关键词: 卢克莱修, 神话, 宗教, 哲学, 诗人

Abstract: Besides being the most important philosophical work during the era of the Republic of Rome, De rerum natura [On the Nature of Things] is also the earliest extant long poem in Latin. While its author Lucretius is not only accredited as the most important philosopher in Latin, he is also known as a major poet in ancient Rome. In De rerum natura, Lucretius illustrates obscure philosophical reasonings in lucid and euphonic poetical lines. Thus, it not only renders the sophiticated atomic materialism in a more approachable way, but also initiates a literary form for enlightenment. Based on a close reading of Book 3 of De rerum natura, this paper undertakes to illustrate the importance of Lucretius in the western intellectual history.

Key words: Lucretius, mythology, religion, philosophy, poet