The Transmigration of Souls: From “On Nature” by Empedocles (vegetarian), Part 2 of 2

“The world-wide battle of the eternal Two Well in the mass of human limbs is shown: While into one do they through Love unite, And mortal members take the body’s form, And life does flower at the prime; and whiles, Again dissevered by the Hates perverse, They wander far and wide and up and down The surf-swept beaches and dreary shores of life.”

“And all through Wrath are split to shapes diverse; And each through Love draws near and yearns for each. For from these elements has budded all That was or is or evermore shall be – All trees, and men and women, beasts and birds, And fishes nourished in deep waters, aye, The long-lived Gods, in honors excellent. For these are all, and, as they course along Through one another, they take new faces all, By varied mingling and enduring change.”

“In turn they conquer as the cycles roll, And wane the one to other still, and wax The one to other in turn by olden Fate; For these are all, and, as they course along Through one another, they become both men And multitudinous tribes of hairy beasts; While in fair order through Love united all, While torn asunder by the hate of Strife, Till they, when grown into the One and All Once more, once more go under and succumb.”

“Yet much unmixed among the mixed remained, As much as Hate still held in scales, aloft. For not all blameless did Hate yield and stand Out afar on the circle’s utmost bounds; But partway yet within he stayed, partway Was he already from the members gone. And ever the more skulked away and fled, Then ever the more, and nearer, inward pressed The gentle minded, the Divine Desire Of blameless Lovingness. Hence grew swiftly Those mortal things, formerly long accustomed to be Immortal, and the formerly pure and sheer Were mixed, exchanging highways of new life. And from their mingling hence are poured abroad The multitudinous tribes of mortal things, Knit in all forms and wonderful to see.”