HESIOD, THE HOMERIC HYMNS, AND HOMERICA

This file contains translations of the following works:

Hesiod: "Works and Days", "The Theogony", fragments of "The Cataloguesof Women and the Eoiae", "The Shield of Heracles" (attributed toHesiod), and fragments of various works attributed to Hesiod. 

Homer: "The Homeric Hymns", "The Epigrams of Homer" (both attributed toHomer). 

Various: Fragments of the Epic Cycle (parts of which are sometimesattributed to Homer), fragments of other epic poems attributed to Homer, "The Battle of Frogs and Mice", and "The Contest of Homer and Hesiod". 

This file contains only that portion of the book in English; Greek textsare excluded. Where Greek characters appear in the original Englishtext, transcription in CAPITALS is substituted. 

PREPARER'S NOTE: In order to make this file more accessible to theaverage computer user, the preparer has found it necessary to re-arrangesome of the material. The preparer takes full responsibility for hischoice of arrangement. 

A few endnotes have been added by the preparer, and some additions havebeen supplied to the original endnotes of Mr. Evelyn-White's. Where thisoccurs I have noted the addition with my initials "DBK". Some endnotes, particularly those concerning textual variations in the ancient Greektext, are here omitted. 

PREFACE

This volume contains practically all that remains of the post-Homericand pre-academic epic poetry. 

I have for the most part formed my own text. In the case of Hesiod Ihave been able to use independent collations of several MSS. By Dr. W. H. D. Rouse; otherwise I have depended on the apparatus criticus ofthe several editions, especially that of Rzach (1902). The arrangementadopted in this edition, by which the complete and fragmentary poems arerestored to the order in which they would probably have appeared hadthe Hesiodic corpus survived intact, is unusual, but should not needapology; the true place for the "Catalogues" (for example), fragmentaryas they are, is certainly after the "Theogony". 

In preparing the text of the "Homeric Hymns" my chief debt--and it is aheavy one--is to the edition of Allen and Sikes (1904) and to the seriesof articles in the "Journal of Hellenic Studies" (vols. Xv. Sqq. ) by T. W. Allen. To the same scholar and to the Delegates of the Clarendon Press Iam greatly indebted for permission to use the restorations of the "Hymnto Demeter", lines 387-401 and 462-470, printed in the Oxford Text of1912. 

Of the fragments of the Epic Cycle I have given only such as seemed topossess distinct importance or interest, and in doing so have reliedmostly upon Kinkel's collection and on the fifth volume of the OxfordHomer (1912). 

The texts of the "Batrachomyomachia" and of the "Contest of Homer andHesiod" are those of Baumeister and Flach respectively: where I havediverged from these, the fact has been noted. 

Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Rampton, NR. Cambridge. Sept. 9th, 1914. 

INTRODUCTION

General

The early Greek epic--that is, poetry as a natural and popular, and not(as it became later) an artificial and academic literary form--passedthrough the usual three phases, of development, of maturity, and ofdecline. 

No fragments which can be identified as belonging to the first periodsurvive to give us even a general idea of the history of the earliestepic, and we are therefore thrown back upon the evidence of analogyfrom other forms of literature and of inference from the two greatepics which have come down to us. So reconstructed, the earliest periodappears to us as a time of slow development in which the characteristicepic metre, diction, and structure grew up slowly from crude elementsand were improved until the verge of maturity was reached. 

The second period, which produced the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey", needsno description here: but it is very important to observe the effectof these poems on the course of post-Homeric epic. As the supremeperfection and universality of the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" cast intooblivion whatever pre-Homeric poets had essayed, so these same qualitiesexercised a paralysing influence over the successors of Homer. If theycontinued to sing like their great predecessor of romantic themes, theywere drawn as by a kind of magnetic attraction into the Homeric styleand manner of treatment, and became mere echoes of the Homeric voice: ina word, Homer had so completely exhausted the epic genre, that after himfurther efforts were doomed to be merely conventional. Only the rareand exceptional genius of Vergil and Milton could use the Homeric mediumwithout loss of individuality: and this quality none of the later epicpoets seem to have possessed. Freedom from the domination of the greattradition could only be found by seeking new subjects, and such freedomwas really only illusionary, since romantic subjects alone are suitablefor epic treatment. 

In its third period, therefore, epic poetry shows two divergenttendencies. In Ionia and the islands the epic poets followed the Homerictradition, singing of romantic subjects in the now stereotyped heroicstyle, and showing originality only in their choice of legends hithertoneglected or summarily and imperfectly treated. In continental Greece[1101], on the other hand, but especially in Boeotia, a new form ofepic sprang up, which for the romance and PATHOS of the Ionian Schoolsubstituted the practical and matter-of-fact. It dealt in moral andpractical maxims, in information on technical subjects which areof service in daily life--agriculture, astronomy, augury, and thecalendar--in matters of religion and in tracing the genealogies of men. Its attitude is summed up in the words of the Muses to the writer of the"Theogony": `We can tell many a feigned tale to look like truth, but wecan, when we will, utter the truth' ("Theogony" 26-27). Such a poetrycould not be permanently successful, because the subjects of which ittreats--if susceptible of poetic treatment at all--were certainly notsuited for epic treatment, where unity of action which will sustaininterest, and to which each part should contribute, is absolutelynecessary. While, therefore, an epic like the "Odyssey" is an organismand dramatic in structure, a work such as the "Theogony" is a merelyartificial collocation of facts, and, at best, a pageant. It is notsurprising, therefore, to find that from the first the Boeotian schoolis forced to season its matter with romantic episodes, and that laterit tends more and more to revert (as in the "Shield of Heracles") to theHomeric tradition. 

The Boeotian School

How did the continental school of epic poetry arise? There is littledefinite material for an answer to this question, but the probability isthat there were at least three contributory causes. First, it is likelythat before the rise of the Ionian epos there existed in Boeotia apurely popular and indigenous poetry of a crude form: it comprised, we may suppose, versified proverbs and precepts relating to life ingeneral, agricultural maxims, weather-lore, and the like. In this sensethe Boeotian poetry may be taken to have its germ in maxims similar toour English

 'Till May be out, ne'er cast a clout, '

or

 'A rainbow in the morning Is the Shepherd's warning. '

Secondly and thirdly we may ascribe the rise of the new epic to thenature of the Boeotian people and, as already remarked, to a spirit ofrevolt against the old epic. The Boeotians, people of the class of whichHesiod represents himself to be the type, were essentially unromantic;their daily needs marked the general limit of their ideals, and, as aclass, they cared little for works of fancy, for pathos, or for finethought as such. To a people of this nature the Homeric epos wouldbe inacceptable, and the post-Homeric epic, with its conventionalatmosphere, its trite and hackneyed diction, and its insinceresentiment, would be anathema. We can imagine, therefore, that amongsuch folk a settler, of Aeolic origin like Hesiod, who clearly waswell acquainted with the Ionian epos, would naturally see that theonly outlet for his gifts lay in applying epic poetry to new themesacceptable to his hearers. 

Though the poems of the Boeotian school [1102] were unanimously assignedto Hesiod down to the age of Alexandrian criticism, they were clearlyneither the work of one man nor even of one period: some, doubtless, were fraudulently fathered on him in order to gain currency; but it isprobable that most came to be regarded as his partly because of theirgeneral character, and partly because the names of their real authorswere lost. One fact in this attribution is remarkable--the venerationpaid to Hesiod. 

Life of Hesiod

Our information respecting Hesiod is derived in the main from noticesand allusions in the works attributed to him, and to these must be addedtraditions concerning his death and burial gathered from later writers. 

Hesiod's father (whose name, by a perversion of "Works and Days", 299PERSE DION GENOS to PERSE, DION GENOS, was thought to have been Dius)was a native of Cyme in Aeolis, where he was a seafaring trader and, perhaps, also a farmer. He was forced by poverty to leave his nativeplace, and returned to continental Greece, where he settled at Ascranear Thespiae in Boeotia ("Works and Days", 636 ff. ). Either in Cyme orAscra, two sons, Hesiod and Perses, were born to the settler, and these, after his death, divided the farm between them. Perses, however, who isrepresented as an idler and spendthrift, obtained and kept the largershare by bribing the corrupt 'lords' who ruled from Thespiae ("Worksand Days", 37-39). While his brother wasted his patrimony and ultimatelycame to want ("Works and Days", 34 ff. ), Hesiod lived a farmer's lifeuntil, according to the very early tradition preserved by the author ofthe "Theogony" (22-23), the Muses met him as he was tending sheep onMt. Helicon and 'taught him a glorious song'--doubtless the "Works andDays". The only other personal reference is to his victory in a poeticalcontest at the funeral games of Amphidamas at Chalcis in Euboea, wherehe won the prize, a tripod, which he dedicated to the Muses of Helicon("Works and Days", 651-9). 

Before we go on to the story of Hesiod's death, it will be well toinquire how far the "autobiographical" notices can be treated ashistorical, especially as many critics treat some, or all of them, as spurious. In the first place attempts have been made to show that"Hesiod" is a significant name and therefore fictitious: it is onlynecessary to mention Goettling's derivation from IEMI to ODOS (whichwould make 'Hesiod' mean the 'guide' in virtues and technical arts), and to refer to the pitiful attempts in the "Etymologicum Magnum" (s. V. {H}ESIODUS), to show how prejudiced and lacking even in plausibilitysuch efforts are. It seems certain that 'Hesiod' stands as a proper namein the fullest sense. Secondly, Hesiod claims that his father--if nothe himself--came from Aeolis and settled in Boeotia. There is fairlydefinite evidence to warrant our acceptance of this: the dialect of the"Works and Days" is shown by Rzach [1103] to contain distinct Aeolismsapart from those which formed part of the general stock of epic poetry. And that this Aeolic speaking poet was a Boeotian of Ascra seems evenmore certain, since the tradition is never once disputed, insignificantthough the place was, even before its destruction by the Thespians. 

Again, Hesiod's story of his relations with his brother Perses have beentreated with scepticism (see Murray, "Anc. Gk. Literature", pp. 53-54):Perses, it is urged, is clearly a mere dummy, set up to be the targetfor the poet's exhortations. On such a matter precise evidence isnaturally not forthcoming; but all probability is against the scepticalview. For 1) if the quarrel between the brothers were a fiction, weshould expect it to be detailed at length and not noticed allusively andrather obscurely--as we find it; 2) as MM. Croiset remark, if thepoet needed a lay-figure the ordinary practice was to introduce somemythological person--as, in fact, is done in the "Precepts of Chiron". In a word, there is no more solid ground for treating Perses and hisquarrel with Hesiod as fictitious than there would be for treatingCyrnus, the friend of Theognis, as mythical. 

Thirdly, there is the passage in the "Theogony" relating to Hesiod andthe Muses. It is surely an error to suppose that lines 22-35 all referto Hesiod: rather, the author of the "Theogony" tells the story of hisown inspiration by the same Muses who once taught Hesiod glorious song. The lines 22-3 are therefore a very early piece of tradition aboutHesiod, and though the appearance of Muses must be treated as a gracefulfiction, we find that a writer, later than the "Works and Days" byperhaps no more than three-quarters of a century, believed in theactuality of Hesiod and in his life as a farmer or shepherd. 

Lastly, there is the famous story of the contest in song at Chalcis. Inlater times the modest version in the "Works and Days" was elaborated, first by making Homer the opponent whom Hesiod conquered, while a laterperiod exercised its ingenuity in working up the story of the contestinto the elaborate form in which it still survives. Finally the contest, in which the two poets contended with hymns to Apollo [1104], was transferred to Delos. These developments certainly need noconsideration: are we to say the same of the passage in the "Works andDays"? Critics from Plutarch downwards have almost unanimously rejectedthe lines 654-662, on the ground that Hesiod's Amphidamas is the heroof the Lelantine Wars between Chalcis and Eretria, whose death may beplaced circa 705 B. C. --a date which is obviously too low for thegenuine Hesiod. Nevertheless, there is much to be said in defence ofthe passage. Hesiod's claim in the "Works and Days" is modest, sincehe neither pretends to have met Homer, nor to have sung in any but animpromptu, local festival, so that the supposed interpolation lacksa sufficient motive. And there is nothing in the context to show thatHesiod's Amphidamas is to be identified with that Amphidamas whomPlutarch alone connects with the Lelantine War: the name may have beenborne by an earlier Chalcidian, an ancestor, perhaps, of the person towhom Plutarch refers. 

The story of the end of Hesiod may be told in outline. After the contestat Chalcis, Hesiod went to Delphi and there was warned that the 'issueof death should overtake him in the fair grove of Nemean Zeus. ' Avoidingtherefore Nemea on the Isthmus of Corinth, to which he supposedthe oracle to refer, Hesiod retired to Oenoe in Locris where he wasentertained by Amphiphanes and Ganyetor, sons of a certain Phegeus. Thisplace, however, was also sacred to Nemean Zeus, and the poet, suspectedby his hosts of having seduced their sister [1105], was murdered there. His body, cast into the sea, was brought to shore by dolphins and buriedat Oenoe (or, according to Plutarch, at Ascra): at a later time hisbones were removed to Orchomenus. The whole story is full of miraculouselements, and the various authorities disagree on numerous points ofdetail. The tradition seems, however, to be constant in declaring thatHesiod was murdered and buried at Oenoe, and in this respect it is atleast as old as the time of Thucydides. In conclusion it may be worthwhile to add the graceful epigram of Alcaeus of Messene ("PalatineAnthology", vii 55). 

 "When in the shady Locrian grove Hesiod lay dead, the Nymphs washed his body with water from their own springs, and heaped high his grave; and thereon the goat-herds sprinkled offerings of milk mingled with yellow-honey: such was the utterance of the nine Muses that he breathed forth, that old man who had tasted of their pure springs. "

The Hesiodic Poems

The Hesiodic poems fall into two groups according as they are didactic(technical or gnomic) or genealogical: the first group centres round the"Works and Days", the second round the "Theogony". 

I. "The Works and Days":

The poem consists of four main sections. A) After the prelude, whichPausanias failed to find in the ancient copy engraved on lead seen byhim on Mt. Helicon, comes a general exhortation to industry. It beginswith the allegory of the two Strifes, who stand for wholesome Emulationand Quarrelsomeness respectively. Then by means of the Myth of Pandorathe poet shows how evil and the need for work first arose, and goes onto describe the Five Ages of the World, tracing the gradual increase inevil, and emphasizing the present miserable condition of the world, acondition in which struggle is inevitable. Next, after the Fable of theHawk and Nightingale, which serves as a condemnation of violenceand injustice, the poet passes on to contrast the blessing whichRighteousness brings to a nation, and the punishment which Heavensends down upon the violent, and the section concludes with a seriesof precepts on industry and prudent conduct generally. B) The secondsection shows how a man may escape want and misery by industry and careboth in agriculture and in trading by sea. Neither subject, it shouldbe carefully noted, is treated in any way comprehensively. C) The thirdpart is occupied with miscellaneous precepts relating mostly to actionsof domestic and everyday life and conduct which have little or noconnection with one another. D) The final section is taken up witha series of notices on the days of the month which are favourable orunfavourable for agricultural and other operations. 

It is from the second and fourth sections that the poem takes its name. At first sight such a work seems to be a miscellany of myths, technicaladvice, moral precepts, and folklore maxims without any unifyingprinciple; and critics have readily taken the view that the whole is acanto of fragments or short poems worked up by a redactor. Very probablyHesiod used much material of a far older date, just as Shakespeareused the "Gesta Romanorum", old chronicles, and old plays; but closeinspection will show that the "Works and Days" has a real unity and thatthe picturesque title is somewhat misleading. The poem has properly notechnical object at all, but is moral: its real aim is to show menhow best to live in a difficult world. So viewed the four seeminglyindependent sections will be found to be linked together in a real bondof unity. Such a connection between the first and second sections iseasily seen, but the links between these and the third and fourth are noless real: to make life go tolerably smoothly it is most important tobe just and to know how to win a livelihood; but happiness also largelydepends on prudence and care both in social and home life as well, andnot least on avoidance of actions which offend supernatural powers andbring ill-luck. And finally, if your industry is to be fruitful, youmust know what days are suitable for various kinds of work. Thismoral aim--as opposed to the currently accepted technical aim of thepoem--explains the otherwise puzzling incompleteness of the instructionson farming and seafaring. 

Of the Hesiodic poems similar in character to the "Works and Days", onlythe scantiest fragments survive. One at least of these, the "Divinationby Birds", was, as we know from Proclus, attached to the end of the"Works" until it was rejected by Apollonius Rhodius: doubtless itcontinued the same theme of how to live, showing how man can avoiddisasters by attending to the omens to be drawn from birds. It ispossible that the "Astronomy" or "Astrology" (as Plutarch calls it) wasin turn appended to the "Divination". It certainly gave some account ofthe principal constellations, their dates of rising and setting, and thelegends connected with them, and probably showed how these influencedhuman affairs or might be used as guides. The "Precepts of Chiron" wasa didactic poem made up of moral and practical precepts, resembling thegnomic sections of the "Works and Days", addressed by the Centaur Chironto his pupil Achilles. 

Even less is known of the poem called the "Great Works": the titleimplies that it was similar in subject to the second section of the"Works and Days", but longer. Possible references in Roman writers[1106] indicate that among the subjects dealt with were the cultivationof the vine and olive and various herbs. The inclusion of the judgmentof Rhadamanthys (frag. 1): 'If a man sow evil, he shall reap evil, 'indicates a gnomic element, and the note by Proclus [1107] on "Worksand Days" 126 makes it likely that metals also were dealt with. It istherefore possible that another lost poem, the "Idaean Dactyls", whichdealt with the discovery of metals and their working, was appended to, or even was a part of the "Great Works", just as the "Divination byBirds" was appended to the "Works and Days". 

II. The Genealogical Poems:

The only complete poem of the genealogical group is the "Theogony", which traces from the beginning of things the descent and vicissitudesof the families of the gods. Like the "Works and Days" this poem has nodramatic plot; but its unifying principle is clear and simple. The godsare classified chronologically: as soon as one generation is catalogued, the poet goes on to detail the offspring of each member of thatgeneration. Exceptions are only made in special cases, as the Sons ofIapetus (ll. 507-616) whose place is accounted for by their treatmentby Zeus. The chief landmarks in the poem are as follows: after thefirst 103 lines, which contain at least three distinct preludes, three primeval beings are introduced, Chaos, Earth, and Eros--here anindefinite reproductive influence. Of these three, Earth producesHeaven to whom she bears the Titans, the Cyclopes and the hundred-handedgiants. The Titans, oppressed by their father, revolt at the instigationof Earth, under the leadership of Cronos, and as a result Heaven andEarth are separated, and Cronos reigns over the universe. Cronos knowingthat he is destined to be overcome by one of his children, swallows eachone of them as they are born, until Zeus, saved by Rhea, grows up andovercomes Cronos in some struggle which is not described. Cronos isforced to vomit up the children he had swallowed, and these with Zeusdivide the universe between them, like a human estate. Two events markthe early reign of Zeus, the war with the Titans and the overthrow ofTyphoeus, and as Zeus is still reigning the poet can only go on to givea list of gods born to Zeus by various goddesses. After this he formallybids farewell to the cosmic and Olympian deities and enumerates the sonsborn of goddess to mortals. The poem closes with an invocation of theMuses to sing of the 'tribe of women'. 

This conclusion served to link the "Theogony" to what must have beena distinct poem, the "Catalogues of Women". This work was divided intofour (Suidas says five) books, the last one (or two) of which was knownas the "Eoiae" and may have been again a distinct poem: the curioustitle will be explained presently. The "Catalogues" proper were a seriesof genealogies which traced the Hellenic race (or its more importantpeoples and families) from a common ancestor. The reason why women areso prominent is obvious: since most families and tribes claimed to bedescended from a god, the only safe clue to their origin was through amortal woman beloved by that god; and it has also been pointed out that'mutterrecht' still left its traces in northern Greece in historicaltimes. 

The following analysis (after Marckscheffel) [1108] will show theprinciple of its composition. From Prometheus and Pronoia sprangDeucalion and Pyrrha, the only survivors of the deluge, who had a sonHellen (frag. 1), the reputed ancestor of the whole Hellenic race. Fromthe daughters of Deucalion sprang Magnes and Macedon, ancestors of theMagnesians and Macedonians, who are thus represented as cousins to thetrue Hellenic stock. Hellen had three sons, Dorus, Xuthus, and Aeolus, parents of the Dorian, Ionic and Aeolian races, and the offspringof these was then detailed. In one instance a considerable andcharacteristic section can be traced from extant fragments and notices:Salmoneus, son of Aeolus, had a daughter Tyro who bore to Poseidon twosons, Pelias and Neleus; the latter of these, king of Pylos, refusedHeracles purification for the murder of Iphitus, whereupon Heraclesattacked and sacked Pylos, killing amongst the other sons of NeleusPericlymenus, who had the power of changing himself into all manner ofshapes. From this slaughter Neleus alone escaped (frags. 13, and10-12). This summary shows the general principle of arrangement of the"Catalogues": each line seems to have been dealt with in turn, and themonotony was relieved as far as possible by a brief relation of famousadventures connected with any of the personages--as in the case ofAtalanta and Hippomenes (frag. 14). Similarly the story of the Argonautsappears from the fragments (37-42) to have been told in some detail. 

This tendency to introduce romantic episodes led to an importantdevelopment. Several poems are ascribed to Hesiod, such as the"Epithalamium of Peleus and Thetis", the "Descent of Theseus intoHades", or the "Circuit of the Earth" (which must have beenconnected with the story of Phineus and the Harpies, and so with theArgonaut-legend), which yet seem to have belonged to the "Catalogues". It is highly probable that these poems were interpolations into the"Catalogues" expanded by later poets from more summary notices in thegenuine Hesiodic work and subsequently detached from their contextsand treated as independent. This is definitely known to be true of the"Shield of Heracles", the first 53 lines of which belong to thefourth book of the "Catalogues", and almost certainly applies to otherepisodes, such as the "Suitors of Helen" [1109], the "Daughters ofLeucippus", and the "Marriage of Ceyx", which last Plutarch mentions as'interpolated in the works of Hesiod. '

To the "Catalogues", as we have said, was appended another work, the"Eoiae". The title seems to have arisen in the following way [1110]:the "Catalogues" probably ended (ep. "Theogony" 963 ff. ) with some suchpassage as this: 'But now, ye Muses, sing of the tribes of women withwhom the Sons of Heaven were joined in love, women pre-eminent abovetheir fellows in beauty, such as was Niobe (?). ' Each succeeding heroinewas then introduced by the formula 'Or such as was. . . ' (cp. Frags. 88, 92, etc. ). A large fragment of the "Eoiae" is extant at the beginning ofthe "Shield of Heracles", which may be mentioned here. The "supplement"(ll. 57-480) is nominally Heracles and Cycnus, but the greater partis taken up with an inferior description of the shield of Heracles, inimitation of the Homeric shield of Achilles ("Iliad" xviii. 478 ff. ). Nothing shows more clearly the collapse of the principles of theHesiodic school than this ultimate servile dependence upon Homericmodels. 

At the close of the "Shield" Heracles goes on to Trachis to the houseof Ceyx, and this warning suggests that the "Marriage of Ceyx" may havecome immediately after the 'Or such as was' of Alcmena in the "Eoiae":possibly Halcyone, the wife of Ceyx, was one of the heroines sung inthe poem, and the original section was 'developed' into the "Marriage", although what form the poem took is unknown. 

Next to the "Eoiae" and the poems which seemed to have been developedfrom it, it is natural to place the "Great Eoiae". This, again, as weknow from fragments, was a list of heroines who bare children to thegods: from the title we must suppose it to have been much longer thatthe simple "Eoiae", but its extent is unknown. Lehmann, remarking thatthe heroines are all Boeotian and Thessalian (while the heroines ofthe "Catalogues" belong to all parts of the Greek world), believes theauthor to have been either a Boeotian or Thessalian. 

Two other poems are ascribed to Hesiod. Of these the "Aegimius" (alsoascribed by Athenaeus to Cercops of Miletus), is thought by Valckenaerto deal with the war of Aegimus against the Lapithae and the aidfurnished to him by Heracles, and with the history of Aegimius andhis sons. Otto Muller suggests that the introduction of Thetis and ofPhrixus (frags. 1-2) is to be connected with notices of the allies ofthe Lapithae from Phthiotis and Iolchus, and that the story of Io wasincidental to a narrative of Heracles' expedition against Euboea. Theremaining poem, the "Melampodia", was a work in three books, whose planit is impossible to recover. Its subject, however, seems to have beenthe histories of famous seers like Mopsus, Calchas, and Teiresias, andit probably took its name from Melampus, the most famous of them all. 

Date of the Hesiodic Poems

There is no doubt that the "Works and Days" is the oldest, as it is themost original, of the Hesiodic poems. It seems to be distinctly earlierthan the "Theogony", which refers to it, apparently, as a poem alreadyrenowned. Two considerations help us to fix a relative date for the"Works". 1) In diction, dialect and style it is obviously dependentupon Homer, and is therefore considerably later than the "Iliad" and"Odyssey": moreover, as we have seen, it is in revolt against theromantic school, already grown decadent, and while the digamma is stillliving, it is obviously growing weak, and is by no means uniformlyeffective. 

2) On the other hand while tradition steadily puts the Cyclic poetsat various dates from 776 B. C. Downwards, it is equally consistent inregarding Homer and Hesiod as 'prehistoric'. Herodotus indeed puts bothpoets 400 years before his own time; that is, at about 830-820 B. C. , andthe evidence stated above points to the middle of the ninth centuryas the probable date for the "Works and Days". The "Theogony" might betentatively placed a century later; and the "Catalogues" and "Eoiae" areagain later, but not greatly later, than the "Theogony": the "Shield ofHeracles" may be ascribed to the later half of the seventh century, butthere is not evidence enough to show whether the other 'developed' poemsare to be regarded as of a date so low as this. 

Literary Value of Homer

Quintillian's [1111] judgment on Hesiod that 'he rarely rises to greatheights. . . And to him is given the palm in the middle-class of speech'is just, but is liable to give a wrong impression. Hesiod has nothingthat remotely approaches such scenes as that between Priam and Achilles, or the pathos of Andromache's preparations for Hector's return, even ashe was falling before the walls of Troy; but in matters that comewithin the range of ordinary experience, he rarely fails to rise to theappropriate level. Take, for instance, the description of the IronAge ("Works and Days", 182 ff. ) with its catalogue of wrongdoings andviolence ever increasing until Aidos and Nemesis are forced to leavemankind who thenceforward shall have 'no remedy against evil'. Suchoccasions, however, rarely occur and are perhaps not characteristic ofHesiod's genius: if we would see Hesiod at his best, in his most naturalvein, we must turn to such a passage as that which he himself--accordingto the compiler of the "Contest of Hesiod and Homer"--selected as bestin all his work, 'When the Pleiades, Atlas' daughters, begin to rise. . . '("Works and Days, " 383 ff. ). The value of such a passage cannot beanalysed: it can only be said that given such a subject, this alone isthe right method of treatment. 

Hesiod's diction is in the main Homeric, but one of his charms is theuse of quaint allusive phrases derived, perhaps, from a pre-Hesiodicpeasant poetry: thus the season when Boreas blows is the time when 'theBoneless One gnaws his foot by his fireless hearth in his cheerlesshouse'; to cut one's nails is 'to sever the withered from the quickupon that which has five branches'; similarly the burglar is the'day-sleeper', and the serpent is the 'hairless one'. Very similar ishis reference to seasons through what happens or is done in that season:'when the House-carrier, fleeing the Pleiades, climbs up the plants fromthe earth', is the season for harvesting; or 'when the artichoke flowersand the clicking grass-hopper, seated in a tree, pours down his shrillsong', is the time for rest. 

Hesiod's charm lies in his child-like and sincere naivete, in hisunaffected interest in and picturesque view of nature and all thathappens in nature. These qualities, it is true, are those pre-eminentlyof the "Works and Days": the literary values of the "Theogony" are of amore technical character, skill in ordering and disposing long lists ofnames, sure judgment in seasoning a monotonous subject with marvellousincidents or episodes, and no mean imagination in depicting the awful, as is shown in the description of Tartarus (ll. 736-745). Yet it remainstrue that Hesiod's distinctive title to a high place in Greek literaturelies in the very fact of his freedom from classic form, and his grave, and yet child-like, outlook upon his world. 

The Ionic School

The Ionic School of Epic poetry was, as we have seen, dominated bythe Homeric tradition, and while the style and method of treatment areHomeric, it is natural that the Ionic poets refrained from cultivatingthe ground tilled by Homer, and chose for treatment legends which laybeyond the range of the "Iliad" and "Odyssey". Equally natural it isthat they should have particularly selected various phases of thetale of Troy which preceded or followed the action of the "Iliad" or"Odyssey". In this way, without any preconceived intention, a body ofepic poetry was built up by various writers which covered the wholeTrojan story. But the entire range of heroic legend was open to thesepoets, and other clusters of epics grew up dealing particularly with thefamous story of Thebes, while others dealt with the beginnings of theworld and the wars of heaven. In the end there existed a kind of epichistory of the world, as known to the Greeks, down to the death ofOdysseus, when the heroic age ended. In the Alexandrian Age thesepoems were arranged in chronological order, apparently by Zenodotus ofEphesus, at the beginning of the 3rd century B. C. At a later time theterm "Cycle", 'round' or 'course', was given to this collection. 

Of all this mass of epic poetry only the scantiest fragments survive;but happily Photius has preserved to us an abridgment of the synopsismade of each poem of the "Trojan Cycle" by Proclus, i. E. EutychiusProclus of Sicca. 

The pre-Trojan poems of the Cycle may be noticed first. The"Titanomachy", ascribed both to Eumelus of Corinth and to Arctinus ofMiletus, began with a kind of Theogony which told of the union of Heavenand Earth and of their offspring the Cyclopes and the Hundred-handedGiants. How the poem proceeded we have no means of knowing, but we maysuppose that in character it was not unlike the short account of theTitan War found in the Hesiodic "Theogony" (617 ff. ). 

What links bound the "Titanomachy" to the Theben Cycle is not clear. This latter group was formed of three poems, the "Story of Oedipus", the"Thebais", and the "Epigoni". Of the "Oedipodea" practically nothing isknown, though on the assurance of Athenaeus (vii. 277 E) that Sophoclesfollowed the Epic Cycle closely in the plots of his plays, we maysuppose that in outline the story corresponded closely to the history ofOedipus as it is found in the "Oedipus Tyrannus". The "Thebais" seemsto have begun with the origin of the fatal quarrel between Eteocles andPolyneices in the curse called down upon them by their father in hismisery. The story was thence carried down to the end of the expeditionunder Polyneices, Adrastus and Amphiarus against Thebes. The "Epigoni"(ascribed to Antimachus of Teos) recounted the expedition of the'After-Born' against Thebes, and the sack of the city. 

The Trojan Cycle

Six epics with the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" made up the TrojanCycle--The "Cyprian Lays", the "Iliad", the "Aethiopis", the "LittleIliad", the "Sack of Troy", the "Returns", the "Odyssey", and the"Telegony". 

It has been assumed in the foregoing pages that the poems of the TrojanCycle are later than the Homeric poems; but, as the opposite viewhas been held, the reasons for this assumption must now be given. 1)Tradition puts Homer and the Homeric poems proper back in the agesbefore chronological history began, and at the same time assigns thepurely Cyclic poems to definite authors who are dated from thefirst Olympiad (776 B. C. ) downwards. This tradition cannot be purelyarbitrary. 2) The Cyclic poets (as we can see from the abstract ofProclus) were careful not to trespass upon ground already occupied byHomer. Thus, when we find that in the "Returns" all the prominent Greekheroes except Odysseus are accounted for, we are forced to believe thatthe author of this poem knew the "Odyssey" and judged it unnecessary todeal in full with that hero's adventures. [1112] In a word, the Cyclicpoems are 'written round' the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey". 3) The generalstructure of these epics is clearly imitative. As M. M. Croiset remark, the abusive Thersites in the "Aethiopis" is clearly copied from theThersites of the "Iliad"; in the same poem Antilochus, slain by Memnonand avenged by Achilles, is obviously modelled on Patroclus. 4) Thegeographical knowledge of a poem like the "Returns" is far wider andmore precise than that of the "Odyssey". 5) Moreover, in the Cyclicpoems epic is clearly degenerating morally--if the expression may beused. The chief greatness of the "Iliad" is in the character of theheroes Achilles and Hector rather than in the actual events which takeplace: in the Cyclic writers facts rather than character are the objectsof interest, and events are so packed together as to leave no space forany exhibition of the play of moral forces. All these reasons justifythe view that the poems with which we now have to deal were later thanthe "Iliad" and "Odyssey", and if we must recognize the possibility ofsome conventionality in the received dating, we may feel confident thatit is at least approximately just. 

The earliest of the post-Homeric epics of Troy are apparently the"Aethiopis" and the "Sack of Ilium", both ascribed to Arctinus ofMiletus who is said to have flourished in the first Olympiad (776 B. C. ). He set himself to finish the tale of Troy, which, so far as events wereconcerned, had been left half-told by Homer, by tracing the course ofevents after the close of the "Iliad". The "Aethiopis" thus included thecoming of the Amazon Penthesilea to help the Trojans after the fall ofHector and her death, the similar arrival and fall of the AethiopianMemnon, the death of Achilles under the arrow of Paris, and the disputebetween Odysseus and Aias for the arms of Achilles. The "Sack of Ilium"[1113] as analysed by Proclus was very similar to Vergil's version in"Aeneid" ii, comprising the episodes of the wooden horse, of Laocoon, ofSinon, the return of the Achaeans from Tenedos, the actual Sack of Troy, the division of spoils and the burning of the city. 

Lesches or Lescheos (as Pausanias calls him) of Pyrrha or Mitylene isdated at about 660 B. C. In his "Little Iliad" he undertook to elaboratethe "Sack" as related by Arctinus. His work included the adjudgment ofthe arms of Achilles to Odysseus, the madness of Aias, the bringingof Philoctetes from Lemnos and his cure, the coming to the war ofNeoptolemus who slays Eurypylus, son of Telephus, the making of thewooden horse, the spying of Odysseus and his theft, along with Diomedes, of the Palladium: the analysis concludes with the admission of thewooden horse into Troy by the Trojans. It is known, however (Aristotle, "Poetics", xxiii; Pausanias, x, 25-27), that the "Little Iliad" alsocontained a description of the sack of Troy. It is probable that thisand other superfluous incidents disappeared after the Alexandrianarrangement of the poems in the Cycle, either as the result of somelater recension, or merely through disuse. Or Proclus may have thoughtit unnecessary to give the accounts by Lesches and Arctinus of the sameincident. 

The "Cyprian Lays", ascribed to Stasinus of Cyprus [1114] (but also toHegesinus of Salamis) was designed to do for the events preceding theaction of the "Iliad" what Arctinus had done for the later phases of theTrojan War. The "Cypria" begins with the first causes of the war, thepurpose of Zeus to relieve the overburdened earth, the apple ofdiscord, the rape of Helen. Then follow the incidents connected with thegathering of the Achaeans and their ultimate landing in Troy; and thestory of the war is detailed up to the quarrel between Achilles andAgamemnon with which the "Iliad" begins. 

These four poems rounded off the story of the "Iliad", and it onlyremained to connect this enlarged version with the "Odyssey". This wasdone by means of the "Returns", a poem in five books ascribed to Agiasor Hegias of Troezen, which begins where the "Sack of Troy" ends. Ittold of the dispute between Agamemnon and Menelaus, the departure fromTroy of Menelaus, the fortunes of the lesser heroes, the return andtragic death of Agamemnon, and the vengeance of Orestes on Aegisthus. The story ends with the return home of Menelaus, which brings thegeneral narrative up to the beginning of the "Odyssey". 

But the "Odyssey" itself left much untold: what, for example, happenedin Ithaca after the slaying of the suitors, and what was the ultimatefate of Odysseus? The answer to these questions was supplied by the"Telegony", a poem in two books by Eugammon of Cyrene (fl. 568 B. C. ). It told of the adventures of Odysseus in Thesprotis after the killingof the Suitors, of his return to Ithaca, and his death at the handsof Telegonus, his son by Circe. The epic ended by disposing of thesurviving personages in a double marriage, Telemachus wedding Circe, andTelegonus Penelope. 

The end of the Cycle marks also the end of the Heroic Age. 

The Homeric Hymns

The collection of thirty-three Hymns, ascribed to Homer, is the lastconsiderable work of the Epic School, and seems, on the whole, to belater than the Cyclic poems. It cannot be definitely assigned eitherto the Ionian or Continental schools, for while the romantic element isvery strong, there is a distinct genealogical interest; and in mattersof diction and style the influences of both Hesiod and Homer arewell-marked. The date of the formation of the collection as such isunknown. Diodorus Siculus (temp. Augustus) is the first to mentionsuch a body of poetry, and it is likely enough that this is, at leastsubstantially, the one which has come down to us. Thucydides quotes theDelian "Hymn to Apollo", and it is possible that the Homeric corpus ofhis day also contained other of the more important hymns. Conceivablythe collection was arranged in the Alexandrine period. 

Thucydides, in quoting the "Hymn to Apollo", calls it PROOIMION, whichordinarily means a 'prelude' chanted by a rhapsode before recitation ofa lay from Homer, and such hymns as Nos. Vi, xxxi, xxxii, areclearly preludes in the strict sense; in No. Xxxi, for example, aftercelebrating Helios, the poet declares he will next sing of the 'race ofmortal men, the demi-gods'. But it may fairly be doubted whethersuch Hymns as those to "Demeter" (ii), "Apollo" (iii), "Hermes" (iv), "Aphrodite" (v), can have been real preludes, in spite of the closingformula 'and now I will pass on to another hymn'. The view taken byAllen and Sikes, amongst other scholars, is doubtless right, thatthese longer hymns are only technically preludes and show to whatdisproportionate lengths a simple literacy form can be developed. 

The Hymns to "Pan" (xix), to "Dionysus" (xxvi), to "Hestia and Hermes"(xxix), seem to have been designed for use at definite religiousfestivals, apart from recitations. With the exception perhaps of the"Hymn to Ares" (viii), no item in the collection can be regarded aseither devotional or liturgical. 

The Hymn is doubtless a very ancient form; but if no example of extremeantiquity survive this must be put down to the fact that until the ageof literary consciousness, such things are not preserved. 

First, apparently, in the collection stood the "Hymn to Dionysus", ofwhich only two fragments now survive. While it appears to have been ahymn of the longer type [1115], we have no evidence to show either itsscope or date. 

The "Hymn to Demeter", extant only in the MS. Discovered by Matthiaeat Moscow, describes the seizure of Persephone by Hades, the griefof Demeter, her stay at Eleusis, and her vengeance on gods and men bycausing famine. In the end Zeus is forced to bring Persephone back fromthe lower world; but the goddess, by the contriving of Hades, stillremains partly a deity of the lower world. In memory of her sorrowsDemeter establishes the Eleusinian mysteries (which, however, werepurely agrarian in origin). 

This hymn, as a literary work, is one of the finest in the collection. It is surely Attic or Eleusinian in origin. Can we in any way fix itsdate? Firstly, it is certainly not later than the beginning of the sixthcentury, for it makes no mention of Iacchus, and the Dionysiacelement was introduced at Eleusis at about that period. Further, the insignificance of Triptolemus and Eumolpus point to considerableantiquity, and the digamma is still active. All these considerationspoint to the seventh century as the probable date of the hymn. 

The "Hymn to Apollo" consists of two parts, which beyond any doubt wereoriginally distinct, a Delian hymn and a Pythian hymn. 

The Delian hymn describes how Leto, in travail with Apollo, sought outa place in which to bear her son, and how Apollo, born in Delos, at onceclaimed for himself the lyre, the bow, and prophecy. This part of theexisting hymn ends with an encomium of the Delian festival of Apollo andof the Delian choirs. The second part celebrates the founding of Pytho(Delphi) as the oracular seat of Apollo. After various wanderings thegod comes to Telphus, near Haliartus, but is dissuaded by the nymph ofthe place from settling there and urged to go on to Pytho where, afterslaying the she-dragon who nursed Typhaon, he builds his temple. Afterthe punishment of Telphusa for her deceit in giving him no warning ofthe dragoness at Pytho, Apollo, in the form of a dolphin, brings certainCretan shipmen to Delphi to be his priests; and the hymn ends with acharge to these men to behave orderly and righteously. 

The Delian part is exclusively Ionian and insular both in style andsympathy; Delos and no other is Apollo's chosen seat: but the secondpart is as definitely continental; Delos is ignored and Delphi alone isthe important centre of Apollo's worship. From this it is clear thatthe two parts need not be of one date--The first, indeed, is ascribed(Scholiast on Pindar "Nem". Ii, 2) to Cynaethus of Chios (fl. 504 B. C. ), a date which is obviously far too low; general considerations pointrather to the eighth century. The second part is not later than 600B. C. ; for 1) the chariot-races at Pytho, which commenced in 586 B. C. , are unknown to the writer of the hymn, 2) the temple built by Trophoniusand Agamedes for Apollo (ll. 294-299) seems to have been still standingwhen the hymn was written, and this temple was burned in 548. We may atleast be sure that the first part is a Chian work, and that the secondwas composed by a continental poet familiar with Delphi. 

The "Hymn to Hermes" differs from others in its burlesque, quasi-comiccharacter, and it is also the best-known of the Hymns to English readersin consequence of Shelley's translation. 

After a brief narrative of the birth of Hermes, the author goes on toshow how he won a place among the gods. First the new-born child found atortoise and from its shell contrived the lyre; next, with much cunningcircumstance, he stole Apollo's cattle and, when charged with the theftby Apollo, forced that god to appear in undignified guise before thetribunal of Zeus. Zeus seeks to reconcile the pair, and Hermes bythe gift of the lyre wins Apollo's friendship and purchases variousprerogatives, a share in divination, the lordship of herds and animals, and the office of messenger from the gods to Hades. 

The Hymn is hard to date. Hermes' lyre has seven strings and theinvention of the seven-stringed lyre is ascribed to Terpander (flor. 676 B. C. ). The hymn must therefore be later than that date, thoughTerpander, according to Weir Smyth [1116], may have only modified thescale of the lyre; yet while the burlesque character precludes an earlydate, this feature is far removed, as Allen and Sikes remark, from thesilliness of the "Battle of the Frogs and Mice", so that a date in theearlier part of the sixth century is most probable. 

The "Hymn to Aphrodite" is not the least remarkable, from a literarypoint of view, of the whole collection, exhibiting as it does ina masterly manner a divine being as the unwilling victim of anirresistible force. It tells how all creatures, and even the godsthemselves, are subject to the will of Aphrodite, saving only Artemis, Athena, and Hestia; how Zeus to humble her pride of power caused her tolove a mortal, Anchises; and how the goddess visited the hero upon Mt. Ida. A comparison of this work with the Lay of Demodocus ("Odyssey"viii, 266 ff. ), which is superficially similar, will show how farsuperior is the former in which the goddess is but a victim to forcesstronger than herself. The lines (247-255) in which Aphrodite tells ofher humiliation and grief are specially noteworthy. 

There are only general indications of date. The influence of Hesiod isclear, and the hymn has almost certainly been used by the author of the"Hymn to Demeter", so that the date must lie between these two periods, and the seventh century seems to be the latest date possible. 

The "Hymn to Dionysus" relates how the god was seized by pirates and howwith many manifestations of power he avenged himself on them by turningthem into dolphins. The date is widely disputed, for while Ludwichbelieves it to be a work of the fourth or third century, Allen and Sikesconsider a sixth or seventh century date to be possible. The story isfigured in a different form on the reliefs from the choragic monument ofLysicrates, now in the British Museum [1117]. 

Very different in character is the "Hymn to Ares", which is Orphicin character. The writer, after lauding the god by detailing hisattributes, prays to be delivered from feebleness and weakness of soul, as also from impulses to wanton and brutal violence. 

The only other considerable hymn is that to "Pan", which describes howhe roams hunting among the mountains and thickets and streams, how hemakes music at dusk while returning from the chase, and how he joins indancing with the nymphs who sing the story of his birth. This, beyondmost works of Greek literature, is remarkable for its fresh andspontaneous love of wild natural scenes. 

The remaining hymns are mostly of the briefest compass, merely hailingthe god to be celebrated and mentioning his chief attributes. The Hymnsto "Hermes" (xviii), to the "Dioscuri" (xvii), and to "Demeter" (xiii)are mere abstracts of the longer hymns iv, xxxiii, and ii. 

The Epigrams of Homer

The "Epigrams of Homer" are derived from the pseudo-Herodotean "Life ofHomer", but many of them occur in other documents such as the "Contestof Homer and Hesiod", or are quoted by various ancient authors. Thesepoetic fragments clearly antedate the "Life" itself, which seems to havebeen so written round them as to supply appropriate occasions for theircomposition. Epigram iii on Midas of Larissa was otherwise attributed toCleobulus of Lindus, one of the Seven Sages; the address to Glaucus (xi)is purely Hesiodic; xiii, according to MM. Croiset, is a fragment from agnomic poem. Epigram xiv is a curious poem attributed on no very obviousgrounds to Hesiod by Julius Pollox. In it the poet invokes Athena toprotect certain potters and their craft, if they will, according topromise, give him a reward for his song; if they prove false, malignantgnomes are invoked to wreck the kiln and hurt the potters. 

The Burlesque Poems

To Homer were popularly ascribed certain burlesque poems in whichAristotle ("Poetics" iv) saw the germ of comedy. Most interesting ofthese, were it extant, would be the "Margites". The hero of the epic isat once sciolist and simpleton, 'knowing many things, but knowing themall badly'. It is unfortunately impossible to trace the plan ofthe poem, which presumably detailed the adventures of this unheroiccharacter: the metre used was a curious mixture of hexametric and iambiclines. The date of such a work cannot be high: Croiset thinks it maybelong to the period of Archilochus (c. 650 B. C. ), but it may well besomewhat later. 

Another poem, of which we know even less, is the "Cercopes". TheseCercopes ('Monkey-Men') were a pair of malignant dwarfs who went aboutthe world mischief-making. Their punishment by Heracles is representedon one of the earlier metopes from Selinus. It would be idle tospeculate as to the date of this work. 

Finally there is the "Battle of the Frogs and Mice". Here is told thestory of the quarrel which arose between the two tribes, and how theyfought, until Zeus sent crabs to break up the battle. It is a parodyof the warlike epic, but has little in it that is really comic or ofliterary merit, except perhaps the list of quaint arms assumed by thewarriors. The text of the poem is in a chaotic condition, and there aremany interpolations, some of Byzantine date. 

Though popularly ascribed to Homer, its real author is said by Suidasto have been Pigres, a Carian, brother of Artemisia, 'wife of Mausonis', who distinguished herself at the battle of Salamis. 

Suidas is confusing the two Artemisias, but he may be right inattributing the poem to about 480 B. C. 

The Contest of Homer and Hesiod

This curious work dates in its present form from the lifetime or shortlyafter the death of Hadrian, but seems to be based in part on an earlierversion by the sophist Alcidamas (c. 400 B. C. ). Plutarch ("Conviv. Sept. Sap. ", 40) uses an earlier (or at least a shorter) version than thatwhich we possess [1118]. The extant "Contest", however, has clearlycombined with the original document much other ill-digested matter onthe life and descent of Homer, probably drawing on the same generalsources as does the Herodotean "Life of Homer". Its scope is as follows:1) the descent (as variously reported) and relative dates of Homer andHesiod; 2) their poetical contest at Chalcis; 3) the death of Hesiod;4) the wanderings and fortunes of Homer, with brief notices of thecircumstances under which his reputed works were composed, down to thetime of his death. 

The whole tract is, of course, mere romance; its only values are 1)the insight it give into ancient speculations about Homer; 2) a certainamount of definite information about the Cyclic poems; and 3) the epicfragments included in the stichomythia of the "Contest" proper, many ofwhich--did we possess the clue--would have to be referred to poems ofthe Epic Cycle. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

HESIOD. --The classification and numerations of MSS. Here followed isthat of Rzach (1913). It is only necessary to add that on the wholethe recovery of Hesiodic papyri goes to confirm the authority of themediaeval MSS. At the same time these fragments have produced much thatis interesting and valuable, such as the new lines, "Works and Days"169 a-d, and the improved readings ib. 278, "Theogony" 91, 93. Ourchief gains from papyri are the numerous and excellent fragments of theCatalogues which have been recovered. 

 "Works and Days":--

 S Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1090. A Vienna, Rainer Papyri L. P. 21-9 (4th cent. ). B Geneva, Naville Papyri Pap. 94 (6th cent. ). C Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2771 (11th cent. ). D Florence, Laur. Xxxi 39 (12th cent. ). E Messina, Univ. Lib. Preexistens 11 (12th-13th cent. ). F Rome, Vatican 38 (14th cent. ). G Venice, Marc. Ix 6 (14th cent. ). H Florence, Laur. Xxxi 37 (14th cent. ). I Florence, Laur. Xxxii 16 (13th cent. ). K Florence, Laur. Xxxii 2 (14th cent. ). L Milan, Ambros. G 32 sup. (14th cent. ). M Florence, Bibl. Riccardiana 71 (15th cent. ). N Milan, Ambros. J 15 sup. (15th cent. ). O Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2773 (14th cent. ). P Cambridge, Trinity College (Gale MS. ), O. 9. 27 (13th-14th cent. ). Q Rome, Vatican 1332 (14th cent. ). 

 These MSS. Are divided by Rzach into the following families, issuing from a common original:--

 {Omega}a = C {Omega}b = F, G, H {Psi}a = D {Psi}b = I, K, L, M {Phi}a = E {Phi}b = N, O, P, Q

"Theogony":--

 N Manchester, Rylands GK. Papyri No. 54 (1st cent. B. C. --1st cent. A. D. ). O Oxyrhynchus Papyri 873 (3rd cent. ). A Paris, Bibl. Nat. Suppl. Graec. (papyrus) 1099 (4th-5th cent. ). B London, British Museam clix (4th cent. ). R Vienna, Rainer Papyri L. P. 21-9 (4th cent. ). C Paris, Bibl. Nat. Suppl. Graec. 663 (12th cent. ). D Florence, Laur. Xxxii 16 (13th cent. ). E Florence, Laur. , Conv. Suppr. 158 (14th cent. ). F Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2833 (15th cent. ). G Rome, Vatican 915 (14th cent. ). H Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2772 (14th cent. ). I Florence, Laur. Xxxi 32 (15th cent. ). K Venice, Marc. Ix 6 (15th cent. ). L Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2708 (15th cent. ). 

 These MSS. Are divided into two families:

 {Omega}a = C, D {Omega}b = E, F {Omega}c = G, H, I {Psi} = K, L

"Shield of Heracles":--

 P Oxyrhynchus Papyri 689 (2nd cent. ). A Vienna, Rainer Papyri L. P. 21-29 (4th cent. ). Q Berlin Papyri, 9774 (1st cent. ). B Paris, Bibl. Nat. , Suppl. Graec. 663 (12th cent. ). C Paris, Bibl. Nat. , Suppl. Graec. 663 (12th cent. ). D Milan, Ambros. C 222 (13th cent. ). E Florence, Laur. Xxxii 16 (13th cent. ). F Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2773 (14th cent. ). G Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2772 (14th cent. ). H Florence, Laur. Xxxi 32 (15th cent. ). I London, British Museaum Harleianus (14th cent. ). K Rome, Bibl. Casanat. 356 (14th cent. ) L Florence, Laur. Conv. Suppr. 158 (14th cent. ). M Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2833 (15th cent. ). 

 These MSS. Belong to two families:

 {Omega}a = B, C, D, F {Omega}b = G, H, I {Psi}a = E {Psi}b = K, L, M

 To these must be added two MSS. Of mixed family:

 N Venice, Marc. Ix 6 (14th cent. ). O Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2708 (15th cent. ). 

Editions of Hesiod:--

 Demetrius Chalcondyles, Milan (?) 1493 (?) ("editio princeps", containing, however, only the "Works and Days"). Aldus Manutius (Aldine edition), Venice, 1495 (complete works). Juntine Editions, 1515 and 1540. Trincavelli, Venice, 1537 (with scholia). 

 Of modern editions, the following may be noticed:--

 Gaisford, Oxford, 1814-1820; Leipzig, 1823 (with scholia: in Poett. Graec. Minn II). Goettling, Gotha, 1831 (3rd edition. Leipzig, 1878). Didot Edition, Paris, 1840. Schomann, 1869. Koechly and Kinkel, Leipzig, 1870. Flach, Leipzig, 1874-8. Rzach, Leipzig, 1902 (larger edition), 1913 (smaller edition). 

On the Hesiodic poems generally the ordinary Histories of GreekLiterature may be consulted, but especially the "Hist. De la LitteratureGrecque" I pp. 459 ff. Of MM. Croiset. The summary account in Prof. Murray's "Anc. Gk. Lit. " is written with a strong sceptical bias. Veryvaluable is the appendix to Mair's translation (Oxford, 1908) on "TheFarmer's Year in Hesiod". Recent work on the Hesiodic poems is reviewedin full by Rzach in Bursian's "Jahresberichte" vols. 100 (1899) and 152(1911). 

For the "Fragments" of Hesiodic poems the work of Markscheffel, "HesiodiFragmenta" (Leipzig, 1840), is most valuable: important also is Kinkel's"Epicorum Graecorum Fragmenta" I (Leipzig, 1877) and the editions ofRzach noticed above. For recently discovered papyrus fragments seeWilamowitz, "Neue Bruchstucke d. Hesiod Katalog" (Sitzungsb. Der k. Preuss. Akad. Fur Wissenschaft, 1900, pp. 839-851). A list of papyribelonging to lost Hesiodic works may here be added: all are the"Catalogues". 

 1) Berlin Papyri 7497 [1201] (2nd cent. ). --Frag. 7. 2) Oxyrhynchus Papyri 421 (2nd cent. ). --Frag. 7. 3) "Petrie Papyri" iii 3. --Frag. 14. 4) "Papiri greci e latine", No. 130 (2nd-3rd cent. ). --Frag. 14. 5) Strassburg Papyri, 55 (2nd cent. ). --Frag. 58. 6) Berlin Papyri 9739 (2nd cent. ). --Frag. 58. 7) Berlin Papyri 10560 (3rd cent. ). --Frag. 58. 8) Berlin Papyri 9777 (4th cent. ). --Frag. 98. 9) "Papiri greci e latine", No. 131 (2nd-3rd cent. ). --Frag. 99. 10) Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1358-9. 

The Homeric Hymns:--The text of the Homeric hymns is distinctly bad incondition, a fact which may be attributed to the general neglect underwhich they seem to have laboured at all periods previously to theRevival of Learning. Very many defects have been corrected by thevarious editions of the Hymns, but a considerable number still defy allefforts; and especially an abnormal number of undoubted lacuna disfigurethe text. Unfortunately no papyrus fragment of the Hymns has yetemerged, though one such fragment ("Berl. Klassikertexte" v. 1. Pp. 7ff. ) contains a paraphrase of a poem very closely parallel to the "Hymnto Demeter". 

The mediaeval MSS. [1202] are thus enumerated by Dr. T. W. Allen:--

 A Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2763. At Athos, Vatopedi 587. B Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2765. C Paris, Bibl. Nat. 2833. {Gamma} Brussels, Bibl. Royale 11377-11380 (16th cent. ). D Milan, Amrbos. B 98 sup. E Modena, Estense iii E 11. G Rome, Vatican, Regina 91 (16th cent. ). H London, British Mus. Harley 1752. J Modena, Estense, ii B 14. K Florence, Laur. 31, 32. L Florence, Laur. 32, 45. L2 Florence, Laur. 70, 35. L3 Florence, Laur. 32, 4. M Leyden (the Moscow MS. ) 33 H (14th cent. ). Mon. Munich, Royal Lib. 333 c. N Leyden, 74 c. O Milan, Ambros. C 10 inf. P Rome, Vatican Pal. Graec. 179. {Pi} Paris, Bibl. Nat. Suppl. Graec. 1095. Q Milan, Ambros. S 31 sup. R1 Florence, Bibl. Riccard. 53 K ii 13. R2 Florence, Bibl. Riccard. 52 K ii 14. S Rome, Vatican, Vaticani graec. 1880. T Madrid, Public Library 24. V Venice, Marc. 456. 

The same scholar has traced all the MSS. Back to a common parent fromwhich three main families are derived (M had a separate descent and isnot included in any family):--

 x1 = E, T x2 = L, {Pi}, (and more remotely) At, D, S, H, J, K. Y = E, L, {Pi}, T (marginal readings). P = A, B, C, {Gamma}, G, L2, L3, N, O, P, Q, R1, R2, V, Mon. 

Editions of the Homeric Hymns, & c. :--

 Demetrius Chalcondyles, Florence, 1488 (with the "Epigrams" and the "Battle of the Frogs and Mice" in the "ed. Pr. " of Homer). Aldine Edition, Venice, 1504. Juntine Edition, 1537. Stephanus, Paris, 1566 and 1588. 

 More modern editions or critical works of value are:

 Martin (Variarum Lectionum libb. Iv), Paris, 1605. Barnes, Cambridge, 1711. Ruhnken, Leyden, 1782 (Epist. Crit. And "Hymn to Demeter"). Ilgen, Halle, 1796 (with "Epigrams" and the "Battle of the Frogs and Mice"). Matthiae, Leipzig, 1806 (with the "Battle of the Frogs and Mice"). Hermann, Berling, 1806 (with "Epigrams"). Franke, Leipzig, 1828 (with "Epigrams" and the "Battle of the Frogs and Mice"). Dindorff (Didot edition), Paris, 1837. Baumeister ("Battle of the Frogs and Mice"), Gottingen, 1852. Baumeister ("Hymns"), Leipzig, 1860. Gemoll, Leipzig, 1886. Goodwin, Oxford, 1893. Ludwich ("Battle of the Frogs and Mice"), 1896. Allen and Sikes, London, 1904. Allen (Homeri Opera v), Oxford, 1912. 

Of these editions that of Messrs Allen and Sikes is by far the best:not only is the text purged of the load of conjectures for which thefrequent obscurities of the Hymns offer a special opening, but theIntroduction and the Notes throughout are of the highest value. For afull discussion of the MSS. And textual problems, reference must be madeto this edition, as also to Dr. T. W. Allen's series of articles in the"Journal of Hellenic Studies" vols. Xv ff. Among translations those ofJ. Edgar (Edinburgh), 1891) and of Andrew Lang (London, 1899) may bementioned. 

The Epic Cycle:--

The fragments of the Epic Cycle, being drawn from a variety of authors, no list of MSS. Can be given. The following collections and editions maybe mentioned:--

 Muller, Leipzig, 1829. Dindorff (Didot edition of Homer), Paris, 1837-56. Kinkel (Epicorum Graecorum Fragmenta i), Leipzig, 1877. Allen (Homeri Opera v), Oxford, 1912. 

The fullest discussion of the problems and fragments of the epic cycleis F. G. Welcker's "der epische Cyclus" (Bonn, vol. I, 1835: vol. Ii, 1849: vol. I, 2nd edition, 1865). The Appendix to Monro's "Homer'sOdyssey" xii-xxiv (pp. 340 ff. ) deals with the Cyclic poets in relationto Homer, and a clear and reasonable discussion of the subject is to befound in Croiset's "Hist. De la Litterature Grecque", vol. I. 

On Hesiod, the Hesiodic poems and the problems which these offersee Rzach's most important article "Hesiodos" in Pauly-Wissowa, "Real-Encyclopadie" xv (1912). 

A discussion of the evidence for the date of Hesiod is to be found in"Journ. Hell. Stud. " xxxv, 85 ff. (T. W. Allen). 

Of translations of Hesiod the following may be noticed:--"The Georgicksof Hesiod", by George Chapman, London, 1618; "The Works of Hesiodtranslated from the Greek", by Thomas Coocke, London, 1728; "The Remainsof Hesiod translated from the Greek into English Verse", by CharlesAbraham Elton; "The Works of Hesiod, Callimachus, and Theognis", by theRev. J. Banks, M. A. ; "Hesiod", by Prof. James Mair, Oxford, 1908 [1203]. 

THE WORKS OF HESIOD

WORKS AND DAYS (832 lines)

(ll. 1-10) Muses of Pieria who give glory through song, come hither, tell of Zeus your father and chant his praise. Through him mortal menare famed or un-famed, sung or unsung alike, as great Zeus wills. Foreasily he makes strong, and easily he brings the strong man low; easilyhe humbles the proud and raises the obscure, and easily he straightensthe crooked and blasts the proud, --Zeus who thunders aloft and has hisdwelling most high. 

Attend thou with eye and ear, and make judgements straight withrighteousness. And I, Perses, would tell of true things. 

(ll. 11-24) So, after all, there was not one kind of Strife alone, butall over the earth there are two. As for the one, a man would praise herwhen he came to understand her; but the other is blameworthy: and theyare wholly different in nature. For one fosters evil war and battle, being cruel: her no man loves; but perforce, through the will of thedeathless gods, men pay harsh Strife her honour due. But the other isthe elder daughter of dark Night, and the son of Cronos who sits aboveand dwells in the aether, set her in the roots of the earth: and she isfar kinder to men. She stirs up even the shiftless to toil; for a mangrows eager to work when he considers his neighbour, a rich man whohastens to plough and plant and put his house in good order; andneighbour vies with his neighbour as he hurries after wealth. ThisStrife is wholesome for men. And potter is angry with potter, andcraftsman with craftsman, and beggar is jealous of beggar, and minstrelof minstrel. 

(ll. 25-41) Perses, lay up these things in your heart, and do not letthat 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'svictuals laid up betimes, even that which the earth bears, Demeter'sgrain. When you have got plenty of that, you can raise disputes andstrive to get another's goods. But you shall have no second chance todeal so again: nay, let us settle our dispute here with true judgementdivided our inheritance, but you seized the greater share and carried itoff, greatly swelling the glory of our bribe-swallowing lords who loveto judge such a cause as this. Fools! They know not how much more thehalf is than the whole, nor what great advantage there is in mallow andasphodel [1301]. 

(ll. 42-53) For the gods keep hidden from men the means of life. Elseyou would easily do work enough in a day to supply you for a full yeareven without working; soon would you put away your rudder over thesmoke, 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 craftydeceived him; therefore he planned sorrow and mischief against men. Hehid fire; but that the noble son of Iapetus stole again for men fromZeus the counsellor in a hollow fennel-stalk, so that Zeus who delightsin thunder did not see it. But afterwards Zeus who gathers the cloudssaid to him in anger:

(ll. 54-59) 'Son of Iapetus, surpassing all in cunning, you are gladthat you have outwitted me and stolen fire--a great plague to youyourself and to men that shall be. But I will give men as the price forfire an evil thing in which they may all be glad of heart while theyembrace their own destruction. '

(ll. 60-68) So said the father of men and gods, and laughed aloud. Andhe bade famous Hephaestus make haste and mix earth with water and to putin it the voice and strength of human kind, and fashion a sweet, lovelymaiden-shape, like to the immortal goddesses in face; and Athene toteach her needlework and the weaving of the varied web; and goldenAphrodite to shed grace upon her head and cruel longing and cares thatweary 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 ofCronos. Forthwith the famous Lame God moulded clay in the likeness of amodest maid, as the son of Cronos purposed. And the goddess bright-eyedAthene girded and clothed her, and the divine Graces and queenlyPersuasion put necklaces of gold upon her, and the rich-haired Hourscrowned her head with spring flowers. And Pallas Athene bedecked herform with all manners of finery. Also the Guide, the Slayer of Argus, contrived within her lies and crafty words and a deceitful nature at thewill of loud thundering Zeus, and the Herald of the gods put speech inher. And he called this woman Pandora [1302], because all they who dwelton Olympus gave each a gift, a plague to men who eat bread. 

(ll. 83-89) But when he had finished the sheer, hopeless snare, theFather sent glorious Argos-Slayer, the swift messenger of the gods, totake it to Epimetheus as a gift. And Epimetheus did not think on whatPrometheus had said to him, bidding him never take a gift of OlympianZeus, but to send it back for fear it might prove to be somethingharmful to men. But he took the gift, and afterwards, when the evilthing was already his, he understood. 

(ll. 90-105) For ere this the tribes of men lived on earth remote andfree from ills and hard toil and heavy sickness which bring the Fatesupon men; for in misery men grow old quickly. But the woman took off thegreat lid of the jar [1303] with her hands and scattered all these andher thought caused sorrow and mischief to men. Only Hope remained therein an unbreakable home within under the rim of the great jar, and didnot 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 andthe sea is full. Of themselves diseases come upon men continually by dayand by night, bringing mischief to mortals silently; for wise Zeus tookaway 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 andskilfully--and do you lay it up in your heart, --how the gods and mortalmen sprang from one source. 

(ll. 109-120) First of all the deathless gods who dwell on Olympus madea golden race of mortal men who lived in the time of Cronos when he wasreigning 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 feastingbeyond the reach of all evils. When they died, it was as though theywere overcome with sleep, and they had all good things; for the fruitfulearth unforced bare them fruit abundantly and without stint. They dweltin ease and peace upon their lands with many good things, rich in flocksand loved by the blessed gods. 

(ll. 121-139) But after earth had covered this generation--they arecalled pure spirits dwelling on the earth, and are kindly, deliveringfrom harm, and guardians of mortal men; for they roam everywhere overthe earth, clothed in mist and keep watch on judgements and cruel deeds, givers of wealth; for this royal right also they received;--then theywho dwell on Olympus made a second generation which was of silver andless noble by far. It was like the golden race neither in body nor inspirit. A child was brought up at his good mother's side an hundredyears, an utter simpleton, playing childishly in his own home. But whenthey 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, norwould they serve the immortals, nor sacrifice on the holy altars of theblessed ones as it is right for men to do wherever they dwell. Then Zeusthe son of Cronos was angry and put them away, because they would notgive honour to the blessed gods who live on Olympus. 

(ll. 140-155) But when earth had covered this generation also--they arecalled blessed spirits of the underworld by men, and, though they are ofsecond order, yet honour attends them also--Zeus the Father made a thirdgeneration 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 andstrong. 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 fromtheir shoulders on their strong limbs. Their armour was of bronze, andtheir houses of bronze, and of bronze were their implements: there wasno black iron. These were destroyed by their own hands and passed to thedank 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, Zeusthe 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 whoare called demi-gods, the race before our own, throughout the boundlessearth. Grim war and dread battle destroyed a part of them, some in theland of Cadmus at seven-gated Thebe when they fought for the flocks ofOedipus, and some, when it had brought them in ships over the great seagulf to Troy for rich-haired Helen's sake: there death's end enshroudeda part of them. But to the others father Zeus the son of Cronos gave aliving and an abode apart from men, and made them dwell at the ends ofearth. And they live untouched by sorrow in the islands of the blessedalong the shore of deep swirling Ocean, happy heroes for whom thegrain-giving earth bears honey-sweet fruit flourishing thrice a year, far from the deathless gods, and Cronos rules over them [1305]; forthe father of men and gods released him from his bonds. And these lastequally 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 thefifth generation, but either had died before or been born afterwards. For now truly is a race of iron, and men never rest from labour andsorrow by day, and from perishing by night; and the gods shall lay soretrouble upon them. But, notwithstanding, even these shall have some goodmingled with their evils. And Zeus will destroy this race of mortalmen 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 childrenwith their father, nor guest with his host, nor comrade with comrade;nor will brother be dear to brother as aforetime. Men will dishonourtheir parents as they grow quickly old, and will carp at them, chidingthem with bitter words, hard-hearted they, not knowing the fear of thegods. They will not repay their aged parents the cost their nurture, formight shall be their right: and one man will sack another's city. Therewill be no favour for the man who keeps his oath or for the just orfor the good; but rather men will praise the evil-doer and his violentdealing. Strength will be right and reverence will cease to be; and thewicked will hurt the worthy man, speaking false words against him, andwill swear an oath upon them. Envy, foul-mouthed, delighting in evil, with scowling face, will go along with wretched men one and all. Andthen Aidos and Nemesis [1307], with their sweet forms wrapped in whiterobes, will go from the wide-pathed earth and forsake mankind to jointhe company of the deathless gods: and bitter sorrows will be left formortal men, and there will be no help against evil. 

(ll. 202-211) And now I will tell a fable for princes who themselvesunderstand. Thus said the hawk to the nightingale with speckled neck, while he carried her high up among the clouds, gripped fast in histalons, and she, pierced by his crooked talons, cried pitifully. To herhe spoke disdainfully: 'Miserable thing, why do you cry out? One farstronger than you now holds you fast, and you must go wherever I takeyou, 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 hedoes not get the mastery and suffers pain besides his shame. ' So saidthe swiftly flying hawk, the long-winged bird. 

(ll. 212-224) But you, Perses, listen to right and do not fosterviolence; for violence is bad for a poor man. Even the prosperous cannoteasily bear its burden, but is weighed down under it when he has falleninto delusion. The better path is to go by on the other side towardsjustice; for Justice beats Outrage when she comes at length to the endof the race. But only when he has suffered does the fool learn this. ForOath keeps pace with wrong judgements. There is a noise when Justice isbeing dragged in the way where those who devour bribes and give sentencewith crooked judgements, take her. And she, wrapped in mist, followsto the city and haunts of the people, weeping, and bringing mischiefto men, even to such as have driven her forth in that they did not dealstraightly with her. 

(ll. 225-237) But they who give straight judgements to strangers andto the men of the land, and go not aside from what is just, their cityflourishes, and the people prosper in it: Peace, the nurse of children, is abroad in their land, and all-seeing Zeus never decrees cruel waragainst them. Neither famine nor disaster ever haunt men who do truejustice; but light-heartedly they tend the fields which are all theircare. The earth bears them victual in plenty, and on the mountains theoak bears acorns upon the top and bees in the midst. Their woolly sheepare 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 deedsfar-seeing Zeus, the son of Cronos, ordains a punishment. Often evena whole city suffers for a bad man who sins and devises presumptuousdeeds, and the son of Cronos lays great trouble upon the people, famineand plague together, so that the men perish away, and their women do notbear children, and their houses become few, through the contriving ofOlympian Zeus. And again, at another time, the son of Cronos eitherdestroys their wide army, or their walls, or else makes an end of theirships on the sea. 

(ll. 248-264) You princes, mark well this punishment you also; for thedeathless gods are near among men and mark all those who oppress theirfellows with crooked judgements, and reck not the anger of the gods. Forupon the bounteous earth Zeus has thrice ten thousand spirits, watchersof mortal men, and these keep watch on judgements and deeds of wrongas they roam, clothed in mist, all over the earth. And there is virginJustice, the daughter of Zeus, who is honoured and reverenced amongthe gods who dwell on Olympus, and whenever anyone hurts her with lyingslander, she sits beside her father, Zeus the son of Cronos, and tellshim of men's wicked heart, until the people pay for the mad folly oftheir princes who, evilly minded, pervert judgement and give sentencecrookedly. Keep watch against this, you princes, and make straight yourjudgements, you who devour bribes; put crooked judgements altogetherfrom your thoughts. 

(ll. 265-266) He does mischief to himself who does mischief to another, and evil planned harms the plotter most. 

(ll. 267-273) The eye of Zeus, seeing all and understanding all, beholdsthese things too, if so he will, and fails not to mark what sort ofjustice is this that the city keeps within it. Now, therefore, mayneither I myself be righteous among men, nor my son--for then it isa bad thing to be righteous--if indeed the unrighteous shall have thegreater right. But I think that all-wise Zeus will not yet bring that topass. 

(ll. 274-285) But you, Perses, lay up these things within your heart andlisten now to right, ceasing altogether to think of violence. For theson of Cronos has ordained this law for men, that fishes and beasts andwinged fowls should devour one another, for right is not in them; but tomankind he gave right which proves far the best. For whoever knows theright and is ready to speak it, far-seeing Zeus gives him prosperity;but whoever deliberately lies in his witness and forswears himself, andso hurts Justice and sins beyond repair, that man's generation is leftobscure thereafter. But the generation of the man who swears truly isbetter thenceforward. 

(ll. 286-292) To you, foolish Perses, I will speak good sense. Badnesscan be got easily and in shoals: the road to her is smooth, and shelives very near us. But between us and Goodness the gods have placed thesweat of our brows: long and steep is the path that leads to her, and itis rough at the first; but when a man has reached the top, then is sheeasy to reach, though before that she was hard. 

(ll. 293-319) That man is altogether best who considers all thingshimself and marks what will be better afterwards and at the end; and he, again, is good who listens to a good adviser; but whoever neitherthinks for himself nor keeps in mind what another tells him, he is anunprofitable man. But do you at any rate, always remembering my charge, work, high-born Perses, that Hunger may hate you, and venerable Demeterrichly crowned may love you and fill your barn with food; for Hunger isaltogether a meet comrade for the sluggard. Both gods and men are angrywith a man who lives idle, for in nature he is like the stingless droneswho waste the labour of the bees, eating without working; but let itbe your care to order your work properly, that in the right season yourbarns may be full of victual. Through work men grow rich in flocksand substance, and working they are much better loved by the immortals[1308]. Work is no disgrace: it is idleness which is a disgrace. Butif you work, the idle will soon envy you as you grow rich, for fame andrenown 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 yourwork and attend to your livelihood as I bid you. An evil shame is theneedy man's companion, shame which both greatly harms and prospers men:shame is with poverty, but confidence with wealth. 

(ll. 320-341) Wealth should not be seized: god-given wealth is muchbetter; for if a man take great wealth violently and perforce, or if hesteal it through his tongue, as often happens when gain deceives men'ssense and dishonour tramples down honour, the gods soon blot him outand make that man's house low, and wealth attends him only for a littletime. Alike with him who does wrong to a suppliant or a guest, or whogoes up to his brother's bed and commits unnatural sin in lying withhis wife, or who infatuately offends against fatherless children, or whoabuses his old father at the cheerless threshold of old age and attackshim with harsh words, truly Zeus himself is angry, and at the lastlays on him a heavy requittal for his evil doing. But do you turn yourfoolish heart altogether away from these things, and, as far as you areable, sacrifice to the deathless gods purely and cleanly, and burnrich meats also, and at other times propitiate them with libations andincense, 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 buyanother's holding and not another yours. 

(ll. 342-351) Call your friend to a feast; but leave your enemy alone;and especially call him who lives near you: for if any mischiefhappen in the place, neighbours come ungirt, but kinsmen stay to girdthemselves [1309]. A bad neighbour is as great a plague as a good oneis a great blessing; he who enjoys a good neighbour has a preciouspossession. Not even an ox would die but for a bad neighbour. Takefair measure from your neighbour and pay him back fairly with the samemeasure, or better, if you can; so that if you are in need afterwards, you may find him sure. 

(ll. 352-369) Do not get base gain: base gain is as bad as ruin. Befriends with the friendly, and visit him who visits you. Give to onewho gives, but do not give to one who does not give. A man gives to thefree-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 gladin heart; but whoever gives way to shamelessness and takes somethinghimself, even though it be a small thing, it freezes his heart. He whoadds to what he has, will keep off bright-eyed hunger; for if you addonly a little to a little and do this often, soon that little willbecome great. What a man has by him at home does not trouble him: it isbetter 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 heartto need something and not to have it, and I bid you mark this. Takeyour fill when the cask is first opened and when it is nearly spent, butmidways be sparing: it is poor saving when you come to the lees. 

(ll. 370-372) Let the wage promised to a friend be fixed; even with yourbrother smile--and get a witness; for trust and mistrust, alike ruinmen. 

(ll. 373-375) Do not let a flaunting woman coax and cozen and deceiveyou: she is after your barn. The man who trusts womankind trustsdeceivers. 

(ll. 376-380) 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 sonyou should die old. Yet Zeus can easily give great wealth to a greaternumber. More hands mean more work and more increase. 

(ll. 381-382) If your heart within you desires wealth, do these thingsand work with work upon work. 

(ll. 383-404) When the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas, are rising [1310], begin your harvest, and your ploughing when they are going to set[1311]. Forty nights and days they are hidden and appear again as theyear moves round, when first you sharpen your sickle. This is the lawof the plains, and of those who live near the sea, and who inhabit richcountry, the glens and dingles far from the tossing sea, --strip tosow and strip to plough and strip to reap, if you wish to get in allDemeter's fruits in due season, and that each kind may grow in itsseason. Else, afterwards, you may chance to be in want, and go beggingto other men's houses, but without avail; as you have already come tome. But I will give you no more nor give you further measure. FoolishPerses! Work the work which the gods ordained for men, lest in bitteranguish of spirit you with your wife and children seek your livelihoodamongst your neighbours, and they do not heed you. Two or three times, may be, you will succeed, but if you trouble them further, it willnot avail you, and all your talk will be in vain, and your word-playunprofitable. Nay, I bid you find a way to pay your debts and avoidhunger. 

(ll. 405-413) First of all, get a house, and a woman and an ox for theplough--a slave woman and not a wife, to follow the oxen as well--andmake everything ready at home, so that you may not have to ask ofanother, and he refuses you, and so, because you are in lack, the seasonpass by and your work come to nothing. Do not put your work off tillto-morrow and the day after; for a sluggish worker does not fill hisbarn, nor one who puts off his work: industry makes work go well, but aman who puts off work is always at hand-grips with ruin. 

(ll. 414-447) When the piercing power and sultry heat of the sun abate, and almighty Zeus sends the autumn rains [1312], and men's flesh comesto feel far easier, --for then the star Sirius passes over the headsof men, who are born to misery, only a little while by day and takesgreater share of night, --then, when it showers its leaves to the groundand stops sprouting, the wood you cut with your axe is least liable toworm. Then remember to hew your timber: it is the season for that work. Cut a mortar [1313] three feet wide and a pestle three cubits long, andan axle of seven feet, for it will do very well so; but if you makeit eight feet long, you can cut a beetle [1314] from it as well. Cuta felloe three spans across for a waggon of ten palms' width. Hew alsomany bent timbers, and bring home a plough-tree when you have found it, and look out on the mountain or in the field for one of holm-oak; forthis is the strongest for oxen to plough with when one of Athena'shandmen has fixed in the share-beam and fastened it to the pole withdowels. Get two ploughs ready work on them at home, one all of a piece, and the other jointed. It is far better to do this, for if you shouldbreak one of them, you can put the oxen to the other. Poles of laurel orelm are most free from worms, and a share-beam of oak and a plough-treeof holm-oak. Get two oxen, bulls of nine years; for their strength isunspent and they are in the prime of their age: they are best for work. They will not fight in the furrow and break the plough and then leavethe work undone. Let a brisk fellow of forty years follow them, with aloaf of four quarters [1315] and eight slices [1316] for his dinner, onewho will attend to his work and drive a straight furrow and is past theage for gaping after his fellows, but will keep his mind on his work. Noyounger man will be better than he at scattering the seed and avoidingdouble-sowing; for a man less staid gets disturbed, hankering after hisfellows. 

(ll. 448-457) Mark, when you hear the voice of the crane [1317] whocries year by year from the clouds above, for she give the signal forploughing and shows the season of rainy winter; but she vexes the heartof the man who has no oxen. Then is the time to feed up your hornedoxen in the byre; for it is easy to say: 'Give me a yoke of oxen and awaggon, ' and it is easy to refuse: 'I have work for my oxen. ' The manwho is rich in fancy thinks his waggon as good as built already--thefool! He does not know that there are a hundred timbers to a waggon. Take care to lay these up beforehand at home. 

(ll. 458-464) So soon as the time for ploughing is proclaimed to men, then make haste, you and your slaves alike, in wet and in dry, to ploughin the season for ploughing, and bestir yourself early in the morning sothat your fields may be full. Plough in the spring; but fallow broken upin the summer will not belie your hopes. Sow fallow land when thesoil is still getting light: fallow land is a defender from harm and asoother of children. 

(ll. 465-478) Pray to Zeus of the Earth and to pure Demeter to makeDemeter's holy grain sound and heavy, when first you begin ploughing, when you hold in your hand the end of the plough-tail and bring downyour stick on the backs of the oxen as they draw on the pole-bar by theyoke-straps. Let a slave follow a little behind with a mattock and maketrouble for the birds by hiding the seed; for good management is thebest for mortal men as bad management is the worst. In this way yourcorn-ears will bow to the ground with fullness if the Olympian himselfgives a good result at the last, and you will sweep the cobwebs fromyour bins and you will be glad, I ween, as you take of your garneredsubstance. And so you will have plenty till you come to grey [1318]springtime, and will not look wistfully to others, but another shall bein need of your help. 

(ll. 479-492) But if you plough the good ground at the solstice [1319], you will reap sitting, grasping a thin crop in your hand, binding thesheaves awry, dust-covered, not glad at all; so you will bring all homein a basket and not many will admire you. Yet the will of Zeus who holdsthe aegis is different at different times; and it is hard for mortalmen to tell it; for if you should plough late, you may find thisremedy--when the cuckoo first calls [1320] in the leaves of the oak andmakes men glad all over the boundless earth, if Zeus should send rainon the third day and not cease until it rises neither above an ox's hoofnor falls short of it, then the late-plougher will vie with the early. Keep all this well in mind, and fail not to mark grey spring as it comesand the season of rain. 

(ll 493-501) Pass by the smithy and its crowded lounge in winter timewhen the cold keeps men from field work, --for then an industrious mancan greatly prosper his house--lest bitter winter catch you helpless andpoor and you chafe a swollen foot with a shrunk hand. The idle manwho waits on empty hope, lacking a livelihood, lays to heartmischief-making; it is not an wholesome hope that accompanies a need manwho lolls at ease while he has no sure livelihood. 

(ll. 502-503) While it is yet midsummer command your slaves: 'It willnot always be summer, build barns. '

(ll. 504-535) Avoid the month Lenaeon [1321], wretched days, all of themfit to skin an ox, and the frosts which are cruel when Boreas blows overthe earth. He blows across horse-breeding Thrace upon the wide sea andstirs it up, while earth and the forest howl. On many a high-leafedoak and thick pine he falls and brings them to the bounteous earth inmountain glens: then all the immense wood roars and the beasts shudderand put their tails between their legs, even those whose hide is coveredwith fur; for with his bitter blast he blows even through them althoughthey are shaggy-breasted. He goes even through an ox's hide; it does notstop him. Also he blows through the goat's fine hair. But through thefleeces of sheep, because their wool is abundant, the keen wind Boreaspierces not at all; but it makes the old man curved as a wheel. And itdoes not blow through the tender maiden who stays indoors with herdear mother, unlearned as yet in the works of golden Aphrodite, and whowashes her soft body and anoints herself with oil and lies down in aninner room within the house, on a winter's day when the Boneless One[1322] gnaws his foot in his fireless house and wretched home; for thesun shows him no pastures to make for, but goes to and fro over the landand city of dusky men [1323], and shines more sluggishly upon the wholerace of the Hellenes. Then the horned and unhorned denizens of the wood, with teeth chattering pitifully, flee through the copses and glades, andall, as they seek shelter, have this one care, to gain thick coverts orsome hollow rock. Then, like the Three-legged One [1324] whose back isbroken and whose head looks down upon the ground, like him, I say, theywander to escape the white snow. 

(ll. 536-563) Then put on, as I bid you, a soft coat and a tunic to thefeet to shield your body, --and you should weave thick woof on thin warp. In this clothe yourself so that your hair may keep still and not bristleand stand upon end all over your body. 

Lace on your feet close-fitting boots of the hide of a slaughtered ox, thickly lined with felt inside. And when the season of frost comes on, stitch together skins of firstling kids with ox-sinew, to put over yourback and to keep off the rain. On your head above wear a shaped capof felt to keep your ears from getting wet, for the dawn is chill whenBoreas has once made his onslaught, and at dawn a fruitful mist isspread over the earth from starry heaven upon the fields of blessed men:it is drawn from the ever flowing rivers and is raised high above theearth by windstorm, and sometimes it turns to rain towards evening, andsometimes to wind when Thracian Boreas huddles the thick clouds. Finishyour work and return home ahead of him, and do not let the dark cloudfrom heaven wrap round you and make your body clammy and soak yourclothes. Avoid it; for this is the hardest month, wintry, hard for sheepand hard for men. In this season let your oxen have half their usualfood, but let your man have more; for the helpful nights are long. Observe all this until the year is ended and you have nights and daysof equal length, and Earth, the mother of all, bears again her variousfruit. 

(ll. 564-570) When Zeus has finished sixty wintry days after thesolstice, then the star Arcturus [1325] leaves the holy stream ofOcean and first rises brilliant at dusk. After him the shrilly wailingdaughter of Pandion, the swallow, appears to men when spring is justbeginning. Before she comes, prune the vines, for it is best so. 

(ll. 571-581) But when the House-carrier [1326] climbs up the plantsfrom the earth to escape the Pleiades, then it is no longer the seasonfor digging vineyards, but to whet your sickles and rouse up yourslaves. Avoid shady seats and sleeping until dawn in the harvest season, when the sun scorches the body. Then be busy, and bring home yourfruits, getting up early to make your livelihood sure. For dawn takesaway a third part of your work, dawn advances a man on his journey andadvances him in his work, --dawn which appears and sets many men on theirroad, and puts yokes on many oxen. 

(ll. 582-596) But when the artichoke flowers [1327], and the chirpinggrass-hopper sits in a tree and pours down his shrill song continuallyfrom under his wings in the season of wearisome heat, then goats areplumpest and wine sweetest; women are most wanton, but men are feeblest, because Sirius parches head and knees and the skin is dry through heat. But at that time let me have a shady rock and wine of Biblis, a clot ofcurds and milk of drained goats with the flesh of an heifer fed in thewoods, that has never calved, and of firstling kids; then also let medrink bright wine, sitting in the shade, when my heart is satisfiedwith food, and so, turning my head to face the fresh Zephyr, from theeverflowing spring which pours down unfouled thrice pour an offering ofwater, but make a fourth libation of wine. 

(ll. 597-608) Set your slaves to winnow Demeter's holy grain, whenstrong Orion [1328] first appears, on a smooth threshing-floor in anairy place. Then measure it and store it in jars. And so soon as youhave safely stored all your stuff indoors, I bid you put your bondmanout of doors and look out for a servant-girl with no children;--for aservant with a child to nurse is troublesome. And look after thedog with jagged teeth; do not grudge him his food, or some time theDay-sleeper [1329] may take your stuff. Bring in fodder and litter soas to have enough for your oxen and mules. After that, let your men resttheir poor knees and unyoke your pair of oxen. 

(ll. 609-617) But when Orion and Sirius are come into mid-heaven, and rosy-fingered Dawn sees Arcturus [1330], then cut off all thegrape-clusters, Perses, and bring them home. Show them to the sun tendays and ten nights: then cover them over for five, and on the sixthday draw off into vessels the gifts of joyful Dionysus. But when thePleiades and Hyades and strong Orion begin to set [1331], then rememberto plough in season: and so the completed year [1332] will fitly passbeneath the earth. 

(ll. 618-640) But if desire for uncomfortable sea-faring seize you; whenthe Pleiades plunge into the misty sea [1333] to escape Orion's rudestrength, then truly gales of all kinds rage. Then keep ships no longeron the sparkling sea, but bethink you to till the land as I bid you. Haul up your ship upon the land and pack it closely with stones allround to keep off the power of the winds which blow damply, and draw outthe bilge-plug so that the rain of heaven may not rot it. Put awayall the tackle and fittings in your house, and stow the wings of thesea-going ship neatly, and hang up the well-shaped rudder over thesmoke. You yourself wait until the season for sailing is come, and thenhaul your swift ship down to the sea and stow a convenient cargo in it, so that you may bring home profit, even as your father and mine, foolish Perses, used to sail on shipboard because he lacked sufficientlivelihood. And one day he came to this very place crossing over agreat stretch of sea; he left Aeolian Cyme and fled, not from riches andsubstance, but from wretched poverty which Zeus lays upon men, andhe settled near Helicon in a miserable hamlet, Ascra, which is bad inwinter, sultry in summer, and good at no time. 

(ll. 641-645) But you, Perses, remember all works in their season butsailing especially. Admire a small ship, but put your freight in a largeone; for the greater the lading, the greater will be your piled gain, ifonly the winds will keep back their harmful gales. 

(ll. 646-662) If ever you turn your misguided heart to trading and withto escape from debt and joyless hunger, I will show you the measures ofthe loud-roaring sea, though I have no skill in sea-faring nor in ships;for never yet have I sailed by ship over the wide sea, but only toEuboea from Aulis where the Achaeans once stayed through much storm whenthey had gathered a great host from divine Hellas for Troy, the landof fair women. Then I crossed over to Chalcis, to the games of wiseAmphidamas where the sons of the great-hearted hero proclaimed andappointed prizes. And there I boast that I gained the victory with asong and carried off an handled tripod which I dedicated to the Muses ofHelicon, in the place where they first set me in the way of clear song. Such is all my experience of many-pegged ships; nevertheless I will tellyou the will of Zeus who holds the aegis; for the Muses have taught meto sing in marvellous song. 

(ll. 663-677) Fifty days after the solstice [1334], when the seasonof wearisome heat is come to an end, is the right time for me to gosailing. Then you will not wreck your ship, nor will the sea destroy thesailors, unless Poseidon the Earth-Shaker be set upon it, or Zeus, theking of the deathless gods, wish to slay them; for the issues of goodand evil alike are with them. At that time the winds are steady, andthe sea is harmless. Then trust in the winds without care, and haul yourswift ship down to the sea and put all the freight on board; but makeall haste you can to return home again and do not wait till the time ofthe new wine and autumn rain and oncoming storms with the fierce galesof Notus who accompanies the heavy autumn rain of Zeus and stirs up thesea and makes the deep dangerous. 

(ll. 678-694) Another time for men to go sailing is in spring when aman first sees leaves on the topmost shoot of a fig-tree as large as thefoot-print that a cow makes; then the sea is passable, and this is thespring sailing time. For my part I do not praise it, for my heart doesnot like it. Such a sailing is snatched, and you will hardly avoidmischief. Yet in their ignorance men do even this, for wealth means lifeto poor mortals; but it is fearful to die among the waves. But I bid youconsider all these things in your heart as I say. Do not put all yourgoods in hallow ships; leave the greater part behind, and put the lesserpart on board; for it is a bad business to meet with disaster amongthe waves of the sea, as it is bad if you put too great a load on yourwaggon and break the axle, and your goods are spoiled. Observe duemeasure: and proportion is best in all things. 

(ll. 695-705) Bring home a wife to your house when you are of the rightage, while you are not far short of thirty years nor much above; this isthe right age for marriage. Let your wife have been grown up four years, and marry her in the fifth. Marry a maiden, so that you can teach hercareful ways, and especially marry one who lives near you, but lookwell about you and see that your marriage will not be a joke to yourneighbours. For a man wins nothing better than a good wife, and, again, nothing worse than a bad one, a greedy soul who roasts her man withoutfire, strong though he may be, and brings him to a raw [1335] old age. 

(ll. 706-714) Be careful to avoid the anger of the deathless gods. Donot make a friend equal to a brother; but if you do, do not wrong himfirst, and do not lie to please the tongue. But if he wrongs you first, offending either in word or in deed, remember to repay him double;but if he ask you to be his friend again and be ready to give yousatisfaction, welcome him. He is a worthless man who makes now one andnow another his friend; but as for you, do not let your face put yourheart to shame [1336]. 

(ll. 715-716) Do not get a name either as lavish or as churlish; as afriend of rogues or as a slanderer of good men. 

(ll. 717-721) Never dare to taunt a man with deadly poverty which eatsout the heart; it is sent by the deathless gods. The best treasure a mancan have is a sparing tongue, and the greatest pleasure, one that movesorderly; for if you speak evil, you yourself will soon be worse spokenof. 

(ll. 722-723) Do not be boorish at a common feast where there are manyguests; the pleasure is greatest and the expense is least [1337]. 

(ll. 724-726) Never pour a libation of sparkling wine to Zeus after dawnwith unwashen hands, nor to others of the deathless gods; else they donot hear your prayers but spit them back. 

(ll. 727-732) Do not stand upright facing the sun when you make water, but remember to do this when he has set towards his rising. And do notmake water as you go, whether on the road or off the road, and do notuncover yourself: the nights belong to the blessed gods. A scrupulousman who has a wise heart sits down or goes to the wall of an enclosedcourt. 

(ll. 733-736) Do not expose yourself befouled by the fireside in yourhouse, but avoid this. Do not beget children when you are come back fromill-omened burial, but after a festival of the gods. 

(ll. 737-741) Never cross the sweet-flowing water of ever-rolling riversafoot until you have prayed, gazing into the soft flood, and washed yourhands in the clear, lovely water. Whoever crosses a river with handsunwashed of wickedness, the gods are angry with him and bring troubleupon him afterwards. 

(ll. 742-743) At a cheerful festival of the gods do not cut the witheredfrom the quick upon that which has five branches [1338] with brightsteel. 

(ll. 744-745) Never put the ladle upon the mixing-bowl at a wine party, for malignant ill-luck is attached to that. 

(ll. 746-747) When you are building a house, do not leave it rough-hewn, or a cawing crow may settle on it and croak. 

(ll. 748-749) Take nothing to eat or to wash with from uncharmed pots, for in them there is mischief. 

(ll. 750-759) Do not let a boy of twelve years sit on things which maynot be moved [1339], for that is bad, and makes a man unmanly; nor yeta child of twelve months, for that has the same effect. A man shouldnot clean his body with water in which a woman has washed, for there isbitter mischief in that also for a time. When you come upon a burningsacrifice, do not make a mock of mysteries, for Heaven is angry at thisalso. Never make water in the mouths of rivers which flow to the sea, nor yet in springs; but be careful to avoid this. And do not easeyourself in them: it is not well to do this. 

(ll. 760-763) So do: and avoid the talk of men. For Talk is mischievous, light, and easily raised, but hard to bear and difficult to be rid of. Talk never wholly dies away when many people voice her: even Talk is insome ways divine. 

(ll. 765-767) Mark the days which come from Zeus, duly telling yourslaves of them, and that the thirtieth day of the month is best for oneto look over the work and to deal out supplies. 

(ll. 769-768) [1340] For these are days which come from Zeus theall-wise, when men discern aright. 

(ll. 770-779) To begin with, the first, the fourth, and the seventh--onwhich Leto bare Apollo with the blade of gold--each is a holy day. Theeighth and the ninth, two days at least of the waxing month [1341], arespecially good for the works of man. Also the eleventh and twelfth areboth excellent, alike for shearing sheep and for reaping the kindlyfruits; but the twelfth is much better than the eleventh, for on it theairy-swinging spider spins its web in full day, and then the Wise One[1342], gathers her pile. On that day woman should set up her loom andget forward with her work. 

(ll. 780-781) Avoid the thirteenth of the waxing month for beginning tosow: yet it is the best day for setting plants. 

(ll. 782-789) The sixth of the mid-month is very unfavourable forplants, but is good for the birth of males, though unfavourable for agirl either to be born at all or to be married. Nor is the first sixtha fit day for a girl to be born, but a kindly for gelding kids and sheepand for fencing in a sheep-cote. It is favourable for the birth of aboy, but such will be fond of sharp speech, lies, and cunning words, andstealthy converse. 

(ll. 790-791) On the eighth of the month geld the boar andloud-bellowing bull, but hard-working mules on the twelfth. 

(ll. 792-799) On the great twentieth, in full day, a wise man should beborn. Such an one is very sound-witted. The tenth is favourable for amale to be born; but, for a girl, the fourth day of the mid-month. Onthat day tame sheep and shambling, horned oxen, and the sharp-fangeddog and hardy mules to the touch of the hand. But take care to avoidtroubles which eat out the heart on the fourth of the beginning andending of the month; it is a day very fraught with fate. 

(ll. 800-801) On the fourth of the month bring home your bride, butchoose the omens which are best for this business. 

(ll. 802-804) Avoid fifth days: they are unkindly and terrible. On afifth day, they say, the Erinyes assisted at the birth of Horcus (Oath)whom Eris (Strife) bare to trouble the forsworn. {[0-9]} (ll. 805-809)Look about you very carefully and throw out Demeter's holy grain uponthe well-rolled [1343] threshing floor on the seventh of the mid-month. Let the woodman cut beams for house building and plenty of ships'timbers, such as are suitable for ships. On the fourth day begin tobuild narrow ships. 

(ll. 810-813) The ninth of the mid-month improves towards evening; butthe first ninth of all is quite harmless for men. It is a good day onwhich to beget or to be born both for a male and a female: it is neveran wholly evil day. 

(ll. 814-818) Again, few know that the twenty-seventh of the month isbest for opening a wine-jar, and putting yokes on the necks of oxenand mules and swift-footed horses, and for hauling a swift ship of manythwarts down to the sparkling sea; few call it by its right name. 

(ll. 819-821) On the fourth day open a jar. The fourth of the mid-monthis a day holy above all. And again, few men know that the fourth dayafter the twentieth is best while it is morning: towards evening it isless good. 

(ll. 822-828) These days are a great blessing to men on earth; but therest are changeable, luckless, and bring nothing. Everyone praisesa different day but few know their nature. Sometimes a day is astepmother, sometimes a mother. That man is happy and lucky in them whoknows all these things and does his work without offending the deathlessgods, who discerns the omens of birds and avoids transgressions. 

THE DIVINATION BY BIRDS (fragments)

Proclus on Works and Days, 828: Some make the "Divination by Birds", which Apollonius of Rhodes rejects as spurious, follow this verse("Works and Days", 828). 

THE ASTRONOMY (fragments)

Fragment #1--Athenaeus xi, p. 491 d: And the author of "The Astronomy", which is attributed forsooth to Hesiod, always calls them (the Pleiades)Peleiades: 'but mortals call them Peleiades'; and again, 'the stormyPeleiades go down'; and again, 'then the Peleiades hide away. . . . '

Scholiast on Pindar, Nem. Ii. 16: The Pleiades. . . . Whose stars arethese:--'Lovely Teygata, and dark-faced Electra, and Alcyone, andbright Asterope, and Celaeno, and Maia, and Merope, whom glorious Atlasbegot. . . . ' ((LACUNA)) 'In the mountains of Cyllene she (Maia) bareHermes, the herald of the gods. '

Fragment #2--Scholiast on Aratus 254: But Zeus made them (the sisters ofHyas) into the stars which are called Hyades. Hesiod in his Book aboutStars tells us their names as follows: 'Nymphs like the Graces [1401], Phaesyle and Coronis and rich-crowned Cleeia and lovely Phaco andlong-robed Eudora, whom the tribes of men upon the earth call Hyades. '

Fragment #3--Pseudo-Eratosthenes Catast. Frag. 1: [1402] The GreatBear. ]--Hesiod says she (Callisto) was the daughter of Lycaon andlived in Arcadia. She chose to occupy herself with wild-beasts in themountains together with Artemis, and, when she was seduced by Zeus, continued some time undetected by the goddess, but afterwards, when shewas already with child, was seen by her bathing and so discovered. Uponthis, the goddess was enraged and changed her into a beast. Thus shebecame a bear and gave birth to a son called Arcas. But while she was inthe mountains, she was hunted by some goat-herds and given up withher babe to Lycaon. Some while after, she thought fit to go into theforbidden precinct of Zeus, not knowing the law, and being pursued byher own son and the Arcadians, was about to be killed because of thesaid law; but Zeus delivered her because of her connection with himand put her among the stars, giving her the name Bear because of themisfortune which had befallen her. 

Comm. Supplem. On Aratus, p. 547 M. 8: Of Bootes, also called theBear-warden. The story goes that he is Arcas the son of Callisto andZeus, and he lived in the country about Lycaeum. After Zeus had seducedCallisto, Lycaon, pretending not to know of the matter, entertainedZeus, as Hesiod says, and set before him on the table the babe which hehad cut up. 

Fragment #4--Pseudo-Eratosthenes, Catast. Fr. Xxxii: Orion. ]--Hesiodsays that he was the son of Euryale, the daughter of Minos, and ofPoseidon, and that there was given him as a gift the power of walkingupon the waves as though upon land. When he was come to Chios, heoutraged Merope, the daughter of Oenopion, being drunken; but Oenopionwhen he learned of it was greatly vexed at the outrage and blinded himand cast him out of the country. Then he came to Lemnos as a beggar andthere met Hephaestus who took pity on him and gave him Cedalion his ownservant to guide him. So Orion took Cedalion upon his shoulders and usedto carry him about while he pointed out the roads. Then he came to theeast and appears to have met Helius (the Sun) and to have been healed, and so returned back again to Oenopion to punish him; but Oenopion washidden away by his people underground. Being disappointed, then, in hissearch for the king, Orion went away to Crete and spent his time huntingin company with Artemis and Leto. It seems that he threatened to killevery beast there was on earth; whereupon, in her anger, Earth sent upagainst him a scorpion of very great size by which he was stung and soperished. After this Zeus, at one prayer of Artemis and Leto, put himamong the stars, because of his manliness, and the scorpion also as amemorial of him and of what had occurred. 

Fragment #5--Diodorus iv. 85: Some say that great earthquakes occurred, which broke through the neck of land and formed the straits [1403], thesea parting the mainland from the island. But Hesiod, the poet, saysjust the opposite: that the sea was open, but Orion piled up thepromontory by Peloris, and founded the close of Poseidon which isespecially esteemed by the people thereabouts. When he had finishedthis, he went away to Euboea and settled there, and because of hisrenown was taken into the number of the stars in heaven, and won undyingremembrance. 

THE PRECEPTS OF CHIRON (fragments)

Fragment #1--Scholiast on Pindar, Pyth. Vi. 19: 'And now, pray, markall these things well in a wise heart. First, whenever you come to yourhouse, offer good sacrifices to the eternal gods. '

Fragment #2--Plutarch Mor. 1034 E: 'Decide no suit until you have heardboth sides speak. '

Fragment #3--Plutarch de Orac. Defectu ii. 415 C: 'A chattering crowlives out nine generations of aged men, but a stag's life is four timesa crow's, and a raven's life makes three stags old, while the phoenixoutlives nine ravens, but we, the rich-haired Nymphs, daughters of Zeusthe aegis-holder, outlive ten phoenixes. '

Fragment #4--Quintilian, i. 15: Some consider that children under theage of seven should not receive a literary education. . . That Hesiodwas of this opinion very many writers affirm who were earlier than thecritic Aristophanes; for he was the first to reject the "Precepts", inwhich book this maxim occurs, as a work of that poet. 

THE GREAT WORKS (fragments)

Fragment #1--Comm. On Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics. V. 8: The verse, however (the slaying of Rhadamanthys), is in Hesiod in the "Great Works"and is as follows: 'If a man sow evil, he shall reap evil increase; ifmen do to him as he has done, it will be true justice. '

Fragment #2--Proclus on Hesiod, Works and Days, 126: Some believe thatthe Silver Race (is to be attributed to) the earth, declaring that inthe "Great Works" Hesiod makes silver to be of the family of Earth. 

THE IDAEAN DACTYLS (fragments)

Fragment #1--Pliny, Natural History vii. 56, 197: Hesiod says that thosewho are called the Idaean Dactyls taught the smelting and tempering ofiron in Crete. 

Fragment #2--Clement, Stromateis i. 16. 75: Celmis, again, andDamnameneus, the first of the Idaean Dactyls, discovered iron in Cyprus;but bronze smelting was discovered by Delas, another Idaean, thoughHesiod calls him Scythes [1501]. 

THE THEOGONY (1, 041 lines)

(ll. 1-25) From the Heliconian Muses let us begin to sing, who holdthe great and holy mount of Helicon, and dance on soft feet about thedeep-blue spring and the altar of the almighty son of Cronos, and, whenthey have washed their tender bodies in Permessus or in the Horse'sSpring or Olmeius, make their fair, lovely dances upon highest Heliconand move with vigorous feet. Thence they arise and go abroad by night, veiled in thick mist, and utter their song with lovely voice, praisingZeus the aegis-holder and queenly Hera of Argos who walks on goldensandals and the daughter of Zeus the aegis-holder bright-eyed Athene, and Phoebus Apollo, and Artemis who delights in arrows, and Poseidonthe earth-holder who shakes the earth, and reverend Themis andquick-glancing [1601] Aphrodite, and Hebe with the crown of gold, andfair Dione, Leto, Iapetus, and Cronos the crafty counsellor, Eos andgreat Helius and bright Selene, Earth too, and great Oceanus, and darkNight, and the holy race of all the other deathless ones that arefor ever. And one day they taught Hesiod glorious song while he wasshepherding his lambs under holy Helicon, and this word first thegoddesses said to me--the Muses of Olympus, daughters of Zeus who holdsthe aegis:

(ll. 26-28) 'Shepherds of the wilderness, wretched things of shame, mere bellies, we know how to speak many false things as though they weretrue; but we know, when we will, to utter true things. '

(ll. 29-35) So said the ready-voiced daughters of great Zeus, and theyplucked 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 beand things there were aforetime; and they bade me sing of the race ofthe blessed gods that are eternally, but ever to sing of themselves bothfirst and last. But why all this about oak or stone? [1602]

(ll. 36-52) Come thou, let us begin with the Muses who gladden the greatspirit of their father Zeus in Olympus with their songs, tellingof things that are and that shall be and that were aforetime withconsenting voice. Unwearying flows the sweet sound from their lips, and the house of their father Zeus the loud-thunderer is glad at thelily-like voice of the goddesses as it spread abroad, and the peaks ofsnowy Olympus resound, and the homes of the immortals. And they utteringtheir immortal voice, celebrate in song first of all the reverend raceof the gods from the beginning, those whom Earth and wide Heaven begot, and the gods sprung of these, givers of good things. Then, next, thegoddesses sing of Zeus, the father of gods and men, as they begin andend their strain, how much he is the most excellent among the godsand supreme in power. And again, they chant the race of men and stronggiants, and gladden the heart of Zeus within Olympus, --the OlympianMuses, daughters of Zeus the aegis-holder. 

(ll. 53-74) Them in Pieria did Mnemosyne (Memory), who reigns over thehills of Eleuther, bear of union with the father, the son of Cronos, aforgetting of ills and a rest from sorrow. For nine nights did wise Zeuslie with her, entering her holy bed remote from the immortals. And whena year was passed and the seasons came round as the months waned, andmany days were accomplished, she bare nine daughters, all of one mind, whose hearts are set upon song and their spirit free from care, a littleway from the topmost peak of snowy Olympus. There are their brightdancing-places and beautiful homes, and beside them the Graces andHimerus (Desire) live in delight. And they, uttering through theirlips a lovely voice, sing the laws of all and the goodly ways of theimmortals, uttering their lovely voice. Then went they to Olympus, delighting in their sweet voice, with heavenly song, and the dark earthresounded about them as they chanted, and a lovely sound rose up beneaththeir feet as they went to their father. And he was reigning in heaven, himself holding the lightning and glowing thunderbolt, when he hadovercome by might his father Cronos; and he distributed fairly to theimmortals their portions and declared their privileges. 

(ll. 75-103) 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 andCalliope [1603], who is the chiefest of them all, for she attends onworshipful princes: whomsoever of heaven-nourished princes the daughtersof great Zeus honour, and behold him at his birth, they pour sweet dewupon his tongue, and from his lips flow gracious words. All the peoplelook towards him while he settles causes with true judgements: and he, speaking surely, would soon make wise end even of a great quarrel; fortherefore are there princes wise in heart, because when the people arebeing misguided in their assembly, they set right the matter again withease, persuading them with gentle words. And when he passes througha gathering, they greet him as a god with gentle reverence, and he isconspicuous amongst the assembled: such is the holy gift of the Muses tomen. For it is through the Muses and far-shooting Apollo that there aresingers and harpers upon the earth; but princes are of Zeus, and happyis he whom the Muses love: sweet flows speech from his mouth. For thougha man have sorrow and grief in his newly-troubled soul and live in dreadbecause his heart is distressed, yet, when a singer, the servant of theMuses, chants the glorious deeds of men of old and the blessed gods whoinhabit Olympus, at once he forgets his heaviness and remembers not hissorrows at all; but the gifts of the goddesses soon turn him away fromthese. 

(ll. 104-115) Hail, children of Zeus! Grant lovely song and celebratethe holy race of the deathless gods who are for ever, those that wereborn of Earth and starry Heaven and gloomy Night and them that briny Seadid 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, giversof good things, and how they divided their wealth, and how theyshared their honours amongst them, and also how at the first they tookmany-folded Olympus. These things declare to me from the beginning, yeMuses who dwell in the house of Olympus, and tell me which of them firstcame to be. 

(ll. 116-138) Verily at the first Chaos came to be, but nextwide-bosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundations of all [1604] thedeathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympus, and dim Tartarus inthe depth of the wide-pathed Earth, and Eros (Love), fairest among thedeathless gods, who unnerves the limbs and overcomes the mind and wisecounsels of all gods and all men within them. From Chaos came forthErebus and black Night; but of Night were born Aether [1605] and Day, whom she conceived and bare from union in love with Erebus. And Earthfirst 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 shebrought forth long Hills, graceful haunts of the goddess-Nymphs whodwell amongst the glens of the hills. She bare also the fruitlessdeep with his raging swell, Pontus, without sweet union of love. Butafterwards she lay with Heaven and bare deep-swirling Oceanus, Coeus andCrius and Hyperion and Iapetus, Theia and Rhea, Themis and Mnemosyne andgold-crowned Phoebe and lovely Tethys. After them was born Cronos thewily, youngest and most terrible of her children, and he hated his lustysire. 

(ll. 139-146) And again, she bare the Cyclopes, overbearing in spirit, Brontes, and Steropes and stubborn-hearted Arges [1606], who gave Zeusthe thunder and made the thunderbolt: in all else they were like thegods, but one eye only was set in the midst of their fore-heads. Andthey were surnamed Cyclopes (Orb-eyed) because one orbed eye was set intheir foreheads. Strength and might and craft were in their works. 

(ll. 147-163) And again, three other sons were born of Earth andHeaven, great and doughty beyond telling, Cottus and Briareos and Gyes, presumptuous children. From their shoulders sprang an hundred arms, notto be approached, and each had fifty heads upon his shoulders on theirstrong limbs, and irresistible was the stubborn strength that was intheir great forms. For of all the children that were born of Earth andHeaven, these were the most terrible, and they were hated by their ownfather from the first. 

And he used to hide them all away in a secret place of Earth so soon aseach was born, and would not suffer them to come up into the light: andHeaven rejoiced in his evil doing. But vast Earth groaned within, beingstraitened, and she made the element of grey flint and shaped a greatsickle, and told her plan to her dear sons. And she spoke, cheeringthem, while she was vexed in her dear heart:

(ll. 164-166) 'My children, gotten of a sinful father, if you willobey me, we should punish the vile outrage of your father; for he firstthought of doing shameful things. '

(ll. 167-169) So she said; but fear seized them all, and none of themuttered a word. But great Cronos the wily took courage and answered hisdear mother:

(ll. 170-172) 'Mother, I will undertake to do this deed, for I reverencenot our father of evil name, for he first thought of doing shamefulthings. '

(ll. 173-175) So he said: and vast Earth rejoiced greatly in spirit, andset and hid him in an ambush, and put in his hands a jagged sickle, andrevealed to him the whole plot. 

(ll. 176-206) And Heaven came, bringing on night and longing for love, and he lay about Earth spreading himself full upon her [1607]. 

Then the son from his ambush stretched forth his left hand and in hisright took the great long sickle with jagged teeth, and swiftly loppedoff his own father's members and cast them away to fall behind him. Andnot vainly did they fall from his hand; for all the bloody drops thatgushed forth Earth received, and as the seasons moved round she bare thestrong Erinyes and the great Giants with gleaming armour, holding longspears in their hands and the Nymphs whom they call Meliae [1608] allover the boundless earth. And so soon as he had cut off the members withflint and cast them from the land into the surging sea, they were sweptaway over the main a long time: and a white foam spread around them fromthe immortal flesh, and in it there grew a maiden. First she drew nearholy Cythera, and from there, afterwards, she came to sea-girt Cyprus, and came forth an awful and lovely goddess, and grass grew up abouther beneath her shapely feet. Her gods and men call Aphrodite, and thefoam-born goddess and rich-crowned Cytherea, because she grew amid thefoam, and Cytherea because she reached Cythera, and Cyprogenes becauseshe was born in billowy Cyprus, and Philommedes [1609] because sprangfrom the members. And with her went Eros, and comely Desire followed herat 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 allottedto her amongst men and undying gods, --the whisperings of maidens andsmiles and deceits with sweet delight and love and graciousness. 

(ll. 207-210) But these sons whom he begot himself great Heaven used tocall Titans (Strainers) in reproach, for he said that they strained anddid presumptuously a fearful deed, and that vengeance for it would comeafterwards. 

(ll. 211-225) And Night bare hateful Doom and black Fate and Death, and she bare Sleep and the tribe of Dreams. And again the goddess murkyNight, though she lay with none, bare Blame and painful Woe, and theHesperides who guard the rich, golden apples and the trees bearing fruitbeyond glorious Ocean. Also she bare the Destinies and ruthless avengingFates, Clotho and Lachesis and Atropos [1610], who give men at theirbirth both evil and good to have, and they pursue the transgressions ofmen and of gods: and these goddesses never cease from their dread angeruntil they punish the sinner with a sore penalty. Also deadly Night bareNemesis (Indignation) to afflict mortal men, and after her, Deceit andFriendship and hateful Age and hard-hearted Strife. 

(ll. 226-232) But abhorred Strife bare painful Toil and Forgetfulnessand 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 anyonewilfully swears a false oath. 

(ll. 233-239) And Sea begat Nereus, the eldest of his children, who istrue and lies not: and men call him the Old Man because he is trusty andgentle and does not forget the laws of righteousness, but thinks justand kindly thoughts. And yet again he got great Thaumas and proudPhorcys, being mated with Earth, and fair-cheeked Ceto and Eurybia whohas a heart of flint within her. 

(ll. 240-264) And of Nereus and rich-haired Doris, daughter of Oceanthe perfect river, were born children [1611], passing lovely amongstgoddesses, 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, andAgaue, Doto, Proto, Pherusa, and Dynamene, and Nisaea, and Actaea, andProtomedea, Doris, Panopea, and comely Galatea, and lovely Hippothoe, and rosy-armed Hipponoe, and Cymodoce who with Cymatolege [1612] andAmphitrite easily calms the waves upon the misty sea and the blastsof raging winds, and Cymo, and Eione, and rich-crowned Alimede, andGlauconome, fond of laughter, and Pontoporea, Leagore, Euagore, andLaomedea, and Polynoe, and Autonoe, and Lysianassa, and Euarne, lovelyof shape and without blemish of form, and Psamathe of charming figureand divine Menippe, Neso, Eupompe, Themisto, Pronoe, and Nemertes [1613]who has the nature of her deathless father. These fifty daughters sprangfrom blameless Nereus, skilled in excellent crafts. 

(ll. 265-269) And Thaumas wedded Electra the daughter of deep-flowingOcean, and she bare him swift Iris and the long-haired Harpies, Aello(Storm-swift) and Ocypetes (Swift-flier) who on their swift wings keeppace with the blasts of the winds and the birds; for quick as time theydart along. 

(ll 270-294) And again, Ceto bare to Phorcys the fair-cheeked Graiae, sisters grey from their birth: and both deathless gods and men who walkon earth call them Graiae, Pemphredo well-clad, and saffron-robed Enyo, and the Gorgons who dwell beyond glorious Ocean in the frontier landtowards Night where are the clear-voiced Hesperides, Sthenno, andEuryale, and Medusa who suffered a woeful fate: she was mortal, butthe two were undying and grew not old. With her lay the Dark-haired One[1614] in a soft meadow amid spring flowers. And when Perseus cut offher head, there sprang forth great Chrysaor and the horse Pegasus whois so called because he was born near the springs (pegae) of Ocean;and that other, because he held a golden blade (aor) in his hands. NowPegasus flew away and left the earth, the mother of flocks, and cameto the deathless gods: and he dwells in the house of Zeus and brings towise Zeus the thunder and lightning. But Chrysaor was joined in loveto Callirrhoe, the daughter of glorious Ocean, and begot three-headedGeryones. Him mighty Heracles slew in sea-girt Erythea by his shamblingoxen 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 theherdsman in the dim stead out beyond glorious Ocean. 

(ll. 295-305) And in a hollow cave she bare another monster, irresistible, in no wise like either to mortal men or to the undyinggods, even the goddess fierce Echidna who is half a nymph with glancingeyes and fair cheeks, and half again a huge snake, great and awful, withspeckled skin, eating raw flesh beneath the secret parts of the holyearth. And there she has a cave deep down under a hollow rock far fromthe deathless gods and mortal men. There, then, did the gods appoint hera glorious house to dwell in: and she keeps guard in Arima beneath theearth, grim Echidna, a nymph who dies not nor grows old all her days. 

(ll. 306-332) Men say that Typhaon the terrible, outrageous and lawless, was joined in love to her, the maid with glancing eyes. So she conceivedand brought forth fierce offspring; first she bare Orthus the hound ofGeryones, and then again she bare a second, a monster not to beovercome and that may not be described, Cerberus who eats raw flesh, thebrazen-voiced hound of Hades, fifty-headed, relentless and strong. And again she bore a third, the evil-minded Hydra of Lerna, whom thegoddess, white-armed Hera nourished, being angry beyond measure withthe mighty Heracles. And her Heracles, the son of Zeus, of the house ofAmphitryon, together with warlike Iolaus, destroyed with the unpityingsword through the plans of Athene the spoil-driver. She was the motherof 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 fortha fearful blast of blazing fire. Her did Pegasus and noble Bellerophonslay; but Echidna was subject in love to Orthus and brought forth thedeadly Sphinx which destroyed the Cadmeans, and the Nemean lion, whichHera, the good wife of Zeus, brought up and made to haunt the hillsof Nemea, a plague to men. There he preyed upon the tribes of her ownpeople and had power over Tretus of Nemea and Apesas: yet the strengthof stout Heracles overcame him. 

(ll. 333-336) And Ceto was joined in love to Phorcys and bare heryoungest, the awful snake who guards the apples all of gold in thesecret places of the dark earth at its great bounds. This is theoffspring of Ceto and Phorcys. 

(ll. 334-345) And Tethys bare to Ocean eddying rivers, Nilus, andAlpheus, and deep-swirling Eridanus, Strymon, and Meander, and thefair stream of Ister, and Phasis, and Rhesus, and the silver eddies ofAchelous, Nessus, and Rhodius, Haliacmon, and Heptaporus, Granicus, and Aesepus, and holy Simois, and Peneus, and Hermus, and Caicus fairstream, and great Sangarius, Ladon, Parthenius, Euenus, Ardescus, anddivine Scamander. 

(ll. 346-370) Also she brought forth a holy company of daughters [1615]who with the lord Apollo and the Rivers have youths in their keeping--tothis charge Zeus appointed them--Peitho, and Admete, and Ianthe, andElectra, and Doris, and Prymno, and Urania divine in form, Hippo, Clymene, Rhodea, and Callirrhoe, Zeuxo and Clytie, and Idyia, andPasithoe, Plexaura, and Galaxaura, and lovely Dione, Melobosis and Thoeand handsome Polydora, Cerceis lovely of form, and soft eyed Pluto, Perseis, Ianeira, Acaste, Xanthe, Petraea the fair, Menestho, andEuropa, Metis, and Eurynome, and Telesto saffron-clad, Chryseis and Asiaand charming Calypso, Eudora, and Tyche, Amphirho, and Ocyrrhoe, andStyx who is the chiefest of them all. These are the eldest daughtersthat sprang from Ocean and Tethys; but there are many besides. For thereare three thousand neat-ankled daughters of Ocean who are dispersed farand wide, and in every place alike serve the earth and the deep waters, children who are glorious among goddesses. And as many other rivers arethere, 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 knowthose by which they severally dwell. 

(ll. 371-374) And Theia was subject in love to Hyperion and bare greatHelius (Sun) and clear Selene (Moon) and Eos (Dawn) who shines uponall that are on earth and upon the deathless Gods who live in the wideheaven. 

(ll. 375-377) And Eurybia, bright goddess, was joined in love to Criusand bare great Astraeus, and Pallas, and Perses who also was eminentamong all men in wisdom. 

(ll. 378-382) And Eos bare to Astraeus the strong-hearted winds, brightening Zephyrus, and Boreas, headlong in his course, and Notus, --agoddess mating in love with a god. And after these Erigenia [1616] barethe star Eosphorus (Dawn-bringer), and the gleaming stars with whichheaven is crowned. 

(ll. 383-403) And Styx the daughter of Ocean was joined to Pallas andbare Zelus (Emulation) and trim-ankled Nike (Victory) in the house. Alsoshe brought forth Cratos (Strength) and Bia (Force), wonderful children. These have no house apart from Zeus, nor any dwelling nor path exceptthat wherein God leads them, but they dwell always with Zeus theloud-thunderer. For so did Styx the deathless daughter of Ocean plan onthat day when the Olympian Lightener called all the deathless gods togreat Olympus, and said that whosoever of the gods would fight with himagainst the Titans, he would not cast him out from his rights, but eachshould have the office which he had before amongst the deathless gods. And he declared that he who was without office and rights as is just. Sodeathless Styx came first to Olympus with her children through thewit of her dear father. And Zeus honoured her, and gave her very greatgifts, for her he appointed to be the great oath of the gods, and herchildren to live with him always. And as he promised, so he performedfully unto them all. But he himself mightily reigns and rules. 

(ll. 404-452) Again, Phoebe came to the desired embrace of Coeus. 

Then the goddess through the love of the god conceived and brought forthdark-gowned Leto, always mild, kind to men and to the deathless gods, mild from the beginning, gentlest in all Olympus. Also she bare Asteriaof happy name, whom Perses once led to his great house to be called hisdear wife. And she conceived and bare Hecate whom Zeus the son of Cronoshonoured above all. He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of theearth 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 forfavour according to custom, he calls upon Hecate. Great honour comesfull easily to him whose prayers the goddess receives favourably, andshe bestows wealth upon him; for the power surely is with her. For asmany as were born of Earth and Ocean amongst all these she has her dueportion. The son of Cronos did her no wrong nor took anything away ofall that was her portion among the former Titan gods: but she holds, as the division was at the first from the beginning, privilege both inearth, and in heaven, and in sea. Also, because she is an only child, the goddess receives not less honour, but much more still, for Zeushonours her. Whom she will she greatly aids and advances: she sits byworshipful kings in judgement, and in the assembly whom she will isdistinguished among the people. And when men arm themselves for thebattle that destroys men, then the goddess is at hand to give victoryand grant glory readily to whom she will. Good is she also when mencontend at the games, for there too the goddess is with them and profitsthem: and he who by might and strength gets the victory wins the richprize easily with joy, and brings glory to his parents. And she is goodto stand by horsemen, whom she will: and to those whose business isin the grey discomfortable sea, and who pray to Hecate and theloud-crashing Earth-Shaker, easily the glorious goddess gives greatcatch, 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 drovesof 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 hermother's only child [1617], she is honoured amongst all the deathlessgods. And the son of Cronos made her a nurse of the young who afterthat day saw with their eyes the light of all-seeing Dawn. So from thebeginning she is a nurse of the young, and these are her honours. 

(ll. 453-491) But Rhea was subject in love to Cronos and bare splendidchildren, Hestia [1618], Demeter, and gold-shod Hera and strong Hades, pitiless in heart, who dwells under the earth, and the loud-crashingEarth-Shaker, and wise Zeus, father of gods and men, by whose thunderthe wide earth is shaken. These great Cronos swallowed as each cameforth from the womb to his mother's knees with this intent, that noother of the proud sons of Heaven should hold the kingly office amongstthe deathless gods. For he learned from Earth and starry Heaven thathe was destined to be overcome by his own son, strong though he was, through the contriving of great Zeus [1619]. Therefore he kept no blindoutlook, but watched and swallowed down his children: and unceasinggrief seized Rhea. But when she was about to bear Zeus, the father ofgods and men, then she besought her own dear parents, Earth and starryHeaven, to devise some plan with her that the birth of her dear childmight be concealed, and that retribution might overtake great, craftyCronos for his own father and also for the children whom he hadswallowed down. And they readily heard and obeyed their dear daughter, and told her all that was destined to happen touching Cronos the kingand his stout-hearted son. So they sent her to Lyetus, to the rich landof Crete, when she was ready to bear great Zeus, the youngest of herchildren. Him did vast Earth receive from Rhea in wide Crete to nourishand to bring up. Thither came Earth carrying him swiftly through theblack night to Lyctus first, and took him in her arms and hid him in aremote cave beneath the secret places of the holy earth on thick-woodedMount Aegeum; but to the mightily ruling son of Heaven, the earlier kingof the gods, she gave a great stone wrapped in swaddling clothes. Thenhe 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 leftbehind, unconquered and untroubled, and that he was soon to overcome himby force and might and drive him from his honours, himself to reign overthe deathless gods. 

(ll. 492-506) After that, the strength and glorious limbs of the princeincreased quickly, and as the years rolled on, great Cronos the wilywas beguiled by the deep suggestions of Earth, and brought up againhis offspring, vanquished by the arts and might of his own son, and hevomited up first the stone which he had swallowed last. And Zeus setit fast in the wide-pathed earth at goodly Pytho under the glens ofParnassus, to be a sign thenceforth and a marvel to mortal men [1620]. 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 theyremembered to be grateful to him for his kindness, and gave him thunderand the glowing thunderbolt and lightening: for before that, hugeEarth had hidden these. In them he trusts and rules over mortals andimmortals. 

(ll. 507-543) Now Iapetus took to wife the neat-ankled mad Clymene, daughter of Ocean, and went up with her into one bed. And she bare hima stout-hearted son, Atlas: also she bare very glorious Menoetius andclever Prometheus, full of various wiles, and scatter-brained Epimetheuswho from the first was a mischief to men who eat bread; for it was hewho first took of Zeus the woman, the maiden whom he had formed. ButMenoetius was outrageous, and far-seeing Zeus struck him with a luridthunderbolt and sent him down to Erebus because of his mad presumptionand exceeding pride. And Atlas through hard constraint upholds the wideheaven with unwearying head and arms, standing at the borders ofthe earth before the clear-voiced Hesperides; for this lot wise Zeusassigned to him. And ready-witted Prometheus he bound with inextricablebonds, cruel chains, and drove a shaft through his middle, and set onhim a long-winged eagle, which used to eat his immortal liver; but bynight the liver grew as much again everyway as the long-winged birddevoured in the whole day. That bird Heracles, the valiant son ofshapely-ankled Alcmene, slew; and delivered the son of Iapetus from thecruel plague, and released him from his affliction--not without thewill of Olympian Zeus who reigns on high, that the glory of Heracles theTheban-born might be yet greater than it was before over the plenteousearth. This, then, he regarded, and honoured his famous son; thoughhe was angry, he ceased from the wrath which he had before becausePrometheus matched himself in wit with the almighty son of Cronos. For when the gods and mortal men had a dispute at Mecone, even thenPrometheus was forward to cut up a great ox and set portions beforethem, trying to befool the mind of Zeus. Before the rest he set fleshand inner parts thick with fat upon the hide, covering them with an oxpaunch; but for Zeus he put the white bones dressed up with cunning artand covered with shining fat. Then the father of men and of gods said tohim:

(ll. 543-544) 'Son of Iapetus, most glorious of all lords, good sir, howunfairly you have divided the portions!'

(ll. 545-547) So said Zeus whose wisdom is everlasting, rebuking him. But wily Prometheus answered him, smiling softly and not forgetting hiscunning trick:

(ll. 548-558) 'Zeus, most glorious and greatest of the eternal gods, take which ever of these portions your heart within you bids. ' So hesaid, thinking trickery. But Zeus, whose wisdom is everlasting, saw andfailed not to perceive the trick, and in his heart he thought mischiefagainst mortal men which also was to be fulfilled. With both hands hetook up the white fat and was angry at heart, and wrath came to hisspirit when he saw the white ox-bones craftily tricked out: and becauseof this the tribes of men upon earth burn white bones to the deathlessgods upon fragrant altars. But Zeus who drives the clouds was greatlyvexed and said to him:

(ll. 559-560) 'Son of Iapetus, clever above all! So, sir, you have notyet forgotten your cunning arts!'

(ll. 561-584) So spake Zeus in anger, whose wisdom is everlasting; andfrom that time he was always mindful of the trick, and would not givethe power of unwearying fire to the Melian [1621] race of mortal men wholive on the earth. But the noble son of Iapetus outwitted him and stolethe far-seen gleam of unwearying fire in a hollow fennel stalk. And Zeuswho thunders on high was stung in spirit, and his dear heart was angeredwhen he saw amongst men the far-seen ray of fire. Forthwith he made anevil thing for men as the price of fire; for the very famous LimpingGod formed of earth the likeness of a shy maiden as the son of Cronoswilled. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girded and clothed her withsilvery raiment, and down from her head she spread with her hands abroidered veil, a wonder to see; and she, Pallas Athene, put about herhead lovely garlands, flowers of new-grown herbs. Also she put upon herhead a crown of gold which the very famous Limping God made himself andworked with his own hands as a favour to Zeus his father. On it was muchcurious work, wonderful to see; for of the many creatures which theland and sea rear up, he put most upon it, wonderful things, like livingbeings with voices: and great beauty shone out from it. 

(ll. 585-589) But when he had made the beautiful evil to be the pricefor the blessing, he brought her out, delighting in the finery whichthe bright-eyed daughter of a mighty father had given her, to the placewhere the other gods and men were. And wonder took hold of the deathlessgods and mortal men when they saw that which was sheer guile, not to bewithstood by men. 

(ll. 590-612) For from her is the race of women and female kind: of heris the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst mortal mento their great trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only inwealth. And as in thatched hives bees feed the drones whose nature is todo mischief--by day and throughout the day until the sun goes down thebees are busy and lay the white combs, while the drones stay at homein the covered skeps and reap the toil of others into their ownbellies--even so Zeus who thunders on high made women to be an evil tomortal men, with a nature to do evil. And he gave them a second evilto be the price for the good they had: whoever avoids marriage andthe sorrows that women cause, and will not wed, reaches deadly old agewithout anyone to tend his years, and though he at least has no lack oflivelihood while he lives, yet, when he is dead, his kinsfolk dividehis possessions amongst them. And as for the man who chooses the lotof marriage and takes a good wife suited to his mind, evil continuallycontends 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. 

(ll. 613-616) So it is not possible to deceive or go beyond the will ofZeus; for not even the son of Iapetus, kindly Prometheus, escaped hisheavy anger, but of necessity strong bands confined him, although heknew many a wile. 

(ll. 617-643) But when first their father was vexed in his heart withObriareus and Cottus and Gyes, he bound them in cruel bonds, because hewas jealous of their exceeding manhood and comeliness and great size:and he made them live beneath the wide-pathed earth, where they wereafflicted, 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 greatgrief at heart. But the son of Cronos and the other deathless gods whomrich-haired Rhea bare from union with Cronos, brought them up again tothe light at Earth's advising. For she herself recounted all thingsto the gods fully, how that with these they would gain victory and aglorious cause to vaunt themselves. For the Titan gods and as many assprang from Cronos had long been fighting together in stubborn war withheart-grieving toil, the lordly Titans from high Othyrs, but the gods, givers of good, whom rich-haired Rhea bare in union with Cronos, fromOlympus. So they, with bitter wrath, were fighting continually withone another at that time for ten full years, and the hard strife hadno close or end for either side, and the issue of the war hung evenlybalanced. But when he had provided those three with all things fitting, nectar and ambrosia which the gods themselves eat, and when theirproud spirit revived within them all after they had fed on nectar anddelicious ambrosia, then it was that the father of men and gods spokeamongst them:

(ll. 644-653) 'Hear me, bright children of Earth and Heaven, that Imay say what my heart within me bids. A long while now have we, who aresprung from Cronos and the Titan gods, fought with each other everyday to get victory and to prevail. But do you show your great mightand unconquerable strength, and face the Titans in bitter strife; forremember our friendly kindness, and from what sufferings you are comeback to the light from your cruel bondage under misty gloom through ourcounsels. '

(ll. 654-663) So he said. And blameless Cottus answered him again:'Divine one, you speak that which we know well: nay, even of ourselveswe know that your wisdom and understanding is exceeding, and that youbecame a defender of the deathless ones from chill doom. And throughyour devising we are come back again from the murky gloom and from ourmerciless bonds, enjoying what we looked not for, O lord, son of Cronos. And so now with fixed purpose and deliberate counsel we will aid yourpower in dreadful strife and will fight against the Titans in hardbattle. '

(ll. 664-686) So he said: and the gods, givers of good things, applaudedwhen they heard his word, and their spirit longed for war even more thanbefore, and they all, both male and female, stirred up hated battlethat day, the Titan gods, and all that were born of Cronos together withthose dread, mighty ones of overwhelming strength whom Zeus brought upto the light from Erebus beneath the earth. An hundred arms sprang fromthe shoulders of all alike, and each had fifty heads growing upon hisshoulders upon stout limbs. These, then, stood against the Titans ingrim strife, holding huge rocks in their strong hands. And on the otherpart the Titans eagerly strengthened their ranks, and both sides at onetime showed the work of their hands and their might. The boundless searang terribly around, and the earth crashed loudly: wide Heaven wasshaken and groaned, and high Olympus reeled from its foundation underthe charge of the undying gods, and a heavy quaking reached dim Tartarusand the deep sound of their feet in the fearful onset and of theirhard missiles. So, then, they launched their grievous shafts upon oneanother, and the cry of both armies as they shouted reached to starryheaven; and they met together with a great battle-cry. 

(ll. 687-712) Then Zeus no longer held back his might; but straight hisheart was filled with fury and he showed forth all his strength. FromHeaven and from Olympus he came forthwith, hurling his lightning: thebolts flew thick and fast from his strong hand together with thunderand lightning, whirling an awesome flame. The life-giving earth crashedaround in burning, and the vast wood crackled loud with fire all about. All the land seethed, and Ocean's streams and the unfruitful sea. Thehot vapour lapped round the earthborn Titans: flame unspeakable roseto the bright upper air: the flashing glare of the thunder-stone andlightning blinded their eyes for all that there were strong. Astoundingheat seized Chaos: and to see with eyes and to hear the sound with earsit seemed even as if Earth and wide Heaven above came together; for sucha mighty crash would have arisen if Earth were being hurled to ruin, andHeaven from on high were hurling her down; so great a crash was therewhile the gods were meeting together in strife. Also the winds broughtrumbling earthquake and duststorm, thunder and lightning and thelurid thunderbolt, which are the shafts of great Zeus, and carried theclangour and the warcry into the midst of the two hosts. An horribleuproar of terrible strife arose: mighty deeds were shown and thebattle inclined. But until then, they kept at one another and foughtcontinually in cruel war. 

(ll. 713-735) And amongst the foremost Cottus and Briareos and Gyesinsatiate for war raised fierce fighting: three hundred rocks, one uponanother, they launched from their strong hands and overshadowed theTitans with their missiles, and buried them beneath the wide-pathedearth, and bound them in bitter chains when they had conquered them bytheir strength for all their great spirit, as far beneath the earth toTartarus. For a brazen anvil falling down from heaven nine nights anddays would reach the earth upon the tenth: and again, a brazen anvilfalling from earth nine nights and days would reach Tartarus upon thetenth. Round it runs a fence of bronze, and night spreads in tripleline all about it like a neck-circlet, while above grow the roots of theearth and unfruitful sea. There by the counsel of Zeus who drives theclouds the Titan gods are hidden under misty gloom, in a dank placewhere are the ends of the huge earth. And they may not go out; forPoseidon fixed gates of bronze upon it, and a wall runs all round iton every side. There Gyes and Cottus and great-souled Obriareus live, trusty warders of Zeus who holds the aegis. 

(ll. 736-744) And there, all in their order, are the sources and endsof gloomy earth and misty Tartarus and the unfruitful sea and starryheaven, loathsome and dank, which even the gods abhor. 

It is a great gulf, and if once a man were within the gates, he wouldnot reach the floor until a whole year had reached its end, but cruelblast upon blast would carry him this way and that. And this marvel isawful even to the deathless gods. 

(ll. 744-757) There stands the awful home of murky Night wrapped indark clouds. In front of it the son of Iapetus [1622] stands immovablyupholding the wide heaven upon his head and unwearying hands, whereNight and Day draw near and greet one another as they pass the greatthreshold of bronze: and while the one is about to go down into thehouse, the other comes out at the door. 

And the house never holds them both within; but always one is withoutthe house passing over the earth, while the other stays at homeand waits until the time for her journeying come; and the one holdsall-seeing light for them on earth, but the other holds in her armsSleep the brother of Death, even evil Night, wrapped in a vaporouscloud. 

(ll. 758-766) And there the children of dark Night have their dwellings, Sleep and Death, awful gods. The glowing Sun never looks upon them withhis beams, neither as he goes up into heaven, nor as he comes down fromheaven. And the former of them roams peacefully over the earth and thesea's broad back and is kindly to men; but the other has a heart ofiron, and his spirit within him is pitiless as bronze: whomsoever ofmen he has once seized he holds fast: and he is hateful even to thedeathless gods. 

(ll. 767-774) There, in front, stand the echoing halls of the god ofthe lower-world, strong Hades, and of awful Persephone. A fearful houndguards the house in front, pitiless, and he has a cruel trick. On thosewho go in he fawns with his tail and both his ears, but suffers them notto go out back again, but keeps watch and devours whomsoever he catchesgoing out of the gates of strong Hades and awful Persephone. 

(ll. 775-806) And there dwells the goddess loathed by the deathlessgods, terrible Styx, eldest daughter of back-flowing [1623] Ocean. Shelives apart from the gods in her glorious house vaulted over with greatrocks and propped up to heaven all round with silver pillars. Rarelydoes the daughter of Thaumas, swift-footed Iris, come to her with amessage over the sea's wide back. 

But when strife and quarrel arise among the deathless gods, and when anyof them who live in the house of Olympus lies, then Zeus sends Iristo bring in a golden jug the great oath of the gods from far away, thefamous cold water which trickles down from a high and beetling rock. Farunder the wide-pathed earth a branch of Oceanus flows through the darknight out of the holy stream, and a tenth part of his water is allottedto her. With nine silver-swirling streams he winds about the earth andthe sea's wide back, and then falls into the main [1624]; but the tenthflows out from a rock, a sore trouble to the gods. For whoever of thedeathless gods that hold the peaks of snowy Olympus pours a libation ofher water is forsworn, lies breathless until a full year is completed, and never comes near to taste ambrosia and nectar, but lies spiritlessand voiceless on a strewn bed: and a heavy trance overshadows him. Butwhen he has spent a long year in his sickness, another penance and anharder follows after the first. For nine years he is cut off from theeternal gods and never joins their councils of their feasts, nine fullyears. But in the tenth year he comes again to join the assemblies ofthe 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: andit spouts through a rugged place. 

(ll. 807-819) And there, all in their order, are the sources and endsof the dark earth and misty Tartarus and the unfruitful sea and starryheaven, loathsome and dank, which even the gods abhor. 

And there are shining gates and an immoveable threshold of bronze havingunending roots and it is grown of itself [1625]. And beyond, away fromall the gods, live the Titans, beyond gloomy Chaos. But the gloriousallies of loud-crashing Zeus have their dwelling upon Ocean'sfoundations, even Cottus and Gyes; but Briareos, being goodly, thedeep-roaring Earth-Shaker made his son-in-law, giving him Cymopolea hisdaughter to wed. 

(ll. 820-868) But when Zeus had driven the Titans from heaven, hugeEarth bare her youngest child Typhoeus of the love of Tartarus, by theaid of golden Aphrodite. Strength was with his hands in all that he didand the feet of the strong god were untiring. From his shoulders grewan hundred heads of a snake, a fearful dragon, with dark, flickeringtongues, and from under the brows of his eyes in his marvellous headsflashed fire, and fire burned from his heads as he glared. And therewere voices in all his dreadful heads which uttered every kind ofsound unspeakable; for at one time they made sounds such that the godsunderstood, but at another, the noise of a bull bellowing aloud in proudungovernable fury; and at another, the sound of a lion, relentless ofheart; and at another, sounds like whelps, wonderful to hear; and again, at another, he would hiss, so that the high mountains re-echoed. Andtruly a thing past help would have happened on that day, and he wouldhave come to reign over mortals and immortals, had not the father of menand gods been quick to perceive it. But he thundered hard and mightily:and the earth around resounded terribly and the wide heaven above, andthe sea and Ocean's streams and the nether parts of the earth. GreatOlympus reeled beneath the divine feet of the king as he arose andearth groaned thereat. And through the two of them heat took hold on thedark-blue sea, through the thunder and lightning, and through the firefrom the monster, and the scorching winds and blazing thunderbolt. Thewhole earth seethed, and sky and sea: and the long waves raged along thebeaches round and about, at the rush of the deathless gods: and therearose an endless shaking. Hades trembled where he rules over the deadbelow, and the Titans under Tartarus who live with Cronos, because ofthe unending clamour and the fearful strife. So when Zeus had raisedup his might and seized his arms, thunder and lightning and luridthunderbolt, he leaped from Olympus and struck him, and burned all themarvellous heads of the monster about him. But when Zeus had conqueredhim and lashed him with strokes, Typhoeus was hurled down, a maimedwreck, so that the huge earth groaned. And flame shot forth from thethunder-stricken lord in the dim rugged glens of the mount [1626], whenhe was smitten. A great part of huge earth was scorched by the terriblevapour and melted as tin melts when heated by men's art in channelled[1627] crucibles; or as iron, which is hardest of all things, issoftened by glowing fire in mountain glens and melts in the divine earththrough the strength of Hephaestus [1628]. Even so, then, the earthmelted in the glow of the blazing fire. And in the bitterness of hisanger Zeus cast him into wide Tartarus. 

(ll. 869-880) 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 theirevil, raging blasts; for varying with the season they blow, scatteringships and destroying sailors. And men who meet these upon the sea haveno help against the mischief. Others again over the boundless, floweringearth spoil the fair fields of men who dwell below, filling them withdust and cruel uproar. 

(ll. 881-885) But when the blessed gods had finished their toil, andsettled by force their struggle for honours with the Titans, theypressed far-seeing Olympian Zeus to reign and to rule over them, byEarth's prompting. So he divided their dignities amongst them. 

(ll. 886-900) 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 tobring forth the goddess bright-eyed Athene, Zeus craftily deceived herwith cunning words and put her in his own belly, as Earth and starryHeaven advised. For they advised him so, to the end that no other shouldhold royal sway over the eternal gods in place of Zeus; for very wisechildren were destined to be born of her, first the maiden bright-eyedTritogeneia, equal to her father in strength and in wise understanding;but afterwards she was to bear a son of overbearing spirit, king of godsand men. But Zeus put her into his own belly first, that the goddessmight devise for him both good and evil. 

(ll. 901-906) Next he married bright Themis who bare the Horae (Hours), and Eunomia (Order), Dike (Justice), and blooming Eirene (Peace), whomind the works of mortal men, and the Moerae (Fates) to whom wise Zeusgave the greatest honour, Clotho, and Lachesis, and Atropos who givemortal men evil and good to have. 

(ll. 907-911) 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 thatunnerves the limbs: and beautiful is their glance beneath their brows. 

(ll. 912-914) Also he came to the bed of all-nourishing Demeter, and shebare white-armed Persephone whom Aidoneus carried off from her mother;but wise Zeus gave her to him. 

(ll. 915-917) And again, he loved Mnemosyne with the beautiful hair: andof her the nine gold-crowned Muses were born who delight in feasts andthe pleasures of song. 

(ll. 918-920) And Leto was joined in love with Zeus who holds the aegis, and bare Apollo and Artemis delighting in arrows, children lovely aboveall the sons of Heaven. 

(ll. 921-923) Lastly, he made Hera his blooming wife: and she was joinedin love with the king of gods and men, and brought forth Hebe and Aresand Eileithyia. 

(ll. 924-929) But Zeus himself gave birth from his own head tobright-eyed Tritogeneia [1629], the awful, the strife-stirring, thehost-leader, the unwearying, the queen, who delights in tumults and warsand battles. But Hera without union with Zeus--for she was very angryand quarrelled with her mate--bare famous Hephaestus, who is skilled incrafts more than all the sons of Heaven. 

(ll. 929a-929t) [1630] But Hera was very angry and quarrelled with hermate. And because of this strife she bare without union with Zeus whoholds the aegis a glorious son, Hephaestus, who excelled all the sons ofHeaven in crafts. But Zeus lay with the fair-cheeked daughter of Oceanand Tethys apart from Hera. . . . ((LACUNA)) . . . . Deceiving Metis (Thought)although she was full wise. But he seized her with his hands and puther in his belly, for fear that she might bring forth something strongerthan his thunderbolt: therefore did Zeus, who sits on high and dwellsin the aether, swallow her down suddenly. But she straightway conceivedPallas Athene: and the father of men and gods gave her birth by wayof his head on the banks of the river Trito. And she remained hiddenbeneath the inward parts of Zeus, even Metis, Athena's mother, worker ofrighteousness, who was wiser than gods and mortal men. There the goddess(Athena) received that [1631] whereby she excelled in strength allthe deathless ones who dwell in Olympus, she who made the host-scaringweapon of Athena. And with it (Zeus) gave her birth, arrayed in arms ofwar. 

(ll. 930-933) And of Amphitrite and the loud-roaring Earth-Shaker wasborn great, wide-ruling Triton, and he owns the depths of the sea, living with his dear mother and the lord his father in their goldenhouse, an awful god. 

(ll. 933-937) Also Cytherea bare to Ares the shield-piercer Panic andFear, terrible gods who drive in disorder the close ranks of men innumbing war, with the help of Ares, sacker of towns: and Harmonia whomhigh-spirited Cadmus made his wife. 

(ll. 938-939) And Maia, the daughter of Atlas, bare to Zeus gloriousHermes, the herald of the deathless gods, for she went up into his holybed. 

(ll. 940-942) And Semele, daughter of Cadmus was joined with him inlove and bare him a splendid son, joyous Dionysus, --a mortal woman animmortal son. And now they both are gods. 

(ll. 943-944) And Alcmena was joined in love with Zeus who drives theclouds and bare mighty Heracles. 

(ll. 945-946) And Hephaestus, the famous Lame One, made Aglaea, youngestof the Graces, his buxom wife. 

(ll. 947-949) And golden-haired Dionysus made brown-haired Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, his buxom wife: and the son of Cronos made herdeathless and unageing for him. 

(ll. 950-955) And mighty Heracles, the valiant son of neat-ankledAlcmena, when he had finished his grievous toils, made Hebe the child ofgreat Zeus and gold-shod Hera his shy wife in snowy Olympus. Happy he!For he has finished his great works and lives amongst the undying gods, untroubled and unageing all his days. 

(ll. 956-962) And Perseis, the daughter of Ocean, bare to unwearyingHelios Circe and Aeetes the king. And Aeetes, the son of Helios whoshows light to men, took to wife fair-cheeked Idyia, daughter of Oceanthe perfect stream, by the will of the gods: and she was subject to himin love through golden Aphrodite and bare him neat-ankled Medea. 

(ll. 963-968) And now farewell, you dwellers on Olympus and you islandsand continents and thou briny sea within. Now sing the company ofgoddesses, sweet-voiced Muses of Olympus, daughter of Zeus who holdsthe aegis, --even those deathless one who lay with mortal men and barechildren like unto gods. 

(ll. 969-974) Demeter, bright goddess, was joined in sweet love with thehero Iasion in a thrice-ploughed fallow in the rich land of Crete, andbare Plutus, a kindly god who goes everywhere over land and the sea'swide back, and him who finds him and into whose hands he comes he makesrich, bestowing great wealth upon him. 

(ll. 975-978) And Harmonia, the daughter of golden Aphrodite, bareto Cadmus Ino and Semele and fair-cheeked Agave and Autonoe whom longhaired Aristaeus wedded, and Polydorus also in rich-crowned Thebe. 

(ll. 979-983) And the daughter of Ocean, Callirrhoe was joined in thelove of rich Aphrodite with stout hearted Chrysaor and bare a son whowas the strongest of all men, Geryones, whom mighty Heracles killed insea-girt Erythea for the sake of his shambling oxen. 

(ll. 984-991) And Eos bare to Tithonus brazen-crested Memnon, kingof the Ethiopians, and the Lord Emathion. And to Cephalus she bare asplendid son, strong Phaethon, a man like the gods, whom, when he was ayoung boy in the tender flower of glorious youth with childish thoughts, laughter-loving Aphrodite seized and caught up and made a keeper of hershrine by night, a divine spirit. 

(ll. 993-1002) And the son of Aeson by the will of the gods led awayfrom Aeetes the daughter of Aeetes the heaven-nurtured king, when he hadfinished the many grievous labours which the great king, over bearingPelias, that outrageous and presumptuous doer of violence, put upon him. But when the son of Aeson had finished them, he came to Iolcus afterlong toil bringing the coy-eyed girl with him on his swift ship, andmade her his buxom wife. And she was subject to Iason, shepherd of thepeople, and bare a son Medeus whom Cheiron the son of Philyra brought upin the mountains. And the will of great Zeus was fulfilled. 

(ll. 1003-1007) But of the daughters of Nereus, the Old man of the Sea, Psamathe the fair goddess, was loved by Aeacus through golden Aphroditeand bare Phocus. And the silver-shod goddess Thetis was subject toPeleus and brought forth lion-hearted Achilles, the destroyer of men. 

(ll. 1008-1010) And Cytherea with the beautiful crown was joined insweet love with the hero Anchises and bare Aeneas on the peaks of Idawith its many wooded glens. 

(ll. 1011-1016) And Circe the daughter of Helius, Hyperion's son, lovedsteadfast Odysseus and bare Agrius and Latinus who was faultlessand strong: also she brought forth Telegonus by the will of goldenAphrodite. And they ruled over the famous Tyrenians, very far off in arecess of the holy islands. 

(ll. 1017-1018) And the bright goddess Calypso was joined to Odysseus insweet love, and bare him Nausithous and Nausinous. 

(ll. 1019-1020) These are the immortal goddesses who lay with mortal menand bare them children like unto gods. 

(ll. 1021-1022) But now, sweet-voiced Muses of Olympus, daughters ofZeus who holds the aegis, sing of the company of women. 

THE CATALOGUES OF WOMEN AND EOIAE (fragments) [1701]

Fragment #1--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Iii. 1086: ThatDeucalion was the son of Prometheus and Pronoea, Hesiod states in thefirst "Catalogue", as also that Hellen was the son of Deucalion andPyrrha. 

Fragment #2--Ioannes Lydus [1702], de Mens. I. 13: They came to callthose who followed local manners Latins, but those who followed Helleniccustoms Greeks, after the brothers Latinus and Graecus; as Hesiod says:'And in the palace Pandora the daughter of noble Deucalion was joined inlove with father Zeus, leader of all the gods, and bare Graecus, staunchin battle. '

Fragment #3--Constantinus Porphyrogenitus [1703], de Them. 2 p. 48B: Thedistrict Macedonia took its name from Macedon the son of Zeus and Thyia, Deucalion's daughter, as Hesiod says: 'And she conceived and bare toZeus who delights in the thunderbolt two sons, Magnes and Macedon, rejoicing in horses, who dwell round about Pieria and Olympus. . . . ((LACUNA)) . . . . And Magnes again (begot) Dictys and godlike Polydectes. '

Fragment #4--Plutarch, Mor. P. 747; Schol. On Pindar Pyth. Iv. 263:'And from Hellen the war-loving king sprang Dorus and Xuthus and Aeolusdelighting in horses. And the sons of Aeolus, kings dealing justice, were Cretheus, and Athamas, and clever Sisyphus, and wicked Salmoneusand overbold Perieres. '

Fragment #5--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Iv. 266: Those whowere descended from Deucalion used to rule over Thessaly as Hecataeusand Hesiod say. 

Fragment #6--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. I. 482: Aloiadae. Hesiod said that they were sons of Aloeus, --called so after him, --and ofIphimedea, but in reality sons of Poseidon and Iphimedea, and that Alusa city of Aetolia was founded by their father. 

Fragment #7--Berlin Papyri, No. 7497; Oxyrhynchus Papyri, 421 [1704]:(ll. 1-24) '. . . . Eurynome the daughter of Nisus, Pandion's son, to whomPallas Athene taught all her art, both wit and wisdom too; for she wasas wise as the gods. A marvellous scent rose from her silvern raimentas she moved, and beauty was wafted from her eyes. Her, then, Glaucussought to win by Athena's advising, and he drove oxen [1705] for her. But he knew not at all the intent of Zeus who holds the aegis. SoGlaucus came seeking her to wife with gifts; but cloud-driving Zeus, king of the deathless gods, bent his head in oath that the. . . . Son ofSisyphus should never have children born of one father [1706]. So shelay in the arms of Poseidon and bare in the house of Glaucus blamelessBellerophon, surpassing all men in. . . . Over the boundless sea. And whenhe began to roam, his father gave him Pegasus who would bear him mostswiftly on his wings, and flew unwearying everywhere over the earth, forlike the gales he would course along. With him Bellerophon caught andslew the fire-breathing Chimera. And he wedded the dear child of thegreat-hearted Iobates, the worshipful king. . . . Lord (of). . . . And shebare. . . . '

Fragment #8--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodes, Arg. Iv. 57: Hesiod saysthat Endymion was the son of Aethlius the son of Zeus and Calyee, andreceived the gift from Zeus: '(To be) keeper of death for his own selfwhen he was ready to die. '

Fragment #9--Scholiast Ven. On Homer, Il. Xi. 750: The two sons of Actorand Molione. . . Hesiod has given their descent by calling them afterActor and Molione; but their father was Poseidon. 

Porphyrius [1707], Quaest. Hom. Ad Iliad. Pert. , 265: But Aristarchus isinformed that they were twins, not. . . . Such as were the Dioscuri, but, on Hesiod's testimony, double in form and with two bodies and joined toone another. 

Fragment #10--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. I. 156: But Hesiodsays that he changed himself in one of his wonted shapes and perched onthe yoke-boss of Heracles' horses, meaning to fight with the hero; butthat Heracles, secretly instructed by Athena, wounded him mortally withan arrow. And he says as follows: '. . . And lordly Periclymenus. Happy he!For earth-shaking Poseidon gave him all manner of gifts. At one time hewould appear among birds, an eagle; and again at another he would bean ant, a marvel to see; and then a shining swarm of bees; and again atanother time a dread relentless snake. And he possessed all manner ofgifts which cannot be told, and these then ensnared him through thedevising of Athene. '

Fragment #11--Stephanus of Byzantium [1708], s. V. : '(Heracles) slew thenoble sons of steadfast Neleus, eleven of them; but the twelfth, thehorsemen Gerenian Nestor chanced to be staying with the horse-tamingGerenians. ((LACUNA)) Nestor alone escaped in flowery Gerenon. '

Fragment #12--Eustathius [1709], Hom. 1796. 39: 'So well-girdedPolycaste, the youngest daughter of Nestor, Neleus' son, was joined inlove with Telemachus through golden Aphrodite and bare Persepolis. '

Fragment #13--Scholiast on Homer, Od. Xii. 69: Tyro the daughter ofSalmoneus, having two sons by Poseidon, Neleus and Pelias, marriedCretheus, and had by him three sons, Aeson, Pheres and Amythaon. Andof Aeson and Polymede, according to Hesiod, Iason was born: 'Aeson, whobegot a son Iason, shepherd of the people, whom Chiron brought up inwoody Pelion. '

Fragment #14--Petrie Papyri (ed. Mahaffy), Pl. III. 3: '. . . . Of theglorious lord . . . . Fair Atalanta, swift of foot, the daughter ofSchoeneus, who had the beaming eyes of the Graces, though she was ripefor wedlock rejected the company of her equals and sought to avoidmarriage with men who eat bread. '

Scholiast on Homer, Iliad xxiii. 683: Hesiod is therefore later in datethan Homer since he represents Hippomenes as stripped when contendingwith Atalanta [1710]. 

Papiri greci e latini, ii. No. 130 (2nd-3rd century) [1711]: (ll. 1-7)'Then straightway there rose up against him the trim-ankled maiden(Atalanta), peerless in beauty: a great throng stood round about her asshe gazed fiercely, and wonder held all men as they looked upon her. Asshe moved, the breath of the west wind stirred the shining garment abouther tender bosom; but Hippomenes stood where he was: and much people wasgathered together. All these kept silence; but Schoeneus cried and said:

(ll. 8-20) '"Hear me all, both young and old, while I speak as my spiritwithin my breast bids me. Hippomenes seeks my coy-eyed daughter to wife;but let him now hear my wholesome speech. He shall not win her withoutcontest; yet, if he be victorious and escape death, and if the deathlessgods who dwell on Olympus grant him to win renown, verily he shallreturn to his dear native land, and I will give him my dear child andstrong, swift-footed horses besides which he shall lead home to becherished possessions; and may he rejoice in heart possessing these, andever remember with gladness the painful contest. May the father of menand of gods (grant that splendid children may be born to him)' [1712]

((LACUNA))

(ll. 21-27) 'on the right. . . . And he, rushing upon her, . . . . Drawing backslightly towards the left. And on them was laid an unenviable struggle:for she, even fair, swift-footed Atalanta, ran scorning the gifts ofgolden Aphrodite; but with him the race was for his life, either to findhis doom, or to escape it. Therefore with thoughts of guile he said toher:

(ll. 28-29) '"O daughter of Schoeneus, pitiless in heart, receive theseglorious gifts of the goddess, golden Aphrodite. . . '

((LACUNA))

(ll. 30-36) 'But he, following lightly on his feet, cast the first apple[1713]: and, swiftly as a Harpy, she turned back and snatched it. Then he cast the second to the ground with his hand. And now fair, swift-footed Atalanta had two apples and was near the goal; butHippomenes cast the third apple to the ground, and therewith escapeddeath and black fate. And he stood panting and. . . '

Fragment #15--Strabo [1714], i. P. 42: 'And the daughter of Arabus, whomworthy Hermaon begat with Thronia, daughter of the lord Belus. '

Fragment #16--Eustathius, Hom. 461. 2: 'Argos which was waterless Danausmade well-watered. '

Fragment #17--Hecataeus [1715] in Scholiast on Euripides, Orestes, 872: Aegyptus himself did not go to Argos, but sent his sons, fifty innumber, as Hesiod represented. 

Fragment #18--[1716] Strabo, viii. P. 370: And Apollodorus says thatHesiod already knew that the whole people were called both Hellenesand Panhellenes, as when he says of the daughters of Proetus that thePanhellenes sought them in marriage. 

Apollodorus, ii. 2. 1. 4: Acrisius was king of Argos and Proetus ofTiryns. And Acrisius had by Eurydice the daughter of Lacedemon, Danae;and Proetus by Stheneboea 'Lysippe and Iphinoe and Iphianassa'. Andthese fell mad, as Hesiod states, because they would not receive therites of Dionysus. 

Probus [1717] on Vergil, Eclogue vi. 48: These (the daughters ofProetus), because they had scorned the divinity of Juno, were overcomewith madness, such that they believed they had been turned intocows, and left Argos their own country. Afterwards they were cured byMelampus, the son of Amythaon. 

Suidas, s. V. : [1718] 'Because of their hideous wantonness they losttheir tender beauty. . . . '

Eustathius, Hom. 1746. 7: '. . . . For he shed upon their heads a fearfulitch: and leprosy covered all their flesh, and their hair dropped fromtheir heads, and their fair scalps were made bare. '

Fragment #19A--[1719] Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1358 fr. 1 (3rd cent. A. D. ):[1720] (ll. 1-32) '. . . . So she (Europa) crossed the briny water from afarto Crete, beguiled by the wiles of Zeus. Secretly did the Fathersnatch her away and gave her a gift, the golden necklace, the toywhich Hephaestus the famed craftsman once made by his cunning skill andbrought and gave it to his father for a possession. And Zeus receivedthe gift, and gave it in turn to the daughter of proud Phoenix. Butwhen the Father of men and of gods had mated so far off with trim-ankledEuropa, then he departed back again from the rich-haired girl. So shebare sons to the almighty Son of Cronos, glorious leaders of wealthymen--Minos the ruler, and just Rhadamanthys and noble Sarpedon theblameless and strong. To these did wise Zeus give each a share of hishonour. Verily Sarpedon reigned mightily over wide Lycia and ruled verymany cities filled with people, wielding the sceptre of Zeus: andgreat honour followed him, which his father gave him, the great-heartedshepherd of the people. For wise Zeus ordained that he should live forthree generations of mortal men and not waste away with old age. He senthim to Troy; and Sarpedon gathered a great host, men chosen out of Lyciato be allies to the Trojans. These men did Sarpedon lead, skilled inbitter war. And Zeus, whose wisdom is everlasting, sent him forth fromheaven a star, showing tokens for the return of his dear son. . . . . . . . Forwell he (Sarpedon) knew in his heart that the sign was indeed from Zeus. Very greatly did he excel in war together with man-slaying Hector andbrake down the wall, bringing woes upon the Danaans. But so soon asPatroclus had inspired the Argives with hard courage. . . . '

Fragment #19--Scholiast on Homer, Il. Xii. 292: Zeus saw Europa thedaughter of Phoenix gathering flowers in a meadow with some nymphs andfell in love with her. So he came down and changed himself into a bulland breathed from his mouth a crocus [1721]. In this way he deceivedEuropa, carried her off and crossed the sea to Crete where he hadintercourse with her. Then in this condition he made her live withAsterion the king of the Cretans. There she conceived and bore threesons, Minos, Sarpedon and Rhadamanthys. The tale is in Hesiod andBacchylides. 

Fragment #20--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Ii. 178: Butaccording to Hesiod (Phineus) was the son of Phoenix, Agenor's son andCassiopea. 

Fragment #21--Apollodorus [1722], iii. 14. 4. 1: But Hesiod says that he(Adonis) was the son of Phoenix and Alphesiboea. 

Fragment #22--Porphyrius, Quaest. Hom. Ad Iliad. Pert. P. 189: As itis said in Hesiod in the "Catalogue of Women" concerning Demodoce thedaughter of Agenor: 'Demodoce whom very many of men on earth, mightyprinces, wooed, promising splendid gifts, because of her exceedingbeauty. '

Fragment #23--Apollodorus, iii. 5. 6. 2: Hesiod says that (the children ofAmphion and Niobe) were ten sons and ten daughters. 

Aelian [1723], Var. Hist. Xii. 36: But Hesiod says they were nine boysand ten girls;--unless after all the verses are not Hesiod but arefalsely ascribed to him as are many others. 

Fragment #24--Scholiast on Homer, Il. Xxiii. 679: And Hesiod says thatwhen Oedipus had died at Thebes, Argea the daughter of Adrastus camewith others to the funeral of Oedipus. 

Fragment #25--Herodian [1724] in Etymologicum Magnum, p. 60, 40: Tityosthe son of Elara. 

Fragment #26--[1725] Argument: Pindar, Ol. Xiv: Cephisus is a river inOrchomenus where also the Graces are worshipped. Eteoclus the son of theriver Cephisus first sacrificed to them, as Hesiod says. 

Scholiast on Homer, Il. Ii. 522: 'which from Lilaea spouts forth itssweet flowing water. . . . '

Strabo, ix. 424: '. . . . And which flows on by Panopeus and through fencedGlechon and through Orchomenus, winding like a snake. '

Fragment #27--Scholiast on Homer, Il. Vii. 9: For the father ofMenesthius, Areithous was a Boeotian living at Arnae; and this is inBoeotia, as also Hesiod says. 

Fragment #28--Stephanus of Byzantium: Onchestus: a grove [1726]. It issituate in the country of Haliartus and was founded by Onchestus theBoeotian, as Hesiod says. 

Fragment #29--Stephanus of Byzantium: There is also a plain of Aegabordering on Cirrha, according to Hesiod. 

Fragment #30--Apollodorus, ii. 1. 1. 5: But Hesiod says that Pelasgus wasautochthonous. 

Fragment #31--Strabo, v. P. 221: That this tribe (the Pelasgi) were fromArcadia, Ephorus states on the authority of Hesiod; for he says: 'Sonswere born to god-like Lycaon whom Pelasgus once begot. '

Fragment #32--Stephanus of Byzantium: Pallantium. A city of Arcadia, sonamed after Pallas, one of Lycaon's sons, according to Hesiod. 

Fragment #33--(Unknown): 'Famous Meliboea bare Phellus the goodspear-man. '

Fragment #34--Herodian, On Peculiar Diction, p. 18: In Hesiod in thesecond Catalogue: 'Who once hid the torch [1727] within. '

Fragment #35--Herodian, On Peculiar Diction, p. 42: Hesiod in the thirdCatalogue writes: 'And a resounding thud of feet rose up. '

Fragment #36--Apollonius Dyscolus [1728], On the Pronoun, p. 125: 'And agreat trouble to themselves. '

Fragment #37--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. I. 45: Neither Homernor Hesiod speak of Iphiclus as amongst the Argonauts. 

Fragment #38--'Eratosthenes' [1729], Catast. Xix. P. 124: TheRam. ]--This it was that transported Phrixus and Helle. It was immortaland was given them by their mother Nephele, and had a golden fleece, asHesiod and Pherecydes say. 

Fragment #39--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Ii. 181: Hesiod inthe "Great Eoiae" says that Phineus was blinded because he revealed toPhrixus the road; but in the third "Catalogue", because he preferredlong life to sight. 

Hesiod says he had two sons, Thynus and Mariandynus. 

Ephorus [1730] in Strabo, vii. 302: Hesiod, in the so-called Journeyround the Earth, says that Phineus was brought by the Harpies 'to theland of milk-feeders [1731] who have waggons for houses. '

Fragment #40A--(Cp. Fr. 43 and 44) Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1358 fr. 2 (3rdcent. A. D. ): [1732] ((LACUNA--Slight remains of 7 lines))

(ll. 8-35) '(The Sons of Boreas pursued the Harpies) to the lands of theMassagetae and of the proud Half-Dog men, of the Underground-folk and ofthe feeble Pygmies; and to the tribes of the boundless Black-skinsand the Libyans. Huge Earth bare these to Epaphus--soothsayingpeople, knowing seercraft by the will of Zeus the lord of oracles, butdeceivers, to the end that men whose thought passes their utterance[1733] might be subject to the gods and suffer harm--Aethiopians andLibyans and mare-milking Scythians. For verily Epaphus was the child ofthe almighty Son of Cronos, and from him sprang the dark Libyans, andhigh-souled Aethiopians, and the Underground-folk and feeble Pygmies. All these are the offspring of the lord, the Loud-thunderer. Round aboutall these (the Sons of Boreas) sped in darting flight. . . . . . . . Of thewell-horsed Hyperboreans--whom Earth the all-nourishing bare far off bythe tumbling streams of deep-flowing Eridanus. . . . . . . . Of amber, feedingher wide-scattered offspring--and about the steep Fawn mountain andrugged Etna to the isle Ortygia and the people sprung from Laestrygonwho was the son of wide-reigning Poseidon. Twice ranged the Sons ofBoreas along this coast and wheeled round and about yearning to catchthe Harpies, while they strove to escape and avoid them. And they spedto the tribe of the haughty Cephallenians, the people of patient-souledOdysseus whom in aftertime Calypso the queenly nymph detainedfor Poseidon. Then they came to the land of the lord the son ofAres. . . . . . . . They heard. Yet still (the Sons of Boreas) ever pursued themwith instant feet. So they (the Harpies) sped over the sea and throughthe fruitless air. . . '

Fragment #40--Strabo, vii. P. 300: 'The Aethiopians and Ligurians andmare-milking Scythians. '

Fragment #41--Apollodorus, i. 9. 21. 6: As they were being pursued, oneof the Harpies fell into the river Tigris, in Peloponnesus which isnow called Harpys after her. Some call this one Nicothoe, and othersAellopus. The other who was called Ocypete, or as some say Ocythoe(though Hesiod calls her Ocypus), fled down the Propontis and reachedas far as to the Echinades islands which are now called because of her, Strophades (Turning Islands). 

Fragment #42--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Ii. 297: Hesiod alsosays that those with Zetes [1734] turned and prayed to Zeus: 'There theyprayed to the lord of Aenos who reigns on high. '

Apollonius indeed says it was Iris who made Zetes and his following turnaway, but Hesiod says Hermes. 

Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Ii. 296: Others say (the islands)were called Strophades, because they turned there and prayed Zeus toseize the Harpies. But according to Hesiod. . . They were not killed. 

Fragment #43--Philodemus [1735], On Piety, 10: Nor let anyone mock atHesiod who mentions. . . . Or even the Troglodytes and the Pygmies. 

Fragment #44--Strabo, i. P. 43: No one would accuse Hesiod of ignorancethough he speaks of the Half-dog people and the Great-Headed people andthe Pygmies. 

Fragment #45--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Iv. 284: But Hesiodsays they (the Argonauts) had sailed in through the Phasis. 

Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Iv. 259: But Hesiod (says). . . . They came through the Ocean to Libya, and so, carrying the Argo, reachedour sea. 

Fragment #46--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Iii. 311:Apollonius, following Hesiod, says that Circe came to the island overagainst Tyrrhenia on the chariot of the Sun. And he called it Hesperian, because it lies toward the west. 

Fragment #47--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Iv. 892: He(Apollonius) followed Hesiod who thus names the island of the Sirens:'To the island Anthemoessa (Flowery) which the son of Cronos gave them. '

And their names are Thelxiope or Thelxinoe, Molpe and Aglaophonus[1736]. 

Scholiast on Homer, Od. Xii. 168: Hence Hesiod said that they charmedeven the winds. 

Fragment #48--Scholiast on Homer, Od. I. 85: Hesiod says that Ogygiais within towards the west, but Ogygia lies over against Crete: '. . . TheOgygian sea and. . . . . . The island Ogygia. '

Fragment #49--Scholiast on Homer, Od. Vii. 54: Hesiod regarded Arete asthe sister of Alcinous. 

Fragment #50--Scholiast on Pindar, Ol. X. 46: Her Hippostratus (didwed), a scion of Ares, the splendid son of Phyetes, of the line ofAmarynces, leader of the Epeians. 

Fragment #51--Apollodorus, i. 8. 4. 1: When Althea was dead, Oeneusmarried Periboea, the daughter of Hipponous. Hesiod says that shewas seduced by Hippostratus the son of Amarynces and that her fatherHipponous sent her from Olenus in Achaea to Oeneus because he was faraway from Hellas, bidding him kill her. 

'She used to dwell on the cliff of Olenus by the banks of wide Peirus. '

Fragment #52--Diodorus [1737] v. 81: Macareus was a son of Crinacus theson of Zeus as Hesiod says. . . And dwelt in Olenus in the country thencalled Ionian, but now Achaean. 

Fragment #53--Scholiast on Pindar, Nem. Ii. 21: Concerning the MyrmidonsHesiod speaks thus: 'And she conceived and bare Aeacus, delighting inhorses. Now when he came to the full measure of desired youth, he chafedat being alone. And the father of men and gods made all the ants thatwere in the lovely isle into men and wide-girdled women. These were thefirst who fitted with thwarts ships with curved sides, and the first whoused sails, the wings of a sea-going ship. '

Fragment #54--Polybius, v. 2: 'The sons of Aeacus who rejoiced in battleas though a feast. '

Fragment #55--Porphyrius, Quaest. Hom. Ad Iliad. Pertin. P. 93: Hehas indicated the shameful deed briefly by the phrase 'to lie with heragainst her will', and not like Hesiod who recounts at length the storyof Peleus and the wife of Acastus. 

Fragment #56--Scholiast on Pindar, Nem. Iv. 95: 'And this seemed to him(Acastus) in his mind the best plan; to keep back himself, but to hidebeyond guessing the beautiful knife which the very famous Lame One hadmade for him, that in seeking it alone over steep Pelion, he (Peleus)might be slain forthwith by the mountain-bred Centaurs. '

Fragment #57--Voll. Herculan. (Papyri from Herculaneum), 2nd Collection, viii. 105: The author of the "Cypria" [1738] says that Thetis avoidedwedlock with Zeus to please Hera; but that Zeus was angry and swore thatshe should mate with a mortal. Hesiod also has the like account. 

Fragment #58--Strassburg Greek Papyri 55 (2nd century A. D. ): (ll. 1-13)'Peleus the son of Aeacus, dear to the deathless gods, came to Phthiathe mother of flocks, bringing great possessions from spacious Iolcus. And all the people envied him in their hearts seeing how he had sackedthe well-built city, and accomplished his joyous marriage; and they allspake this word: "Thrice, yea, four times blessed son of Aeacus, happyPeleus! For far-seeing Olympian Zeus has given you a wife with manygifts and the blessed gods have brought your marriage fully to pass, andin these halls you go up to the holy bed of a daughter of Nereus. Trulythe father, the son of Cronos, made you very pre-eminent among heroesand honoured above other men who eat bread and consume the fruit of theground. "'

Fragment #59--[1739] Origen, Against Celsus, iv. 79: 'For in common thenwere the banquets, and in common the seats of deathless gods and mortalmen. '

Fragment #60--Scholiast on Homer, Il. Xvi. 175: . . . Whereas Hesiod andthe rest call her (Peleus' daughter) Polydora. 

Fragment #61--Eustathius, Hom. 112. 44 sq: It should be observed thatthe ancient narrative hands down the account that Patroclus was evena kinsman of Achilles; for Hesiod says that Menoethius the father ofPatroclus, was a brother of Peleus, so that in that case they were firstcousins. 

Fragment #62--Scholiast on Pindar, Ol. X. 83: Some write 'Serus the sonof Halirrhothius', whom Hesiod mentions: 'He (begot) Serus and Alazygus, goodly sons. ' And Serus was the son of Halirrhothius Perieres' son, andof Alcyone. 

Fragment #63--Pausanias [1740], ii. 26. 7: This oracle most clearlyproves that Asclepius was not the son of Arsinoe, but that Hesiod or oneof Hesiod's interpolators composed the verses to please the Messenians. 

Scholiast on Pindar, Pyth. Iii. 14: Some say (Asclepius) was the son ofArsinoe, others of Coronis. But Asclepiades says that Arsinoe wasthe daughter of Leucippus, Perieres' son, and that to her and ApolloAsclepius and a daughter, Eriopis, were born: 'And she bare in thepalace Asclepius, leader of men, and Eriopis with the lovely hair, beingsubject in love to Phoebus. '

And of Arsinoe likewise: 'And Arsinoe was joined with the son of Zeusand Leto and bare a son Asclepius, blameless and strong. ' [1741]

Fragment #67--Scholiast on Euripides, Orestes 249: Steischorus says thatwhile sacrificing to the gods Tyndareus forgot Aphrodite and thatthe goddess was angry and made his daughters twice and thrice wed anddeserters of their husbands. . . . And Hesiod also says:

(ll. 1-7) 'And laughter-loving Aphrodite felt jealous when she looked onthem and cast them into evil report. Then Timandra deserted Echemusand went and came to Phyleus, dear to the deathless gods; and even soClytaemnestra deserted god-like Agamemnon and lay with Aegisthusand chose a worse mate; and even so Helen dishonoured the couch ofgolden-haired Menelaus. '

Fragment #68--[1742] Berlin Papyri, No. 9739: (ll. 1-10)'. . . . Philoctetes sought her, a leader of spearmen, . . . . Most famous ofall men at shooting from afar and with the sharp spear. And he cameto Tyndareus' bright city for the sake of the Argive maid who had thebeauty of golden Aphrodite, and the sparkling eyes of the Graces; andthe dark-faced daughter of Ocean, very lovely of form, bare her whenshe had shared the embraces of Zeus and the king Tyndareus in the brightpalace. . . . (And. . . . Sought her to wife offering as gifts)

((LACUNA))

(ll. 11-15). . . . And as many women skilled in blameless arts, each holdinga golden bowl in her hands. And truly Castor and strong Polydeuceswould have made him [1743] their brother perforce, but Agamemnon, beingson-in-law to Tyndareus, wooed her for his brother Menelaus. 

(ll. 16-19) And the two sons of Amphiaraus the lord, Oecleus' son, sought her to wife from Argos very near at hand; yet. . . . Fear of theblessed gods and the indignation of men caused them also to fail. 

((LACUNA))

(l. 20). . . But there was no deceitful dealing in the sons of Tyndareus. 

(ll. 21-27) And from Ithaca the sacred might of Odysseus, Laertes son, who knew many-fashioned wiles, sought her to wife. He never sent giftsfor the sake of the neat-ankled maid, for he knew in his heart thatgolden-haired Menelaus would win, since he was greatest of the Achaeansin possessions and was ever sending messages [1744] to horse-tamingCastor and prize-winning Polydeuces. 

(ll. 28-30) And. . . . On's son sought her to wife (and brought). . . . Bridal-gifts. . . . . . . . Cauldrons. . . . 

((LACUNA))

(ll. 31-33). . . To horse-taming Castor and prize-winning Polydeuces, desiring to be the husband of rich-haired Helen, though he had neverseen her beauty, but because he heard the report of others. 

(ll. 34-41) And from Phylace two men of exceeding worth sought her towife, Podarces son of Iphiclus, Phylacus' son, and Actor's nobleson, overbearing Protesilaus. Both of them kept sending messages toLacedaemon, to the house of wise Tyndareus, Oebalus' son, and theyoffered many bridal-gifts, for great was the girl's renown, brazen. . . . . . . . Golden. . . . 

((LACUNA))

(l. 42). . . (desiring) to be the husband of rich-haired Helen. 

(ll. 43-49) From Athens the son of Peteous, Menestheus, sought her towife, and offered many bridal-gifts; for he possessed very many storedtreasures, gold and cauldrons and tripods, fine things which lay hid inthe house of the lord Peteous, and with them his heart urged him to winhis bride by giving more gifts than any other; for he thought that noone of all the heroes would surpass him in possessions and gifts. 

(ll. 50-51) There came also by ship from Crete to the house of the sonof Oebalus strong Lycomedes for rich-haired Helen's sake. 

Berlin Papyri, No. 10560: (ll. 52-54). . . Sought her to wife. And aftergolden-haired Menelaus he offered the greatest gifts of all the suitors, and very much he desired in his heart to be the husband of Argive Helenwith the rich hair. 

(ll. 55-62) And from Salamis Aias, blameless warrior, sought her towife, and offered fitting gifts, even wonderful deeds; for he said thathe would drive together and give the shambling oxen and strong sheep ofall those who lived in Troezen and Epidaurus near the sea, and in theisland of Aegina and in Mases, sons of the Achaeans, and shadowy Megaraand frowning Corinthus, and Hermione and Asine which lie along the sea;for he was famous with the long spear. 

(ll. 63-66) But from Euboea Elephenor, leader of men, the son ofChalcodon, prince of the bold Abantes, sought her to wife. And heoffered very many gifts, and greatly he desired in his heart to be thehusband of rich-haired Helen. 

(ll. 67-74) And from Crete the mighty Idomeneus sought her to wife, Deucalion's son, offspring of renowned Minos. He sent no one to woo herin his place, but came himself in his black ship of many thwarts overthe Ogygian sea across the dark wave to the home of wise Tyndareus, tosee Argive Helen and that no one else should bring back for him the girlwhose renown spread all over the holy earth. 

(l. 75) And at the prompting of Zeus the all-wise came. 

((LACUNA--Thirteen lines lost. ))

(ll. 89-100) But of all who came for the maid's sake, the lord Tyndareussent none away, nor yet received the gift of any, but asked of all thesuitors sure oaths, and bade them swear and vow with unmixed libationsthat no one else henceforth should do aught apart from him as touchingthe marriage of the maid with shapely arms; but if any man should castoff fear and reverence and take her by force, he bade all the otherstogether follow after and make him pay the penalty. And they, each ofthem hoping to accomplish his marriage, obeyed him without wavering. But warlike Menelaus, the son of Atreus, prevailed against them alltogether, because he gave the greatest gifts. 

(ll. 100-106) But Chiron was tending the son of Peleus, swift-footedAchilles, pre-eminent among men, on woody Pelion; for he was still aboy. For neither warlike Menelaus nor any other of men on earth wouldhave prevailed in suit for Helen, if fleet Achilles had found her unwed. But, as it was, warlike Menelaus won her before. 

II. [1745]

(ll. 1-2) And she (Helen) bare neat-ankled Hermione in the palace, achild unlooked for. 

(ll. 2-13) Now all the gods were divided through strife; for at thatvery time Zeus who thunders on high was meditating marvellous deeds, even to mingle storm and tempest over the boundless earth, and alreadyhe was hastening to make an utter end of the race of mortal men, declaring that he would destroy the lives of the demi-gods, that thechildren of the gods should not mate with wretched mortals, seeing theirfate with their own eyes; but that the blessed gods henceforth even asaforetime should have their living and their habitations apart from men. But on those who were born of immortals and of mankind verily Zeus laidtoil and sorrow upon sorrow. 

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(ll. 16-30). . . . Nor any one of men. . . . . . . . Should go upon black ships. . . . . . . . To be strongest in the might of his hands. . . . . . . . Of mortal mendeclaring to all those things that were, and those that are, and thosethat shall be, he brings to pass and glorifies the counsels of hisfather Zeus who drives the clouds. For no one, either of the blessedgods or of mortal men, knew surely that he would contrive through thesword to send to Hades full many a one of heroes fallen in strife. Butat that time he knew not as yet the intent of his father's mind, and howmen delight in protecting their children from doom. And he delighted inthe desire of his mighty father's heart who rules powerfully over men. 

(ll. 31-43) From stately trees the fair leaves fell in abundancefluttering down to the ground, and the fruit fell to the ground becauseBoreas blew very fiercely at the behest of Zeus; the deep seethed andall things trembled at his blast: the strength of mankind consumed awayand the fruit failed in the season of spring, at that time when theHairless One [1746] in a secret place in the mountains gets three youngevery three years. In spring he dwells upon the mountain among tangledthickets and brushwood, keeping afar from and hating the path of men, in the glens and wooded glades. But when winter comes on, he lies in aclose cave beneath the earth and covers himself with piles of luxuriantleaves, a dread serpent whose back is speckled with awful spots. 

(ll. 44-50) But when he becomes violent and fierce unspeakably, thearrows of Zeus lay him low. . . . Only his soul is left on the holyearth, and that fits gibbering about a small unformed den. And itcomes enfeebled to sacrifices beneath the broad-pathed earth. . . . And itlies. . . . '

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Fragment #69--Tzetzes [1747], Exeg. Iliad. 68. 19H: Agamemnon andMenelaus likewise according to Hesiod and Aeschylus are regarded as thesons of Pleisthenes, Atreus' son. And according to Hesiod, Pleistheneswas a son of Atreus and Aerope, and Agamemnon, Menelaus and Anaxibiawere the children of Pleisthenes and Cleolla the daughter of Dias. 

Fragment #70--Laurentian Scholiast on Sophocles' Electra, 539: 'Andshe (Helen) bare to Menelaus, famous with the spear, Hermione and heryoungest-born, Nicostratus, a scion of Ares. '

Fragment #71--Pausanias, i. 43. 1: I know that Hesiod in the "Catalogueof Women" represented that Iphigeneia was not killed but, by the will ofArtemis, became Hecate [1748]. 

Fragment #72--Eustathius, Hom. 13. 44. Sq: Butes, it is said, was a sonof Poseidon: so Hesiod in the "Catalogue". 

Fragment #73--Pausanias, ii. 6. 5: Hesiod represented Sicyon as the sonof Erechtheus. 

Fragment #74--Plato, Minos, p. 320. D: '(Minos) who was most kingly ofmortal kings and reigned over very many people dwelling round about, holding the sceptre of Zeus wherewith he ruled many. '

Fragment #75--Hesychius [1749]: The athletic contest in memory ofEurygyes Melesagorus says that Androgeos the son of Minos was calledEurygyes, and that a contest in his honour is held near his tomb atAthens in the Ceramicus. And Hesiod writes: 'And Eurygyes [1750], whileyet a lad in holy Athens. . . '

Fragment #76--Plutarch, Theseus 20: There are many tales. . . . AboutAriadne. . . . , how that she was deserted by Theseua for love of anotherwoman: 'For strong love for Aegle the daughter of Panopeus overpoweredhim. ' For Hereas of Megara says that Peisistratus removed this versefrom the works of Hesiod. 

Athenaeus [1751], xiii. 557 A: But Hesiod says that Theseus wedded bothHippe and Aegle lawfully. 

Fragment #77--Strabo, ix. P. 393: The snake of Cychreus: Hesiod saysthat it was brought up by Cychreus, and was driven out by Eurylochus asdefiling the island, but that Demeter received it into Eleusis, and thatit became her attendant. 

Fragment #78--Argument I. To the Shield of Heracles: But Apollonius ofRhodes says that it (the "Shield of Heracles") is Hesiod's both from thegeneral character of the work and from the fact that in the "Catalogue"we again find Iolaus as charioteer of Heracles. 

Fragment #79--Scholiast on Soph. Trach. , 266: (ll. 1-6) 'Andfair-girdled Stratonica conceived and bare in the palace Eurytus herwell-loved son. Of him sprang sons, Didaeon and Clytius and god-likeToxeus and Iphitus, a scion of Ares. And after these Antiope thequeen, daughter of the aged son of Nauboius, bare her youngest child, golden-haired Iolea. '

Fragment #80--Herodian in Etymologicum Magnum: 'Who bare Autolycus andPhilammon, famous in speech. . . . All things that he (Autolyeus) took inhis hands, he made to disappear. '

Fragment #81--Apollonius, Hom. Lexicon: 'Aepytus again, begot Tlesenorand Peirithous. '

Fragment #82--Strabo, vii. P. 322: 'For Locrus truly was leader of theLelegian people, whom Zeus the Son of Cronos, whose wisdom is unfailing, gave to Deucalion, stones gathered out of the earth. So out of stonesmortal men were made, and they were called people. ' [1752]

Fragment #83--Tzetzes, Schol. In Exeg. Iliad. 126: '. . . Ileus whom thelord Apollo, son of Zeus, loved. And he named him by his name, becausehe found a nymph complaisant [1753] and was joined with her in sweetlove, on that day when Poseidon and Apollo raised high the wall of thewell-built city. '

Fragment #84--Scholiast on Homer, Od. Xi. 326: Clymene the daughter ofMinyas the son of Poseidon and of Euryanassa, Hyperphas' daughter, waswedded to Phylacus the son of Deion, and bare Iphiclus, a boy fleet offoot. It is said of him that through his power of running he could racethe winds and could move along upon the ears of corn [1754]. . . . The taleis in Hesiod: 'He would run over the fruit of the asphodel and not breakit; nay, he would run with his feet upon wheaten ears and not hurt thefruit. '

Fragment #85--Choeroboscus [1755], i. 123, 22H: 'And she bare a sonThoas. '

Fragment #86--Eustathius, Hom. 1623. 44: Maro [1756], whose father, itis said, Hesiod relates to have been Euanthes the son of Oenopion, theson of Dionysus. 

Fragment #87--Athenaeus, x. 428 B, C: 'Such gifts as Dionysus gave tomen, a joy and a sorrow both. Who ever drinks to fullness, in him winebecomes violent and binds together his hands and feet, his tongue alsoand his wits with fetters unspeakable: and soft sleep embraces him. '

Fragment #88--Strabo, ix. P. 442: 'Or like her (Coronis) who lived bythe holy Twin Hills in the plain of Dotium over against Amyrus rich ingrapes, and washed her feet in the Boebian lake, a maid unwed. '

Fragment #89--Scholiast on Pindar, Pyth. Iii. 48: 'To him, then, therecame a messenger from the sacred feast to goodly Pytho, a crow [1757], and he told unshorn Phoebus of secret deeds, that Ischys son of Elatushad wedded Coronis the daughter of Phlegyas of birth divine. 

Fragment #90--Athenagoras [1758], Petition for the Christians, 29:Concerning Asclepius Hesiod says: 'And the father of men and godswas wrath, and from Olympus he smote the son of Leto with a luridthunderbolt and killed him, arousing the anger of Phoebus. '

Fragment #91--Philodemus, On Piety, 34: But Hesiod (says that Apollo)would have been cast by Zeus into Tartarus [1759]; but Leto intercededfor him, and he became bondman to a mortal. 

Fragment #92--Scholiast on Pindar, Pyth. Ix. 6: 'Or like her, beautifulCyrene, who dwelt in Phthia by the water of Peneus and had the beauty ofthe Graces. '

Fragment #93--Servius on Vergil, Georg. I. 14: He invoked Aristaeus, that is, the son of Apollo and Cyrene, whom Hesiod calls 'the shepherdApollo. ' [1760]

Fragment #94--Scholiast on Vergil, Georg. Iv. 361: 'But the water stoodall round him, bowed into the semblance of a mountain. ' This verse hehas taken over from Hesiod's "Catalogue of Women". 

Fragment #95--Scholiast on Homer, Iliad ii. 469: 'Or like her (Antiope)whom Boeotian Hyria nurtured as a maid. '

Fragment #96--Palaephatus [1761], c. 42: Of Zethus and Amphion. Hesiodand some others relate that they built the walls of Thebes by playing onthe lyre. 

Fragment #97--Scholiast on Soph. Trach. , 1167: (ll. 1-11) 'There is aland Ellopia with much glebe and rich meadows, and rich in flocks andshambling kine. There dwell men who have many sheep and many oxen, andthey are in number past telling, tribes of mortal men. And thereupon its border is built a city, Dodona [1762]; and Zeus loved it and(appointed) it to be his oracle, reverenced by men. . . . . . . . And they (thedoves) lived in the hollow of an oak. From them men of earth carry awayall kinds of prophecy, --whosoever fares to that spot and questions thedeathless god, and comes bringing gifts with good omens. '

Fragment #98--Berlin Papyri, No. 9777: [1763] (ll. 1-22) '. . . . Strife. . . . Of mortals who would have dared to fight him with the spear and chargeagainst him, save only Heracles, the great-hearted offspring of Alcaeus?Such an one was (?) strong Meleager loved of Ares, the golden-haired, dear son of Oeneus and Althaea. From his fierce eyes there shone forthportentous fire: and once in high Calydon he slew the destroying beast, the fierce wild boar with gleaming tusks. In war and in dread strife noman of the heroes dared to face him and to approach and fight with himwhen he appeared in the forefront. But he was slain by the hands andarrows of Apollo [1764], while he was fighting with the Curetes forpleasant Calydon. And these others (Althaea) bare to Oeneus, Porthaon'sson; horse-taming Pheres, and Agelaus surpassing all others, Toxeus andClymenus and godlike Periphas, and rich-haired Gorga and wise Deianeira, who was subject in love to mighty Heracles and bare him Hyllus andGlenus and Ctesippus and Odites. These she bare and in ignorance she dida fearful thing: when (she had received). . . . The poisoned robe that heldblack doom. . . . '

Fragment #99A--Scholiast on Homer, Iliad. Xxiii. 679: And yet Hesiodsays that after he had died in Thebes, Argeia the daughter of Adrastustogether with others (cp. Frag. 99) came to the lamentation overOedipus. 

Fragment #99--[1765] Papyri greci e latine, No. 131 (2nd-3rd century):[1766] (ll. 1-10) 'And (Eriphyle) bare in the palace Alcmaon [1767], shepherd of the people, to Amphiaraus. Him (Amphiaraus) did the Cadmean(Theban) women with trailing robes admire when they saw face to facehis eyes and well-grown frame, as he was busied about the burying ofOedipus, the man of many woes. . . . . Once the Danai, servants of Ares, followed him to Thebes, to win renown. . . . . . . . For Polynices. But, though well he knew from Zeus all things ordained, the earth yawnedand swallowed him up with his horses and jointed chariot, far fromdeep-eddying Alpheus. 

(ll. 11-20) But Electyron married the all-beauteous daughter of Pelopsand, going up into one bed with her, the son of Perses begat. . . . . . . . AndPhylonomus and Celaeneus and Amphimachus and. . . . . . . . And Eurybius andfamous. . . . All these the Taphians, famous shipmen, slew in fight foroxen with shambling hoofs, . . . . . . . . In ships across the sea's wide back. So Alcmena alone was left to delight her parents. . . . . . . . And the daughterof Electryon. . . . 

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(l. 21). . . . Who was subject in love to the dark-clouded son of Cronos andbare (famous Heracles). '

Fragment #100--Argument to the Shield of Heracles, i: The beginningof the "Shield" as far as the 56th verse is current in the fourth"Catalogue". 

Fragment #101 (UNCERTAIN POSITION)--Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1359 fr. 1 (early3rd cent. A. D. ): ((LACUNA--Slight remains of 3 lines))

(ll. 4-17) '. . . If indeed he (Teuthras) delayed, and if he feared to obeythe word of the immortals who then appeared plainly to them. But her(Auge) he received and brought up well, and cherished in the palace, honouring her even as his own daughters. 

And Auge bare Telephus of the stock of Areas, king of the Mysians, beingjoined in love with the mighty Heracles when he was journeying in questof the horses of proud Laomedon--horses the fleetest of foot thatthe Asian land nourished, --and destroyed in battle the tribe of thedauntless Amazons and drove them forth from all that land. But Telephusrouted the spearmen of the bronze-clad Achaeans and made them embarkupon their black ships. Yet when he had brought down many to the groundwhich nourishes men, his own might and deadliness were brought low. . . . '

Fragment #102 (UNCERTAIN POSITION)--Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1359 fr. 2 (early3rd cent. A. D. ): ((LACUNA--Remains of 4 lines))

(ll. 5-16) '. . . . Electra. . . . Was subject to the dark-clouded Son ofCronos and bare Dardanus. . . . And Eetion. . . . Who once greatly lovedrich-haired Demeter. And cloud-gathering Zeus was wroth and smote him, Eetion, and laid him low with a flaming thunderbolt, because he soughtto lay hands upon rich-haired Demeter. But Dardanus came to the coast ofthe mainland--from him Erichthonius and thereafter Tros were sprung, and Ilus, and Assaracus, and godlike Ganymede, --when he had left holySamothrace in his many-benched ship. 

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Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1359 fr. 3 (early 3rd cent. A. D. ): (ll. 17-24)[1768]. . . . Cleopatra . . . . The daughter of. . . . . . . . But an eagle caughtup Ganymede for Zeus because he vied with the immortals inbeauty. . . . . . . . Rich-tressed Diomede; and she bare Hyacinthus, theblameless one and strong. . . . . . . . Whom, on a time Phoebus himself slewunwittingly with a ruthless disk. . . . 

THE SHIELD OF HERACLES (480 lines)

(ll. 1-27) Or like her who left home and country and came to Thebes, following warlike Amphitryon, --even Alcmena, the daughter of Electyron, gatherer of the people. She surpassed the tribe of womankind in beautyand in height; and in wisdom none vied with her of those whom mortalwomen bare of union with mortal men. Her face and her dark eyes waftedsuch charm as comes from golden Aphrodite. And she so honoured herhusband in her heart as none of womankind did before her. Verily he hadslain her noble father violently when he was angry about oxen; sohe left his own country and came to Thebes and was suppliant to theshield-carrying men of Cadmus. There he dwelt with his modest wifewithout the joys of love, nor might he go in unto the neat-ankleddaughter of Electyron until he had avenged the death of his wife'sgreat-hearted brothers and utterly burned with blazing fire the villagesof the heroes, the Taphians and Teleboans; for this thing was laid uponhim, and the gods were witnesses to it. And he feared their anger, andhastened to perform the great task to which Zeus had bound him. With himwent the horse-driving Boeotians, breathing above their shields, and theLocrians who fight hand to hand, and the gallant Phocians eager forwar and battle. And the noble son of Alcaeus led them, rejoicing in hishost. 

(ll. 27-55) But the father of men and gods was forming another scheme inhis heart, to beget one to defend against destruction gods and men whoeat bread. So he arose from Olympus by night pondering guile in the deepof his heart, and yearned for the love of the well-girded woman. Quicklyhe came to Typhaonium, and from there again wise Zeus went on and trodthe highest peak of Phicium [1801]: there he sat and planned marvellousthings in his heart. So in one night Zeus shared the bed and love of theneat-ankled daughter of Electyron and fulfilled his desire; and in thesame night Amphitryon, gatherer of the people, the glorious hero, cameto his house when he had ended his great task. He hastened not to go tohis bondmen and shepherds afield, but first went in unto his wife: suchdesire took hold on the shepherd of the people. And as a man who hasescaped joyfully from misery, whether of sore disease or cruel bondage, so then did Amphitryon, when he had wound up all his heavy task, comeglad and welcome to his home. And all night long he lay with his modestwife, delighting in the gifts of golden Aphrodite. And she, beingsubject in love to a god and to a man exceeding goodly, brought forthtwin sons in seven-gated Thebe. Though they were brothers, these werenot of one spirit; for one was weaker but the other a far better man, one terrible and strong, the mighty Heracles. Him she bare throughthe embrace of the son of Cronos lord of dark clouds and the other, Iphiclus, of Amphitryon the spear-wielder--offspring distinct, this oneof union with a mortal man, but that other of union with Zeus, leader ofall the gods. 

(ll. 57-77) And he slew Cycnus, the gallant son of Ares. For he foundhim in the close of far-shooting Apollo, him and his father Ares, neversated with war. Their armour shone like a flame of blazing fire as theytwo stood in their car: their swift horses struck the earth and pawedit with their hoofs, and the dust rose like smoke about them, poundedby the chariot wheels and the horses' hoofs, while the well-made chariotand its rails rattled around them as the horses plunged. And blamelessCycnus was glad, for he looked to slay the warlike son of Zeus and hischarioteer with the sword, and to strip off their splendid armour. But Phoebus Apollo would not listen to his vaunts, for he himself hadstirred up mighty Heracles against him. And all the grove and altarof Pagasaean Apollo flamed because of the dread god and because of hisarms; for his eyes flashed as with fire. What mortal men would havedared to meet him face to face save Heracles and glorious Iolaus? Forgreat was their strength and unconquerable were the arms which grewfrom their shoulders on their strong limbs. Then Heracles spake to hischarioteer strong Iolaus:

(ll. 78-94) 'O hero Iolaus, best beloved of all men, truly Amphitryonsinned deeply against the blessed gods who dwell on Olympus when he cameto sweet-crowned Thebe and left Tiryns, the well-built citadel, becausehe slew Electryon for the sake of his wide-browned oxen. Then he came toCreon and long-robed Eniocha, who received him kindly and gave himall fitting things, as is due to suppliants, and honoured him in theirhearts even more. And he lived joyfully with his wife the neat-ankleddaughter of Electyron: and presently, while the years rolled on, we wereborn, unlike in body as in mind, even your father and I. From him Zeustook away sense, so that he left his home and his parents and went todo honour to the wicked Eurystheus--unhappy man! Deeply indeed did hegrieve afterwards in bearing the burden of his own mad folly; but thatcannot be taken back. But on me fate laid heavy tasks. 

(ll. 95-101) 'Yet, come, friend, quickly take the red-dyed reins of theswift horses and raise high courage in your heart and guide the swiftchariot and strong fleet-footed horses straight on. Have no secret fearat the noise of man-slaying Ares who now rages shouting about the holygrove of Phoebus Apollo, the lord who shoots form afar. Surely, strongthough he be, he shall have enough of war. '

(ll. 102-114) And blameless Iolaus answered him again: 'Good friend, truly the father of men and gods greatly honours your head and thebull-like Earth-Shaker also, who keeps Thebe's veil of walls and guardsthe city, --so great and strong is this fellow they bring into your handsthat you may win great glory. But come, put on your arms of war thatwith all speed we may bring the car of Ares and our own together andfight; for he shall not frighten the dauntless son of Zeus, nor yet theson of Iphiclus: rather, I think he will flee before the two sons ofblameless Alcides who are near him and eager to raise the war cry forbattle; for this they love better than a feast. '

(ll. 115-117) So he said. And mighty Heracles was glad in heart andsmiled, for the other's words pleased him well, and he answered him withwinged words:

(ll. 118-121) 'O hero Iolaus, heaven-sprung, now is rough battle hardat hand. But, as you have shown your skill at other-times, so now alsowheel the great black-maned horse Arion about every way, and help me asyou may be able. '

(ll. 122-138) So he said, and put upon his legs greaves of shiningbronze, the splendid gift of Hephaestus. Next he fastened about hisbreast a fine golden breast-plate, curiously wrought, which PallasAthene the daughter of Zeus had given him when first he was about to setout upon his grievous labours. Over his shoulders the fierce warriorput the steel that saves men from doom, and across his breast he slungbehind him a hollow quiver. Within it were many chilling arrows, dealersof death which makes speech forgotten: in front they had death, andtrickled with tears; their shafts were smooth and very long; and theirbutts were covered with feathers of a brown eagle. And he took hisstrong spear, pointed with shining bronze, and on his valiant head seta well-made helm of adamant, cunningly wrought, which fitted closely onthe temples; and that guarded the head of god-like Heracles. 

(ll. 139-153) In his hands he took his shield, all glittering: no oneever broke it with a blow or crushed it. And a wonder it was to see; forits whole orb was a-shimmer with enamel and white ivory and electrum, and it glowed with shining gold; and there were zones of cyanus [1802]drawn upon it. In the centre was Fear worked in adamant, unspeakable, staring backwards with eyes that glowed with fire. His mouth was fullof teeth in a white row, fearful and daunting, and upon his grim browhovered frightful Strife who arrays the throng of men: pitiless she, forshe took away the mind and senses of poor wretches who made war againstthe son of Zeus. Their souls passed beneath the earth and went down intothe house of Hades; but their bones, when the skin is rotted about them, crumble away on the dark earth under parching Sirius. 

(ll. 154-160) Upon the shield Pursuit and Flight were wrought, andTumult, and Panic, and Slaughter. Strife also, and Uproar were hurryingabout, and deadly Fate was there holding one man newly wounded, andanother unwounded; and one, who was dead, she was dragging by the feetthrough the tumult. She had on her shoulders a garment red with theblood of men, and terribly she glared and gnashed her teeth. 

(ll. 160-167) And there were heads of snakes unspeakably frightful, twelve of them; and they used to frighten the tribes of men on earthwhosoever made war against the son of Zeus; for they would clash theirteeth when Amphitryon's son was fighting: and brightly shone thesewonderful works. And it was as though there were spots upon thefrightful snakes: and their backs were dark blue and their jaws wereblack. 

(ll. 168-177) Also there were upon the shield droves of boars and lionswho glared at each other, being furious and eager: the rows of themmoved on together, and neither side trembled but both bristled up theirmanes. For already a great lion lay between them and two boars, one oneither side, bereft of life, and their dark blood was dripping downupon the ground; they lay dead with necks outstretched beneath the grimlions. And both sides were roused still more to fight because they wereangry, the fierce boars and the bright-eyed lions. 

(ll. 178-190) And there was the strife of the Lapith spearmen gatheredround the prince Caeneus and Dryas and Peirithous, with Hopleus, Exadius, Phalereus, and Prolochus, Mopsus the son of Ampyce ofTitaresia, a scion of Ares, and Theseus, the son of Aegeus, like untothe deathless gods. These were of silver, and had armour of gold upontheir bodies. And the Centaurs were gathered against them on the otherside with Petraeus and Asbolus the diviner, Arctus, and Ureus, andblack-haired Mimas, and the two sons of silver, and they had pinetreesof gold in their hands, and they were rushing together as though theywere alive and striking at one another hand to hand with spears and withpines. 

(ll. 191-196) And on the shield stood the fleet-footed horses of grimAres made gold, and deadly Ares the spoil-winner himself. He held aspear in his hands and was urging on the footmen: he was red with bloodas if he were slaying living men, and he stood in his chariot. Besidehim stood Fear and Flight, eager to plunge amidst the fighting men. 

(ll. 197-200) There, too, was the daughter of Zeus, Tritogeneia whodrives the spoil [1803]. She was like as if she would array a battle, with a spear in her hand, and a golden helmet, and the aegis about hershoulders. And she was going towards the awful strife. 

(ll. 201-206) And there was the holy company of the deathless gods: andin the midst the son of Zeus and Leto played sweetly on a golden lyre. There also was the abode of the gods, pure Olympus, and their assembly, and infinite riches were spread around in the gathering, the Muses ofPieria were beginning a song like clear-voiced singers. 

(ll. 207-215) And on the shield was a harbour with a safe haven from theirresistible sea, made of refined tin wrought in a circle, and it seemedto heave with waves. In the middle of it were many dolphins rushing thisway and that, fishing: and they seemed to be swimming. Two dolphins ofsilver were spouting and devouring the mute fishes. And beneath themfishes of bronze were trembling. And on the shore sat a fishermanwatching: in his hands he held a casting net for fish, and seemed as ifabout to cast it forth. 

(ll. 216-237) There, too, was the son of rich-haired Danae, the horsemanPerseus: his feet did not touch the shield and yet were not far fromit--very marvellous to remark, since he was not supported anywhere; forso did the famous Lame One fashion him of gold with his hands. On hisfeet he had winged sandals, and his black-sheathed sword was slungacross his shoulders by a cross-belt of bronze. He was flying swift asthought. The head of a dreadful monster, the Gorgon, covered the broadof his back, and a bag of silver--a marvel to see--contained it: andfrom the bag bright tassels of gold hung down. Upon the head of the herolay the dread cap [1804] of Hades which had the awful gloom of night. Perseus himself, the son of Danae, was at full stretch, like one whohurries and shudders with horror. And after him rushed the Gorgons, unapproachable and unspeakable, longing to seize him: as they trod uponthe pale adamant, the shield rang sharp and clear with a loud clanging. Two serpents hung down at their girdles with heads curved forward: theirtongues were flickering, and their teeth gnashing with fury, and theireyes glaring fiercely. And upon the awful heads of the Gorgons greatFear was quaking. 

(ll. 237-270) And beyond these there were men fighting in warlikeharness, some defending their own town and parents from destruction, and others eager to sack it; many lay dead, but the greater number stillstrove and fought. The women on well-built towers of bronze were cryingshrilly and tearing their cheeks like living beings--the work of famousHephaestus. And the men who were elders and on whom age had laid holdwere all together outside the gates, and were holding up their handsto the blessed gods, fearing for their own sons. But these again wereengaged in battle: and behind them the dusky Fates, gnashing their whitefangs, lowering, grim, bloody, and unapproachable, struggled for thosewho were falling, for they all were longing to drink dark blood. So soonas they caught a man overthrown or falling newly wounded, one of themwould clasp her great claws about him, and his soul would go down toHades to chilly Tartarus. And when they had satisfied their souls withhuman blood, they would cast that one behind them, and rush back againinto the tumult and the fray. Clotho and Lachesis were over them andAtropos less tall than they, a goddess of no great frame, yet superiorto the others and the eldest of them. And they all made a fierce fightover one poor wretch, glaring evilly at one another with furious eyesand fighting equally with claws and hands. By them stood Darkness ofDeath, mournful and fearful, pale, shrivelled, shrunk with hunger, swollen-kneed. Long nails tipped her hands, and she dribbled at thenose, and from her cheeks blood dripped down to the ground. Shestood leering hideously, and much dust sodden with tears lay upon hershoulders. 

(ll. 270-285) Next, there was a city of men with goodly towers; andseven gates of gold, fitted to the lintels, guarded it. The men weremaking merry with festivities and dances; some were bringing homea bride to her husband on a well-wheeled car, while the bridal-songswelled high, and the glow of blazing torches held by handmaidensrolled in waves afar. And these maidens went before, delighting in thefestival; and after them came frolicsome choirs, the youths singingsoft-mouthed to the sound of shrill pipes, while the echo was shiveredaround them, and the girls led on the lovely dance to the sound oflyres. Then again on the other side was a rout of young men revelling, with flutes playing; some frolicking with dance and song, and otherswere going forward in time with a flute player and laughing. The wholetown was filled with mirth and dance and festivity. 

(ll. 285-304) Others again were mounted on horseback and gallopingbefore the town. And there were ploughmen breaking up the good soil, clothed in tunics girt up. Also there was a wide cornland and some menwere reaping with sharp hooks the stalks which bended with the weight ofthe cars--as if they were reaping Demeter's grain: others were bindingthe sheaves with bands and were spreading the threshing floor. And someheld reaping hooks and were gathering the vintage, while others weretaking from the reapers into baskets white and black clusters from thelong rows of vines which were heavy with leaves and tendrils of silver. Others again were gathering them into baskets. Beside them was a row ofvines in gold, the splendid work of cunning Hephaestus: it had shiveringleaves and stakes of silver and was laden with grapes which turned black[1805]. And there were men treading out the grapes and others drawingoff liquor. Also there were men boxing and wrestling, and huntsmenchasing swift hares with a leash of sharp-toothed dogs before them, theyeager to catch the hares, and the hares eager to escape. 

(ll 305-313) Next to them were horsemen hard set, and they contended andlaboured for a prize. The charioteers standing on their well-woven cars, urged on their swift horses with loose rein; the jointed cars flew alongclattering and the naves of the wheels shrieked loudly. So they wereengaged in an unending toil, and the end with victory came never tothem, and the contest was ever unwon. And there was set out for themwithin the course a great tripod of gold, the splendid work of cunningHephaestus. 

(ll. 314-317) And round the rim Ocean was flowing, with a full streamas it seemed, and enclosed all the cunning work of the shield. Over itswans were soaring and calling loudly, and many others were swimmingupon the surface of the water; and near them were shoals of fish. 

(ll. 318-326) A wonderful thing the great strong shield was to see--evenfor Zeus the loud-thunderer, by whose will Hephaestus made it and fittedit with his hands. This shield the valiant son of Zeus wielded masterly, and leaped upon his horse-chariot like the lightning of his father Zeuswho holds the aegis, moving lithely. And his charioteer, strong Iolaus, standing upon the car, guided the curved chariot. 

(ll. 327-337) Then the goddess grey-eyed Athene came near them and spokewinged words, encouraging them: 'Hail, offspring of far-famed Lynceus!Even now Zeus who reigns over the blessed gods gives you power toslay Cycnus and to strip off his splendid armour. Yet I will tell yousomething besides, mightiest of the people. When you have robbedCycnus of sweet life, then leave him there and his armour also, and youyourself watch man-slaying Ares narrowly as he attacks, and wherever youshall see him uncovered below his cunningly-wrought shield, there woundhim with your sharp spear. Then draw back; for it is not ordained thatyou should take his horses or his splendid armour. '

(ll. 338-349) So said the bright-eyed goddess and swiftly got up intothe car with victory and renown in her hands. Then heaven-nurturedIolaus called terribly to the horses, and at his cry they swiftlywhirled the fleet chariot along, raising dust from the plain; for thegoddess bright-eyed Athene put mettle into them by shaking her aegis. And the earth groaned all round them. 

And they, horse-taming Cycnus and Ares, insatiable in war, came ontogether like fire or whirlwind. Then their horses neighed shrilly, faceto face; and the echo was shivered all round them. And mighty Heraclesspoke first and said to that other:

(ll. 350-367) 'Cycnus, good sir! Why, pray, do you set your swift horsesat us, men who are tried in labour and pain? Nay, guide your fleet caraside and yield and go out of the path. It is to Trachis I am drivingon, to Ceyx the king, who is the first in Trachis for power and forhonour, and that you yourself know well, for you have his daughterdark-eyed Themistinoe to wife. Fool! For Ares shall not deliver you fromthe end of death, if we two meet together in battle. Another time erethis I declare he has made trial of my spear, when he defended sandyPylos and stood against me, fiercely longing for fight. Thrice was hestricken by my spear and dashed to earth, and his shield was pierced;but the fourth time I struck his thigh, laying on with all my strength, and tare deep into his flesh. And he fell headlong in the dust upon theground through the force of my spear-thrust; then truly he would havebeen disgraced among the deathless gods, if by my hands he had leftbehind his bloody spoils. '

(ll. 368-385) So said he. But Cycnus the stout spearman cared not toobey him and to pull up the horses that drew his chariot. Then it wasthat from their well-woven cars they both leaped straight to the ground, the son of Zeus and the son of the Lord of War. The charioteers drovenear by their horses with beautiful manes, and the wide earth rang withthe beat of their hoofs as they rushed along. As when rocks leap forthfrom the high peak of a great mountain, and fall on one another, andmany towering oaks and pines and long-rooted poplars are broken by themas they whirl swiftly down until they reach the plain; so did they fallon one another with a great shout: and all the town of the Myrmidons, and famous Iolcus, and Arne, and Helice, and grassy Anthea echoed loudlyat the voice of the two. With an awful cry they closed: and wise Zeusthundered loudly and rained down drops of blood, giving the signal forbattle to his dauntless son. 

(ll. 386-401) As a tusked boar, that is fearful for a man to see beforehim in the glens of a mountain, resolves to fight with the huntsmen andwhite tusks, turning sideways, while foam flows all round his mouth ashe gnashes, and his eyes are like glowing fire, and he bristles the hairon his mane and around his neck--like him the son of Zeus leaped fromhis horse-chariot. And when the dark-winged whirring grasshopper, perched on a green shoot, begins to sing of summer to men--his foodand drink is the dainty dew--and all day long from dawn pours forth hisvoice in the deadliest heat, when Sirius scorches the flesh (then thebeard grows upon the millet which men sow in summer), when the crudegrapes which Dionysus gave to men--a joy and a sorrow both--begin tocolour, in that season they fought and loud rose the clamour. 

(ll. 402-412) As two lions [1806] on either side of a slain deer springat one another in fury, and there is a fearful snarling and a clashingalso of teeth--like vultures with crooked talons and hooked beak thatfight and scream aloud on a high rock over a mountain goat or fatwild-deer which some active man has shot with an arrow from the string, and himself has wandered away elsewhere, not knowing the place; but theyquickly mark it and vehemently do keen battle about it--like these theytwo rushed upon one another with a shout. 

(ll. 413-423) Then Cycnus, eager to kill the son of almighty Zeus, struck upon his shield with a brazen spear, but did not breakthe bronze; and the gift of the god saved his foe. But the son ofAmphitryon, mighty Heracles, with his long spear struck Cycnus violentlyin the neck beneath the chin, where it was unguarded between helm andshield. And the deadly spear cut through the two sinews; for the hero'sfull strength lighted on his foe. And Cycnus fell as an oak falls or alofty pine that is stricken by the lurid thunderbolt of Zeus; even so hefell, and his armour adorned with bronze clashed about him. 

(ll. 424-442) Then the stout hearted son of Zeus let him be, and himselfwatched for the onset of manslaying Ares: fiercely he stared, like alion who has come upon a body and full eagerly rips the hide with hisstrong claws and takes away the sweet life with all speed: his darkheart is filled with rage and his eyes glare fiercely, while he tearsup the earth with his paws and lashes his flanks and shoulders with histail so that no one dares to face him and go near to give battle. Evenso, the son of Amphitryon, unsated of battle, stood eagerly face to facewith Ares, nursing courage in his heart. And Ares drew near him withgrief in his heart; and they both sprang at one another with a cry. Asit is when a rock shoots out from a great cliff and whirls down withlong bounds, careering eagerly with a roar, and a high crag clashes withit and keeps it there where they strike together; with no less clamourdid deadly Ares, the chariot-borne, rush shouting at Heracles. And hequickly received the attack. 

(ll. 443-449) But Athene the daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus came to meetAres, wearing the dark aegis, and she looked at him with an angryfrown and spoke winged words to him. 'Ares, check your fierce anger andmatchless hands; for it is not ordained that you should kill Heracles, the bold-hearted son of Zeus, and strip off his rich armour. Come, then, cease fighting and do not withstand me. '

(ll. 450-466) So said she, but did not move the courageous spirit ofAres. But he uttered a great shout and waving his spears like fire, herushed headlong at strong Heracles, longing to kill him, and hurled abrazen spear upon the great shield, for he was furiously angry becauseof his dead son; but bright-eyed Athene reached out from the car andturned aside the force of the spear. 

Then bitter grief seized Ares and he drew his keen sword and leaped uponbold-hearted Heracles. But as he came on, the son of Amphitryon, unsatedof fierce battle, shrewdly wounded his thigh where it was exposedunder his richly-wrought shield, and tare deep into his flesh with thespear-thrust and cast him flat upon the ground. And Panic and Dreadquickly drove his smooth-wheeled chariot and horses near him and liftedhim from the wide-pathed earth into his richly-wrought car, and thenstraight lashed the horses and came to high Olympus. 

(ll. 467-471) But the son of Alcmena and glorious Iolaus stripped thefine armour off Cycnus' shoulders and went, and their swift horsescarried them straight to the city of Trachis. And bright-eyed Athenewent thence to great Olympus and her father's house. 

(ll. 472-480) As for Cycnus, Ceyx buried him and the countless peoplewho lived near the city of the glorious king, in Anthe and the city ofthe Myrmidons, and famous Iolcus, and Arne, and Helice: and much peoplewere gathered doing honour to Ceyx, the friend of the blessed gods. ButAnaurus, swelled by a rain-storm, blotted out the grave and memorialof Cycnus; for so Apollo, Leto's son, commanded him, because he used towatch for and violently despoil the rich hecatombs that any might bringto Pytho. 

THE MARRIAGE OF CEYX (fragments)

Fragment #1--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. I. 128: Hesiod inthe "Marriage of Ceyx" says that he (Heracles) landed (from the Argo)to look for water and was left behind in Magnesia near the place calledAphetae because of his desertion there. 

Fragment #2--Zenobius [1901], ii. 19: Hesiod used the proverb in thefollowing way: Heracles is represented as having constantly visited thehouse of Ceyx of Trachis and spoken thus: 'Of their own selves the goodmake for the feasts of good. '

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Homer, Il. Xiv. 119: 'And horse-driving Ceyxbeholding. . . '

Fragment #4--Athenaeus, ii. P. 49b: Hesiod in the "Marriage ofCeyx"--for though grammar-school boys alienate it from the poet, yet Iconsider the poem ancient--calls the tables tripods. 

Fragment #5--Gregory of Corinth, On Forms of Speech (Rhett. Gr. Vii. 776): 'But when they had done with desire for the equal-shared feast, even then they brought from the forest the mother of a mother (sc. Wood), dry and parched, to be slain by her own children' (sc. To beburnt in the flames). 

THE GREAT EOIAE (fragments)

Fragment #1--Pausanius, ii. 26. 3: Epidaurus. According to the opinionof the Argives and the epic poem, the "Great Eoiae", Argos the son ofZeus was father of Epidaurus. 

Fragment #2--Anonymous Comment. On Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, iii. 7: And, they say, Hesiod is sufficient to prove that the word PONEROS(bad) has the same sense as 'laborious' or 'ill-fated'; for in the"Great Eoiae" he represents Alcmene as saying to Heracles: 'My son, truly Zeus your father begot you to be the most toilful as the mostexcellent. . . '; and again: 'The Fates (made) you the most toilful and themost excellent. . . '

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Pindar, Isthm. V. 53: The story has beentaken from the "Great Eoiae"; for there we find Heracles entertained byTelamon, standing dressed in his lion-skin and praying, and there alsowe find the eagle sent by Zeus, from which Aias took his name [2001]. 

Fragment #4--Pausanias, iv. 2. 1: But I know that the so-called "GreatEoiae" say that Polycaon the son of Butes married Euaechme, daughter ofHyllus, Heracles' son. 

Fragment #5--Pausanias, ix. 40. 6: 'And Phylas wedded Leipephile thedaughter of famous Iolaus: and she was like the Olympians in beauty. Shebare him a son Hippotades in the palace, and comely Thero who was likethe beams of the moon. And Thero lay in the embrace of Apollo and barehorse-taming Chaeron of hardy strength. '

Fragment #6--Scholiast on Pindar, Pyth. Iv. 35: 'Or like her in Hyria, careful-minded Mecionice, who was joined in the love of golden Aphroditewith the Earth-holder and Earth-Shaker, and bare Euphemus. '

Fragment #7--Pausanias, ix. 36. 7: 'And Hyettus killed Molurus the dearson of Aristas in his house because he lay with his wife. Then heleft his home and fled from horse-rearing Argos and came to MinyanOrchomenus. And the hero received him and gave him a portion of hisgoods, as was fitting. '

Fragment #8--Pausanias, ii. 2. 3: But in the "Great Eoiae" Peirene isrepresented to be the daughter of Oebalius. 

Fragment #9--Pausanias, ii. 16. 4: The epic poem, which the Greek callthe "Great Eoiae", says that she (Mycene) was the daughter of Inachusand wife of Arestor: from her, then, it is said, the city received itsname. 

Fragment #10--Pausanias, vi. 21. 10: According to the poem the "GreatEoiae", these were killed by Oenomaus [2002]: Alcathous the son ofPorthaon next after Marmax, and after Alcathous, Euryalus, Eurymachusand Crotalus. The man killed next after them, Aerias, we should judgeto have been a Lacedemonian and founder of Aeria. And after Acrias, they say, Capetus was done to death by Oenomaus, and Lycurgus, Lasius, Chalcodon and Tricolonus. . . . And after Tricolonus fate overtookAristomachus and Prias on the course, as also Pelagon and Aeolius andCronius. 

Fragment #11--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Iv. 57: In the"Great Eoiae" it is said that Endymion was transported by Zeus intoheaven, but when he fell in love with Hera, was befooled with a shape ofcloud, and was cast out and went down into Hades. 

Fragment #12--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. I. 118: In the"Great Eoiae" it is related that Melampus, who was very dear toApollo, went abroad and stayed with Polyphantes. But when the king hadsacrificed an ox, a serpent crept up to the sacrifice and destroyedhis servants. At this the king was angry and killed the serpent, butMelampus took and buried it. And its offspring, brought up by him, usedto lick his ears and inspire him with prophecy. And so, when he wascaught while trying to steal the cows of Iphiclus and taken bound to thecity of Aegina, and when the house, in which Iphiclus was, was aboutto fall, he told an old woman, one of the servants of Iphiclus, and inreturn was released. 

Fragment #13--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Iv. 828: In the"Great Eoiae" Scylla is the daughter of Phoebus and Hecate. 

Fragment #14--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Ii. 181: Hesiod inthe "Great Eoiae" says that Phineus was blinded because he told Phrixusthe way [2003]. 

Fragment #15--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Ii. 1122: Argus. This is one of the children of Phrixus. These. . . . . . . . Hesiod in the"Great Eoiae" says were born of Iophossa the daughter of Aeetes. And hesays there were four of them, Argus, Phrontis, Melas, and Cytisorus. 

Fragment #16--Antoninus Liberalis, xxiii: Battus. Hesiod tells the storyin the "Great Eoiae". . . . . . . . Magnes was the son of Argus, the son ofPhrixus and Perimele, Admetus' daughter, and lived in the region ofThessaly, in the land which men called after him Magnesia. He had a sonof remarkable beauty, Hymenaeus. And when Apollo saw the boy, he wasseized with love for him, and would not leave the house of Magnes. ThenHermes made designs on Apollo's herd of cattle which were grazing in thesame place as the cattle of Admetus. First he cast upon the dogs whichwere guarding them a stupor and strangles, so that the dogs forgot thecows and lost the power of barking. Then he drove away twelve heifersand a hundred cows never yoked, and the bull who mounted the cows, fastening to the tail of each one brushwood to wipe out the footmarks ofthe cows. 

He drove them through the country of the Pelasgi, and Achaea in the landof Phthia, and through Locris, and Boeotia and Megaris, and thence intoPeloponnesus by way of Corinth and Larissa, until he brought them toTegea. From there he went on by the Lycaean mountains, and past Maenalusand what are called the watch-posts of Battus. Now this Battus used tolive on the top of the rock and when he heard the voice of the heifersas they were being driven past, he came out from his own place, and knewthat the cattle were stolen. So he asked for a reward to tell no oneabout them. Hermes promised to give it him on these terms, and Battusswore to say nothing to anyone about the cattle. But when Hermes hadhidden them in the cliff by Coryphasium, and had driven them into a cavefacing towards Italy and Sicily, he changed himself and came again toBattus and tried whether he would be true to him as he had vowed. So, offering him a robe as a reward, he asked of him whether he had noticedstolen cattle being driven past. And Battus took the robe and told himabout the cattle. But Hermes was angry because he was double-tongued, and struck him with his staff and changed him into a rock. And eitherfrost or heat never leaves him [2004]. 

THE MELAMPODIA (fragments)

Fragment #1--Strabo, xiv. P. 642: It is said that Calchis the seerreturned from Troy with Amphilochus the son of Amphiaraus and came onfoot to this place [2101]. But happening to find near Clarus a seergreater than himself, Mopsus, the son of Manto, Teiresias' daughter, he died of vexation. Hesiod, indeed, works up the story in some form asthis: Calchas set Mopsus the following problem:

'I am filled with wonder at the quantity of figs this wild fig-treebears though it is so small. Can you tell their number?'

And Mopsus answered: 'Ten thousand is their number, and their measure isa bushel: one fig is left over, which you would not be able to put intothe measure. '

So said he; and they found the reckoning of the measure true. Then didthe end of death shroud Calchas. 

Fragment #2--Tzetzes on Lycophron, 682: But now he is speaking ofTeiresias, since it is said that he lived seven generations--thoughothers say nine. He lived from the times of Cadmus down to those ofEteocles and Polyneices, as the author of "Melampodia" also says: for heintroduces Teiresias speaking thus:

'Father Zeus, would that you had given me a shorter span of life tobe mine and wisdom of heart like that of mortal men! But now you havehonoured me not even a little, though you ordained me to have a longspan of life, and to live through seven generations of mortal kind. '

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Homer, Odyssey, x. 494: They say thatTeiresias saw two snakes mating on Cithaeron and that, when he killedthe female, he was changed into a woman, and again, when he killed themale, took again his own nature. This same Teiresias was chosen by Zeusand Hera to decide the question whether the male or the female has mostpleasure in intercourse. And he said:

'Of ten parts a man enjoys only one; but a woman's sense enjoys all tenin full. '

For this Hera was angry and blinded him, but Zeus gave him the seer'spower. 

Fragment #4--[2102] Athenaeus, ii. P. 40: 'For pleasant it is at a feastand rich banquet to tell delightful tales, when men have had enough offeasting;. . . '

Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis vi. 2 26: '. . . And pleasant also itis to know a clear token of ill or good amid all the signs that thedeathless ones have given to mortal men. '

Fragment #5--Athenaeus, xi. 498. A: 'And Mares, swift messenger, came tohim through the house and brought a silver goblet which he had filled, and gave it to the lord. '

Fragment #6--Athenaeus, xi. 498. B: 'And then Mantes took in his handsthe ox's halter and Iphiclus lashed him upon the back. And behindhim, with a cup in one hand and a raised sceptre in the other, walkedPhylacus and spake amongst the bondmen. '

Fragment #7--Athenaeus, xiii. P. 609 e: Hesiod in the third book of the"Melampodia" called Chalcis in Euboea 'the land of fair women'. 

Fragment #8--Strabo, xiv. P. 676: But Hesiod says that Amphilochus waskilled by Apollo at Soli. 

Fragment #9--Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis, v. P. 259: 'And nowthere is no seer among mortal men such as would know the mind of Zeuswho holds the aegis. '

AEGIMIUS (fragments)

Fragment #1--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Iii. 587: But theauthor of the "Aegimius" says that he (Phrixus) was received withoutintermediary because of the fleece [2201]. He says that after thesacrifice he purified the fleece and so: 'Holding the fleece he walkedinto the halls of Aeetes. '

Fragment #2--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. Iv. 816: The authorof the "Aegimius" says in the second book that Thetis used to throw thechildren she had by Peleus into a cauldron of water, because she wishedto learn where they were mortal. . . . . . . . And that after many had perishedPeleus was annoyed, and prevented her from throwing Achilles into thecauldron. 

Fragment #3--Apollodorus, ii. 1. 3. 1: Hesiod and Acusilaus say that she(Io) was the daughter of Peiren. While she was holding the office ofpriestess of Hera, Zeus seduced her, and being discovered by Hera, touched the girl and changed her into a white cow, while he swore thathe had no intercourse with her. And so Hesiod says that oaths touchingthe matter of love do not draw down anger from the gods: 'And thereafterhe ordained that an oath concerning the secret deeds of the Cyprianshould be without penalty for men. '

Fragment #4--Herodian in Stephanus of Byzantium: '(Zeus changed Io) inthe fair island Abantis, which the gods, who are eternally, used to callAbantis aforetime, but Zeus then called it Euboea after the cow. ' [2202]

Fragment #5--Scholiast on Euripides, Phoen. 1116: 'And (Hera) set awatcher upon her (Io), great and strong Argus, who with four eyes looksevery way. And the goddess stirred in him unwearying strength: sleepnever fell upon his eyes; but he kept sure watch always. '

Fragment #6--Scholiast on Homer, Il. Xxiv. 24: 'Slayer of Argus'. According to Hesiod's tale he (Hermes) slew (Argus) the herdsman of Io. 

Fragment #7--Athenaeus, xi. P. 503: And the author of the "Aegimius", whether he is Hesiod or Cercops of Miletus (says): 'There, some day, shall be my place of refreshment, O leader of the people. '

Fragment #8--Etym. Gen. : Hesiod (says there were so called) becausethey settled in three groups: 'And they all were called the Three-foldpeople, because they divided in three the land far from their country. 'For (he says) that three Hellenic tribes settled in Crete, the Pelasgi, Achaeans and Dorians. And these have been called Three-fold People. 

FRAGMENTS OF UNKNOWN POSITION

Fragment #1--Diogenes Laertius, viii. 1. 26: [2301] 'So Urania bareLinus, a very lovely son: and him all men who are singers and harpers dobewail at feasts and dances, and as they begin and as they end they callon Linus. . . . '

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. I. P. 121: '. . . . Who was skilled in allmanner of wisdom. '

Fragment #2--Scholiast on Homer, Odyssey, iv. 232: 'Unless PhoebusApollo should save him from death, or Paean himself who knows theremedies for all things. '

Fragment #3--Clement of Alexandria, Protrept, c. Vii. P. 21: 'For healone is king and lord of all the undying gods, and no other vies withhim in power. '

Fragment #4--Anecd. Oxon (Cramer), i. P. 148: '(To cause?) the gifts ofthe blessed gods to come near to earth. '

Fragment #5--Clement of Alexandria, Strom. I. P. 123: 'Of the Muses whomake a man very wise, marvellous in utterance. '

Fragment #6--Strabo, x. P. 471: 'But of them (sc. The daughters ofHecaterus) were born the divine mountain Nymphs and the tribe ofworthless, helpless Satyrs, and the divine Curetes, sportive dancers. '

Fragment #7--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. I. 824: 'Beseechingthe offspring of glorious Cleodaeus. '

Fragment #8--Suidas, s. V. : 'For the Olympian gave might to the sons ofAeacus, and wisdom to the sons of Amythaon, and wealth to the sons ofAtreus. '

Fragment #9--Scholiast on Homer, Iliad, xiii. 155: 'For through his lackof wood the timber of the ships rotted. '

Fragment #10--Etymologicum Magnum: 'No longer do they walk with delicatefeet. '

Fragment #11--Scholiast on Homer, Iliad, xxiv. 624: 'First of all theyroasted (pieces of meat), and drew them carefully off the spits. '

Fragment #12--Chrysippus, Fragg. Ii. 254. 11: 'For his spirit increasedin his dear breast. '

Fragment #13--Chrysippus, Fragg. Ii. 254. 15: 'With such heart grievinganger in her breast. '

Fragment #14--Strabo, vii. P. 327: 'He went to Dodona and the oak-grove, the dwelling place of the Pelasgi. '

Fragment #15--Anecd. Oxon (Cramer), iii. P. 318. Not. : 'With thepitiless smoke of black pitch and of cedar. '

Fragment #16--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. I. 757: 'But hehimself in the swelling tide of the rain-swollen river. '

Fragment #17--Stephanus of Byzantium: (The river) Parthenius, 'Flowingas softly as a dainty maiden goes. '

Fragment #18--Scholiast on Theocritus, xi. 75: 'Foolish the man wholeaves what he has, and follows after what he has not. '

Fragment #19--Harpocration: 'The deeds of the young, the counsels of themiddle-aged, and the prayers of the aged. '

Fragment #20--Porphyr, On Abstinence, ii. 18. P. 134: 'Howsoever thecity does sacrifice, the ancient custom is best. '

Fragment #21--Scholiast on Nicander, Theriaca, 452: 'But you should begentle towards your father. '

Fragment #22--Plato, Epist. Xi. 358: 'And if I said this, it would seema poor thing and hard to understand. '

Fragment #23--Bacchylides, v. 191-3: Thus spake the Boeotian, evenHesiod [2302], servant of the sweet Muses: 'whomsoever the immortalshonour, the good report of mortals also followeth him. '

DOUBTFUL FRAGMENTS

Fragment #1--Galen, de plac. Hipp. Et Plat. I. 266: 'And then it wasZeus took away sense from the heart of Athamas. '

Fragment #2--Scholiast on Homer, Od. Vii. 104: 'They grind the yellowgrain at the mill. '

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Pindar, Nem. Ii. 1: 'Then first in Delos didI and Homer, singers both, raise our strain--stitching song in newhymns--Phoebus Apollo with the golden sword, whom Leto bare. '

Fragment #4--Julian, Misopogon, p. 369: 'But starvation on a handful isa cruel thing. '

Fragment #5--Servius on Vergil, Aen. Iv. 484: Hesiod says that theseHesperides. . . . . . . . Daughters of Night, guarded the golden apples beyondOcean: 'Aegle and Erythea and ox-eyed Hesperethusa. ' [2401]

Fragment #6--Plato, Republic, iii. 390 E: 'Gifts move the gods, giftsmove worshipful princes. '

Fragment #7--[2402] Clement of Alexandria, Strom. V. P. 256: 'On theseventh day again the bright light of the sun. . . . '

Fragment #8--Apollonius, Lex. Hom. : 'He brought pure water and mixed itwith Ocean's streams. '

Fragment #9--Stephanus of Byzantium: 'Aspledon and Clymenus and god-likeAmphidocus. ' (sons of Orchomenus). 

Fragment #10--Scholiast on Pindar, Nem. Iii. 64: 'Telemon never satedwith battle first brought light to our comrades by slaying blamelessMelanippe, destroyer of men, own sister of the golden-girdled queen. '

WORKS ATTRIBUTED TO HOMER

THE HOMERIC HYMNS

I. TO DIONYSUS (21 lines) [2501]

((LACUNA))

(ll. 1-9) For some say, at Dracanum; and some, on windy Icarus;and some, in Naxos, O Heaven-born, Insewn [2502]; and others by thedeep-eddying river Alpheus that pregnant Semele bare you to Zeus thethunder-lover. And others yet, lord, say you were born in Thebes; butall these lie. The Father of men and gods gave you birth remote from menand secretly from white-armed Hera. There is a certain Nysa, a mountainmost high and richly grown with woods, far off in Phoenice, near thestreams of Aegyptus. 

((LACUNA))

(ll. 10-12) '. . . And men will lay up for her [2503] many offerings inher shrines. And as these things are three [2504], so shall mortals eversacrifice perfect hecatombs to you at your feasts each three years. '

(ll. 13-16) The Son of Cronos spoke and nodded with his dark brows. Andthe divine locks of the king flowed forward from his immortal head, andhe made great Olympus reel. So spake wise Zeus and ordained it with anod. 

(ll. 17-21) Be favourable, O Insewn, Inspirer of frenzied women!we singers sing of you as we begin and as we end a strain, and noneforgetting you may call holy song to mind. And so, farewell, Dionysus, Insewn, with your mother Semele whom men call Thyone. 

II. TO DEMETER (495 lines)

(ll. 1-3) I begin to sing of rich-haired Demeter, awful goddess--of herand her trim-ankled daughter whom Aidoneus rapt away, given to him byall-seeing Zeus the loud-thunderer. 

(ll. 4-18) Apart from Demeter, lady of the golden sword and gloriousfruits, she was playing with the deep-bosomed daughters of Oceanus andgathering flowers over a soft meadow, roses and crocuses and beautifulviolets, irises also and hyacinths and the narcissus, which Earth madeto grow at the will of Zeus and to please the Host of Many, to be asnare for the bloom-like girl--a marvellous, radiant flower. It was athing of awe whether for deathless gods or mortal men to see: from itsroot grew a hundred blooms, and it smelled most sweetly, so that allwide heaven above and the whole earth and the sea's salt swell laughedfor joy. And the girl was amazed and reached out with both hands to takethe lovely toy; but the wide-pathed earth yawned there in the plain ofNysa, and the lord, Host of Many, with his immortal horses sprang outupon her--the Son of Cronos, He who has many names [2505]. 

(ll. 19-32) He caught her up reluctant on his golden car and bare heraway lamenting. Then she cried out shrilly with her voice, calling uponher father, the Son of Cronos, who is most high and excellent. But noone, either of the deathless gods or of mortal men, heard her voice, nor yet the olive-trees bearing rich fruit: only tender-hearted Hecate, bright-coiffed, the daughter of Persaeus, heard the girl from her cave, and the lord Helios, Hyperion's bright son, as she cried to her father, the Son of Cronos. But he was sitting aloof, apart from the gods, in histemple where many pray, and receiving sweet offerings from mortal men. So he, that Son of Cronos, of many names, who is Ruler of Many andHost of Many, was bearing her away by leave of Zeus on his immortalchariot--his own brother's child and all unwilling. 

(ll. 33-39) And so long as she, the goddess, yet beheld earth and starryheaven and the strong-flowing sea where fishes shoal, and the rays ofthe sun, and still hoped to see her dear mother and the tribes ofthe eternal gods, so long hope calmed her great heart for all hertrouble. . . . ((LACUNA)) . . . . And the heights of the mountains and thedepths of the sea rang with her immortal voice: and her queenly motherheard her. 

(ll. 40-53) Bitter pain seized her heart, and she rent the covering uponher divine hair with her dear hands: her dark cloak she cast down fromboth her shoulders and sped, like a wild-bird, over the firm land andyielding sea, seeking her child. But no one would tell her the truth, neither god nor mortal men; and of the birds of omen none came with truenews for her. Then for nine days queenly Deo wandered over the earthwith flaming torches in her hands, so grieved that she never tastedambrosia and the sweet draught of nectar, nor sprinkled her body withwater. But when the tenth enlightening dawn had come, Hecate, with atorch in her hands, met her, and spoke to her and told her news:

(ll. 54-58) 'Queenly Demeter, bringer of seasons and giver of goodgifts, what god of heaven or what mortal man has rapt away Persephoneand pierced with sorrow your dear heart? For I heard her voice, yetsaw not with my eyes who it was. But I tell you truly and shortly all Iknow. '

(ll. 59-73) So, then, said Hecate. And the daughter of rich-haired Rheaanswered her not, but sped swiftly with her, holding flaming torches inher hands. So they came to Helios, who is watchman of both gods and men, and stood in front of his horses: and the bright goddess enquired ofhim: 'Helios, do you at least regard me, goddess as I am, if ever byword or deed of mine I have cheered your heart and spirit. Through thefruitless air I heard the thrilling cry of my daughter whom I bare, sweet scion of my body and lovely in form, as of one seized violently;though with my eyes I saw nothing. But you--for with your beams you lookdown from the bright upper air Over all the earth and sea--tell me trulyof my dear child, if you have seen her anywhere, what god or mortal manhas violently seized her against her will and mine, and so made off. '

(ll. 74-87) So said she. And the Son of Hyperion answered her: 'QueenDemeter, daughter of rich-haired Rhea, I will tell you the truth; forI greatly reverence and pity you in your grief for your trim-ankleddaughter. None other of the deathless gods is to blame, but onlycloud-gathering Zeus who gave her to Hades, her father's brother, to becalled his buxom wife. And Hades seized her and took her loudly cryingin his chariot down to his realm of mist and gloom. Yet, goddess, ceaseyour loud lament and keep not vain anger unrelentingly: Aidoneus, theRuler of Many, is no unfitting husband among the deathless gods foryour child, being your own brother and born of the same stock: also, forhonour, he has that third share which he received when division was madeat the first, and is appointed lord of those among whom he dwells. '

(ll. 88-89) So he spake, and called to his horses: and at his chidingthey quickly whirled the swift chariot along, like long-winged birds. 

(ll. 90-112) But grief yet more terrible and savage came into the heartof Demeter, and thereafter she was so angered with the dark-clouded Sonof Cronos that she avoided the gathering of the gods and high Olympus, and went to the towns and rich fields of men, disfiguring her form along while. And no one of men or deep-bosomed women knew her when theysaw her, until she came to the house of wise Celeus who then was lord offragrant Eleusis. Vexed in her dear heart, she sat near the wayside bythe Maiden Well, from which the women of the place were used to drawwater, in a shady place over which grew an olive shrub. And she waslike an ancient woman who is cut off from childbearing and the gifts ofgarland-loving Aphrodite, like the nurses of king's children who dealjustice, or like the house-keepers in their echoing halls. There thedaughters of Celeus, son of Eleusis, saw her, as they were comingfor easy-drawn water, to carry it in pitchers of bronze to their dearfather's house: four were they and like goddesses in the flower of theirgirlhood, Callidice and Cleisidice and lovely Demo and Callithoe who wasthe eldest of them all. They knew her not, --for the gods are not easilydiscerned by mortals--but standing near by her spoke winged words:

(ll. 113-117) 'Old mother, whence and who are you of folk born long ago?Why are you gone away from the city and do not draw near the houses? Forthere in the shady halls are women of just such age as you, and othersyounger; and they would welcome you both by word and by deed. '

(ll. 118-144) Thus they said. And she, that queen among goddessesanswered them saying: 'Hail, dear children, whosoever you are ofwoman-kind. I will tell you my story; for it is not unseemly that Ishould tell you truly what you ask. Doso is my name, for my statelymother gave it me. And now I am come from Crete over the sea's wideback, --not willingly; but pirates brought me thence by force of strengthagainst my liking. Afterwards they put in with their swift craft toThoricus, and there the women landed on the shore in full throng and themen likewise, and they began to make ready a meal by the stern-cablesof the ship. But my heart craved not pleasant food, and I fled secretlyacross the dark country and escaped my masters, that they should nottake me unpurchased across the sea, there to win a price for me. And soI wandered and am come here: and I know not at all what land this is orwhat people are in it. But may all those who dwell on Olympus give youhusbands and birth of children as parents desire, so you take pity onme, maidens, and show me this clearly that I may learn, dear children, to the house of what man and woman I may go, to work for them cheerfullyat such tasks as belong to a woman of my age. Well could I nurse a newborn child, holding him in my arms, or keep house, or spread my masters'bed in a recess of the well-built chamber, or teach the women theirwork. '

(ll. 145-146) So said the goddess. And straightway the unwed maidenCallidice, goodliest in form of the daughters of Celeus, answered herand said:

(ll. 147-168) 'Mother, what the gods send us, we mortals bear perforce, although we suffer; for they are much stronger than we. But now I willteach you clearly, telling you the names of men who have great power andhonour here and are chief among the people, guarding our city's coif oftowers by their wisdom and true judgements: there is wise Triptolemusand Dioclus and Polyxeinus and blameless Eumolpus and Dolichus and ourown brave father. All these have wives who manage in the house, and noone of them, so soon as she has seen you, would dishonour you andturn you from the house, but they will welcome you; for indeed you aregodlike. But if you will, stay here; and we will go to our father'shouse and tell Metaneira, our deep-bosomed mother, all this matterfully, that she may bid you rather come to our home than search afterthe houses of others. She has an only son, late-born, who is beingnursed in our well-built house, a child of many prayers and welcome: ifyou could bring him up until he reached the full measure of youth, anyone of womankind who should see you would straightway envy you, suchgifts would our mother give for his upbringing. '

(ll. 169-183) So she spake: and the goddess bowed her head in assent. And they filled their shining vessels with water and carried themoff rejoicing. Quickly they came to their father's great house andstraightway told their mother according as they had heard and seen. Thenshe bade them go with all speed and invite the stranger to come for ameasureless hire. As hinds or heifers in spring time, when sated withpasture, bound about a meadow, so they, holding up the folds of theirlovely garments, darted down the hollow path, and their hair like acrocus flower streamed about their shoulders. And they found the goodgoddess near the wayside where they had left her before, and led her tothe house of their dear father. And she walked behind, distressed in herdear heart, with her head veiled and wearing a dark cloak which wavedabout the slender feet of the goddess. 

(ll. 184-211) Soon they came to the house of heaven-nurtured Celeus andwent through the portico to where their queenly mother sat by a pillarof the close-fitted roof, holding her son, a tender scion, in her bosom. And the girls ran to her. But the goddess walked to the threshold: andher head reached the roof and she filled the doorway with a heavenlyradiance. Then awe and reverence and pale fear took hold of Metaneira, and she rose up from her couch before Demeter, and bade her be seated. But Demeter, bringer of seasons and giver of perfect gifts, would notsit upon the bright couch, but stayed silent with lovely eyes cast downuntil careful Iambe placed a jointed seat for her and threw over it asilvery fleece. Then she sat down and held her veil in her hands beforeher face. A long time she sat upon the stool [2506] without speakingbecause of her sorrow, and greeted no one by word or by sign, butrested, never smiling, and tasting neither food nor drink, becauseshe pined with longing for her deep-bosomed daughter, until carefulIambe--who pleased her moods in aftertime also--moved the holy ladywith many a quip and jest to smile and laugh and cheer her heart. ThenMetaneira filled a cup with sweet wine and offered it to her; but sherefused it, for she said it was not lawful for her to drink red wine, but bade them mix meal and water with soft mint and give her to drink. And Metaneira mixed the draught and gave it to the goddess as she bade. So the great queen Deo received it to observe the sacrament. . . . [2507]

((LACUNA))

(ll. 212-223) And of them all, well-girded Metaneira first began tospeak: 'Hail, lady! For I think you are not meanly but nobly born; trulydignity and grace are conspicuous upon your eyes as in the eyes of kingsthat deal justice. Yet we mortals bear perforce what the gods send us, though we be grieved; for a yoke is set upon our necks. But now, sinceyou are come here, you shall have what I can bestow: and nurse me thischild whom the gods gave me in my old age and beyond my hope, a son muchprayed for. If you should bring him up until he reach the full measureof youth, any one of womankind that sees you will straightway envy you, so great reward would I give for his upbringing. '

(ll. 224-230) Then rich-haired Demeter answered her: 'And to you, also, lady, all hail, and may the gods give you good! Gladly will I take theboy to my breast, as you bid me, and will nurse him. Never, I ween, through any heedlessness of his nurse shall witchcraft hurt him noryet the Undercutter [2508]: for I know a charm far stronger thanthe Woodcutter, and I know an excellent safeguard against woefulwitchcraft. '

(ll. 231-247) When she had so spoken, she took the child in her fragrantbosom with her divine hands: and his mother was glad in her heart. Sothe goddess nursed in the palace Demophoon, wise Celeus' goodly son whomwell-girded Metaneira bare. And the child grew like some immortal being, not fed with food nor nourished at the breast: for by day rich-crownedDemeter would anoint him with ambrosia as if he were the offspring ofa god and breathe sweetly upon him as she held him in her bosom. But atnight she would hide him like a brand in the heart of the fire, unknownto his dear parents. And it wrought great wonder in these that he grewbeyond his age; for he was like the gods face to face. And she wouldhave made him deathless and unageing, had not well-girded Metaneira inher heedlessness kept watch by night from her sweet-smelling chamber andspied. But she wailed and smote her two hips, because she feared for herson and was greatly distraught in her heart; so she lamented and utteredwinged words:

(ll. 248-249) 'Demophoon, my son, the strange woman buries you deep infire and works grief and bitter sorrow for me. '

(ll. 250-255) Thus she spoke, mourning. And the bright goddess, lovely-crowned Demeter, heard her, and was wroth with her. So with herdivine hands she snatched from the fire the dear son whom Metaneira hadborn unhoped-for in the palace, and cast him from her to the ground; forshe was terribly angry in her heart. Forthwith she said to well-girdedMetaneira:

(ll. 256-274) 'Witless are you mortals and dull to foresee yourlot, whether of good or evil, that comes upon you. For now in yourheedlessness you have wrought folly past healing; for--be witness theoath of the gods, the relentless water of Styx--I would have made yourdear son deathless and unageing all his days and would have bestowed onhim everlasting honour, but now he can in no way escape death and thefates. Yet shall unfailing honour always rest upon him, because he layupon my knees and slept in my arms. But, as the years move round andwhen he is in his prime, the sons of the Eleusinians shall ever wage warand dread strife with one another continually. Lo! I am that Demeterwho has share of honour and is the greatest help and cause of joy tothe undying gods and mortal men. But now, let all the people build mea great temple and an altar below it and beneath the city and its sheerwall upon a rising hillock above Callichorus. And I myself will teachmy rites, that hereafter you may reverently perform them and so win thefavour of my heart. '

(ll. 275-281) When she had so said, the goddess changed her stature andher looks, thrusting old age away from her: beauty spread round abouther and a lovely fragrance was wafted from her sweet-smelling robes, and from the divine body of the goddess a light shone afar, while goldentresses spread down over her shoulders, so that the strong house wasfilled with brightness as with lightning. And so she went out from thepalace. 

(ll. 281-291) And straightway Metaneira's knees were loosed and sheremained speechless for a long while and did not remember to take up herlate-born son from the ground. But his sisters heard his pitiful wailingand sprang down from their well-spread beds: one of them took up thechild in her arms and laid him in her bosom, while another revived thefire, and a third rushed with soft feet to bring their mother fromher fragrant chamber. And they gathered about the struggling child andwashed him, embracing him lovingly; but he was not comforted, becausenurses and handmaids much less skilful were holding him now. 

(ll. 292-300) All night long they sought to appease the gloriousgoddess, quaking with fear. But, as soon as dawn began to show, theytold powerful Celeus all things without fail, as the lovely-crownedgoddess Demeter charged them. So Celeus called the countless people toan assembly and bade them make a goodly temple for rich-haired Demeterand an altar upon the rising hillock. And they obeyed him right speedilyand harkened to his voice, doing as he commanded. As for the child, hegrew like an immortal being. 

(ll. 301-320) Now when they had finished building and had drawn backfrom their toil, they went every man to his house. But golden-hairedDemeter sat there apart from all the blessed gods and stayed, wastingwith yearning for her deep-bosomed daughter. Then she caused a mostdreadful and cruel year for mankind over the all-nourishing earth: theground would not make the seed sprout, for rich-crowned Demeter kept ithid. In the fields the oxen drew many a curved plough in vain, and muchwhite barley was cast upon the land without avail. So she would havedestroyed the whole race of man with cruel famine and have robbed themwho dwell on Olympus of their glorious right of gifts and sacrifices, had not Zeus perceived and marked this in his heart. First he sentgolden-winged Iris to call rich-haired Demeter, lovely in form. So hecommanded. And she obeyed the dark-clouded Son of Cronos, and spedwith swift feet across the space between. She came to the stronghold offragrant 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, callsyou to come join the tribes of the eternal gods: come therefore, and letnot the message I bring from Zeus pass unobeyed. '

(ll. 324-333) Thus said Iris imploring her. But Demeter's heart was notmoved. Then again the father sent forth all the blessed and eternal godsbesides: and they came, one after the other, and kept calling her andoffering many very beautiful gifts and whatever right she might bepleased to choose among the deathless gods. Yet no one was able topersuade her mind and will, so wrath was she in her heart; but shestubbornly rejected all their words: for she vowed that she would neverset 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, hesent the Slayer of Argus whose wand is of gold to Erebus, so that havingwon over Hades with soft words, he might lead forth chaste Persephoneto the light from the misty gloom to join the gods, and that her mothermight see her with her eyes and cease from her anger. And Hermes obeyed, and leaving the house of Olympus, straightway sprang down with speed tothe hidden places of the earth. And he found the lord Hades in his houseseated upon a couch, and his shy mate with him, much reluctant, becauseshe yearned for her mother. But she was afar off, brooding on her felldesign because of the deeds of the blessed gods. And the strong Slayerof Argus drew near and said:

(ll. 347-356) 'Dark-haired Hades, ruler over the departed, father Zeusbids me bring noble Persephone forth from Erebus unto the gods, that hermother may see her with her eyes and cease from her dread anger with theimmortals; for now she plans an awful deed, to destroy the weakly tribesof earthborn men by keeping seed hidden beneath the earth, and so shemakes an end of the honours of the undying gods. For she keeps fearfulanger and does not consort with the gods, but sits aloof in her fragranttemple, dwelling in the rocky hold of Eleusis. '

(ll. 357-359) So he said. And Aidoneus, ruler over the dead, smiledgrimly and obeyed the behest of Zeus the king. For he straightway urgedwise Persephone, saying:

(ll. 360-369) 'Go now, Persephone, to your dark-robed mother, go, andfeel 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 shallrule all that lives and moves and shall have the greatest rights amongthe deathless gods: those who defraud you and do not appease your powerwith offerings, reverently performing rites and paying fit gifts, shallbe punished for evermore. '

(ll. 370-383) When he said this, wise Persephone was filled with joyand hastily sprang up for gladness. But he on his part secretly gave hersweet pomegranate seed to eat, taking care for himself that she mightnot remain continually with grave, dark-robed Demeter. Then Aidoneus theRuler of Many openly got ready his deathless horses beneath the goldenchariot. And she mounted on the chariot, and the strong Slayer of Argostook reins and whip in his dear hands and drove forth from the hall, thehorses speeding readily. Swiftly they traversed their long course, andneither the sea nor river-waters nor grassy glens nor mountain-peakschecked the career of the immortal horses, but they clave the deep airabove them as they went. And Hermes brought them to the place whererich-crowned Demeter was staying and checked them before her fragranttemple. 

(ll. 384-404) And when Demeter saw them, she rushed forth as does aMaenad down some thick-wooded mountain, while Persephone on the otherside, 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, herheart suddenly misgave her for some snare, so that she feared greatlyand 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? Speakout and hide nothing, but let us both know. For if you have not, youshall come back from loathly Hades and live with me and your father, thedark-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 secretplaces of the earth, there to dwell a third part of the seasons everyyear: yet for the two parts you shall be with me and the other deathlessgods. But when the earth shall bloom with the fragrant flowers of springin every kind, then from the realm of darkness and gloom thou shalt comeup once more to be a wonder for gods and mortal men. And now tell me howhe rapt you away to the realm of darkness and gloom, and by what trickdid the strong Host of Many beguile you?'

(ll. 405-433) Then beautiful Persephone answered her thus: 'Mother, Iwill tell you all without error. When luck-bringing Hermes came, swiftmessenger 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 eyesand so cease from your anger and fearful wrath against the gods, Isprang 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 willtell how he rapt me away by the deep plan of my father the Son of Cronosand carried me off beneath the depths of the earth, and will relatethe whole matter as you ask. All we were playing in a lovely meadow, Leucippe [2509] and Phaeno and Electra and Ianthe, Melita also and Iachewith Rhodea and Callirhoe and Melobosis and Tyche and Ocyrhoe, fair asa flower, Chryseis, Ianeira, Acaste and Admete and Rhodope and Plutoand charming Calypso; Styx too was there and Urania and lovely Galaxaurawith Pallas who rouses battles and Artemis delighting in arrows: we wereplaying and gathering sweet flowers in our hands, soft crocuses mingledwith irises and hyacinths, and rose-blooms and lilies, marvellous tosee, and the narcissus which the wide earth caused to grow yellow asa crocus. That I plucked in my joy; but the earth parted beneath, andthere the strong lord, the Host of Many, sprang forth and in his goldenchariot he bore me away, all unwilling, beneath the earth: then I criedwith a shrill cry. All this is true, sore though it grieves me to tellthe tale. '

(ll. 434-437) So did they turn, with hearts at one, greatly cheer eachthe other's soul and spirit with many an embrace: their heart had relieffrom their griefs while each took and gave back joyousness. 

(ll. 438-440) Then bright-coiffed Hecate came near to them, and oftendid she embrace the daughter of holy Demeter: and from that time thelady Hecate was minister and companion to Persephone. 

(ll. 441-459) And all-seeing Zeus sent a messenger to them, rich-hairedRhea, to bring dark-cloaked Demeter to join the families of the gods:and he promised to give her what right she should choose among thedeathless gods and agreed that her daughter should go down for the thirdpart of the circling year to darkness and gloom, but for the two partsshould live with her mother and the other deathless gods. Thus hecommanded. And the goddess did not disobey the message of Zeus; swiftlyshe rushed down from the peaks of Olympus and came to the plain ofRharus, rich, fertile corn-land once, but then in nowise fruitful, forit lay idle and utterly leafless, because the white grain was hidden bydesign of trim-ankled Demeter. But afterwards, as springtime waxed, itwas soon to be waving with long ears of corn, and its rich furrows to beloaded with grain upon the ground, while others would already be boundin sheaves. There first she landed from the fruitless upper air: andglad were the goddesses to see each other and cheered in heart. Thenbright-coiffed Rhea said to Demeter:

(ll. 460-469) 'Come, my daughter; for far-seeing Zeus the loud-thunderercalls you to join the families of the gods, and has promised to give youwhat rights you please among the deathless gods, and has agreed thatfor a third part of the circling year your daughter shall go down todarkness and gloom, but for the two parts shall be with you and theother deathless gods: so has he declared it shall be and has bowedhis head in token. But come, my child, obey, and be not too angryunrelentingly with the dark-clouded Son of Cronos; but rather increaseforthwith for men the fruit that gives them life. '

(ll. 470-482) So spake Rhea. And rich-crowned Demeter did not refusebut straightway made fruit to spring up from the rich lands, so that thewhole wide earth was laden with leaves and flowers. Then she went, and to the kings who deal justice, Triptolemus and Diocles, thehorse-driver, and to doughty Eumolpus and Celeus, leader of the people, she showed the conduct of her rites and taught them all her mysteries, to Triptolemus and Polyxeinus and Diocles also, --awful mysteries whichno one may in any way transgress or pry into or utter, for deep awe ofthe gods checks the voice. Happy is he among men upon earth who has seenthese mysteries; but he who is uninitiate and who has no part in them, never has lot of like good things once he is dead, down in the darknessand gloom. 

(ll. 483-489) But when the bright goddess had taught them all, theywent to Olympus to the gathering of the other gods. And there they dwellbeside Zeus who delights in thunder, awful and reverend goddesses. Rightblessed is he among men on earth whom they freely love: soon they dosend Plutus as guest to his great house, Plutus who gives wealth tomortal men. 

(ll. 490-495) And now, queen of the land of sweet Eleusis and sea-girtParos and rocky Antron, lady, giver of good gifts, bringer of seasons, queen Deo, be gracious, you and your daughter all beauteous Persephone, and for my song grant me heart-cheering substance. And now I willremember you and another song also. 

III. TO APOLLO (546 lines)

TO DELIAN APOLLO--

(ll. 1-18) I will remember and not be unmindful of Apollo who shootsafar. As he goes through the house of Zeus, the gods tremble before himand all spring up from their seats when he draws near, as he bends hisbright bow. But Leto alone stays by the side of Zeus who delights inthunder; and then she unstrings his bow, and closes his quiver, andtakes his archery from his strong shoulders in her hands and hangs themon a golden peg against a pillar of his father's house. Then she leadshim to a seat and makes him sit: and the Father gives him nectar in agolden cup welcoming his dear son, while the other gods make him sitdown there, and queenly Leto rejoices because she bare a mighty son andan archer. Rejoice, blessed Leto, for you bare glorious children, thelord Apollo and Artemis who delights in arrows; her in Ortygia, and himin rocky Delos, as you rested against the great mass of the Cynthianhill hard by a palm-tree by the streams of Inopus. 

(ll. 19-29) How, then, shall I sing of you who in all ways are a worthytheme of song? For everywhere, O Phoebus, the whole range of song isfallen to you, both over the mainland that rears heifers and over theisles. All mountain-peaks and high headlands of lofty hills and riversflowing out to the deep and beaches sloping seawards and havens of thesea are your delight. Shall I sing how at the first Leto bare you to bethe joy of men, as she rested against Mount Cynthus in that rocky isle, in sea-girt Delos--while on either hand a dark wave rolled on landwardsdriven by shrill winds--whence arising you rule over all mortal men?

(ll. 30-50) Among those who are in Crete, and in the township of Athens, and in the isle of Aegina and Euboea, famous for ships, in Aegae andEiresiae and Peparethus near the sea, in Thracian Athos and Pelion'stowering heights and Thracian Samos and the shady hills of Ida, inScyros and Phocaea and the high hill of Autocane and fair-lying Imbrosand smouldering Lemnos and rich Lesbos, home of Macar, the son ofAeolus, and Chios, brightest of all the isles that lie in the sea, andcraggy Mimas and the heights of Corycus and gleaming Claros and thesheer hill of Aesagea and watered Samos and the steep heights of Mycale, in Miletus and Cos, the city of Meropian men, and steep Cnidos and windyCarpathos, in Naxos and Paros and rocky Rhenaea--so far roamed Letoin travail with the god who shoots afar, to see if any land would bewilling to make a dwelling for her son. But they greatly trembled andfeared, and none, not even the richest of them, dared receive Phoebus, until queenly Leto set foot on Delos and uttered winged words and askedher:

(ll. 51-61) 'Delos, if you would be willing to be the abode of my sonPhoebus Apollo and make him a rich temple--; for no other will touchyou, as you will find: and I think you will never be rich in oxen andsheep, nor bear vintage nor yet produce plants abundantly. But if youhave the temple of far-shooting Apollo, all men will bring you hecatombsand gather here, and incessant savour of rich sacrifice will alwaysarise, and you will feed those who dwell in you from the hand ofstrangers; for truly your own soil is not rich. '

(ll. 62-82) So spake Leto. And Delos rejoiced and answered and said:'Leto, most glorious daughter of great Coeus, joyfully would I receiveyour child the far-shooting lord; for it is all too true that I amill-spoken of among men, whereas thus I should become very greatlyhonoured. But this saying I fear, and I will not hide it from you, Leto. They say that Apollo will be one that is very haughty and will greatlylord it among gods and men all over the fruitful earth. Therefore, Igreatly fear in heart and spirit that as soon as he sets the light ofthe sun, he will scorn this island--for truly I have but a hard, rockysoil--and overturn me and thrust me down with his feet in the depths ofthe sea; then will the great ocean wash deep above my head for ever, andhe will go to another land such as will please him, there to make histemple and wooded groves. So, many-footed creatures of the sea will maketheir lairs in me and black seals their dwellings undisturbed, becauseI lack people. Yet if you will but dare to sware a great oath, goddess, that here first he will build a glorious temple to be an oracle for men, then let him afterwards make temples and wooded groves amongst all men;for surely he will be greatly renowned. '

(ll. 83-88) So said Delos. And Leto sware the great oath of the gods:'Now hear this, Earth and wide Heaven above, and dropping water of Styx(this is the strongest and most awful oath for the blessed gods), surelyPhoebus shall have here his fragrant altar and precinct, and you heshall honour above all. '

(ll. 89-101) Now when Leto had sworn and ended her oath, Delos was veryglad at the birth of the far-shooting lord. But Leto was racked ninedays and nine nights with pangs beyond wont. And there were with her allthe chiefest of the goddesses, Dione and Rhea and Ichnaea and Themisand loud-moaning Amphitrite and the other deathless goddesses savewhite-armed Hera, who sat in the halls of cloud-gathering Zeus. OnlyEilithyia, goddess of sore travail, had not heard of Leto's trouble, for she sat on the top of Olympus beneath golden clouds by white-armedHera's contriving, who kept her close through envy, because Leto withthe lovely tresses was soon to bear a son faultless and strong. 

(ll. 102-114) But the goddesses sent out Iris from the well-set isleto bring Eilithyia, promising her a great necklace strung with goldenthreads, nine cubits long. And they bade Iris call her aside fromwhite-armed Hera, lest she might afterwards turn her from coming withher words. When swift Iris, fleet of foot as the wind, had heard allthis, she set to run; and quickly finishing all the distance she came tothe home of the gods, sheer Olympus, and forthwith called Eilithyia outfrom the hall to the door and spoke winged words to her, telling her allas the goddesses who dwell on Olympus had bidden her. So she moved theheart of Eilithyia in her dear breast; and they went their way, like shywild-doves in their going. 

(ll. 115-122) And as soon as Eilithyia the goddess of sore travail setfoot on Delos, the pains of birth seized Leto, and she longed to bringforth; so she cast her arms about a palm tree and kneeled on the softmeadow while the earth laughed for joy beneath. Then the child leapedforth to the light, and all the goddesses washed you purely and cleanlywith sweet water, and swathed you in a white garment of fine texture, new-woven, and fastened a golden band about you. 

(ll. 123-130) Now Leto did not give Apollo, bearer of the golden blade, her breast; but Themis duly poured nectar and ambrosia with her divinehands: and Leto was glad because she had borne a strong son and anarcher. But as soon as you had tasted that divine heavenly food, OPhoebus, you could no longer then be held by golden cords nor confinedwith bands, but all their ends were undone. Forthwith Phoebus Apollospoke out among the deathless goddesses:

(ll. 131-132) 'The lyre and the curved bow shall ever be dear to me, andI will declare to men the unfailing will of Zeus. '

(ll. 133-139) So said Phoebus, the long-haired god who shoots afar andbegan to walk upon the wide-pathed earth; and all goddesses were amazedat him. Then with gold all Delos was laden, beholding the child of Zeusand Leto, for joy because the god chose her above the islands and shoreto make his dwelling in her: and she loved him yet more in her heart, and blossomed as does a mountain-top with woodland flowers. 

(ll. 140-164) And you, O lord Apollo, god of the silver bow, shootingafar, now walked on craggy Cynthus, and now kept wandering about theisland and the people in them. Many are your temples and wooded groves, and all peaks and towering bluffs of lofty mountains and rivers flowingto the sea are dear to you, Phoebus, yet in Delos do you most delightyour heart; for there the long robed Ionians gather in your honour withtheir children and shy wives: mindful, they delight you with boxing anddancing and song, so often as they hold their gathering. A man would saythat they were deathless and unageing if he should then come upon theIonians so met together. For he would see the graces of them all, andwould be pleased in heart gazing at the men and well-girded women withtheir swift ships and great wealth. And there is this great wonderbesides--and its renown shall never perish--the girls of Delos, hand-maidens of the Far-shooter; for when they have praised Apollofirst, and also Leto and Artemis who delights in arrows, they sing astrain telling of men and women of past days, and charm the tribes ofmen. Also they can imitate the tongues of all men and their clatteringspeech: each would say that he himself were singing, so close to truthis their sweet song. 

(ll. 165-178) And now may Apollo be favourable and Artemis; and farewellall you maidens. Remember me in after time whenever any one of men onearth, a stranger who has seen and suffered much, comes here and asks ofyou: 'Whom think ye, girls, is the sweetest singer that comes here, andin whom do you most delight?' Then answer, each and all, with one voice:'He is a blind man, and dwells in rocky Chios: his lays are evermoresupreme. ' As for me, I will carry your renown as far as I roam over theearth to the well-placed this thing is true. And I will never cease topraise far-shooting Apollo, god of the silver bow, whom rich-haired Letobare. 

TO PYTHIAN APOLLO--

(ll. 179-181) O Lord, Lycia is yours and lovely Maeonia and Miletus, charming city by the sea, but over wave-girt Delos you greatly reignyour own self. 

(ll. 182-206) Leto's all-glorious son goes to rocky Pytho, playing uponhis hollow lyre, clad in divine, perfumed garments; and at the touch ofthe golden key his lyre sings sweet. Thence, swift as thought, he speedsfrom earth to Olympus, to the house of Zeus, to join the gathering ofthe other gods: then straightway the undying gods think only of the lyreand song, and all the Muses together, voice sweetly answering voice, hymn the unending gifts the gods enjoy and the sufferings of men, allthat they endure at the hands of the deathless gods, and how theylive witless and helpless and cannot find healing for death or defenceagainst old age. Meanwhile the rich-tressed Graces and cheerful Seasonsdance with Harmonia and Hebe and Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus, holdingeach other by the wrist. And among them sings one, not mean nor puny, but tall to look upon and enviable in mien, Artemis who delights inarrows, sister of Apollo. Among them sport Ares and the keen-eyed Slayerof Argus, while Apollo plays his lyre stepping high and featly and aradiance shines around him, the gleaming of his feet and close-wovenvest. And they, even gold-tressed Leto and wise Zeus, rejoice in theirgreat hearts as they watch their dear son playing among the undyinggods. 

(ll. 207-228) How then shall I sing of you--though in all ways you are aworthy theme for song? Shall I sing of you as wooer and in the fieldsof love, how you went wooing the daughter of Azan along with god-likeIschys the son of well-horsed Elatius, or with Phorbas sprungfrom Triops, or with Ereutheus, or with Leucippus and the wife ofLeucippus. . . . ((LACUNA)) . . . . You on foot, he with his chariot, yet hefell not short of Triops. Or shall I sing how at the first you wentabout the earth seeking a place of oracle for men, O far-shootingApollo? To Pieria first you went down from Olympus and passed by sandyLectus and Enienae and through the land of the Perrhaebi. Soon you cameto Iolcus and set foot on Cenaeum in Euboea, famed for ships: you stoodin the Lelantine plain, but it pleased not your heart to make atemple there and wooded groves. From there you crossed the Euripus, far-shooting Apollo, and went up the green, holy hills, going on toMycalessus and grassy-bedded Teumessus, and so came to the wood-cladabode of Thebe; for as yet no man lived in holy Thebe, nor were theretracks or ways about Thebe's wheat-bearing plain as yet. 

(ll. 229-238) And further still you went, O far-shooting Apollo, andcame to Onchestus, Poseidon's bright grove: there the new-broken coltdistressed with drawing the trim chariot gets spirit again, and theskilled driver springs from his car and goes on his way. Then the horsesfor a while rattle the empty car, being rid of guidance; and if theybreak the chariot in the woody grove, men look after the horses, buttilt the chariot and leave it there; for this was the rite from the veryfirst. And the drivers pray to the lord of the shrine; but the chariotfalls to the lot of the god. 

(ll. 239-243) Further yet you went, O far-shooting Apollo, and reachednext Cephissus' sweet stream which pours forth its sweet-flowing waterfrom Lilaea, and crossing over it, O worker from afar, you passedmany-towered Ocalea and reached grassy Haliartus. 

(ll. 244-253) Then you went towards Telphusa: and there the pleasantplace seemed fit for making a temple and wooded grove. You came verynear and spoke to her: 'Telphusa, here I am minded to make a glorioustemple, an oracle for men, and hither they will always bring perfecthecatombs, both those who live in rich Peloponnesus and those of Europeand all the wave-washed isles, coming to seek oracles. And I willdeliver to them all counsel that cannot fail, giving answer in my richtemple. '

(ll. 254-276) So said Phoebus Apollo, and laid out all the foundationsthroughout, wide and very long. But when Telphusa saw this, she wasangry in heart and spoke, saying: 'Lord Phoebus, worker from afar, Iwill speak a word of counsel to your heart, since you are minded to makehere a glorious temple to be an oracle for men who will always bringhither perfect hecatombs for you; yet I will speak out, and do you layup my words in your heart. The trampling of swift horses and the soundof mules watering at my sacred springs will always irk you, and men willlike better to gaze at the well-made chariots and stamping, swift-footedhorses than at your great temple and the many treasures that are within. But if you will be moved by me--for you, lord, are stronger and mightierthan I, and your strength is very great--build at Crisa below the gladesof Parnassus: there no bright chariot will clash, and there will beno noise of swift-footed horses near your well-built altar. But sothe glorious tribes of men will bring gifts to you as Iepaeon('Hail-Healer'), and you will receive with delight rich sacrifices fromthe people dwelling round about. ' So said Telphusa, that she alone, andnot the Far-Shooter, should have renown there; and she persuaded theFar-Shooter. 

(ll. 277-286) Further yet you went, far-shooting Apollo, until you cameto the town of the presumptuous Phlegyae who dwell on this earth in alovely glade near the Cephisian lake, caring not for Zeus. And thenceyou went speeding swiftly to the mountain ridge, and came to Crisabeneath snowy Parnassus, a foothill turned towards the west: a cliffhangs over it from above, and a hollow, rugged glade runs under. Therethe lord Phoebus Apollo resolved to make his lovely temple, and thus hesaid:

(ll. 287-293) 'In this place I am minded to build a glorious temple tobe an oracle for men, and here they will always bring perfect hecatombs, both they who dwell in rich Peloponnesus and the men of Europe and fromall the wave-washed isles, coming to question me. And I will deliver tothem all counsel that cannot fail, answering them in my rich temple. '

(ll. 294-299) When he had said this, Phoebus Apollo laid out all thefoundations throughout, wide and very long; and upon these the sons ofErginus, Trophonius and Agamedes, dear to the deathless gods, laid afooting of stone. And the countless tribes of men built the whole templeof wrought stones, to be sung of for ever. 

(ll. 300-310) But near by was a sweet flowing spring, and there withhis strong bow the lord, the son of Zeus, killed the bloated, greatshe-dragon, a fierce monster wont to do great mischief to men uponearth, to men themselves and to their thin-shanked sheep; for she was avery bloody plague. She it was who once received from gold-throned Heraand brought up fell, cruel Typhaon to be a plague to men. Once on a timeHera bare him because she was angry with father Zeus, when the Son ofCronos bare all-glorious Athena in his head. Thereupon queenly Hera wasangry and spoke thus among the assembled gods:

(ll. 311-330) 'Hear from me, all gods and goddesses, how cloud-gatheringZeus begins to dishonour me wantonly, when he has made me histrue-hearted wife. See now, apart from me he has given birth tobright-eyed Athena who is foremost among all the blessed gods. But myson Hephaestus whom I bare was weakly among all the blessed gods andshrivelled of foot, a shame and disgrace to me in heaven, whom I myselftook in my hands and cast out so that he fell in the great sea. Butsilver-shod Thetis the daughter of Nereus took and cared for him withher sisters: would that she had done other service to the blessed gods!O wicked one and crafty! What else will you now devise? How dared you byyourself give birth to bright-eyed Athena? Would not I have borne you achild--I, who was at least called your wife among the undying godswho hold wide heaven. Beware now lest I devise some evil thing for youhereafter: yes, now I will contrive that a son be born me to be foremostamong the undying gods--and that without casting shame on the holy bondof wedlock between you and me. And I will not come to your bed, but willconsort with the blessed gods far off from you. '

(ll. 331-333) When she had so spoken, she went apart from the gods, being very angry. Then straightway large-eyed queenly Hera prayed, striking the ground flatwise with her hand, and speaking thus:

(ll. 334-362) 'Hear now, I pray, Earth and wide Heaven above, and youTitan gods who dwell beneath the earth about great Tartarus, and fromwhom are sprung both gods and men! Harken you now to me, one and all, and grant that I may bear a child apart from Zeus, no wit lesserthan him in strength--nay, let him be as much stronger than Zeus asall-seeing Zeus than Cronos. ' Thus she cried and lashed the earth withher strong hand. Then the life-giving earth was moved: and when Hera sawit she was glad in heart, for she thought her prayer would be fulfilled. And thereafter she never came to the bed of wise Zeus for a full year, not to sit in her carved chair as aforetime to plan wise counsel forhim, but stayed in her temples where many pray, and delighted in herofferings, large-eyed queenly Hera. But when the months and days werefulfilled and the seasons duly came on as the earth moved round, shebare one neither like the gods nor mortal men, fell, cruel Typhaon, tobe a plague to men. Straightway large-eyed queenly Hera took him andbringing one evil thing to another such, gave him to the dragoness; andshe received him. And this Typhaon used to work great mischief among thefamous tribes of men. Whosoever met the dragoness, the day of doom wouldsweep him away, until the lord Apollo, who deals death from afar, shot astrong arrow at her. Then she, rent with bitter pangs, lay drawing greatgasps for breath and rolling about that place. An awful noise swelled upunspeakable as she writhed continually this way and that amid the wood:and so she left her life, breathing it forth in blood. Then PhoebusApollo boasted over her:

(ll. 363-369) 'Now rot here upon the soil that feeds man! You at leastshall live no more to be a fell bane to men who eat the fruit of theall-nourishing earth, and who will bring hither perfect hecatombs. Against cruel death neither Typhoeus shall avail you nor ill-famedChimera, but here shall the Earth and shining Hyperion make you rot. '

(ll. 370-374) Thus said Phoebus, exulting over her: and darkness coveredher eyes. And the holy strength of Helios made her rot away there;wherefore the place is now called Pytho, and men call the lord Apollo byanother name, Pythian; because on that spot the power of piercing Heliosmade the monster rot away. 

(ll. 375-378) Then Phoebus Apollo saw that the sweet-flowing spring hadbeguiled him, and he started out in anger against Telphusa; and sooncoming to her, he stood close by and spoke to her:

(ll. 379-381) 'Telphusa, you were not, after all, to keep to yourselfthis lovely place by deceiving my mind, and pour forth your clearflowing water: here my renown shall also be and not yours alone?'

(ll. 382-387) Thus spoke the lord, far-working Apollo, and pushed overupon her a crag with a shower of rocks, hiding her streams: and he madehimself an altar in a wooded grove very near the clear-flowing stream. In that place all men pray to the great one by the name Telphusian, because he humbled the stream of holy Telphusa. 

(ll. 388-439) Then Phoebus Apollo pondered in his heart what men heshould bring in to be his ministers in sacrifice and to serve him inrocky Pytho. And while he considered this, he became aware of a swiftship upon the wine-like sea in which were many men and goodly, Cretansfrom Cnossos [2510], the city of Minos, they who do sacrifice to theprince and announce his decrees, whatsoever Phoebus Apollo, bearer ofthe golden blade, speaks in answer from his laurel tree below the dellsof Parnassus. These men were sailing in their black ship for traffic andfor profit to sandy Pylos and to the men of Pylos. But Phoebus Apollomet them: in the open sea he sprang upon their swift ship, like adolphin in shape, and lay there, a great and awesome monster, and noneof them gave heed so as to understand [2511]; but they sought to castthe dolphin overboard. But he kept shaking the black ship every way andmake the timbers quiver. So they sat silent in their craft for fear, anddid not loose the sheets throughout the black, hollow ship, nor loweredthe sail of their dark-prowed vessel, but as they had set it first ofall with oxhide ropes, so they kept sailing on; for a rushing south windhurried on the swift ship from behind. First they passed by Malea, andthen along the Laconian coast they came to Taenarum, sea-garlanded townand country of Helios who gladdens men, where the thick-fleeced sheep ofthe lord Helios feed continually and occupy a glad-some country. Therethey wished to put their ship to shore, and land and comprehend thegreat marvel and see with their eyes whether the monster would remainupon the deck of the hollow ship, or spring back into the briny deepwhere fishes shoal. But the well-built ship would not obey the helm, but went on its way all along Peloponnesus: and the lord, far-workingApollo, guided it easily with the breath of the breeze. So the ship ranon its course and came to Arena and lovely Argyphea and Thryon, the fordof Alpheus, and well-placed Aepy and sandy Pylos and the men of Pylos;past Cruni it went and Chalcis and past Dyme and fair Elis, where theEpei rule. And at the time when she was making for Pherae, exulting inthe breeze from Zeus, there appeared to them below the clouds the steepmountain of Ithaca, and Dulichium and Same and wooded Zacynthus. Butwhen they were passed by all the coast of Peloponnesus, then, towardsCrisa, that vast gulf began to heave in sight which through all itslength cuts off the rich isle of Pelops. There came on them a strong, clear west-wind by ordinance of Zeus and blew from heaven vehemently, that with all speed the ship might finish coursing over the briny waterof the sea. So they began again to voyage back towards the dawn and thesun: and the lord Apollo, son of Zeus, led them on until they reachedfar-seen Crisa, land of vines, and into haven: there the sea-coursingship grounded on the sands. 

(ll. 440-451) Then, like a star at noonday, the lord, far-workingApollo, leaped from the ship: flashes of fire flew from him thick andtheir brightness reached to heaven. He entered into his shrine betweenpriceless tripods, and there made a flame to flare up bright, showingforth the splendour of his shafts, so that their radiance filled allCrisa, and the wives and well-girded daughters of the Crisaeans raiseda cry at that outburst of Phoebus; for he cast great fear upon themall. From his shrine he sprang forth again, swift as a thought, to speedagain to the ship, bearing the form of a man, brisk and sturdy, in theprime of his youth, while his broad shoulders were covered with hishair: and he spoke to the Cretans, uttering winged words:

(ll. 452-461) 'Strangers, who are you? Whence come you sailing along thepaths of the sea? Are you for traffic, or do you wander at randomover the sea as pirates do who put their own lives to hazard and bringmischief to men of foreign parts as they roam? Why rest you so and areafraid, and do not go ashore nor stow the gear of your black ship? Forthat is the custom of men who live by bread, whenever they come to landin their dark ships from the main, spent with toil; at once desire forsweet food catches them about the heart. '

(ll. 462-473) So speaking, he put courage in their hearts, and themaster of the Cretans answered him and said: 'Stranger--though you arenothing like mortal men in shape or stature, but are as the deathlessgods--hail and all happiness to you, and may the gods give you good. Nowtell me truly that I may surely know it: what country is this, and whatland, and what men live herein? As for us, with thoughts set otherwards, we were sailing over the great sea to Pylos from Crete (for from therewe declare that we are sprung), but now are come on shipboard to thisplace by no means willingly--another way and other paths--and gladlywould we return. But one of the deathless gods brought us here againstour will. '

(ll. 474-501) Then far-working Apollo answered then and said: 'Strangerswho once dwelt about wooded Cnossos but now shall return no more each tohis loved city and fair house and dear wife; here shall you keep my richtemple that is honoured by many men. I am the son of Zeus; Apollo is myname: but you I brought here over the wide gulf of the sea, meaningyou no hurt; nay, here you shall keep my rich temple that is greatlyhonoured among men, and you shall know the plans of the deathless gods, and by their will you shall be honoured continually for all time. Andnow come, make haste and do as I say. First loose the sheets and lowerthe sail, and then draw the swift ship up upon the land. Take out yourgoods and the gear of the straight ship, and make an altar upon thebeach of the sea: light fire upon it and make an offering of white meal. Next, stand side by side around the altar and pray: and in as much as atthe first on the hazy sea I sprang upon the swift ship in the form of adolphin, pray to me as Apollo Delphinius; also the altar itself shallbe called Delphinius and overlooking [2512] for ever. Afterwards, supbeside your dark ship and pour an offering to the blessed gods who dwellon Olympus. But when you have put away craving for sweet food, comewith me singing the hymn Ie Paean (Hail, Healer!), until you come to theplace where you shall keep my rich temple. '

(ll. 502-523) So said Apollo. And they readily harkened to him andobeyed him. First they unfastened the sheets and let down the sail andlowered the mast by the forestays upon the mast-rest. Then, landing uponthe beach of the sea, they hauled up the ship from the water to dry landand fixed long stays under it. Also they made an altar upon the beach ofthe sea, and when they had lit a fire, made an offering of white meal, and prayed standing around the altar as Apollo had bidden them. Thenthey took their meal by the swift, black ship, and poured an offeringto the blessed gods who dwell on Olympus. And when they had put awaycraving for drink and food, they started out with the lord Apollo, theson of Zeus, to lead them, holding a lyre in his hands, and playingsweetly as he stepped high and featly. So the Cretans followed him toPytho, marching in time as they chanted the Ie Paean after the manner ofthe Cretan paean-singers and of those in whose hearts the heavenly Musehas put sweet-voiced song. With tireless feet they approached the ridgeand straightway came to Parnassus and the lovely place where they wereto dwell honoured by many men. There Apollo brought them and showed themhis most holy sanctuary and rich temple. 

(ll. 524-525) But their spirit was stirred in their dear breasts, andthe master of the Cretans asked him, saying:

(ll. 526-530) 'Lord, since you have brought us here far from our dearones and our fatherland, --for so it seemed good to your heart, --tell usnow how we shall live. That we would know of you. This land is not tobe desired either for vineyards or for pastures so that we can live wellthereon and also minister to men. '

(ll. 531-544) Then Apollo, the son of Zeus, smiled upon them and said:'Foolish mortals and poor drudges are you, that you seek cares and hardtoils and straits! Easily will I tell you a word and set it in yourhearts. Though each one of you with knife in hand should slaughter sheepcontinually, yet would you always have abundant store, even all that theglorious tribes of men bring here for me. But guard you my temple andreceive the tribes of men that gather to this place, and especially showmortal men my will, and do you keep righteousness in your heart. Butif any shall be disobedient and pay no heed to my warning, or if thereshall be any idle word or deed and outrage as is common among mortalmen, then other men shall be your masters and with a strong hand shallmake you subject for ever. All has been told you: do you keep it in yourheart. '

(ll. 545-546) And so, farewell, son of Zeus and Leto; but I willremember you and another hymn also. 

IV. TO HERMES (582 lines)

(ll. 1-29) Muse, sing of Hermes, the son of Zeus and Maia, lord ofCyllene and Arcadia rich in flocks, the luck-bringing messenger of theimmortals whom Maia bare, the rich-tressed nymph, when she was joinedin love with Zeus, --a shy goddess, for she avoided the company of theblessed gods, and lived within a deep, shady cave. There the son ofCronos used to lie with the rich-tressed nymph, unseen by deathlessgods and mortal men, at dead of night while sweet sleep should holdwhite-armed Hera fast. And when the purpose of great Zeus was fixed inheaven, she was delivered and a notable thing was come to pass. Forthen she bare a son, of many shifts, blandly cunning, a robber, a cattledriver, a bringer of dreams, a watcher by night, a thief at the gates, one who was soon to show forth wonderful deeds among the deathless gods. Born with the dawning, at mid-day he played on the lyre, and in theevening he stole the cattle of far-shooting Apollo on the fourth dayof the month; for on that day queenly Maia bare him. So soon as he hadleaped from his mother's heavenly womb, he lay not long waiting in hisholy cradle, but he sprang up and sought the oxen of Apollo. But as hestepped over the threshold of the high-roofed cave, he found a tortoisethere and gained endless delight. For it was Hermes who first made thetortoise a singer. The creature fell in his way at the courtyard gate, where it was feeding on the rich grass before the dwelling, waddlingalong. When he saw it, the luck-bringing son of Zeus laughed and said:

(ll. 30-38) 'An omen of great luck for me so soon! I do not slight it. Hail, comrade of the feast, lovely in shape, sounding at the dance! Withjoy I meet you! Where got you that rich gaud for covering, that spangledshell--a tortoise living in the mountains? But I will take and carry youwithin: you shall help me and I will do you no disgrace, though first ofall you must profit me. It is better to be at home: harm may come outof doors. Living, you shall be a spell against mischievous witchcraft[2513]; but if you die, then you shall make sweetest song. 

(ll. 39-61) Thus speaking, he took up the tortoise in both hands andwent back into the house carrying his charming toy. Then he cut off itslimbs and scooped out the marrow of the mountain-tortoise with a scoopof grey iron. As a swift thought darts through the heart of a man whenthronging cares haunt him, or as bright glances flash from the eye, soglorious Hermes planned both thought and deed at once. He cut stalks ofreed to measure and fixed them, fastening their ends across the back andthrough the shell of the tortoise, and then stretched ox hide all overit by his skill. Also he put in the horns and fitted a cross-piece uponthe two of them, and stretched seven strings of sheep-gut. But when hehad made it he proved each string in turn with the key, as he held thelovely thing. At the touch of his hand it sounded marvellously; and, ashe tried it, the god sang sweet random snatches, even as youths bandytaunts at festivals. He sang of Zeus the son of Cronos and neat-shodMaia, the converse which they had before in the comradeship of love, telling all the glorious tale of his own begetting. He celebrated, too, the handmaids of the nymph, and her bright home, and the tripods allabout the house, and the abundant cauldrons. 

(ll. 62-67) But while he was singing of all these, his heart was benton other matters. And he took the hollow lyre and laid it in his sacredcradle, and sprang from the sweet-smelling hall to a watch-place, pondering sheer trickery in his heart--deeds such as knavish folk pursuein the dark night-time; for he longed to taste flesh. 

(ll. 68-86) The Sun was going down beneath the earth towards Oceanwith his horses and chariot when Hermes came hurrying to the shadowymountains of Pieria, where the divine cattle of the blessed gods hadtheir steads and grazed the pleasant, unmown meadows. Of these the Sonof Maia, the sharp-eyed slayer of Argus then cut off from the herd fiftyloud-lowing kine, and drove them straggling-wise across a sandy place, turning their hoof-prints aside. Also, he bethought him of a crafty ruseand reversed the marks of their hoofs, making the front behind and thehind before, while he himself walked the other way [2514]. Then hewove sandals with wicker-work by the sand of the sea, wonderfulthings, unthought of, unimagined; for he mixed together tamarisk andmyrtle-twigs, fastening together an armful of their fresh, young wood, and tied them, leaves and all securely under his feet as light sandals. The brushwood the glorious Slayer of Argus plucked in Pieria as he waspreparing for his journey, making shift [2515] as one making haste for along journey. 

(ll. 87-89) But an old man tilling his flowering vineyard saw him as hewas hurrying down the plain through grassy Onchestus. So the Son of Maiabegan and said to him:

(ll. 90-93) 'Old man, digging about your vines with bowed shoulders, surely you shall have much wine when all these bear fruit, if you obeyme and strictly remember not to have seen what you have seen, and not tohave heard what you have heard, and to keep silent when nothing of yourown is harmed. '

(ll. 94-114) When he had said this much, he hurried the strong cattle ontogether: through many shadowy mountains and echoing gorges and floweryplains glorious Hermes drove them. And now the divine night, his darkally, was mostly passed, and dawn that sets folk to work was quicklycoming on, while bright Selene, daughter of the lord Pallas, Megamedes'son, had just climbed her watch-post, when the strong Son of Zeus drovethe wide-browed cattle of Phoebus Apollo to the river Alpheus. And theycame unwearied to the high-roofed byres and the drinking-troughsthat were before the noble meadow. Then, after he had well-fed theloud-bellowing cattle with fodder and driven them into the byre, close-packed and chewing lotus and began to seek the art of fire. 

He chose a stout laurel branch and trimmed it with the knife. . . . ((LACUNA)) [2516] . . . . Held firmly in his hand: and the hot smoke roseup. For it was Hermes who first invented fire-sticks and fire. Nexthe took many dried sticks and piled them thick and plenty in asunken trench: and flame began to glow, spreading afar the blast offierce-burning fire. 

(ll. 115-137) And while the strength of glorious Hephaestus wasbeginning to kindle the fire, he dragged out two lowing, horned cowsclose to the fire; for great strength was with him. He threw them bothpanting upon their backs on the ground, and rolled them on their sides, bending their necks over [2517], and pierced their vital chord. Then hewent on from task to task: first he cut up the rich, fatted meat, andpierced it with wooden spits, and roasted flesh and the honourable chineand the paunch full of dark blood all together. He laid them there uponthe ground, and spread out the hides on a rugged rock: and so they arestill there many ages afterwards, a long, long time after all this, andare continually [2518]. Next glad-hearted Hermes dragged the rich meatshe had prepared and put them on a smooth, flat stone, and divided theminto twelve portions distributed by lot, making each portion whollyhonourable. Then glorious Hermes longed for the sacrificial meat, forthe sweet savour wearied him, god though he was; nevertheless his proudheart was not prevailed upon to devour the flesh, although he greatlydesired [2519]. But he put away the fat and all the flesh in thehigh-roofed byre, placing them high up to be a token of his youthfultheft. And after that he gathered dry sticks and utterly destroyed withfire all the hoofs and all the heads. 

(ll. 138-154) And when the god had duly finished all, he threw hissandals into deep-eddying Alpheus, and quenched the embers, covering theblack ashes with sand, and so spent the night while Selene's soft lightshone down. Then the god went straight back again at dawn to the brightcrests of Cyllene, and no one met him on the long journey either ofthe blessed gods or mortal men, nor did any dog bark. And luck-bringingHermes, the son of Zeus, passed edgeways through the key-hole of thehall like the autumn breeze, even as mist: straight through the cave hewent and came to the rich inner chamber, walking softly, and making nonoise as one might upon the floor. Then glorious Hermes went hurriedlyto his cradle, wrapping his swaddling clothes about his shoulders asthough he were a feeble babe, and lay playing with the covering abouthis knees; but at his left hand he kept close his sweet lyre. 

(ll. 155-161) But the god did not pass unseen by the goddess his mother;but she said to him: 'How now, you rogue! Whence come you back so atnight-time, you that wear shamelessness as a garment? And now I surelybelieve the son of Leto will soon have you forth out of doors withunbreakable cords about your ribs, or you will live a rogue's life inthe glens robbing by whiles. Go to, then; your father got you to be agreat worry to mortal men and deathless gods. '

(ll. 162-181) Then Hermes answered her with crafty words: 'Mother, whydo you seek to frighten me like a feeble child whose heart knows fewwords of blame, a fearful babe that fears its mother's scolding?Nay, but I will try whatever plan is best, and so feed myself and youcontinually. We will not be content to remain here, as you bid, aloneof all the gods unfee'd with offerings and prayers. Better to livein fellowship with the deathless gods continually, rich, wealthy, andenjoying stories of grain, than to sit always in a gloomy cave: and, asregards honour, I too will enter upon the rite that Apollo has. Ifmy father will not give it to me, I will seek--and I am able--to be aprince of robbers. And if Leto's most glorious son shall seek me out, Ithink another and a greater loss will befall him. For I will go toPytho to break into his great house, and will plunder therefrom splendidtripods, and cauldrons, and gold, and plenty of bright iron, and muchapparel; and you shall see it if you will. '

(ll. 182-189) With such words they spoke together, the son of Zeus whoholds the aegis, and the lady Maia. Now Eros the early born was risingfrom deep-flowing Ocean, bringing light to men, when Apollo, as he went, came to Onchestus, the lovely grove and sacred place of the loud-roaringHolder of the Earth. There he found an old man grazing his beast alongthe pathway from his court-yard fence, and the all-glorious Son of Letobegan and said to him. 

(ll. 190-200) 'Old man, weeder [2520] of grassy Onchestus, I am comehere from Pieria seeking cattle, cows all of them, all with curvinghorns, from my herd. The black bull was grazing alone away from therest, but fierce-eyed hounds followed the cows, four of them, all of onemind, like men. These were left behind, the dogs and the bull--which isgreat marvel; but the cows strayed out of the soft meadow, away from thepasture when the sun was just going down. Now tell me this, old man bornlong ago: have you seen one passing along behind those cows?'

(ll. 201-211) Then the old man answered him and said: 'My son, it ishard to tell all that one's eyes see; for many wayfarers pass to and frothis way, some bent on much evil, and some on good: it is difficult toknow each one. However, I was digging about my plot of vineyard all daylong until the sun went down, and I thought, good sir, but I do not knowfor certain, that I marked a child, whoever the child was, that followedlong-horned cattle--an infant who had a staff and kept walking fromside to side: he was driving them backwards way, with their heads towardhim. '

(ll. 212-218) So said the old man. And when Apollo heard this report, he went yet more quickly on his way, and presently, seeing a long-wingedbird, he knew at once by that omen that thief was the child of Zeus theson of Cronos. So the lord Apollo, son of Zeus, hurried on to goodlyPylos seeking his shambling oxen, and he had his broad shoulders coveredwith a dark cloud. But when the Far-Shooter perceived the tracks, hecried:

(ll. 219-226) 'Oh, oh! Truly this is a great marvel that my eyes behold!These are indeed the tracks of straight-horned oxen, but they are turnedbackwards towards the flowery meadow. But these others are not thefootprints of man or woman or grey wolves or bears or lions, nor do Ithink they are the tracks of a rough-maned Centaur--whoever it be thatwith swift feet makes such monstrous footprints; wonderful are thetracks on this side of the way, but yet more wonderfully are those onthat. '

(ll. 227-234) When he had so said, the lord Apollo, the Son of Zeushastened on and came to the forest-clad mountain of Cyllene and thedeep-shadowed cave in the rock where the divine nymph brought forth thechild of Zeus who is the son of Cronos. A sweet odour spread over thelovely hill, and many thin-shanked sheep were grazing on the grass. Then far-shooting Apollo himself stepped down in haste over the stonethreshold into the dusky cave. 

(ll. 235-253) Now when the Son of Zeus and Maia saw Apollo in a rageabout his cattle, he snuggled down in his fragrant swaddling-clothes;and as wood-ash covers over the deep embers of tree-stumps, so Hermescuddled himself up when he saw the Far-Shooter. He squeezed head andhands and feet together in a small space, like a new born child seekingsweet sleep, though in truth he was wide awake, and he kept his lyreunder his armpit. But the Son of Leto was aware and failed not toperceive the beautiful mountain-nymph and her dear son, albeit a littlechild and swathed so craftily. He peered in every corner of the greatdwelling and, taking a bright key, he opened three closets full ofnectar and lovely ambrosia. And much gold and silver was stored in them, and many garments of the nymph, some purple and some silvery white, suchas are kept in the sacred houses of the blessed gods. Then, after theSon of Leto had searched out the recesses of the great house, he spaketo glorious Hermes:

(ll. 254-259) 'Child, lying in the cradle, make haste and tell me of mycattle, or we two will soon fall out angrily. For I will take and castyou into dusty Tartarus and awful hopeless darkness, and neither yourmother nor your father shall free you or bring you up again to thelight, but you will wander under the earth and be the leader amongstlittle folk. ' [2521]

(ll. 260-277) Then Hermes answered him with crafty words: 'Son of Leto, what harsh words are these you have spoken? And is it cattle of thefield you are come here to seek? I have not seen them: I have not heardof them: no one has told me of them. I cannot give news of them, nor winthe reward for news. Am I like a cattle-lifter, a stalwart person? Thisis no task for me: rather I care for other things: I care for sleep, andmilk of my mother's breast, and wrappings round my shoulders, and warmbaths. Let no one hear the cause of this dispute; for this would be agreat marvel indeed among the deathless gods, that a child newly bornshould pass in through the forepart of the house with cattle of thefield: herein you speak extravagantly. I was born yesterday, and my feetare soft and the ground beneath is rough; nevertheless, if you willhave it so, I will swear a great oath by my father's head and vow thatneither am I guilty myself, neither have I seen any other who stole yourcows--whatever cows may be; for I know them only by hearsay. '

(ll. 278-280) So, then, said Hermes, shooting quick glances from hiseyes: and he kept raising his brows and looking this way and that, whistling long and listening to Apollo's story as to an idle tale. 

(ll. 281-292) But far-working Apollo laughed softly and said to him:'O rogue, deceiver, crafty in heart, you talk so innocently that I mostsurely believe that you have broken into many a well-built house andstripped more than one poor wretch bare this night [2522], gathering hisgoods together all over the house without noise. You will plague manya lonely herdsman in mountain glades, when you come on herds andthick-fleeced sheep, and have a hankering after flesh. But come now, ifyou would not sleep your last and latest sleep, get out of your cradle, you comrade of dark night. Surely hereafter this shall be yourtitle amongst the deathless gods, to be called the prince of robberscontinually. '

(ll. 293-300) So said Phoebus Apollo, and took the child and began tocarry him. But at that moment the strong Slayer of Argus had hisplan, and, while Apollo held him in his hands, sent forth an omen, ahard-worked belly-serf, a rude messenger, and sneezed directly after. And when Apollo heard it, he dropped glorious Hermes out of his hands onthe ground: then sitting down before him, though he was eager to go onhis way, he spoke mockingly to Hermes:

(ll. 301-303) 'Fear not, little swaddling baby, son of Zeus and Maia. I shall find the strong cattle presently by these omens, and you shalllead the way. '

(ll. 304-306) When Apollo had so said, Cyllenian Hermes sprang upquickly, starting in haste. With both hands he pushed up to his ears thecovering that he had wrapped about his shoulders, and said:

(ll. 307-312) 'Where are you carrying me, Far-Worker, hastiest of allthe gods? Is it because of your cattle that you are so angry and harassme? O dear, would that all the sort of oxen might perish; for it is notI who stole your cows, nor did I see another steal them--whatever cowsmay be, and of that I have only heard report. Nay, give right and takeit before Zeus, the Son of Cronos. '

(ll. 313-326) So Hermes the shepherd and Leto's glorious son keptstubbornly disputing each article of their quarrel: Apollo, speakingtruly. . . . ((LACUNA)) . . . . Not fairly sought to seize glorious Hermesbecause of the cows; but he, the Cyllenian, tried to deceive the God ofthe Silver Bow with tricks and cunning words. But when, though he hadmany wiles, he found the other had as many shifts, he began to walkacross the sand, himself in front, while the Son of Zeus and Leto camebehind. Soon they came, these lovely children of Zeus, to the top offragrant Olympus, to their father, the Son of Cronos; for there were thescales of judgement set for them both. 

There was an assembly on snowy Olympus, and the immortals who perish notwere gathering after the hour of gold-throned Dawn. 

(ll. 327-329) Then Hermes and Apollo of the Silver Bow stood at theknees of Zeus: and Zeus who thunders on high spoke to his glorious sonand asked him:

(ll. 330-332) 'Phoebus, whence come you driving this great spoil, achild new born that has the look of a herald? This is a weighty matterthat is come before the council of the gods. '

(ll. 333-364) Then the lord, far-working Apollo, answered him: 'O myfather, you shall soon hear no trifling tale though you reproach me thatI alone am fond of spoil. Here is a child, a burgling robber, whom Ifound after a long journey in the hills of Cyllene: for my part I havenever seen one so pert either among the gods or all men that catch folkunawares throughout the world. He stole away my cows from their meadowand drove them off in the evening along the shore of the loud-roaringsea, making straight for Pylos. There were double tracks, and wonderfulthey were, such as one might marvel at, the doing of a clever sprite;for as for the cows, the dark dust kept and showed their footprintsleading towards the flowery meadow; but he himself--bewilderingcreature--crossed the sandy ground outside the path, not on his feet noryet on his hands; but, furnished with some other means he trudged hisway--wonder of wonders!--as though one walked on slender oak-trees. Nowwhile he followed the cattle across sandy ground, all the tracks showedquite clearly in the dust; but when he had finished the long way acrossthe sand, presently the cows' track and his own could not be tracedover the hard ground. But a mortal man noticed him as he drove thewide-browed kine straight towards Pylos. And as soon as he had shut themup quietly, and had gone home by crafty turns and twists, he lay down inhis cradle in the gloom of a dim cave, as still as dark night, so thatnot even an eagle keenly gazing would have spied him. Much he rubbed hiseyes with his hands as he prepared falsehood, and himself straightwaysaid roundly: "I have not seen them: I have not heard of them: no manhas told me of them. I could not tell you of them, nor win the reward oftelling. "'

(ll. 365-367) When he had so spoken, Phoebus Apollo sat down. But Hermeson his part answered and said, pointing at the Son of Cronos, the lordof all the gods:

(ll. 368-386) 'Zeus, my father, indeed I will speak truth to you; for Iam truthful and I cannot tell a lie. He came to our house to-day lookingfor his shambling cows, as the sun was newly rising. He brought nowitnesses with him nor any of the blessed gods who had seen the theft, but with great violence ordered me to confess, threatening much to throwme into wide Tartarus. For he has the rich bloom of glorious youth, while I was born but yesterday--as he too knows--nor am I like acattle-lifter, a sturdy fellow. Believe my tale (for you claim to bemy own father), that I did not drive his cows to my house--so may Iprosper--nor crossed the threshold: this I say truly. I reverence Heliosgreatly and the other gods, and you I love and him I dread. You yourselfknow that I am not guilty: and I will swear a great oath upon it:--No!by these rich-decked porticoes of the gods. And some day I will punishhim, strong as he is, for this pitiless inquisition; but now do you helpthe younger. '

(ll. 387-396) So spake the Cyllenian, the Slayer of Argus, while he keptshooting sidelong glances and kept his swaddling-clothes upon hisarm, and did not cast them away. But Zeus laughed out loud to see hisevil-plotting child well and cunningly denying guilt about the cattle. And he bade them both to be of one mind and search for the cattle, andguiding Hermes to lead the way and, without mischievousness of heart, toshow the place where now he had hidden the strong cattle. Then the Sonof Cronos bowed his head: and goodly Hermes obeyed him; for the will ofZeus who holds the aegis easily prevailed with him. 

(ll. 397-404) Then the two all-glorious children of Zeus hastened bothto sandy Pylos, and reached the ford of Alpheus, and came to the fieldsand the high-roofed byre where the beasts were cherished at night-time. Now while Hermes went to the cave in the rock and began to drive out thestrong cattle, the son of Leto, looking aside, saw the cowhides on thesheer rock. And he asked glorious Hermes at once:

(ll. 405-408) 'How were you able, you crafty rogue, to flay two cows, new-born and babyish as you are? For my part, I dread the strength thatwill be yours: there is no need you should keep growing long, Cyllenian, son of Maia!'

(ll. 409-414) So saying, Apollo twisted strong withes with his handsmeaning to bind Hermes with firm bands; but the bands would not holdhim, and the withes of osier fell far from him and began to grow at oncefrom the ground beneath their feet in that very place. And intertwiningwith one another, they quickly grew and covered all the wild-rovingcattle by the will of thievish Hermes, so that Apollo was astonished ashe gazed. 

(ll. 414-435) Then the strong slayer of Argus looked furtively uponthe ground with eyes flashing fire. . . . Desiring to hide. . . . ((LACUNA)). . . . Very easily he softened the son of all-glorious Leto as he would, stern though the Far-shooter was. He took the lyre upon his left arm andtried each string in turn with the key, so that it sounded awesomely athis touch. And Phoebus Apollo laughed for joy; for the sweet throb ofthe marvellous music went to his heart, and a soft longing took hold onhis soul as he listened. Then the son of Maia, harping sweetly upon hislyre, took courage and stood at the left hand of Phoebus Apollo; andsoon, while he played shrilly on his lyre, he lifted up his voice andsang, and lovely was the sound of his voice that followed. He sang thestory of the deathless gods and of the dark earth, how at the first theycame to be, and how each one received his portion. First among the godshe honoured Mnemosyne, mother of the Muses, in his song; for the son ofMaia was of her following. And next the goodly son of Zeus hymned therest of the immortals according to their order in age, and told how eachwas born, mentioning all in order as he struck the lyre upon his arm. But Apollo was seized with a longing not to be allayed, and he openedhis mouth and spoke winged words to Hermes:

(ll. 436-462) 'Slayer of oxen, trickster, busy one, comrade of thefeast, this song of yours is worth fifty cows, and I believe thatpresently we shall settle our quarrel peacefully. But come now, tell methis, resourceful son of Maia: has this marvellous thing been with youfrom your birth, or did some god or mortal man give it you--a noblegift--and teach you heavenly song? For wonderful is this new-utteredsound I hear, the like of which I vow that no man nor god dwelling onOlympus ever yet has known but you, O thievish son of Maia. What skillis this? What song for desperate cares? What way of song? For verilyhere are three things to hand all at once from which to choose, --mirth, and love, and sweet sleep. And though I am a follower of the OlympianMuses who love dances and the bright path of song--the full-toned chantand ravishing thrill of flutes--yet I never cared for any of those featsof skill at young men's revels, as I do now for this: I am filled withwonder, O son of Zeus, at your sweet playing. But now, since you, thoughlittle, have such glorious skill, sit down, dear boy, and respect thewords of your elders. For now you shall have renown among the deathlessgods, you and your mother also. This I will declare to you exactly: bythis shaft of cornel wood I will surely make you a leader renowned amongthe deathless gods, and fortunate, and will give you glorious gifts andwill not deceive you from first to last. '

(ll. 463-495) Then Hermes answered him with artful words: 'You questionme carefully, O Far-worker; yet I am not jealous that you should enterupon my art: this day you shall know it. For I seek to be friendlywith you both in thought and word. Now you well know all things in yourheart, since you sit foremost among the deathless gods, O son of Zeus, and are goodly and strong. And wise Zeus loves you as all right is, andhas given you splendid gifts. And they say that from the utterance ofZeus you have learned both the honours due to the gods, O Far-worker, and oracles from Zeus, even all his ordinances. Of all these I myselfhave already learned that you have great wealth. Now, you are free tolearn whatever you please; but since, as it seems, your heart is sostrongly set on playing the lyre, chant, and play upon it, and giveyourself to merriment, taking this as a gift from me, and do you, myfriend, bestow glory on me. Sing well with this clear-voiced companionin your hands; for you are skilled in good, well-ordered utterance. From now on bring it confidently to the rich feast and lovely dance andglorious revel, a joy by night and by day. Whoso with wit and wisdomenquires of it cunningly, him it teaches through its sound all mannerof things that delight the mind, being easily played with gentlefamiliarities, for it abhors toilsome drudgery; but whoso inignorance enquires of it violently, to him it chatters mere vanity andfoolishness. But you are able to learn whatever you please. So then, Iwill give you this lyre, glorious son of Zeus, while I for my partwill graze down with wild-roving cattle the pastures on hill andhorse-feeding plain: so shall the cows covered by the bulls calveabundantly both males and females. And now there is no need for you, bargainer though you are, to be furiously angry. '

(ll. 496-502) When Hermes had said this, he held out the lyre: andPhoebus Apollo took it, and readily put his shining whip in Hermes'hand, and ordained him keeper of herds. The son of Maia received itjoyfully, while the glorious son of Leto, the lord far-working Apollo, took the lyre upon his left arm and tried each string with the key. Awesomely it sounded at the touch of the god, while he sang sweetly toits note. 

(ll. 503-512) Afterwards they two, the all-glorious sons of Zeus turnedthe cows back towards the sacred meadow, but themselves hastened back tosnowy Olympus, delighting in the lyre. Then wise Zeus was glad and madethem both friends. And Hermes loved the son of Leto continually, even ashe does now, when he had given the lyre as token to the Far-shooter, who played it skilfully, holding it upon his arm. But for himself Hermesfound out another cunning art and made himself the pipes whose sound isheard afar. 

(ll. 513-520) Then the son of Leto said to Hermes: 'Son of Maia, guideand cunning one, I fear you may steal form me the lyre and my curved bowtogether; for you have an office from Zeus, to establish deeds of barteramongst men throughout the fruitful earth. Now if you would only swearme the great oath of the gods, either by nodding your head, or by thepotent water of Styx, you would do all that can please and ease myheart. '

(ll. 521-549) Then Maia's son nodded his head and promised that he wouldnever steal anything of all the Far-shooter possessed, and would nevergo near his strong house; but Apollo, son of Leto, swore to be fellowand friend to Hermes, vowing that he would love no other among theimmortals, neither god nor man sprung from Zeus, better than Hermes: andthe Father sent forth an eagle in confirmation. And Apollo sware also:'Verily I will make you only to be an omen for the immortals and allalike, trusted and honoured by my heart. Moreover, I will give you asplendid staff of riches and wealth: it is of gold, with three branches, and will keep you scatheless, accomplishing every task, whether of wordsor deeds that are good, which I claim to know through the utterance ofZeus. But as for sooth-saying, noble, heaven-born child, of which youask, it is not lawful for you to learn it, nor for any other of thedeathless gods: only the mind of Zeus knows that. I am pledged and havevowed and sworn a strong oath that no other of the eternal gods saveI should know the wise-hearted counsel of Zeus. And do not you, mybrother, bearer of the golden wand, bid me tell those decrees whichall-seeing Zeus intends. As for men, I will harm one and profit another, sorely perplexing the tribes of unenviable men. Whosoever shall comeguided by the call and flight of birds of sure omen, that man shall haveadvantage through my voice, and I will not deceive him. But whoso shalltrust to idly-chattering birds and shall seek to invoke my propheticart contrary to my will, and to understand more than the eternal gods, I declare that he shall come on an idle journey; yet his gifts I wouldtake. 

(ll. 550-568) 'But I will tell you another thing, Son of all-gloriousMaia and Zeus who holds the aegis, luck-bringing genius of the gods. There are certain holy ones, sisters born--three virgins [2523] giftedwith wings: their heads are besprinkled with white meal, and they dwellunder a ridge of Parnassus. These are teachers of divination apart fromme, the art which I practised while yet a boy following herds, though myfather paid no heed to it. From their home they fly now here, now there, feeding on honey-comb and bringing all things to pass. And when they areinspired through eating yellow honey, they are willing to speak truth;but if they be deprived of the gods' sweet food, then they speakfalsely, as they swarm in and out together. These, then, I give you;enquire of them strictly and delight your heart: and if you should teachany mortal so to do, often will he hear your response--if he have goodfortune. Take these, Son of Maia, and tend the wild roving, horned oxenand horses and patient mules. '

(ll. 568a-573) So he spake. And from heaven father Zeus himself gaveconfirmation to his words, and commanded that glorious Hermes should belord over all birds of omen and grim-eyed lions, and boars with gleamingtusks, and over dogs and all flocks that the wide earth nourishes, andover all sheep; also that he only should be the appointed messenger toHades, who, though he takes no gift, shall give him no mean prize. 

(ll. 574-578) Thus the lord Apollo showed his kindness for the Son ofMaia by all manner of friendship: and the Son of Cronos gave himgrace besides. He consorts with all mortals and immortals: a little heprofits, but continually throughout the dark night he cozens the tribesof mortal men. 

(ll. 579-580) And so, farewell, Son of Zeus and Maia; but I willremember you and another song also. 

V. TO APHRODITE (293 lines)

(ll. 1-6) Muse, tell me the deeds of golden Aphrodite the Cyprian, whostirs up sweet passion in the gods and subdues the tribes of mortal menand birds that fly in air and all the many creatures that the dryland rears, and all the sea: all these love the deeds of rich-crownedCytherea. 

(ll. 7-32) Yet there are three hearts that she cannot bend nor yetensnare. First is the daughter of Zeus who holds the aegis, bright-eyedAthene; for she has no pleasure in the deeds of golden Aphrodite, butdelights in wars and in the work of Ares, in strifes and battles andin preparing famous crafts. She first taught earthly craftsmen to makechariots of war and cars variously wrought with bronze, and she, too, teaches tender maidens in the house and puts knowledge of goodly artsin each one's mind. Nor does laughter-loving Aphrodite ever tame in loveArtemis, the huntress with shafts of gold; for she loves archery and theslaying of wild beasts in the mountains, the lyre also and dancing andthrilling cries and shady woods and the cities of upright men. Noryet does the pure maiden Hestia love Aphrodite's works. She was thefirst-born child of wily Cronos and youngest too [2524], by will ofZeus who holds the aegis, --a queenly maid whom both Poseidon and Apollosought to wed. But she was wholly unwilling, nay, stubbornly refused;and touching the head of father Zeus who holds the aegis, she, that fairgoddess, sware a great oath which has in truth been fulfilled, thatshe would be a maiden all her days. So Zeus the Father gave her an highhonour instead of marriage, and she has her place in the midst of thehouse and has the richest portion. In all the temples of the gods shehas a share of honour, and among all mortal men she is chief of thegoddesses. 

(ll. 33-44) Of these three Aphrodite cannot bend or ensnare the hearts. But of all others there is nothing among the blessed gods or amongmortal men that has escaped Aphrodite. Even the heart of Zeus, whodelights in thunder, is led astray by her; though he is greatest of alland has the lot of highest majesty, she beguiles even his wise heartwhensoever she pleases, and mates him with mortal women, unknown toHera, his sister and his wife, the grandest far in beauty among thedeathless goddesses--most glorious is she whom wily Cronos with hermother Rhea did beget: and Zeus, whose wisdom is everlasting, made herhis chaste and careful wife. 

(ll. 45-52) But upon Aphrodite herself Zeus cast sweet desire to bejoined in love with a mortal man, to the end that, very soon, noteven she should be innocent of a mortal's love; lest laughter-lovingAphrodite should one day softly smile and say mockingly among all thegods that she had joined the gods in love with mortal women who baresons of death to the deathless gods, and had mated the goddesses withmortal men. 

(ll. 53-74) And so he put in her heart sweet desire for Anchises whowas tending cattle at that time among the steep hills of many-fountainedIda, and in shape was like the immortal gods. Therefore, whenlaughter-loving Aphrodite saw him, she loved him, and terribly desireseized her in her heart. She went to Cyprus, to Paphos, where herprecinct is and fragrant altar, and passed into her sweet-smellingtemple. There she went in and put to the glittering doors, and there theGraces bathed her with heavenly oil such as blooms upon the bodies ofthe eternal gods--oil divinely sweet, which she had by her, filled withfragrance. And laughter-loving Aphrodite put on all her rich clothes, and when she had decked herself with gold, she left sweet-smellingCyprus and went in haste towards Troy, swiftly travelling high up amongthe clouds. So she came to many-fountained Ida, the mother of wildcreatures and went straight to the homestead across the mountains. Afterher came grey wolves, fawning on her, and grim-eyed lions, and bears, and fleet leopards, ravenous for deer: and she was glad in heart tosee them, and put desire in their breasts, so that they all mated, twotogether, about the shadowy coombes. 

(ll. 75-88) [2525] But she herself came to the neat-built shelters, andhim she found left quite alone in the homestead--the hero Anchises whowas comely as the gods. All the others were following the herds over thegrassy pastures, and he, left quite alone in the homestead, was roaminghither and thither and playing thrillingly upon the lyre. And Aphrodite, the daughter of Zeus stood before him, being like a pure maiden inheight and mien, that he should not be frightened when he took heed ofher with his eyes. Now when Anchises saw her, he marked her well andwondered at her mien and height and shining garments. For she was cladin a robe out-shining the brightness of fire, a splendid robe of gold, enriched with all manner of needlework, which shimmered like the moonover her tender breasts, a marvel to see. 

Also she wore twisted brooches and shining earrings in the form offlowers; and round her soft throat were lovely necklaces. 

(ll. 91-105) And Anchises was seized with love, and said to her: 'Hail, lady, whoever of the blessed ones you are that are come to this house, whether Artemis, or Leto, or golden Aphrodite, or high-born Themis, orbright-eyed Athene. Or, maybe, you are one of the Graces come hither, who bear the gods company and are called immortal, or else one of thosewho inhabit this lovely mountain and the springs of rivers and grassymeads. I will make you an altar upon a high peak in a far seen place, and will sacrifice rich offerings to you at all seasons. And do you feelkindly towards me and grant that I may become a man very eminent amongthe Trojans, and give me strong offspring for the time to come. As formy own self, let me live long and happily, seeing the light of thesun, and come to the threshold of old age, a man prosperous among thepeople. '

(ll. 106-142) Thereupon Aphrodite the daughter of Zeus answered him:'Anchises, most glorious of all men born on earth, know that I am nogoddess: why do you liken me to the deathless ones? Nay, I am but amortal, and a woman was the mother that bare me. Otreus of famous nameis my father, if so be you have heard of him, and he reigns over allPhrygia rich in fortresses. But I know your speech well beside my own, for a Trojan nurse brought me up at home: she took me from my dearmother and reared me thenceforth when I was a little child. So comesit, then, that I well know your tongue also. And now the Slayer ofArgus with the golden wand has caught me up from the dance of huntressArtemis, her with the golden arrows. For there were many of us, nymphsand marriageable [2526] maidens, playing together; and an innumerablecompany encircled us: from these the Slayer of Argus with the goldenwand rapt me away. He carried me over many fields of mortal men andover much land untilled and unpossessed, where savage wild-beastsroam through shady coombes, until I thought never again to touch thelife-giving earth with my feet. And he said that I should be called thewedded wife of Anchises, and should bear you goodly children. But whenhe had told and advised me, he, the strong Slayer of Argos, went backto the families of the deathless gods, while I am now come to you: forunbending necessity is upon me. But I beseech you by Zeus and by yournoble parents--for no base folk could get such a son as you--take menow, stainless and unproved in love, and show me to your father andcareful mother and to your brothers sprung from the same stock. I shallbe no ill-liking daughter for them, but a likely. Moreover, send amessenger quickly to the swift-horsed Phrygians, to tell my father andmy sorrowing mother; and they will send you gold in plenty and wovenstuffs, many splendid gifts; take these as bride-piece. So do, and thenprepare the sweet marriage that is honourable in the eyes of men anddeathless gods. '

(ll. 143-144) When she had so spoken, the goddess put sweet desire inhis heart. And Anchises was seized with love, so that he opened hismouth and said:

(ll. 145-154) 'If you are a mortal and a woman was the mother who bareyou, and Otreus of famous name is your father as you say, and if you arecome here by the will of Hermes the immortal Guide, and are to be calledmy wife always, then neither god nor mortal man shall here restrainme till I have lain with you in love right now; no, not even iffar-shooting Apollo himself should launch grievous shafts from hissilver bow. Willingly would I go down into the house of Hades, O lady, beautiful as the goddesses, once I had gone up to your bed. '

(ll. 155-167) So speaking, he caught her by the hand. Andlaughter-loving Aphrodite, with face turned away and lovely eyesdowncast, crept to the well-spread couch which was already laidwith soft coverings for the hero; and upon it lay skins of bears anddeep-roaring lions which he himself had slain in the high mountains. Andwhen they had gone up upon the well-fitted bed, first Anchises tookoff her bright jewelry of pins and twisted brooches and earrings andnecklaces, and loosed her girdle and stripped off her bright garmentsand laid them down upon a silver-studded seat. Then by the will of thegods and destiny he lay with her, a mortal man with an immortal goddess, not clearly knowing what he did. 

(ll. 168-176) But at the time when the herdsmen drive their oxen andhardy sheep back to the fold from the flowery pastures, even thenAphrodite poured soft sleep upon Anchises, but herself put on her richraiment. And when the bright goddess had fully clothed herself, shestood by the couch, and her head reached to the well-hewn roof-tree;from her cheeks shone unearthly beauty such as belongs to rich-crownedCytherea. Then she aroused him from sleep and opened her mouth and said:

(ll. 177-179) 'Up, son of Dardanus!--why sleep you so heavily?--andconsider whether I look as I did when first you saw me with your eyes. '

(ll. 180-184) So she spake. And he awoke in a moment and obeyed her. But when he saw the neck and lovely eyes of Aphrodite, he was afraidand turned his eyes aside another way, hiding his comely face with hiscloak. Then he uttered winged words and entreated her:

(ll. 185-190) 'So soon as ever I saw you with my eyes, goddess, I knewthat you were divine; but you did not tell me truly. Yet by Zeus whoholds the aegis I beseech you, leave me not to lead a palsied life amongmen, but have pity on me; for he who lies with a deathless goddess is nohale man afterwards. '

(ll. 191-201) Then Aphrodite the daughter of Zeus answered him:'Anchises, most glorious of mortal men, take courage and be not toofearful in your heart. You need fear no harm from me nor from the otherblessed ones, for you are dear to the gods: and you shall have a dearson who shall reign among the Trojans, and children's children afterhim, springing up continually. His name shall be Aeneas [2527], becauseI felt awful grief in that I laid me in the bed of mortal man: yet arethose of your race always the most like to gods of all mortal men inbeauty and in stature [2528]. 

(ll. 202-217) 'Verily wise Zeus carried off golden-haired Ganymedesbecause of his beauty, to be amongst the Deathless Ones and pour drinkfor the gods in the house of Zeus--a wonder to see--honoured by all theimmortals as he draws the red nectar from the golden bowl. But griefthat could not be soothed filled the heart of Tros; for he knew notwhither the heaven-sent whirlwind had caught up his dear son, so thathe mourned him always, unceasingly, until Zeus pitied him and gave himhigh-stepping horses such as carry the immortals as recompense for hisson. These he gave him as a gift. And at the command of Zeus, the Guide, the slayer of Argus, told him all, and how his son would be deathlessand unageing, even as the gods. So when Tros heard these tidings fromZeus, he no longer kept mourning but rejoiced in his heart and rodejoyfully with his storm-footed horses. 

(ll. 218-238) 'So also golden-throned Eos rapt away Tithonus who wasof your race and like the deathless gods. And she went to ask thedark-clouded Son of Cronos that he should be deathless and liveeternally; and Zeus bowed his head to her prayer and fulfilled herdesire. Too simply was queenly Eos: she thought not in her heart to askyouth for him and to strip him of the slough of deadly age. So whilehe enjoyed the sweet flower of life he lived rapturously withgolden-throned Eos, the early-born, by the streams of Ocean, at the endsof the earth; but when the first grey hairs began to ripple from hiscomely head and noble chin, queenly Eos kept away from his bed, thoughshe cherished him in her house and nourished him with food and ambrosiaand gave him rich clothing. But when loathsome old age pressed full uponhim, and he could not move nor lift his limbs, this seemed to her in herheart the best counsel: she laid him in a room and put to the shiningdoors. There he babbles endlessly, and no more has strength at all, suchas once he had in his supple limbs. 

(ll. 239-246) 'I would not have you be deathless among the deathlessgods and live continually after such sort. Yet if you could live on suchas now you are in look and in form, and be called my husband, sorrowwould not then enfold my careful heart. But, as it is, harsh [2529] oldage will soon enshroud you--ruthless age which stands someday at theside of every man, deadly, wearying, dreaded even by the gods. 

(ll. 247-290) 'And now because of you I shall have great shame amongthe deathless gods henceforth, continually. For until now they feared myjibes and the wiles by which, or soon or late, I mated all the immortalswith mortal women, making them all subject to my will. But now my mouthshall no more have this power among the gods; for very great has been mymadness, my miserable and dreadful madness, and I went astray out ofmy mind who have gotten a child beneath my girdle, mating with a mortalman. As for the child, as soon as he sees the light of the sun, thedeep-breasted mountain Nymphs who inhabit this great and holy mountainshall bring him up. They rank neither with mortals nor with immortals:long indeed do they live, eating heavenly food and treading the lovelydance among the immortals, and with them the Sileni and the sharp-eyedSlayer of Argus mate in the depths of pleasant caves; but at their birthpines or high-topped oaks spring up with them upon the fruitful earth, beautiful, flourishing trees, towering high upon the lofty mountains(and men call them holy places of the immortals, and never mortal lopsthem with the axe); but when the fate of death is near at hand, firstthose lovely trees wither where they stand, and the bark shrivels awayabout them, and the twigs fall down, and at last the life of the Nymphand of the tree leave the light of the sun together. These Nymphs shallkeep my son with them and rear him, and as soon as he is come to lovelyboyhood, the goddesses will bring him here to you and show you yourchild. But, that I may tell you all that I have in mind, I will comehere again towards the fifth year and bring you my son. So soon as everyou have seen him--a scion to delight the eyes--you will rejoice inbeholding him; for he shall be most godlike: then bring him at once towindy Ilion. And if any mortal man ask you who got your dear son beneathher girdle, remember to tell him as I bid you: say he is the offspringof one of the flower-like Nymphs who inhabit this forest-clad hill. But if you tell all and foolishly boast that you lay with rich-crownedAphrodite, Zeus will smite you in his anger with a smoking thunderbolt. Now I have told you all. Take heed: refrain and name me not, but haveregard to the anger of the gods. '

(l. 291) When the goddess had so spoken, she soared up to windy heaven. 

(ll. 292-293) Hail, goddess, queen of well-builded Cyprus! With you haveI begun; now I will turn me to another hymn. 

VI. TO APHRODITE (21 lines)

(ll. 1-18) I will sing of stately Aphrodite, gold-crowned and beautiful, whose dominion is the walled cities of all sea-set Cyprus. There themoist breath of the western wind wafted her over the waves of theloud-moaning sea in soft foam, and there the gold-filleted Hourswelcomed her joyously. They clothed her with heavenly garments: on herhead they put a fine, well-wrought crown of gold, and in her piercedears they hung ornaments of orichalc and precious gold, and adorned herwith golden necklaces over her soft neck and snow-white breasts, jewelswhich the gold-filleted Hours wear themselves whenever they go to theirfather's house to join the lovely dances of the gods. And when they hadfully decked her, they brought her to the gods, who welcomed her whenthey saw her, giving her their hands. Each one of them prayed that hemight lead her home to be his wedded wife, so greatly were they amazedat the beauty of violet-crowned Cytherea. 

(ll. 19-21) Hail, sweetly-winning, coy-eyed goddess! Grant that I maygain the victory in this contest, and order you my song. And now I willremember you and another song also. 

VII. TO DIONYSUS (59 lines)

(ll. 1-16) I will tell of Dionysus, the son of glorious Semele, howhe appeared on a jutting headland by the shore of the fruitless sea, seeming like a stripling in the first flush of manhood: his rich, darkhair was waving about him, and on his strong shoulders he wore a purplerobe. Presently there came swiftly over the sparkling sea Tyrsenian[2530] pirates on a well-decked ship--a miserable doom led them on. Whenthey saw him they made signs to one another and sprang out quickly, andseizing him straightway, put him on board their ship exultingly; forthey thought him the son of heaven-nurtured kings. They sought to bindhim with rude bonds, but the bonds would not hold him, and the withesfell far away from his hands and feet: and he sat with a smile in hisdark eyes. Then the helmsman understood all and cried out at once to hisfellows and said:

(ll. 17-24) 'Madmen! What god is this whom you have taken and bind, strong that he is? Not even the well-built ship can carry him. Surelythis is either Zeus or Apollo who has the silver bow, or Poseidon, forhe looks not like mortal men but like the gods who dwell on Olympus. Come, then, let us set him free upon the dark shore at once: do not layhands on him, lest he grow angry and stir up dangerous winds and heavysqualls. '

(ll. 25-31) So said he: but the master chid him with taunting words:'Madman, mark the wind and help hoist sail on the ship: catch all thesheets. As for this fellow we men will see to him: I reckon he is boundfor Egypt or for Cyprus or to the Hyperboreans or further still. But inthe end he will speak out and tell us his friends and all his wealth andhis brothers, now that providence has thrown him in our way. '

(ll. 32-54) When he had said this, he had mast and sail hoisted on theship, and the wind filled the sail and the crew hauled taut the sheetson either side. But soon strange things were seen among them. First ofall sweet, fragrant wine ran streaming throughout all the black shipand a heavenly smell arose, so that all the seamen were seized withamazement when they saw it. And all at once a vine spread out both waysalong the top of the sail with many clusters hanging down from it, and adark ivy-plant twined about the mast, blossoming with flowers, and withrich berries growing on it; and all the thole-pins were covered withgarlands. When the pirates saw all this, then at last they bade thehelmsman to put the ship to land. But the god changed into a dreadfullion there on the ship, in the bows, and roared loudly: amidships alsohe showed his wonders and created a shaggy bear which stood up ravening, while on the forepeak was the lion glaring fiercely with scowling brows. And so the sailors fled into the stern and crowded bemused about theright-minded helmsman, until suddenly the lion sprang upon the masterand seized him; and when the sailors saw it they leapt out overboard oneand all into the bright sea, escaping from a miserable fate, and werechanged into dolphins. But on the helmsman Dionysus had mercy and heldhim back and made him altogether happy, saying to him:

(ll. 55-57) 'Take courage, good. . . ; you have found favour with my heart. I am loud-crying Dionysus whom Cadmus' daughter Semele bare of unionwith Zeus. '

(ll. 58-59) Hail, child of fair-faced Semele! He who forgets you can inno wise order sweet song. 

VIII. TO ARES (17 lines)

(ll. 1-17) Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden-helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear, O defence of Olympus, father of warlike Victory, ally of Themis, stern governor of therebellious, leader of righteous men, sceptred King of manliness, whowhirl your fiery sphere among the planets in their sevenfold coursesthrough the aether wherein your blazing steeds ever bear you above thethird firmament of heaven; hear me, helper of men, giver of dauntlessyouth! Shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength ofwar, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head andcrush down the deceitful impulses of my soul. Restrain also the keenfury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdlingstrife. Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide withinthe harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violentfiends of death. 

IX. TO ARTEMIS (9 lines)

(ll. 1-6) Muse, sing of Artemis, sister of the Far-shooter, the virginwho delights in arrows, who was fostered with Apollo. She waters herhorses from Meles deep in reeds, and swiftly drives her all-goldenchariot through Smyrna to vine-clad Claros where Apollo, god of thesilver bow, sits waiting for the far-shooting goddess who delights inarrows. 

(ll. 7-9) And so hail to you, Artemis, in my song and to all goddessesas well. Of you first I sing and with you I begin; now that I have begunwith you, I will turn to another song. 

X. TO APHRODITE (6 lines)

(ll. 1-3) Of Cytherea, born in Cyprus, I will sing. She gives kindlygifts to men: smiles are ever on her lovely face, and lovely is thebrightness that plays over it. 

(ll. 4-6) Hail, goddess, queen of well-built Salamis and sea-girtCyprus; grant me a cheerful song. And now I will remember you andanother song also. 

XI. TO ATHENA (5 lines)

(ll. 1-4) Of Pallas Athene, guardian of the city, I begin to sing. Dreadis she, and with Ares she loves deeds of war, the sack of cities and theshouting and the battle. It is she who saves the people as they go outto war and come back. 

(l. 5) Hail, goddess, and give us good fortune with happiness!

XII. TO HERA (5 lines)

(ll. 1-5) I sing of golden-throned Hera whom Rhea bare. Queen of theimmortals is she, surpassing all in beauty: she is the sister and thewife of loud-thundering Zeus, --the glorious one whom all the blessedthroughout high Olympus reverence and honour even as Zeus who delightsin thunder. 

XIII. TO DEMETER (3 lines)

(ll. 1-2) I begin to sing of rich-haired Demeter, awful goddess, of herand of her daughter lovely Persephone. 

(l. 3) Hail, goddess! Keep this city safe, and govern my song. 

XIV. TO THE MOTHER OF THE GODS (6 lines)

(ll. 1-5) I prithee, clear-voiced Muse, daughter of mighty Zeus, singof the mother of all gods and men. She is well-pleased with the soundof rattles and of timbrels, with the voice of flutes and the outcry ofwolves and bright-eyed lions, with echoing hills and wooded coombes. 

(l. 6) And so hail to you in my song and to all goddesses as well!

XV. TO HERACLES THE LION-HEARTED (9 lines)

(ll. 1-8) I will sing of Heracles, the son of Zeus and much themightiest of men on earth. Alcmena bare him in Thebes, the city oflovely dances, when the dark-clouded Son of Cronos had lain with her. Once he used to wander over unmeasured tracts of land and sea at thebidding of King Eurystheus, and himself did many deeds of violence andendured many; but now he lives happily in the glorious home of snowyOlympus, and has neat-ankled Hebe for his wife. 

(l. 9) Hail, lord, son of Zeus! Give me success and prosperity. 

XVI. TO ASCLEPIUS (5 lines)

(ll. 1-4) I begin to sing of Asclepius, son of Apollo and healer ofsicknesses. In the Dotian plain fair Coronis, daughter of King Phlegyas, bare him, a great joy to men, a soother of cruel pangs. 

(l. 5) And so hail to you, lord: in my song I make my prayer to thee!

XVII. TO THE DIOSCURI (5 lines)

(ll. 1-4) Sing, clear-voiced Muse, of Castor and Polydeuces, theTyndaridae, who sprang from Olympian Zeus. Beneath the heights ofTaygetus stately Leda bare them, when the dark-clouded Son of Cronos hadprivily bent her to his will. 

(l. 5) Hail, children of Tyndareus, riders upon swift horses!

XVIII. TO HERMES (12 lines)

(ll. 1-9) I sing of Cyllenian Hermes, the Slayer of Argus, lord ofCyllene and Arcadia rich in flocks, luck-bringing messenger of thedeathless gods. He was born of Maia, the daughter of Atlas, when she hadmade with Zeus, --a shy goddess she. Ever she avoided the throng of theblessed gods and lived in a shadowy cave, and there the Son of Cronosused to lie with the rich-tressed nymph at dead of night, whilewhite-armed Hera lay bound in sweet sleep: and neither deathless god normortal man knew it. 

(ll. 10-11) And so hail to you, Son of Zeus and Maia; with you I havebegun: now I will turn to another song!

(l. 12) Hail, Hermes, giver of grace, guide, and giver of good things![2531]

XIX. TO PAN (49 lines)

(ll. 1-26) Muse, tell me about Pan, the dear son of Hermes, with hisgoat's feet and two horns--a lover of merry noise. Through wooded gladeshe wanders with dancing nymphs who foot it on some sheer cliff's edge, calling upon Pan, the shepherd-god, long-haired, unkempt. He has everysnowy crest and the mountain peaks and rocky crests for his domain;hither and thither he goes through the close thickets, now lured by softstreams, and now he presses on amongst towering crags and climbs up tothe highest peak that overlooks the flocks. Often he courses through theglistening high mountains, and often on the shouldered hills he speedsalong slaying wild beasts, this keen-eyed god. Only at evening, as hereturns from the chase, he sounds his note, playing sweet and low on hispipes of reed: not even she could excel him in melody--that bird who inflower-laden spring pouring forth her lament utters honey-voiced songamid the leaves. At that hour the clear-voiced nymphs are with him andmove with nimble feet, singing by some spring of dark water, while Echowails about the mountain-top, and the god on this side or on that ofthe choirs, or at times sidling into the midst, plies it nimbly withhis feet. On his back he wears a spotted lynx-pelt, and he delights inhigh-pitched songs in a soft meadow where crocuses and sweet-smellinghyacinths bloom at random in the grass. 

(ll. 27-47) They sing of the blessed gods and high Olympus and chooseto tell of such an one as luck-bringing Hermes above the rest, how heis the swift messenger of all the gods, and how he came to Arcadia, theland of many springs and mother of flocks, there where his sacredplace is as god of Cyllene. For there, though a god, he used to tendcurly-fleeced sheep in the service of a mortal man, because there fellon him and waxed strong melting desire to wed the rich-tressed daughterof Dryops, and there he brought about the merry marriage. And in thehouse she bare Hermes a dear son who from his birth was marvellousto look upon, with goat's feet and two horns--a noisy, merry-laughingchild. But when the nurse saw his uncouth face and full beard, she wasafraid and sprang up and fled and left the child. Then luck-bringingHermes received him and took him in his arms: very glad in his heartwas the god. And he went quickly to the abodes of the deathless gods, carrying the son wrapped in warm skins of mountain hares, and set himdown beside Zeus and showed him to the rest of the gods. Then all theimmortals were glad in heart and Bacchie Dionysus in especial; and theycalled the boy Pan [2532] because he delighted all their hearts. 

(ll. 48-49) And so hail to you, lord! I seek your favour with a song. And now I will remember you and another song also. 

XX. TO HEPHAESTUS (8 lines)

(ll. 1-7) Sing, clear-voiced Muses, of Hephaestus famed for inventions. With bright-eyed Athene he taught men glorious gifts throughout theworld, --men who before used to dwell in caves in the mountains like wildbeasts. But now that they have learned crafts through Hephaestus thefamed worker, easily they live a peaceful life in their own houses thewhole year round. 

(l. 8) Be gracious, Hephaestus, and grant me success and prosperity!

XXI. TO APOLLO (5 lines)

(ll. 1-4) Phoebus, of you even the swan sings with clear voice to thebeating of his wings, as he alights upon the bank by the eddying riverPeneus; and of you the sweet-tongued minstrel, holding his high-pitchedlyre, always sings both first and last. 

(l. 5) And so hail to you, lord! I seek your favour with my song. 

XXII. TO POSEIDON (7 lines)

(ll. 1-5) I begin to sing about Poseidon, the great god, mover of theearth and fruitless sea, god of the deep who is also lord of Heliconand wide Aegae. A two-fold office the gods allotted you, O Shaker of theEarth, to be a tamer of horses and a saviour of ships!

(ll. 6-7) Hail, Poseidon, Holder of the Earth, dark-haired lord! Oblessed one, be kindly in heart and help those who voyage in ships!

XXIII. TO THE SON OF CRONOS, MOST HIGH (4 lines)

(ll. 1-3) I will sing of Zeus, chiefest among the gods and greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all, the fulfiller who whispers words of wisdomto Themis as she sits leaning towards him. 

(l. 4) Be gracious, all-seeing Son of Cronos, most excellent and great!

XXIV. TO HESTIA (5 lines)

(ll. 1-5) Hestia, you who tend the holy house of the lord Apollo, theFar-shooter at goodly Pytho, with soft oil dripping ever from yourlocks, come now into this house, come, having one mind with Zeus theall-wise--draw near, and withal bestow grace upon my song. 

XXV. TO THE MUSES AND APOLLO (7 lines)

(ll. 1-5) I will begin with the Muses and Apollo and Zeus. For it isthrough the Muses and Apollo that there are singers upon the earth andplayers upon the lyre; but kings are from Zeus. Happy is he whom theMuses love: sweet flows speech from his lips. 

(ll. 6-7) Hail, children of Zeus! Give honour to my song! And now I willremember you and another song also. 

XXVI. TO DIONYSUS (13 lines)

(ll. 1-9) I begin to sing of ivy-crowned Dionysus, the loud-cryinggod, splendid son of Zeus and glorious Semele. The rich-haired Nymphsreceived him in their bosoms from the lord his father and fostered andnurtured him carefully in the dells of Nysa, where by the will of hisfather he grew up in a sweet-smelling cave, being reckoned among theimmortals. But when the goddesses had brought him up, a god oft hymned, then began he to wander continually through the woody coombes, thicklywreathed with ivy and laurel. And the Nymphs followed in his train withhim for their leader; and the boundless forest was filled with theiroutcry. 

(ll. 10-13) And so hail to you, Dionysus, god of abundant clusters!Grant that we may come again rejoicing to this season, and from thatseason onwards for many a year. 

XXVII. TO ARTEMIS (22 lines)

(ll. 1-20) I sing of Artemis, whose shafts are of gold, who cheers onthe hounds, the pure maiden, shooter of stags, who delights in archery, own sister to Apollo with the golden sword. Over the shadowy hills andwindy peaks she draws her golden bow, rejoicing in the chase, and sendsout grievous shafts. The tops of the high mountains tremble and thetangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts: earthquakes andthe sea also where fishes shoal. But the goddess with a bold heart turnsevery way destroying the race of wild beasts: and when she is satisfiedand has cheered her heart, this huntress who delights in arrows slackensher supple bow and goes to the great house of her dear brother PhoebusApollo, to the rich land of Delphi, there to order the lovely dance ofthe Muses and Graces. There she hangs up her curved bow and her arrows, and heads and leads the dances, gracefully arrayed, while all they uttertheir heavenly voice, singing how neat-ankled Leto bare children supremeamong the immortals both in thought and in deed. 

(ll. 21-22) Hail to you, children of Zeus and rich-haired Leto! And nowI will remember you and another song also. 

XXVIII. TO ATHENA (18 lines)

(ll. 1-16) I begin to sing of Pallas Athene, the glorious goddess, bright-eyed, inventive, unbending of heart, pure virgin, saviour ofcities, courageous, Tritogeneia. From his awful head wise Zeus himselfbare her arrayed in warlike arms of flashing gold, and awe seized allthe gods as they gazed. But Athena sprang quickly from the immortal headand stood before Zeus who holds the aegis, shaking a sharp spear: greatOlympus began to reel horribly at the might of the bright-eyed goddess, and earth round about cried fearfully, and the sea was moved and tossedwith dark waves, while foam burst forth suddenly: the bright Son ofHyperion stopped his swift-footed horses a long while, until themaiden Pallas Athene had stripped the heavenly armour from her immortalshoulders. And wise Zeus was glad. 

(ll. 17-18) And so hail to you, daughter of Zeus who holds the aegis!Now I will remember you and another song as well. 

XXIX. TO HESTIA (13 lines)

(ll. 1-6) Hestia, in the high dwellings of all, both deathless gods andmen who walk on earth, you have gained an everlasting abode and highesthonour: glorious is your portion and your right. For without you mortalshold no banquet, --where one does not duly pour sweet wine in offering toHestia both first and last. 

(ll. 7-10) [2533] And you, slayer of Argus, Son of Zeus and Maia, messenger of the blessed gods, bearer of the golden rod, giver of good, be favourable and help us, you and Hestia, the worshipful and dear. Comeand dwell in this glorious house in friendship together; for you two, well knowing the noble actions of men, aid on their wisdom and theirstrength. 

(ll. 12-13) Hail, Daughter of Cronos, and you also, Hermes, bearer ofthe golden rod! Now I will remember you and another song also. 

XXX. TO EARTH THE MOTHER OF ALL (19 lines)

(ll. 1-16) I will sing of well-founded Earth, mother of all, eldest ofall beings. She feeds all creatures that are in the world, all that goupon the goodly land, and all that are in the paths of the seas, and allthat fly: all these are fed of her store. Through you, O queen, men areblessed in their children and blessed in their harvests, and to you itbelongs to give means of life to mortal men and to take it away. Happyis the man whom you delight to honour! He has all things abundantly: hisfruitful land is laden with corn, his pastures are covered with cattle, and his house is filled with good things. Such men rule orderly in theircities of fair women: great riches and wealth follow them: their sonsexult with ever-fresh delight, and their daughters in flower-laden bandsplay and skip merrily over the soft flowers of the field. Thus is itwith those whom you honour O holy goddess, bountiful spirit. 

(ll. 17-19) Hail, Mother of the gods, wife of starry Heaven; freelybestow upon me for this my song substance that cheers the heart! And nowI will remember you and another song also. 

XXXI. TO HELIOS (20 lines)

(ll. 1-16) [2534] And now, O Muse Calliope, daughter of Zeus, begin tosing of glowing Helios whom mild-eyed Euryphaessa, the far-shining one, bare to the Son of Earth and starry Heaven. For Hyperion wedded gloriousEuryphaessa, his own sister, who bare him lovely children, rosy-armedEos and rich-tressed Selene and tireless Helios who is like thedeathless gods. As he rides in his chariot, he shines upon men anddeathless gods, and piercingly he gazes with his eyes from his goldenhelmet. Bright rays beam dazzlingly from him, and his bright locksstreaming from the temples of his head gracefully enclose his far-seenface: a rich, fine-spun garment glows upon his body and flutters in thewind: and stallions carry him. Then, when he has stayed his golden-yokedchariot and horses, he rests there upon the highest point of heaven, until he marvellously drives them down again through heaven to Ocean. 

(ll. 17-19) Hail to you, lord! Freely bestow on me substance that cheersthe heart. And now that I have begun with you, I will celebrate the raceof mortal men half-divine whose deeds the Muses have showed to mankind. 

XXXII. TO SELENE (20 lines)

(ll. 1-13) And next, sweet voiced Muses, daughters of Zeus, well-skilledin song, tell of the long-winged [2535] Moon. From her immortal heada radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is thebeauty that ariseth from her shining light. The air, unlit before, glowswith the light of her golden crown, and her rays beam clear, whensoeverbright Selene having bathed her lovely body in the waters of Ocean, anddonned her far-gleaming, shining team, drives on her long-maned horsesat full speed, at eventime in the mid-month: then her great orbit isfull and then her beams shine brightest as she increases. So she is asure token and a sign to mortal men. 

(ll. 14-16) Once the Son of Cronos was joined with her in love; andshe conceived and bare a daughter Pandia, exceeding lovely amongst thedeathless gods. 

(ll. 17-20) Hail, white-armed goddess, bright Selene, mild, bright-tressed queen! And now I will leave you and sing the gloriesof men half-divine, whose deeds minstrels, the servants of the Muses, celebrate with lovely lips. 

XXXIII. TO THE DIOSCURI (19 lines)

(ll. 1-17) Bright-eyed Muses, tell of the Tyndaridae, the Sons of Zeus, glorious children of neat-ankled Leda, Castor the tamer of horses, andblameless Polydeuces. When Leda had lain with the dark-clouded Sonof Cronos, she bare them beneath the peak of the great hillTaygetus, --children who are delivers of men on earth and of swift-goingships when stormy gales rage over the ruthless sea. Then the shipmencall upon the sons of great Zeus with vows of white lambs, going to theforepart of the prow; but the strong wind and the waves of the sea laythe ship under water, until suddenly these two are seen darting throughthe air on tawny wings. Forthwith they allay the blasts of the cruelwinds and still the waves upon the surface of the white sea: fair signsare they and deliverance from toil. And when the shipmen see them theyare glad and have rest from their pain and labour. 

(ll. 18-19) Hail, Tyndaridae, riders upon swift horses! Now I willremember you and another song also. 

HOMER'S EPIGRAMS [2601]

I. (5 lines) (ll. 1-5) Have reverence for him who needs a home andstranger's dole, all ye who dwell in the high city of Cyme, the lovelymaiden, hard by the foothills of lofty Sardene, ye who drink theheavenly water of the divine stream, eddying Hermus, whom deathless Zeusbegot. 

II. (2 lines) (ll. 1-2) Speedily may my feet bear me to some town ofrighteous men; for their hearts are generous and their wit is best. 

III. (6 lines) (ll. 1-6) I am a maiden of bronze and am set upon thetomb of Midas. While the waters flow and tall trees flourish, and thesun rises and shines and the bright moon also; while rivers run and thesea breaks on the shore, ever remaining on this mournful tomb, I tellthe passer-by that Midas here lies buried. 

IV. (17 lines) (ll. 1-17) To what a fate did Zeus the Father give me aprey even while he made me to grow, a babe at my mother's knee! By thewill of Zeus who holds the aegis the people of Phricon, riders on wantonhorses, more active than raging fire in the test of war, once builtthe towers of Aeolian Smyrna, wave-shaken neighbour to the sea, throughwhich glides the pleasant stream of sacred Meles; thence [2602] arose thedaughters of Zeus, glorious children, and would fain have made famousthat fair country and the city of its people. But in their folly thosemen scorned the divine voice and renown of song, and in trouble shallone of them remember this hereafter--he who with scornful words to them[2603] contrived my fate. Yet I will endure the lot which heaven gave meeven at my birth, bearing my disappointment with a patient heart. Mydear limbs yearn not to stay in the sacred streets of Cyme, but rathermy great heart urges me to go unto another country, small though I am. 

V. (2 lines) (ll. 1-2) Thestorides, full many things there are thatmortals cannot sound; but there is nothing more unfathomable than theheart of man. 

VI. (8 lines) (ll. 1-8) Hear me, Poseidon, strong shaker of the earth, ruler of wide-spread, tawny Helicon! Give a fair wind and sight of safereturn to the shipmen who speed and govern this ship. And grantthat when I come to the nether slopes of towering Mimas I may findhonourable, god-fearing men. Also may I avenge me on the wretch whodeceived me and grieved Zeus the lord of guests and his own guest-table. 

VII. (3 lines) (ll. 1-3) Queen Earth, all bounteous giver ofhoney-hearted wealth, how kindly, it seems, you are to some, and howintractable and rough for those with whom you are angry. 

VIII. (4 lines) (ll. 1-4) Sailors, who rove the seas and whom a hatefulfate has made as the shy sea-fowl, living an unenviable life, observethe reverence due to Zeus who rules on high, the god of strangers;for terrible is the vengeance of this god afterwards for whosoever hassinned. 

IX. (2 lines) (ll. 1-2) Strangers, a contrary wind has caught you: buteven now take me aboard and you shall make your voyage. 

X. (4 lines) (ll. 1-4) Another sort of pine shall bear a better fruit[2604] than you upon the heights of furrowed, windy Ida. For there shallmortal men get the iron that Ares loves so soon as the Cebrenians shallhold the land. 

XI. (4 lines) (ll. 1-4) Glaucus, watchman of flocks, a word will I putin your heart. First give the dogs their dinner at the courtyardgate, for this is well. The dog first hears a man approaching and thewild-beast coming to the fence. 

XII. (4 lines) (ll. 1-4) Goddess-nurse of the young [2605], give ear to myprayer, and grant that this woman may reject the love-embraces of youthand dote on grey-haired old men whose powers are dulled, but whosehearts still desire. 

XIII. (6 lines) (ll. 1-6) Children are a man's crown, towers of a city;horses are the glory of a plain, and so are ships of the sea; wealthwill make a house great, and reverend princes seated in assembly are agoodly sight for the folk to see. But a blazing fire makes a house lookmore comely upon a winter's day, when the Son of Cronos sends down snow. 

XIV. (23 lines) (ll. 1-23) Potters, if you will give me a reward, I willsing for you. Come, then, Athena, with hand upraised [2606] over the kiln. Let the pots and all the dishes turn out well and be well fired: letthem fetch good prices and be sold in plenty in the market, and plentyin the streets. Grant that the potters may get great gain and grant meso to sing to them. But if you turn shameless and make false promises, then I call together the destroyers of kilns, Shatter and Smash andCharr and Crash and Crudebake who can work this craft much mischief. Come all of you and sack the kiln-yard and the buildings: let the wholekiln be shaken up to the potter's loud lament. As a horse's jaw grinds, so let the kiln grind to powder all the pots inside. And you, too, daughter of the Sun, Circe the witch, come and cast cruel spells; hurtboth these men and their handiwork. Let Chiron also come and bringmany Centaurs--all that escaped the hands of Heracles and all that weredestroyed: let them make sad havoc of the pots and overthrow the kiln, and let the potters see the mischief and be grieved; but I will gloat asI behold their luckless craft. And if anyone of them stoops to peer in, let all his face be burned up, that all men may learn to deal honestly. 

XV. (13 lines) [2607] (ll. 1-7) Let us betake us to the house of some manof great power, --one who bears great power and is greatly prosperousalways. Open of yourselves, you doors, for mighty Wealth will enterin, and with Wealth comes jolly Mirth and gentle Peace. May allthe corn-bins be full and the mass of dough always overflow thekneading-trough. Now (set before us) cheerful barley-pottage, full ofsesame. . . . 

((LACUNA))

(ll. 8-10) Your son's wife, driving to this house with strong-hoofedmules, shall dismount from her carriage to greet you; may she be shodwith golden shoes as she stands weaving at the loom. 

(ll. 11-13) I come, and I come yearly, like the swallow that percheslight-footed in the fore-part of your house. But quickly bring. . . . 

XVI. (2 lines) (ll. 1-2) If you will give us anything (well). But ifnot, we will not wait, for we are not come here to dwell with you. 

XVII. HOMER: Hunters of deep sea prey, have we caught anything?

FISHERMAN: All that we caught we left behind, and all that we did notcatch we carry home. [2608]

HOMER: Ay, for of such fathers you are sprung as neither hold rich landsnor tend countless sheep. 

FRAGMENTS OF THE EPIC CYCLE

THE WAR OF THE TITANS (fragments)

Fragment #1--Photius, Epitome of the Chrestomathy of Proclus: The EpicCycle begins with the fabled union of Heaven and Earth, by which theymake three hundred-handed sons and three Cyclopes to be born to him. 

Fragment #2--Anecdota Oxon. (Cramer) i. 75: According to the writer ofthe "War of the Titans" Heaven was the son of Aether. 

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. I. 1165: Eumelus saysthat Aegaeon was the son of Earth and Sea and, having his dwelling inthe sea, was an ally of the Titans. 

Fragment #4--Athenaeus, vii. 277 D: The poet of the "War of the Titans", whether Eumelus of Corinth or Arctinus, writes thus in his second book:'Upon the shield were dumb fish afloat, with golden faces, swimming andsporting through the heavenly water. '

Fragment #5--Athenaeus, i. 22 C: Eumelus somewhere introduces Zeusdancing: he says--'In the midst of them danced the Father of men andgods. '

Fragment #6--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. I. 554: The author ofthe "War of the Giants" says that Cronos took the shape of a horse andlay with Philyra, the daughter of Ocean. Through this cause Cheiron wasborn a centaur: his wife was Chariclo. 

Fragment #7--Athenaeus, xi. 470 B: Theolytus says that he (Heracles)sailed across the sea in a cauldron [2701]; but the first to give thisstory is the author of the "War of the Titans". 

Fragment #8--Philodemus, On Piety: The author of the "War of the Titans"says that the apples (of the Hesperides) were guarded. 

THE STORY OF OEDIPUS (fragments)

Fragment #1--C. I. G. Ital. Et Sic. 1292. Ii. 11: . . . . The "Story ofOedipus" by Cinaethon in six thousand six hundred verses. 

Fragment #2--Pausanias, ix. 5. 10: Judging by Homer I do not believe thatOedipus had children by Iocasta: his sons were born of Euryganeia as thewriter of the Epic called the "Story of Oedipus" clearly shows. 

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Euripides Phoen. , 1750: The authors of the"Story of Oedipus" (say) of the Sphinx: 'But furthermore (she killed)noble Haemon, the dear son of blameless Creon, the comeliest andloveliest of boys. '

THE THEBAID (fragments)

Fragment #1--Contest of Homer and Hesiod: Homer travelled about recitinghis epics, first the "Thebaid", in seven thousand verses, which begins:'Sing, goddess, of parched Argos, whence lords. . . '

Fragment #2--Athenaeus, xi. 465 E: 'Then the heaven-born hero, golden-haired Polyneices, first set beside Oedipus a rich table ofsilver which once belonged to Cadmus the divinely wise: next he filleda fine golden cup with sweet wine. But when Oedipus perceived thesetreasures of his father, great misery fell on his heart, and hestraight-way called down bitter curses there in the presence of bothhis sons. And the avenging Fury of the gods failed not to hear him ashe prayed that they might never divide their father's goods in lovingbrotherhood, but that war and fighting might be ever the portion of themboth. '

Fragment #3--Laurentian Scholiast on Sophocles, O. C. 1375: 'And whenOedipus noticed the haunch [2801] he threw it on the ground and said:"Oh! Oh! my sons have sent this mocking me. . . " So he prayed to Zeus theking and the other deathless gods that each might fall by his brother'shand and go down into the house of Hades. '

Fragment #4--Pausanias, viii. 25. 8: Adrastus fled from Thebes 'wearingmiserable garments, and took black-maned Areion [2802] with him. '

Fragment #5--Pindar, Ol. Vi. 15: [2803] 'But when the seven dead hadreceived their last rites in Thebes, the Son of Talaus lamented andspoke thus among them: "Woe is me, for I miss the bright eye of my host, a good seer and a stout spearman alike. "'

Fragment #6--Apollodorus, i. 74: Oeneus married Periboea the daughterof Hipponous. The author of the "Thebais" says that when Olenus had beenstormed, Oeneus received her as a prize. 

Fragment #7--Pausanias, ix. 18. 6: Near the spring is the tomb ofAsphodicus. This Asphodicus killed Parthenopaeus the son of Talaus inthe battle against the Argives, as the Thebans say; though that part ofthe "Thebais" which tells of the death of Parthenopaeus says that it wasPericlymenus who killed him. 

THE EPIGONI (fragments)

Fragment #1--Contest of Homer and Hesiod: Next (Homer composed) the"Epigoni" in seven thousand verses, beginning, 'And now, Muses, let usbegin to sing of younger men. '

Fragment #2--Photius, Lexicon: Teumesia. Those who have written onTheban affairs have given a full account of the Teumesian fox. [2901]They relate that the creature was sent by the gods to punish thedescendants of Cadmus, and that the Thebans therefore excluded those ofthe house of Cadmus from kingship. But (they say) a certain Cephalus, the son of Deion, an Athenian, who owned a hound which no beast everescaped, had accidentally killed his wife Procris, and being purifiedof the homicide by the Cadmeans, hunted the fox with his hound, and whenthey had overtaken it both hound and fox were turned into stones nearTeumessus. These writers have taken the story from the Epic Cycle. 

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. I. 308: The authorsof the "Thebais" say that Manto the daughter of Teiresias was sentto Delphi by the Epigoni as a first fruit of their spoil, and that inaccordance with an oracle of Apollo she went out and met Rhacius, theson of Lebes, a Mycenaean by race. This man she married--for the oraclealso contained the command that she should marry whomsoever she mightmeet--and coming to Colophon, was there much cast down and wept over thedestruction of her country. 

THE CYPRIA (fragments)

Fragment #1--Proclus, Chrestomathia, i: This [3001] is continued by theepic called "Cypria" which is current is eleven books. Its contents areas follows. 

Zeus plans with Themis to bring about the Trojan war. Strife arriveswhile the gods are feasting at the marriage of Peleus and starts adispute between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite as to which of themis fairest. The three are led by Hermes at the command of Zeus toAlexandrus [3002] on Mount Ida for his decision, and Alexandrus, luredby his promised marriage with Helen, decides in favour of Aphrodite. 

Then Alexandrus builds his ships at Aphrodite's suggestion, and Helenusforetells the future to him, and Aphrodite order Aeneas to sail withhim, while Cassandra prophesies as to what will happen afterwards. Alexandrus next lands in Lacedaemon and is entertained by the sons ofTyndareus, and afterwards by Menelaus in Sparta, where in the course ofa feast he gives gifts to Helen. 

After this, Menelaus sets sail for Crete, ordering Helen to furnish theguests with all they require until they depart. Meanwhile, Aphroditebrings Helen and Alexandrus together, and they, after their union, putvery great treasures on board and sail away by night. Hera stirs up astorm against them and they are carried to Sidon, where Alexandrus takesthe city. From there he sailed to Troy and celebrated his marriage withHelen. 

In the meantime Castor and Polydeuces, while stealing the cattle of Idasand Lynceus, were caught in the act, and Castor was killed by Idas, andLynceus and Idas by Polydeuces. Zeus gave them immortality every otherday. 

Iris next informs Menelaus of what has happened at his home. Menelausreturns and plans an expedition against Ilium with his brother, andthen goes on to Nestor. Nestor in a digression tells him how Epopeus wasutterly destroyed after seducing the daughter of Lycus, and the story ofOedipus, the madness of Heracles, and the story of Theseus and Ariadne. Then they travel over Hellas and gather the leaders, detecting Odysseuswhen he pretends to be mad, not wishing to join the expedition, by seizing his son Telemachus for punishment at the suggestion ofPalamedes. 

All the leaders then meet together at Aulis and sacrifice. The incidentof the serpent and the sparrows [3002] takes place before them, andCalchas foretells what is going to befall. After this, they put out tosea, and reach Teuthrania and sack it, taking it for Ilium. Telephuscomes out to the rescue and kills Thersander and son of Polyneices, andis himself wounded by Achilles. As they put out from Mysia a storm comeson them and scatters them, and Achilles first puts in at Scyros andmarried Deidameia, the daughter of Lycomedes, and then heals Telephus, who had been led by an oracle to go to Argos, so that he might be theirguide on the voyage to Ilium. 

When the expedition had mustered a second time at Aulis, Agamemnon, while at the chase, shot a stag and boasted that he surpassed evenArtemis. At this the goddess was so angry that she sent stormy winds andprevented them from sailing. Calchas then told them of the anger of thegoddess and bade them sacrifice Iphigeneia to Artemis. This they attemptto do, sending to fetch Iphigeneia as though for marriage with Achilles. 

Artemis, however, snatched her away and transported her to the Tauri, making her immortal, and putting a stag in place of the girl upon thealtar. 

Next they sail as far as Tenedos: and while they are feasting, Philoctetes is bitten by a snake and is left behind in Lemnos becauseof the stench of his sore. Here, too, Achilles quarrels with Agamemnonbecause he is invited late. Then the Greeks tried to land at Ilium, butthe Trojans prevent them, and Protesilaus is killed by Hector. Achillesthen kills Cycnus, the son of Poseidon, and drives the Trojans back. TheGreeks take up their dead and send envoys to the Trojans demanding thesurrender of Helen and the treasure with her. The Trojans refusing, theyfirst assault the city, and then go out and lay waste the country andcities round about. After this, Achilles desires to see Helen, andAphrodite and Thetis contrive a meeting between them. The Achaeans nextdesire to return home, but are restrained by Achilles, who afterwardsdrives off the cattle of Aeneas, and sacks Lyrnessus and Pedasus andmany of the neighbouring cities, and kills Troilus. Patroclus carriesaway Lycaon to Lemnos and sells him as a slave, and out of the spoilsAchilles receives Briseis as a prize, and Agamemnon Chryseis. Thenfollows the death of Palamedes, the plan of Zeus to relieve the Trojansby detaching Achilles from the Hellenic confederacy, and a catalogue ofthe Trojan allies. 

Fragment #2--Tzetzes, Chil. Xiii. 638: Stasinus composed the "Cypria"which the more part say was Homer's work and by him given to Stasinus asa dowry with money besides. 

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Homer, Il. I. 5: 'There was a time when thecountless tribes of men, though wide-dispersed, oppressed the surfaceof the deep-bosomed earth, and Zeus saw it and had pity and in his wiseheart resolved to relieve the all-nurturing earth of men by causing thegreat struggle of the Ilian war, that the load of death might empty theworld. And so the heroes were slain in Troy, and the plan of Zeus cameto pass. '

Fragment #4--Volumina Herculan, II. Viii. 105: The author of the"Cypria" says that Thetis, to please Hera, avoided union with Zeus, atwhich he was enraged and swore that she should be the wife of a mortal. 

Fragment #5--Scholiast on Homer, Il. Xvii. 140: For at the marriage ofPeleus and Thetis, the gods gathered together on Pelion to feast andbrought Peleus gifts. Cheiron gave him a stout ashen shaft which he hadcut for a spear, and Athena, it is said, polished it, and Hephaestusfitted it with a head. The story is given by the author of the "Cypria". 

Fragment #6--Athenaeus, xv. 682 D, F: The author of the "Cypria", whether Hegesias or Stasinus, mentions flowers used for garlands. Thepoet, whoever he was, writes as follows in his first book:

(ll. 1-7) 'She clothed herself with garments which the Graces and Hourshad made for her and dyed in flowers of spring--such flowers as theSeasons wear--in crocus and hyacinth and flourishing violet and therose's lovely bloom, so sweet and delicious, and heavenly buds, the flowers of the narcissus and lily. In such perfumed garments isAphrodite clothed at all seasons. 

((LACUNA))

(ll. 8-12) Then laughter-loving Aphrodite and her handmaidens wovesweet-smelling crowns of flowers of the earth and put them upon theirheads--the bright-coiffed goddesses, the Nymphs and Graces, and goldenAphrodite too, while they sang sweetly on the mount of many-fountainedIda. '

Fragment #7--Clement of Alexandria, Protrept ii. 30. 5: 'Castor wasmortal, and the fate of death was destined for him; but Polydeuces, scion of Ares, was immortal. '

Fragment #8--Athenaeus, viii. 334 B: 'And after them she bare a thirdchild, Helen, a marvel to men. Rich-tressed Nemesis once gave her birthwhen she had been joined in love with Zeus the king of the gods by harshviolence. For Nemesis tried to escape him and liked not to lie in lovewith her father Zeus the Son of Cronos; for shame and indignation vexedher heart: therefore she fled him over the land and fruitless darkwater. But Zeus ever pursued and longed in his heart to catch her. Nowshe took the form of a fish and sped over the waves of the loud-roaringsea, and now over Ocean's stream and the furthest bounds of Earth, andnow she sped over the furrowed land, always turning into such dreadcreatures as the dry land nurtures, that she might escape him. '

Fragment #9--Scholiast on Euripides, Andr. 898: The writer [3003] of theCyprian histories says that (Helen's third child was) Pleisthenesand that she took him with her to Cyprus, and that the child she boreAlexandrus was Aganus. 

Fragment #10--Herodotus, ii. 117: For it is said in the "Cypria" thatAlexandrus came with Helen to Ilium from Sparta in three days, enjoyinga favourable wind and calm sea. 

Fragment #11--Scholiast on Homer, Il. Iii. 242: For Helen had beenpreviously carried off by Theseus, and it was in consequence of thisearlier rape that Aphidna, a town in Attica, was sacked and Castor waswounded in the right thigh by Aphidnus who was king at that time. Thenthe Dioscuri, failing to find Theseus, sacked Athens. The story is inthe Cyclic writers. 

Plutarch, Thes. 32: Hereas relates that Alycus was killed by Theseushimself near Aphidna, and quotes the following verses in evidence: 'Inspacious Aphidna Theseus slew him in battle long ago for rich-hairedHelen's sake. ' [3004]

Fragment #12--Scholiast on Pindar, Nem. X. 114: (ll. 1-6) 'StraightwayLynceus, trusting in his swift feet, made for Taygetus. He climbed itshighest peak and looked throughout the whole isle of Pelops, sonof Tantalus; and soon the glorious hero with his dread eyes sawhorse-taming Castor and athlete Polydeuces both hidden within a hollowoak. '

Philodemus, On Piety: (Stasinus?) writes that Castor was killed with aspear shot by Idas the son of Aphareus. 

Fragment #13--Athenaeus, 35 C: 'Menelaus, know that the gods made winethe best thing for mortal man to scatter cares. '

Fragment #14--Laurentian Scholiast on Sophocles, Elect. 157: Either hefollows Homer who spoke of the three daughters of Agamemnon, or--likethe writer of the "Cypria"--he makes them four, (distinguishing)Iphigeneia and Iphianassa. 

Fragment #15--[3005] Contest of Homer and Hesiod: 'So they feasted allday long, taking nothing from their own houses; for Agamemnon, king ofmen, provided for them. '

Fragment #16--Louvre Papyrus: 'I never thought to enrage so terribly thestout heart of Achilles, for very well I loved him. '

Fragment #17--Pausanias, iv. 2. 7: The poet of the "Cypria" says thatthe wife of Protesilaus--who, when the Hellenes reached the Trojanshore, first dared to land--was called Polydora, and was the daughter ofMeleager, the son of Oeneus. 

Fragment #18--Eustathius, 119. 4: Some relate that Chryseis was takenfrom Hypoplacian [3006] Thebes, and that she had not taken refuge therenor gone there to sacrifice to Artemis, as the author of the "Cypria"states, but was simply a fellow townswoman of Andromache. 

Fragment #19--Pausanias, x. 31. 2: I know, because I have read it in theepic "Cypria", that Palamedes was drowned when he had gone out fishing, and that it was Diomedes and Odysseus who caused his death. 

Fragment #20--Plato, Euthyphron, 12 A: 'That it is Zeus who has donethis, and brought all these things to pass, you do not like to say; forwhere fear is, there too is shame. '

Fragment #21--Herodian, On Peculiar Diction: 'By him she conceived andbare the Gorgons, fearful monsters who lived in Sarpedon, a rocky islandin deep-eddying Oceanus. '

Fragment #22--Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis vii. 2. 19: Again, Stasinus says: 'He is a simple man who kills the father and lets thechildren live. '

THE AETHIOPIS (fragments)

Fragment #1--Proclus, Chrestomathia, ii: The "Cypria", described inthe preceding book, has its sequel in the "Iliad" of Homer, which isfollowed in turn by the five books of the "Aethiopis", the workof Arctinus of Miletus. Their contents are as follows. The AmazonPenthesileia, the daughter of Ares and of Thracian race, comes to aidthe Trojans, and after showing great prowess, is killed by Achilles andburied by the Trojans. Achilles then slays Thersites for abusing andreviling him for his supposed love for Penthesileia. As a result adispute arises amongst the Achaeans over the killing of Thersites, andAchilles sails to Lesbos and after sacrificing to Apollo, Artemis, andLeto, is purified by Odysseus from bloodshed. 

Then Memnon, the son of Eos, wearing armour made by Hephaestus, comes tohelp the Trojans, and Thetis tells her son about Memnon. 

A battle takes place in which Antilochus is slain by Memnon andMemnon by Achilles. Eos then obtains of Zeus and bestows upon her sonimmortality; but Achilles routs the Trojans, and, rushing into the citywith them, is killed by Paris and Apollo. A great struggle for the bodythen follows, Aias taking up the body and carrying it to the ships, while Odysseus drives off the Trojans behind. The Achaeans then buryAntilochus and lay out the body of Achilles, while Thetis, arriving withthe Muses and her sisters, bewails her son, whom she afterwards catchesaway from the pyre and transports to the White Island. After this, theAchaeans pile him a cairn and hold games in his honour. Lastly a disputearises between Odysseus and Aias over the arms of Achilles. 

Fragment #2--Scholiast on Homer, Il. Xxiv. 804: Some read: 'Thus theyperformed the burial of Hector. Then came the Amazon, the daughter ofgreat-souled Ares the slayer of men. '

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Pindar, Isth. Iii. 53: The author of the"Aethiopis" says that Aias killed himself about dawn. 

THE LITTLE ILIAD (fragments)

Fragment #1--Proclus, Chrestomathia, ii: Next comes the "Little Iliad"in four books by Lesches of Mitylene: its contents are as follows. Theadjudging of the arms of Achilles takes place, and Odysseus, by thecontriving of Athena, gains them. Aias then becomes mad and destroys theherd of the Achaeans and kills himself. Next Odysseus lies in wait andcatches Helenus, who prophesies as to the taking of Troy, and Diomedeaccordingly brings Philoctetes from Lemnos. Philoctetes is healed byMachaon, fights in single combat with Alexandrus and kills him: the deadbody is outraged by Menelaus, but the Trojans recover and bury it. Afterthis Deiphobus marries Helen, Odysseus brings Neoptolemus from Scyrosand gives him his father's arms, and the ghost of Achilles appears tohim. 

Eurypylus the son of Telephus arrives to aid the Trojans, shows hisprowess and is killed by Neoptolemus. The Trojans are now closelybesieged, and Epeius, by Athena's instruction, builds the wooden horse. Odysseus disfigures himself and goes in to Ilium as a spy, and therebeing recognized by Helen, plots with her for the taking of the city;after killing certain of the Trojans, he returns to the ships. Nexthe carries the Palladium out of Troy with help of Diomedes. Then afterputting their best men in the wooden horse and burning their huts, themain body of the Hellenes sail to Tenedos. The Trojans, supposing theirtroubles over, destroy a part of their city wall and take the woodenhorse into their city and feast as though they had conquered theHellenes. 

Fragment #2--Pseudo-Herodotus, Life of Homer: 'I sing of Ilium andDardania, the land of fine horses, wherein the Danai, followers of Ares, suffered many things. '

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Aristophanes, Knights 1056 and Aristophanesib: The story runs as follows: Aias and Odysseus were quarrelling asto their achievements, says the poet of the "Little Iliad", and Nestoradvised the Hellenes to send some of their number to go to the footof the walls and overhear what was said about the valour of the heroesnamed above. The eavesdroppers heard certain girls disputing, oneof them saying that Aias was by far a better man than Odysseus andcontinuing as follows:

'For Aias took up and carried out of the strife the hero, Peleus' son:this great Odysseus cared not to do. '

To this another replied by Athena's contrivance:

'Why, what is this you say? A thing against reason and untrue! Even awoman could carry a load once a man had put it on her shoulder; but shecould not fight. For she would fail with fear if she should fight. '

Fragment #4--Eustathius, 285. 34: The writer of the "Little Iliad" saysthat Aias was not buried in the usual way [3101], but was simply buriedin a coffin, because of the king's anger. 

Fragment #5--Eustathius on Homer, Il. 326: The author of the "LittleIliad" says that Achilles after putting out to sea from the countryof Telephus came to land there: 'The storm carried Achilles the son ofPeleus to Scyros, and he came into an uneasy harbour there in that samenight. '

Fragment #6--Scholiast on Pindar, Nem. Vi. 85: 'About the spear-shaftwas a hoop of flashing gold, and a point was fitted to it at eitherend. '

Fragment #7--Scholiast on Euripides Troades, 822: '. . . The vine which theson of Cronos gave him as a recompense for his son. It bloomed richlywith soft leaves of gold and grape clusters; Hephaestus wrought it andgave it to his father Zeus: and he bestowed it on Laomedon as a pricefor Ganymedes. '

Fragment #8--Pausanias, iii. 26. 9: The writer of the epic "LittleIliad" says that Machaon was killed by Eurypylus, the son of Telephus. 

Fragment #9--Homer, Odyssey iv. 247 and Scholiast: 'He disguisedhimself, and made himself like another person, a beggar, the like ofwhom was not by the ships of the Achaeans. '

The Cyclic poet uses 'beggar' as a substantive, and so means to say thatwhen Odysseus had changed his clothes and put on rags, there was no oneso good for nothing at the ships as Odysseus. 

Fragment #10--[3102] Plutarch, Moralia, p. 153 F: And Homer put forwardthe following verses as Lesches gives them: 'Muse, tell me of thosethings which neither happened before nor shall be hereafter. '

And Hesiod answered:

'But when horses with rattling hoofs wreck chariots, striving forvictory about the tomb of Zeus. '

And it is said that, because this reply was specially admired, Hesiodwon the tripod (at the funeral games of Amphidamas). 

Fragment #11--Scholiast on Lycophr. , 344: Sinon, as it had been arrangedwith him, secretly showed a signal-light to the Hellenes. Thus Lescheswrites:--'It was midnight, and the clear moon was rising. '

Fragment #12--Pausanias, x. 25. 5: Meges is represented [3103] woundedin the arm just as Lescheos the son of Aeschylinus of Pyrrha describesin his "Sack of Ilium" where it is said that he was wounded in thebattle which the Trojans fought in the night by Admetus, son of Augeias. Lycomedes too is in the picture with a wound in the wrist, and Lescheossays he was so wounded by Agenor. . . 

Pausanias, x. 26. 4: Lescheos also mentions Astynous, and here he is, fallen on one knee, while Neoptolemus strikes him with his sword. . . 

Pausanias, x. 26. 8: The same writer says that Helicaon was wounded inthe night-battle, but was recognised by Odysseus and by him conductedalive out of the fight. . . 

Pausanias, x. 27. 1: Of them [3104], Lescheos says that Eion was killedby Neoptolemus, and Admetus by Philoctetes. . . He also says that Priamwas not killed at the heart of Zeus Herceius, but was dragged away fromthe altar and destroyed off hand by Neoptolemus at the doors of thehouse. . . Lescheos says that Axion was the son of Priam and was slain byEurypylus, the son of Euaemon. Agenor--according to the same poet--wasbutchered by Neoptolemus. 

Fragment #13--Aristophanes, Lysistrata 155 and Scholiast: 'Menelaus atleast, when he caught a glimpse somehow of the breasts of Helen unclad, cast away his sword, methinks. ' Lesches the Pyrrhaean also has the sameaccount in his "Little Iliad". 

Pausanias, x. 25. 8: Concerning Aethra Lesches relates that when Iliumwas taken she stole out of the city and came to the Hellenic camp, whereshe was recognised by the sons of Theseus; and that Demophon asked herof Agamemnon. Agamemnon wished to grant him this favour, but he wouldnot do so until Helen consented. And when he sent a herald, Helengranted his request. 

Fragment #14--Scholiast on Lycophr. Alex. , 1268: 'Then the bright son ofbold Achilles led the wife of Hector to the hollow ships; but her son hesnatched from the bosom of his rich-haired nurse and seized him by thefoot and cast him from a tower. So when he had fallen bloody death andhard fate seized on Astyanax. And Neoptolemus chose out Andromache, Hector's well-girded wife, and the chiefs of all the Achaeans gaveher to him to hold requiting him with a welcome prize. And he putAeneas[3105], the famous son of horse-taming Anchises, on board hissea-faring ships, a prize surpassing those of all the Danaans. '

THE SACK OF ILIUM (fragments)

Fragment #1--Proclus, Chrestomathia, ii: Next come two books of the"Sack of Ilium", by Arctinus of Miletus with the following contents. The Trojans were suspicious of the wooden horse and standing round itdebated what they ought to do. Some thought they ought to hurl it downfrom the rocks, others to burn it up, while others said they ought todedicate it to Athena. At last this third opinion prevailed. Then theyturned to mirth and feasting believing the war was at an end. But atthis very time two serpents appeared and destroyed Laocoon and one ofhis two sons, a portent which so alarmed the followers of Aeneas thatthey withdrew to Ida. Sinon then raised the fire-signal to the Achaeans, having previously got into the city by pretence. The Greeks then sailedin from Tenedos, and those in the wooden horse came out and fell upontheir enemies, killing many and storming the city. Neoptolemus killsPriam who had fled to the altar of Zeus Herceius (1); Menelaus findsHelen and takes her to the ships, after killing Deiphobus; and Aias theson of Ileus, while trying to drag Cassandra away by force, tears awaywith her the image of Athena. At this the Greeks are so enragedthat they determine to stone Aias, who only escapes from the dangerthreatening him by taking refuge at the altar of Athena. The Greeks, after burning the city, sacrifice Polyxena at the tomb of Achilles:Odysseus murders Astyanax; Neoptolemus takes Andromache as his prize, and the remaining spoils are divided. Demophon and Acamas find Aethraand take her with them. Lastly the Greeks sail away and Athena plans todestroy them on the high seas. 

Fragment #2--Dionysus Halicarn, Rom. Antiq. I. 68: According toArctinus, one Palladium was given to Dardanus by Zeus, and this was inIlium until the city was taken. It was hidden in a secret place, and acopy was made resembling the original in all points and set up for allto see, in order to deceive those who might have designs against it. This copy the Achaeans took as a result of their plots. 

Fragment #3--Scholiast on Euripedes, Andromache 10: The Cyclic poet whocomposed the "Sack" says that Astyanax was also hurled from the citywall. 

Fragment #4--Scholiast on Euripedes, Troades 31: For the followers ofAcamus and Demophon took no share--it is said--of the spoils, but onlyAethra, for whose sake, indeed, they came to Ilium with Menestheusto lead them. Lysimachus, however, says that the author of the "Sack"writes as follows: 'The lord Agamemnon gave gifts to the Sons of Theseusand to bold Menestheus, shepherd of hosts. '

Fragment #5--Eustathius on Iliad, xiii. 515: Some say that such praiseas this [3201] does not apply to physicians generally, but only toMachaon: and some say that he only practised surgery, while Podaleiriustreated sicknesses. Arctinus in the "Sack of Ilium" seems to be of thisopinion when he says:

(ll. 1-8) 'For their father the famous Earth-Shaker gave both of themgifts, making each more glorious than the other. To the one he gavehands more light to draw or cut out missiles from the flesh and toheal all kinds of wounds; but in the heart of the other he put full andperfect knowledge to tell hidden diseases and cure desperate sicknesses. It was he who first noticed Aias' flashing eyes and clouded mind when hewas enraged. '

Fragment #6--Diomedes in Gramm. , Lat. I. 477: 'Iambus stood a littlewhile astride with foot advanced, that so his strained limbs might getpower and have a show of ready strength. '

THE RETURNS (fragments)

Fragment #1--Proclus, Chrestomathia, ii: After the "Sack of Ilium"follow the "Returns" in five books by Agias of Troezen. Their contentsare as follows. Athena causes a quarrel between Agamemnon and Menelausabout the voyage from Troy. Agamemnon then stays on to appease the angerof Athena. Diomedes and Nestor put out to sea and get safely home. After them Menelaus sets out and reaches Egypt with five ships, the resthaving been destroyed on the high seas. Those with Calchas, Leontes, and Polypoetes go by land to Colophon and bury Teiresias who diedthere. When Agamemnon and his followers were sailing away, the ghost ofAchilles appeared and tried to prevent them by foretelling what shouldbefall them. The storm at the rocks called Capherides is then described, with the end of Locrian Aias. Neoptolemus, warned by Thetis, journeysoverland and, coming into Thrace, meets Odysseus at Maronea, and thenfinishes the rest of his journey after burying Phoenix who dies on theway. He himself is recognized by Peleus on reaching the Molossi. 

Then comes the murder of Agamemnon by Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra, followed by the vengeance of Orestes and Pylades. Finally, Menelausreturns home. 

Fragment #2--Argument to Euripides Medea: 'Forthwith Medea made Aeson asweet young boy and stripped his old age from him by her cunning skill, when she had made a brew of many herbs in her golden cauldrons. '

Fragment #3--Pausanias, i. 2: The story goes that Heracles was besiegingThemiscyra on the Thermodon and could not take it; but Antiope, being inlove with Theseus who was with Heracles on this expedition, betrayed theplace. Hegias gives this account in his poem. 

Fragment #4--Eustathius, 1796. 45: The Colophonian author of the"Returns" says that Telemachus afterwards married Circe, while Telegonusthe son of Circe correspondingly married Penelope. 

Fragment #5--Clement of Alex. Strom. , vi. 2. 12. 8: 'For gifts beguilemen's minds and their deeds as well. ' [3301]

Fragment #6--Pausanias, x. 28. 7: The poetry of Homer and the"Returns"--for here too there is an account of Hades and the terrorsthere--know of no spirit named Eurynomus. 

Athenaeus, 281 B: The writer of the "Return of the Atreidae" [3302] saysthat Tantalus came and lived with the gods, and was permitted to ask forwhatever he desired. But the man was so immoderately given to pleasuresthat he asked for these and for a life like that of the gods. At thisZeus was annoyed, but fulfilled his prayer because of his own promise;but to prevent him from enjoying any of the pleasures provided, andto keep him continually harassed, he hung a stone over his head whichprevents him from ever reaching any of the pleasant things near by. 

THE TELEGONY (fragments)

Fragment #1--Proclus, Chrestomathia, ii: After the "Returns" comes the"Odyssey" of Homer, and then the "Telegony" in two books by Eugammon ofCyrene, which contain the following matters. The suitors of Penelope areburied by their kinsmen, and Odysseus, after sacrificing to the Nymphs, sails to Elis to inspect his herds. He is entertained there by Polyxenusand receives a mixing bowl as a gift; the story of Trophonius andAgamedes and Augeas then follows. He next sails back to Ithacaand performs the sacrifices ordered by Teiresias, and then goes toThesprotis where he marries Callidice, queen of the Thesprotians. Awar then breaks out between the Thesprotians, led by Odysseus, and theBrygi. Ares routs the army of Odysseus and Athena engages with Ares, until Apollo separates them. After the death of Callidice Polypoetes, the son of Odysseus, succeeds to the kingdom, while Odysseus himselfreturns to Ithaca. In the meantime Telegonus, while travelling in searchof his father, lands on Ithaca and ravages the island: Odysseus comesout to defend his country, but is killed by his son unwittingly. Telegonus, on learning his mistake, transports his father's body withPenelope and Telemachus to his mother's island, where Circe makes themimmortal, and Telegonus marries Penelope, and Telemachus Circe. 

Fragment #2--Eustathias, 1796. 35: The author of the "Telegony", aCyrenaean, relates that Odysseus had by Calypso a son Telegonus orTeledamus, and by Penelope Telemachus and Acusilaus. 

NON-CYCLIC POEMS ATTRIBUTED TO HOMER

THE EXPEDITION OF AMPHIARAUS (fragments)

Fragment #1--Pseudo-Herodotus, Life of Homer: Sitting there in thetanner's yard, Homer recited his poetry to them, the "Expedition ofAmphiarus to Thebes" and the "Hymns to the Gods" composed by him. 

THE TAKING OF OECHALIA (fragments)

Fragment #1--Eustathius, 330. 41: An account has there been given ofEurytus and his daughter Iole, for whose sake Heracles sacked Oechalia. Homer also seems to have written on this subject, as that historianshows who relates that Creophylus of Samos once had Homer for his guestand for a reward received the attribution of the poem which they callthe "Taking of Oechalia". Some, however, assert the opposite; thatCreophylus wrote the poem, and that Homer lent his name in return forhis entertainment. And so Callimachus writes: 'I am the work of thatSamian who once received divine Homer in his house. I sing of Eurytusand all his woes and of golden-haired Ioleia, and am reputed one ofHomer's works. Dear Heaven! how great an honour this for Creophylus!'

Fragment #2--Cramer, Anec. Oxon. I. 327: 'Ragged garments, even thosewhich now you see. ' This verse ("Odyssey" xiv. 343) we shall also findin the "Taking of Oechalia". 

Fragment #3--Scholaist on Sophocles Trach. , 266: There is a disagreementas to the number of the sons of Eurytus. For Hesiod says Eurytus andAntioche had as many as four sons; but Creophylus says two. 

Fragment #4--Scholiast on Euripides Medea, 273: Didymus contrasts thefollowing account given by Creophylus, which is as follows: while Medeawas living in Corinth, she poisoned Creon, who was ruler of the cityat that time, and because she feared his friends and kinsfolk, fled toAthens. However, since her sons were too young to go along with her, sheleft them at the altar of Hera Acraea, thinking that their father wouldsee to their safety. But the relatives of Creon killed them and spreadthe story that Medea had killed her own children as well as Creon. 

THE PHOCAIS (fragments)

Fragment #1--Pseudo-Herodotus, Life of Homer: While living withThestorides, Homer composed the "Lesser Iliad" and the "Phocais"; thoughthe Phocaeans say that he composed the latter among them. 

THE MARGITES (fragments)

Fragment #1--Suidas, s. V. : Pigres. A Carian of Halicarnassus and brotherof Artemisia, wife of Mausolus, who distinguished herself in war. . . [3401] He also wrote the "Margites" attributed to Homer and the "Battleof the Frogs and Mice". 

Fragment #2--Atilius Fortunatianus, p. 286, Keil: 'There came toColophon an old man and divine singer, a servant of the Muses and offar-shooting Apollo. In his dear hands he held a sweet-toned lyre. '

Fragment #3--Plato, Alcib. Ii. P. 147 A: 'He knew many things but knewall badly. . . '

Aristotle, Nic. Eth. Vi. 7, 1141: 'The gods had taught him neither todig nor to plough, nor any other skill; he failed in every craft. '

Fragment #4--Scholiast on Aeschines in Ctes. , sec. 160: He refers toMargites, a man who, though well grown up, did not know whether it washis father or his mother who gave him birth, and would not lie with hiswife, saying that he was afraid she might give a bad account of him toher mother. 

Fragment #5--Zenobius, v. 68: 'The fox knows many a wile; but thehedge-hog's one trick [3402] can beat them all. ' [3403]

THE CERCOPES (fragments)

Fragment #1--Suidas, s. V. : Cercopes. These were two brothers living uponthe earth who practised every kind of knavery. They were called Cercopes[3501] because of their cunning doings: one of them was named Passalusand the other Acmon. Their mother, a daughter of Memnon, seeing theirtricks, told them to keep clear of Black-bottom, that is, of Heracles. These Cercopes were sons of Theia and Ocean, and are said to have beenturned to stone for trying to deceive Zeus. 

'Liars and cheats, skilled in deeds irremediable, accomplishedknaves. Far over the world they roamed deceiving men as they wanderedcontinually. '

THE BATTLE OF FROGS AND MICE (303 lines)

(ll. 1-8) Here I begin: and first I pray the choir of the Muses tocome down from Helicon into my heart to aid the lay which I have newlywritten in tablets upon my knee. Fain would I sound in all men's earsthat awful strife, that clamorous deed of war, and tell how the Miceproved their valour on the Frogs and rivalled the exploits of theGiants, those earth-born men, as the tale was told among mortals. Thusdid the war begin. 

(ll. 9-12) One day a thirsty Mouse who had escaped the ferret, dangerousfoe, set his soft muzzle to the lake's brink and revelled in the sweetwater. There a loud-voiced pond-larker spied him: and uttered such wordsas these. 

(ll. 13-23) 'Stranger, who are you? Whence come you to this shore, andwho is he who begot you? Tell me all this truly and let me not find youlying. For if I find you worthy to be my friend, I will take you to myhouse and give you many noble gifts such as men give to their guests. I am the king Puff-jaw, and am honoured in all the pond, being rulerof the Frogs continually. The father that brought me up was Mud-man whomated with Waterlady by the banks of Eridanus. I see, indeed, that youare well-looking and stouter than the ordinary, a sceptred king and awarrior in fight; but, come, make haste and tell me your descent. '

(ll. 24-55) Then Crumb-snatcher answered him and said: 'Why do you askmy race, which is well-known amongst all, both men and gods and thebirds of heaven? Crumb-snatcher am I called, and I am the son ofBread-nibbler--he was my stout-hearted father--and my mother wasQuern-licker, the daughter of Ham-gnawer the king: she bare me in themouse-hole and nourished me with food, figs and nuts and dainties ofall kinds. But how are you to make me your friend, who am altogetherdifferent in nature? For you get your living in the water, but I am usedto each such foods as men have: I never miss the thrice-kneaded loafin its neat, round basket, or the thin-wrapped cake full of sesame andcheese, or the slice of ham, or liver vested in white fat, or cheesejust curdled from sweet milk, or delicious honey-cake which even theblessed gods long for, or any of all those cates which cooks make forthe feasts of mortal men, larding their pots and pans with spices of allkinds. In battle I have never flinched from the cruel onset, but plungedstraight into the fray and fought among the foremost. I fear not manthough he has a big body, but run along his bed and bite the tip ofhis toe and nibble at his heel; and the man feels no hurt and his sweetsleep is not broken by my biting. But there are two things I fear aboveall else the whole world over, the hawk and the ferret--for these bringgreat grief on me--and the piteous trap wherein is treacherous death. Most of all I fear the ferret of the keener sort which follows you stilleven when you dive down your hole. [3601] I gnaw no radishes and cabbagesand pumpkins, nor feed on green leeks and parsley; for these are foodfor you who live in the lake. '

(ll. 56-64) Then Puff-jaw answered him with a smile: 'Stranger you boasttoo much of belly-matters: we too have many marvels to be seen both inthe lake and on the shore. For the Son of Chronos has given us Frogs thepower to lead a double life, dwelling at will in two separate elements;and so we both leap on land and plunge beneath the water. If you wouldlearn of all these things, 'tis easy done: just mount upon my back andhold me tight lest you be lost, and so you shall come rejoicing to myhouse. '

(ll. 65-81) So said he, and offered his back. And the Mouse mounted atonce, putting his paws upon the other's sleek neck and vaulting nimbly. Now at first, while he still saw the land near by, he was pleased, andwas delighted with Puff-jaw's swimming; but when dark waves began towash over him, he wept loudly and blamed his unlucky change of mind: hetore his fur and tucked his paws in against his belly, while within himhis heart quaked by reason of the strangeness: and he longed to get toland, groaning terribly through the stress of chilling fear. He put outhis tail upon the water and worked it like a steering oar, and prayedto heaven that he might get to land. But when the dark waves washed overhim he cried aloud and said: 'Not in such wise did the bull bear on hisback the beloved load, when he brought Europa across the sea to Crete, as this Frog carries me over the water to his house, raising his yellowback in the pale water. '

(ll. 82-92) Then suddenly a water-snake appeared, a horrid sight forboth alike, and held his neck upright above the water. And when he sawit, Puff-jaw dived at once, and never thought how helpless a friend hewould leave perishing; but down to the bottom of the lake he went, andescaped black death. But the Mouse, so deserted, at once fell on hisback, in the water. He wrung his paws and squeaked in agony of death:many times he sank beneath the water and many times he rose up againkicking. But he could not escape his doom, for his wet fur weighed himdown heavily. Then at the last, as he was dying, he uttered these words. 

(ll. 93-98) 'Ah, Puff-jaw, you shall not go unpunished for thistreachery! You threw me, a castaway, off your body as from a rock. Vile coward! On land you would not have been the better man, boxing, orwrestling, or running; but now you have tricked me and cast me in thewater. Heaven has an avenging eye, and surely the host of Mice willpunish you and not let you escape. '

(ll. 99-109) With these words he breathed out his soul upon the water. But Lick-platter as he sat upon the soft bank saw him die and, raisinga dreadful cry, ran and told the Mice. And when they heard of his fate, all the Mice were seized with fierce anger, and bade theirheralds summon the people to assemble towards dawn at the house ofBread-nibbler, the father of hapless Crumb-snatcher who lay outstretchedon the water face up, a lifeless corpse, and no longer near the bank, poor wretch, but floating in the midst of the deep. And when the Micecame in haste at dawn, Bread-nibbler stood up first, enraged at hisson's death, and thus he spoke. 

(ll. 110-121) 'Friends, even if I alone had suffered great wrong fromthe Frogs, assuredly this is a first essay at mischief for you all. Andnow I am pitiable, for I have lost three sons. First the abhorred ferretseized and killed one of them, catching him outside the hole; thenruthless men dragged another to his doom when by unheard-of arts theyhad contrived a wooden snare, a destroyer of Mice, which they call atrap. There was a third whom I and his dear mother loved well, and himPuff-jaw has carried out into the deep and drowned. Come, then, and letus arm ourselves and go out against them when we have arrayed ourselvesin rich-wrought arms. '

(ll. 122-131) With such words he persuaded them all to gird themselves. And Ares who has charge of war equipped them. First they fastened ongreaves and covered their shins with green bean-pods broken into twoparts which they had gnawed out, standing over them all night. Theirbreast plates were of skin stretched on reeds, skilfully made from aferret they had flayed. For shields each had the centre-piece of a lamp, and their spears were long needles all of bronze, the work of Ares, andthe helmets upon their temples were pea-nut shells. 

(ll. 132-138) So the Mice armed themselves. But when the Frogs wereaware of it, they rose up out of the water and coming together to oneplace gathered a council of grievous war. And while they were askingwhence the quarrel arose, and what the cause of this anger, aherald drew near bearing a wand in his paws, Pot-visitor the sonof great-hearted Cheese-carver. He brought the grim message of war, speaking thus:

(ll. 139-143) 'Frogs, the Mice have sent me with their threats againstyou, and bid you arm yourselves for war and battle; for they have seenCrumb-snatcher in the water whom your king Puff-jaw slew. Fight, then, as many of you as are warriors among the Frogs. '

(ll. 144-146) With these words he explained the matter. So when thisblameless speech came to their ears, the proud Frogs were disturbed intheir hearts and began to blame Puff-jaw. But he rose up and said:

(ll. 147-159) 'Friends, I killed no Mouse, nor did I see one perishing. Surely he was drowned while playing by the lake and imitating theswimming of the Frogs, and now these wretches blame me who am guiltless. Come then; let us take counsel how we may utterly destroy the wily Mice. Moreover, I will tell you what I think to be the best. Let us all girdon our armour and take our stand on the very brink of the lake, wherethe ground breaks down sheer: then when they come out and charge uponus, let each seize by the crest the Mouse who attacks him, and cast themwith their helmets into the lake; for so we shall drown these dry-hobs[3602] in the water, and merrily set up here a trophy of victory over theslaughtered Mice. '

(ll. 160-167) By this speech he persuaded them to arm themselves. 

They covered their shins with leaves of mallows, and had breastplatesmade of fine green beet-leaves, and cabbage-leaves, skilfully fashioned, for shields. Each one was equipped with a long, pointed rush for aspear, and smooth snail-shells to cover their heads. Then they stoodin close-locked ranks upon the high bank, waving their spears, and werefilled, each of them, with courage. 

(ll. 168-173) Now Zeus called the gods to starry heaven and showed themthe martial throng and the stout warriors so many and so great, allbearing long spears; for they were as the host of the Centaurs and theGiants. Then he asked with a sly smile; 'Who of the deathless gods willhelp the Frogs and who the Mice?'

And he said to Athena;

(ll. 174-176) 'My daughter, will you go aid the Mice? For they allfrolic about your temple continually, delighting in the fat of sacrificeand in all kinds of food. '

(ll. 177-196) So then said the son of Cronos. But Athena answered him:'I would never go to help the Mice when they are hard pressed, for theyhave done me much mischief, spoiling my garlands and my lamps too, to get the oil. And this thing that they have done vexes my heartexceedingly: they have eaten holes in my sacred robe, which I wovepainfully spinning a fine woof on a fine warp, and made it full ofholes. And now the money-lender is at me and charges me interest whichis a bitter thing for immortals. For I borrowed to do my weaving, andhave nothing with which to repay. Yet even so I will not help the Frogs;for they also are not considerable: once, when I was returning earlyfrom war, I was very tired, and though I wanted to sleep, they would notlet me even doze a little for their outcry; and so I lay sleepless witha headache until cock-crow. No, gods, let us refrain from helping thesehosts, or one of us may get wounded with a sharp spear; for they fighthand to hand, even if a god comes against them. Let us rather all amuseourselves watching the fight from heaven. '

(ll. 197-198) So said Athena. And the other gods agreed with her, andall went in a body to one place. 

(ll. 199-201) Then gnats with great trumpets sounded the fell noteof war, and Zeus the son of Cronos thundered from heaven, a sign ofgrievous battle. 

(ll. 202-223) First Loud-croaker wounded Lickman in the belly, rightthrough the midriff. Down fell he on his face and soiled his soft furin the dust: he fell with a thud and his armour clashed about him. NextTroglodyte shot at the son of Mudman, and drove the strong spear deepinto his breast; so he fell, and black death seized him and his spiritflitted forth from his mouth. Then Beety struck Pot-visitor to the heartand killed him, and Bread-nibbler hit Loud-crier in the belly, so thathe fell on his face and his spirit flitted forth from his limbs. Nowwhen Pond-larker saw Loud-crier perishing, he struck in quickly andwounded Troglodyte in his soft neck with a rock like a mill-stone, sothat darkness veiled his eyes. Thereat Ocimides was seized with grief, and struck out with his sharp reed and did not draw his spear back tohim again, but felled his enemy there and then. And Lickman shot at himwith a bright spear and hit him unerringly in the midriff. And as hemarked Cabbage-eater running away, he fell on the steep bank, yet evenso did not cease fighting but smote that other so that he fell anddid not rise again; and the lake was dyed with red blood as he layoutstretched along the shore, pierced through the guts and shiningflanks. Also he slew Cheese-eater on the very brink. . . . 

((LACUNA))

(ll. 224-251) But Reedy took to flight when he saw Ham-nibbler, and fled, plunging into the lake and throwing away his shield. Thenblameless Pot-visitor killed Brewer and Water-larked killed the lordHam-nibbler, striking him on the head with a pebble, so that his brainsflowed out at his nostrils and the earth was bespattered with blood. Faultless Muck-coucher sprang upon Lick-platter and killed him with hisspear and brought darkness upon his eyes: and Leeky saw it, and draggedLick-platter by the foot, though he was dead, and choked him in thelake. But Crumb-snatcher was fighting to avenge his dead comrades, andhit Leeky before he reached the land; and he fell forward at the blowand his soul went down to Hades. And seeing this, the Cabbage-climbertook a clod of mud and hurled it at the Mouse, plastering all hisforehead and nearly blinding him. Thereat Crumb-snatcher was enraged andcaught up in his strong hand a huge stone that lay upon the ground, aheavy burden for the soil: with that he hit Cabbage-climber below theknee and splintered his whole right shin, hurling him on his back in thedust. But Croakperson kept him off, and rushing at the Mouse in turn, hit him in the middle of the belly and drove the whole reed-spear intohim, and as he drew the spear back to him with his strong hand, all hisfoe's bowels gushed out upon the ground. And when Troglodyte saw thedeed, as he was limping away from the fight on the river bank, he shrankback sorely moved, and leaped into a trench to escape sheer death. ThenBread-nibbler hit Puff-jaw on the toes--he came up at the last from thelake and was greatly distressed. . . . 

((LACUNA))

(ll. 252-259) And when Leeky saw him fallen forward, but still halfalive, he pressed through those who fought in front and hurled a sharpreed at him; but the point of the spear was stayed and did not breakhis shield. Then noble Rueful, like Ares himself, struck his flawlesshead-piece made of four pots--he only among the Frogs showed prowess inthe throng. But when he saw the other rush at him, he did not stay tomeet the stout-hearted hero but dived down to the depths of the lake. 

(ll. 260-271) Now there was one among the Mice, Slice-snatcher, who excelled the rest, dear son of Gnawer the son of blamelessBread-stealer. He went to his house and bade his son take part in thewar. This warrior threatened to destroy the race of Frogs utterly [3603], and splitting a chestnut-husk into two parts along the joint, put thetwo hollow pieces as armour on his paws: then straightway the Frogs weredismayed and all rushed down to the lake, and he would have made goodhis boast--for he had great strength--had not the Son of Cronos, theFather of men and gods, been quick to mark the thing and pitied theFrogs as they were perishing. He shook his head, and uttered this word:

(ll. 272-276) 'Dear, dear, how fearful a deed do my eyes behold!Slice-snatcher makes no small panic rushing to and fro among the Frogsby the lake. Let us then make all haste and send warlike Pallas or evenAres, for they will stop his fighting, strong though he is. '

(ll. 277-284) So said the Son of Cronos; but Hera answered him: 'Son ofCronos, neither the might of Athena nor of Ares can avail to deliverthe Frogs from utter destruction. Rather, come and let us all go tohelp them, or else let loose your weapon, the great and formidableTitan-killer with which you killed Capaneus, that doughty man, and greatEnceladus and the wild tribes of Giants; ay, let it loose, for so themost valiant will be slain. '

(ll. 285-293) So said Hera: and the Son of Cronos cast a luridthunderbolt: first he thundered and made great Olympus shake, and thecast the thunderbolt, the awful weapon of Zeus, tossing it lightlyforth. Thus he frightened them all, Frogs and Mice alike, hurling hisbolt upon them. Yet even so the army of the Mice did not relax, buthoped still more to destroy the brood of warrior Frogs. Only, the Sonof Cronos, on Olympus, pitied the Frogs and then straightway sent themhelpers. 

(ll. 294-303) So there came suddenly warriors with mailed backs andcurving claws, crooked beasts that walked sideways, nut-cracker-jawed, shell-hided: bony they were, flat-backed, with glistening shoulders andbandy legs and stretching arms and eyes that looked behind them. Theyhad also eight legs and two feelers--persistent creatures who are calledcrabs. These nipped off the tails and paws and feet of the Mice withtheir jaws, while spears only beat on them. Of these the Mice were allafraid and no longer stood up to them, but turned and fled. Already thesun was set, and so came the end of the one-day war. 

OF THE ORIGIN OF HOMER AND HESIOD, AND OF THEIR CONTEST

(aka "The Contest of Homer and Hesiod")

Everyone boasts that the most divine of poets, Homer and Hesiod, aresaid to be his particular countrymen. Hesiod, indeed, has put a nameto his native place and so prevented any rivalry, for he said thathis father 'settled near Helicon in a wretched hamlet, Ascra, which ismiserable in winter, sultry in summer, and good at no season. ' But, asfor Homer, you might almost say that every city with its inhabitantsclaims him as her son. Foremost are the men of Smyrna who say that hewas the Son of Meles, the river of their town, by a nymph Cretheis, andthat he was at first called Melesigenes. He was named Homer later, whenhe became blind, this being their usual epithet for such people. TheChians, on the other hand, bring forward evidence to show that hewas their countryman, saying that there actually remain some of hisdescendants among them who are called Homeridae. The Colophonianseven show the place where they declare that he began to compose when aschoolmaster, and say that his first work was the "Margites". 

As to his parents also, there is on all hands great disagreement. 

Hellanicus and Cleanthes say his father was Maeon, but Eugaeon saysMeles; Callicles is for Mnesagoras, Democritus of Troezen for Daemon, a merchant-trader. Some, again, say he was the son of Thamyras, but theEgyptians say of Menemachus, a priest-scribe, and there are even thosewho father him on Telemachus, the son of Odysseus. As for his mother, she is variously called Metis, Cretheis, Themista, and Eugnetho. Otherssay she was an Ithacan woman sold as a slave by the Phoenicians; other, Calliope the Muse; others again Polycasta, the daughter of Nestor. 

Homer himself was called Meles or, according to different accounts, Melesigenes or Altes. Some authorities say he was called Homer, becausehis father was given as a hostage to the Persians by the men of Cyprus;others, because of his blindness; for amongst the Aeolians the blind areso called. We will set down, however, what we have heard to have beensaid by the Pythia concerning Homer in the time of the most sacredEmperor Hadrian. When the monarch inquired from what city Homer came, and whose son he was, the priestess delivered a response in hexametersafter this fashion:

'Do you ask me of the obscure race and country of the heavenly siren?Ithaca is his country, Telemachus his father, and Epicasta, Nestor'sdaughter, the mother that bare him, a man by far the wisest of mortalkind. ' This we must most implicitly believe, the inquirer and theanswerer being who they are--especially since the poet has so greatlyglorified his grandfather in his works. 

Now some say that he was earlier than Hesiod, others that he wasyounger and akin to him. They give his descent thus: Apollo and Aethusa, daughter of Poseidon, had a son Linus, to whom was born Pierus. FromPierus and the nymph Methone sprang Oeager; and from Oeager and CalliopeOrpheus; from Orpheus, Dres; and from him, Eucles. The descent iscontinued through Iadmonides, Philoterpes, Euphemus, Epiphrades andMelanopus who had sons Dius and Apelles. Dius by Pycimede, the daughterof Apollo had two sons Hesiod and Perses; while Apelles begot Maeon whowas the father of Homer by a daughter of the River Meles. 

According to one account they flourished at the same time and even hada contest of skill at Chalcis in Euboea. For, they say, after Homer hadcomposed the "Margites", he went about from city to city as a minstrel, and coming to Delphi, inquired who he was and of what country? ThePythia answered:

'The Isle of Ios is your mother's country and it shall receive you dead;but beware of the riddle of the young children. ' [3701]

Hearing this, it is said, he hesitated to go to Ios, and remained in theregion where he was. Now about the same time Ganyctor was celebratingthe funeral rites of his father Amphidamas, king of Euboea, and invitedto the gathering not only all those who were famous for bodily strengthand fleetness of foot, but also those who excelled in wit, promisingthem great rewards. And so, as the story goes, the two went to Chalcisand met by chance. The leading Chalcidians were judges together withPaneides, the brother of the dead king; and it is said that after awonderful contest between the two poets, Hesiod won in the followingmanner: he came forward into the midst and put Homer one question afteranother, which Homer answered. Hesiod, then, began:

'Homer, son of Meles, inspired with wisdom from heaven, come, tell mefirst what is best for mortal man?'

HOMER: 'For men on earth 'tis best never to be born at all; or beingborn, to pass through the gates of Hades with all speed. '

Hesiod then asked again:

'Come, tell me now this also, godlike Homer: what think you in yourheart is most delightsome to men?'

Homer answered:

'When mirth reigns throughout the town, and feasters about the house, sitting in order, listen to a minstrel; when the tables beside them areladen with bread and meat, and a wine-bearer draws sweet drink fromthe mixing-bowl and fills the cups: this I think in my heart to be mostdelightsome. '

It is said that when Homer had recited these verses, they were soadmired by the Greeks as to be called golden by them, and that even nowat public sacrifices all the guests solemnly recite them before feastsand libations. Hesiod, however, was annoyed by Homer's felicity andhurried on to pose him with hard questions. He therefore began with thefollowing lines:

'Come, Muse; sing not to me of things that are, or that shall be, orthat were of old; but think of another song. '

Then Homer, wishing to escape from the impasse by an apt answer, replied:--

'Never shall horses with clattering hoofs break chariots, striving forvictory about the tomb of Zeus. '

Here again Homer had fairly met Hesiod, and so the latter turned tosentences of doubtful meaning [3702]: he recited many lines and requiredHomer to complete the sense of each appropriately. The first of thefollowing verses is Hesiod's and the next Homer's: but sometimes Hesiodputs his question in two lines. 

HESIOD: 'Then they dined on the flesh of oxen and their horses' necks--'

HOMER: 'They unyoked dripping with sweat, when they had had enough ofwar. '

HESIOD: 'And the Phrygians, who of all men are handiest at ships--'

HOMER: 'To filch their dinner from pirates on the beach. '

HESIOD: 'To shoot forth arrows against the tribes of cursed giants withhis hands--'

HOMER: 'Heracles unslung his curved bow from his shoulders. '

HESIOD: 'This man is the son of a brave father and a weakling--'

HOMER: 'Mother; for war is too stern for any woman. '

HESIOD: 'But for you, your father and lady mother lay in love--'

HOMER: 'When they begot you by the aid of golden Aphrodite. '

HESIOD: 'But when she had been made subject in love, Artemis, whodelights in arrows--'

HOMER: 'Slew Callisto with a shot of her silver bow. '

HESIOD: 'So they feasted all day long, taking nothing--'

HOMER: 'From their own houses; for Agamemnon, king of men, suppliedthem. '

HESIOD: 'When they had feasted, they gathered among the glowing ashesthe bones of the dead Zeus--'

HOMER: 'Born Sarpedon, that bold and godlike man. '

HESIOD: 'Now we have lingered thus about the plain of Simois, forth fromthe ships let us go our way, upon our shoulders--'

HOMER: 'Having our hilted swords and long-helved spears. '

HESIOD: 'Then the young heroes with their hands from the sea--'

HOMER: 'Gladly and swiftly hauled out their fleet ship. '

HESIOD: 'Then they came to Colchis and king Aeetes--'

HOMER: 'They avoided; for they knew he was inhospitable and lawless. '

HESIOD: 'Now when they had poured libations and deeply drunk, thesurging sea--'

HOMER: 'They were minded to traverse on well-built ships. '

HESIOD: 'The Son of Atreus prayed greatly for them that they all mightperish--'

HOMER: 'At no time in the sea: and he opened his mouth said:'

HESIOD: 'Eat, my guests, and drink, and may no one of you return home tohis dear country--'

HOMER: 'Distressed; but may you all reach home again unscathed. '

When Homer had met him fairly on every point Hesiod said:

'Only tell me this thing that I ask: How many Achaeans went to Iliumwith the sons of Atreus?'

Homer answered in a mathematical problem, thus:

'There were fifty hearths, and at each hearth were fifty spits, andon each spit were fifty carcases, and there were thrice three hundredAchaeans to each joint. '

This is found to be an incredible number; for as there were fiftyhearths, the number of spits is two thousand five hundred; and ofcarcasses, one hundred and twenty thousand. . . 

Homer, then, having the advantage on every point, Hesiod was jealous andbegan again:

'Homer, son of Meles, if indeed the Muses, daughters of great Zeus themost high, honour you as it is said, tell me a standard that is bothbest and worst for mortal-men; for I long to know it. ' Homer replied:'Hesiod, son of Dius, I am willing to tell you what you command, andvery readily will I answer you. For each man to be a standard will Ianswer you. For each man to be a standard to himself is most excellentfor the good, but for the bad it is the worst of all things. And now askme whatever else your heart desires. '

HESIOD: 'How would men best dwell in cities, and with what observances?'

HOMER: 'By scorning to get unclean gain and if the good were honoured, but justice fell upon the unjust. '

HESIOD: 'What is the best thing of all for a man to ask of the gods inprayer?'

HOMER: 'That he may be always at peace with himself continually. '

HESIOD: 'Can you tell me in briefest space what is best of all?'

HOMER: 'A sound mind in a manly body, as I believe. '

HESIOD: 'Of what effect are righteousness and courage?'

HOMER: 'To advance the common good by private pains. '

HESIOD: 'What is the mark of wisdom among men?'

HOMER: 'To read aright the present, and to march with the occasion. '

HESIOD: 'In what kind of matter is it right to trust in men?'

HOMER: 'Where danger itself follows the action close. '

HESIOD: 'What do men mean by happiness?'

HOMER: 'Death after a life of least pain and greatest pleasure. '

After these verses had been spoken, all the Hellenes called for Homerto be crowned. But King Paneides bade each of them recite the finestpassage from his own poems. Hesiod, therefore, began as follows:

'When the Pleiads, the daughters of Atlas, begin to rise begin theharvest, and begin ploughing ere they set. For forty nights and daysthey are hidden, but appear again as the year wears round, when firstthe sickle is sharpened. This is the law of the plains and for thosewho dwell near the sea or live in the rich-soiled valleys, far from thewave-tossed deep: strip to sow, and strip to plough, and strip to reapwhen all things are in season. ' [3703]

Then Homer:

'The ranks stood firm about the two Aiantes, such that not even Areswould have scorned them had he met them, nor yet Athena who savesarmies. For there the chosen best awaited the charge of the Trojansand noble Hector, making a fence of spears and serried shields. Shieldclosed with shield, and helm with helm, and each man with his fellow, and the peaks of their head-pieces with crests of horse-hair touchedas they bent their heads: so close they stood together. The murderousbattle bristled with the long, flesh-rending spears they held, and theflash of bronze from polished helms and new-burnished breast-platesand gleaming shields blinded the eyes. Very hard of heart would he havebeen, who could then have seen that strife with joy and felt no pang. '[3704]

Here, again, the Hellenes applauded Homer admiringly, so far didthe verses exceed the ordinary level; and demanded that he should beadjudged the winner. But the king gave the crown to Hesiod, declaringthat it was right that he who called upon men to follow peace andhusbandry should have the prize rather than one who dwelt on war andslaughter. In this way, then, we are told, Hesiod gained the victoryand received a brazen tripod which he dedicated to the Muses with thisinscription:

'Hesiod dedicated this tripod to the Muses of Helicon after he hadconquered divine Homer at Chalcis in a contest of song. '

After the gathering was dispersed, Hesiod crossed to the mainland andwent to Delphi to consult the oracle and to dedicate the first fruits ofhis victory to the god. They say that as he was approaching the temple, the prophetess became inspired and said:

'Blessed is this man who serves my house, --Hesiod, who is honoured bythe deathless Muses: surely his renown shall be as wide as the lightof dawn is spread. But beware of the pleasant grove of Nemean Zeus; forthere death's end is destined to befall you. '

When Hesiod heard this oracle, he kept away from the Peloponnesus, supposing that the god meant the Nemea there; and coming to Oenoe inLocris, he stayed with Amphiphanes and Ganyetor the sons of Phegeus, thus unconsciously fulfilling the oracle; for all that region was calledthe sacred place of Nemean Zeus. He continued to stay a somewhat longtime at Oenoe, until the young men, suspecting Hesiod of seducing theirsister, killed him and cast his body into the sea which separates Achaeaand Locris. On the third day, however, his body was brought to land bydolphins while some local feast of Ariadne was being held. Thereupon, all the people hurried to the shore, and recognized the body, lamentedover it and buried it, and then began to look for the assassins. Butthese, fearing the anger of their countrymen, launched a fishing boat, and put out to sea for Crete: they had finished half their voyage whenZeus sank them with a thunderbolt, as Alcidamas states in his "Museum". Eratosthenes, however, says in his "Hesiod" that Ctimenus and Antiphus, sons of Ganyetor, killed him for the reason already stated, and weresacrificed by Eurycles the seer to the gods of hospitality. He adds thatthe girl, sister of the above-named, hanged herself after she had beenseduced, and that she was seduced by some stranger, Demodes by name, whowas travelling with Hesiod, and who was also killed by the brothers. At a later time the men of Orchomenus removed his body as they weredirected by an oracle, and buried him in their own country where theyplaced this inscription on his tomb:

'Ascra with its many cornfields was his native land; but in death theland of the horse-driving Minyans holds the bones of Hesiod, whoserenown is greatest among men of all who are judged by the test of wit. '

So much for Hesiod. But Homer, after losing the victory, went from placeto place reciting his poems, and first of all the "Thebais" in seventhousand verses which begins: 'Goddess, sing of parched Argos whencekings. . . ', and then the "Epigoni" in seven thousand verses beginning:'And now, Muses, let us begin to sing of men of later days'; for somesay that these poems also are by Homer. Now Xanthus and Gorgus, son ofMidas the king, heard his epics and invited him to compose a epitaphfor the tomb of their father on which was a bronze figure of a maidenbewailing the death of Midas. He wrote the following lines:--

'I am a maiden of bronze and sit upon the tomb of Midas. While waterflows, and tall trees put forth leaves, and rivers swell, and the seabreaks on the shore; while the sun rises and shines and the bright moonalso, ever remaining on this mournful tomb I tell the passer-by thatMidas here lies buried. '

For these verses they gave him a silver bowl which he dedicated toApollo at Delphi with this inscription: 'Lord Phoebus, I, Homer, havegiven you a noble gift for the wisdom I have of you: do you ever grantme renown. '

After this he composed the "Odyssey" in twelve thousand verses, havingpreviously written the "Iliad" in fifteen thousand five hundredverses [3705]. From Delphi, as we are told, he went to Athens and wasentertained by Medon, king of the Athenians. And being one day in thecouncil hall when it was cold and a fire was burning there, he drew offthe following lines:

'Children are a man's crown, and towers of a city, horses are theornament of a plain, and ships of the sea; and good it is to seea people seated in assembly. But with a blazing fire a house looksworthier upon a wintry day when the Son of Cronos sends down snow. '

From Athens he went on to Corinth, where he sang snatches of his poemsand was received with distinction. Next he went to Argos and thererecited these verses from the "Iliad":

'The sons of the Achaeans who held Argos and walled Tiryns, and Hermioneand Asine which lie along a deep bay, and Troezen, and Eiones, andvine-clad Epidaurus, and the island of Aegina, and Mases, --thesefollowed strong-voiced Diomedes, son of Tydeus, who had the spiritof his father the son of Oeneus, and Sthenelus, dear son of famousCapaneus. And with these two there went a third leader, Eurypylus, a godlike man, son of the lord Mecisteus, sprung of Talaus; butstrong-voiced Diomedes was their chief leader. These men had eightydark ships wherein were ranged men skilled in war, Argives with linenjerkins, very goads of war. ' [3706]

This praise of their race by the most famous of all poets so exceedinglydelighted the leading Argives, that they rewarded him with costly giftsand set up a brazen statue to him, decreeing that sacrifice should beoffered to Homer daily, monthly, and yearly; and that another sacrificeshould be sent to Chios every five years. This is the inscription theycut upon his statue:

'This is divine Homer who by his sweet-voiced art honoured all proudHellas, but especially the Argives who threw down the god-built walls ofTroy to avenge rich-haired Helen. For this cause the people of a greatcity set his statue here and serve him with the honours of the deathlessgods. '

After he had stayed for some time in Argos, he crossed over to Delos, to the great assembly, and there, standing on the altar of horns, herecited the "Hymn to Apollo" [3707] which begins: 'I will remember andnot forget Apollo the far-shooter. ' When the hymn was ended, the Ioniansmade him a citizen of each one of their states, and the Delians wrotethe poem on a whitened tablet and dedicated it in the temple of Artemis. The poet sailed to Ios, after the assembly was broken up, to joinCreophylus, and stayed there some time, being now an old man. And, it issaid, as he was sitting by the sea he asked some boys who were returningfrom fishing:

'Sirs, hunters of deep-sea prey, have we caught anything?'

To this replied:

'All that we caught, we left behind, and carry away all that we did notcatch. '

Homer did not understand this reply and asked what they meant. They thenexplained that they had caught nothing in fishing, but had been catchingtheir lice, and those of the lice which they caught, they left behind;but carried away in their clothes those which they did not catch. Hereupon Homer remembered the oracle and, perceiving that the end of hislife had come composed his own epitaph. And while he was retiring fromthat place, he slipped in a clayey place and fell upon his side, anddied, it is said, the third day after. He was buried in Ios, and this ishis epitaph:

'Here the earth covers the sacred head of divine Homer, the glorifier ofhero-men. '

*****

ENDNOTES:

[Footnote 1101: sc. In Boeotia, Locris and Thessaly: elsewhere themovement was forced and unfruitful. ]

[Footnote 1102: The extant collection of three poems, "Works and Days", "Theogony", and "Shield of Heracles", which alone have come down to uscomplete, dates at least from the 4th century A. D. : the title of theParis Papyrus (Bibl. Nat. Suppl. Gr. 1099) names only these threeworks. ]

[Footnote 1103: "Der Dialekt des Hesiodes", p. 464: examples are AENEMI(W. And D. 683) and AROMENAI (ib. 22). ]

[Footnote 1104: T. W. Allen suggests that the conjured Delian and Pythianhymns to Apollo ("Homeric Hymns" III) may have suggested this version ofthe story, the Pythian hymn showing strong continental influence. ]

[Footnote 1105: She is said to have given birth to the lyristStesichorus. ]

[Footnote 1106: See Kinkel "Epic. Graec. Frag. " i. 158 ff. ]

[Footnote 1107: See "Great Works", frag. 2. ]

[Footnote 1108: "Hesiodi Fragmenta", pp. 119 f. ]

[Footnote 1109: Possibly the division of this poem into two books is adivision belonging solely to this 'developed poem', which may haveincluded in its second part a summary of the Tale of Troy. ]

[Footnote 1110: Goettling's explanation. ]

[Footnote 1111: x. 1. 52. ]

[Footnote 1112: Odysseus appears to have been mentioned once only--andthat casually--in the "Returns". ]

[Footnote 1113: M. M. Croiset note that the "Aethiopis" and the "Sack"were originally merely parts of one work containing lays (the Amazoneia, Aethiopis, Persis, etc. ), just as the "Iliad" contained various layssuch as the Diomedeia. ]

[Footnote 1114: No date is assigned to him, but it seems likely that hewas either contemporary or slightly earlier than Lesches. ]

[Footnote 1115: Cp. Allen and Sikes, "Homeric Hymns" p. Xv. In the textI have followed the arrangement of these scholars, numbering the Hymnsto Dionysus and to Demeter, I and II respectively: to place "Demeter"after "Hermes", and the Hymn to Dionysus at the end of the collectionseems to be merely perverse. ]

[Footnote 1116: "Greek Melic Poets", p. 165. ]

[Footnote 1117: This monument was returned to Greece in the 1980's. --DBK. ]

[Footnote 1118: Cp. Marckscheffel, "Hesiodi fragmenta", p. 35. Thepapyrus fragment recovered by Petrie ("Petrie Papyri", ed. Mahaffy, p. 70, No. Xxv. ) agrees essentially with the extant document, but differsin numerous minor textual points. ]

[Footnote 1201: See Schubert, "Berl. Klassikertexte" v. 1. 22 ff. ; theother papyri may be found in the publications whose name they bear. ]

[Footnote 1202: Unless otherwise noted, all MSS. Are of the 15thcentury. ]

[Footnote 1203: To this list I would also add the following: "Hesiod andTheognis", translated by Dorothea Wender (Penguin Classics, London, 1973). --DBK. ]

[Footnote 1301: That is, the poor man's fare, like 'bread and cheese'. ]

[Footnote 1302: The All-endowed. ]

[Footnote 1303: The jar or casket contained the gifts of the godsmentioned in l. 82. ]

[Footnote 1304: Eustathius refers to Hesiod as stating that men sprung'from oaks and stones and ashtrees'. Proclus believed that the Nymphscalled Meliae ("Theogony", 187) are intended. Goettling would render: 'Arace terrible because of their (ashen) spears. ']

[Footnote 1305: Preserved only by Proclus, from whom some inferior MSS. Have copied the verse. The four following lines occur only in GenevaPapyri No. 94. For the restoration of ll. 169b-c see "Class. Quart. "vii. 219-220. (NOTE: Mr. Evelyn-White means that the version quoted byProclus stops at this point, then picks up at l. 170. --DBK). ]

[Footnote 1306: i. E. The race will so degenerate that at the last even anew-born child will show the marks of old age. ]

[Footnote 1307: Aidos, as a quality, is that feeling of reverence orshame which restrains men from wrong: Nemesis is the feeling ofrighteous indignation aroused especially by the sight of the wicked inundeserved prosperity (cf. "Psalms", lxxii. 1-19). ]

[Footnote 1308: The alternative version is: 'and, working, you will bemuch better loved both by gods and men; for they greatly dislike theidle. ']

[Footnote 1309: i. E. Neighbours come at once and without makingpreparations, but kinsmen by marriage (who live at a distance) have toprepare, and so are long in coming. ]

[Footnote 1310: Early in May. ]

[Footnote 1311: In November. ]

[Footnote 1312: In October. ]

[Footnote 1313: For pounding corn. ]

[Footnote 1314: A mallet for breaking clods after ploughing. ]

[Footnote 1315: The loaf is a flattish cake with two intersecting linesscored on its upper surface which divide it into four equal parts. ]

[Footnote 1316: The meaning is obscure. A scholiast renders 'givingeight mouthfulls'; but the elder Philostratus uses the word in contrastto 'leavened'. ]

[Footnote 1317: About the middle of November. ]

[Footnote 1318: Spring is so described because the buds have not yetcast their iron-grey husks. ]

[Footnote 1319: In December. ]

[Footnote 1320: In March. ]

[Footnote 1321: The latter part of January and earlier part ofFebruary. ]

[Footnote 1322: i. E. The octopus or cuttle. ]

[Footnote 1323: i. E. The darker-skinned people of Africa, the Egyptiansor Aethiopians. ]

[Footnote 1324: i. E. An old man walking with a staff (the 'third leg'--as in the riddle of the Sphinx). ]

[Footnote 1325: February to March. ]

[Footnote 1326: i. E. The snail. The season is the middle of May. ]

[Footnote 1327: In June. ]

[Footnote 1328: July. ]

[Footnote 1329: i. E. A robber. ]

[Footnote 1330: September. ]

[Footnote 1331: The end of October. ]

[Footnote 1332: That is, the succession of stars which make up the fullyear. ]

[Footnote 1333: The end of October or beginning of November. ]

[Footnote 1334: July-August. ]

[Footnote 1335: i. E. Untimely, premature. Juvenal similarly speaks of'cruda senectus' (caused by gluttony). ]

[Footnote 1336: The thought is parallel to that of 'O, what a goodlyoutside falsehood hath. ']

[Footnote 1337: The 'common feast' is one to which all presentsubscribe. Theognis (line 495) says that one of the chief pleasures of abanquet is the general conversation. Hence the present passage meansthat such a feast naturally costs little, while the many present willmake pleasurable conversation. ]

[Footnote 1338: i. E. 'do not cut your finger-nails'. ]

[Footnote 1339: i. E. Things which it would be sacrilege to disturb, suchas tombs. ]

[Footnote 1340: H. G. Evelyn-White prefers to switch ll. 768 and 769, reading l. 769 first then l. 768. --DBK]

[Footnote 1341: The month is divided into three periods, the waxing, themid-month, and the waning, which answer to the phases of the moon. ]

[Footnote 1342: i. E. The ant. ]

[Footnote 1343: Such seems to be the meaning here, though the epithet isotherwise rendered 'well-rounded'. Corn was threshed by means of asleigh with two runners having three or four rollers between them, likethe modern Egyptian "nurag". ]

[Footnote 1401: This halt verse is added by the Scholiast on Aratus, 172. ]

[Footnote 1402: The "Catasterismi" ("Placings among the Stars") is acollection of legends relating to the various constellations. ]

[Footnote 1403: The Straits of Messina. ]

[Footnote 1501: Or perhaps 'a Scythian'. ]

[Footnote 1601: The epithet probably indicates coquettishness. ]

[Footnote 1602: A proverbial saying meaning, 'why enlarge on irrelevanttopics?']

[Footnote 1603: 'She of the noble voice': Calliope is queen of Epicpoetry. ]

[Footnote 1604: Earth, in the cosmology of Hesiod, is a disk surroundedby the river Oceanus and floating upon a waste of waters. It is calledthe foundation of all (the qualification 'the deathless ones. . . ' etc. Isan interpolation), because not only trees, men, and animals, but eventhe hills and seas (ll. 129, 131) are supported by it. ]

[Footnote 1605: Aether is the bright, untainted upper atmosphere, asdistinguished from Aer, the lower atmosphere of the earth. ]

[Footnote 1606: Brontes is the Thunderer; Steropes, the Lightener; andArges, the Vivid One. ]

[Footnote 1607: The myth accounts for the separation of Heaven andEarth. In Egyptian cosmology Nut (the Sky) is thrust and held apart fromher brother Geb (the Earth) by their father Shu, who corresponds to theGreek Atlas. ]

[Footnote 1608: Nymphs of the ash-trees, as Dryads are nymphs of theoak-trees. Cp. Note on "Works and Days", l. 145. ]

[Footnote 1609: 'Member-loving': the title is perhaps only a perversionof the regular PHILOMEIDES (laughter-loving). ]

[Footnote 1610: Cletho (the Spinner) is she who spins the thread ofman's life; Lachesis (the Disposer of Lots) assigns to each man hisdestiny; Atropos (She who cannot be turned) is the 'Fury with theabhorred shears. ']

[Footnote 1611: Many of the names which follow express various qualitiesor aspects of the sea: thus Galene is 'Calm', Cymothoe is the'Wave-swift', Pherusa and Dynamene are 'She who speeds (ships)' and'She who has power'. ]

[Footnote 1612: The 'Wave-receiver' and the 'Wave-stiller'. ]

[Footnote 1613: 'The Unerring' or 'Truthful'; cp. L. 235. ]

[Footnote 1614: i. E. Poseidon. ]

[Footnote 1615: Goettling notes that some of these nymphs derive theirnames from lands over which they preside, as Europa, Asia, Doris, Ianeira ('Lady of the Ionians'), but that most are called after somequality which their streams possessed: thus Xanthe is the 'Brown' or'Turbid', Amphirho is the 'Surrounding' river, Ianthe is 'She whodelights', and Ocyrrhoe is the 'Swift-flowing'. ]

[Footnote 1616: i. E. Eos, the 'Early-born'. ]

[Footnote 1617: Van Lennep explains that Hecate, having no brothers tosupport her claim, might have been slighted. ]

[Footnote 1618: The goddess of the hearth (the Roman "Vesta"), and so ofthe house. Cp. "Homeric Hymns" v. 22 ff. ; xxxix. 1 ff. ]

[Footnote 1619: The variant reading 'of his father' (sc. Heaven) restson inferior MS. Authority and is probably an alteration due to thedifficulty stated by a Scholiast: 'How could Zeus, being not yetbegotten, plot against his father?' The phrase is, however, part of theprophecy. The whole line may well be spurious, and is rejected by Heyne, Wolf, Gaisford and Guyet. ]

[Footnote 1620: Pausanias (x. 24. 6) saw near the tomb of Neoptolemus 'astone of no great size', which the Delphians anointed every day withoil, and which he says was supposed to be the stone given to Cronos. ]

[Footnote 1621: A Scholiast explains: 'Either because they (men) sprangfrom the Melian nymphs (cp. L. 187); or because, when they were born(?), they cast themselves under the ash-trees, that is, the trees. ' Thereference may be to the origin of men from ash-trees: cp. "Works andDays", l. 145 and note. ]

[Footnote 1622: sc. Atlas, the Shu of Egyptian mythology: cp. Note online 177. ]

[Footnote 1623: Oceanus is here regarded as a continuous streamenclosing the earth and the seas, and so as flowing back upon himself. ]

[Footnote 1624: The conception of Oceanus is here different: he has ninestreams which encircle the earth and then flow out into the 'main' whichappears to be the waste of waters on which, according to early Greek andHebrew cosmology, the disk-like earth floated. ]

[Footnote 1625: i. E. The threshold is of 'native' metal, and notartificial. ]

[Footnote 1626: According to Homer Typhoeus was overwhelmed by Zeusamongst the Arimi in Cilicia. Pindar represents him as buried underAetna, and Tzetzes reads Aetna in this passage. ]

[Footnote 1627: The epithet (which means literally 'well-bored') seemsto refer to the spout of the crucible. ]

[Footnote 1628: The fire god. There is no reference to volcanic action:iron was smelted on Mount Ida; cp. "Epigrams of Homer", ix. 2-4. ]

[Footnote 1629: i. E. Athena, who was born 'on the banks of the riverTrito' (cp. L. 929l)]

[Footnote 1630: Restored by Peppmuller. The nineteen following linesfrom another recension of lines 889-900, 924-9 are quoted by Chrysippus(in Galen). ]

[Footnote 1631: sc. The aegis. Line 929s is probably spurious, since itdisagrees with l. 929q and contains a suspicious reference to Athens. ]

[Footnote 1701: A catalogue of heroines each of whom was introduced withthe words E OIE, 'Or like her'. ]

[Footnote 1702: An antiquarian writer of Byzantium, c. 490-570 A. D. ]

[Footnote 1703: Constantine VII. 'Born in the Porphyry Chamber', 905-959A. D. ]

[Footnote 1704: "Berlin Papyri", 7497 (left-hand fragment) and"Oxyrhynchus Papyri", 421 (right-hand fragment). For the restoration see"Class. Quart. " vii. 217-8. ]

[Footnote 1705: As the price to be given to her father for her: so in"Iliad" xviii. 593 maidens are called 'earners of oxen'. PossiblyGlaucus, like Aias (fr. 68, ll. 55 ff. ), raided the cattle of others. ]

[Footnote 1706: i. E. Glaucus should father the children of others. Thecurse of Aphrodite on the daughters of Tyndareus (fr. 67) may becompared. ]

[Footnote 1707: Porphyry, scholar, mathematician, philosopher andhistorian, lived 233-305 (?) A. D. He was a pupil of the neo-PlatonistPlotinus. ]

[Footnote 1708: Author of a geographical lexicon, produced after 400A. D. , and abridged under Justinian. ]

[Footnote 1709: Archbishop of Thessalonica 1175-1192 (?) A. D. , author ofcommentaries on Pindar and on the "Iliad" and "Odyssey". ]

[Footnote 1710: In the earliest times a loin-cloth was worn by athletes, but was discarded after the 14th Olympiad. ]

[Footnote 1711: Slight remains of five lines precede line 1 in theoriginal: after line 20 an unknown number of lines have been lost, andtraces of a verse preceding line 21 are here omitted. Between lines 29and 30 are fragments of six verses which do not suggest any definiterestoration. (NOTE: Line enumeration is that according to Evelyn-White;a slightly different line numbering system is adopted in the originalpublication of this fragment. --DBK)]

[Footnote 1712: The end of Schoeneus' speech, the preparations and thebeginning of the race are lost. ]

[Footnote 1713: Of the three which Aphrodite gave him to enable him toovercome Atalanta. ]

[Footnote 1714: The geographer; fl. C. 24 B. C. ]

[Footnote 1715: Of Miletus, flourished about 520 B. C. His work, amixture of history and geography, was used by Herodotus. ]

[Footnote 1716: The Hesiodic story of the daughters of Proetus can bereconstructed from these sources. They were sought in marriage by allthe Greeks (Pauhellenes), but having offended Dionysus (or, according toServius, Juno), were afflicted with a disease which destroyed theirbeauty (or were turned into cows). They were finally healed byMelampus. ]

[Footnote 1717: Fl. 56-88 A. D. : he is best known for his work onVergil. ]

[Footnote 1718: This and the following fragment segment are meant to beread together. --DBK. ]

[Footnote 1719: This fragment as well as fragments #40A, #101, and #102were added by Mr. Evelyn-White in an appendix to the second edition(1919). They are here moved to the "Catalogues" proper for easier use bythe reader. --DBK. ]

[Footnote 1720: For the restoration of ll. 1-16 see "Ox. Pap. " pt. Xi. Pp. 46-7: the supplements of ll. 17-31 are by the Translator (cp. "Class. Quart. " x. (1916), pp. 65-67). ]

[Footnote 1721: The crocus was to attract Europa, as in the very similarstory of Persephone: cp. "Homeric Hymns" ii. Lines 8 ff. ]

[Footnote 1722: Apollodorus of Athens (fl. 144 B. C. ) was a pupil ofAristarchus. He wrote a Handbook of Mythology, from which the extantwork bearing his name is derived. ]

[Footnote 1723: Priest at Praeneste. He lived c. 170-230 A. D. ]

[Footnote 1724: Son of Apollonius Dyscolus, lived in Rome under MarcusAurelius. His chief work was on accentuation. ]

[Footnote 1725: This and the next two fragment segments are meant to beread together. --DBK. ]

[Footnote 1726: Sacred to Poseidon. For the custom observed there, cp. "Homeric Hymns" iii. 231 ff. ]

[Footnote 1727: The allusion is obscure. ]

[Footnote 1728: Apollonius 'the Crabbed' was a grammarian of Alexandriaunder Hadrian. He wrote largely on Grammar and Syntax. ]

[Footnote 1729: 275-195 (?) B. C. , mathematician, astronomer, scholar, and head of the Library of Alexandria. ]

[Footnote 1730: Of Cyme. He wrote a universal history covering theperiod between the Dorian Migration and 340 B. C. ]

[Footnote 1731: i. E. The nomad Scythians, who are described by Herodotusas feeding on mares' milk and living in caravans. ]

[Footnote 1732: The restorations are mainly those adopted or suggestedin "Ox. Pap. " pt. Xi. Pp. 48 ff. : for those of ll. 8-14 see "Class. Quart. " x. (1916) pp. 67-69. ]

[Footnote 1733: i. E. Those who seek to outwit the oracle, or to ask ofit more than they ought, will be deceived by it and be led to ruin: cp. "Hymn to Hermes", 541 ff. ]

[Footnote 1734: Zetes and Calais, sons of Boreas, who were amongst theArgonauts, delivered Phineus from the Harpies. The Strophades ('Islandsof Turning') are here supposed to have been so called because the sonsof Boreas were there turned back by Iris from pursuing the Harpies. ]

[Footnote 1735: An Epicurean philosopher, fl. 50 B. C. ]

[Footnote 1736: 'Charming-with-her-voice' (or 'Charming-the-mind'), 'Song', and 'Lovely-sounding'. ]

[Footnote 1737: Diodorus Siculus, fl. 8 B. C. , author of an universalhistory ending with Caesar's Gallic Wars. ]

[Footnote 1738: The first epic in the "Trojan Cycle"; like all ancientepics it was ascribed to Homer, but also, with more probability, toStasinus of Cyprus. ]

[Footnote 1739: This fragment is placed by Spohn after "Works and Days"l. 120. ]

[Footnote 1740: A Greek of Asia Minor, author of the "Description ofGreece" (on which he was still engaged in 173 A. D. ). ]

[Footnote 1741: Wilamowitz thinks one or other of these citationsbelongs to the Catalogue. ]

[Footnote 1742: Lines 1-51 are from Berlin Papyri, 9739; lines 52-106with B. 1-50 (and following fragments) are from Berlin Papyri, 10560. Areference by Pausanias (iii. 24. 10) to ll. 100 ff. Proves that the twofragments together come from the "Catalogue of Women". The second book(the beginning of which is indicated after l. 106) can hardly be thesecond book of the "Catalogues" proper: possibly it should be assignedto the EOIAI, which were sometimes treated as part of the "Catalogues", and sometimes separated from it. The remains of thirty-seven linesfollowing B. 50 in the Papyrus are too slight to admit of restoration. ]

[Footnote 1743: sc. The Suitor whose name is lost. ]

[Footnote 1744: Wooing was by proxy; so Agamemnon wooed Helen for hisbrother Menelaus (ll. 14-15), and Idomeneus, who came in person and sentno deputy, is specially mentioned as an exception, and the reasons forthis--if the restoration printed in the text be right--is stated (ll. 69ff. ). ]

[Footnote 1745: The Papyrus here marks the beginning of a second book("B"), possibly of the EOIAE. The passage (ll. 2-50) probably led up toan account of the Trojan (and Theban?) war, in which, according to"Works and Days" ll. 161-166, the Race of Heroes perished. The openingof the "Cypria" is somewhat similar. Somewhere in the fragmentary lines13-19 a son of Zeus--almost certainly Apollo--was introduced, though forwhat purpose is not clear. With l. 31 the destruction of man (cp. Ll. 4-5) by storms which spoil his crops begins: the remaining verses areparenthetical, describing the snake 'which bears its young in the springseason'. ]

[Footnote 1746: i. E. The snake; as in "Works and Days" l. 524, the"Boneless One" is the cuttle-fish. ]

[Footnote 1747: c. 1110-1180 A. D. His chief work was a poem, "Chiliades", in accentual verse of nearly 13, 000 lines. ]

[Footnote 1748: According to this account Iphigeneia was carried byArtemis to the Taurie Chersonnese (the Crimea). The Tauri (Herodotus iv. 103) identified their maiden-goddess with Iphigeneia; but Euripides("Iphigeneia in Tauris") makes her merely priestess of the goddess. ]

[Footnote 1749: Of Alexandria. He lived in the 5th century, and compileda Greek Lexicon. ]

[Footnote 1750: For his murder Minos exacted a yearly tribute of boysand girls, to be devoured by the Minotaur, from the Athenians. ]

[Footnote 1751: Of Naucratis. His "Deipnosophistae" ("Dons at Dinner")is an encyclopaedia of miscellaneous topics in the form of a dialogue. His date is c. 230 A. D. ]

[Footnote 1752: There is a fancied connection between LAAS ('stone') andLAOS ('people'). The reference is to the stones which Deucalion andPyrrha transformed into men and women after the Flood. ]

[Footnote 1753: Eustathius identifies Ileus with Oileus, father of Aias. Here again is fanciful etymology, ILEUS being similar to ILEOS(complaisant, gracious). ]

[Footnote 1754: Imitated by Vergil, "Aeneid" vii. 808, describingCamilla. ]

[Footnote 1755: c. 600 A. D. , a lecturer and grammarian ofConstantinople. ]

[Footnote 1756: Priest of Apollo, and, according to Homer, discoverer ofwine. Maronea in Thrace is said to have been called after him. ]

[Footnote 1757: The crow was originally white, but was turned black byApollo in his anger at the news brought by the bird. ]

[Footnote 1758: A philosopher of Athens under Hadrian and Antonius. Hebecame a Christian and wrote a defence of the Christians addressed toAntoninus Pius. ]

[Footnote 1759: Zeus slew Asclepus (fr. 90) because of his success as ahealer, and Apollo in revenge killed the Cyclopes (fr. 64). Inpunishment Apollo was forced to serve Admetus as herdsman. (Cp. Euripides, "Alcestis", 1-8)]

[Footnote 1760: For Cyrene and Aristaeus, cp. Vergil, "Georgics", iv. 315 ff. ]

[Footnote 1761: A writer on mythology of uncertain date. ]

[Footnote 1762: In Epirus. The oracle was first consulted by Deucalionand Pyrrha after the Flood. Later writers say that the god responded inthe rustling of leaves in the oaks for which the place was famous. ]

[Footnote 1763: The fragment is part of a leaf from a papyrus book ofthe 4th century A. D. ]

[Footnote 1764: According to Homer and later writers Meleager wastedaway when his mother Althea burned the brand on which his life depended, because he had slain her brothers in the dispute for the hide of theCalydonian boar. (Cp. Bacchylides, "Ode" v. 136 ff. )]

[Footnote 1765: The fragment probably belongs to the "Catalogues" properrather than to the Eoiae; but, as its position is uncertain, it mayconveniently be associated with Frags. 99A and the "Shield ofHeracles". ]

[Footnote 1766: Most of the smaller restorations appear in the originalpublication, but the larger are new: these last are highly conjectual, there being no definite clue to the general sense. ]

[Footnote 1767: Alcmaon (who took part in the second of the two heroicTheban expeditions) is perhaps mentioned only incidentally as the son ofAmphiaraus, who seems to be clearly indicated in ll. 7-8, and whosestory occupies ll. 5-10. At l. 11 the subject changes and Electryon isintroduced as father of Alcmena. ]

[Footnote 1768: The association of ll. 1-16 with ll. 17-24 is presumedfrom the apparent mention of Erichthonius in l. 19. A new section mustthen begin at l. 21. See "Ox. Pap. " pt. Xi. P. 55 (and for restorationof ll. 5-16, ib. P. 53). Ll. 19-20 are restored by the Translator. ]

[Footnote 1801: A mountain peak near Thebes which took its name from theSphinx (called in "Theogony" l. 326 PHIX). ]

[Footnote 1802: Cyanus was a glass-paste of deep blue colour: the'zones' were concentric bands in which were the scenes described by thepoet. The figure of Fear (l. 44) occupied the centre of the shield, andOceanus (l. 314) enclosed the whole. ]

[Footnote 1803: 'She who drives herds, ' i. E. 'The Victorious', sinceherds were the chief spoil gained by the victor in ancient warfare. ]

[Footnote 1804: The cap of darkness which made its wearer invisible. ]

[Footnote 1805: The existing text of the vineyard scene is a compound oftwo different versions, clumsily adapted, and eked out with somemakeshift additions. ]

[Footnote 1806: The conception is similar to that of the sculpturedgroup at Athens of Two Lions devouring a Bull (Dickens, "Cat. Of theAcropolis Museaum", No. 3). ]

[Footnote 1901: A Greek sophist who taught rhetoric at Rome in the timeof Hadrian. He is the author of a collection of proverbs in threebooks. ]

[Footnote 2001: When Heracles prayed that a son might be born to Telamonand Eriboea, Zeus sent forth an eagle in token that the prayer would begranted. Heracles then bade the parents call their son Aias after theeagle ('aietos'). ]

[Footnote 2002: Oenomaus, king of Pisa in Elis, warned by an oracle thathe should be killed by his son-in-law, offered his daughter Hippodamiato the man who could defeat him in a chariot race, on condition that thedefeated suitors should be slain by him. Ultimately Pelops, through thetreachery of the charioteer of Oenomaus, became victorious. ]

[Footnote 2003: sc. To Scythia. ]

[Footnote 2004: In the Homeric "Hymn to Hermes" Battus almost disappearsfrom the story, and a somewhat different account of the stealing of thecattle is given. ]

[Footnote 2101: sc. Colophon. Proclus in his abstract of the "Returns"(sc. Of the heroes from Troy) says Calchas and his party were present atthe death of Teiresias at Colophon, perhaps indicating another versionof this story. ]

[Footnote 2102: ll. 1-2 are quoted by Athenaeus, ii. P. 40; ll. 3-4 byClement of Alexandria, Stromateis vi. 2. 26. Buttman saw that the twofragments should be joined. (NOTE: These two fragments should be readtogether. --DBK)]

[Footnote 2201: sc. The golden fleece of the ram which carried Phrixusand Helle away from Athamas and Ino. When he reached Colchis Phrixussacrificed the ram to Zeus. ]

[Footnote 2202: Euboea properly means the 'Island of fine Cattle (orCows)'. ]

[Footnote 2301: This and the following fragment are meant to be readtogether. --DBK]

[Footnote 2302: cp. Hesiod "Theogony" 81 ff. But Theognis 169, 'Whomsothe god honour, even a man inclined to blame praiseth him', is muchnearer. ]

[Footnote 2401: Cf. Scholion on Clement, "Protrept. " i. P. 302. ]

[Footnote 2402: This line may once have been read in the text of "Worksand Days" after l. 771. ]

[Footnote 2501: ll. 1-9 are preserved by Diodorus Siculus iii. 66. 3;ll. 10-21 are extant only in M. ]

[Footnote 2502: Dionysus, after his untimely birth from Semele, was sewninto the thigh of Zeus. ]

[Footnote 2503: sc. Semele. Zeus is here speaking. ]

[Footnote 2504: The reference is apparently to something in the body ofthe hymn, now lost. ]

[Footnote 2505: The Greeks feared to name Pluto directly and mentionedhim by one of many descriptive titles, such as 'Host of Many': comparethe Christian use of O DIABOLOS or our 'Evil One'. ]

[Footnote 2506: Demeter chooses the lowlier seat, supposedly as beingmore suitable to her assumed condition, but really because in her sorrowshe refuses all comforts. ]

[Footnote 2507: An act of communion--the drinking of the potion heredescribed--was one of the most important pieces of ritual in theEleusinian mysteries, as commemorating the sorrows of the goddess. ]

[Footnote 2508: Undercutter and Woodcutter are probably popular names(after the style of Hesiod's 'Boneless One') for the worm thought to bethe cause of teething and toothache. ]

[Footnote 2509: The list of names is taken--with five additions--fromHesiod, "Theogony" 349 ff. : for their general significance see note onthat passage. ]

[Footnote 2510: Inscriptions show that there was a temple of ApolloDelphinius (cp. Ii. 495-6) at Cnossus and a Cretan month bearing thesame name. ]

[Footnote 2511: sc. That the dolphin was really Apollo. ]

[Footnote 2512: The epithets are transferred from the god to his altar'Overlooking' is especially an epithet of Zeus, as in Apollonius Rhodiusii. 1124. ]

[Footnote 2513: Pliny notices the efficacy of the flesh of a tortoiseagainst withcraft. In "Geoponica" i. 14. 8 the living tortoise isprescribed as a charm to preserve vineyards from hail. ]

[Footnote 2514: Hermes makes the cattle walk backwards way, so that theyseem to be going towards the meadow instead of leaving it (cp. L. 345);he himself walks in the normal manner, relying on his sandals as adisguise. ]

[Footnote 2515: Such seems to be the meaning indicated by the context, though the verb is taken by Allen and Sikes to mean, 'to be likeoneself', and so 'to be original'. ]

[Footnote 2516: Kuhn points out that there is a lacuna here. In l. 109the borer is described, but the friction of this upon the fireblock (towhich the phrase 'held firmly' clearly belongs) must also have beenmentioned. ]

[Footnote 2517: The cows being on their sides on the ground, Hermesbends their heads back towards their flanks and so can reach theirbackbones. ]

[Footnote 2518: O. Muller thinks the 'hides' were a stalactite formationin the 'Cave of Nestor' near Messenian Pylos, --though the cave of Hermesis near the Alpheus (l. 139). Others suggest that actual skins wereshown as relics before some cave near Triphylian Pylos. ]

[Footnote 2519: Gemoll explains that Hermes, having offered all the meatas sacrifice to the Twelve Gods, remembers that he himself as one ofthem must be content with the savour instead of the substance of thesacrifice. Can it be that by eating he would have forfeited the positionhe claimed as one of the Twelve Gods?]

[Footnote 2520: Lit. 'thorn-plucker'. ]

[Footnote 2521: Hermes is ambitious (l. 175), but if he is cast intoHades he will have to be content with the leadership of mere babies likehimself, since those in Hades retain the state of growth--whetherchildhood or manhood--in which they are at the moment of leaving theupper world. ]

[Footnote 2522: Literally, 'you have made him sit on the floor', i. E. 'you have stolen everything down to his last chair. ']

[Footnote 2523: The Thriae, who practised divination by means of pebbles(also called THRIAE). In this hymn they are represented as aged maidens(ll. 553-4), but are closely associated with bees (ll. 559-563) andpossibly are here conceived as having human heads and breasts with thebodies and wings of bees. See the edition of Allen and Sikes, AppendixIII. ]

[Footnote 2524: Cronos swallowed each of his children the moment thatthey were born, but ultimately was forced to disgorge them. Hestia, being the first to be swallowed, was the last to be disgorged, and sowas at once the first and latest born of the children of Cronos. Cp. Hesiod "Theogony", ll. 495-7. ]

[Footnote 2525: Mr. Evelyn-White prefers a different order for lines#87-90 than that preserved in the MSS. This translation is based uponthe following sequence: ll. 89, 90, 87, 88. --DBK. ]

[Footnote 2526: 'Cattle-earning', because an accepted suitor paid forhis bride in cattle. ]

[Footnote 2527: The name Aeneas is here connected with the epithet AIEOS(awful): similarly the name Odysseus is derived (in "Odyssey" i. 62) fromODYSSMAI (I grieve). ]

[Footnote 2528: Aphrodite extenuates her disgrace by claiming that therace of Anchises is almost divine, as is shown in the persons ofGanymedes and Tithonus. ]

[Footnote 2529: So Christ connecting the word with OMOS. L. And S. Give= OMOIOS, 'common to all'. ]

[Footnote 2530: Probably not Etruscans, but the non-Hellenic peoples ofThrace and (according to Thucydides) of Lemnos and Athens. Cp. Herodotusi. 57; Thucydides iv. 109. ]

[Footnote 2531: This line appears to be an alternative to ll. 10-11. ]

[Footnote 2532: The name Pan is here derived from PANTES, 'all'. Cp. Hesiod, "Works and Days" ll. 80-82, "Hymn to Aphrodite" (v) l. 198. Forthe significance of personal names. ]

[Footnote 2533: Mr. Evelyn-White prefers to switch l. 10 and 11, reading11 first then 10. --DBK. ]

[Footnote 2534: An extra line is inserted in some MSS. After l. 15. --DBK. ]

[Footnote 2535: The epithet is a usual one for birds, cp. Hesiod, "Worksand Days", l. 210; as applied to Selene it may merely indicate herpassage, like a bird, through the air, or mean 'far flying'. ]

[Footnote 2601: "The Epigrams" are preserved in the pseudo-Herodotean"Life of Homer". Nos. III, XIII, and XVII are also found in the "Contestof Homer and Hesiod", and No. I is also extant at the end of some MSS. Of the "Homeric Hymns". ]

[Footnote 2602: sc. From Smyrna, Homer's reputed birth-place. ]

[Footnote 2603: The councillors at Cyme who refused to support Homer atthe public expense. ]

[Footnote 2604: The 'better fruit' is apparently the iron smelted out infires of pine-wood. ]

[Footnote 2605: Hecate: cp. Hesiod, "Theogony", l. 450. ]

[Footnote 2606: i. E. In protection. ]

[Footnote 2607: This song is called by pseudo-Herodotus EIRESIONE. Theword properly indicates a garland wound with wool which was worn atharvest-festivals, but came to be applied first to the harvest song andthen to any begging song. The present is akin the Swallow-Song(XELIDONISMA), sung at the beginning of spring, and answered to thestill surviving English May-Day songs. Cp. Athenaeus, viii. 360 B. ]

[Footnote 2608: The lice which they caught in their clothes they leftbehind, but carried home in their clothes those which they could notcatch. ]

[Footnote 2701: See the cylix reproduced by Gerhard, Abhandlungen, taf. 5, 4. Cp. Stesichorus, Frag. 3 (Smyth). ]

[Footnote 2801: The haunch was regarded as a dishonourable portion. ]

[Footnote 2802: The horse of Adrastus, offspring of Poseidon andDemeter, who had changed herself into a mare to escape Poseidon. ]

[Footnote 2803: Restored from Pindar Ol. Vi. 15 who, according toAsclepiades, derives the passage from the "Thebais". ]

[Footnote 2901: So called from Teumessus, a hill in Boeotia. For thederivation of Teumessus cp. Antimachus "Thebais" fr. 3 (Kinkel). ]

[Footnote 3001: The preceding part of the Epic Cycle (?). ]

[Footnote 3002: While the Greeks were sacrificing at Aulis, a serpentappeared and devoured eight young birds from their nest and lastly themother of the brood. This was interpreted by Calchas to mean that thewar would swallow up nine full years. Cp. "Iliad" ii, 299 ff. ]

[Footnote 3003: i. E. Stasinus (or Hegesias: cp. Fr. 6): the phrase'Cyprian histories' is equivalent to "The Cypria". ]

[Footnote 3004: Cp. Allen "C. R. " xxvii. 190. ]

[Footnote 3005: These two lines possibly belong to the account of thefeast given by Agamemnon at Lemnos. ]

[Footnote 3006: sc. The Asiatic Thebes at the foot of Mt. Placius. ]

[Footnote 3101: sc. After cremation. ]

[Footnote 3102: This fragment comes from a version of the "Contest ofHomer and Hesiod" widely different from that now extant. The words 'asLesches gives them (says)' seem to indicate that the verse and a halfassigned to Homer came from the "Little Iliad". It is possible they mayhave introduced some unusually striking incident, such as the actualFall of Troy. ]

[Footnote 3103: i. E. In the paintings by Polygnotus at Delphi. ]

[Footnote 3104: i. E. The dead bodies in the picture. ]

[Footnote 3105: According to this version Aeneas was taken to Pharsalia. Better known are the Homeric account (according to which Aeneas foundeda new dynasty at Troy), and the legends which make him seek a new homein Italy. ]

[Footnote 3201: sc. Knowledge of both surgery and of drugs. ]

[Footnote 3301: Clement attributes this line to Augias: probably Agiasis intended. ]

[Footnote 3302: Identical with the "Returns", in which the Sons ofAtreus occupy the most prominent parts. ]

[Footnote 3401: This Artemisia, who distinguished herself at the battleof Salamis (Herodotus, vii. 99) is here confused with the laterArtemisia, the wife of Mausolus, who died 350 B. C. ]

[Footnote 3402: i. E. The fox knows many ways to baffle its foes, whilethe hedge-hog knows one only which is far more effectual. ]

[Footnote 3403: Attributed to Homer by Zenobius, and by Bergk to the"Margites". ]

[Footnote 3501: i. E. 'monkey-men'. ]

[Footnote 3601: Lines 42-52 are intrusive; the list of vegetables whichthe Mouse cannot eat must follow immediately after the various dishes ofwhich he does eat. ]

[Footnote 3602: lit. 'those unable to swim'. ]

[Footnote 3603: This may be a parody of Orion's threat in Hesiod, "Astronomy", frag. 4. ]

[Footnote 3701: sc. The riddle of the fisher-boys which comes at the endof this work. ]

[Footnote 3702: The verses of Hesiod are called doubtful in meaningbecause they are, if taken alone, either incomplete or absurd. ]

[Footnote 3703: "Works and Days", ll. 383-392. ]

[Footnote 3704: "Iliad" xiii, ll. 126-133, 339-344. ]

[Footnote 3705: The accepted text of the "Iliad" contains 15, 693 verses;that of the "Odyssey", 12, 110. ]

[Footnote 3706: "Iliad" ii, ll. 559-568 (with two additional verses). ]

[Footnote 3707: "Homeric Hymns", iii. ]