Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica
(ll. 42-53) 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:
(ll. 54-59) ‘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.’
(ll. 60-68) 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.
(ll. 69-82) 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 1302, because all they who
dwelt on Olympus gave each a gift, a plague to men who eat bread.
(ll. 83-89) But when he had finished the sheer, hopeless snare, the
Father sent glorious Argos-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.
(ll. 90-105) 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 1303 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.
(ll. 106-108) 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.
(ll. 109-120) 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.
(ll. 121-139) But after earth had 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;—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.
(ll. 140-155) But when earth had 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 made a
third generation of mortal men, a brazen race, sprung from ash-trees
1304; 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.
(ll. 156-169b) 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 1305;
for the father of men and gods released him from his bonds. And these
last equally have honour and glory.
(ll. 169c-169d) And again far-seeing Zeus made yet another generation,
the fifth, of men who are upon the bounteous earth.
(ll. 170-201) 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 1306. 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 1307, 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.
(ll. 202-211) And now I will tell a fable for princes 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.
(ll. 212-224) 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.
(ll. 225-237) But 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.
(ll. 238-247) 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