Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica
heedlessness you have wrought folly past healing; for—be witness the
oath of the gods, the relentless water of Styx—I would have made your
dear son deathless and unageing all his days and would have bestowed on
him everlasting honour, but now he can in no way escape death and the
fates. Yet shall unfailing honour always rest upon him, because he lay
upon my knees and slept in my arms. But, as the years move round and
when he is in his prime, the sons of the Eleusinians shall ever wage
war and dread strife with one another continually. Lo! I am that
Demeter who has share of honour and is the greatest help and cause of
joy to the undying gods and mortal men. But now, let all the people
build me a great temple and an altar below it and beneath the city and
its sheer wall upon a rising hillock above Callichorus. And I myself
will teach my rites, that hereafter you may reverently perform them and
so win the favour of my heart.’
(ll. 275-281) When she had so said, the goddess changed her stature and
her looks, thrusting old age away from her: beauty spread round about
her and a lovely fragrance was wafted from her sweet-smelling robes,
and from the divine body of the goddess a light shone afar, while
golden tresses spread down over her shoulders, so that the strong house
was filled with brightness as with lightning. And so she went out from
the palace.
(ll. 281-291) And straightway Metaneira’s knees were loosed and she
remained speechless for a long while and did not remember to take up
her late-born son from the ground. But his sisters heard his pitiful
wailing and sprang down from their well-spread beds: one of them took
up the child in her arms and laid him in her bosom, while another
revived the fire, and a third rushed with soft feet to bring their
mother from her fragrant chamber. And they gathered about the
struggling child and washed him, embracing him lovingly; but he was not
comforted, because nurses and handmaids much less skilful were holding
him now.
(ll. 292-300) All night long they sought to appease the glorious
goddess, quaking with fear. But, as soon as dawn began to show, they
told powerful Celeus all things without fail, as the lovely-crowned
goddess Demeter charged them. So Celeus called the countless people to
an assembly and bade them make a goodly temple for rich-haired Demeter
and an altar upon the rising hillock. And they obeyed him right
speedily and harkened to his voice, doing as he commanded. As for the
child, he grew like an immortal being.
(ll. 301-320) Now when they had finished building and had drawn back
from their toil, they went every man to his house. But golden-haired
Demeter sat there apart from all the blessed gods and stayed, wasting
with yearning for her deep-bosomed daughter. Then she caused a most
dreadful and cruel year for mankind over the all-nourishing earth: the
ground would not make the seed sprout, for rich-crowned Demeter kept it
hid. In the fields the oxen drew many a curved plough in vain, and much
white barley was cast upon the land without avail. So she would have
destroyed the whole race of man with cruel famine and have robbed them
who dwell on Olympus of their glorious right of gifts and sacrifices,
had not Zeus perceived and marked this in his heart. First he sent
golden-winged Iris to call rich-haired Demeter, lovely in form. So he
commanded. And she obeyed the dark-clouded Son of Cronos, and sped with
swift feet across the space between. She came to the stronghold of
fragrant Eleusis, and there finding dark-cloaked Demeter in her temple,
spake to her and uttered winged words:
(ll. 321-323) ‘Demeter, father Zeus, whose wisdom is everlasting, calls
you to come join the tribes of the eternal gods: come therefore, and
let not the message I bring from Zeus pass unobeyed.’
(ll. 324-333) Thus said Iris imploring her. But Demeter’s heart was not
moved. Then again the father sent forth all the blessed and eternal
gods besides: and they came, one after the other, and kept calling her
and offering many very beautiful gifts and whatever right she might be
pleased to choose among the deathless gods. Yet no one was able to
persuade her mind and will, so wrath was she in her heart; but she
stubbornly rejected all their words: for she vowed that she would never
set foot on fragrant Olympus nor let fruit spring out of the ground,
until she beheld with her eyes her own fair-faced daughter.
(ll. 334-346) Now when all-seeing Zeus the loud-thunderer heard this,
he sent the Slayer of Argus whose wand is of gold to Erebus, so that
having won over Hades with soft words, he might lead forth chaste
Persephone to the light from the misty gloom to join the gods, and that
her mother might see her with her eyes and cease from her anger. And
Hermes obeyed, and leaving the house of Olympus, straightway sprang
down with speed to the hidden places of the earth. And he found the
lord Hades in his house seated upon a couch, and his shy mate with him,
much reluctant, because she yearned for her mother. But she was afar
off, brooding on her fell design because of the deeds of the blessed
gods. And the strong Slayer of Argus drew near and said:
(ll. 347-356) ‘Dark-haired Hades, ruler over the departed, father Zeus
bids me bring noble Persephone forth from Erebus unto the gods, that
her mother may see her with her eyes and cease from her dread anger
with the immortals; for now she plans an awful deed, to destroy the
weakly tribes of earthborn men by keeping seed hidden beneath the
earth, and so she makes an end of the honours of the undying gods. For
she keeps fearful anger and does not consort with the gods, but sits
aloof in her fragrant temple, dwelling in the rocky hold of Eleusis.’
(ll. 357-359) So he said. And Aidoneus, ruler over the dead, smiled
grimly and obeyed the behest of Zeus the king. For he straightway urged
wise Persephone, saying:
(ll. 360-369) ‘Go now, Persephone, to your dark-robed mother, go, and
feel kindly in your heart towards me: be not so exceedingly cast down;
for I shall be no unfitting husband for you among the deathless gods,
that am own brother to father Zeus. And while you are here, you shall
rule all that lives and moves and shall have the greatest rights among
the deathless gods: those who defraud you and do not appease your power
with offerings, reverently performing rites and paying fit gifts, shall
be punished for evermore.’
(ll. 370-383) When he said this, wise Persephone was filled with joy
and hastily sprang up for gladness. But he on his part secretly gave
her sweet pomegranate seed to eat, taking care for himself that she
might not remain continually with grave, dark-robed Demeter. Then
Aidoneus the Ruler of Many openly got ready his deathless horses
beneath the golden chariot. And she mounted on the chariot, and the
strong Slayer of Argos took reins and whip in his dear hands and drove
forth from the hall, the horses speeding readily. Swiftly they
traversed their long course, and neither the sea nor river-waters nor
grassy glens nor mountain-peaks checked the career of the immortal
horses, but they clave the deep air above them as they went. And Hermes
brought them to the place where rich-crowned Demeter was staying and
checked them before her fragrant temple.
(ll. 384-404) And when Demeter saw them, she rushed forth as does a
Maenad down some thick-wooded mountain, while Persephone on the other
side, when she saw her mother’s sweet eyes, left the chariot and
horses, and leaped down to run to her, and falling upon her neck,
embraced her. But while Demeter was still holding her dear child in her
arms, her heart suddenly misgave her for some snare, so that she feared
greatly and ceased fondling her daughter and asked of her at once: ‘My
child, tell me, surely you have not tasted any food while you were
below? Speak out and hide nothing, but let us both know. For if you
have not, you shall come back from loathly Hades and live with me and
your father, the dark-clouded Son of Cronos and be honoured by all the
deathless gods; but if you have tasted food, you must go back again
beneath the secret places of the earth, there to dwell a third part of
the seasons every year: yet for the two parts you shall be with me and
the other deathless gods. But when the earth shall bloom with the
fragrant flowers of spring in every kind, then from the realm of
darkness and gloom thou shalt come up once more to be a wonder for gods
and mortal men. And now tell me how he rapt you away to the realm of
darkness and gloom, and by what trick did the strong Host of Many
beguile you?’
(ll. 405-433) Then beautiful Persephone answered her thus: ‘Mother, I
will tell you all without error. When luck-bringing Hermes came, swift
messenger from my father the Son of Cronos and the other Sons of
Heaven, bidding me come back from Erebus that you might see me with
your eyes and so cease from your anger and fearful wrath against the
gods, I sprang up at once for joy; but he secretly put in my mouth
sweet food, a pomegranate seed, and forced me to taste against my will.
Also I will tell how he rapt me away by the deep plan of my father the
Son of Cronos and carried me off beneath the depths of the earth, and
will relate the whole matter as you ask. All we were playing in a
lovely meadow, Leucippe 2509 and Phaeno and Electra and Ianthe, Melita
also and Iache with Rhodea and Callirhoe and Melobosis and Tyche and
Ocyrhoe, fair as a flower, Chryseis, Ianeira, Acaste and Admete and
Rhodope and Pluto and charming Calypso; Styx too was there and Urania
and lovely Galaxaura with Pallas who rouses battles and Artemis
delighting in arrows: we were playing and gathering sweet flowers in
our hands, soft crocuses mingled with irises and hyacinths, and
rose-blooms and lilies, marvellous to see, and the narcissus which the
wide earth caused to grow yellow as a crocus. That I plucked in my joy;
but the earth parted beneath, and there the strong lord, the Host of
Many, sprang forth and in his golden chariot he bore me away, all
unwilling, beneath the earth: then I cried with a shrill cry. All this
is true, sore though it grieves me to tell the tale.’
(ll. 434-437) So did they turn, with hearts at one, greatly cheer each
the other’s soul and spirit with many an embrace: their heart had
relief from their griefs while each took and gave back joyousness.
(ll. 438-440) Then bright-coiffed Hecate came near to them, and often
did she embrace the daughter of holy Demeter: and from that time the
lady Hecate was minister and companion to Persephone.
(ll. 441-459) And all-seeing Zeus sent a messenger to them, rich-haired
Rhea, to bring dark-cloaked Demeter to join the families of the gods:
and he promised to give her what right she should choose among the
deathless gods and agreed that her daughter should go down for the
third part of the circling year to darkness and gloom, but for the two
parts should live with her mother and the other deathless gods. Thus he
commanded. And the goddess did not disobey the message of Zeus; swiftly
she rushed down from the peaks of Olympus and came to the plain of
Rharus, rich, fertile corn-land once, but then in nowise fruitful, for
it lay idle and utterly leafless, because the white grain was hidden by
design of trim-ankled Demeter. But afterwards, as springtime waxed, it
was soon to be waving with long ears of corn, and its rich furrows to
be loaded with grain upon the ground, while others would already be
bound in sheaves. There first she landed from the fruitless upper air:
and glad were the goddesses to see each other and cheered in heart.
Then bright-coiffed Rhea said to Demeter:
(ll. 460-469) ‘Come, my daughter; for far-seeing Zeus the
loud-thunderer calls you to join the families of the gods, and has