ΗΣΙΟΔΟΣ, ΕΡΓΑ ΚΑΙ ΗΜΕΡΑΙ ΣΤΙΧΟΙ 1 – 382

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.