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    Theogony / Works and Days
    Theogony / Works and Days
    Theogony / Works and Days
    Ebook200 pages1 hour

    Theogony / Works and Days

    By Hesiod

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    C.S. Morrissey’s brilliant translations bring a modern, lyrical sensibility to Theogony and Works and Days, Hesiod’s two great poems that paved the way for subsequent achievements in Greek philosophy. Theogony tells of the first generations of the gods and recollects how Zeus established his cosmic reign of justice. Works and Days examines the two-fold role of competition in life, what Hesiod calls “the bad strife” and “the good strife” and how they affect our struggle to maintain order in the wake of chaos and the primeval void.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTalonbooks
    Release dateAug 15, 2012
    ISBN9780889227248
    Theogony / Works and Days
    Author

    Hesiod

    Barry B. Powell is Halls-Bascom Professor of Classics Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet; Classical Myth; Writing: Theory and History of the Technology of Civilization; and many other books.

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    Reviews for Theogony / Works and Days

    3.5/5

    285 ratings10 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days are interesting in the context of other classic works and provide an interesting understanding of the genealogy of the ancient Greek gods and the agrarian life of the time. This is a work of poetry translated into prose, and there are some issues. The first thing that struck me was the misogyny of Theogony. Women (pp. 20-21) were sent down by Zeus as a curse to men:No fit partners for accursed Poverty, but only for Plenty... a bane for mortal men has high-thundering Zeus created women, conspirators in causing difficulty.The misogyny doesn't stop there. In Works and Days, the mythological Pandora (echoing Eve in Genesis), releases evil upon the world (p. 39). Not by opening a "box" as Erasmus mistakenly conveyed, but by opening a clay storage jar (p. xiv). La Rochefoucauld's maxims often talk about love as an illness that is difficult to cure, no doubt echoing Hesiod (p. 21):...the man who gets a good wife who is sound and sensible, spends his life with bad competing constantly against good; while the man who gets the awful kind lives with unrelenting pain in heart and spirit, and it is an ill without cure.
      In Works and Days, Hesiod provides advice to living the agrarian life. Virgil seems to echo Hesiod in his Eclogues and Georgics. But Virgil is reflecting back on the simple life, whereas Hesiod reminds me of people offering advice on an internet bulletin board (p. 56):I will show you the measure of the resounding sea - quite without instruction as I am either in seafaring or in ships; for as to ships, I have never yet sailed the broad sea...Of course, in true bulletin board style, Hesiod goes on to instruct others in how and when to sail. This is an important historical work and well worth reading. But while there are instances of timeless proverbs (which have tended to reappear through history), I don't think I will be taking on too much of Hesiod's advice any time soon.
    • 4/5
      A must-have for mythology investigation
    • 3/5
      An interesting if labrynthine intro to the origins of the Greek gods.
    • 3/5
      It's not my favorite, by far, when it comes to works related to Greek or Roman Mythology. In truth, it's a bit of a tricky read, and downright tedious at times. Still, the two works do serve important purposes within that area of literature, so I can definitely appreciate them even if I don't truly enjoy them. The good notes helped with that as well.
    • 4/5
      While this book gives an account of the Greek gods, it all seemed rather quickly done. I'd prefer if the end-notes were footnotes, as it would make it easier to understand certain parts (especially since the notes are not numbered). Interesting for the fact that it is one of the earliest writings on the gods, but perhaps not the best edition to read. The author actually lists other versions/translations as recommended reading.
    • 5/5
      A very refreshing translation! The liberties Morrissey has taken are well explained and aim to reach to the heart and spirit of the text that some pure, direct translations can lose (as he points out, there is no "good" translation).
    • 2/5
      The most classic/authoritative account of ancient Greek cosmology.
    • 3/5
      Both of these works are very short.

      Theogony offers a genealogy of the gods, and an explanation of the order in which they were born. Though it is very short, it is also very hard to follow as it assumes a certain amount of prior knowledge of the gods and relationships. (For coursera course Greek and Roman Mythology.)

      Works and Days, on the other hand, offers practical advise for a man on how to succeed in life as a farmer. When to plow and plant, harvest, and how to store. When to marry, how to treat neighbors, etc. It is very interesting to read what is essentially a short almanac summing up the year of a Greek farmer.
    • 4/5
      M. L. West translation - I had to read Theogony for my Coursera class, but I figured I might as well read Works and Days too, while I had it from the library.

      Theogony: A narrative detailing the birth of the universe and the gods. Very interesting and relevant to my course. I knew most of the stories already, but I had never read the original.

      Works and Days: This is kind of boring, but HILARIOUS if you read it as Hesiod trying to tell his little brother what to do, which it is. He tells his brother everything from what time during the year to plant his crops, to what kind of hat to wear when going outside in February, to where to pee. It has little blurbs about the gods sometimes, but mostly it is just a glimpse into everyday life for the Greeks in Hesiod's time. I can see why it was not assigned for my particular class, which was about Greek mythology specifically and not everyday Greek life.
    • 5/5
      Theogony would perhaps be of greatest interest to a student of the Greek myths, and perhaps they might notice the lack of an index in this edition. What I found most interesting is the language he uses to describe Zeus. We wouldn’t find much of that out of place in our own descriptions of God. The creation of woman also has some interesting parallels in Genesis. At other points it’s pick you own god time as he waxes lyrical about Hecate. I would image that the standard of the poetry is high in the original Greek but that is of course lost here so parts read almost as simple lists of names. It made me realise how much we must have lost here in England. Imagine what we’d know if the Celts had been literate.

      Works and Days is a very different kettle of fish. It rambles about and degenerates towards the end but it gives a much clearer eye into the mind of the poet. He seems to hate the real world (look at the subject matter of Theogony). He’s bitter. His blames his brother for taking his land. Who knows if the accusations are true. He hates women and the way he intersperses his condemnation of his brother with his comments on them makes me suspect he has been cuckolded.

      I’ve read a lot but never anything like these poems. Unique pieces of work. Best of all I think is being able to read something that is just so damn old. 2700 years of the text being copied and stored and read and added to and edited and passed on and translated and printed and sold so I can read the words of a man who stands in time closer to the Stone Age than he does to me.

    Book preview

    Theogony / Works and Days - C.S. Morrissey

    Part Divine: Hesiod’s Theogony

    Introduction: The Hymns of the Muses

    The Sacred Dance

    Let us begin,

    singing of the Muses of Helicon.

    The great sacred mountain, Helicon,

    belongs to them.

    Around its deep-blue spring,

    with gentle feet

    they shall dance, worshipping

    at the altar of Zeus, the mighty son of Cronus.

    First they bathe their soft skin

    in the stream Permessus, or in the Hippocrene [5]

    (the Spring of the Horse) sprung by Pegasus’ hoof,

    or in the sacred river Olmeius.

    Then up on the peak of Helicon,

    they put their feet into the dance.

    They are beautiful.

    With passion and grace, they move nimbly.

    The Sacred Hymns

    They rise up in excitement, high on the peak.

    Under abundant mist,

    in the middle of the night,

    they chant the most beautiful music. [10]

    They hymn to Zeus, him who holds the aegis,

    and to her, Queen Hera, the Argive

    who walks in golden sandals,

    and to the daughter of Zeus the aegis holder,

    steely-eyed Athena,

    and to shining Apollo,

    and to Artemis, the archeress,

    and to Poseidon, Earth Holder and Earth Shaker, [15]

    and to compassionate Themis,

    and to Aphrodite with the darting eyes,

    and to golden-crowned Hebe,

    and to beautiful Dione,

    to Leto and Iapetus and Cronus

    (he of the famously evil stratagem),

    to Dawn (Eos) and great Sun (Helius)

    and shining Moon (Selene),

    to Earth (Gaia) and great Ocean (Oceanus)

    and black Night (Nyx), [20]

    to the others of the sacred family of immortals,

    they who live forever.

    Hesiod’s Inspiration

    The Muses once taught Hesiod

    a song, a beautiful song.

    He was shepherding sheep

    by sacred Helicon.

    And this is the very first thing

    the goddesses said to me. This is a direct quote

    from the Muses of Olympian Zeus,

    from the daughters of the aegis holder: [25]

    "Shepherds are bumpkins. They are a disgrace.

    They think of nothing but the next meal.

    We, we know how, with lies, to tell a tale.

    Lies that, in so many ways, resemble the truth.

    We, we know how, when we wish,

    even to sing flat-out about what is real."

    So said the clear-speaking daughters

    of great Zeus.

    Then they gave me the staff of authority,

    a branch of luxuriant laurel [30]

    they had plucked, wondrous to behold.

    They breathed into me a voice

    inspired, so I might celebrate

    what will be and what has been.

    They bid me to hymn the family

    of the blessed, they who live forever.

    They of the same, from first to last,

    always sing.

    And what have these things (more to sing)

    to do with oak or rock, with what is real? [35]

    The Holy Family

    You are blessed, so let us begin

    with you, O Muses. You, to your father, Zeus,

    sing hymns, delighting him,

    the great mind of Olympus.

    You say what is and what

    will be and what has been.

    Harmonious are your voices.

    Sound flows effortlessly,

    sweetly from your mouths.

    A father’s roar of delight fills the palaces of [40]

    Zeus (he who makes loud sounds) when

    your delicate song, like a lily,

    starts to spread itself out. It peals

    across the peaks of snowy Olympus and

    throughout the palaces of the immortals.

    You send your divine melodies

    in celebration of the revered

    family of the gods. You start

    from the beginning, when from Earth (Gaia)

    and wide Sky (Uranus) they were born, [45]

    they, the Titans, from whom the Olympian gods,

    who now give blessings to us, came.

    Finally, you celebrate Zeus,

    the Zeusfather of gods and husbands.

    It is he for whom you Muses begin

    your hymns and end your songs.

    You celebrate how he surpasses

    all the gods, in power and might.

    Along the way, you tell the story

    of the family of humans, and of the powerful Giants, [50]

    and in so doing you delight Zeus,

    the mind of Olympus.

    The Story of the Muses; or, Nine Carefree Nights

    You, O Muses of Olympus, are

    the daughters of Zeus, who holds the aegis.

    In Pieria, she lay with your father,

    Zeus, and she gave birth,

    she, your mother, Memory (Mnemosyne).

    Guarding the fields of Freedom (Eleuther),

    she lay with him to forget her troubles

    and to take a break from all her cares. [55]

    For nine nights, strategic Zeus

    (he made good use of his time) lay with her,

    far away from the immortals.

    In the sacred bed, he made his ascent.

    But then the year went on.

    The seasons turned, around

    the passing months. A length of days

    was completed.

    She gave birth to nine daughters. Like her in mind,

    only for the song in their hearts [60]

    do they care. They do not carry

    a competitive spirit weighted with cares.

    Praise for a Lawful King

    Down a little from the highest

    summit of snowcapped Olympus,

    the Muses’ radiant choirs and beautiful palaces

    are there.

    Beside them the Graces (Charites)

    and Sweet Longing (Himerus) dwell also,

    ready for the festival. Lovely is the sound

    sent forth from their mouth. [65]

    In song and dance they celebrate

    the laws and customs cherished by all

    the immortals. In praise,

    they chant out, lovely.

    Then they go up Olympus,

    exulting in their beautiful voice

    and divine dance. All around them,

    the dark Earth resounds

    as they hymn. A charming beat

    rises up from beneath their feet [70]

    as they move towards their father.

    He is King over the Sky.

    He it is who holds the thunder

    and the smoldering bolt.

    He conquered his father, Cronus,

    with that power. Then justly with each of

    the immortals did he establish right order for all.

    He guarded their honors.

    Of these things (more indeed to sing), the Muses,

    who hold palaces on Olympus, now do sing. [75]

    The Real Gift of Kings

    Nine daughters, the Muses are

    the offspring of great Zeus:

    Cleio and Euterpe and

    Thaleia and Melpomene and

    Terpsichore and Erato and

    Polyhymnia and Urania and

    Calliope, who is the most

    excellent of them all,

    for it is she who attends

    to revered kings the most. [80]

    Whichever king the daughters of great Zeus

    attend to with reverence,

    whichever king they watch from

    birth (since all kings are raised up by Zeus),

    it is upon his tongue they pour

    a sweet dew, so that

    from his mouth gentle words

    might flow. The people

    all look to him. He comes

    to decisions about the laws [85]

    with frank judgments.

    He addresses them steadfastly,

    to quickly and skillfully end

    even a great quarrel.

    Kings are prudent. The need is clear.

    The need for people

    who harm one another is

    an end to it.

    In the Assembly there is an end to vengeful deeds.

    Retaliation appears easily. But he talks things

    over, persuades with soft words. [90]

    As he walks into the Assembly, they seek,

    as if he were a god, to win his favor

    with gracious deference.

    Among those assembled, he is conspicuous.

    Such is the Muses’ sacred gift

    for humans.

    Thanks to the Muses

    and far-shooting Apollo,

    men on the ground

    can be poets and musicians. [95]

    But a king? He is from Zeus. And fortunate is he,

    the king whom the Muses also

    love. A sweet voice streams

    from his mouth.

    Poets Resemble Good Kings

    If anyone is suffering,

    from a freshly wounded competitive spirit,

    if anyone has a heart

    dried out by sorrows, the poet,

    servant of the Muses,

    sings of the deeds of past humans [100]

    in a hymn. In this hymn, he sings

    of the blessed gods who hold Olympus.

    At once anxieties are forgotten.

    Not a single worry

    is recalled. Quickly do they divert, they,

    the gifts of the goddesses, the gifts of the Muses.

    The Story of the Gods

    Welcome, children of Zeus.

    Grant to me your charming song.

    Praise the holy family of immortals,

    who live forever. [105]

    Celebrate those born from the Earth (Gaia)

    and the Sky (Uranus), sparkled with

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