If you’re looking for awesome atheist poetry, Lucretius’ “De Rerum Naturae” will supply it—in Latin, that’s true, but, it CAN be translated, you know;-). Yes, it DOES start with a hymn to Venus—“hominum divomque voluptas”, and the rest of the wonderful opening Hymn to Venus—but that’s just keeping the paying sponsors (the Caesars, Augustus in particular) happy, as they claim descent from Venus—look around the “tantum religio potuet suadere malorum” part for some juicier materials;-).
If you’re looking for awesome atheist poetry, Lucretius’ “De Rerum Naturae” will supply it—in Latin, that’s true, but, it CAN be translated, you know;-). Yes, it DOES start with a hymn to Venus—“hominum divomque voluptas”, and the rest of the wonderful opening Hymn to Venus—but that’s just keeping the paying sponsors (the Caesars, Augustus in particular) happy, as they claim descent from Venus—look around the “tantum religio potuet suadere malorum” part for some juicier materials;-).
Dryden even gave us a rhyming translation (although in some respects Lucretius isn’t very transhumanisty at all).