What once sprung from earth sinks back into the earth.
• Book II, lines 999–1000 (tr. Bailey)
• Book II, lines 999–1000 (tr. Bailey)
“
Cedit item retro, de terra quod fuit ante,
in terras.
— Lucretius
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Cedit item retro, de terra quod fuit ante,
in terras." in the context of "What once sprung from earth sinks back into the earth.
• Book II, lines 999–1000 (tr. Bailey)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Lucretius" (Quotes, De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Lucretius
Titus Lucretius Carus (c. 99 BC – 55 BC) was a Roman poet and philosopher. His major work is De Rerum Natura, On the Nature of Things, which is considered by some to be the greatest masterpiece of Latin verse.
About Lucretius
Titus Lucretius Carus (c. 99 BC – 55 BC) was a Roman poet and philosopher. His major work is De Rerum Natura, On the Nature of Things, which is considered by some to be the greatest masterpiece of Latin verse.
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