Works and Days by Hesiod (Part 1) | Illustrated Audiobooks

I. WORKS AND DAYS. Muses of Paeria who give glory through song, come hither, tell of Zeus your father, and chant his praise. Through him mortal men are famed or unfamed, sung or unsung alike, as great Zeus wills. For easily he makes strong, and easily he brings the strong man low, easily he humbles the proud and raises the obscure, and easily he straightens the crooked and blasts the proud. Zeus, who thunders aloft and has his dwelling most high, attend thou with eye and ear, and make judgment straight with righteousness. And Perseus, I would tell of true things. So after all, there was not one kind of strife alone, but all over the earth there are two. As for the one, a man would praise her when he came to understand her. But the other is blameworthy. And they are wholly different in nature. For one fosters evil war and battle, being cruel. Her no man loves, but perforce through the will of the deathless gods men pay harsh strife her honor due. But the other is the elder daughter of dark night, and the son of Kronos who sits above and dwells in the ether, set her in the roots of the earth. And she is far kinder to men. She stirs up even the shiftless to toil. For a man grows eager to work when he considers his neighbor, a rich man, who hastens to plow and plant and put his house in good order. And neighbor vies with his neighbor as he hurries after wealth. This strife is wholesome for men. And potter is angry with potter, and craftsman with craftsman, and beggar is jealous of beggar, and minstrel of minstrel. Perseus, lay up these things in your heart, and do not let that strife who delights in mischief hold your heart back from work, while you peep and peer and listen to the wrangles of the courthouse. Still concern has he with quarrels and courts who has not a year's victuals laid up betimes, even that which the earth bears, Demeter's grain. When you have got plenty of that you can raise disputes and strive to get another's goods. But you shall have no second chance to deal so again. Nay, let us settle our dispute here with true judgment, which is of Zeus and is perfect. For we had already divided our inheritance, but you seized the greater share and carried it off, greatly swelling the glory of our bribe-swallowing lords, who love to judge such a cause as this, fools. They know not how much more the half is than the whole, nor what great advantage there is in mallow and asphodel. For the gods keep hidden from men the means of life. Else you would easily do work enough in a day to supply you for a full year, even without working. Soon would you put away your rudder over the smoke, and the fields worked by ox and sturdy mule would run to waste. But Zeus in the anger of his heart hid it, because Prometheus the crafty deceived him. Therefore he planned sorrow and mischief against men. He hid fire. But that the noble son of Iapetus stole again for men from Zeus the counsellor, in a hollow fennel-stalk, so that Zeus, who delights in thunder, did not see it. But afterwards Zeus, who gathers the clouds, said to him in anger, Son of Iapetus, surpassing all and cunning, you are glad that you have outwitted me and stolen fire. A great plague to you yourself and to men shall be. But I will give men as the price for fire an evil thing, in which they may all be glad of heart while they embrace their own destruction. So said the father of men and gods, and laughed aloud. And he bade famous Hephaestus make haste and mix earth with water, and to put in it the voice and strength of humankind, and fashion a sweet, lovely maiden-shape, like to the immortal goddesses in face, and Athena to teach her needlework and the weaving of the varied web, and golden Aphrodite to shed grace upon her head and cruel longing and cares that weary the limbs. And he charged Hermes the guide, the slayer of Argus, to put in her a shameless mind and a deceitful nature. So he ordered. And they obeyed the lord Zeus, the son of Kronos. Forthwith the famous lame god molded clay in the likeness of a modest maid, as the son of Kronos purposed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athena girded and clothed her, and the divine graces and queenly persuasion put necklaces of gold upon her, and the rich-haired hours crowned her head with spring-flowers. And Pallas Athena bedecked her form with all manner of finery. Also the guide, the slayer of Argus, contrived within her lies and crafty words and a deceitful nature at the will of loud-thundering Zeus. And the herald of the gods put speech in her. And he called this woman Pandora. Because all they who dwelt on Olympus gave each a gift, a plague to men who eat bread. But when he had finished the sheer hopeless snare, the father sent glorious Argus Slayer, the swift messenger of the gods, to take it to Epimetheus as a gift. And Epimetheus did not think on what Prometheus had said to him, bidding him never take a gift of Olympian Zeus, but to send it back for fear it might prove to be something harmful to men. But he took the gift, and afterwards, when the evil thing was already his, he understood. For e'er this the tribes of men lived on earth remote and free from the ills and hard toil and heavy sicknesses which bring the fates upon men. For in misery men grow old quickly. But the woman took off the great lid of the jar with her hands, and scattered. All these and her thought caused sorrow and mischief to men. Only hope remained there in an unbreakable home within under the rim of the great jar, and did not fly out at the door. For e'er that, the lid of the jar stopped her by the will of ages-holding Zeus who gathers the clouds. But the rest, countless plagues wander amongst men, for earth is full of evils, and the sea is full. Of themselves diseases come upon men continually by day and by night, bringing mischief to mortals silently. For wise Zeus took away speech from them. So is there no way to escape the will of Zeus? Or if you will, I will sum you up another tale well and skillfully, and do you lay it up in your heart, how the gods and mortal men sprang from one source. First of all, the deathless gods who dwell on Olympus made a golden race of mortal men who lived in the time of Kronos when he was reigning in heaven. And they lived like gods, without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief. The mortal age rested not on them, but with legs and arms never failing, they made merry with feasting beyond the reach of all evils. When they died, it was as though they were overcome with sleep. And they had all good things, for the fruitful earth unforced bare them fruit abundantly and without stint. They dwelt in ease and peace upon their lands with many good things, rich in flocks and loved by the blessed gods. But after the earth had covered this generation, they are called pure spirits dwelling on the earth, and are kindly, delivering from harm, and guardians of mortal men. For they roam everywhere over the earth, clothed in mist, and keep watch on judgments and cruel deeds, givers of wealth, for this royal right also they received. Then they who dwell on Olympus made a second generation, which was of silver and less noble by far. It was like the golden race neither in body nor in spirit. A child was brought up at his good mother's side a hundred years, an utter simpleton, playing childishly in his own home. But when they were full grown, and were come to the full measure of their prime, they lived only a little time, and that in sorrow because of their foolishness, for they could not keep from sinning and wronging one another, nor would they serve the immortals, nor sacrifice on the holy altars of the blessed ones, as it is right for men to do wherever they dwell. Then Zeus, the son of Cronus, was angry, and put them away, because they would not give honor to the blessed gods who live on Olympus. But when earth had covered this generation also, they are called blessed spirits of the underworld by men, and though they are of second order, yet honor attends them also. Zeus, the father, made a third generation of mortal men, a brazen race sprung from ash trees, and it was in no way equal to the silver age, but was terrible and strong. They loved the lamentable works of Ares, and deeds of violence. They ate no bread, but were hard of heart like adamant fearful men. Great was their strength, and unconquerable the arms which grew from their shoulders on their strong limbs. Their armor was of bronze, and their houses of bronze, and of bronze were their implements, there was no black iron. These were destroyed by their own hands, and passed to the dank house of Chilhades, and left no name, terrible though they were. Black death seized them, and they left the bright light of the sun. But when earth had covered this generation also, Zeus, the son of Kronos, made yet another, the fourth, upon the fruitful earth, which was nobler and more righteous, a godlike race of hero men who are called demigods, the race before our own, throughout the boundless earth. Grim war and dread battle destroyed a part of them, some in the land of Cadmus at seven gated Thebes, when they fought for the flocks of Oedipus, and some when it had brought them in ships over the great sea-gulf to Troy, for rich-haired Helen's sake. Their deaths end enshrouded a part of them. But to the others, father Zeus, the son of Kronos, gave a living, and an abode apart for men, and made them dwell at the ends of earth. And they live untouched by sorrow in the islands of the blessed along the shore of deep swirling ocean, happy heroes, for whom the grain-giving earth bears honey-sweet fruit flourishing thrice a year, far from the deathless gods, and Kronos rules over them, for the father of men and gods released him from his bonds. And these last equally have honor and glory. And again, far-seeing Zeus made yet another generation, the fifth, of men, who are upon the bounteous earth. Thereafter, would that I were not among the men of the fifth generation, but either had died before, or been born afterwards. For now truly is a race of iron, and men never rest from labor and sorrow by day, and from perishing by night. And the gods shall lay sore trouble upon them. But notwithstanding, even these shall have some good mingled with their evils. And Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men also, when they come to have gray hair on the temples at their birth. The father will not agree with his children, nor the children with their father, nor guest with his host, nor comrade with comrade, nor will brother be dear to brother as aforetime. Men will dishonor their parents as they grow quickly old, and will carpet them, chiding them with bitter words. Hard-hearted they, not knowing the fear of the gods. They will not repay their aged parents the cost of their nurture, for might shall be their right. And one man will sack another city. There will be no favor for the man who keeps his oath, or for the just, or for the good, but rather men will praise the evildoer and his violent dealing. Strength will be right, and reverence will cease to be, and the wicked will hurt the worthy man, speaking false words against him, and will swear an oath upon them. Envy, foul-mouthed, delighting in evil, with scowling face, will go along with wretched men one and all. And then Eidos and Nemesis, with their sweet forms wrapped in white robes, will go from the wide pathed earth, and forsake mankind, to join the company of the deathless gods. And bitter sorrows will be left for mortal men, and there will be no help against evil.