And his sisters heard his pitiful voice, and leapt down from their well-strewn beds.
ἣ μὲν ἔπειτα §286παῖδʼ ἀνὰ χερσὶν ἑλοῦσα ἑῷ ἐγκάτθετο κόλπῳ· §287ἣ δʼ ἄρα πῦρ ἀνέκαιʼ· ἣ δʼ ἔσσυτο πόσσʼ ἁπαλοῖσι §288μητέρʼ ἀναστήσουσα θυώδεος ἐκ θαλάμοιο.
Then indeed one of them taking the child up in her hands, placed him in her bosom; and another kindled the fire; and another rushed with tender feet to rouse their mother from her fragrant bedchamber.
§289ἀγρόμεναι δέ μιν ἀμφὶς ἐλούεον ἀσπαίροντα §290ἀμφαγαπαζόμεναι· τοῦ δʼ οὐ μειλίσσετο θυμός· §291χειρότεραι γὰρ δή μιν ἔχον τροφοὶ ἠδὲ τιθῆναι.
And gathering around, they washed him as he gasped, hugging him lovingly; but his heart was not appeased; for indeed much inferior nurses and caregivers now held him.
§292αἳ μὲν παννύχιαι κυδρὴν θεὸν ἱλάσκοντο §293δείματι παλλόμεναι, ἅμα δʼ ἠοῖ φαινομένηφιν §294εὐρυβίῃ Κελεῷ νημερτέα μυθήσαντο, §295ὡς ἐπέτελλε θεά, καλλιστέφανος Δημήτηρ.
They indeed all night long propitiated the glorious goddess, throbbing with fear; and as dawn was appearing, they told the truth to wide-ruling Celeus, as the goddess, fair-crowned Demeter, had commanded.
§296αὐτὰρ ὅ γʼ εἰς ἀγορὴν καλέσας πολυπείρονα λαὸν §297ἤνωγʼ ἠυκόμῳ Δημήτερι πίονα νηὸν §298ποιῆσαι καὶ βωμὸν ἐπὶ προὔχοντι κολωνῷ.
But he, having called the countless people into assembly, bade them make a rich temple for lovely-haired Demeter and an altar upon the jutting hill.
And they right quickly obeyed and heard him as he spoke, and built as he commanded.
ὃ δʼ ἀέξετο δαίμονι ἶσος.
And he grew like a divinity.
§301αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τέλεσαν καὶ ἐρώησαν καμάτοιο, §302βάν ῥʼ ἴμεν οἴκαδʼ ἕκαστος· ἀτὰρ ξανθὴ Δημήτηρ §303ἔνθα καθεζομένη μακάρων ἀπὸ νόσφιν ἁπάντων §304μίμνε πόθῳ μινύθουσα βαθυζώνοιο θυγατρός.
But when they had finished and rested from their labor, they went to go home, each one; but golden-haired Demeter, sitting there, apart from all the blessed gods, remained, wasting away with longing for her deep-girdled daughter.
§305αἰνότατον δʼ ἐνιαυτὸν ἐπὶ χθόνα πουλυβότειραν §306ποίησʼ ἀνθρώποις καὶ κύντατον· οὐδέ τι γαῖα §307σπέρμʼ ἀνίει, κρύπτεν γὰρ ἐυστέφανος Δημήτηρ·
And she made a most terrible and cruel year upon the all-nourishing earth for humans; nor did the earth send up any seed, for fair-crowned Demeter hid it.
§308πολλὰ δὲ καμπύλʼ ἄροτρα μάτην βόες εἷλκον ἀρούραις· §309πολλὸν δὲ κρῖ λευκὸν ἐτώσιον ἔμπεσε γαίῃ·
And many curved plows the oxen dragged in vain through the fields; and much white barley fell fruitless onto the earth.
§310καί νύ κε πάμπαν ὄλεσσε γένος μερόπων ἀνθρώπων §311λιμοῦ ὑπʼ ἀργαλέης, γεράων τʼ ἐρικυδέα τιμὴν §312καὶ θυσιῶν ἤμερσεν Ὀλύμπια δώματʼ ἔχοντας, §313εἰ μὴ Ζεὺς ἐνόησεν ἑῷ τʼ ἐφράσσατο θυμῷ.
And now she would have utterly destroyed the race of mortal humans by painful famine, and deprived those who have Olympian dwellings of the glorious honor of gifts and sacrifices, had not Zeus noticed and considered in his heart.
And first he sent golden-winged Iris to call lovely-haired Demeter, who has a much-loved form.
Thus he spoke; and she obeyed Zeus, the dark-clouded son of Cronos, and swiftly ran the space between with her feet.
§318ἵκετο δὲ πτολίεθρον Ἐλευσῖνος θυοέσσης, §319εὗρεν δʼ ἐν νηῷ Δημήτερα κυανόπεπλον §320καί μιν φωνήσασʼ ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα· §321<milestone type="startquote"/>Δήμητερ, καλέει σε πατὴρ Ζεὺς ἄφθιτα εἰδὼς §322ἐλθέμεναι μετὰ φῦλα θεῶν αἰειγενετάων.
And she came to the city of fragrant Eleusis, and found dark-robed Demeter in the temple; and speaking to her, she addressed winged words: <milestone type="startquote"/>"Demeter, father Zeus, who knows imperishable things, calls you to come among the tribes of the eternal gods.
§323ἄλλʼ ἴθι, μηδʼ ἀτέλεστον ἐμὸν ἔπος ἐκ Διὸς ἔστω. <milestone type="endquote"/> §324ὣς φάτο λισσομένη· τῇ δʼ οὐκ ἐπεπείθετο θυμός.
But come, and let not my word from Zeus be unaccomplished." <milestone type="endquote"/> Thus she spoke, entreating; but her mind was not persuaded.
§325αὖτις ἔπειτα πατὴρ μάκαρας θεοὺς αἰὲν ἐόντας §326πάντας ἐπιπροΐαλλεν· ἀμοιβηδὶς δὲ κιόντες §327κίκλησκον καὶ πολλὰ δίδον περικαλλέα δῶρα §328τιμάς θʼ, †ἅς κʼ ἐθέλοιτο† μετʼ ἀθανάτοισιν ἑλέσθαι.
And next thereafter, the father sent forth all the blessed, ever-existing gods; and going one after another, they called her and offered many beautiful gifts and honors, whatever she might wish to choose among the immortals.
But no one was able to persuade the heart or mind of her who was angry in her heart; and she stubbornly rejected their words.
§331οὐ μὲν γάρ ποτʼ ἔφασκε θυώδεος Οὐλύμποιο §332πρίν γʼ ἐπιβήσεσθαι, οὐ πρὶν γῆς καρπὸν ἀνήσειν, §333πρὶν ἴδοι ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἑὴν εὐώπιδα κούρην.
For she declared that she would never set foot on fragrant Olympus, nor send up the fruit of the earth, until she should see with her eyes her own fair-faced daughter.
§334αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ τό γʼ ἄκουσε βαρύκτυπος εὐρύοπα Ζεύς, §335εἰς Ἔρεβος πέμψε χρυσόρραπιν Ἀργειφόντην, §336ὄφρʼ Ἀίδην μαλακοῖσι παραιφάμενος ἐπέεσσιν §337ἁγνὴν Περσεφόνειαν ὑπὸ ζόφου ἠερόεντος §338ἐς φάος ἐξαγάγοι μετὰ δαίμονας, ὄφρα ἑ μήτηρ §339ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδοῦσα μεταλήξειε χόλοιο.
But when heavy-thundering, far-sounding Zeus heard this, he sent the golden-wand Argos-slayer to Erebus, so that, coaxing Hades with gentle words, he might lead holy Persephone from the murky gloom into the light among the gods, so that her mother seeing her with her eyes might cease from her anger.
And Hermes did not disobey, but immediately down into the depths of the earth he eagerly rushed down, leaving the seat of Olympus.
§342τέτμε δὲ τόν γε ἄνακτα δόμων ἔντοσθεν ἐόντα, §343ἥμενον ἐν λεχέεσσι σὺν αἰδοίῃ παρακοίτι, §344πόλλʼ ἀεκαζομένῃ μητρὸς πόθῳ· ἣ δʼ ἀποτηλοῦ §345ἔργοις θεῶν μακάρων δεινὴν μητίσετο βουλήν.
And he found that lord inside his dwelling, seated upon a bed with his revered wife, who was much unwilling through longing for her mother; but she, far away, was devising a terrible plan against the deeds of the blessed gods.
§346ἀγχοῦ δʼ ἱστάμενος προσέφη κρατὺς Ἀργειφόντης· §347<milestone type="startquote"/>Ἅιδη κυανοχαῖτα, καταφθιμένοισιν ἀνάσσων, §348Ζεύς με πατὴρ ἤνωγεν ἀγαυὴν Περσεφόνειαν §349ἐξαγαγεῖν Ἐρέβευσφι μετὰ σφέας, ὄφρα ἑ μήτηρ §350ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἰδοῦσα χόλου καὶ μήνιος αἰνῆς §351ἀθανάτοις λήξειεν· ἐπεὶ μέγα μήδεται ἔργον, §352φθῖσαι φῦλʼ ἀμενηνὰ χαμαιγενέων ἀνθρώπων, §353σπέρμʼ ὑπὸ γῆς κρύπτουσα, καταφθινύθουσα δὲ τιμὰς §354ἀθανάτων· ἣ δʼ αἰνὸν ἔχει χόλον, οὐδὲ θεοῖσι §355μίσγεται, ἀλλʼ ἀπάνευθε θυώδεος ἔνδοθι νηοῦ §356ἧσται Ἐλευσῖνος κραναὸν πτολίεθρον ἔχουσα. <milestone type="endquote"/> §357ὣς φάτο· μείδησεν δὲ ἄναξ ἐνέρων Ἀιδωνεὺς §358ὀφρύσιν, οὐδʼ ἀπίθησε Διὸς βασιλῆος ἐφετμῇς·
And standing near, the strong Argos-slayer addressed him: <milestone type="startquote"/>"Dark-haired Hades, ruling over the dead, father Zeus bade me lead noble Persephone out from Erebus among them, so that her mother seeing her with her eyes might cease from her anger and terrible wrath against the immortals; since she is planning a mighty deed, to destroy the feeble tribes of earth-born humans, by hiding the seed beneath the earth, and to make diminish the honors of the immortals; and she holds a terrible anger, nor does she mix with the gods, but apart inside her fragrant temple she sits, holding the rocky city of Eleusis." <milestone type="endquote"/> Thus he spoke; and Aidoneus, lord of those below, smiled with his brows, nor did he disobey the commands of king Zeus;