But；　if　percase　it　seem　to　thee　that　mind
  Itself　can　dart　no　influence　of　its　own
  Into　these　bodies；　wide　thou　wand'rest　off。
  For　since　the　blind…born；　who　have　ne'er　surveyed
  The　light　of　sun；　yet　recognise　by　touch
  Things　that　from　birth　had　ne'er　a　hue　for　them；
  'Tis　thine　to　know　that　bodies　can　be　brought
  No　less　unto　the　ken　of　our　minds　too；
  Though　yet　those　bodies　with　no　dye　be　smeared。
  Again；　ourselves　whatever　in　the　dark
  We　touch；　the　same　we　do　not　find　to　be
  Tinctured　with　any　colour。
  Now　that　here
  I　win　the　argument；　I　next　will　teach
  。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。
  Now；　every　colour　changes；　none　except；
  And　every。。。
  Which　the　primordials　ought　nowise　to　do。
  Since　an　immutable　somewhat　must　remain；
  Lest　all　things　utterly　be　brought　to　naught。
  For　change　of　anything　from　out　its　bounds
  Means　instant　death　of　that　which　was　before。
  Wherefore　be　mindful　not　to　stain　with　colour
  The　seeds　of　things；　lest　things　return　for　thee
  All　utterly　to　naught。
  But　now；　if　seeds
  Receive　no　property　of　colour；　and　yet
  Be　still　endowed　with　variable　forms
  From　which　all　kinds　of　colours　they　beget
  And　vary　（by　reason　that　ever　it　matters　much
  With　what　seeds；　and　in　what　positions　joined；
  And　what　the　motions　that　they　give　and　get）；
  Forthwith　most　easily　thou　mayst　devise
  Why　what　was　black　of　hue　an　hour　ago
  Can　of　a　sudden　like　the　marble　gleam；…
  As　ocean；　when　the　high　winds　have　upheaved
  Its　level　plains；　is　changed　to　hoary　waves
  Of　marble　whiteness：　for；　thou　mayst　declare；
  That；　when　the　thing　we　often　see　as　black
  Is　in　its　matter　then　commixed　anew；
  Some　atoms　rearranged；　and　some　withdrawn；
  And　added　some；　'tis　seen　forthwith　to　turn
  Glowing　and　white。　But　if　of　azure　seeds
  Consist　the　level　waters　of　the　deep；
  They　could　in　nowise　whiten：　for　however
  Thou　shakest　azure　seeds；　the　same　can　never
  Pass　into　marble　hue。　But；　if　the　seeds…
  Which　thus　produce　the　ocean's　one　pure　sheen…
  Be　now　with　one　hue；　now　another　dyed；
  As　oft　from　alien　forms　and　divers　shapes
  A　cube's　produced　all　uniform　in　shape；
  'Twould　be　but　natural；　even　as　in　the　cube
  We　see　the　forms　to　be　dissimilar；
  That　thus　we'd　see　in　brightness　of　the　deep
  （Or　in　whatever　one　pure　sheen　thou　wilt）
  Colours　diverse　and　all　dissimilar。
  Besides；　the　unlike　shapes　don't　thwart　the　least
  The　whole　in　being　externally　a　cube；
  But　differing　hues　of　things　do　block　and　keep
  The　whole　from　being　of　one　resultant　hue。
  Then；　too；　the　reason　which　entices　us
  At　times　to　attribute　colours　to　the　seeds
  Falls　quite　to　pieces；　since　white　things　are　not
  Create　from　white　things；　nor　are　black　from　black；
  But　evermore　they　are　create　from　things
  Of　divers　colours。　Verily；　the　white
  Will　rise　more　readily；　is　sooner　born
  Out　of　no　colour；　than　of　black　or　aught
  Which　stands　in　hostile　opposition　thus。
  Besides；　since　colours　cannot　be；　sans　light；
  And　the　primordials　come　not　forth　to　light；
  'Tis　thine　to　know　they　are　not　clothed　with　colour…
  Truly；　what　kind　of　colour　could　there　be
  In　the　viewless　dark？　Nay；　in　the　light　itself
  A　colour　changes；　gleaming　variedly；
  When　smote　by　vertical　or　slanting　ray。
  Thus　in　the　sunlight　shows　the　down　of　doves
  That　circles；　garlanding；　the　nape　and　throat：
  Now　it　is　ruddy　with　a　bright　gold…bronze；
  Now；　by　a　strange　sensation　it　becomes
  Green…emerald　blended　with　the　coral…red。
  The　peacock's　tail；　filled　with　the　copious　light；
  Changes　its　colours　likewise；　when　it　turns。
  Wherefore；　since　by　some　blow　of　light　begot；
  Without　such　blow　these　colours　can't　become。
  And　since　the　pupil　of　the　eye　receives
  Within　itself　one　kind　of　blow；　when　said
  To　feel　a　white　hue；　then　another　kind；
  When　feeling　a　black　or　any　other　hue；
  And　since　it　matters　nothing　with　what　hue
  The　things　thou　touchest　be　perchance　endowed；
  But　rather　with　what　sort　of　shape　equipped；
  'Tis　thine　to　know　the　atoms　need　not　colour；
  But　render　forth　sensations；　as　of　touch；
  That　vary　with　their　varied　forms。
  Besides；
  Since　special　shapes　have　not　a　special　colour；
  And　all　formations　of　the　primal　germs
  Can　be　of　any　sheen　thou　wilt；　why；　then；
  Are　not　those　objects　which　are　of　them　made
  Suffused；　each　kind　with　colours　of　every　kind？
  For　then　'twere　meet　that　ravens；　as　they　fly；
  Should　dartle　from　white　pinions　a　white　sheen；
  Or　swans　turn　black　from　seed　of　black；　or　be
  Of　any　single　varied　dye　thou　wilt。
  Again；　the　more　an　object's　rent　to　bits；
  The　more　thou　see　its　colour　fade　away
  Little　by　little　till　'tis　quite　extinct；
  As　happens　when　the　gaudy　linen's　picked
  Shred　after　shred　away：　the　purple　there；
  Phoenician　red；　most　brilliant　of　all　dyes；
  Is　lost　asunder；　ravelled　thread　by　thread；
  Hence　canst　perceive　the　fragments　die　away
  From　out　their　colour；　long　ere　they　depart
  Back　to　the　old　primordials　of　things。
  And；　last；　since　thou　concedest　not　all　bodies
  Send　out　a　voice　or　smell；　it　happens　thus
  That　not　to　all　thou　givest　sounds　and　smells。
  So；　too；　since　we　behold　not　all　with　eyes；
  'Tis　thine　to　know　some　things　there　are　as　much
  Orphaned　of　colour；　as　others　without　smell；
  And　reft　of　sound；　and　those　the　mind　alert
  No　less　can　apprehend　than　it　can　mark
  The　things　that　lack　some　other　qualities。
  But　think　not　haply　that　the　primal　bodies
  Remain　despoiled　alone　of　colour：　so；
  Are　they　from　warmth　dissevered　and　from　cold
  And　from　hot　exhalations；　and　they　move；
  Both　sterile　of　sound　and　dry　of　juice；　and　throw
  Not　any　odour　from　their　proper　bodies。
  Just　as；　when　undertaking　to　prepare
  A　liquid　balm　of　myrrh　and　marjoram；
  And　flower　of　nard；　which　to　our　nostrils　breathes
  Odour　of　nectar；　first　of　all　behooves
  Thou　seek；　as　far　as　find　thou　may　and　can；
  The　inodorous　olive…oil　（which　never　sends
  One　whiff　of　scent　to　nostrils）；　that　it　may
  The　least　debauch　and　ruin　with　sharp　tang
  The　odorous　essence　with　its　body　mixed
  And　in　it　seethed。　And　on　the　same　account
  The　primal　germs　of　things　must　not　be　thought
  To　furnish　colour　in　begetting　things；
  Nor　sound；　since　pow'rless　they　to　send　forth　aught
  From　out　themselves；　nor　any　flavour；　too；
  Nor　cold；　nor　exhalation　hot　or　warm。
  。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。
  The　rest；　yet　since　these　things　are　mortal　all…
  The　pliant　mortal；　with　a　body　soft；
  The　brittle　mortal；　with　a　crumbling　frame；
  The　hollow　with　a　porous…all　must　be
  Disjoined　from　the　primal　elements；
  If　still　we　wish　under　the　world　to　lay
  Immortal　ground…works；　whereupon　may　rest
  The　sum　of　weal　and　safety；　lest　for　thee
  All　things　return　to　nothing　utterly。
  Now；　too：　whate'er　we　see　possessing　sense
  Must　yet　confessedly　be　stablished　all
  From　elements　insensate。　And　those　signs；
  So　clear　to　all　and　witnessed　out　of　hand；
  Do　not　refute　this　dictum　nor　oppose；
  But　rather　themselves　do　lead　us　by　the　hand；
  Compelling　belief　that　living　things　are　born
  Of　elements　insensate；　as　I　say。
  Sooth；　we　may　see　from　out　the　stinking　dung
  Live　worms　spring　up；　when；　after　soaking　rains；
  The　drenched　earth　rots；　and　all　things　change　the　same：
  Lo；　change　the　rivers；　the　fronds；　the　gladsome　pastures
  Into　the　cattle；　the　cattle　their　nature　change
  Into　our　bodies；　and　from　our　body；　oft
  Grow　strong　the　powers　and　bodies　of　wild　beasts
  And　mighty…winged　birds。　Thus　nature　changes
  All　foods　to　living　frames；　and　procreates
  From　them　the　senses　of　live　creatures　all；
  In　manner　about　as　she　uncoils　in　flames
  Dry　logs　of　wood　and　turns　them　all　to　fire。
  And　seest　not；　therefore；　how　it　matters　much
  After　what　order　are　set　the　primal　germs；
  And　with　what　other　germs　they　all　are　mixed；
  And　what　the　motions　that　they　give　and　get？
  But　now；　what　is't　that　strikes　thy　sceptic　mind；
  Constraining　thee　to　sundry　arguments
  Against　belief　that　from　insensate　germs
  The　sensible　is　gendered？…　Verily；
  'Tis　this：　that　liquids；　earth；　and　wood；　though　mixed；
  Are　yet　unable　to　gender　vital　sense。
  And；　therefore；　'twill　be　well　in　these　affairs
  This　to　remember：　that　I　have　not　said
  Senses　are　born；　under　conditions　all；
  From　all　things　absolutely　which　create
  Objects　that　feel；　but　much　it　matters　here
  Firstly；　how　small　the　seeds　which　thus　compose
  The　feeling　thing；　then；　with　what　shapes　endowed；
  And　lastly　what　they　in　positions　be；
  In　motions；　in　arrangements。　Of　which　facts
  Naught　we　perceive　in　logs　of　wood　and　clods；
  And　yet　even　these；　when　sodden　by　the　rains；
  Give　birth　to　wormy　grubs；　because　the　bodies
  Of　matter；　from　their　old　arrangements　stirred
  By　the　new　factor；　then　combine　anew
  In　such　a　way　as　genders　living　things。
  Next；　they　who　deem　that　feeling　objects　can
  From　feeling　objects　be　create；　and　these；
  In　turn；　from　others　that　are　wont　to　feel
  。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。
  When　soft　they　make　them；　for　all　sense　is　linked
  With　flesh；　and　thews；　and　veins…　and　such；　we　see；
  Are　fashioned　soft　and　of　a　mortal　frame。
  Yet　be't　that　these　can　last　forever　on：
  They'll　have　the　sense　that's　proper　to　a　part；
  Or　else　be　judged　to　have　a　sense　the　same
  As　that　within　live　creatures　as　a　whole。
  But　of　themselves　those　parts　can　never　feel；
  For