- Source
- Anonymous. Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns and Homerica. Evelyn-White, Hugh G., translator. London: William Heinmann; New York: The Macmillan Co., 1914.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0013.tlg028.humanitext-grc2:1-18
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
This passage describes the miraculous birth of Athena fully armed from the head of Zeus, and the immense awe and natural disruption her sudden appearance caused throughout the cosmos, including the halting of the sun.
Παλλάδ’ Ἀθηναίην, κυδρὴν θεόν, ἄρχομ’ ἀείδειν
I begin to sing of Pallas Athena, the glorious goddess,
γλαυκῶπιν, πολύμητιν, ἀμείλιχον ἦτορ ἔχουσαν,1
bright-eyed, of many counsels, who has an unyielding heart,
παρθένον αἰδοίην, ἐρυσίπτολιν, ἀλκήεσσαν,
a revered maiden, protector of cities, courageous,
Τριτογενῆ, τὴν αὐτὸς ἐγείνατο μητίετα Ζεὺς
Tritogeneia, whom wise Zeus himself begot
σεμνῆς ἐκ κεφαλῆς, πολεμήια τεύχε’ ἔχουσαν,
from his sacred head, having her warlike armor,
χρύσεα, παμφανόωντα· σέβας δ’ ἔχε πάντας ὁρῶντας2
golden and all-radiant; and awe seized all the immortals who beheld her.
ἀθανάτους· ἣ δὲ πρόσθεν Διὸς αἰγιόχοιο
And she, before Zeus who holds the aegis,
ἐσσυμένως ὤρουσεν ἀπ’ ἀθανάτοιο καρήνου,
impetuously leapt down from his immortal head,
σείσασ’ ὀξὺν ἄκοντα· μέγας δ’ ἐλελίζετ’ Ὄλυμπος
shaking her sharp javelin; and great Olympus shook
δεινὸν ὑπὸ βρίμης γλαυκώπιδος· ἀμφὶ δὲ γαῖα
dreadfully beneath the wrath of the bright-eyed goddess; and around the earth
σμερδαλέον ἰάχησεν· ἐκινήθη δ’ ἄρα πόντος,
shrieked terribly; and the sea was moved,
κύμασι πορφυρέοισι κυκώμενος· ἔκχυτο δ’ ἅλμη
stirred by its dark waves; and the salty deep was poured forth
ἐξαπίνης· στῆσεν3 δ’ Ὑπερίονος ἀγλαὸς υἱὸς
suddenly; and the glorious son of Hyperion stopped
ἵππους ὠκύποδας δηρὸν χρόνον, εἰσότε κούρη
his swift-footed horses for a long time, until the maiden,
εἵλετ’ ἀπ’ ἀθανάτων ὤμων θεοείκελα τεύχη
Pallas Athena, had stripped the god-like armor from her immortal shoulders;
Παλλὰς Ἀθηναίη· γήθησε δὲ μητίετα Ζεύς.
and wise Zeus rejoiced.
καὶ σὺ μὲν οὕτω χαῖρε, Διὸς τέκος αἰγιόχοιο·
And so, hail to you, child of aegis-bearing Zeus;
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ σεῖο4 καὶ ἄλλης μνήσομ’ ἀοιδῆς.
but I will remember both you and another song.
- 2ἀμείλιχον ἦτορ ἔχουσαν
An accusative participial phrase. Grammatically, it modifies the direct object of the main verb in §1, Παλλάδ’ Ἀθηναίην (accusative), alongside the preceding adjectives (γλαυκῶπιν, πολύμητιν), describing the attributes of Athena who is being sung.
- 6σέβας δ’ ἔχε πάντας ὁρῶντας
The noun σέβας ('awe') is a neuter singular nominative serving as the subject. The verb ἔχε is an imperfect (unaugmented form typical of Epic dialect, for εἶχε). Literally 'awe seized all who beheld', dramatically expressing the gods' reaction to Athena's appearance in an active construction.
- 13στῆσεν
The third-person singular weak (first) aorist active of ἵστημι (for ἔστησεν). Unlike the strong (second) aorist which is intransitive ('stood still'), this form is causative/transitive, meaning 'stopped, brought to a halt', governing the direct object ἵππους ('horses'). It indicates that the son of Hyperion halted his chariot in amazement at Athena.
- 18σεῖο
The genitive singular form of the second-person pronoun in the Epic dialect (equivalent to Attic σοῦ). It is in the genitive case because the verb μνήσομ’ (μνήσομαι, 'I will remember/mention') governs the genitive. The subsequent phrase ἄλλης ἀοιδῆς ('another song') is also in the genitive, governed by the same verb.