Comparative Essay: The Poetry of Vlad Neagoe and Lucretius Carus

 

Introduction
Vlad Neagoe and Titus Lucretius Carus are poets separated by centuries, cultures, and philosophical traditions. Yet both use poetry as a vehicle for profound reflection on existence, nature, and the human condition. Neagoe, a contemporary Moldovan-Romanian poet, crafts postmodern verse steeped in melancholy and metaphysical inquiry. Lucretius, a Roman philosopher-poet of the 1st century BCE, composed De Rerum Natura, a didactic epic that articulates Epicurean philosophy. This essay explores the thematic, stylistic, and philosophical contrasts and convergences between their works.

Philosophical Foundations

• Lucretius: His poetry is grounded in Epicurean materialism. He seeks to liberate humanity from fear—especially fear of death and divine wrath—by explaining the universe through atomism and natural laws. His verse is rational, systematic, and didactic.
• Neagoe: His poetry is existential and introspective, often probing the emotional and spiritual aftermath of personal and societal collapse. He blends irony, lucidity, and lyrical abstraction to explore identity, memory, and metaphysical longing.

Themes and Motifs
| Theme | Lucretius | Neagoe | |-------|-----------|--------| | Nature & Cosmos | Explains natural phenomena to dispel superstition | Uses nature as metaphor for emotional and existential states | | Death & Mortality | Argues death is nothing to fear; soul is mortal | Treats death as a poetic and emotional rupture, often symbolic | | Emotion & Desire | Warns against irrational passions, especially romantic love | Embraces emotional intensity, often dramatizing inner turmoil | | Language & Truth | Uses precise Latin verse to convey philosophical clarity | Employs condensed, musical language to evoke ambiguity and depth |

Style and Technique

• Lucretius writes in dactylic hexameter, the classical meter of epic poetry. His style is elevated yet accessible, aiming to educate through poetic beauty.
• Neagoe favors free verse and verbal condensation. His poetry is musical, ironic, and often surreal, reflecting postmodern sensibilities.

📚 Representative Works

• Lucretius: De Rerum Natura—a six-book epic covering physics, cosmology, psychology, and ethics.
• Neagoe: A Tardy Sun, Petals in the Air, and Sorrento—collections that explore existential melancholy, poetic invention, and emotional architecture.

🔍 Conclusion
Lucretius and Neagoe represent two poles of poetic inquiry: one rational and philosophical, the other emotional and metaphysical. Lucretius seeks liberation through knowledge; Neagoe seeks meaning through introspection. Both, however, use poetry to illuminate the human experience—its fears, its hopes, and its mysteries.

SOURCE : COPILOT