Regarded as a masterpiece of Epicurean philosophy, Lucretius’ ‘On the Nature of Things’ is an epic poem detailing the teachings of the 3rd century BC sage Epicurus (who, contrary to popular belief, espoused not a sybaritic existence but a life of simple pleasures). Mirroring modern thinking, Epicurus was wary of organised religion and considered Science the rational way to rid humankind of anxiety, physical pain, and fear of the gods. Written in dactylic hexameter (where each line has six units of rhythm), ‘De Rerum Natura’ is divided into six books, consisting of three matching pairs in an ascending scale: Books I and II deal with the atomic level, the second book-pair with human beings, and the third with the Cosmos. Within these pairings, the first book reveals the essential nature and the second the phenomena associated with each category. A passionate, poetic espousal of Epicurean philosophy by a man who, in the words of Anthony M. Esolen,
wants to let us in on the secret, so that we may be as happy as is possible in a world imperfectly suited for our existence.