Μουσάων Ἑλικωνιάδων ἀρχώμεθ’ ἀείδειν,
αἵ θ’ Ἑλικῶνος ἔχουσιν ὄρος μέγα τε ζάθεόν τε,
καί τε περὶ κρήνην ἰοειδέα πόσσ’ ἁπαλοῖσιν
ὀρχεῦνται καὶ βωμὸν ἐρισθενέος Κρονίωνος·
καί τε λοεσσάμεναι τέρενα χρόα Περμησσοῖο
ἢ Ἵππου κρήνης ἢ Ὀλμειοῦ ζαθέοιο
ἀκροτάτῳ Ἑλικῶνι χοροὺς ἐνεποιήσαντο,
καλοὺς ἱμερόεντας, ἐπερρώσαντο δὲ ποσσίν.
ἔνθεν ἀπορνύμεναι κεκαλυμμέναι ἠέρι πολλῷ
10 ἐννύχιαι στεῖχον περικαλλέα ὄσσαν ἱεῖσαι, 
ὑμνεῦσαι Δία τ’ αἰγίοχον καὶ πότνιαν Ἥρην
Ἀργείην, χρυσέοισι πέδιλοις ἐμβεβαυῖαν,
κούρην τ’ αἰγιόχοιο Διός γλαυκῶπιν Ἀθήνην
Φοῖβόν τ’ Ἀπόλλωνα καὶ Ἄρτεμιν ἰοχεαίραν
ἠδὲ Ποσειδάωνα γαιήοχον ἐννοσίγαιον
καὶ Θέμιν αἰδοίην ἑλικοβλέφαρόν τ’ Ἀφροδίτην
Ἥβην τε χρυσοστέφανον καλήν τε Διώνην
Λητώ τ’ Ἰαπετόν τε ἰδὲ Κρόνον ἀγκυλομήτην
Ἠῶ τ’ Ἠέλιόν τε μέγαν λαμπράν τε Σελήνην
20 Γαῖάν τ’ Ὠκεανόν τε μέγαν καὶ Νύκτα μέλαιναν
ἄλλων τ’ ἀθανάτων ἱερὸν γένος αἰὲν ἐόντων.
αἵ νύ ποθ’ Ἡσίοδον καλὴν ἐδίδαξαν ἀοιδήν,
ἄρνας ποιμαίνονθ’ Ἑλικῶνος ὕπο ζαθέοιο.
τόνδε δέ με πρώτιστα θεαὶ πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπον,
Μοῦσαι Ὀλυμπιάδες, κοῦραι Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο·

From the Heliconian Muses let us begin to sing,
who hold the great and holy mount of Helicon,
and dance on soft feet about the deep-blue spring
and the altar of the almighty son of Cronos,
and, when they have washed their tender bodies in Permessus
or in the Horse’s Spring or Olmeius,
make their fair, lovely dances upon highest Helicon
and move with vigorous feet. Thence they arise
and go abroad by night, veiled in thick mist,
and utter their song with lovely voice, praising
Zeus the aegis-holder and queenly Hera of Argos,
who walks on golden sandals,
and Zeus’ daughter the aegis-holder bright-eyed Athene,
and Phoebus Apollo, and Artemis who delights in arrows,
and Poseidon the earth-holder who shakes the earth,
and reverend Themis and quick-glancing Aphrodite,
and Hebe with the crown of gold, and fair Dione,
Leto, Iapetus, and Cronos the crafty counsellor,
Eos and great Helius and bright Selene,
Earth too, and great Oceanus, and dark Night,
and the holy race of all the other deathless ones that are for ever.
And one day they taught Hesiod glorious song
while he was shepherding his lambs under holy Helicon,
and this word first the goddesses said to me,
the Muses of Olympus, daughters of Zeus who holds the aegis:

“ποιμένες ἄγραυλοι, κάκ’ ἐλέγχεα, γαστέρες οἶον,
ἴδμεν ψεύδεα πολλὰ λέγειν ἐτύμοισιν ὁμοῖα,
ἴδμεν δ’ εὖτ’ ἐθέλωμεν ἀληθέα γηρύσασθαι.”

ὣς ἔφασαν κοῦραι μεγάλου Διὸς ἀρτιέπειαι,
30 καί μοι σκῆπτρον ἔδον δάφνης ἐριθηλέος ὄζον
δρέψασαι, θηητόν· ἐνέπνευσαν δέ μοι αὐδὴν
θέσπιν, ἵνα κλείοιμι τά τ’ ἐσσόμενα πρό τ’ ἐόντα,
καί μ’ ἐκέλονθ’ ὑμνεῖν μακάρων γένος αἰὲν ἐόντων,
σφᾶς δ’ αὐτὰς πρῶτόν τε καὶ ὕστατον αἰὲν ἀείδειν.
ἀλλὰ τίη μοι ταῦτα περὶ δρῦν ἢ περὶ πέτρην;
τύνη, Μουσάων ἀρχώμεθα, ταὶ Διὶ πατρὶ
ὑμνεῦσαι τέρπουσι μέγαν νόον ἐντὸς Ὀλύμπου,
εἴρουσαι τά τ’ ἐόντα τά τ’ ἐσσόμενα πρό τ’ ἐόντα,
φωνῇ ὁμηρεῦσαι, τῶν δ’ ἀκάματος ῥέει αὐδὴ
40 ἐκ στομάτων ἡδεῖα· γελᾷ δέ τε δώματα πατρὸς
Ζηνὸς ἐριγδούποιο θεᾶν ὀπὶ λειριοέσσῃ
σκιδναμένῃ, ἠχεῖ δὲ κάρη νιφόεντος Ὀλύμπου
δώματά τ’ ἀθανάτων· αἱ δ’ ἄμβροτον ὄσσαν ἱεῖσαι
θεῶν γένος αἰδοῖον πρῶτον κλείουσιν ἀοιδῇ
ἐξ ἀρχῆς, οὓς Γαῖα καὶ Οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς ἔτικτεν,
οἵ τ’ ἐκ τῶν ἐγένοντο, θεοὶ δωτῆρες ἐάων·

“Shepherds of the wilderness, wretched things of shame, mere bellies,
we know how many false things are spoken as though they were true;
we also know that when we want, truth in verses will be uttered.”

So said the ready-voiced daughters of great Zeus,
and they plucked and gave me a rod, a shoot of sturdy laurel,
a marvellous thing, and breathed into me a divine voice
to celebrate things that shall be and things there were aforetime;
and they bade me sing of the race of the blessed gods that are eternally,
but ever to sing of themselves both first and last.
But why say all this in front of oak or stone?
Come thou, let us begin with the Muses who gladden the great spirit
of their father Zeus in Olympus with their songs,
telling of things that are and that shall be and that were aforetime
with consenting voice. Unwearying flows the sweet sound from their lips,
and the house of their father Zeus the loud-thunderer
is glad at the lily-like voice of the goddesses
as it spread abroad, and the peaks of snowy Olympus resound,
and the homes of the immortals. And they uttering their immortal voice,
celebrate in song first of all the reverend race of the gods
from the beginning, those whom Earth and wide Heaven begot,
and the gods sprung of these, givers of good things.

δεύτερον αὖτε Ζῆνα θεῶν πατέρ’ ἠδὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν,
ἀρχόμεναί θ’ ὑμνεῦσι θεαὶ λήγουσαί τ’ ἀοιδῆς,
ὅσσον φέρτατός ἐστι θεῶν κάρτει τε μέγιστος·
50 αὖτις δ’ ἀνθρώπων τε γένος κρατερῶν τε Γιγάντων
ὑμνεῦσαι τέρπουσι Διὸς νόον ἐντὸς Ὀλύμπου
Μοῦσαι Ὀλυμπιάδες, κοῦραι Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο.

τὰς ἐν Πιερίῃ Κρονίδῃ τέκε πατρὶ μιγεῖσα
Μνημοσύνη, γουνοῖσιν Ἐλευθῆρος μεδέουσα,
λησμοσύνην τε κακῶν ἄμπαυμά τε μερμηράων.
ἐννέα γάρ οἱ νύκτας ἐμίσγετο μητίετα Ζεὺς
νόσφιν ἀπ’ ἀθανάτων ἱερὸν λέχος εἰσαναβαίνων·
ἀλλ’ ὅτε δή ῥ’ ἐνιαυτὸς ἔην, περὶ δ’ ἔτραπον ὧραι
μηνῶν φθινόντων, περὶ δ’ ἤματα πόλλ’ ἐτελέσθη,
60 ἡ δ’ ἔτεκ’ ἐννέα κούρας, ὁμόφρονας, ᾗσιν ἀοιδὴ
μέμβλεται ἐν στήθεσσιν, ἀκηδέα θυμὸν ἐχούσαις,
τυτθὸν ἀπ’ ἀκροτάτης κορυφῆς νιφόεντος Ὀλύμπου·
ἔνθά σφιν λιπαροί τε χοροὶ καὶ δώματα καλά,
πὰρ δ’ αὐτῇς Χάριτές τε καὶ Ἵμερος οἰκί’ ἔχουσιν
ἐν θαλίῃς· ἐρατὴν δὲ διὰ στόμα ὄσσαν ἱεῖσαι
μέλπονται, πάντων τε νόμους καὶ ἤθεα κεδνὰ
ἀθανάτων κλείουσιν, ἐπήρατον ὄσσαν ἱεῖσαι.
αἳ τότ’ ἴσαν πρὸς Ὄλυμπον, ἀγαλλόμεναι ὀπὶ καλῇ,
ἀμβροσίῃ μολπῇ· περὶ δ’ ἴαχε γαῖα μέλαινα
70 ὑμνεύσαις, ἐρατὸς δὲ ποδῶν ὕπο δοῦπος ὀρώρει
νισομένων πατέρ’ εἰς ὅν· ὁ δ’ οὐρανῷ ἐμβασιλεύει,
αὐτὸς ἔχων βροντὴν ἠδ’ αἰθαλόεντα κεραυνόν,
κάρτει νικήσας πατέρα Κρόνον· εὖ δὲ ἕκαστα
ἀθανάτοις διέταξε νόμους καὶ ἐπέφραδε τιμάς.

Then, next, the goddesses sing of Zeus, the father of gods and men,
as they begin and end their strain,
how much he is the most excellent among the gods and supreme in power.
And again, they chant the race of men and strong giants,
and gladden the heart of Zeus within Olympus,
the Olympian Muses, daughters of Zeus the aegis-holder.

Them in Pieria did Mnemosyne (Memory),
who reigns over the hills of Eleuther, bear of union with the father,
the son of Cronos, a forgetting of ills and a rest from sorrow.
For nine nights did wise Zeus lie with her,
entering her holy bed remote from the immortals.
And when a year was passed and the seasons came round
as the months waned, and many days were accomplished,
she bare nine daughters, all of one mind, whose hearts
are set upon song and their spirit free from care,
a little way from the topmost peak of snowy Olympus.
There are their bright dancing-places and beautiful homes,
and beside them the Graces and Himerus (Desire) live in delight.
And they, uttering through their lips a lovely voice,
sing the laws of all and the goodly ways
of the immortals, uttering their lovely voice.
Then went they to Olympus, delighting in their sweet voice,
with heavenly song, and the dark earth resounded about them
as they chanted, and a lovely sound rose up beneath their feet
as they went to their father. And he was reigning in heaven,
himself holding the lightning and glowing thunderbolt,
when he had overcome by might his father Cronos; and he distributed
fairly to the immortals their portions and declared their privileges.

ταῦτ’ ἄρα Μοῦσαι ἄειδον Ὀλύμπια δώματ’ ἔχουσαι,
ἐννέα θυγατέρες μεγάλου Διὸς ἐκγεγαυῖαι,
Κλειώ τ’ Εὐτέρπη τε Θάλειά τε Μελπομένη τε
Τερψιχόρη τ’ Ἐρατώ τε Πολύμνιά τ’ Οὐρανίη τε
Καλλιόπη θ’· ἡ δὲ προφερεστάτη ἐστὶν ἁπασέων
80 ἡ γὰρ καὶ βασιλεῦσιν ἅμ’ αἰδοίοισιν ὀπηδεῖ.
ὅν τινα τιμήσουσι Διὸς κοῦραι μεγάλοιο
γεινόμενόν τε ἴδωσι διοτρεφέων βασιλήων,
τῷ μὲν ἐπὶ γλώσσῃ γλυκερὴν χείουσιν ἐέρσην,
τοῦ δ’ ἔπε’ ἐκ στόματος ῥεῖ μείλιχα· οἱ δέ νυ λαοὶ
πάντες ἐς αὐτὸν ὁρῶσι διακρίνοντα θέμιστας
ἰθείῃσι δίκῃσιν· ὁ δ’ ἀσφαλέως ἀγορεύων
αἶψά τι καὶ μέγα νεῖκος ἐπισταμένως κατέπαυσε·
τούνεκα γὰρ βασιλῆες ἐχέφρονες, οὕνεκα λαοῖς
βλαπτομένοις ἀγορῆφι μετάτροπα ἔργα τελεῦσι
90 ῥηιδίως, μαλακοῖσι παραιφάμενοι ἐπέεσσιν·
ἐρχόμενον δ’ ἀν’ ἀγῶνα θεὸν ὣς ἱλάσκονται
αἰδοῖ μειλιχίῃ, μετὰ δὲ πρέπει ἀγρομένοισι.
τοίη Μουσάων ἱερὴ δόσις ἀνθρώποισιν.

These things, then, the Muses sang who dwell on Olympus,
nine daughters begotten by great Zeus,
Cleio and Euterpe, Thaleia, Melpomene
and Terpsichore, and Erato and Polyhymnia and Urania
and Calliope, who is the chiefest of them all,
for she attends on worshipful princes:
whomsoever of heaven-nourished princes
the daughters of great Zeus honour, and behold him at his birth,
they pour sweet dew upon his tongue,
and from his lips flow gracious words. All the people
look towards him while he settles causes
with true judgements: and he, speaking surely,
would soon make wise end even of a great quarrel;
for therefore are there princes wise in heart, because when the people
are being misguided in their assembly, they set right the matter
again with ease, persuading them with gentle words.
And when he passes through a gathering, they greet him as a god
with gentle reverence, and he is conspicuous amongst the assembled:
such is the holy gift of the Muses to men.

ἐκ γάρ τοι Μουσέων καὶ ἑκηβόλου Ἀπόλλωνος
ἄνδρες ἀοιδοὶ ἔασιν ἐπὶ χθόνα καὶ κιθαρισταί,
ἐκ δὲ Διὸς βασιλῆες· ὁ δ’ ὄλβιος, ὅντινα Μοῦσαι
φίλωνται· γλυκερή οἱ ἀπὸ στόματος ῥέει αὐδή.
εἰ γάρ τις καὶ πένθος ἔχων νεοκηδέι θυμῷ
ἄζηται κραδίην ἀκαχήμενος, αὐτὰρ ἀοιδὸς
100 Μουσάων θεράπων κλεῖα προτέρων ἀνθρώπων
ὑμνήσει μάκαράς τε θεοὺς οἳ Ὄλυμπον ἔχουσιν,
αἶψ’ ὅ γε δυσφροσυνέων ἐπιλήθεται οὐδέ τι κηδέων
μέμνηται· ταχέως δὲ παρέτραπε δῶρα θεάων.
χαίρετε τέκνα Διός, δότε δ’ ἱμερόεσσαν ἀοιδήν·
κλείετε δ’ ἀθανάτων ἱερὸν γένος αἰὲν ἐόντων,
οἳ Γῆς ἐξεγένοντο καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος,
Νυκτός τε δνοφερῆς, οὕς θ’ ἁλμυρὸς ἔτρεφε Πόντος.
εἴπατε δ’ ὡς τὰ πρῶτα θεοὶ καὶ γαῖα γένοντο
καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ πόντος ἀπείριτος οἴδματι θυίων
110 ἄστρά τε λαμπετόωντα καὶ οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς ὕπερθεν·
οἵ τ’ ἐκ τῶν ἐγένοντο, θεοὶ δωτῆρες ἐάων·
ὥς τ’ ἄφενος δάσσαντο καὶ ὡς τιμὰς διέλοντο,
ἠδὲ καὶ ὡς τὰ πρῶτα πολύπτυχον ἔσχον Ὄλυμπον.
ταῦτά μοι ἔσπετε Μοῦσαι Ὀλύμπια δώματ’ ἔχουσαι
ἐξ ἀρχῆς, καὶ εἴπαθ’, ὅτι πρῶτον γένετ’ αὐτῶν.

For it is through the Muses and far-shooting Apollo
that there are singers and harpers upon the earth;
but princes are of Zeus, and happy is he whom the Muses
love: sweet flows speech from his mouth.
For though a man have sorrow and grief in his newly-troubled
soul and live in dread because his heart is distressed,
yet, when a singer, the servant of the Muses, chants the glorious deeds of men
of old and the blessed gods who inhabit Olympus,
at once he forgets his heaviness and remembers not his sorrows at all;
but the gifts of the goddesses soon turn him away from these.
Hail, children of Zeus! Grant lovely song and celebrate
the holy race of the deathless gods who are for ever,
those that were born of Earth and starry Heaven
and gloomy Night and them that briny Sea did rear.
Tell how at the first gods and earth came to be,
and rivers, and the boundless sea with its raging swell,
and the gleaming stars, and the wide heaven above,
and the gods who were born of them, givers of good things,
and how they divided their wealth, and how they shared their honours amongst them,
and also how at the first they took many-folded Olympus.
These things declare to me from the beginning, ye Muses who dwell
in the house of Olympus, and tell me which of them first came to be.

ἤτοι μὲν πρώτιστα Χάος γένετ’· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
Γαῖ’ εὐρύστερνος, πάντων ἕδος ἀσφαλὲς αἰεὶ
ἀθανάτων οἳ ἔχουσι κάρη νιφόεντος Ὀλύμπου,
Τάρταρά τ’ ἠερόεντα μυχῷ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης,
120 ἠδ’ Ἔρος, ὃς κάλλιστος ἐν ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι,
λυσιμελής, πάντων τε θεῶν πάντων τ’ ἀνθρώπων
δάμναται ἐν στήθεσσι νόον καὶ ἐπίφρονα βουλήν.

ἐκ Χάεος δ’ Ἔρεβός τε μέλαινά τε Νὺξ ἐγένοντο·
Νυκτὸς δ’ αὖτ’ Αἰθήρ τε καὶ Ἡμέρη ἐξεγένοντο,
οὓς τέκε κυσαμένη Ἐρέβει φιλότητι μιγεῖσα.
Γαῖα δέ τοι πρῶτον μὲν ἐγείνατο ἶσον ἑαυτῇ
Οὐρανὸν ἀστερόενθ’, ἵνα μιν περὶ πάντα καλύπτοι,
ὄφρ’ εἴη μακάρεσσι θεοῖς ἕδος ἀσφαλὲς αἰεί,
γείνατο δ’ οὔρεα μακρά, θεᾶν χαρίεντας ἐναύλους
130 Νυμφέων, αἳ ναίουσιν ἀν’ οὔρεα βησσήεντα,
ἠδὲ καὶ ἀτρύγετον πέλαγος τέκεν οἴδματι θυῖον,
Πόντον, ἄτερ φιλότητος ἐφιμέρου· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα
Οὐρανῷ εὐνηθεῖσα τέκ’ Ὠκεανὸν βαθυδίνην
Κοῖόν τε Κρεῖόν θ’ Ὑπερίονά τ’ Ἰαπετόν τε
Θείαν τε Ῥείαν τε Θέμιν τε Μνημοσύνην τε
Φοίβην τε χρυσοστέφανον Τηθύν τ’ ἐρατεινήν.
τοὺς δὲ μέθ’ ὁπλότατος γένετο Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης,
δεινότατος παίδων, θαλερὸν δ’ ἤχθηρε τοκῆα.

Verily at the first Chaos came to be, but next
wide-bosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundations of all
the deathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympus,
and dim Tartarus in the depth of the wide-pathed Earth,
and Eros (Love), fairest among the deathless gods,
who unnerves the limbs and overcomes the mind
and wise counsels of all gods and all men within them.

From Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night;
but of Night were born Aether and Day,
whom she conceived and bare from union in love with Erebus.
And Earth first bare starry Heaven, equal to herself,
to cover her on every side, and to be
an ever-sure abiding-place for the blessed gods.
And she brought forth long Hills, graceful haunts
of the goddess-Nymphs who dwell amongst the glens of the hills.
She bare also the fruitless deep with his raging swell,
Pontus, without sweet union of love. But afterwards
she lay with Heaven and bare deep-swirling Oceanus,
Coeus and Crius and Hyperion and Iapetus,
Theia and Rhea, Themis and Mnemosyne
and gold-crowned Phoebe and lovely Tethys.
After them was born Cronos the wily, youngest and
most terrible of her children, and he hated his lusty sire.

γείνατο δ’ αὖ Κύκλωπας ὑπέρβιον ἦτορ ἔχοντας,
140 Βρόντην τε Στερόπην τε καὶ Ἄργην ὀβριμόθυμον,
οἳ Ζηνὶ βροντήν τ’ ἔδοσαν τεῦξάν τε κεραυνόν.
οἱ δ’ ἤτοι τὰ μὲν ἄλλα θεοῖς ἐναλίγκιοι ἦσαν,
μοῦνος δ’ ὀφθαλμὸς μέσσῳ ἐνέκειτο μετώπῳ·
Κύκλωπες δ’ ὄνομ’ ἦσαν ἐπώνυμον, οὕνεκ’ ἄρά σφέων
κυκλοτερὴς ὀφθαλμὸς ἕεις ἐνέκειτο μετώπῳ·
ἰσχὺς δ’ ἠδὲ βίη καὶ μηχαναὶ ἦσαν ἐπ’ ἔργοις.

ἄλλοι δ’ αὖ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἐξεγένοντο
τρεῖς παῖδες μεγάλοι τε καὶ ὄβριμοι, οὐκ ὀνομαστοί,
Κόττος τε Βριάρεώς τε Γύγης θ’, ὑπερήφανα τέκνα.
150 τῶν ἑκατὸν μὲν χεῖρες ἀπ’ ὤμων ἀίσσοντο,
ἄπλαστοι, κεφαλαὶ δὲ ἑκάστῳ πεντήκοντα
ἐξ ὤμων ἐπέφυκον ἐπὶ στιβαροῖσι μέλεσσιν·
ἰσχὺς δ’ ἄπλητος κρατερὴ μεγάλῳ ἐπὶ εἴδει.
ὅσσοι γὰρ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἐξεγένοντο,
δεινότατοι παίδων, σφετέρῳ δ’ ἤχθοντο τοκῆι
ἐξ ἀρχῆς· καὶ τῶν μὲν ὅπως τις πρῶτα γένοιτο,
πάντας ἀποκρύπτασκε καὶ ἐς φάος οὐκ ἀνίεσκε
Γαίης ἐν κευθμῶνι, κακῷ δ’ ἐπετέρπετο ἔργῳ,
Οὐρανός· ἡ δ’ ἐντὸς στοναχίζετο Γαῖα πελώρη
160 στεινομένη, δολίην δὲ κακὴν ἐπεφράσσατο τέχνην.
αἶψα δὲ ποιήσασα γένος πολιοῦ ἀδάμαντος
τεῦξε μέγα δρέπανον καὶ ἐπέφραδε παισὶ φίλοισιν·
εἶπε δὲ θαρσύνουσα, φίλον τετιημένη ἦτορ·

“παῖδες ἐμοὶ καὶ πατρὸς ἀτασθάλου, αἴ κ’ ἐθέλητε
πείθεσθαι· πατρός κε κακὴν τεισαίμεθα λώβην
ὑμετέρου· πρότερος γὰρ ἀεικέα μήσατο ἔργα.”

ὣς φάτο· τοὺς δ’ ἄρα πάντας ἕλεν δέος, οὐδέ τις αὐτῶν
φθέγξατο. θαρσήσας δὲ μέγας Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης
αἶψ’ αὖτις μύθοισι προσηύδα μητέρα κεδνήν·

170 “μῆτερ, ἐγώ κεν τοῦτό γ’ ὑποσχόμενος τελέσαιμι
ἔργον, ἐπεὶ πατρός γε δυσωνύμου οὐκ ἀλεγίζω
ἡμετέρου· πρότερος γὰρ ἀεικέα μήσατο ἔργα.”

And again, she bare the Cyclopes, overbearing in spirit,
Brontes, and Steropes and stubborn-hearted Arges,
who gave Zeus the thunder and made the thunderbolt:
in all else they were like the gods, but one eye
only was set in the midst of their fore-heads.
And they were surnamed Cyclopes (Orb-eyed)
because one orbed eye was set in their foreheads.
Strength and might and craft were in their works.

And again, three other sons were born of Earth
and Heaven, great and doughty beyond telling,
Cottus and Briareos and Gyes, presumptuous children.
From their shoulders sprang an hundred arms,
not to be approached, and each had fifty heads upon
his shoulders on their strong limbs, and irresistible was
the stubborn strength that was in their great forms.
For of all the children that were born of Earth and Heaven,
these were the most terrible, and they were hated
by their own father from the first. And he used to hide them
all away in a secret place of Earth so soon as each was born,
and would not suffer them to come up into the light:
and Heaven rejoiced in his evil doing. But vast Earth
groaned within, being straitened, and she made
the element of grey flint and shaped a great sickle,
and told her plan to her dear sons. And she spoke,
cheering them, while she was vexed in her dear heart:

“My children, gotten of a sinful father, if you will obey me,
we should punish the vile outrage of your father;
for he first thought of doing shameful things.”

So she said; but fear seized them all, and none of them
uttered a word. But great Cronos the wily
took courage and answered his dear mother:

“Mother, I will undertake to do this deed,
for I reverence not our father of evil name,
for he first thought of doing shameful things.”

ὣς φάτο· γήθησεν δὲ μέγα φρεσὶ Γαῖα πελώρη·
εἷσε δέ μιν κρύψασα λόχῳ, ἐνέθηκε δὲ χερσὶν
ἅρπην καρχαρόδοντα, δόλον δ’ ὑπεθήκατο πάντα.
ἦλθε δὲ νύκτ’ ἐπάγων μέγας Οὐρανός, ἀμφὶ δὲ Γαίῃ
ἱμείρων φιλότητος ἐπέσχετο, καί ῥ’ ἐτανύσθη
πάντῃ· ὁ δ’ ἐκ λοχέοιο πάις ὠρέξατο χειρὶ
σκαιῇ, δεξιτερῇ δὲ πελώριον ἔλλαβεν ἅρπην,
180 μακρὴν καρχαρόδοντα, φίλου δ’ ἀπὸ μήδεα πατρὸς
ἐσσυμένως ἤμησε, πάλιν δ’ ἔρριψε φέρεσθαι
ἐξοπίσω. τὰ μὲν οὔ τι ἐτώσια ἔκφυγε χειρός·
ὅσσαι γὰρ ῥαθάμιγγες ἀπέσσυθεν αἱματόεσσαι,
πάσας δέξατο Γαῖα· περιπλομένων δ’ ἐνιαυτῶν
γείνατ’ Ἐρινῦς τε κρατερὰς μεγάλους τε Γίγαντας,
τεύχεσι λαμπομένους, δολίχ’ ἔγχεα χερσὶν ἔχοντας,
Νύμφας θ’ ἃς Μελίας καλέουσ’ ἐπ’ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν.
μήδεα δ’ ὡς τὸ πρῶτον ἀποτμήξας ἀδάμαντι
κάββαλ’ ἀπ’ ἠπείροιο πολυκλύστῳ ἐνὶ πόντῳ,
190 ὣς φέρετ’ ἂμ πέλαγος πουλὺν χρόνον, ἀμφὶ δὲ λευκὸς
ἀφρὸς ἀπ’ ἀθανάτου χροὸς ὤρνυτο· τῷ δ’ ἔνι κούρη
ἐθρέφθη· πρῶτον δὲ Κυθήροισι ζαθέοισιν
ἔπλητ’, ἔνθεν ἔπειτα περίρρυτον ἵκετο Κύπρον.
ἐκ δ’ ἔβη αἰδοίη καλὴ θεός, ἀμφὶ δὲ ποίη
ποσσὶν ὕπο ῥαδινοῖσιν ἀέξετο· τὴν δ’ Ἀφροδίτην
ἀφρογενέα τε θεὰν καὶ ἐυστέφανον Κυθέρειαν
κικλήσκουσι θεοί τε καὶ ἀνέρες, οὕνεκ’ ἐν ἀφρῷ
θρέφθη· ἀτὰρ Κυθέρειαν, ὅτι προσέκυρσε Κυθήροις·
Κυπρογενέα δ’, ὅτι γέντο περικλύστῳ ἐνὶ Κύπρῳ·
220 ἠδὲ φιλομμειδέα, ὅτι μηδέων ἐξεφαάνθη.
τῇ δ’ Ἔρος ὡμάρτησε καὶ Ἵμερος ἔσπετο καλὸς
γεινομένῃ τὰ πρῶτα θεῶν τ’ ἐς φῦλον ἰούσῃ·
ταύτην δ’ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τιμὴν ἔχει ἠδὲ λέλογχε
μοῖραν ἐν ἀνθρώποισι καὶ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι,
παρθενίους τ’ ὀάρους μειδήματά τ’ ἐξαπάτας τε
τέρψίν τε γλυκερὴν φιλότητά τε μειλιχίην τε.

So he said: and vast Earth rejoiced greatly in spirit,
and set and hid him in an ambush, and put in his hands
a jagged sickle, and revealed to him the whole plot.
And Heaven came, bringing on night and longing for love,
and he lay about Earth spreading himself full upon her.
Then the son from his ambush stretched forth his left hand
and in his right took the great long sickle with jagged teeth,
and swiftly lopped off his own father’s members
and cast them away to fall behind him. And not vainly
did they fall from his hand; for all the bloody drops
that gushed forth Earth received, and as the seasons moved round
she bare the strong Erinyes and the great Giants
with gleaming armour, holding long spears in their hands
and the Nymphs whom they call Meliae all over the boundless earth.
And so soon as he had cut off the members with flint
and cast them from the land into the surging sea,
they were swept away over the main a long time;
and a white foam spread around them from the immortal flesh,
and in it there grew a maiden. First she drew near holy Cythera,
and from there, afterwards, she came to sea-girt Cyprus,
and came forth an awful and lovely goddess,
and grass grew up about her beneath her shapely feet.
Her gods and men call Aphrodite, and the foam-born goddess
and rich-crowned Cytherea, because she grew amid the foam,
and Cytherea because she reached Cythera,
and Cyprogenes because she was born in billowy Cyprus,
and Philommedes because she sprang from the members.
And with her went Eros, and comely Desire followed her at her birth
at the first and as she went into the assembly of the gods.
This honour she has from the beginning, and this is the portion
allotted to her amongst men and undying gods,
the whisperings of maidens and smiles and deceits
with sweet delight and love and graciousness.

Τοὺς δὲ πατὴρ Τιτῆνας ἐπίκλησιν καλέεσκε
παῖδας νεικείων μέγας Οὐρανός, οὓς τέκεν αὐτός·
φάσκε δὲ τιταίνοντας ἀτασθαλίῃ μέγα ῥέξαι
210 ἔργον, τοῖο δ’ ἔπειτα τίσιν μετόπισθεν ἔσεσθαι.
Νὺξ δ’ ἔτεκε στυγερόν τε Μόρον καὶ Κῆρα μέλαιναν
καὶ Θάνατον, τέκε δ’ Ὕπνον, ἔτικτε δὲ φῦλον Ὀνείρων.
δεύτερον αὖ Μῶμον καὶ Ὀιζὺν ἀλγινόεσσαν
οὔ τινι κοιμηθεῖσα θεῶν τέκε Νὺξ ἐρεβεννή,
Ἑσπερίδας θ’, αἷς μῆλα πέρην κλυτοῦ Ὠκεανοῖο
χρύσεα καλὰ μέλουσι φέροντά τε δένδρεα καρπόν·
καὶ Μοίρας καὶ Κῆρας ἐγείνατο νηλεοποίνους,
Κλωθώ τε Λάχεσίν τε καὶ Ἄτροπον, αἵ τε βροτοῖσι
γεινομένοισι διδοῦσιν ἔχειν ἀγαθόν τε κακόν τε,
220 αἵ τ’ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε παραιβασίας ἐφέπουσιν,
οὐδέ ποτε λήγουσι θεαὶ δεινοῖο χόλοιο,
πρίν γ’ ἀπὸ τῷ δώωσι κακὴν ὄπιν, ὅστις ἁμάρτῃ.
τίκτε δὲ καὶ Νέμεσιν πῆμα θνητοῖσι βροτοῖσι
Νὺξ ὀλοή· μετὰ τὴν δ’ Ἀπάτην τέκε καὶ Φιλότητα
Γῆράς τ’ οὐλόμενον, καὶ Ἔριν τέκε καρτερόθυμον.
αὐτὰρ Ἔρις στυγερὴ τέκε μὲν Πόνον ἀλγινόεντα
Λήθην τε Λιμόν τε καὶ Ἄλγεα δακρυόεντα
Ὑσμίνας τε Μάχας τε Φόνους τ’ Ἀνδροκτασίας τε
Νείκεά τε Ψεύδεά τε Λόγους τ’ Ἀμφιλλογίας τε
230 Δυσνομίην τ’ Ἄτην τε, συνήθεας ἀλλήλῃσιν, 
Ὅρκον θ’, ὃς δὴ πλεῖστον ἐπιχθονίους ἀνθρώπους
πημαίνει, ὅτε κέν τις ἑκὼν ἐπίορκον ὀμόσσῃ·

But these sons whom be begot himself
great Heaven used to call Titans (Strainers) in reproach,
for he said that they strained and did presumptuously a fearful deed,
and that vengeance for it would come afterwards.
And Night bare hateful Doom and black Fate and Death,
and she bare Sleep and the tribe of Dreams.
And again the goddess murky Night, though
she lay with none, bare Blame and painful Woe,
and the Hesperides who guard the rich, golden apples
and the trees bearing fruit beyond glorious Ocean.
Also she bare the Destinies and ruthless avenging Fates,
Clotho and Lachesis and Atropos, who give men
at their birth both evil and good to have,
and they pursue the transgressions of men and of gods,
and these goddesses never cease from their dread anger
until they punish the sinner with a sore penalty.
Also deadly Night bare Nemesis (Indignation) to afflict mortal men,
and after her, Deceit and Friendship
and hateful Age and hard-hearted Strife.
But abhorred Strife bare painful Toil
and Forgetfulness and Famine and tearful Sorrows,
Fightings also, Battles, Murders, Manslaughters,
Quarrels, Lying Words, Disputes,
Lawlessness and Ruin, all of one nature,
and Oath who most troubles men upon earth
when anyone wilfully swears a false oath.

Νηρέα δ’ ἀψευδέα καὶ ἀληθέα γείνατο Πόντος
πρεσβύτατον παίδων· αὐτὰρ καλέουσι γέροντα,
οὕνεκα νημερτής τε καὶ ἤπιος, οὐδὲ θεμίστων
λήθεται, ἀλλὰ δίκαια καὶ ἤπια δήνεα οἶδεν·
αὖτις δ’ αὖ Θαύμαντα μέγαν καὶ ἀγήνορα Φόρκυν
Γαίῃ μισγόμενος καὶ Κητὼ καλλιπάρηον
Εὐρυβίην τ’ ἀδάμαντος ἐνὶ φρεσὶ θυμὸν ἔχουσαν.
240 Νηρῆος δ’ ἐγένοντο μεγήριτα τέκνα θεάων
πόντῳ ἐν ἀτρυγέτῳ καὶ Δωρίδος ἠυκόμοιο,
κούρης Ὠκεανοῖο τελήεντος ποταμοῖο,
Πλωτώ τ’ Εὐκράντη τε Σαώ τ’ Ἀμφιτρίτη τε
Εὐδώρη τε Θέτις τε Γαλήνη τε Γλαύκη τε,
Κυμοθόη Σπειώ τε θοὴ Θαλίη τ’ ἐρόεσσα
Πασιθέη τ’ Ἐρατώ τε καὶ Εὐνίκη ῥοδόπηχυς
καὶ Μελίτη χαρίεσσα καὶ Εὐλιμένη καὶ Ἀγαυὴ
Δωτώ τε Πρωτώ τε Φέρουσά τε Δυναμένη τε
Νησαίη τε καὶ Ἀκταίη καὶ Πρωτομέδεια,
250 Δωρὶς καὶ Πανόπη καὶ εὐειδὴς Γαλάτεια
Ἱπποθόη τ’ ἐρόεσσα καὶ Ἱππονόη ῥοδόπηχυς
Κυμοδόκη θ’, ἣ κύματ’ ἐν ἠεροειδέι πόντῳ
πνοιάς τε ζαέων ἀνέμων σὺν Κυματολήγῃ
ῥεῖα πρηΰνει καὶ ἐυσφύρῳ Ἀμφιτρίτῃ,
Κυμώ τ’ Ἠιόνη τε ἐυστέφανός θ’ Ἁλιμήδη
Γλαυκονόμη τε φιλομμειδὴς καὶ Ποντοπόρεια
Λειαγόρη τε καὶ Εὐαγόρη καὶ Λαομέδεια
Πουλυνόη τε καὶ Αὐτονόη καὶ Λυσιάνασσα
Εὐάρνη τε φυὴν ἐρατὴ καὶ εἶδος ἄμωμος
260 καὶ Ψαμάθη χαρίεσσα δέμας δίη τε Μενίππη
Νησώ τ’ Εὐπόμπη τε Θεμιστώ τε Προνόη τε
Νημερτής θ’, ἣ πατρὸς ἔχει νόον ἀθανάτοιο.
αὗται μὲν Νηρῆος ἀμύμονος ἐξεγένοντο
κοῦραι πεντήκοντα, ἀμύμονα ἔργ’ εἰδυῖαι·

And Sea begat Nereus, the eldest of his children,
who is true and lies not: and men call him the Old Man
because he is trusty and gentle and does not forget the laws
of righteousness, but thinks just and kindly thoughts.
And yet again he got great Thaumas and proud Phoreys,
being mated with Earth, and fair-cheeked Ceto
and Eurybia who has a heart of flint within her.
And of Nereus and rich-haired Doris, daughter of Ocean
the perfect river, were born children,
passing lovely amongst goddesses,
Ploto, Eucrante, Sao, and Amphitrite,
and Eudora, and Thetis, Galene and Glauce,
Cymothoe, Speo, Thoe and lovely Halie,
and Pasithea, and Erato, and rosy-armed Eunice,
and gracious Melite, and Eulimene, and Agaue,
Doto, Proto, Pherusa, and Dynamene,
and Nisaea, and Actaea, and Protomedea,
Doris, Panopea, and comely Galatea,
and lovely Hippothoe, and rosy-armed Hipponoe,
and Cymodoce who with Cymatolege and Amphitrite
easily calms the waves upon the misty sea
and the blasts of raging winds,
and Cymo, and Eione, and rich-crowned Alimede,
and Glauconome, fond of laughter, and Pontoporea,
Leagore, Euagore, and Laomedea,
and Polynoe, and Autonoe, and Lysianassa,
and Euarne, lovely of shape and without blemish of form,
and Psamathe of charming figure and divine Menippe,
Neso, Eupompe, Themisto, Pronoe,
and Nemertes who has the nature of her deathless father.
These fifty daughters sprang from blameless Nereus,
skilled in excellent crafts.

Θαύμας δ’ Ὠκεανοῖο βαθυρρείταο θύγατρα
ἠγάγετ’ Ἠλέκτρην· ἡ δ’ ὠκεῖαν τέκεν Ἶριν
ἠυκόμους θ’ Ἁρπυίας, Ἀελλώ τ’ Ὠκυπέτην τε,
αἵ ῥ’ ἀνέμων πνοιῇσι καὶ οἰωνοῖς ἅμ’ ἕπονται
ὠκείῃς πτερύγεσσι· μεταχρόνιαι γὰρ ἴαλλον.
270 Φόρκυι δ’ αὖ Κητὼ γραίας τέκε καλλιπαρήους
ἐκ γενετῆς πολιάς, τὰς δὴ Γραίας καλέουσιν
ἀθάνατοί τε θεοὶ χαμαὶ ἐρχόμενοί τ’ ἄνθρωποι,
Πεμφρηδώ τ’ εὔπεπλον Ἐνυώ τε κροκόπεπλον,
Γοργούς θ’, αἳ ναίουσι πέρην κλυτοῦ Ὠκεανοῖο
ἐσχατιῇ πρὸς νυκτός, ἵν’ Ἑσπερίδες λιγύφωνοι,
Σθεννώ τ’ Εὐρυάλη τε Μέδουσά τε λυγρὰ παθοῦσα·
ἡ μὲν ἔην θνητή, αἱ δ’ ἀθάνατοι καὶ ἀγήρῳ,
αἱ δύο· τῇ δὲ μιῇ παρελέξατο Κυανοχαίτης
ἐν μαλακῷ λειμῶνι καὶ ἄνθεσιν εἰαρινοῖσι.
280 τῆς ὅτε δὴ Περσεὺς κεφαλὴν ἀπεδειροτόμησεν,
ἐξέθορε Χρυσάωρ τε μέγας καὶ Πήγασος ἵππος.
τῷ μὲν ἐπώνυμον ἦν, ὅτ’ ἄρ’ Ὠκεανοῦ παρὰ πηγὰς
γένθ’, ὁ δ’ ἄορ χρύσειον ἔχων μετὰ χερσὶ φίλῃσι.
χὠ μὲν ἀποπτάμενος, προλιπὼν χθόνα μητέρα μήλων,
ἵκετ’ ἐς ἀθανάτους· Ζηνὸς δ’ ἐν δώμασι ναίει
βροντήν τε στεροπήν τε φέρων Διὶ μητιόεντι·
Χρυσάωρ δ’ ἔτεκε τρικέφαλον Γηρυονῆα
μιχθεὶς Καλλιρόῃ κούρῃ κλυτοῦ Ὠκεανοῖο·
τὸν μὲν ἄρ’ ἐξενάριξε βίη Ἡρακληείη
290 βουσὶ πάρ’ εἰλιπόδεσσι περιρρύτῳ εἰν Ἐρυθείῃ
ἤματι τῷ, ὅτε περ βοῦς ἤλασεν εὐρυμετώπους
Τίρυνθ’ εἰς ἱερήν, διαβὰς πόρον Ὠκεανοῖο,
Ὄρθόν τε κτείνας καὶ βουκόλον Εὐρυτίωνα
σταθμῷ ἐν ἠερόεντι πέρην κλυτοῦ Ὠκεανοῖο.

And Thaumas wedded Electra the daughter of deep-flowing Ocean,
and she bare him swift Iris and the long-haired Harpies,
Aello (Storm-swift) and Ocypetes (Swift-flier)
who on their swift wings keep pace with the blasts of the winds
and the birds; for quick as time they dart along.
And again, Ceto bare to Phoreys the fair-cheeked Graiae,
sisters grey from their birth, and both deathless gods
and men who walk on earth call them Graiae,
Pemphredo well-clad, and saffron-robed Enyo,
and the Gorgons who dwell beyond glorious Ocean in the frontier land
towards Night where are the clear-voiced Hesperides,
Sthenno, and Euryale, and Medusa who suffered a woeful fate;
she was mortal, but the two were undying and grew not old.
With her lay the Dark-haired One (Poseidon)
in a soft meadow amid spring flowers.
And when Perseus cut off her head, there sprang forth
great Chrysaor and the horse Pegasus who is so called
because he was born near the springs (pegae) of Ocean;
and that other, because he held a golden blade in his hands.
Now Pegasus flew away and left the earth, the mother of flocks,
and came to the deathless gods: and he dwells in the house of Zeus
and brings to wise Zeus the thunder and lightning.
But Chrysaor was joined in love to Callirrhoe, the daughter
of glorious Ocean, and begot three-headed Geryones.
Him mighty Heracles slew in sea-girt Erythea
by his shambling oxen on that day when he drove
the wide-browed oxen to holy Tiryns,
and had crossed the ford of Ocean,
and killed Orthus and Eurytion the herdsman
in the dim stead out beyond glorious Ocean.

Ἡ δ’ ἔτεκ’ ἄλλο πέλωρον ἀμήχανον, οὐδὲν ἐοικὸς
θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποις οὐδ’ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι,
σπῆι ἔνι γλαφυρῷ, θείην κρατερόφρον’ Ἔχιδναν,
ἥμισυ μὲν νύμφην ἑλικώπιδα καλλιπάρηον,
ἥμισυ δ’ αὖτε πέλωρον ὄφιν δεινόν τε μέγαν τε
300 αἰόλον ὠμηστήν, ζαθέης ὑπὸ κεύθεσι γαίης.
ἔνθα δέ οἱ σπέος ἐστὶ κάτω κοίλῃ ὑπὸ πέτρῃ
τηλοῦ ἀπ’ ἀθανάτων τε θεῶν θνητῶν τ’ ἀνθρώπων,
ἔνθ’ ἄρα οἱ δάσσαντο θεοὶ κλυτὰ δώματα ναίειν.
ἡ δ’ ἔρυτ’ εἰν Ἀρίμοισιν ὑπὸ χθόνα λυγρὴ Ἔχιδνα,
ἀθάνατος νύμφη καὶ ἀγήραος ἤματα πάντα.

τῇ δὲ Τυφάονά φασι μιγήμεναι ἐν φιλότητι
δεινόν θ’ ὑβριστήν τ’ ἄνομόν θ’ ἑλικώπιδι κούρῃ·
ἡ δ’ ὑποκυσαμένη τέκετο κρατερόφρονα τέκνα.
Ὄρθον μὲν πρῶτον κύνα γείνατο Γηρυονῆι·
310 δεύτερον αὖτις ἔτικτεν ἀμήχανον, οὔ τι φατειόν,
Κέρβερον ὠμηστήν, Ἀίδεω κύνα χαλκεόφωνον,
πεντηκοντακέφαλον, ἀναιδέα τε κρατερόν τε·
τὸ τρίτον Ὕδρην αὖτις ἐγείνατο λύγρ’ εἰδυῖαν
Λερναίην, ἣν θρέψε θεὰ λευκώλενος Ἥρη
ἄπλητον κοτέουσα βίῃ Ἡρακληείῃ.
καὶ τὴν μὲν Διὸς υἱὸς ἐνήρατο νηλέι χαλκῷ
Ἀμφιτρυωνιάδης σὺν ἀρηιφίλῳ Ἰολάῳ
Ἡρακλέης βουλῇσιν Ἀθηναίης ἀγελείης·
ἡ δὲ Χίμαιραν ἔτικτε πνέουσαν ἀμαιμάκετον πῦρ,
320 δεινήν τε μεγάλην τε ποδώκεά τε κρατερήν τε.
τῆς ἦν τρεῖς κεφαλαί· μία μὲν χαροποῖο λέοντος,
ἡ δὲ χιμαίρης, ἡ δ’ ὄφιος κρατεροῖο δράκοντος.
[πρόσθε λέων, ὄπιθεν δὲ δράκων, μέσση δὲ χίμαιρα,]
δεινὸν ἀποπνείουσα πυρὸς μένος αἰθομένοιο.
τὴν μὲν Πήγασος εἷλε καὶ ἐσθλὸς Βελλεροφόντης·
ἡ δ’ ἄρα Φῖκ’ ὀλοὴν τέκε Καδμείοισιν ὄλεθρον,
Ὄρθῳ ὑποδμηθεῖσα, Νεμειαῖόν τε λέοντα,
τόν ῥ’ Ἥρη θρέψασα Διὸς κυδρὴ παράκοιτις
γουνοῖσιν κατένασσε Νεμείης, πῆμ’ ἀνθρώποις.
330 ἔνθ’ ἄρ’ ὅ γ’ οἰκείων ἐλεφαίρετο φῦλ’ ἀνθρώπων,
κοιρανέων Τρητοῖο Νεμείης ἠδ’ Ἀπέσαντος·
ἀλλά ἑ ἲς ἐδάμασσε βίης Ἡρακληείης.

Κητὼ δ’ ὁπλότατον Φόρκυι φιλότητι μιγεῖσα
γείνατο δεινὸν ὄφιν, ὃς ἐρεμνῆς κεύθεσι γαίης
πείρασιν ἐν μεγάλοις παγχρύσεα μῆλα φυλάσσει.
τοῦτο μὲν ἐκ Κητοῦς καὶ Φόρκυνος γένος ἐστί.

And in a hollow cave she bare another monster, irresistible,
in no wise like either to mortal men or to the undying gods,
even the goddess fierce Echidna who is
half a nymph with glancing eyes and fair cheeks,
and half again a huge snake, great and awful, with speckled skin,
eating raw flesh beneath the secret parts of the holy earth.
And there she has a cave deep down under a hollow rock
far from the deathless gods and mortal men.
So there, did the gods appoint her a glorious house to dwell in;
and she keeps guard in Arima beneath the earth, grim Echidna,
a nymph who dies not nor grows old all her days.

Men say that Typhaon the terrible, outrageous and lawless,
was joined in love to her, the maid with glancing eyes.
So she conceived and brought forth fierce offspring;
first she bare Orthus the hound of Geryones, and then again
she bare a second, a monster not to be overcome
and that may not be described, Cerberus who eats raw flesh,
the brazen-voiced hound of Hades, fifty-headed, relentless and strong.
And again she bore a third, the evil-minded Hydra of Lerna,
whom the goddess, white-armed Hera nourished,
being angry beyond measure with the mighty Heracles.
And her Heracles, the son of Zeus, of the house of Amphitryon,
together with warlike Iolaus, destroyed with the unpitying sword
through the plans of Athene the spoil-driver.
She was the mother of Chimaera who breathed raging fire,
a creature fearful, great, swift-footed and strong,
who had three heads, one of a grim-eyed lion;
in her hinderpart, a dragon; and in her middle, a goat,
breathing forth a fearful blast of blazing fire.
Her did Pegasus and noble Bellerophon slay;
but Echidna was subject in love to Orthus and brought forth
the deadly Sphinx which destroyed the Cadmeans,
and the Nemean lion, which Hera, the good wife of Zeus,
brought up and made to haunt the hills of Nemea, a plague
to men. There he preyed upon the tribes of her own people
and had power over Tretus of Nemea and Apesas:
yet the strength of stout Heracles overcame him.

And Ceto was joined in love to Phorcys and bare her youngest,
the awful snake who guards the apples all of gold
in the secret places of the dark earth at its great bounds.
This is the offspring of Ceto and Phoreys.

Τηθὺς δ’ Ὠκεανῷ ποταμοὺς τέκε δινήεντας,
Νεῖλόν τ’ Ἀλφειόν τε καὶ Ἠριδανὸν βαθυδίνην,
Στρυμόνα Μαίανδρόν τε καὶ Ἴστρον καλλιρέεθρον
340 Φᾶσίν τε Ῥῆσόν τ’ Ἀχελῷόν τ’ ἀργυροδίνην
Νέσσόν τε Ῥοδίον θ’ Ἁλιάκμονά θ’ Ἑπτάπορόν τε
Γρήνικόν τε καὶ Αἴσηπον θεῖόν τε Σιμοῦντα
Πηνειόν τε καὶ Ἕρμον ἐυρρείτην τε Κάικον
Σαγγάριόν τε μέγαν Λάδωνά τε Παρθένιόν τε
Εὔηνόν τε καὶ Ἀρδῆσκον θεῖόν τε Σκάμανδρον·
τίκτε δὲ θυγατέρων ἱερὸν γένος, αἳ κατὰ γαῖαν
ἄνδρας κουρίζουσι σὺν Ἀπόλλωνι ἄνακτι
καὶ Ποταμοῖς, ταύτην δὲ Διὸς πάρα μοῖραν ἔχουσι,
Πειθώ τ’ Ἀδμήτη τε Ἰάνθη τ’ Ἠλέκτρη τε
350 Δωρίς τε Πρυμνώ τε καὶ Οὐρανίη θεοειδὴς
Ἱππώ τε Κλυμένη τε Ῥόδειά τε Καλλιρόη τε
Ζευξώ τε Κλυτίη τε Ἰδυῖά τε Πασιθόη τε
Πληξαύρη τε Γαλαξαύρη τ’ ἐρατή τε Διώνη
Μηλόβοσίς τε Θόη τε καὶ εὐειδὴς Πολυδώρη
Κερκηίς τε φυὴν ἐρατὴ Πλουτώ τε βοῶπις
Περσηίς τ’ Ἰάνειρά τ’ Ἀκάστη τε Ξάνθη τε
Πετραίη τ’ ἐρόεσσα Μενεσθώ τ’ Εὐρώπη τε
Μῆτίς τ’ Εὐρυνόμη τε Τελεστώ τε κροκόπεπλος
Χρυσηίς τ’ Ἀσίη τε καὶ ἱμερόεσσα Καλυψὼ
360 Εὐδώρη τε Τύχη τε καὶ Ἀμφιρὼ Ὠκυρόη τε
καὶ Στύξ, ἣ δή σφεων προφερεστάτη ἐστὶν ἁπασέων.
αὗται ἄρ’ Ὠκεανοῦ καὶ Τηθύος ἐξεγένοντο
πρεσβύταται κοῦραι· πολλαί γε μέν εἰσι καὶ ἄλλαι·
τρὶς γὰρ χίλιαί εἰσι τανίσφυροι Ὠκεανῖναι,
αἵ ῥα πολυσπερέες γαῖαν καὶ βένθεα λίμνης
πάντῃ ὁμῶς ἐφέπουσι, θεάων ἀγλαὰ τέκνα.
τόσσοι δ’ αὖθ’ ἕτεροι ποταμοὶ καναχηδὰ ῥέοντες,
υἱέες Ὠκεανοῦ, τοὺς γείνατο πότνια Τηθύς·
τῶν ὄνομ’ ἀργαλέον πάντων βροτὸν ἄνδρα ἐνισπεῖν,
370 οἱ δὲ ἕκαστοι ἴσασιν, ὅσοι περιναιετάουσι. 

And Tethys bare to Ocean eddying rivers,
Nilus, and Alpheus, and deep-swirling Eridanus,
Strymon, and Meander, and the fair stream of Ister,
and Phasis, and Rhesus, and the silver eddies of Achelous,
Nessus, and Rhodius, Haliacmon, and Heptaporus,
Granicus, and Aesepus, and holy Simois,
and Peneus, and Hermus, and Caicus fair stream,
and great Sangarius, Ladon, Parthenius,
Euenus, Ardescus, and divine Scamander.
Also she brought forth a holy company of daughters who
with the lord Apollo and the Rivers have youths in their keeping,
to this charge Zeus appointed them.
Peitho, and Admete, and Ianthe, and Electra,
and Doris, and Prymno, and Urania divine in form,
Hippo, Clymene, Rhodea, and Callirrhoe,
Zeuxo and Clytie, and Idyia, and Pasithoe,
Plexaura, and Galaxaura, and lovely Dione,
Melobosis and Thoe and handsome Polydora,
Cerceis lovely of form, and soft eyed Pluto,
Perseis, Ianeira, Acaste, Xanthe,
Petraea the fair, Menestho, and Europa,
Metis, and Eurynome, and Telesto saffron-clad,
Chryseis and Asia and charming Calypso,
Eudora, and Tyche, Amphirho, and Ocyrrhoe,
and Styx who is the chiefest of them all.
These are the eldest daughters that sprang
from Ocean and Tethys; but there are many besides.
For there are three thousand neat-ankled daughters of Ocean
who are dispersed far and wide, and in every place alike serve the earth
and the deep waters, children who are glorious among goddesses.
And as many other rivers are there, babbling as they flow,
sons of Ocean, whom queenly Tethys bare,
but their names it is hard for a mortal man to tell,
but people know those by which they severally dwell.

Θεία δ’ Ἠέλιόν τε μέγαν λαμπράν τε Σελήνην
Ἠῶ θ’, ἣ πάντεσσιν ἐπιχθονίοισι φαείνει
ἀθανάτοις τε θεοῖσι τοὶ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχουσι,
γείναθ’ ὑποδμηθεῖσ’ Ὑπερίονος ἐν φιλότητι.

Κρείῳ δ’ Εὐρυβίη τέκεν ἐν φιλότητι μιγεῖσα
Ἀστραῖόν τε μέγαν Πάλλαντά τε δῖα θεάων
Πέρσην θ’, ὃς καὶ πᾶσι μετέπρεπεν ἰδμοσύνῃσιν.
Ἀστραίῳ δ’ Ἠὼς ἀνέμους τέκε καρτεροθύμους,
ἀργεστὴν Ζέφυρον Βορέην τ’ αἰψηροκέλευθον
380 καὶ Νότον, ἐν φιλότητι θεὰ θεῷ εὐνηθεῖσα.
τοὺς δὲ μέτ’ ἀστέρα τίκτεν Ἑωσφόρον Ἠριγένεια
ἄστρά τε λαμπετόωντα, τά τ’ οὐρανὸς ἐστεφάνωται.

Στὺξ δ’ ἔτεκ’ Ὠκεανοῦ θυγάτηρ Πάλλαντι μιγεῖσα
Ζῆλον καὶ Νίκην καλλίσφυρον ἐν μεγάροισι
καὶ Κράτος ἠδὲ Βίην ἀριδείκετα γείνατο τέκνα.
τῶν οὐκ ἔστ’ ἀπάνευθε Διὸς δόμος, οὐδέ τις ἕδρη,
οὐδ’ ὁδός, ὅππῃ μὴ κείνοις θεὸς ἡγεμονεύει,
ἀλλ’ αἰεὶ πὰρ Ζηνὶ βαρυκτύπῳ ἑδριόωνται.
ὣς γὰρ ἐβούλευσε Στὺξ ἄφθιτος Ὠκεανίνη
390 ἤματι τῷ, ὅτε πάντας Ὀλύμπιος ἀστεροπητὴς
ἀθανάτους ἐκάλεσσε θεοὺς ἐς μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον,
εἶπε δ’, ὃς ἂν μετὰ εἷο θεῶν Τιτῆσι μάχοιτο,
μή τιν’ ἀπορραίσειν γεράων, τιμὴν δὲ ἕκαστον
ἑξέμεν ἣν τὸ πάρος γε μετ’ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι.
τὸν δ’ ἔφαθ’, ὅστις ἄτιμος ὑπὸ Κρόνου ἠδ’ ἀγέραστος,
τιμῆς καὶ γεράων ἐπιβησέμεν, ἣ θέμις ἐστίν.
ἦλθε δ’ ἄρα πρώτη Στὺξ ἄφθιτος Οὔλυμπόνδε
σὺν σφοῖσιν παίδεσσι φίλου διὰ μήδεα πατρός·
τὴν δὲ Ζεὺς τίμησε, περισσὰ δὲ δῶρα ἔδωκεν.
400 αὐτὴν μὲν γὰρ ἔθηκε θεῶν μέγαν ἔμμεναι ὅρκον,
παῖδας δ’ ἤματα πάντα ἑοῦ μεταναιέτας εἶναι.
ὣς δ’ αὔτως πάντεσσι διαμπερές, ὥς περ ὑπέστη,
ἐξετέλεσσ’· αὐτὸς δὲ μέγα κρατεῖ ἠδὲ ἀνάσσει.

And Theia was subject in love to Hyperion
and bare great Helius (Sun) and clear Selene (Moon)
and Eos (Dawn) who shines upon all that are on earth
and upon the deathless Gods who live in the wide heaven.

And Eurybia, bright goddess, was joined in love to Crius
and bare great Astraeus, and Pallas,
and Perses who also was eminent among all men in wisdom.
And Eos bare to Astraeus the strong-hearted winds,
brightening Zephyrus, and Boreas, headlong in his course,
and Notus, —a goddess mating in love with a god.
And after these Erigenia bare the star Eosphorus (Dawn-bringer),
and the gleaming stars with which heaven is crowned.

And Styx the daughter of Ocean was joined to Pallas and bare
Zelus (Emulation) and trim-ankled Nike (Victory) in the house.
Also she brought forth Cratos (Strength) and Bia (Force), wonderful children.
These have no house apart from Zeus, nor any dwelling
nor path except that wherein God leads them,
but they dwell always with Zeus the loud-thunderer.
For so did Styx the deathless daughter of Ocean plan
on that day when the Olympian Lightener
called all the deathless gods to great Olympus, and said
that whosoever of the gods would fight with him against the Titans,
he would not cast him out from his rights,
but each should have the office which he had before
amongst the deathless gods.
And he declared that to those that were without office under Kronos,
he will bestow upon them honours and rights as is just.
So deathless Styx came first to Olympus
with her children through the wit of her dear father.
And Zeus honoured her, and gave her very great gifts,
for her he appointed to be the great oath of the gods,
and her children to live with him always.
And as he promised, so he performed fully unto them all.
But he himself mightily reigns and rules.

Φοίβη δ’ αὖ Κοίου πολυήρατον ἦλθεν ἐς εὐνήν·
κυσαμένη δἤπειτα θεὰ θεοῦ ἐν φιλότητι
Λητὼ κυανόπεπλον ἐγείνατο, μείλιχον αἰεί,
ἤπιον ἀνθρώποισι καὶ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι,
μείλιχον ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἀγανώτατον ἐντὸς Ὀλύμπου.
γείνατο δ’ Ἀστερίην εὐώνυμον, ἥν ποτε Πέρσης
410 ἠγάγετ’ ἐς μέγα δῶμα φίλην κεκλῆσθαι ἄκοιτιν.
ἡ δ’ ὑποκυσαμένη Ἑκάτην τέκε, τὴν περὶ πάντων
Ζεὺς Κρονίδης τίμησε· πόρεν δέ οἱ ἀγλαὰ δῶρα,
μοῖραν ἔχειν γαίης τε καὶ ἀτρυγέτοιο θαλάσσης.
ἡ δὲ καὶ ἀστερόεντος ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ ἔμμορε τιμῆς,
ἀθανάτοις τε θεοῖσι τετιμένη ἐστὶ μάλιστα.
καὶ γὰρ νῦν, ὅτε πού τις ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων
ἔρδων ἱερὰ καλὰ κατὰ νόμον ἱλάσκηται,
κικλήσκει Ἑκάτην· πολλή τέ οἱ ἔσπετο τιμὴ
ῥεῖα μάλ’, ᾧ πρόφρων γε θεὰ ὑποδέξεται εὐχάς,
420 καί τέ οἱ ὄλβον ὀπάζει, ἐπεὶ δύναμίς γε πάρεστιν.
ὅσσοι γὰρ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἐξεγένοντο
καὶ τιμὴν ἔλαχον, τούτων ἔχει αἶσαν ἁπάντων·
οὐδέ τί μιν Κρονίδης ἐβιήσατο οὐδέ τ’ ἀπηύρα,
ὅσσ’ ἔλαχεν Τιτῆσι μέτα προτέροισι θεοῖσιν,
ἀλλ’ ἔχει, ὡς τὸ πρῶτον ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς ἔπλετο δασμός.
οὐδ’, ὅτι μουνογενής, ἧσσον θεὰ ἔμμορε τιμῆς
καὶ γεράων γαίῃ τε καὶ οὐρανῷ ἠδὲ θαλάσσῃ,
ἀλλ’ ἔτι καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον, ἐπεὶ Ζεὺς τίεται αὐτήν.

Again, Phoebe came to the desired embrace of Coeus.
Then the goddess through the love of the god conceived
and brought forth dark-gowned Leto, always mild,
kind to men and to the deathless gods,
mild from the beginning, gentlest in all Olympus.
Also she bare Asteria of happy name, whom Perses
once led to his great house to be called his dear wife.
And she conceived and bare Hecate whom Zeus,
the son of Cronos, honoured above all. He gave her splendid gifts,
to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea.
She received honour also in starry heaven,
and is honoured exceedingly by the deathless gods.
For to this day, whenever any one of men on earth
offers rich sacrifices and prays for favour according to custom,
he calls upon Hecate. Great honour comes full easily to him
whose prayers the goddess receives favourably,
and she bestows wealth upon him; for the power surely is with her.
For as many as were born of Earth and Ocean
amongst all these she has her due portion.
The son of Cronos did her no wrong nor took anything away
of all that was her portion among the former Titan gods;
but she holds, as the division was at the first from the beginning,
privilege both in earth, and in heaven, and in sea.
Also, because she is an only child, the goddess receives
not less honour, but much more still, for Zeus honours her.

ᾧ δ’ ἐθέλῃ, μεγάλως παραγίνεται ἠδ’ ὀνίνησιν·
430 ἔν τε δίκῃ βασιλεῦσι παρ’ αἰδοίοισι καθίζει,
ἔν τ’ ἀγορῇ λαοῖσι μεταπρέπει, ὅν κ’ ἐθέλῃσιν·
ἠδ’ ὁπότ’ ἐς πόλεμον φθισήνορα θωρήσσωνται
ἀνέρες, ἔνθα θεὰ παραγίνεται, οἷς κ’ ἐθέλῃσι
νίκην προφρονέως ὀπάσαι καὶ κῦδος ὀρέξαι.
ἐσθλὴ δ’ αὖθ’ ὁπότ’ ἄνδρες ἀεθλεύωσ’ ἐν ἀγῶνι·
ἔνθα θεὰ καὶ τοῖς παραγίνεται ἠδ’ ὀνίνησι·
νικήσας δὲ βίῃ καὶ κάρτει, καλὸν ἄεθλον
ῥεῖα φέρει χαίρων τε, τοκεῦσι δὲ κῦδος ὀπάζει.
ἐσθλὴ δ’ ἱππήεσσι παρεστάμεν, οἷς κ’ ἐθέλῃσιν·
440 καὶ τοῖς, οἳ γλαυκὴν δυσπέμφελον ἐργάζονται,
εὔχονται δ’ Ἑκάτῃ καὶ ἐρικτύπῳ Ἐννοσιγαίῳ,
ῥηιδίως ἄγρην κυδρὴ θεὸς ὤπασε πολλήν,
ῥεῖα δ’ ἀφείλετο φαινομένην, ἐθέλουσά γε θυμῷ.
ἐσθλὴ δ’ ἐν σταθμοῖσι σὺν Ἑρμῇ ληίδ’ ἀέξειν·
βουκολίας δὲ βοῶν τε καὶ αἰπόλια πλατέ’ αἰγῶν
ποίμνας τ’ εἰροπόκων ὀίων, θυμῷ γ’ ἐθέλουσα,
ἐξ ὀλίγων βριάει κἀκ πολλῶν μείονα θῆκεν.
οὕτω τοι καὶ μουνογενὴς ἐκ μητρὸς ἐοῦσα
πᾶσι μετ’ ἀθανάτοισι τετίμηται γεράεσσι.
450 θῆκε δέ μιν Κρονίδης κουροτρόφον, οἳ μετ’ ἐκείνην
ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἴδοντο φάος πολυδερκέος Ἠοῦς.
οὕτως ἐξ ἀρχῆς κουροτρόφος, αἳ δέ τε τιμαί.

Whom she will she greatly aids and advances; she sits
by worshipful kings in judgement, and in the assembly
whom she will is distinguished among the people.
And when men arm themselves for the battle
that destroys men, then the goddess is at hand
to give victory and grant glory readily to whom she will.
Good is she also when men contend at the games,
for there too the goddess is with them and profits them;
and he who by might and strength gets the victory wins
the rich prize easily with joy, and brings glory to his parents.
And she is good to stand by horsemen, whom she will;
and to those whose business is in the grey discomfortable sea,
and who pray to Hecate and the loud-crashing Earth-Shaker,
easily the glorious goddess gives great catch, and easily
she takes it away as soon as seen, if so she will.
She is good in the byre with Hermes to increase the stock.
The droves of kine and wide herds of goats
and flocks of fleecy sheep, if she will,
she increases from a few, or makes many to be less.
So, then. albeit her mother's only child,
she is honoured amongst all the deathless gods.
And the son of Cronos made her a nurse of the young who
after that day saw with their eyes the light of all-seeing Dawn.
So from the beginning she is a nurse of the young, and these are her honours.

Ῥείη δὲ δμηθεῖσα Κρόνῳ τέκε φαίδιμα τέκνα,
Ἱστίην Δήμητρα καὶ Ἥρην χρυσοπέδιλον,
ἴφθιμόν τ’ Ἀίδην, ὃς ὑπὸ χθονὶ δώματα ναίει
νηλεὲς ἦτορ ἔχων, καὶ ἐρίκτυπον Ἐννοσίγαιον,
Ζῆνά τε μητιόεντα, θεῶν πατέρ’ ἠδὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν,
τοῦ καὶ ὑπὸ βροντῆς πελεμίζεται εὐρεῖα χθών.
καὶ τοὺς μὲν κατέπινε μέγας Κρόνος, ὥς τις ἕκαστος
460 νηδύος ἐξ ἱερῆς μητρὸς πρὸς γούναθ’ ἵκοιτο,
τὰ φρονέων, ἵνα μή τις ἀγαυῶν Οὐρανιώνων
ἄλλος ἐν ἀθανάτοισιν ἔχοι βασιληίδα τιμήν.
πεύθετο γὰρ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος
οὕνεκά οἱ πέπρωτο ἑῷ ὑπὸ παιδὶ δαμῆναι,
καὶ κρατερῷ περ ἐόντι, Διὸς μεγάλου διὰ βουλάς.
τῷ ὅ γ’ ἄρ’ οὐκ ἀλαοσκοπιὴν ἔχεν, ἀλλὰ δοκεύων
παῖδας ἑοὺς κατέπινε· Ῥέην δ’ ἔχε πένθος ἄλαστον.
ἀλλ’ ὅτε δὴ Δί’ ἔμελλε θεῶν πατέρ’ ἠδὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν
τέξεσθαι, τότ’ ἔπειτα φίλους λιτάνευε τοκῆας
470 τοὺς αὐτῆς, Γαῖάν τε καὶ Οὐρανὸν ἀστερόεντα,
μῆτιν συμφράσσασθαι, ὅπως λελάθοιτο τεκοῦσα
παῖδα φίλον, τείσαιτο δ’ ἐρινῦς πατρὸς ἑοῖο
παίδων θ’, οὓς κατέπινε μέγας Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης.
οἱ δὲ θυγατρὶ φίλῃ μάλα μὲν κλύον ἠδ’ ἐπίθοντο,
καί οἱ πεφραδέτην, ὅσα περ πέπρωτο γενέσθαι
ἀμφὶ Κρόνῳ βασιλῆι καὶ υἱέι καρτεροθύμῳ·
πέμψαν δ’ ἐς Λύκτον, Κρήτης ἐς πίονα δῆμον,
ὁππότ’ ἄρ’ ὁπλότατον παίδων ἤμελλε τεκέσθαι,
Ζῆνα μέγαν· τὸν μέν οἱ ἐδέξατο Γαῖα πελώρη
480 Κρήτῃ ἐν εὐρείῃ τρεφέμεν ἀτιταλλέμεναί τε. 

And Rhea, subject in love to Cronos bare splendid children,
Hestia, Demeter, and gold-shod Hera
and strong Hades, who dwells under the earth,
pitiless in heart, and the loud-crashing Earth-Shaker,
and wise Zeus, father of gods and men,
by whose thunder the wide earth is shaken.
These great Cronos swallowed as each came forth
from the womb to his mother's knees with this intent,
that no other of the proud sons of Heaven
should hold the kingly office amongst the deathless gods.
For he learned from Earth and starry Heaven
that he was destined to be overcome by his own son,
strong though he was, through the contriving of great Zeus.
Therefore he kept no blind outlook, but watched
and swallowed down his children; and unceasing grief seized Rhea.
But when she was about to bear Zeus, the father of gods and men,
then she besought her own dear parents, Earth and starry Heaven,
to devise some plan with her that the birth of her dear child
might be concealed, and that retribution might overtake
great, crafty Cronos for his own father and also
for the children whom he had swallowed down.
And they readily heard and obeyed their dear daughter,
and told her all that was destined to happen
touching Cronos the king and his stout-hearted son.
So they sent her to Lyetus, to the rich land of Crete,
when she was ready to bear great Zeus, the youngest
of her children. Him did vast Earth receive from Rhea
in wide Crete to nourish and to bring up.

ἔνθά μιν ἷκτο φέρουσα θοὴν διὰ νύκτα μέλαιναν,
πρώτην ἐς Λύκτον· κρύψεν δέ ἑ χερσὶ λαβοῦσα
ἄντρῳ ἐν ἠλιβάτῳ, ζαθέης ὑπὸ κεύθεσι γαίης,
Αἰγαίῳ ἐν ὄρει πεπυκασμένῳ ὑλήεντι.
τῷ δὲ σπαργανίσασα μέγαν λίθον ἐγγυάλιξεν
Οὐρανίδῃ μέγ’ ἄνακτι, θεῶν προτέρων βασιλῆι.
τὸν τόθ’ ἑλὼν χείρεσσιν ἑὴν ἐσκάτθετο νηδύν,
σχέτλιος, οὐδ’ ἐνόησε μετὰ φρεσίν, ὥς οἱ ὀπίσσω
ἀντὶ λίθου ἑὸς υἱὸς ἀνίκητος καὶ ἀκηδὴς
490 λείπεθ’, ὅ μιν τάχ’ ἔμελλε βίῃ καὶ χερσὶ δαμάσσας 
τιμῆς ἐξελάαν, ὁ δ’ ἐν ἀθανάτοισιν ἀνάξειν.
καρπαλίμως δ’ ἄρ’ ἔπειτα μένος καὶ φαίδιμα γυῖα
ηὔξετο τοῖο ἄνακτος· ἐπιπλομένου δ’ ἐνιαυτοῦ,
Γαίης ἐννεσίῃσι πολυφραδέεσσι δολωθείς,
ὃν γόνον ἂψ ἀνέηκε μέγας Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης,
νικηθεὶς τέχνῃσι βίηφί τε παιδὸς ἑοῖο.
πρῶτον δ’ ἐξήμησε λίθον, πύματον καταπίνων·
τὸν μὲν Ζεὺς στήριξε κατὰ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης
Πυθοῖ ἐν ἠγαθέῃ, γυάλοις ὕπο Παρνησσοῖο,
500 σῆμ’ ἔμεν ἐξοπίσω, θαῦμα θνητοῖσι βροτοῖσι.
λῦσε δὲ πατροκασιγνήτους ὀλοῶν ὑπὸ δεσμῶν,
Οὐρανίδας, οὓς δῆσε πατὴρ ἀεσιφροσύνῃσιν·
οἵ οἱ ἀπεμνήσαντο χάριν εὐεργεσιάων,
δῶκαν δὲ βροντὴν ἠδ’ αἰθαλόεντα κεραυνὸν
καὶ στεροπήν· τὸ πρὶν δὲ πελώρη Γαῖα κεκεύθει·
τοῖς πίσυνος θνητοῖσι καὶ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀνάσσει.

Thither came Earth carrying him swiftly through the black night
to Lyctus first, and took him in her arms
and hid him in a remote cave beneath the secret places
of the holy earth on thick-wooded Mount Aegeum;
but to the mightily ruling son of Heaven, the earlier king of the gods,
she gave a great stone wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Then he took it in his hands and thrust it down into his belly;
wretch! he knew not in his heart that in place of the stone
his son was left behind, unconquered and untroubled,
and that he was soon to overcome him by force and might
and drive him from his honours, himself to reign
over the deathless gods. After that, the strength
and glorious limbs of the prince increased quickly,
and as the years rolled on, great Cronos the wily was beguiled
by the deep suggestions of Earth, and brought up again his offspring,
vanquished by the arts and might of his own son,
and he vomited up first the stone which he had swallowed last.
And Zeus set it fast in the wide-pathed earth
at goodly Pytho under the glens of Parnassus,
to be a sign thenceforth and a marvel to mortal men.
And he set free from their deadly bonds the brothers of his father,
sons of Heaven whom his father in his foolishness had bound.
And they remembered to be grateful to him for his kindness,
and gave him thunder and the glowing thunderbolt and lightening;
for before that, huge Earth had hidden these.
In them he trusts and rules over mortals and immortals.

Κούρην δ’ Ἰαπετὸς καλλίσφυρον Ὠκεανίνην
ἠγάγετο Κλυμένην καὶ ὁμὸν λέχος εἰσανέβαινεν.
ἡ δέ οἱ Ἄτλαντα κρατερόφρονα γείνατο παῖδα,
510 τίκτε δ’ ὑπερκύδαντα Μενοίτιον ἠδὲ Προμηθέα,
ποικίλον αἰολόμητιν, ἁμαρτίνοόν τ’ Ἐπιμηθέα·
ὃς κακὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς γένετ’ ἀνδράσιν ἀλφηστῇσι·
πρῶτος γάρ ῥα Διὸς πλαστὴν ὑπέδεκτο γυναῖκα
παρθένον. ὑβριστὴν δὲ Μενοίτιον εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς
εἰς ἔρεβος κατέπεμψε βαλὼν ψολόεντι κεραυνῷ
εἵνεκ’ ἀτασθαλίης τε καὶ ἠνορέης ὑπερόπλου.
Ἄτλας δ’ οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν ἔχει κρατερῆς ὑπ’ ἀνάγκης,
πείρασιν ἐν γαίης πρόπαρ’ Ἑσπερίδων λιγυφώνων
ἑστηώς, κεφαλῇ τε καὶ ἀκαμάτῃσι χέρεσσι·
520 ταύτην γάρ οἱ μοῖραν ἐδάσσατο μητίετα Ζεύς.
δῆσε δ’ ἀλυκτοπέδῃσι Προμηθέα ποικιλόβουλον,
δεσμοῖς ἀργαλέοισι, μέσον διὰ κίον’ ἐλάσσας·
καί οἱ ἐπ’ αἰετὸν ὦρσε τανύπτερον· αὐτὰρ ὅ γ’ ἧπαρ
ἤσθιεν ἀθάνατον, τὸ δ’ ἀέξετο ἶσον ἁπάντῃ
νυκτός, ὅσον πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἔδοι τανυσίπτερος ὄρνις.
τὸν μὲν ἄρ’ Ἀλκμήνης καλλισφύρου ἄλκιμος υἱὸς
Ἡρακλέης ἔκτεινε, κακὴν δ’ ἀπὸ νοῦσον ἄλαλκεν
Ἰαπετιονίδῃ καὶ ἐλύσατο δυσφροσυνάων,
οὐκ ἀέκητι Ζηνὸς Ὀλυμπίου ὕψι μέδοντος,
530 ὄφρ’ Ἡρακλῆος Θηβαγενέος κλέος εἴη
πλεῖον ἔτ’ ἢ τὸ πάροιθεν ἐπὶ χθόνα πουλυβότειραν.
ταῦτ’ ἄρα ἁζόμενος τίμα ἀριδείκετον υἱόν·
καί περ χωόμενος παύθη χόλου, ὃν πρὶν ἔχεσκεν,
οὕνεκ’ ἐρίζετο βουλὰς ὑπερμενέι Κρονίωνι.

Now Iapetus took to wife the neat-ankled maid Clymene,
daughter of Ocean, and went up with her into one bed.
And she bare him a stout-hearted son, Atlas; also
she bare very glorious Menoetius and clever Prometheus,
full of various wiles, and scatter-brained Epimetheus
who from the first was a mischief to men who eat bread;
for it was he who first took of Zeus the woman, the maiden
whom he had formed. But Menoetius was outrageous,
and far-seeing Zeus struck him with a lurid thunderbolt
and sent him down to Erebus
because of his mad presumption and exceeding pride.
And Atlas through hard constraint upholds the wide heaven
with unwearying head and arms, standing at the borders
of the earth before the clear-voiced Hesperides;
for this lot wise Zeus assigned to him.
And ready-witted Prometheus he bound with inextricable bonds,
cruel chains, and drove a shaft through his middle,
and set on him a long-winged eagle,
which used to eat his immortal liver; but by night
the liver grew as much again everyway
as the long-winged bird devoured in the whole day.
That bird Heracles, the valiant son of shapely-ankled Alcmene,
slew; and delivered the son of Iapetus from the cruel plague,
and released him from his affliction;
not without the will of Olympian Zeus who reigns on high,
that the glory of Heracles the Theban-born might be yet
greater than it was before over the plenteous earth.
This, then, he regarded, and honoured his famous son;
though he was angry, he ceased from the wrath
which he had before because Prometheus
matched himself in wit with the almighty son of Cronos.

καὶ γὰρ ὅτ’ ἐκρίνοντο θεοὶ θνητοί τ’ ἄνθρωποι
Μηκώνῃ, τότ’ ἔπειτα μέγαν βοῦν πρόφρονι θυμῷ
δασσάμενος προύθηκε, Διὸς νόον ἐξαπαφίσκων.
τῷ μὲν γὰρ σάρκάς τε καὶ ἔγκατα πίονα δημῷ
ἐν ῥινῷ κατέθηκε, καλύψας γαστρὶ βοείῃ,
540 τοῖς δ’ αὖτ’ ὀστέα λευκὰ βοὸς δολίῃ ἐπὶ τέχνῃ
εὐθετίσας κατέθηκε, καλύψας ἀργέτι δημῷ.
δὴ τότε μιν προσέειπε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε·

“Ἰαπετιονίδη, πάντων ἀριδείκετ’ ἀνάκτων,
ὦ πέπον, ὡς ἑτεροζήλως διεδάσσαο μοίρας.”

ὣς φάτο κερτομέων Ζεὺς ἄφθιτα μήδεα εἰδώς·
τὸν δ’ αὖτε προσέειπε Προμηθεὺς ἀγκυλομήτης,
ἦκ’ ἐπιμειδήσας, δολίης δ’ οὐ λήθετο τέχνης·

“Ζεῦ κύδιστε μέγιστε θεῶν αἰειγενετάων,
τῶν δ’ ἕλευ ὁπποτέρην σε ἐνὶ φρεσὶ θυμὸς ἀνώγει.”

550 φῆ ῥα δολοφρονέων· Ζεὺς δ’ ἄφθιτα μήδεα εἰδὼς
γνῶ ῥ’ οὐδ’ ἠγνοίησε δόλον· κακὰ δ’ ὄσσετο θυμῷ
θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποισι, τὰ καὶ τελέεσθαι ἔμελλε.
χερσὶ δ’ ὅ γ’ ἀμφοτέρῃσιν ἀνείλετο λευκὸν ἄλειφαρ,
χώσατο δὲ φρένας ἀμφί, χόλος δέ μιν ἵκετο θυμόν,
ὡς ἴδεν ὀστέα λευκὰ βοὸς δολίῃ ἐπὶ τέχνῃ.
ἐκ τοῦ δ’ ἀθανάτοισιν ἐπὶ χθονὶ φῦλ’ ἀνθρώπων
καίουσ’ ὀστέα λευκὰ θυηέντων ἐπὶ βωμῶν.
τὸν δὲ μέγ’ ὀχθήσας προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς·

“Ἰαπετιονίδη, πάντων πέρι μήδεα εἰδώς,
560 ὦ πέπον, οὐκ ἄρα πω δολίης ἐπελήθεο τέχνης.” 

For when the gods and mortal men had a dispute at Mecone,
even then Prometheus was forward to cut up a great ox
and set portions before them, trying to befool the mind of Zeus.
Before the rest he set flesh and inner parts thick with fat
upon the hide, covering them with an ox paunch;
but for Zeus he put the white bones dressed up
with cunning art and covered with shining fat.
Then the father of men and of gods said to him:

“Son of Iapetus, most glorious of all lords,
good sir, how unfairly you have divided the portions!”

So said Zeus whose wisdom is everlasting,
rebuking him. But wily Prometheus answered him,
smiling softly and not forgetting his cunning trick:

“Zeus, most glorious and greatest of the eternal gods,
take which ever of these portions your heart within you bids”.

So he said, thinking trickery. But Zeus, whose wisdom
is everlasting, saw and failed not to perceive the trick,
and in his heart he thought mischief
against mortal men which also was to be fulfilled.
With both hands he took up the white fat and was angry at heart,
and wrath came to his spirit when he saw the white ox-bones
craftily tricked out: and because of this the tribes of men upon earth
burn white bones to the deathless gods upon fragrant altars.
But Zeus who drives the clouds was greatly vexed and said to him:

“Son of Iapetus, clever above all! So, sir,
you have not yet forgotten your cunning arts!”

ὣς φάτο χωόμενος Ζεὺς ἄφθιτα μήδεα εἰδώς.
ἐκ τούτου δἤπειτα χόλου μεμνημένος αἰεὶ
οὐκ ἐδίδου μελίῃσι πυρὸς μένος ἀκαμάτοιο
θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποις οἳ ἐπὶ χθονὶ ναιετάουσιν·
ἀλλά μιν ἐξαπάτησεν ἐὺς πάις Ἰαπετοῖο
κλέψας ἀκαμάτοιο πυρὸς τηλέσκοπον αὐγὴν
ἐν κοίλῳ νάρθηκι· δάκεν δ’ ἄρα νειόθι θυμὸν
Ζῆν’ ὑψιβρεμέτην, ἐχόλωσε δέ μιν φίλον ἦτορ,
ὡς ἴδ’ ἐν ἀνθρώποισι πυρὸς τηλέσκοπον αὐγήν.
570 αὐτίκα δ’ ἀντὶ πυρὸς τεῦξεν κακὸν ἀνθρώποισι· 

γαίης γὰρ σύμπλασσε περικλυτὸς Ἀμφιγυήεις
παρθένῳ αἰδοίῃ ἴκελον Κρονίδεω διὰ βουλάς·
ζῶσε δὲ καὶ κόσμησε θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη
ἀργυφέῃ ἐσθῆτι· κατὰ κρῆθεν δὲ καλύπτρην
δαιδαλέην χείρεσσι κατέσχεθε, θαῦμα ἰδέσθαι·
[ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ στεφάνους νεοθηλέας, ἄνθεα ποίης,
ἱμερτοὺς περίθηκε καρήατι Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη·]
ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ στεφάνην χρυσέην κεφαλῆφιν ἔθηκε,
τὴν αὐτὸς ποίησε περικλυτὸς Ἀμφιγυήεις
580 ἀσκήσας παλάμῃσι, χαριζόμενος Διὶ πατρί.
τῇ δ’ ἔνι δαίδαλα πολλὰ τετεύχατο, θαῦμα ἰδέσθαι,
κνώδαλ’ ὅσ’ ἤπειρος δεινὰ τρέφει ἠδὲ θάλασσα·
τῶν ὅ γε πόλλ’ ἐνέθηκε, χάρις δ’ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἄητο,
θαυμάσια, ζωοῖσιν ἐοικότα φωνήεσσιν.

So spake Zeus in anger, whose wisdom is everlasting;
and from that time he was always mindful of the trick,
and would not give the power of unwearying fire
to the Melian race of mortal men who live on the earth.
But the noble son of Iapetus outwitted him
and stole the far-seen gleam of unwearying fire
in a hollow fennel stalk. And Zeus who thunders on high
was stung in spirit, and his dear heart was angered
when he saw amongst men the far-seen ray of fire.
Forthwith he made an evil thing for men as the price of fire;

for the very famous Limping God formed of earth
the likeness of a shy maiden as the son of Cronos willed.
And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girded
and clothed her with silvery raiment, and down from her head
she spread with her hands a broidered veil, a wonder to see;
and she, Pallas Athene, put about her head
lovely garlands, flowers of new-grown herbs.
Also she put upon her head a crown of gold
which the very famous Limping God made himself and worked
with his own hands as a favour to Zeus his father.
On it was much curious work, wonderful to see;
for of the many creatures which the land and sea rear up,
he put most upon it, wonderful things, like living beings
with voices; and great beauty shone out from it.

Αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τεῦξε καλὸν κακὸν ἀντ’ ἀγαθοῖο,
ἐξάγαγ’ ἔνθά περ ἄλλοι ἔσαν θεοὶ ἠδ’ ἄνθρωποι,
κόσμῳ ἀγαλλομένην γλαυκώπιδος Ὀβριμοπάτρης·
θαῦμα δ’ ἔχ’ ἀθανάτους τε θεοὺς θνητούς τ’ ἀνθρώπους,
ὡς εἶδον δόλον αἰπύν, ἀμήχανον ἀνθρώποισιν.
590 ἐκ τῆς γὰρ γένος ἐστὶ γυναικῶν θηλυτεράων,
[τῆς γὰρ ὀλοίιόν ἐστι γένος καὶ φῦλα γυναικῶν,]
πῆμα μέγα θνητοῖσι, σὺν ἀνδράσι ναιετάουσαι,
οὐλομένης Πενίης οὐ σύμφοροι, ἀλλὰ Κόροιο.
ὡς δ’ ὁπότ’ ἐν σμήνεσσι κατηρεφέεσσι μέλισσαι
κηφῆνας βόσκωσι, κακῶν ξυνήονας ἔργων·
αἱ μέν τε πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα
ἠμάτιαι σπεύδουσι τιθεῖσί τε κηρία λευκά,
οἱ δ’ ἔντοσθε μένοντες ἐπηρεφέας κατὰ σίμβλους
ἀλλότριον κάματον σφετέρην ἐς γαστέρ’ ἀμῶνται·
600 ὣς δ’ αὔτως ἄνδρεσσι κακὸν θνητοῖσι γυναῖκας
Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης θῆκε, ξυνήονας ἔργων
ἀργαλέων. ἕτερον δὲ πόρεν κακὸν ἀντ’ ἀγαθοῖο,
ὅς κε γάμον φεύγων καὶ μέρμερα ἔργα γυναικῶν
μὴ γῆμαι ἐθέλῃ, ὀλοὸν δ’ ἐπὶ γῆρας ἵκηται
χήτει γηροκόμοιο· ὁ δ’ οὐ βιότου γ’ ἐπιδευὴς
ζώει, ἀποφθιμένου δὲ διὰ ζωὴν δατέονται
χηρωσταί. ᾧ δ’ αὖτε γάμου μετὰ μοῖρα γένηται,
κεδνὴν δ’ ἔσχεν ἄκοιτιν, ἀρηρυῖαν πραπίδεσσι,
τῷ δέ τ’ ἀπ’ αἰῶνος κακὸν ἐσθλῷ ἀντιφερίζει
610 ἐμμενές· ὃς δέ κε τέτμῃ ἀταρτηροῖο γενέθλης,
ζώει ἐνὶ στήθεσσιν ἔχων ἀλίαστον ἀνίην
θυμῷ καὶ κραδίῃ, καὶ ἀνήκεστον κακόν ἐστιν.
ὣς οὐκ ἔστι Διὸς κλέψαι νόον οὐδὲ παρελθεῖν.
οὐδὲ γὰρ Ἰαπετιονίδης ἀκάκητα Προμηθεὺς
τοῖό γ’ ὑπεξήλυξε βαρὺν χόλον, ἀλλ’ ὑπ’ ἀνάγκης
καὶ πολύιδριν ἐόντα μέγας κατὰ δεσμὸς ἐρύκει.

But when he had made the beautiful evil to be the price
for the blessing, he brought her out, delighting in the finery
which the bright-eyed daughter of a mighty father had given her,
to the place where the other gods and men were.
And wonder took hold of the deathless gods and mortal men
when they saw that which was sheer guile, not to be withstood by men.
For from her is the race of women and female kind;
of her is the deadly race and tribe of women who live
amongst mortal men to their great trouble,
no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only in wealth.
And as in thatched hives bees feed the drones
whose nature is to do mischief —by day
and throughout the day until the sun goes down
the bees are busy and lay the white combs,
while the drones stay at home in the covered skeps
and reap the toil of others into their own bellies;
even so Zeus who thunders on high made women
to be an evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil.
And he gave them a second evil to be the price
for the good they had: whoever avoids marriage
and the sorrows that women cause, and will not wed,
reaches deadly old age without anyone to tend his years,
and though he at least has no lack of livelihood while he lives,
yet, when he is dead, his kinsfolk divide his possessions amongst them.
And as for the man who chooses the lot of marriage
and takes a good wife suited to his mind, evil continually
contends with good; for whoever happens to have mischievous children,
lives always with unceasing grief in his spirit and heart
within him; and this evil cannot be healed.
So it is not possible to deceive or go beyond the will of Zeus;
for not even the son of Iapetus, kindly Prometheus,
escaped his heavy anger, but of necessity strong bands
confined him, although he knew many a wile.

Ὀβριάρεῳ δ’ ὡς πρῶτα πατὴρ ὠδύσσατο θυμῷ
Κόττῳ τ’ ἠδὲ Γύγῃ, δῆσε κρατερῷ ἐνὶ δεσμῷ,
ἠνορέην ὑπέροπλον ἀγώμενος ἠδὲ καὶ εἶδος
620 καὶ μέγεθος· κατένασσε δ’ ὑπὸ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης.
ἔνθ’ οἵ γ’ ἄλγε’ ἔχοντες ὑπὸ χθονὶ ναιετάοντες
εἵατ’ ἐπ’ ἐσχατιῇ μεγάλης ἐν πείρασι γαίης
δηθὰ μάλ’ ἀχνύμενοι, κραδίῃ μέγα πένθος ἔχοντες.
ἀλλά σφεας Κρονίδης τε καὶ ἀθάνατοι θεοὶ ἄλλοι
οὓς τέκεν ἠύκομος Ῥείη Κρόνου ἐν φιλότητι
Γαίης φραδμοσύνῃσιν ἀνήγαγον ἐς φάος αὖτις·
αὐτὴ γάρ σφιν ἅπαντα διηνεκέως κατέλεξε,
σὺν κείνοις νίκην τε καὶ ἀγλαὸν εὖχος ἀρέσθαι.
δηρὸν γὰρ μάρναντο πόνον θυμαλγέ’ ἔχοντες
630 ἀντίον ἀλλήλοισι διὰ κρατερὰς ὑσμίνας
Τιτῆνές τε θεοὶ καὶ ὅσοι Κρόνου ἐξεγένοντο,
οἱ μὲν ἀφ’ ὑψηλῆς Ὄθρυος Τιτῆνες ἀγαυοί,
οἱ δ’ ἄρ’ ἀπ’ Οὐλύμποιο θεοὶ δωτῆρες ἐάων
οὓς τέκεν ἠύκομος Ῥείη Κρόνῳ εὐνηθεῖσα.
οἵ ῥα τότ’ ἀλλήλοισι μάχην θυμαλγέ’ ἔχοντες
συνεχέως ἐμάχοντο δέκα πλείους ἐνιαυτούς·
οὐδέ τις ἦν ἔριδος χαλεπῆς λύσις οὐδὲ τελευτὴ
οὐδετέροις, ἶσον δὲ τέλος τέτατο πτολέμοιο.
ἀλλ’ ὅτε δὴ κείνοισι παρέσχεθεν ἄρμενα πάντα,
640 νέκταρ τ’ ἀμβροσίην τε, τά περ θεοὶ αὐτοὶ ἔδουσι,
πάντων τ’ ἐν στήθεσσιν ἀέξετο θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ,
[ὡς νέκταρ τ’ ἐπάσαντο καὶ ἀμβροσίην ἐρατεινήν,]
δὴ τότε τοῖς μετέειπε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε·

But when first their father was vexed in his heart
with Obriareus and Cottus and Gyes,
he bound them in cruel bonds, because he was jealous
of their exceeding manhood and comeliness and great size;
and he made them live beneath the wide-pathed earth,
where they were afflicted, being set to dwell under the ground,
at the end of the earth, at its great borders,
in bitter anguish for a long time and with great grief at heart.
But the son of Cronos and the other deathless gods
whom rich-haired Rhea bare from union with Cronos,
brought them up again to the light at Earth's advising.
For she herself recounted all things to the gods fully,
how that with these they would gain victory
and a glorious cause to vaunt themselves.
For the Titan gods and as many as sprang from Cronos
had long been fighting together in stubborn war
with heart-grieving toil, the lordly Titans from high Othyrs,
and the gods, givers of good, whom rich-haired Rhea bare
in union with Cronos, from Olympus.
So they, with bitter wrath, were fighting continually
with one another at that time for ten full years,
and the hard strife had no close or end for either side,
and the issue of the war hung evenly balanced.
But when he had provided those three with all things fitting,
nectar and ambrosia which the gods themselves eat,
and when their proud spirit revived within them all
after they had fed on nectar and delicious ambrosia,
then it was that the father of men and gods spoke amongst them:

“Κέκλυτέ μευ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἀγλαὰ τέκνα,
ὄφρ’ εἴπω τά με θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι κελεύει.
ἤδη γὰρ μάλα δηρὸν ἐναντίοι ἀλλήλοισι
νίκης καὶ κάρτους πέρι μαρνάμεθ’ ἤματα πάντα,
Τιτῆνές τε θεοὶ καὶ ὅσοι Κρόνου ἐκγενόμεσθα.
ὑμεῖς δὲ μεγάλην τε βίην καὶ χεῖρας ἀάπτους
650 φαίνετε Τιτήνεσσιν ἐναντίον ἐν δαῒ λυγρῇ,
μνησάμενοι φιλότητος ἐνηέος, ὅσσα παθόντες
ἐς φάος ἂψ ἀφίκεσθε δυσηλεγέος ὑπὸ δεσμοῦ
ἡμετέρας διὰ βουλὰς ὑπὸ ζόφου ἠερόεντος.”

ὣς φάτο· τὸν δ’ αἶψ’ αὖτις ἀμείβετο Κόττος ἀμύμων·

“Δαιμόνι’, οὐκ ἀδάητα πιφαύσκεαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ
ἴδμεν ὅ τοι περὶ μὲν πραπίδες, περὶ δ’ ἐστὶ νόημα,
ἀλκτὴρ δ’ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀρῆς γένεο κρυεροῖο,
σῇσι δ’ ἐπιφροσύνῃσιν ὑπὸ ζόφου ἠερόεντος
ἄψορρον ἐξαῦτις ἀμειλίκτων ὑπὸ δεσμῶν
660 ἠλύθομεν, Κρόνου υἱὲ ἄναξ, ἀνάελπτα παθόντες.
τῷ καὶ νῦν ἀτενεῖ τε νόῳ καὶ πρόφρονι θυμῷ
ῥυσόμεθα κράτος ὑμὸν ἐν αἰνῇ δηιοτῆτι,
μαρνάμενοι Τιτῆσιν ἀνὰ κρατερὰς ὑσμίνας.”

“Hear me, bright children of Earth and Heaven,
that I may say what my heart within me bids.
A long while now have we,
who are sprung from Cronos and the Titan gods,
fought with each other every day to get victory and to prevail.
But do you show your great might and unconquerable strength,
and face the Titans in bitter strife;
for remember our friendly kindness, and from what sufferings
you are come back to the light from your cruel bondage
under misty gloom through our counsels”,

So he said. And blameless Cottus answered him again:

“Divine one, you speak that which we know well;
nay, even of ourselves we know that your wisdom
and understanding is exceeding, and that you became
a defender of the deathless ones from chill doom.
And through your devising we are come back again
from the murky gloom and from our merciless bonds,
enjoying what we looked not for, O lord, son of Cronos.
And so now with fixed purpose and deliberate counsel
we will aid your power in dreadful strife
and will fight against the Titans in hard battle.”

ὣς φάτ’· ἐπῄνησαν δὲ θεοὶ δωτῆρες ἐάων
μῦθον ἀκούσαντες· πολέμου δ’ ἐλιλαίετο θυμὸς
μᾶλλον ἔτ’ ἢ τὸ πάροιθε· μάχην δ’ ἀμέγαρτον ἔγειραν
πάντες, θήλειαί τε καὶ ἄρσενες, ἤματι κείνῳ,
Τιτῆνές τε θεοὶ καὶ ὅσοι Κρόνου ἐξεγένοντο,
οὕς τε Ζεὺς ἐρέβεσφιν ὑπὸ χθονὸς ἧκε φόωσδε,
670 δεινοί τε κρατεροί τε, βίην ὑπέροπλον ἔχοντες.
τῶν ἑκατὸν μὲν χεῖρες ἀπ’ ὤμων ἀίσσοντο
πᾶσιν ὁμῶς, κεφαλαὶ δὲ ἑκάστῳ πεντήκοντα
ἐξ ὤμων ἐπέφυκον ἐπὶ στιβαροῖσι μέλεσσιν.
οἳ τότε Τιτήνεσσι κατέσταθεν ἐν δαῒ λυγρῇ
πέτρας ἠλιβάτους στιβαρῇς ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες·
Τιτῆνες δ’ ἑτέρωθεν ἐκαρτύναντο φάλαγγας
προφρονέως· χειρῶν τε βίης θ’ ἅμα ἔργον ἔφαινον
ἀμφότεροι, δεινὸν δὲ περίαχε πόντος ἀπείρων,
γῆ δὲ μέγ’ ἐσμαράγησεν, ἐπέστενε δ’ οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς
680 σειόμενος, πεδόθεν δὲ τινάσσετο μακρὸς Ὄλυμπος 
ῥιπῇ ὕπ’ ἀθανάτων, ἔνοσις δ’ ἵκανε βαρεῖα
τάρταρον ἠερόεντα ποδῶν, αἰπεῖά τ’ ἰωὴ
ἀσπέτου ἰωχμοῖο βολάων τε κρατεράων.
ὣς ἄρ’ ἐπ’ ἀλλήλοις ἵεσαν βέλεα στονόεντα·
φωνὴ δ’ ἀμφοτέρων ἵκετ’ οὐρανὸν ἀστερόεντα
κεκλομένων· οἱ δὲ ξύνισαν μεγάλῳ ἀλαλητῷ.

So he said: and the gods, givers of good things,
applauded when they heard his word,
and their spirit longed for war even more than before,
and they all, both male and female, stirred up hated battle that day,
the Titan gods, and all that were born of Cronos together
with those dread, mighty ones of overwhelming strength
whom Zeus brought up to the light from Erebus beneath the earth.
An hundred arms sprang from the shoulders of all alike,
and each had fifty heads growing upon
his shoulders upon stout limbs.
These, then, stood against the Titans in grim strife,
holding huge rocks in their strong hands.
And on the other part the Titans eagerly strengthened their ranks,
and both sides at one time showed
the work of their hands and their might.
The boundless sea rang terribly around,
and the earth crashed loudly; wide Heaven was shaken
and groaned, and high Olympus reeled
from its foundation under the charge of the undying gods,
and a heavy quaking reached dim Tartarus and the deep sound
of their feet in the fearful onset and of their hard missiles.
So, then, they launched their grievous shafts upon one another,
and the cry of both armies as they shouted reached
to starry heaven; and they met together with a great battle-cry.

Οὐδ’ ἄρ’ ἔτι Ζεὺς ἴσχεν ἑὸν μένος, ἀλλά νυ τοῦ γε
εἶθαρ μὲν μένεος πλῆντο φρένες, ἐκ δέ τε πᾶσαν
φαῖνε βίην· ἄμυδις δ’ ἄρ’ ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ ἠδ’ ἀπ’ Ὀλύμπου
690 ἀστράπτων ἔστειχε συνωχαδόν, οἱ δὲ κεραυνοὶ
ἴκταρ ἅμα βροντῇ τε καὶ ἀστεροπῇ ποτέοντο
χειρὸς ἄπο στιβαρῆς, ἱερὴν φλόγα εἰλυφόωντες,
ταρφέες· ἀμφὶ δὲ γαῖα φερέσβιος ἐσμαράγιζε
καιομένη, λάκε δ’ ἀμφὶ περὶ μεγάλ’ ἄσπετος ὕλη·
ἔζεε δὲ χθὼν πᾶσα καὶ Ὠκεανοῖο ῥέεθρα
πόντός τ’ ἀτρύγετος· τοὺς δ’ ἄμφεπε θερμὸς ἀυτμὴ
Τιτῆνας χθονίους, φλὸξ δ’ αἰθέρα δῖαν ἵκανεν
ἄσπετος, ὄσσε δ’ ἄμερδε καὶ ἰφθίμων περ ἐόντων
αὐγὴ μαρμαίρουσα κεραυνοῦ τε στεροπῆς τε.
700 καῦμα δὲ θεσπέσιον κάτεχεν χάος· εἴσατο δ’ ἄντα
ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδεῖν ἠδ’ οὔασιν ὄσσαν ἀκοῦσαι
αὔτως, ὡς ὅτε γαῖα καὶ οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς ὕπερθε
πίλνατο· τοῖος γάρ κε μέγας ὑπὸ δοῦπος ὀρώρει,
τῆς μὲν ἐρειπομένης, τοῦ δ’ ὑψόθεν ἐξεριπόντος·
τόσσος δοῦπος ἔγεντο θεῶν ἔριδι ξυνιόντων.
σὺν δ’ ἄνεμοι ἔνοσίν τε κονίην τ’ ἐσφαράγιζον
βροντήν τε στεροπήν τε καὶ αἰθαλόεντα κεραυνόν,
κῆλα Διὸς μεγάλοιο, φέρον δ’ ἰαχήν τ’ ἐνοπήν τε
ἐς μέσον ἀμφοτέρων· ὄτοβος δ’ ἄπλητος ὀρώρει
710 σμερδαλέης ἔριδος, κάρτος δ’ ἀνεφαίνετο ἔργων.
ἐκλίνθη δὲ μάχη· πρὶν δ’ ἀλλήλοις ἐπέχοντες
ἐμμενέως ἐμάχοντο διὰ κρατερὰς ὑσμίνας.

Then Zeus no longer held back his might; but straight
his heart was filled with fury and he showed forth
all his strength. From Heaven and from Olympus
he came forthwith, hurling his lightning; the bold flew thick
and fast from his strong hand together with thunder and lightning,
whirling an awesome flame. The life-giving earth crashed around
in burning, and the vast wood crackled loud with fire all about.
All the land seethed, and Ocean's streams and the unfruitful sea.
The hot vapour lapped round the earthborn Titans;
flame unspeakable rose to the bright upper air;
the flashing glare of the thunder-stone and lightning
blinded their eyes for all that there were strong.
Astounding heat seized Chaos: and to see with eyes
and to hear the sound with ears it seemed even as if
Earth and wide Heaven above came together;
for such a mighty crash would have arisen
if Earth were being hurled to ruin, and Heaven
from on high were hurling her down; so great a crash
was there while the gods were meeting together in strife.
Also the winds brought rumbling earthquake and duststorm,
thunder and lightning and the lurid thunderbolt, which are
the shafts of great Zeus, and carried the clangour and the warcry
into the midst of the two hosts. An horrible uproar
of terrible strife arose; mighty deeds were shown
and the battle inclined. But until then, they kept
at one another and fought continually in cruel war.

Οἱ δ’ ἄρ’ ἐνὶ πρώτοισι μάχην δριμεῖαν ἔγειραν,
Κόττος τε Βριάρεώς τε Γύγης τ’ ἄατος πολέμοιο·
οἵ ῥα τριηκοσίας πέτρας στιβαρέων ἀπὸ χειρῶν
πέμπον ἐπασσυτέρας, κατὰ δ’ ἐσκίασαν βελέεσσι
Τιτῆνας· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ὑπὸ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης
πέμψαν καὶ δεσμοῖσιν ἐν ἀργαλέοισιν ἔδησαν,
νικήσαντες χερσὶν ὑπερθύμους περ ἐόντας,
720 τόσσον ἔνερθ’ ὑπὸ γῆς ὅσον οὐρανός ἐστ’ ἀπὸ γαίης·
τόσσον γάρ τ’ ἀπὸ γῆς ἐς τάρταρον ἠερόεντα.
ἐννέα γὰρ νύκτας τε καὶ ἤματα χάλκεος ἄκμων
οὐρανόθεν κατιών, δεκάτῃ κ’ ἐς γαῖαν ἵκοιτο·
[ἶσον δ’ αὖτ’ ἀπὸ γῆς ἐς τάρταρον ἠερόεντα·] [723α]
ἐννέα δ’ αὖ νύκτας τε καὶ ἤματα χάλκεος ἄκμων
ἐκ γαίης κατιών, δεκάτῃ κ’ ἐς τάρταρον ἵκοι.
τὸν πέρι χάλκεον ἕρκος ἐλήλαται· ἀμφὶ δέ μιν νὺξ
τριστοιχὶ κέχυται περὶ δειρήν· αὐτὰρ ὕπερθε
γῆς ῥίζαι πεφύασι καὶ ἀτρυγέτοιο θαλάσσης.
ἔνθα θεοὶ Τιτῆνες ὑπὸ ζόφῳ ἠερόεντι
730 κεκρύφαται βουλῇσι Διὸς νεφεληγερέταο,
χώρῳ ἐν εὐρώεντι, πελώρης ἔσχατα γαίης.
τοῖς οὐκ ἐξιτόν ἐστι, θύρας δ’ ἐπέθηκε Ποσειδέων
χαλκείας, τεῖχος δ’ ἐπελήλαται ἀμφοτέρωθεν.
[ἔνθα Γύγης Κόττος τε καὶ Ὀβριάρεως μεγάθυμος
ναίουσιν, φύλακες πιστοὶ Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο.

And amongst the foremost Cottus and Briareos
and Gyes insatiate for war raised fierce fighting;
three hundred rocks, one upon another, they launched
from their strong hands and overshadowed the Titans
with their missiles, and buried them beneath
the wide-pathed earth, and bound them in bitter chains
when they had conquered them by their strength for all
their great spirit; and as far as heaven is from earth,
so far beneath the earth is Tartarus.
For a brazen anvil falling down from heaven nine nights
and days would reach the earth upon the tenth;
and again, a brazen anvil falling from earth nine nights and days
would reach Tartarus upon the tenth.
Round it runs a fence of bronze, and night
spreads in triple line all about it like a neck-circlet,
while above grow the roots of the earth and unfruitful sea.
There by the counsel of Zeus who drives the clouds
the Titan gods are hidden under misty gloom, in a dank place
where are the ends of the huge earth.
And they may not go out; for Poseidon fixed gates
of bronze upon it, and a wall runs all round it on every side.
There Gyes and Cottus and great-souled Obriareus live,
trusty warders of Zeus who holds the aegis.

Ἔνθα δὲ γῆς δνοφερῆς καὶ ταρτάρου ἠερόεντος
πόντου τ’ ἀτρυγέτοιο καὶ οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος
ἑξείης πάντων πηγαὶ καὶ πείρατ’ ἔασιν,
ἀργαλέ’ εὐρώεντα, τά τε στυγέουσι θεοί περ·
740 χάσμα μέγ’, οὐδέ κε πάντα τελεσφόρον εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν
οὖδας ἵκοιτ’, εἰ πρῶτα πυλέων ἔντοσθε γένοιτο,
ἀλλά κεν ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα φέροι πρὸ θύελλα θυέλλης
ἀργαλέη· δεινὸν δὲ καὶ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι
τοῦτο τέρας· καὶ Νυκτὸς ἐρεβεννῆς οἰκία δεινὰ
ἕστηκεν νεφέλῃς κεκαλυμμένα κυανέῃσι.]
τῶν πρόσθ’ Ἰαπετοῖο πάις ἔχει οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν
ἑστηὼς κεφαλῇ τε καὶ ἀκαμάτῃσι χέρεσσιν
ἀστεμφέως, ὅθι Νύξ τε καὶ Ἡμέρη ἆσσον ἰοῦσαι
ἀλλήλας προσέειπον ἀμειβόμεναι μέγαν οὐδὸν
750 χάλκεον· ἡ μὲν ἔσω καταβήσεται, ἡ δὲ θύραζε
ἔρχεται, οὐδέ ποτ’ ἀμφοτέρας δόμος ἐντὸς ἐέργει,
ἀλλ’ αἰεὶ ἑτέρη γε δόμων ἔκτοσθεν ἐοῦσα
γαῖαν ἐπιστρέφεται, ἡ δ’ αὖ δόμου ἐντὸς ἐοῦσα
μίμνει τὴν αὐτῆς ὥρην ὁδοῦ, ἔστ’ ἂν ἵκηται·
ἡ μὲν ἐπιχθονίοισι φάος πολυδερκὲς ἔχουσα,
ἡ δ’ Ὕπνον μετὰ χερσί, κασίγνητον Θανάτοιο,
Νὺξ ὀλοή, νεφέλῃ κεκαλυμμένη ἠεροειδεῖ.
ἔνθα δὲ Νυκτὸς παῖδες ἐρεμνῆς οἰκί’ ἔχουσιν,
Ὕπνος καὶ Θάνατος, δεινοὶ θεοί· οὐδέ ποτ’ αὐτοὺς
760 Ἠέλιος φαέθων ἐπιδέρκεται ἀκτίνεσσιν
οὐρανὸν εἰσανιὼν οὐδ’ οὐρανόθεν καταβαίνων.
τῶν ἕτερος μὲν γῆν τε καὶ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης
ἥσυχος ἀνστρέφεται καὶ μείλιχος ἀνθρώποισι,
τοῦ δὲ σιδηρέη μὲν κραδίη, χάλκεον δέ οἱ ἦτορ
νηλεὲς ἐν στήθεσσιν· ἔχει δ’ ὃν πρῶτα λάβῃσιν
ἀνθρώπων· ἐχθρὸς δὲ καὶ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσιν.

And there, all in their order, are the sources and ends
of gloomy earth and misty Tartarus
and the unfruitful sea and starry heaven,
loathsome and dank, which even the gods abhor.
It is a great gulf, and if once a man were within the gates,
he would not reach the floor until a whole year had reached its end,
but cruel blast upon blast would carry him this way and that.
And this marvel is awful even to the deathless gods.
There stands the awful home of murky Night
wrapped in dark clouds.
In front of it the son of Iapetus stands immovably upholding
the wide heaven upon his head and unwearying hands,
where Night and Day draw near and greet one another
as they pass the great threshold of bronze;
and while the one is about to go down into the house,
the other comes out at the door.
And the house never holds them both within; but always
one is without the house passing over the earth,
while the other stays at home and waits
until the time for her journeying come;
and the one holds all-seeing light for them on earth,
but the other holds in her arms Sleep the brother of Death,
even evil Night, wrapped in a vaporous cloud.
And there the children of dark Night have their dwellings,
Sleep and Death, awful gods. The glowing Sun
never looks upon them with his beams, neither as he
goes up into heaven, nor as he comes down from heaven.
And the former of them roams peacefully over the earth
and the sea's broad back and is kindly to men;
but the other has a heart of iron, and his spirit within him is pitiless
as bronze: whomsoever of men he has once seized he holds fast;
and he is hateful even to the deathless gods.

Ἔνθα θεοῦ χθονίου πρόσθεν δόμοι ἠχήεντες
[ἰφθίμου τ’ Ἀίδεω καὶ ἐπαινῆς Περσεφονείης]
ἑστᾶσιν, δεινὸς δὲ κύων προπάροιθε φυλάσσει,
770 νηλειής, τέχνην δὲ κακὴν ἔχει· ἐς μὲν ἰόντας
σαίνει ὁμῶς οὐρῇ τε καὶ οὔασιν ἀμφοτέροισιν,
ἐξελθεῖν δ’ οὐκ αὖτις ἐᾷ πάλιν, ἀλλὰ δοκεύων
ἐσθίει, ὅν κε λάβῃσι πυλέων ἔκτοσθεν ἰόντα.
[ἰφθίμου τ’ Ἀίδεω καὶ ἐπαινῆς Περσεφονείης.]
ἔνθα δὲ ναιετάει στυγερὴ θεὸς ἀθανάτοισι,
δεινὴ Στύξ, θυγάτηρ ἀψορρόου Ὠκεανοῖο
πρεσβυτάτη· νόσφιν δὲ θεῶν κλυτὰ δώματα ναίει
μακρῇσιν πέτρῃσι κατηρεφέ’· ἀμφὶ δὲ πάντῃ
κίοσιν ἀργυρέοισι πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἐστήρικται.
780 παῦρα δὲ Θαύμαντος θυγάτηρ πόδας ὠκέα Ἶρις
ἀγγελίη πωλεῖται ἐπ’ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης.
ὁππότ’ ἔρις καὶ νεῖκος ἐν ἀθανάτοισιν ὄρηται,
καί ῥ’ ὅστις ψεύδηται Ὀλύμπια δώματ’ ἐχόντων,
Ζεὺς δέ τε Ἶριν ἔπεμψε θεῶν μέγαν ὅρκον ἐνεῖκαι
τηλόθεν ἐν χρυσέῃ προχόῳ πολυώνυμον ὕδωρ,
ψυχρόν, ὅ τ’ ἐκ πέτρης καταλείβεται ἠλιβάτοιο
ὑψηλῆς· πολλὸν δὲ ὑπὸ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης
ἐξ ἱεροῦ ποταμοῖο ῥέει διὰ νύκτα μέλαιναν·
Ὠκεανοῖο κέρας, δεκάτη δ’ ἐπὶ μοῖρα δέδασται·
790 ἐννέα μὲν περὶ γῆν τε καὶ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης
δίνῃς ἀργυρέῃς εἱλιγμένος εἰς ἅλα πίπτει,
ἡ δὲ μί’ ἐκ πέτρης προρέει, μέγα πῆμα θεοῖσιν.

There, in front, stand the echoing halls of the god
of the lower-world, strong Hades, and of awful Persephone.
A fearful hound guards the house in front,
pitiless, and he has a cruel trick.
On those who go in he fawns with his tail and both is ears,
but suffers them not to go out back again, but keeps watch
and devours whomsoever he catches going out
of the gates of strong Hades and awful Persephone.
And there dwells the goddess feared by the deathless gods,
terrible Styx, eldest daughter of back-flowing Ocean.
She lives apart from the gods in her glorious house
vaulted over with great rocks and propped up
to heaven all round with silver pillars.
Rarely does the daughter of Thaumas, swift-footed Iris,
come to her with a message over the sea's wide back.
But when strife and quarrel arise among the deathless gods,
and when any of them who live in the house of Olympus lies,
then Zeus sends Iris to bring in a golden jug the great oath
of the gods from far away, the famous cold water
which trickles down from a high and beetling rock.
Far under the wide-pathed earth a branch of Oceanus
flows through the dark night out of the holy stream,
and a tenth part of his water is allotted to her.
With nine silver-swirling streams he winds about the earth
and the sea's wide back, and then falls into the main;
but the tenth flows out from a rock, a sore trouble to the gods.

Ὅς κεν τὴν ἐπίορκον ἀπολλείψας ἐπομόσσῃ
ἀθανάτων οἳ ἔχουσι κάρη νιφόεντος Ὀλύμπου,
κεῖται νήυτμος τετελεσμένον εἰς ἐνιαυτόν·
οὐδέ ποτ’ ἀμβροσίης καὶ νέκταρος ἔρχεται ἆσσον
βρώσιος, ἀλλά τε κεῖται ἀνάπνευστος καὶ ἄναυδος
στρωτοῖς ἐν λεχέεσσι, κακὸν δ’ ἐπὶ κῶμα καλύπτει.
αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν νοῦσον τελέσει μέγαν εἰς ἐνιαυτόν,
800 ἄλλος δ’ ἐξ ἄλλου δέχεται χαλεπώτερος ἆθλος·
εἰνάετες δὲ θεῶν ἀπαμείρεται αἰὲν ἐόντων,
οὐδέ ποτ’ ἐς βουλὴν ἐπιμίσγεται οὐδ’ ἐπὶ δαῖτας
ἐννέα πάντ’ ἔτεα· δεκάτῳ δ’ ἐπιμίσγεται αὖτις
εἰρέας ἀθανάτων οἳ Ὀλύμπια δώματ’ ἔχουσι.
τοῖον ἄρ’ ὅρκον ἔθεντο θεοὶ Στυγὸς ἄφθιτον ὕδωρ,
ὠγύγιον· τὸ δ’ ἵησι καταστυφέλου διὰ χώρου.
ἔνθα δὲ γῆς δνοφερῆς καὶ ταρτάρου ἠερόεντος
πόντου τ’ ἀτρυγέτοιο καὶ οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος
ἑξείης πάντων πηγαὶ καὶ πείρατ’ ἔασιν,
810 ἀργαλέ’ εὐρώεντα, τά τε στυγέουσι θεοί περ.
ἔνθα δὲ μαρμάρεαί τε πύλαι καὶ χάλκεος οὐδός,
ἀστεμφὲς ῥίζῃσι διηνεκέεσσιν ἀρηρώς,
αὐτοφυής· πρόσθεν δὲ θεῶν ἔκτοσθεν ἁπάντων
Τιτῆνες ναίουσι, πέρην χάεος ζοφεροῖο.
αὐτὰρ ἐρισμαράγοιο Διὸς κλειτοὶ ἐπίκουροι
δώματα ναιετάουσιν ἐπ’ Ὠκεανοῖο θεμέθλοις,
Κόττος τ’ ἠδὲ Γύγης· Βριάρεών γε μὲν ἠὺν ἐόντα
γαμβρὸν ἑὸν ποίησε βαρύκτυπος Ἐννοσίγαιος,
δῶκε δὲ Κυμοπόλειαν ὀπυίειν, θυγατέρα ἥν.

For whoever of the deathless gods that hold the peaks
of snowy Olympus pours a libation of her water is forsworn,
lies breathless until a full year is completed,
and never comes near to taste ambrosia and nectar,
but lies spiritless and voiceless on a strewn bed;
and a heavy trance overshadows him.
But when he has spent a long year in his sickness,
another penance and an harder follows after the first.
For nine years he is cut off from the eternal gods
and never joins their councils of their feasts,
nine full years. But in the tenth year he comes again to join
the assemblies of the deathless gods who live in the house of Olympus.
Such an oath, then, did the gods appoint the eternal
and primaeval water of Styx to be; and it spouts through a rugged place.
And there, all in their order, are the sources and ends
of the dark earth and misty Tartarus
and the unfruitful sea and starry heaven,
loathsome and dank, which even the gods abhor.
And there are shining gates and an immoveable
threshold of bronze having unending roots
and it is grown of itself. And beyond, away from all the gods,
live the Titans, beyond gloomy Chaos.
But the glorious allies of loud-crashing Zeus
have their dwelling upon Ocean's foundations,
even Cottus and Gyes; but Briareos, being goodly,
the deep-roaring Earth-Shaker made his son-in-law,
giving him Cymopolea his daughter to wed.

820 Αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ Τιτῆνας ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ ἐξέλασε Ζεύς,
ὁπλότατον τέκε παῖδα Τυφωέα Γαῖα πελώρη
Ταρτάρου ἐν φιλότητι διὰ χρυσῆν Ἀφροδίτην·
οὗ χεῖρες μὲν ἔασιν ἐπ’ ἰσχύι ἔργματ’ ἔχουσαι,
καὶ πόδες ἀκάματοι κρατεροῦ θεοῦ· ἐκ δέ οἱ ὤμων
ἦν ἑκατὸν κεφαλαὶ ὄφιος δεινοῖο δράκοντος,
γλώσσῃσι δνοφερῇσι λελιχμότες· ἐν δέ οἱ ὄσσε
θεσπεσίῃς κεφαλῇσιν ὑπ’ ὀφρύσι πῦρ ἀμάρυσσεν·
[πασέων δ’ ἐκ κεφαλέων πῦρ καίετο δερκομένοιο·]
φωναὶ δ’ ἐν πάσῃσιν ἔσαν δεινῇς κεφαλῇσι,
830 παντοίην ὄπ’ ἰεῖσαι ἀθέσφατον· ἄλλοτε μὲν γὰρ
φθέγγονθ’ ὥς τε θεοῖσι συνιέμεν, ἄλλοτε δ’ αὖτε
ταύρου ἐριβρύχεω μένος ἀσχέτου ὄσσαν ἀγαύρου,
ἄλλοτε δ’ αὖτε λέοντος ἀναιδέα θυμὸν ἔχοντος,
ἄλλοτε δ’ αὖ σκυλάκεσσιν ἐοικότα, θαύματ’ ἀκοῦσαι,
ἄλλοτε δ’ αὖ ῥοίζεσχ’, ὑπὸ δ’ ἤχεεν οὔρεα μακρά.
καί νύ κεν ἔπλετο ἔργον ἀμήχανον ἤματι κείνῳ,
καί κεν ὅ γε θνητοῖσι καὶ ἀθανάτοισιν ἄναξεν,
εἰ μὴ ἄρ’ ὀξὺ νόησε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε·
σκληρὸν δ’ ἐβρόντησε καὶ ὄβριμον, ἀμφὶ δὲ γαῖα
840 σμερδαλέον κονάβησε καὶ οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς ὕπερθε
πόντός τ’ Ὠκεανοῦ τε ῥοαὶ καὶ τάρταρα γαίης.
ποσσὶ δ’ ὕπ’ ἀθανάτοισι μέγας πελεμίζετ’ Ὄλυμπος
ὀρνυμένοιο ἄνακτος· ἐπεστονάχιζε δὲ γαῖα.

But when Zeus had driven the Titans from heaven,
huge Earth bare her youngest child Typhoeus
of the love of Tartarus, by the aid of golden Aphrodite.
Strength was with his hands in all that he did
and the feet of the strong god were untiring. From his shoulders
grew an hundred heads of a snake, a fearful dragon,
with dark, flickering tongues, and from under the brows
of his eyes in his marvellous heads flashed fire,
and fire burned from his heads as he glared.
And there were voices in all his dreadful heads
which uttered every kind of sound unspeakable; for at one time
they made sounds such that the gods understood, but at another,
the noise of a bull bellowing aloud in proud ungovernable fury;
and at another, the sound of a lion, relentless of heart; and at anothers,
sounds like whelps, wonderful to hear; and again, at another,
he would hiss, so that the high mountains re-echoed.
And truly a thing past help would have happened on that day,
and he would have come to reign over mortals and immortals,
had not the father of men and gods been quick to perceive it.
But he thundered hard and mightily; and the earth around
resounded terribly and the wide heaven above, and the sea
and Ocean's streams and the nether parts of the earth.
Great Olympus reeled beneath the divine feet
of the king as he arose and earth groaned thereat.

Καῦμα δ’ ὑπ’ ἀμφοτέρων κάτεχεν ἰοειδέα πόντον
βροντῆς τε στεροπῆς τε πυρός τ’ ἀπὸ τοῖο πελώρου
πρηστήρων ἀνέμων τε κεραυνοῦ τε φλεγέθοντος·
ἔζεε δὲ χθὼν πᾶσα καὶ οὐρανὸς ἠδὲ θάλασσα·
θυῖε δ’ ἄρ’ ἀμφ’ ἀκτὰς περί τ’ ἀμφί τε κύματα μακρὰ
ῥιπῇ ὕπ’ ἀθανάτων, ἔνοσις δ’ ἄσβεστος ὀρώρει·
850 τρέε δ’ Ἀίδης ἐνέροισι καταφθιμένοισιν ἀνάσσων
Τιτῆνές θ’ ὑποταρτάριοι Κρόνον ἀμφὶς ἐόντες
ἀσβέστου κελάδοιο καὶ αἰνῆς δηιοτῆτος.
Ζεὺς δ’ ἐπεὶ οὖν κόρθυνεν ἑὸν μένος, εἵλετο δ’ ὅπλα,
βροντήν τε στεροπήν τε καὶ αἰθαλόεντα κεραυνόν,
πλῆξεν ἀπ’ Οὐλύμποιο ἐπάλμενος· ἀμφὶ δὲ πάσας
ἔπρεσε θεσπεσίας κεφαλὰς δεινοῖο πελώρου.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δή μιν δάμασε πληγῇσιν ἱμάσσας,
ἤριπε γυιωθείς, στονάχιζε δὲ γαῖα πελώρη·
φλὸξ δὲ κεραυνωθέντος ἀπέσσυτο τοῖο ἄνακτος
860 οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃσιν ἀιδνῆς παιπαλοέσσης
πληγέντος, πολλὴ δὲ πελώρη καίετο γαῖα
αὐτμῇ θεσπεσίῃ, καὶ ἐτήκετο κασσίτερος ὣς
τέχνῃ ὑπ’ αἰζηῶν ἐν ἐυτρήτοις χοάνοισι
θαλφθείς, ἠὲ σίδηρος, ὅ περ κρατερώτατός ἐστιν,
οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃσι δαμαζόμενος πυρὶ κηλέῳ
τήκεται ἐν χθονὶ δίῃ ὑφ’ Ἡφαίστου παλάμῃσιν·
ὣς ἄρα τήκετο γαῖα σέλαι πυρὸς αἰθομένοιο.
ῥῖψε δέ μιν θυμῷ ἀκαχὼν ἐς τάρταρον εὐρύν.

And through the two of them heat took hold on the dark-blue sea,
through the thunder and lightning, and through the fire
from the monster, and the scorching winds and blazing thunderbolt.
The whole earth seethed, and sky and sea;
and the long waves raged along the beaches round and about,
at the rush of the deathless gods; and there arose an endless shaking.
Hades trembled where he rules over the dead below,
and the Titans under Tartarus who live with Cronos,
because of the unending clamour and the fearful strife.
So when Zeus had raised up his might and seized his arms,
thunder and lightning and lurid thunderbolt,
he leaped form Olympus and struck him, and burned
all the marvellous heads of the monster about him.
But when Zeus had conquered him and lashed him with strokes,
Typhoeus was hurled down, a maimed wreck, so that the huge earth groaned.
And flame shot forth from the thunder-stricken lord in the dim
rugged glens of the mount, when he was smitten.
A great part of huge earth was scorched
by the terrible vapour and melted as tin melts
when heated by men's art in channelled crucibles;
or as iron, which is hardest of all things, is softened
by glowing fire in mountain glens and melts
in the divine earth through the strength of Hephaestus.
Even so, then, the earth melted in the glow of the blazing fire.
And in the bitterness of his anger Zeus cast him into wide Tartarus.

Ἐκ δὲ Τυφωέος ἔστ’ ἀνέμων μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων,
870 νόσφι Νότου Βορέω τε καὶ ἀργεστέω Ζεφύροιο·
οἵ γε μὲν ἐκ θεόφιν γενεήν, θνητοῖς μέγ’ ὄνειαρ.
αἱ δ’ ἄλλαι μὰψ αὖραι ἐπιπνείουσι θάλασσαν·
αἳ δή τοι πίπτουσαι ἐς ἠεροειδέα πόντον,
πῆμα μέγα θνητοῖσι, κακῇ θυίουσιν ἀέλλῃ·
ἄλλοτε δ’ ἄλλαι ἄεισι διασκιδνᾶσί τε νῆας
ναύτας τε φθείρουσι· κακοῦ δ’ οὐ γίνεται ἀλκὴ
ἀνδράσιν, οἳ κείνῃσι συνάντωνται κατὰ πόντον.
αἱ δ’ αὖ καὶ κατὰ γαῖαν ἀπείριτον ἀνθεμόεσσαν
ἔργ’ ἐρατὰ φθείρουσι χαμαιγενέων ἀνθρώπων,
880 πιμπλεῖσαι κόνιός τε καὶ ἀργαλέου κολοσυρτοῦ.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεί ῥα πόνον μάκαρες θεοὶ ἐξετέλεσσαν,
Τιτήνεσσι δὲ τιμάων κρίναντο βίηφι,
δή ῥα τότ’ ὤτρυνον βασιλευέμεν ἠδὲ ἀνάσσειν
Γαίης φραδμοσύνῃσιν Ὀλύμπιον εὐρύοπα Ζῆν
ἀθανάτων· ὁ δὲ τοῖσιν ἐὺ διεδάσσατο τιμάς.

And from Typhoeus come boisterous winds which blow damply,
except Notus and Boreas and clear Zephyr.
These are a god-sent kind, and a great blessing to men;
but the others blow fitfully upon the seas.
Some rush upon the misty sea and work great havoc
among men with their evil, raging blasts;
for varying with the season they blow, scattering ships
and destroying sailors. And men who meet these
upon the sea have no help against the mischief.
Others again over the boundless, flowering earth
spoil the fair fields of men who dwell below,
filling them with dust and cruel uproar.
But when the blessed gods had finished their toil,
and settled by force their struggle for honours with the Titans,
they pressed far-seeing Olympian Zeus to reign
and to rule over them, by Earth's prompting.
So he divided their dignities amongst them.

Ζεὺς δὲ θεῶν βασιλεὺς πρώτην ἄλοχον θέτο Μῆτιν,
πλεῖστα θεῶν εἰδυῖαν ἰδὲ θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων.
ἀλλ’ ὅτε δὴ ἄρ’ ἔμελλε θεὰν γλαυκῶπιν Ἀθήνην
τέξεσθαι, τότ’ ἔπειτα δόλῳ φρένας ἐξαπατήσας
890 αἱμυλίοισι λόγοισιν ἑὴν ἐσκάτθετο νηδύν,
Γαίης φραδμοσύνῃσι καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος·
τὼς γάρ οἱ φρασάτην, ἵνα μὴ βασιληίδα τιμὴν
ἄλλος ἔχοι Διὸς ἀντὶ θεῶν αἰειγενετάων.
ἐκ γὰρ τῆς εἵμαρτο περίφρονα τέκνα γενέσθαι·
πρώτην μὲν κούρην γλαυκώπιδα Τριτογένειαν,
ἶσον ἔχουσαν πατρὶ μένος καὶ ἐπίφρονα βουλήν,
αὐτὰρ ἔπειτ’ ἄρα παῖδα θεῶν βασιλῆα καὶ ἀνδρῶν
ἤμελλεν τέξεσθαι, ὑπέρβιον ἦτορ ἔχοντα·
ἀλλ’ ἄρα μιν Ζεὺς πρόσθεν ἑὴν ἐσκάτθετο νηδύν,
900 ὥς οἱ συμφράσσαιτο θεὰ ἀγαθόν τε κακόν τε.
δεύτερον ἠγάγετο λιπαρὴν Θέμιν, ἣ τέκεν Ὥρας,
Εὐνομίην τε Δίκην τε καὶ Εἰρήνην τεθαλυῖαν,
αἵ τ’ ἔργ’ ὡρεύουσι κατὰ θνητοῖσι βροτοῖσι,
Μοίρας θ’, ᾗς πλείστην τιμὴν πόρε μητίετα Ζεύς,
Κλωθώ τε Λάχεσίν τε καὶ Ἄτροπον, αἵ τε διδοῦσι
θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποισιν ἔχειν ἀγαθόν τε κακόν τε.

Now Zeus, king of the gods, made Metis his wife first,
and she was wisest among gods and mortal men.
But when she was about to bring forth the goddess
bright-eyed Athene, Zeus craftily deceived her
with cunning words and put her in his own belly,
as Earth and starry Heaven advised.
For they advised him so, to the end that no other should
hold royal sway over the eternal gods in place of Zeus;
for very wise children were destined to be born of her,
first the maiden bright-eyed Tritogeneia,
equal to her father in strength and in wise understanding;
but afterwards she was to bear a son of overbearing spirit,
king of gods and men. But Zeus put her into his own belly first,
that the goddess might devise for him both good and evil.
Next he married bright Themis who bare the Horae (Hours),
and Eunomia (Order), Dike (Justice), and blooming Eirene (Peace),
who mind the works of mortal men, and the Moerae (Fates)
to whom wise Zeus gave the greatest honour,
Clotho, and Lachesis, and Atropos
who give mortal men evil and good to have.

Τρεῖς δέ οἱ Εὐρυνόμη Χάριτας τέκε καλλιπαρήους,
Ὠκεανοῦ κούρη πολυήρατον εἶδος ἔχουσα,
Ἀγλαΐην τε καὶ Εὐφροσύνην Θαλίην τ’ ἐρατεινήν·
910 τῶν καὶ ἀπὸ βλεφάρων ἔρος εἴβετο δερκομενάων
λυσιμελής· καλὸν δέ θ’ ὑπ’ ὀφρύσι δερκιόωνται.
αὐτὰρ ὁ Δήμητρος πολυφόρβης ἐς λέχος ἦλθεν·
ἣ τέκε Περσεφόνην λευκώλενον, ἣν Ἀιδωνεὺς
ἥρπασεν ἧς παρὰ μητρός, ἔδωκε δὲ μητίετα Ζεύς.
Μνημοσύνης δ’ ἐξαῦτις ἐράσσατο καλλικόμοιο,
ἐξ ἧς οἱ Μοῦσαι χρυσάμπυκες ἐξεγένοντο
ἐννέα, τῇσιν ἅδον θαλίαι καὶ τέρψις ἀοιδῆς.
Λητὼ δ’ Ἀπόλλωνα καὶ Ἄρτεμιν ἰοχέαιραν
ἱμερόεντα γόνον περὶ πάντων Οὐρανιώνων
920 γείνατ’ ἄρ’ αἰγιόχοιο Διὸς φιλότητι μιγεῖσα.
λοισθοτάτην δ’ Ἥρην θαλερὴν ποιήσατ’ ἄκοιτιν·
ἡ δ’ Ἥβην καὶ Ἄρηα καὶ Εἰλείθυιαν ἔτικτε
μιχθεῖσ’ ἐν φιλότητι θεῶν βασιλῆι καὶ ἀνδρῶν.
αὐτὸς δ’ ἐκ κεφαλῆς γλαυκώπιδα γείνατ’ Ἀθήνην,
δεινὴν ἐγρεκύδοιμον ἀγέστρατον ἀτρυτώνην,
πότνιαν, ᾗ κέλαδοί τε ἅδον πόλεμοί τε μάχαι τε·

And Eurynome, the daughter of Ocean, beautiful in form,
bare him three fair-cheeked Charites (Graces),
Aglaea, and Euphrosyne, and lovely Thaleia, from
whose eyes as they glanced flowed love that unnerves
the limbs; and beautiful is their glance beneath their brows.
Also he came to the bed of all-nourishing Demeter,
and she bare white-armed Persephone whom Aidoneus
carried off from her mother; but wise Zeus gave her to him.
And again, he loved Mnemosyne with the beautiful hair;
and of her the nine gold-crowned Muses were born
who delight in feasts and the pleasures of song.
And Leto was joined in love with Zeus who holds the aegis,
and bare Apollo and Artemis delighting in arrows,
children lovely above all the sons of Heaven.
Lastly, he made Hera his blooming wife;
and she was joined in love with the king of gods and men,
and brought forth Hebe and Ares and Eileithyia.
Zeus himself gave birth from his own head to bright-eyed Tritogeneia,
the awful, the strife-stirring, the host-leader, the unwearying,
the queen, who delights in tumults and wars and battles.

Ἥρη δ’ Ἥφαιστον κλυτὸν οὐ φιλότητι μιγεῖσα
γείνατο, καὶ ζαμένησε καὶ ἤρισεν ᾧ παρακοίτῃ,
929 ἐκ πάντων τέχνῃσι κεκασμένον Οὐρανιώνων.
Ἥρη δὲ ζαμένησε καὶ ἤρισε ᾧ παρακοίτῃ. [929α]
ἐκ ταύτης δ᾽ ἔριδος ἣ μὲν τέκε φαίδιμον υἱὸν [929β]
Ἥφαιστον, φιλότητος ἄτερ Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο, [929γ]
ἐκ πάντων παλάμῃσι κεκασμένον Οὐρανιώνων· [929δ]
αὐτὰρ ὅ γ᾽ Ὠκεανοῦ καὶ Τηθύος ἠυκόμοιο [929ε]
κούρῃ νόσφ᾽ Ἥρης παρελέξατο καλλιπαρήῳ, [929ς]
…
ἐξαπαφὼν Μῆτιν καίπερ πολυδήνε᾽ ἐοῦσαν. [929ζ]
συμμάρψας δ᾽ ὅ γε χερσὶν ἑὴν ἐγκάτθετο νηδὺν [929η]
δείσας, μὴ τέξῃ κρατερώτερον ἄλλο κεραυνοῦ. [929θ]
τοὔνεκά μιν Κρονίδης ὑψίζυγος αἰθέρι ναίων [929ι]
κάππιεν ἐξαπίνης· ἣ δ᾽ αὐτίκα Παλλάδ᾽ Ἀθήνην [929κ]
κύσατο· τὴν μὲν ἔτικτε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε [929λ]
πὰρ κορυφὴν Τρίτωνος ἐπ᾽ ὄχθῃσιν ποταμοῖο. [929μ]
Μῆτις δ᾽ αὖτε Ζηνὸς ὑπὸ σπλάγχνοις λελαθυῖα [929ν]
ἧστο, Ἀθηναίης μήτηρ, τέκταινα δικαίων [929ξ]
πλεῖστα θεῶν τε ἰδυῖα καταθνητῶν τ᾽ ἀνθρώπων, [929ο]
ἔνθα θεὰ παρέδεκτο ὅθεν παλάμαις περὶ πάντων [929π]
ἀθανάτων ἐκέκασθ᾽ οἳ Ὀλύμπια δώματ᾽ ἔχουσιν, [929ρ]
[αἰγίδα ποιήσασα φοβέστρατον ἔντος Ἀθήνης·] [929σ]
σὺν τῇ ἐγείνατό μιν πολεμήια τεύχε᾽ ἔχουσαν [929τ]

Hera bare famous Hephaestus, without union with Zeus
for she was very angry and quarrelled with her mate,
who is skilled in crafts more than all the sons of Heaven.
But Hera was very angry and quarrelled with her mate.
And because of this strife she bare without union with Zeus
who holds the aegis a glorious son, Hephaestus,
who excelled all the sons of Heaven in crafts.
But Zeus lay with the fair-cheeked daughter
of Ocean and Tethys apart from Hera
…
deceiving Metis (Thought) although she was full wise.
But he seized her with his hands and put her in his belly,
for fear that she might bring forth something stronger than his thunderbolt;
therefore did Zeus, who sits on high and dwells in the aether,
swallow her down suddenly. But she straightway conceived Pallas Athene;
and the father of men and gods gave her birth
by way of his head on the banks of the river Triton.
And Metis remained hidden beneath the inward parts of Zeus,
Athena's mother, worker of righteousness,
who was wiser than gods and mortal men.
There the goddess (Athena) received that whereby she excelled
in strength all the deathless ones who dwell in Olympus,
she who made the host-scaring weapon of Athena.
And with it (Zeus) gave her birth, arrayed in arms of war.

930 ἐκ δ’ Ἀμφιτρίτης καὶ ἐρικτύπου Ἐννοσιγαίου
Τρίτων εὐρυβίης γένετο μέγας, ὅς τε θαλάσσης
πυθμέν’ ἔχων παρὰ μητρὶ φίλῃ καὶ πατρὶ ἄνακτι
ναίει χρύσεα δῶ, δεινὸς θεός. αὐτὰρ Ἄρηι
ῥινοτόρῳ Κυθέρεια Φόβον καὶ Δεῖμον ἔτικτε,
δεινούς, οἵ τ’ ἀνδρῶν πυκινὰς κλονέουσι φάλαγγας
ἐν πολέμῳ κρυόεντι σὺν Ἄρηι πτολιπόρθῳ,
Ἁρμονίην θ’, ἣν Κάδμος ὑπέρθυμος θέτ’ ἄκοιτιν.
Ζηνὶ δ’ ἄρ’ Ἀτλαντὶς Μαίη τέκε κύδιμον Ἑρμῆν,
κήρυκ’ ἀθανάτων, ἱερὸν λέχος εἰσαναβᾶσα.
940 Καδμηὶς δ’ ἄρα οἱ Σεμέλη τέκε φαίδιμον υἱὸν
μιχθεῖσ’ ἐν φιλότητι, Διώνυσον πολυγηθέα,
ἀθάνατον θνητή· νῦν δ’ ἀμφότεροι θεοί εἰσιν.
Ἀλκμήνη δ’ ἄρ’ ἔτικτε βίην Ἡρακληείην
μιχθεῖσ’ ἐν φιλότητι Διὸς νεφεληγερέταο.

And of Amphitrite and the loud-roaring Earth-Shaker
was born great, wide-ruling Triton, and he owns the depths
of the sea, living with his dear mother and the lord his father
in their golden house, an awful god. Also Cytherea
bare to Ares the shield-piercer Panic and Fear,
terrible gods who drive in disorder the close ranks of men
in numbing war, with the help of Ares, sacker of towns;
and Harmonia whom high-spirited Cadmus made his wife.
And Maia, the daughter of Atlas, bare to Zeus glorious Hermes,
the herald of the deathless gods, for she went up into his holy bed.
And Semele, daughter of Cadmus was joined with him in love
and bare him a splendid son, joyous Dionysus; 
a mortal woman an immortal son. And now they both are gods.
And Alcmena was joined in love with Zeus
who drives the clouds and bare mighty Heracles.

Ἀγλαΐην δ’ Ἥφαιστος ἀγακλυτὸς ἀμφιγυήεις
ὁπλοτάτην Χαρίτων θαλερὴν ποιήσατ’ ἄκοιτιν.
χρυσοκόμης δὲ Διώνυσος ξανθὴν Ἀριάδνην,
κούρην Μίνωος, θαλερὴν ποιήσατ’ ἄκοιτιν·
τὴν δέ οἱ ἀθάνατον καὶ ἀγήρων θῆκε Κρονίων.
950 Ἥβην δ’ Ἀλκμήνης καλλισφύρου ἄλκιμος υἱός,
ἲς Ἡρακλῆος, τελέσας στονόεντας ἀέθλους,
παῖδα Διὸς μεγάλοιο καὶ Ἥρης χρυσοπεδίλου,
αἰδοίην θέτ’ ἄκοιτιν ἐν Οὐλύμπῳ νιφόεντι·
ὄλβιος, ὃς μέγα ἔργον ἐν ἀθανάτοισιν ἀνύσσας
ναίει ἀπήμαντος καὶ ἀγήραος ἤματα πάντα.
Ἠελίῳ δ’ ἀκάμαντι τέκε κλυτὸς Ὠκεανίνη
Περσηὶς Κίρκην τε καὶ Αἰήτην βασιλῆα.
Αἰήτης δ’ υἱὸς φαεσιμβρότου Ἠελίοιο
κούρην Ὠκεανοῖο τελήεντος ποταμοῖο
960 γῆμε θεῶν βουλῇσιν, Ἰδυῖαν καλλιπάρηον·
ἣ δή οἱ Μήδειαν ἐύσφυρον ἐν φιλότητι
γείναθ’ ὑποδμηθεῖσα διὰ χρυσῆν Ἀφροδίτην.
ὑμεῖς μὲν νῦν χαίρετ’, Ὀλύμπια δώματ’ ἔχοντες,
νῆσοί τ’ ἤπειροί τε καὶ ἁλμυρὸς ἔνδοθι πόντος·
νῦν δὲ θεάων φῦλον ἀείσατε, ἡδυέπειαι
Μοῦσαι Ὀλυμπιάδες, κοῦραι Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο,
ὅσσαι δὴ θνητοῖσι παρ’ ἀνδράσιν εὐνηθεῖσαι
ἀθάναται γείναντο θεοῖς ἐπιείκελα τέκνα.

And Hephaestus, the famous Lame One, made Aglaea,
youngest of the Graces, his buxom wife.
And golden-haired Dionysus made fair-haired Ariadne,
the daughter of Minos, his buxom wife;
and the son of Cronos made her deathless and unageing for him.
And mighty Heracles, the valiant son of neat-ankled Alcmena,
when he had finished his grievous toils,
made Hebe the child of great Zeus and gold-shod Hera
his shy wife in snowy Olympus. Happy he!
For he has finished his great works and lives amongst
the deathless gods, untroubled and unaging all his days.
And Perseis, the daughter of Ocean, bare
to unwearying Helios Circe and Aeetes the king.
And Aeetes, the son of Helios who shows light to men,
took to wife fair-cheeked Idyia, daughter of Ocean
the perfect stream, by the will of the gods; and she was
subject to him in love through golden Aphrodite
and bare him neat-ankled Medea.
And now farewell, you dwellers on Olympus
and you islands and continents and thou briny sea within.
Now sing the company of goddesses, sweet-voiced
Muses of Olympus, daughter of Zeus who holds the aegis,
—even those immortal ones who lay with mortal men
and bare children like unto gods.

Δημήτηρ μὲν Πλοῦτον ἐγείνατο δῖα θεάων,
970 Ἰασίῳ ἥρωι μιγεῖσ’ ἐρατῇ φιλότητι
νειῷ ἔνι τριπόλῳ, Κρήτης ἐν πίονι δήμῳ,
ἐσθλόν, ὃς εἶσ’ ἐπὶ γῆν τε καὶ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης
πᾶσαν· τῷ δὲ τυχόντι καὶ οὗ κ’ ἐς χεῖρας ἵκηται,
τὸν δὴ ἀφνειὸν ἔθηκε, πολὺν δέ οἱ ὤπασεν ὄλβον.
Κάδμῳ δ’ Ἁρμονίη, θυγάτηρ χρυσῆς Ἀφροδίτης,
Ἰνὼ καὶ Σεμέλην καὶ Ἀγαυὴν καλλιπάρηον
Αὐτονόην θ’, ἣν γῆμεν Ἀρισταῖος βαθυχαίτης,
γείνατο καὶ Πολύδωρον ἐυστεφάνῳ ἐνὶ Θήβῃ.
κούρη δ’ Ὠκεανοῦ Χρυσάορι καρτεροθύμῳ
980 μιχθεῖσ’ ἐν φιλότητι πολυχρύσου Ἀφροδίτης
Καλλιρόη τέκε παῖδα βροτῶν κάρτιστον ἁπάντων,
Γηρυονέα, τὸν κτεῖνε βίη Ἡρακληείη
βοῶν ἕνεκ’ εἰλιπόδων ἀμφιρρύτῳ εἰν Ἐρυθείῃ.

Demeter, bright goddess, was joined in sweet love
with the hero Iasion in a thrice-ploughed fallow
in the rich land of Crete, and bare Plutus,
a kindly god who goes everywhere over land and the sea's wide back,
and him who finds him and into whose hands he comes
he makes rich, bestowing great wealth upon him.
And Harmonia, the daughter of golden Aphrodite, bare to Cadmus
Ino and Semele and fair-cheeked Agave
and Autonoe whom long haired Aristaeus wedded,
and Polydorus also in rich-crowned Thebe.
And the daughter of Ocean, Callirrhoe was joined
in the love of rich Aphrodite with stout hearted Chrysaor
and bare a son who was the strongest of all men,
Geryones, whom mighty Heracles killed
in sea-girt Erythea for the sake of his shambling oxen.

Τιθωνῷ δ’ Ἠὼς τέκε Μέμνονα χαλκοκορυστήν,
Αἰθιόπων βασιλῆα, καὶ Ἠμαθίωνα ἄνακτα.
αὐτάρ τοι Κεφάλῳ φιτύσατο φαίδιμον υἱόν,
ἴφθιμον Φαέθοντα, θεοῖς ἐπιείκελον ἄνδρα·
τόν ῥα νέον τέρεν ἄνθος ἔχοντ’ ἐρικυδέος ἥβης
παῖδ’ ἀταλὰ φρονέοντα φιλομμειδὴς Ἀφροδίτη
990 ὦρτ’ ἀνερειψαμένη, καί μιν ζαθέοις ἐνὶ νηοῖς
νηοπόλον μύχιον ποιήσατο, δαίμονα δῖον.
κούρην δ’ Αἰήταο διοτρεφέος βασιλῆος
Αἰσονίδης βουλῇσι θεῶν αἰειγενετάων
ἦγε παρ’ Αἰήτεω, τελέσας στονόεντας ἀέθλους,
τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐπέτελλε μέγας βασιλεὺς ὑπερήνωρ,
ὑβριστὴς Πελίης καὶ ἀτάσθαλος ὀβριμοεργός·
τοὺς τελέσας ἐς Ἰωλκὸν ἀφίκετο πολλὰ μογήσας
ὠκείης ἐπὶ νηὸς ἄγων ἑλικώπιδα κούρην
Αἰσονίδης, καί μιν θαλερὴν ποιήσατ’ ἄκοιτιν.
1000 καί ῥ’ ἥ γε δμηθεῖσ’ ὑπ’ Ἰήσονι ποιμένι λαῶν
Μήδειον τέκε παῖδα, τὸν οὔρεσιν ἔτρεφε Χείρων
Φιλλυρίδης· μεγάλου δὲ Διὸς νόος ἐξετελεῖτο.

And Eos bare to Tithonus brazen-crested Memnon,
king of the Ethiopians, and the Lord Emathion.
And to Cephalus she bare a splendid son,
strong Phaethon, a man like the gods, whom,
when he was a young boy in the tender flower
of glorious youth with childish thoughts,
laughter-loving Aphrodite seized and caught up
and made a keeper of her shrine by night, a divine spirit.
And [Jason] the son of Aeson by the will of the gods
led away from Aeetes, [Medea] the daughter of Aeetes
the heaven-nurtured king, when he had finished
the many grievous labours which the great king,
over bearing Pelias, that outrageous and presumptuous
doer of violence, put upon him. But when
the son of Aeson had finished them, he came to Iolcus
after long toil bringing the coy-eyed girl with him
on his swift ship, and made her his buxom wife.
And she was subject to Iason, shepherd of the people,
and bare a son Medeus whom Cheiron the son of Philyra
brought up in the mountains. And the will of great Zeus was fulfilled.

Αὐτὰρ Νηρῆος κοῦραι ἁλίοιο γέροντος,
ἤτοι μὲν Φῶκον Ψαμάθη τέκε δῖα θεάων
Αἰακοῦ ἐν φιλότητι διὰ χρυσῆν Ἀφροδίτην·
Πηλεῖ δὲ δμηθεῖσα θεὰ Θέτις ἀργυρόπεζα
γείνατ’ Ἀχιλλῆα ῥηξήνορα θυμολέοντα.
Αἰνείαν δ’ ἄρ’ ἔτικτεν ἐυστέφανος Κυθέρεια,
Ἀγχίσῃ ἥρωι μιγεῖσ’ ἐρατῇ φιλότητι
1010 Ἴδης ἐν κορυφῇσι πολυπτύχου ἠνεμοέσσης.
Κίρκη δ’ Ἠελίου θυγάτηρ ῾Υπεριονίδαο
γείνατ’ Ὀδυσσῆος ταλασίφρονος ἐν φιλότητι
Ἄγριον ἠδὲ Λατῖνον ἀμύμονά τε κρατερόν τε·
[Τηλέγονον δὲ ἔτικτε διὰ χρυσῆν Ἀφροδίτην·]
οἳ δή τοι μάλα τῆλε μυχῷ νήσων ἱεράων
πᾶσιν Τυρσηνοῖσιν ἀγακλειτοῖσιν ἄνασσον.
Ναυσίθοον δ’ Ὀδυσῆι Καλυψὼ δῖα θεάων
γείνατο Ναυσίνοόν τε μιγεῖσ’ ἐρατῇ φιλότητι.
αὗται μὲν θνητοῖσι παρ’ ἀνδράσιν εὐνηθεῖσαι
1020 ἀθάναται γείναντο θεοῖς ἐπιείκελα τέκνα.
[νῦν δὲ γυναικῶν φῦλον ἀείσατε, ἡδυέπειαι
Μοῦσαι Ὀλυμπιάδες, κοῦραι Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο.]

But of the daughters of Nereus, the Old man of the Sea,
Psamathe the fair goddess, was loved by Aeacus
through golden Aphrodite and bare Phocus.
And the silver-shod goddess Thetis was subject to Peleus
and brought forth lion-hearted Achilles, the destroyer of men.
And Cytherea with the beautiful crown was joined
in sweet love with the hero Anchises and bare Aeneas
on the peaks of Ida with its many wooded glens.
And Circe the daughter of Helius, Hyperion's son,
loved steadfast Odysseus and bare Agrius
and Latinus who was faultless and strong;
also she brought forth Telegonus by the will of golden Aphrodite.
And they ruled over the famous Tyrenians,
very far off in a recess of the holy islands.
And the bright goddess Calypso was joined to Odysseus
in sweet love, and bare him Nausithous and Nausinous.
These are the immortal goddesses who lay with mortal men
and bare them children like unto gods.
But now, sweet-voiced Muses of Olympus, daughters of Zeus
who holds the aegis, sing of the company of women.

Μοῦσαι Πιερίηθεν ἀοιδῇσιν κλείουσαι
δεῦτε, Δί’ ἐννέπετε, σφέτερον πατέρ’ ὑμνείουσαι·
ὅντε διὰ βροτοὶ ἄνδρες ὁμῶς ἄφατοί τε φατοί τε,
ῥητοί τ’ ἄρρητοί τε Διὸς μεγάλοιο ἕκητι.
ῥέα μὲν γὰρ βριάει, ῥέα δὲ βριάοντα χαλέπτει,
ῥεῖα δ’ ἀρίζηλον μινύθει καὶ ἄδηλον ἀέξει,
ῥεῖα δέ τ’ ἰθύνει σκολιὸν καὶ ἀγήνορα κάρφει
Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης, ὃς ὑπέρτατα δώματα ναίει.
κλῦθι ἰδὼν ἀίων τε, δίκῃ δ’ ἴθυνε θέμιστας
10 τύνη· ἐγὼ δέ κε, Πέρση, ἐτήτυμα μυθησαίμην. 

Muses of Pieria who give glory through song,
come hither, tell of Zeus your father and chant his praise.
Through him mortal men are famed or unfamed,
sung or unsung alike, as great Zeus wills. For easily
he makes strong, and easily he brings the strong man low;
easily he humbles the proud and raises the obscure,
and easily he straightens the crooked and blasts the proud;
Zeus who thunders aloft and has his dwelling most high.
Attend thou with eye and ear, and make
judgements straight with righteousness.
And I, Perses, would tell of true things.

Oὐκ ἄρα μοῦνον ἔην Ἐρίδων γένος, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ γαῖαν
εἰσὶ δύω· τὴν μέν κεν ἐπαινέσσειε νοήσας,
ἣ δ’ ἐπιμωμητή· διὰ δ’ ἄνδιχα θυμὸν ἔχουσιν.
ἣ μὲν γὰρ πόλεμόν τε κακὸν καὶ δῆριν ὀφέλλει,
σχετλίη· οὔτις τήν γε φιλεῖ βροτός, ἀλλ’ ὑπ’ ἀνάγκης
ἀθανάτων βουλῇσιν Ἔριν τιμῶσι βαρεῖαν.
τὴν δ’ ἑτέρην προτέρην μὲν ἐγείνατο Νὺξ ἐρεβεννή,
θῆκε δέ μιν Κρονίδης ὑψίζυγος, αἰθέρι ναίων,
γαίης [τ᾿] ἐν ῥίζῃσι, καὶ ἀνδράσι πολλὸν ἀμείνω·
20 ἥτε καὶ ἀπάλαμόν περ ὁμῶς ἐπὶ ἔγειρεν.
εἰς ἕτερον γάρ τίς τε ἰδὼν ἔργοιο χατίζει
πλούσιον, ὃς σπεύδει μὲν ἀρώμεναι ἠδὲ φυτεύειν
οἶκόν τ’ εὖ θέσθαι· ζηλοῖ δέ τε γείτονα γείτων
εἰς ἄφενος σπεύδοντ’· ἀγαθὴ δ’ Ἔρις ἥδε βροτοῖσιν.
καὶ κεραμεὺς κεραμεῖ κοτέει καὶ τέκτονι τέκτων,
καὶ πτωχὸς πτωχῷ φθονέει καὶ ἀοιδὸς ἀοιδῷ.

Ὦ Πέρση, σὺ δὲ ταῦτα τεῷ ἐνικάτθεο θυμῷ,
μηδέ σ’ Ἔρις κακόχαρτος ἀπ’ ἔργου θυμὸν ἐρύκοι
νείκε’ ὀπιπεύοντ’ ἀγορῆς ἐπακουὸν ἐόντα.
30 ὤρη γάρ τ’ ὀλίγη πέλεται νεικέων τ’ ἀγορέων τε,
ᾧτινι μὴ βίος ἔνδον ἐπηετανὸς κατάκειται
ὡραῖος, τὸν γαῖα φέρει, Δημήτερος ἀκτήν.
τοῦ κε κορεσσάμενος νείκεα καὶ δῆριν ὀφέλλοις
κτήμασ’ ἐπ’ ἀλλοτρίοις. σοὶ δ’ οὐκέτι δεύτερον ἔσται
ὧδ’ ἔρδειν· ἀλλ’ αὖθι διακρινώμεθα νεῖκος
ἰθείῃσι δίκῃς, αἵ τ’ ἐκ Διός εἰσιν ἄρισται.
ἤδη μὲν γὰρ κλῆρον ἐδασσάμεθ’, ἀλλὰ τὰ πολλὰ
ἁρπάζων ἐφόρεις μέγα κυδαίνων βασιλῆας
δωροφάγους, οἳ τήνδε δίκην ἐθέλουσι δικάσσαι.
40 νήπιοι, οὐδὲ ἴσασιν ὅσῳ πλέον ἥμισυ παντὸς
οὐδ’ ὅσον ἐν μαλάχῃ τε καὶ ἀσφοδέλῳ μέγ’ ὄνειαρ.

So, after all, there was not one kind of Strife alone,
but all over the earth there are two. As for the one,
a man would praise her when he came to understand her;
but the other is blameworthy: and they are wholly different in nature.
For one fosters evil war and battle, being cruel: her no man loves;
but perforce, through the will of the deathless gods,
men pay harsh Strife her honour due.
But the other is the elder daughter of dark Night,
and the son of Cronos who sits above and dwells in the aether,
set her in the roots of the earth: and she is far kinder to men.
She stirs up even the shiftless to toil; for a man grows eager
to work when he considers his neighbour, a rich man
who hastens to plough and plant and put his house in good order;
and neighbour vies with is neighbour as he hurries after wealth.
This Strife is wholesome for men.
And potter is angry with potter, and craftsman with craftsman,
and beggar is jealous of beggar, and minstrel of minstrel.

Perses, lay up these things in your heart, and do not let that Strife
who delights in mischief hold your heart back from work,
while you peep and peer and listen to the wrangles of the court-house.
Little concern has he with quarrels and courts
who has not a year’s victuals laid up betimes,
even that which the earth bears, Demeter’s grain.
When you have got plenty of that, you can raise disputes and strive
to get another’s goods. But you shall have no second chance
to deal so again: nay, let us settle our dispute here with true judgement
divided our inheritance, but you seized the greater share
and carried it off, greatly swelling the glory of our
bribe-swallowing lords who love to judge such a cause as this.
Fools! They know not how much more the half is than the whole,
nor what great advantage there is in mallow and asphodel [poor man’s fare].

Κρύψαντες γὰρ ἔχουσι θεοὶ βίον ἀνθρώποισιν·
ῥηιδίως γάρ κεν καὶ ἐπ’ ἤματι ἐργάσσαιο,
ὥστε σε κεἰς ἐνιαυτὸν ἔχειν καὶ ἀεργὸν ἐόντα·
αἶψά κε πηδάλιον μὲν ὑπὲρ καπνοῦ καταθεῖο,
ἔργα βοῶν δ’ ἀπόλοιτο καὶ ἡμιόνων ταλαεργῶν.
ἀλλὰ Ζεὺς ἔκρυψε χολωσάμενος φρεσὶν ᾗσιν,
ὅττι μιν ἐξαπάτησε Προμηθεὺς ἀγκυλομήτης·
τοὔνεκ’ ἄρ’ ἀνθρώποισιν ἐμήσατο κήδεα λυγρά.
50 κρύψε δὲ πῦρ· τὸ μὲν αὖτις ἐὺς πάις Ἰαπετοῖο
ἔκλεψ’ ἀνθρώποισι Διὸς πάρα μητιόεντος
ἐν κοΐλῳ νάρθηκι λαθὼν Δία τερπικέραυνον.
τὸν δὲ χολωσάμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζεύς·

“Ἰαπετιονίδη, πάντων πέρι μήδεα εἰδώς,
χαίρεις πῦρ κλέψας καὶ ἐμὰς φρένας ἠπεροπεύσας,
σοί τ’ αὐτῷ μέγα πῆμα καὶ ἀνδράσιν ἐσσομένοισιν.
τοῖς δ’ ἐγὼ ἀντὶ πυρὸς δώσω κακόν, ᾧ κεν ἅπαντες
τέρπωνται κατὰ θυμὸν ἑὸν κακὸν ἀμφαγαπῶντες.”

For the gods keep hidden from men the means of life.
Else you would easily do work enough in a day
to supply you for a full year even without working;
soon would you put away your rudder over the smoke,
and the fields worked by ox and sturdy mule would run to waste.
But Zeus in the anger of his heart hid it,
because Prometheus the crafty deceived him;
therefore he planned sorrow and mischief against men.
He hid fire; but that the noble son of Iapetus
stole again for men from Zeus the counsellor in a hollow
fennel-stalk, so that Zeus who delights in thunder did not see it.
But afterwards Zeus who gathers the clouds said to him in anger:

“Son of Iapetus, surpassing all in cunning,
you are glad that you have outwitted me and stolen fire
—a great plague to you yourself and to men that shall be.
But I will give men as the price for fire an evil thing in which
they may all be glad of heart while they embrace their own destruction.”

Ὣς ἔφατ’· ἐκ δ’ ἐγέλασσε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε.
60 Ἥφαιστον δ’ ἐκέλευσε περικλυτὸν ὅττι τάχιστα
γαῖαν ὕδει φύρειν, ἐν δ’ ἀνθρώπου θέμεν αὐδὴν
καὶ σθένος, ἀθανάτῃς δὲ θεῇς εἰς ὦπα ἐίσκειν
παρθενικῆς καλὸν εἶδος ἐπήρατον· αὐτὰρ Ἀθήνην
ἔργα διδασκῆσαι, πολυδαίδαλον ἱστὸν ὑφαίνειν·
καὶ χάριν ἀμφιχέαι κεφαλῇ χρυσέην Ἀφροδίτην
καὶ πόθον ἀργαλέον καὶ γυιοβόρους μελεδώνας·
ἐν δὲ θέμεν κύνεόν τε νόον καὶ ἐπίκλοπον ἦθος
Ἑρμείην ἤνωγε, διάκτορον Ἀργεϊφόντην.

Ὣς ἔφαθ’· οἳ δ’ ἐπίθοντο Διὶ Κρονίωνι ἄνακτι.
70 [αὐτίκα δ’ ἐκ γαίης πλάσσεν κλυτὸς Ἀμφιγυήεις
παρθένῳ αἰδοίῃ ἴκελον Κρονίδεω διὰ βουλάς·
ζῶσε δὲ καὶ κόσμησε θεὰ γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη·
ἀμφὶ δέ οἱ Χάριτές τε θεαὶ καὶ πότνια Πειθὼ
ὅρμους χρυσείους ἔθεσαν χροΐ· ἀμφὶ δὲ τήν γε
Ὧραι καλλίκομοι στέφον ἄνθεσιν εἰαρινοῖσιν·
πάντα δέ οἱ χροῒ κόσμον ἐφήρμοσε Παλλὰς Ἀθήνη.]
ἐν δ’ ἄρα οἱ στήθεσσι διάκτορος Ἀργεϊφόντης
ψεύδεά θ’ αἱμυλίους τε λόγους καὶ ἐπίκλοπον ἦθος
[τεῦξε Διὸς βουλῇσι βαρυκτύπου· ἐν δ’ ἄρα φωνὴν]
80 θῆκε θεῶν κῆρυξ, ὀνόμηνε δὲ τήνδε γυναῖκα
Πανδώρην, ὅτι πάντες Ὀλύμπια δώματ’ ἔχοντες
δῶρον ἐδώρησαν, πῆμ’ ἀνδράσιν ἀλφηστῇσιν.

So said the father of men and gods, and laughed aloud.
And he bade famous Hephaestus make haste and mix
earth with water and to put in it the voice and strength
of human kind, and fashion a sweet, lovely maiden-shape,
like to the immortal goddesses in face; and Athene
to teach her needlework and the weaving of the varied web;
and golden Aphrodite to shed grace upon her head
and cruel longing and cares that weary the limbs.
And he charged Hermes the guide, the Slayer of Argus,
to put in her a shameless mind and a deceitful nature.

So he ordered. And they obeyed the lord Zeus the son of Cronos.
Forthwith the famous Lame God moulded clay in the likeness
of a modest maid, as the son of Cronos purposed.
And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girded and clothed her,
and the divine Graces and queenly Persuasion
put necklaces of gold upon her, and the rich-haired Hours
crowned her head with spring flowers.
And Pallas Athene bedecked her form with all manners of finery.
Also the Guide, the Slayer of Argus, contrived within her
lies and crafty words and a deceitful nature
at the will of loud thundering Zeus, and the Herald
of the gods put speech in her. And he called this woman
Pandora (All Endowed), because all they who dwelt on Olympus
gave each a gift, a plague to men who eat bread.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δόλον αἰπὺν ἀμήχανον ἐξετέλεσσεν,
εἰς Ἐπιμηθέα πέμπε πατὴρ κλυτὸν Ἀργεϊφόντην
δῶρον ἄγοντα, θεῶν ταχὺν ἄγγελον· οὐδ’ Ἐπιμηθεὺς
ἐφράσαθ’, ὥς οἱ ἔειπε Προμηθεὺς μή ποτε δῶρον
δέξασθαι πὰρ Ζηνὸς Ὀλυμπίου, ἀλλ’ ἀποπέμπειν
ἐξοπίσω, μή πού τι κακὸν θνητοῖσι γένηται.
αὐτὰρ ὃ δεξάμενος, ὅτε δὴ κακὸν εἶχ’, ἐνόησεν.

90 Πρὶν μὲν γὰρ ζώεσκον ἐπὶ χθονὶ φῦλ’ ἀνθρώπων
νόσφιν ἄτερ τε κακῶν καὶ ἄτερ χαλεποῖο πόνοιο
νούσων τ’ ἀργαλέων, αἵ τ’ ἀνδράσι Κῆρας ἔδωκαν.
[αἶψα γὰρ ἐν κακότητι βροτοὶ καταγηράσκουσιν.]
ἀλλὰ γυνὴ χείρεσσι πίθου μέγα πῶμ’ ἀφελοῦσα
ἐσκέδασ’· ἀνθρώποισι δ’ ἐμήσατο κήδεα λυγρά.
μούνη δ’ αὐτόθι Ἐλπὶς ἐν ἀρρήκτοισι δόμοισιν
ἔνδον ἔμιμνε πίθου ὑπὸ χείλεσιν, οὐδὲ θύραζε
ἐξέπτη· πρόσθεν γὰρ ἐπέλλαβε πῶμα πίθοιο
[αἰγιόχου βουλῇσι Διὸς νεφεληγερέταο.]
100 ἄλλα δὲ μυρία λυγρὰ κατ’ ἀνθρώπους ἀλάληται·
πλείη μὲν γὰρ γαῖα κακῶν, πλείη δὲ θάλασσα·
νοῦσοι δ’ ἀνθρώποισιν ἐφ’ ἡμέρῃ, αἳ δ’ ἐπὶ νυκτὶ
αὐτόματοι φοιτῶσι κακὰ θνητοῖσι φέρουσαι
σιγῇ, ἐπεὶ φωνὴν ἐξείλετο μητίετα Ζεύς.
οὕτως οὔτι πη ἔστι Διὸς νόον ἐξαλέασθαι.

But when he had finished the sheer, hopeless snare,
the Father sent glorious Argus-Slayer, the swift messenger
of the gods, to take it to Epimetheus as a gift. And Epimetheus
did not think on what Prometheus had said to him, bidding him
never take a gift of Olympian Zeus, but to send it back
for fear it might prove to be something harmful to men.
But he took the gift, and afterwards,
when the evil thing was already his, he understood.

For ere this the tribes of men lived on earth
remote and free from ills and hard toil
and heavy sickness which bring the Fates upon men;
for in misery men grow old quickly.
But the woman took off the great lid of the jar with her hands
and scattered all these and her thought caused sorrow and mischief
to men. Only Hope remained there in an unbreakable home
within under the rim of the great jar, and did not fly out at the door;
for ere that, the lid of the jar stopped her,
by the will of Aegis-holding Zeus who gathers the clouds.
But the rest, countless plagues, wander amongst men;
for earth is full of evils and the sea is full.
Of themselves diseases come upon men continually by day
and by night, bringing mischief to mortals silently;
for wise Zeus took away speech from them.
So is there no way to escape the will of Zeus.

Εἰ δ’ ἐθέλεις, ἕτερόν τοι ἐγὼ λόγον ἐκκορυφώσω
εὖ καὶ ἐπισταμένως· σὺ δ’ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βάλλεο σῇσιν.
ὡς ὁμόθεν γεγάασι θεοὶ θνητοί τ’ ἄνθρωποι.

Χρύσεον μὲν πρώτιστα γένος μερόπων ἀνθρώπων
110 ἀθάνατοι ποίησαν Ὀλύμπια δώματ’ ἔχοντες.
οἳ μὲν ἐπὶ Κρόνου ἦσαν, ὅτ’ οὐρανῷ ἐμβασίλευεν·
ὥστε θεοὶ δ’ ἔζωον ἀκηδέα θυμὸν ἔχοντες
νόσφιν ἄτερ τε πόνων καὶ ὀιζύος· οὐδέ τι δειλὸν
γῆρας ἐπῆν, αἰεὶ δὲ πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὁμοῖοι
τέρποντ’ ἐν θαλίῃσι κακῶν ἔκτοσθεν ἁπάντων·
θνῇσκον δ’ ὥσθ’ ὕπνῳ δεδμημένοι· ἐσθλὰ δὲ πάντα
τοῖσιν ἔην· καρπὸν δ’ ἔφερε ζείδωρος ἄρουρα
αὐτομάτη πολλόν τε καὶ ἄφθονον· οἳ δ’ ἐθελημοὶ
ἥσυχοι ἔργ’ ἐνέμοντο σὺν ἐσθλοῖσιν πολέεσσιν.
120 [ἀφνειοὶ μήλοισι, φίλοι μακάρεσσι θεοῖσιν.]
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τοῦτο γένος κατὰ γαῖ’ ἐκάλυψε,
τοὶ μὲν δαίμονες ἁγνοὶ ἐπιχθόνιοι καλέονται
ἐσθλοί, ἀλεξίκακοι, φύλακες θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων,
[οἵ ῥα φυλάσσουσίν τε δίκας καὶ σχέτλια ἔργα
ἠέρα ἑσσάμενοι πάντη φοιτῶντες ἐπ’ αἶαν,]
πλουτοδόται· καὶ τοῦτο γέρας βασιλήιον ἔσχον.

Or if you will, I will sum you up another tale
well and skilfully —and do you lay it up in your heart,
how the gods and mortal men sprang from one source.

First of all the deathless gods who dwell on Olympus
made a golden race of mortal men who lived in the time
of Cronos when he was reigning in heaven.
And they lived like gods without sorrow of heart,
remote and free from toil and grief: miserable age
rested not on them; but with legs and arms never failing
they made merry with feasting beyond the reach of all evils.
When they died, it was as though they were overcome
with sleep, and they had all good things;
for the fruitful earth unforced bare them
fruit abundantly and without stint. They dwelt in ease
and peace upon their lands with many good things,
rich in flocks and loved by the blessed gods.
After earth covered this generation,
they are called pure spirits dwelling on the earth, and are
kindly, delivering from harm, and guardians of mortal men;
for they roam everywhere over the earth, clothed in mist
and keep watch on judgements and cruel deeds,
givers of wealth; for this royal right also they received.

Δεύτερον αὖτε γένος πολὺ χειρότερον μετόπισθεν
ἀργύρεον ποίησαν Ὀλύμπια δώματ’ ἔχοντες,
χρυσέῳ οὔτε φυὴν ἐναλίγκιον οὔτε νόημα.
130 ἀλλ’ ἑκατὸν μὲν παῖς ἔτεα παρὰ μητέρι κεδνῇ
ἐτρέφετ’ ἀτάλλων, μέγα νήπιος, ᾧ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ.
ἀλλ’ ὅτ’ ἄρ’ ἡβήσαι τε καὶ ἥβης μέτρον ἵκοιτο,
παυρίδιον ζώεσκον ἐπὶ χρόνον, ἄλγε’ ἔχοντες
ἀφραδίῃς· ὕβριν γὰρ ἀτάσθαλον οὐκ ἐδύναντο
ἀλλήλων ἀπέχειν, οὐδ’ ἀθανάτους θεραπεύειν
ἤθελον οὐδ’ ἔρδειν μακάρων ἱεροῖς ἐπὶ βωμοῖς,
ἣ θέμις ἀνθρώποις κατὰ ἤθεα. τοὺς μὲν ἔπειτα
Ζεὺς Κρονίδης ἔκρυψε χολούμενος, οὕνεκα τιμὰς
οὐκ ἔδιδον μακάρεσσι θεοῖς, οἳ Ὄλυμπον ἔχουσιν.
140 αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο γένος κατὰ γαῖ’ ἐκάλυψε,
τοὶ μὲν ὑποχθόνιοι μάκαρες θνητοῖς καλέονται,
δεύτεροι, ἀλλ’ ἔμπης τιμὴ καὶ τοῖσιν ὀπηδεῖ.

Ζεὺς δὲ πατὴρ τρίτον ἄλλο γένος μερόπων ἀνθρώπων
χάλκειον ποίησ’, οὐκ ἀργυρέῳ οὐδὲν ὁμοῖον,
ἐκ μελιᾶν, δεινόν τε καὶ ὄβριμον· οἷσιν Ἄρηος
ἔργ’ ἔμελεν στονόεντα καὶ ὕβριες· οὐδέ τι σῖτον
ἤσθιον, ἀλλ’ ἀδάμαντος ἔχον κρατερόφρονα θυμόν,
[ἄπλαστοι· μεγάλη δὲ βίη καὶ χεῖρες ἄαπτοι
ἐξ ὤμων ἐπέφυκον ἐπὶ στιβαροῖσι μέλεσσιν.]
150 ὧν δ’ ἦν χάλκεα μὲν τεύχεα, χάλκεοι δέ τε οἶκοι
χαλκῷ δ’ εἰργάζοντο· μέλας δ’ οὐκ ἔσκε σίδηρος.
καὶ τοὶ μὲν χείρεσσιν ὕπο σφετέρῃσι δαμέντες
βῆσαν ἐς εὐρώεντα δόμον κρυεροῦ Αίδαο
νώνυμνοι· θάνατος δὲ καὶ ἐκπάγλους περ ἐόντας
εἷλε μέλας, λαμπρὸν δ’ ἔλιπον φάος ἠελίοιο.

Then they who dwell on Olympus made a second
generation which was of silver and less noble by far.
It was like the golden race neither in body nor in spirit.
A child was brought up at his good mother’s side an hundred years,
an utter simpleton, playing childishly in his own home. But when
they were full grown and were come to the full measure of their prime,
they lived only a little time in sorrow because of their foolishness,
for they could not keep from sinning and from wronging
one another, nor would they serve the immortals,
nor sacrifice on the holy altars of the blessed ones
as it is right for men to do wherever they dwell. Then
Zeus the son of Cronos was angry and put them away,
because they would not give honour
to the blessed gods who live on Olympus.
When earth covered this generation also,
they are called blessed spirits of the underworld by men,
and, though they are of second order, yet honour attends them also.

Zeus the Father then made a third generation
of mortal men, a brazen race, sprung from ash-trees [meliai];
and it was in no way equal to the silver age, but was terrible and strong.
They loved the lamentable works of Ares and deeds of violence;
they ate no bread, but were hard of heart like adamant, fearful men.
Great was their strength and unconquerable the arms
which grew from their shoulders on their strong limbs.
Their armour was of bronze, and their houses of bronze,
and of bronze were their implements: there was no black iron.
These were destroyed by their own hands and passed
to the dank house of chill Hades, and left no name:
terrible though they were, black Death seized them,
and they left the bright light of the sun.

Αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο γένος κατὰ γαῖ’ ἐκάλυψεν,
αὖτις ἔτ’ ἄλλο τέταρτον ἐπὶ χθονὶ πουλυβοτείρῃ
Ζεὺς Κρονίδης ποίησε, δικαιότερον καὶ ἄρειον,
ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων θεῖον γένος, οἳ καλέονται
160 ἡμίθεοι, προτέρη γενεὴ κατ’ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν.
καὶ τοὺς μὲν πόλεμός τε κακὸς καὶ φύλοπις αἰνή,
τοὺς μὲν ὑφ’ ἑπταπύλῳ Θήβῃ, Καδμηίδι γαίῃ,
ὤλεσε μαρναμένους μήλων ἕνεκ’ Οἰδιπόδαο,
τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἐν νήεσσιν ὑπὲρ μέγα λαῖτμα θαλάσσης
ἐς Τροίην ἀγαγὼν Ἑλένης ἕνεκ’ ἠυκόμοιο.
[ἔνθ’ ἦ τοι τοὺς μὲν θανάτου τέλος ἀμφεκάλυψε,]
τοῖς δὲ δίχ’ ἀνθρώπων βίοτον καὶ ἤθε’ ὀπάσσας
Ζεὺς Κρονίδης κατένασσε πατὴρ ἐς πείρατα γαίης.
170 καὶ τοὶ μὲν ναίουσιν ἀκηδέα θυμὸν ἔχοντες
ἐν μακάρων νήσοισι παρ’ Ὠκεανὸν βαθυδίνην,
ὄλβιοι ἥρωες, τοῖσιν μελιηδέα καρπὸν
τρὶς ἔτεος θάλλοντα φέρει ζείδωρος ἄρουρα. [173]
τηλοῦ ἀπ’ ἀθανάτων· τοῖσιν Κρόνος ἐμβασιλεύει. [169]
τοῦ γὰρ δεσμὸν ἔλυσε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε. [169a]
τοῖσι δ’ ὁμῶς ν]εάτοις τιμὴ καὶ κῦδος ὀπηδεῖ. [169b]

But when earth had covered this generation also,
Zeus the son of Cronos made yet another, the fourth,
upon the fruitful earth, which was nobler and more righteous,
a god-like race of hero-men who are called demi-gods,
the race before our own, throughout the boundless earth.
Grim war and dread battle destroyed a part of them,
some in the land of Cadmus at seven-gated Thebe
when they fought for the flocks of Oedipus, and some,
when it had brought them in ships over the great sea gulf
to Troy for rich-haired Helen’s sake;
there death’s end enshrouded a part of them.
But to the others father Zeus the son of Cronos gave a living
and an abode apart from men, and made them dwell at the ends
of earth. And they live untouched by sorrow in the islands
of the blessed along the shore of deep swirling Ocean,
happy heroes for whom the grain-giving earth bears
honey-sweet fruit flourishing thrice a year,
far from the deathless gods, and Cronos rules over them;
for the father of men and gods released him from his bonds.
And these last equally have honour and glory.

Πέμπτον δ’ αὖτις ἔτ’ ἄ]λλο γένος θῆκ’ εὐρύοπα Ζεὺς [169c]
ἀνδρῶν, οἳ γεγάασιν ἐπὶ χθονὶ πουλυβοτείρῃ. [169d]
μηκέτ’ ἔπειτ’ ὤφελλον ἐγὼ πέμπτοισι μετεῖναι [174]
ἀνδράσιν, ἀλλ’ ἢ πρόσθε θανεῖν ἢ ἔπειτα γενέσθαι. [175]
νῦν γὰρ δὴ γένος ἐστὶ σιδήρεον· οὐδέ ποτ’ ἦμαρ
παύονται καμάτου καὶ ὀιζύος, οὐδέ τι νύκτωρ
φθειρόμενοι. χαλεπὰς δὲ θεοὶ δώσουσι μερίμνας·
ἀλλ’ ἔμπης καὶ τοῖσι μεμείξεται ἐσθλὰ κακοῖσιν.
180 Ζεὺς δ’ ὀλέσει καὶ τοῦτο γένος μερόπων ἀνθρώπων,
εὖτ’ ἂν γεινόμενοι πολιοκρόταφοι τελέθωσιν.
οὐδὲ πατὴρ παίδεσσιν ὁμοίιος οὐδέ τι παῖδες,
οὐδὲ ξεῖνος ξεινοδόκῳ καὶ ἑταῖρος ἑταίρῳ,
οὐδὲ κασίγνητος φίλος ἔσσεται, ὡς τὸ πάρος περ.
αἶψα δὲ γηράσκοντας ἀτιμήσουσι τοκῆας·
μέμψονται δ’ ἄρα τοὺς χαλεποῖς βάζοντες ἔπεσσι
σχέτλιοι οὐδὲ θεῶν ὄπιν εἰδότες· οὐδέ κεν οἵ γε
γηράντεσσι τοκεῦσιν ἀπὸ θρεπτήρια δοῖεν
[χειροδίκαι· ἕτερος δ’ ἑτέρου πόλιν ἐξαλαπάξει.]

190 οὐδέ τις εὐόρκου χάρις ἔσσεται οὔτε δικαίου
οὔτ’ ἀγαθοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ κακῶν ῥεκτῆρα καὶ ὕβριν
ἀνέρες αἰνήσουσι· δίκη δ’ ἐν χερσί, καὶ αἰδὼς
οὐκ ἔσται· βλάψει δ’ ὁ κακὸς τὸν ἀρείονα φῶτα
μύθοισιν σκολιοῖς ἐνέπων, ἐπὶ δ’ ὅρκον ὀμεῖται.
ζῆλος δ’ ἀνθρώποισιν ὀιζυροῖσιν ἅπασι
δυσκέλαδος κακόχαρτος ὁμαρτήσει, στυγερώπης.
καὶ τότε δὴ πρὸς Ὄλυμπον ἀπὸ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης
λευκοῖσιν φάρεσσι καλυψαμένα χρόα καλὸν
ἀθανάτων μετὰ φῦλον ἴτον προλιπόντ’ ἀνθρώπους
200 Αἰδὼς καὶ Νέμεσις· τὰ δὲ λείψεται ἄλγεα λυγρὰ
θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποισι· κακοῦ δ’ οὐκ ἔσσεται ἀλκή.

And again far-seeing Zeus made yet another generation,
the fifth, of men who are upon the bounteous earth.
Thereafter, would that I were not among the men of the fifth
generation, but either had died before or been born afterwards.
For now truly is a race of iron, and men never rest
from labour and sorrow by day, and from perishing by night;
and the gods shall lay sore trouble upon them.
But, notwithstanding, even these shall have
some good mingled with their evils.
And Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men also
when they come to have grey hair on the temples at their birth.
The father will not agree with his children, nor the children with their father,
nor guest with his host, nor comrade with comrade;
nor will brother be dear to brother as aforetime.
Men will dishonour their parents as they grow quickly old,
and will carp at them, chiding them with bitter words,
hard-hearted they, not knowing the fear of the gods.
They will not repay their aged parents the cost their nurture,
for might shall be their right: and one man will sack another’s city.

There will be no favour for the man who keeps his oath or for the just
or for the good; but rather men will praise the evil-doer
and his violent dealing. Strength will be right and reverence
will cease to be; and the wicked will hurt the worthy man,
speaking false words against him, and will swear an oath upon them.
Envy, foul-mouthed, delighting in evil, with scowling face,
will go along with wretched men one and all. And then Aidos
and Nemesis [shame of wrongdoing and indignation against the wrongdoer],
with their sweet forms wrapped in white robes, will go
from the wide-pathed earth and forsake mankind to join
the company of the deathless gods; and bitter sorrows will be left
for mortal men, and there will be no help against evil.

Νῦν δ’ αἶνον βασιλεῦσιν ἐρέω φρονέουσι καὶ αὐτοῖς·
ὧδ’ ἴρηξ προσέειπεν ἀηδόνα ποικιλόδειρον
ὕψι μάλ’ ἐν νεφέεσσι φέρων ὀνύχεσσι μεμαρπώς·
ἣ δ’ ἐλεόν, γναμπτοῖσι πεπαρμένη ἀμφ’ ὀνύχεσσι,
μύρετο· τὴν ὅγ’ ἐπικρατέως πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν·

“Δαιμονίη, τί λέληκας; ἔχει νύ σε πολλὸν ἀρείων·
τῇ δ’ εἶς, ᾗ σ’ ἂν ἐγώ περ ἄγω καὶ ἀοιδὸν ἐοῦσαν·
δεῖπνον δ’, αἴ κ’ ἐθέλω, ποιήσομαι ἠὲ μεθήσω.
210 ἄφρων δ’, ὅς κ’ ἐθέλῃ πρὸς κρείσσονας ἀντιφερίζειν·
νίκης τε στέρεται πρός τ’ αἴσχεσιν ἄλγεα πάσχει.”

Ὣς ἔφατ’ ὠκυπέτης ἴρηξ, τανυσίπτερος ὄρνις.

Ὦ Πέρση, σὺ δ’ ἄκουε δίκης, μηδ’ ὕβριν ὄφελλε·
ὕβρις γάρ τε κακὴ δειλῷ βροτῷ· οὐδὲ μὲν ἐσθλὸς
ῥηιδίως φερέμεν δύναται, βαρύθει δέ θ’ ὑπ’ αὐτῆς
ἐγκύρσας ἄτῃσιν· ὁδὸς δ’ ἑτέρηφι παρελθεῖν
κρείσσων ἐς τὰ δίκαια· Δίκη δ’ ὑπὲρ Ὕβριος ἴσχει
ἐς τέλος ἐξελθοῦσα· παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.
αὐτίκα γὰρ τρέχει Ὅρκος ἅμα σκολιῇσι δίκῃσιν.
220 τῆς δὲ Δίκης ῥόθος ἑλκομένης, ᾗ κ’ ἄνδρες ἄγωσι
δωροφάγοι, σκολιῇς δὲ δίκῃς κρίνωσι θέμιστας.
ἣ δ’ ἕπεται κλαίουσα πόλιν καὶ ἤθεα λαῶν,
ἠέρα ἑσσαμένη, κακὸν ἀνθρώποισι φέρουσα,
οἵ τε μιν ἐξελάσωσι καὶ οὐκ ἰθεῖαν ἔνειμαν.

And now I will tell a fable for kings who themselves understand.
Thus said the hawk to the nightingale with speckled neck,
while he carried her high up among the clouds,
gripped fast in his talons,
and she, pierced by his crooked talons,
cried pitifully. To her he spoke disdainfully:

“Miserable thing, why do you cry out? One far stronger
than you now holds you fast, and you must go
wherever I take you, songstress as you are.
And if I please I will make my meal of you, or let you go.
He is a fool who tries to withstand the stronger, for he does not
get the mastery and suffers pain besides his shame.”

So said the swiftly flying hawk, the long-winged bird.

But you, Perses, listen to right and do not foster violence;
for violence is bad for a poor man. Even the prosperous
cannot easily bear its burden, but is weighed down under it
when he has fallen into delusion. The better path is to go
by on the other side towards justice; for Justice beats Outrage
when she comes at length to the end of the race.
But only when he has suffered does the fool learn this.
For Oath keeps pace with wrong judgements. There is a noise
when Justice is being dragged in the way where those
who devour bribes and give sentence with crooked judgements,
take her. And she, wrapped in mist, follows to the city and haunts
of the people, weeping, and bringing mischief to men, even to such
as have driven her forth in that they did not deal straightly with her.

Οἳ δὲ δίκας ξείνοισι καὶ ἐνδήμοισι διδοῦσιν
ἰθείας καὶ μή τι παρεκβαίνουσι δικαίου,
τοῖσι τέθηλε πόλις, λαοὶ δ’ ἀνθεῦσιν ἐν αὐτῇ·
εἰρήνη δ’ ἀνὰ γῆν κουροτρόφος, οὐδέ ποτ’ αὐτοῖς
ἀργαλέον πόλεμον τεκμαίρεται εὐρύοπα Ζεύς·
230 οὐδέ ποτ’ ἰθυδίκῃσι μετ’ ἀνδράσι λιμὸς ὀπηδεῖ
οὐδ’ ἄτη, θαλίῃς δὲ μεμηλότα ἔργα νέμονται.
τοῖσι φέρει μὲν γαῖα πολὺν βίον, οὔρεσι δὲ δρῦς
ἄκρη μέν τε φέρει βαλάνους, μέσση δὲ μελίσσας·
εἰροπόκοι δ’ ὄιες μαλλοῖς καταβεβρίθασιν·
τίκτουσιν δὲ γυναῖκες ἐοικότα τέκνα γονεῦσιν·
θάλλουσιν δ’ ἀγαθοῖσι διαμπερές· οὐδ’ ἐπὶ νηῶν
νίσσονται, καρπὸν δὲ φέρει ζείδωρος ἄρουρα.

οἷς δ’ ὕβρις τε μέμηλε κακὴ καὶ σχέτλια ἔργα,
τοῖς δὲ δίκην Κρονίδης τεκμαίρεται εὐρύοπα Ζεύς.
240 πολλάκι καὶ ξύμπασα πόλις κακοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀπηύρα,
ὅς κεν ἀλιτραίνῃ καὶ ἀτάσθαλα μηχανάαται.
τοῖσιν δ’ οὐρανόθεν μέγ’ ἐπήγαγε πῆμα Κρονίων
λιμὸν ὁμοῦ καὶ λοιμόν· ἀποφθινύθουσι δὲ λαοί.
[οὐδὲ γυναῖκες τίκτουσιν, μινύθουσι δὲ οἶκοι
Ζηνὸς φραδμοσύνῃσιν Ὀλυμπίου· ἄλλοτε δ’ αὖτε]
ἢ τῶν γε στρατὸν εὐρὺν ἀπώλεσεν ἢ ὅ γε τεῖχος
ἢ νέας ἐν πόντῳ Κρονίδης ἀποαίνυται αὐτῶν.

They who give straight judgements to strangers and to
the men of the land, and go not aside from what is just,
their city flourishes, and the people prosper in it;
Peace, the nurse of children, is abroad in their land,
and all-seeing Zeus never decrees cruel war against them.
Neither famine nor disaster ever haunt men who do true justice;
but light-heartedly they tend the fields which are all their care.
The earth bears them victual in plenty, and on the mountains
the oak bears acorns upon the top and bees in the midst.
Their woolly sheep are laden with fleeces; their women
bear children like their parents. They flourish continually
with good things, and do not travel on ships,
for the grain-giving earth bears them fruit.

But for those who practise violence and cruel deeds
far-seeing Zeus, the son of Cronos, ordains a punishment.
Often even a whole city suffers for a bad man who sins
and devises presumptuous deeds, and the son of Cronos
lays great trouble upon the people,
famine and plague together, so that the men perish away,
and their women do not bear children, and their houses
become few, through the contriving of Olympian Zeus.
And again, at another time, the son of Cronos
either destroys their wide army, or their walls,
or else makes an end of their ships on the sea.

Ὦ βασιλῆς, ὑμεῖς δὲ καταφράζεσθε καὶ αὐτοὶ
τήνδε δίκην· ἐγγὺς γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἐόντες
250 ἀθάνατοι φράζονται, ὅσοι σκολιῇσι δίκῃσιν
ἀλλήλους τρίβουσι θεῶν ὄπιν οὐκ ἀλέγοντες.
τρὶς γὰρ μύριοί εἰσιν ἐπὶ χθονὶ πουλυβοτείρῃ
ἀθάνατοι Ζηνὸς φύλακες θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων·
οἵ ῥα φυλάσσουσίν τε δίκας καὶ σχέτλια ἔργα
ἠέρα ἑσσάμενοι, πάντη φοιτῶντες ἐπ’ αἶαν.
ἡ δέ τε παρθένος ἐστὶ Δίκη, Διὸς ἐκγεγαυῖα,
κυδρή τ’ αἰδοίη τε θεῶν, οἳ Ὄλυμπον ἔχουσιν.
καί ῥ’ ὁπότ’ ἄν τίς μιν βλάπτῃ σκολιῶς ὀνοτάζων,
αὐτίκα πὰρ Διὶ πατρὶ καθεζομένη Κρονίωνι
260 γηρύετ’ ἀνθρώπων ἄδικον νόον, ὄφρ’ ἀποτίσῃ
δῆμος ἀτασθαλίας βασιλέων, οἳ λυγρὰ νοεῦντες
ἄλλῃ παρκλίνωσι δίκας σκολιῶς ἐνέποντες.
ταῦτα φυλασσόμενοι, βασιλῆς, ἰθύνετε δίκας
δωροφάγοι, σκολιέων δὲ δικέων ἐπὶ πάγχυ λάθεσθε.

οἷ γ’ αὐτῷ κακὰ τεύχει ἀνὴρ ἄλλῳ κακὰ τεύχων,
ἡ δὲ κακὴ βουλὴ τῷ βουλεύσαντι κακίστη.
Πάντα ἰδὼν Διὸς ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ πάντα νοήσας
καί νυ τάδ’, αἴ κ’ ἐθέλῃσ’, ἐπιδέρκεται, οὐδέ ἑ λήθει,
οἵην δὴ καὶ τήνδε δίκην πόλις ἐντὸς ἐέργει.
270 νῦν δὴ ἐγὼ μήτ’ αὐτὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποισι δίκαιος
εἴην μήτ’ ἐμὸς υἱός· ἐπεὶ κακὸν ἄνδρα δίκαιον
ἔμμεναι, εἰ μείζω γε δίκην ἀδικώτερος ἕξει·
ἀλλὰ τά γ’ οὔ πω ἔολπα τελεῖν Δία μητιόεντα.

You kings, mark well this punishment you also;
for the deathless gods are near among men and mark
all those who oppress their fellows with crooked judgements,
and reck not the anger of the gods. For upon the bounteous earth
Zeus has thrice ten thousand spirits, watchers of mortal men,
and these keep watch on judgements and deeds of wrong
as they roam, clothed in mist, all over the earth.
And there is virgin Justice, the daughter of Zeus, who is honoured
and reverenced among the gods who dwell on Olympus,
and whenever anyone hurts her with lying slander,
she sits beside her father, Zeus the son of Cronos,
and tells him of men’s wicked heart, until the people pay
for the mad folly of their kings who, evilly minded,
pervert judgement and give sentence crookedly.
Keep watch against this, you kings, and make straight
your judgements, you who devour bribes;
put crooked judgements altogether from your thoughts.

He does mischief to himself who does mischief
to another, and evil planned harms the plotter most.
The eye of Zeus, seeing all and understanding all,
beholds these things too, if so he will, and fails not to mark
what sort of justice is this that the city keeps within it.
Now, therefore, may neither I myself be righteous among men,
nor my son —for then it is a bad thing to be righteous
—if indeed the unrighteous shall have the greater right.
But I think that all-wise Zeus will not yet bring that to pass.

Ὦ Πέρση, σὺ δὲ ταῦτα μετὰ φρεσὶ βάλλεο σῇσι,
καὶ νυ δίκης ἐπάκουε, βίης δ’ ἐπιλήθεο πάμπαν.
τόνδε γὰρ ἀνθρώποισι νόμον διέταξε Κρονίων
ἰχθύσι μὲν καὶ θηρσὶ καὶ οἰωνοῖς πετεηνοῖς
ἐσθέμεν ἀλλήλους, ἐπεὶ οὐ δίκη ἐστὶ μετ’ αὐτοῖς·
ἀνθρώποισι δ’ ἔδωκε δίκην, ἣ πολλὸν ἀρίστη
280 γίγνεται· εἰ γάρ τίς κ’ ἐθέλῃ τὰ δίκαι’ ἀγορεῦσαι
γιγνώσκων, τῷ μέν τ’ ὄλβον διδοῖ εὐρύοπα Ζεύς·
ὃς δέ κε μαρτυρίῃσι ἑκὼν ἐπίορκον ὀμόσσας
ψεύσεται, ἐν δὲ δίκην βλάψας νήκεστον ἀασθῇ,
τοῦ δέ τ’ ἀμαυροτέρη γενεὴ μετόπισθε λέλειπται·
ἀνδρὸς δ’ εὐόρκου γενεὴ μετόπισθεν ἀμείνων.

Σοὶ δ’ ἐγὼ ἐσθλὰ νοέων ἐρέω, μέγα νήπιε Πέρση.
τὴν μέν τοι κακότητα καὶ ἰλαδὸν ἔστιν ἑλέσθαι
ῥηιδίως· λείη μὲν ὁδός, μάλα δ’ ἐγγύθι ναίει·
τῆς δ’ ἀρετῆς ἱδρῶτα θεοὶ προπάροιθεν ἔθηκαν
290 ἀθάνατοι· μακρὸς δὲ καὶ ὄρθιος οἶμος ἐς αὐτὴν
καὶ τρηχὺς τὸ πρῶτον· ἐπὴν δ’ εἰς ἄκρον ἵκηται,
ῥηιδίη δὴ ἔπειτα πέλει, χαλεπή περ ἐοῦσα.
Οὗτος μὲν πανάριστος, ὃς αὐτὸς πάντα νοήσῃ
[φρασσάμενος, τά κ’ ἔπειτα καὶ ἐς τέλος ᾖσιν ἀμείνω]·
ἐσθλὸς δ’ αὖ κἀκεῖνος, ὃς εὖ εἰπόντι πίθηται·
ὃς δέ κε μήτ’ αὐτὸς νοέῃ μήτ’ ἄλλου ἀκούων
ἐν θυμῷ βάλληται, ὃ δ’ αὖτ’ ἀχρήιος ἀνήρ.

But you, Perses, lay up these things within you heart
and listen now to right, ceasing altogether to think of violence.
For the son of Cronos has ordained this law for men,
that fishes and beasts and winged fowls
should devour one another, for right is not in them;
but to mankind he gave right which proves far the best.
For whoever knows the right and is ready to speak it,
far-seeing Zeus gives him prosperity; but whoever
deliberately lies in his witness and forswears himself,
and so hurts Justice and sins beyond repair,
that man’s generation is left obscure thereafter.
But the generation of the man who swears truly
is better thenceforward.

To you, foolish Perses, I will speak good sense.
Badness can be got easily and in shoals;
the road to her is smooth, and she lives very near us.
But between us and Goodness the gods have placed
the sweat of our brows: long and steep is the path that leads to her,
and it is rough at the first; but when a man has reached the top,
then is she easy to reach, though before that she was hard.
That man is altogether best who considers all things himself
and marks what will be better afterwards and at the end;
and he, again, is good who listens to a good adviser;
but whoever neither thinks for himself nor keeps in mind
what another tells him, he is an unprofitable man.

ἀλλὰ σύ γ’ ἡμετέρης μεμνημένος αἰὲν ἐφετμῆς
ἐργάζευ, Πέρση, δῖον γένος, ὄφρα σε λιμὸς
300 ἐχθαίρῃ, φιλέῃ δέ σ’ ἐυστέφανος Δημήτηρ
αἰδοίη, βιότου δὲ τεὴν πιμπλῇσι καλιήν·
λιμὸς γάρ τοι πάμπαν ἀεργῷ σύμφορος ἀνδρί.
τῷ δὲ θεοὶ νεμεσῶσι καὶ ἀνέρες, ὅς κεν ἀεργὸς
ζώῃ, κηφήνεσσι κοθούροις εἴκελος ὀργήν,
οἵ τε μελισσάων κάματον τρύχουσιν ἀεργοὶ
ἔσθοντες· σοὶ δ’ ἔργα φίλ’ ἔστω μέτρια κοσμεῖν,
ὥς κέ τοι ὡραίου βιότου πλήθωσι καλιαί.
ἐξ ἔργων δ’ ἄνδρες πολύμηλοί τ’ ἀφνειοί τε·
καὶ ἐργαζόμενοι πολὺ φίλτεροι ἀθανάτοισιν.
310 [ἔσσεαι ἠδὲ βροτοῖς· μάλα γὰρ στυγέουσιν ἀεργούς].
ἔργον δ’ οὐδὲν ὄνειδος, ἀεργίη δέ τ’ ὄνειδος.
εἰ δέ κε ἐργάζῃ, τάχα σε ζηλώσει ἀεργὸς
πλουτεῦντα· πλούτῳ δ’ ἀρετὴ καὶ κῦδος ὀπηδεῖ.
δαίμονι δ’ οἷος ἔησθα, τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι ἄμεινον,
εἴ κεν ἀπ’ ἀλλοτρίων κτεάνων ἀεσίφρονα θυμὸν
εἰς ἔργον τρέψας μελετᾷς βίου, ὥς σε κελεύω.

αἰδὼς δ’ οὐκ ἀγαθὴ κεχρημένον ἄνδρα κομίζει,
αἰδώς, ἥ τ’ ἄνδρας μέγα σίνεται ἠδ’ ὀνίνησιν.
αἰδώς τοι πρὸς ἀνολβίῃ, θάρσος δὲ πρὸς ὄλβῳ.
320 χρήματα δ’ οὐχ ἁρπακτά, θεόσδοτα πολλὸν ἀμείνω.
εἰ γάρ τις καὶ χερσὶ βίῃ μέγαν ὄλβον ἕληται,
ἢ ὅ γ’ ἀπὸ γλώσσης ληίσσεται, οἷά τε πολλὰ
γίγνεται, εὖτ’ ἂν δὴ κέρδος νόον ἐξαπατήσῃ
ἀνθρώπων, αἰδῶ δέ τ’ ἀναιδείη κατοπάζῃ·
ῥεῖα δέ μιν μαυροῦσι θεοί, μινύθουσι δὲ οἶκον
ἀνέρι τῷ, παῦρον δέ τ’ ἐπὶ χρόνον ὄλβος ὀπηδεῖ.

But do you at any rate, always remembering my charge,
work, high-born Perses, that Hunger may hate you,
and venerable Demeter richly crowned
may love you and fill your barn with food;
for Hunger is altogether a meet comrade for the sluggard.
Both gods and men are angry with a man who lives idle,
for in nature he is like the stingless drones who waste
the labour of the bees, eating without working;
but let it be your care to order your work properly,
that in the right season your barns may be full of victual.
Through work men grow rich in flocks and substance,
and working they are much better loved by the immortals.
Work is no disgrace: it is idleness which is a disgrace.
But if you work, the idle will soon envy you
as you grow rich, for fame and renown attend on wealth.
And whatever be your lot, work is best for you,
if you turn your misguided mind away
from other men’s property to your work
and attend to your livelihood as I bid you.

An evil shame is the needy man’s companion,
shame which both greatly harms and prospers men;
shame is with poverty, but confidence with wealth.
Wealth should not be seized: god-given wealth is much better;
for it a man take great wealth violently and perforce,
or if he steal it through his tongue, as often happens
when gain deceives men’s sense
and dishonour tramples down honour,
the gods soon blot him out and make that man’s house low,
and wealth attends him only for a little time.

Ἶσον δ’ ὅς θ’ ἱκέτην ὅς τε ξεῖνον κακὸν ἔρξῃ,
ὅς τε κασιγνήτοιο ἑοῦ ἀνὰ δέμνια βαίνῃ
κρυπταδίης εὐνῆς ἀλόχου, παρακαίρια ῥέζων,
330 ὅς τέ τευ ἀφραδίῃς ἀλιταίνεται ὀρφανὰ τέκνα,
ὅς τε γονῆα γέροντα κακῷ ἐπὶ γήραος οὐδῷ
νεικείῃ χαλεποῖσι καθαπτόμενος ἐπέεσσιν·
τῷ δ’ ἦ τοι Ζεὺς αὐτὸς ἀγαίεται, ἐς δὲ τελευτὴν
ἔργων ἀντ’ ἀδίκων χαλεπὴν ἐπέθηκεν ἀμοιβήν.
ἀλλὰ σὺ τῶν μὲν πάμπαν ἔεργ’ ἀεσίφρονα θυμόν.
Κὰδ δύναμιν δ’ ἔρδειν ἱέρ’ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσιν
ἁγνῶς καὶ καθαρῶς, ἐπὶ δ’ ἀγλαὰ μηρία καίειν·
ἄλλοτε δὲ σπονδῇσι θύεσσί τε ἱλάσκεσθαι,
ἠμὲν ὅτ’ εὐνάζῃ καὶ ὅτ’ ἂν φάος ἱερὸν ἔλθῃ,
340 ὥς κέ τοι ἵλαον κραδίην καὶ θυμὸν ἔχωσιν,
ὄφρ’ ἄλλων ὠνῇ κλῆρον, μὴ τὸν τεὸν ἄλλος.

Τὸν φιλέοντ’ ἐπὶ δαῖτα καλεῖν, τὸν δ’ ἐχθρὸν ἐᾶσαι·
τὸν δὲ μάλιστα καλεῖν, ὅς τις σέθεν ἐγγύθι ναίει·
εἰ γάρ τοι καὶ χρῆμ’ ἐγχώριον ἄλλο γένηται,
γείτονες ἄζωστοι ἔκιον, ζώσαντο δὲ πηοί.
πῆμα κακὸς γείτων, ὅσσον τ’ ἀγαθὸς μέγ’ ὄνειαρ.
ἔμμορέ τοι τιμῆς, ὅς τ’ ἔμμορε γείτονος ἐσθλοῦ.
οὐδ’ ἂν βοῦς ἀπόλοιτ’, εἰ μὴ γείτων κακὸς εἴη.
εὖ μὲν μετρεῖσθαι παρὰ γείτονος, εὖ δ’ ἀποδοῦναι,
350 αὐτῷ τῷ μέτρῳ, καὶ λώιον, αἴ κε δύνηαι,
ὡς ἂν χρηίζων καὶ ἐς ὕστερον ἄρκιον εὕρῃς.

Alike with him who does wrong to a suppliant or a guest,
or who goes up to his brother’s bed and commits
unnatural sin in lying with his wife,
or who infatuately offends against fatherless children,
or who abuses his old father at the cheerless threshold
of old age and attacks him with harsh words,
truly Zeus himself is angry, and at the last lays on him
a heavy requittal for his evil doing.
But do you turn your foolish heart altogether
away from these things, and, as far as you are able.
And according to your ability [rank] sacrifice to the deathless gods
purely and cleanly, and burn rich meats also,
and at other times propitiate them with libations and incense,
both when you go to bed and when the holy light has come back,
that they may be gracious to you in heart and spirit,
and so you may buy another’s holding and not another yours.

Call your friend to a feast; but leave your enemy alone;
and especially call him who lives near you; for if any
mischief happen in the place, neighbours come ungirt,
but kinsmen stay to gird themselves. A bad neighbour
is as great a plague as a good one is a great blessing;
he who enjoys a good neighbour has a precious possession.
Not even an ox would die but for a bad neighbour.
Take fair measure from your neighbour and pay him back
fairly with the same measure, or better, if you can;
so that if you are in need afterwards, you may find him sure.

Μὴ κακὰ κερδαίνειν· κακὰ κέρδεα ἶσ’ ἀάτῃσιν.
τὸν φιλέοντα φιλεῖν, καὶ τῷ προσιόντι προσεῖναι.
καὶ δόμεν, ὅς κεν δῷ, καὶ μὴ δόμεν, ὅς κεν μὴ δῷ.
δώτῃ μέν τις ἔδωκεν, ἀδώτῃ δ’ οὔτις ἔδωκεν.
δὼς ἀγαθή, ἅρπαξ δὲ κακή, θανάτοιο δότειρα.
ὃς μὲν γάρ κεν ἀνὴρ ἐθέλων, ὅ γε, κεἰ μέγα δοίη,
χαίρει τῷ δώρῳ καὶ τέρπεται ὃν κατὰ θυμόν·
ὃς δέ κεν αὐτὸς ἕληται ἀναιδείηφι πιθήσας,
360 καί τε σμικρὸν ἐόν, τό γ’ ἐπάχνωσεν φίλον ἦτορ. 

ὃς δ’ ἐπ’ ἐόντι φέρει, ὃ δ’ ἀλέξεται αἴθοπα λιμόν· [363]
εἰ γάρ κεν καὶ σμικρὸν ἐπὶ σμικρῷ καταθεῖο [361]
καὶ θαμὰ τοῦτ’ ἔρδοις, τάχα κεν μέγα καὶ τὸ γένοιτο. [362]
οὐδὲ τό γ’ ἐν οἴκῳ κατακείμενον ἀνέρα κήδει.
οἴκοι βέλτερον εἶναι, ἐπεὶ βλαβερὸν τὸ θύρηφιν. [365]
ἐσθλὸν μὲν παρεόντος ἑλέσθαι, πῆμα δὲ θυμῷ
χρηίζειν ἀπεόντος, ἅ σε φράζεσθαι ἄνωγα.
Ἀρχομένου δὲ πίθου καὶ λήγοντος κορέσασθαι,
μεσσόθι φείδεσθαι· δειλὴ δ’ ἐνὶ πυθμένι φειδώ.

Do not get base gain: base gain is as bad as ruin.
Be friends with the friendly, and visit him who visits you.
Give to one who gives, but do not give to one
who does not give. A man gives to the free-handed,
but no one gives to the close-fisted.
Give is a good girl, but Take is bad and she brings death.
For the man who gives willingly, even though
he gives a great thing, rejoices in his gift
and is glad in heart; but whoever gives way
to shamelessness and takes something himself,
even though it be a small thing, it freezes his heart.

He who adds to what he has, will keep off
bright-eyed hunger; for it you add only a little to a little
and do this often, soon that little will become great.
What a man has by him at home does not trouble him;
it is better to have your stuff at home,
for whatever is abroad may mean loss.
It is a good thing to draw on what you have; but
it grieves your heart to need something and not to have it,
and I bid you mark this. Take your fill when the cask
is first opened and when it is nearly spent, but midways
be sparing; it is poor saving when you come to the lees.

370 μισθὸς δ’ ἀνδρὶ φίλῳ εἰρημένος ἄρκιος ἔστω.
καί τε κασιγνήτῳ γελάσας ἐπὶ μάρτυρα θέσθαι.
† πίστεις γάρ τοι † ὁμῶς καὶ ἀπιστίαι ὤλεσαν ἄνδρας.
μὴ δὲ γυνή σε νόον πυγοστόλος ἐξαπατάτω
αἱμύλα κωτίλλουσα, τεὴν διφῶσα καλιήν.
ὃς δὲ γυναικὶ πέποιθε, πέποιθ’ ὅ γε φηλήτῃσιν.
μουνογενὴς δὲ πάις εἴη πατρώιον οἶκον
φερβέμεν ὣς γὰρ πλοῦτος ἀέξεται ἐν μεγάροισιν.
γηραιὸς δὲ θάνοις ἕτερον παῖδ’ ἐγκαταλείπων.
ῥεῖα δέ κεν πλεόνεσσι πόροι Ζεὺς ἄσπετον ὄλβον.
380 πλείων μὲν πλεόνων μελέτη, μείζων δ’ ἐπιθήκη.
σοὶ δ’ εἰ πλούτου θυμὸς ἐέλδεται ἐν φρεσὶν ᾗσιν,
ὧδ’ ἔρδειν, καὶ ἔργον ἐπ’ ἔργῳ ἐργάζεσθαι.

Let the wage promised to a friend be fixed;
even with your brother smile —and get a witness;
for trust and mistrust, alike ruin men.
Do not let a flaunting woman coax and cozen
and deceive you; she is after your barn.
The man who trusts womankind trust deceivers.
There should be an only son, to feed his father’s house,
for so wealth will increase in the home; but if you leave
a second son you should die old. Yet Zeus
can easily give great wealth to a greater number.
More hands mean more work and more increase.
If your heart within you desires wealth,
do these things and work with work upon work.