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LUCRETIUS
Is it possible to go further and see in the poet's imagery some clue to the
larger meaning of the poem? It is easy enough to recognize the obvious symbolism
in Lucretius' equation of darkness and light with ignorance and truth, if
only because such secondary meanings are implicit in the language itself. But
other cases are not so plain, and because of the Epicurean insistence on clear
and simple language it is hazardous to impose upon Lucretius' text a conscious
and complex symbolism. The most difficult passages to interpret are the great
set pieces and the mythological parts of the poem. The very existence of myth
in an Epicurean poem is itself surprising, and in the treatment of such passages,
if anywhere, one might expect some concessions to the traditions of epic
poetry in order to enlarge and deepen the meaning of the poem. The problem
of interpretation is complex and it is not possible to do more than illustrate its
complexity by examining briefly two passages, those which close and open the
poem.
The account of the Athenian plague at the end of Book 6 is introduced
ostensibly as an example of the sort of pestilence which Lucretius has explained
in the previous lines. The illustration serves no purpose in clarifying the
argument and in fact little is said about the causes of the disaster. The passage
is elaborated beyond the immediate needs of the context and it brings the
poem to a stark and dramatic conclusion. It is natural to suppose that such
a passage in such a position must have some special significance for the poem as
a whole. Lucretius' emphasis throughout on the psychological effects of the
disaster, and the frequent use in the poem of the imagery of disease in reference
to moral sickness both suggest that the poet saw the plague as a symbol of
man's tragic predicament. But such an interpretation, attractive though it is,
involves an uncomfortable corollary. For the plague, as Lucretius describes it,
knows no cure. It is true that some of its victims recovered (though this fact
is barely hinted at), but recovery was as unpredictable as the onset of the
disease. Medicine could do nothing but 'mutter with silent dread'. The plague
at Athens, sudden in its attack and undiscriminating in its victims, is not a satisfactory
symbol for the moral degeneracy which Lucretius saw around him,
and if it were, it would be a strange point on which to conclude a poem which
proclaims the victory of man over fear and circumstance. Surely we cannot
imagine that, as Lucretius approached the conclusion of his great task, he
suddenly lost his nerve and chose to end in a mood of uncertainty and gloom.
The victory of Epicurus dominates the poem and must guide our understanding
of its final pages. We shall distort the poet's meaning if we insist on reading
his account of the plague as a coded statement about man's spiritual blindness.
But if the passage is not to be interpreted symbolically, it is nevertheless at a
deeper and more emotional level an entirely satisfactory ending to the poem.
What was needed was a passage which would suit the subject matter of Book 6
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