of　waters；
  Feigning　the　like　with　all　the　rest　of　stuff。
  Yet　he　concedes　not　any　void　in　things；
  Nor　any　limit　to　cutting　bodies　down。
  Wherefore　to　me　he　seems　on　both　accounts
  To　err　no　less　than　those　we　named　before。
  Add　too：　these　germs　he　feigns　are　far　too　frail…
  If　they　be　germs　primordial　furnished　forth
  With　but　same　nature　as　the　things　themselves；
  And　travail　and　perish　equally　with　those；
  And　no　rein　curbs　them　from　annihilation。
  For　which　will　last　against　the　grip　and　crush
  Under　the　teeth　of　death？　the　fire？　the　moist？
  Or　else　the　air？　which　then？　the　blood？　the　bones？
  No　one；　methinks；　when　every　thing　will　be
  At　bottom　as　mortal　as　whate'er　we　mark
  To　perish　by　force　before　our　gazing　eyes。
  But　my　appeal　is　to　the　proofs　above
  That　things　cannot　fall　back　to　naught；　nor　yet
  From　naught　increase。　And　now　again；　since　food
  Augments　and　nourishes　the　human　frame；
  'Tis　thine　to　know　our　veins　and　blood　and　bones
  And　thews　are　formed　of　particles　unlike
  To　them　in　kind；　or　if　they　say　all　foods
  Are　of　mixed　substance　having　in　themselves
  Small　bodies　of　thews；　and　bones；　and　also　veins
  And　particles　of　blood；　then　every　food；
  Solid　or　liquid；　must　itself　be　thought
  As　made　and　mixed　of　things　unlike　in　kind…
  Of　bones；　of　thews；　of　ichor　and　of　blood。
  Again；　if　all　the　bodies　which　upgrow
  From　earth；　are　first　within　the　earth；　then　earth
  Must　be　compound　of　alien　substances。
  Which　spring　and　bloom　abroad　from　out　the　earth。
  Transfer　the　argument；　and　thou　may'st　use
  The　selfsame　words：　if　flame　and　smoke　and　ash
  Still　lurk　unseen　within　the　wood；　the　wood
  Must　be　compound　of　alien　substances
  Which　spring　from　out　the　wood。
  Right　here　remains
  A　certain　slender　means　to　skulk　from　truth；
  Which　Anaxagoras　takes　unto　himself；
  Who　holds　that　all　things　lurk　commixed　with　all
  While　that　one　only　comes　to　view；　of　which
  The　bodies　exceed　in　number　all　the　rest；
  And　lie　more　close　to　hand　and　at　the　fore…
  A　notion　banished　from　true　reason　far。
  For　then　'twere　meet　that　kernels　of　the　grains
  Should　oft；　when　crunched　between　the　might　of　stones；
  Give　forth　a　sign　of　blood；　or　of　aught　else
  Which　in　our　human　frame　is　fed；　and　that
  Rock　rubbed　on　rock　should　yield　a　gory　ooze。
  Likewise　the　herbs　ought　oft　to　give　forth　drops
  Of　sweet　milk；　flavoured　like　the　uddered　sheep's；
  Indeed　we　ought　to　find；　when　crumbling　up
  The　earthy　clods；　there　herbs；　and　grains；　and　leave