§1μοῦσαι Πιερίηθεν ἀοιδῇσιν κλείουσαι §2δεῦτε, Δίʼ ἐννέπετε, σφέτερον πατέρʼ ὑμνείουσαι· §3ὅντε διὰ βροτοὶ ἄνδρες ὁμῶς ἄφατοί τε φατοί τε,
Muses from Pieria, who glorify with your songs, come hither, tell of Zeus, praising your own father; through whom mortal men are alike unmentioned and mentioned, famous and nameless, by the will of great Zeus.
§4ῥητοί τʼ ἄρρητοί τε Διὸς μεγάλοιο ἕκητι. §5ῥέα μὲν γὰρ βριάει, ῥέα δὲ βριάοντα χαλέπτει, §6ῥεῖα δʼ ἀρίζηλον μινύθει καὶ ἄδηλον ἀέξει, §7ῥεῖα δέ τʼ ἰθύνει σκολιὸν καὶ ἀγήνορα κάρφει §8Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης, ὃς ὑπέρτατα δώματα ναίει.
For easily he makes strong, and easily he oppresses the strong; easily he diminishes the conspicuous and increases the obscure; easily he straightens the crooked and withers the proud, Zeus who thunders on high, who dwells in homes most high.
Hearken, seeing and hearing, and direct the decrees with justice, you; and I, Perses, would tell of true things.
§11οὐκ ἄρα μοῦνον ἔην Ἐρίδων γένος, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ γαῖαν §12εἰσὶ δύω· τὴν μέν κεν ἐπαινέσσειε νοήσας, §13ἣ δʼ ἐπιμωμητή· διὰ δʼ ἄνδιχα θυμὸν ἔχουσιν.
So there was not after all only one kind of Strife, but upon the earth there are two; one a man would praise when he understands her, but the other is blameworthy; and they have divided minds.
§14ἣ μὲν γὰρ πόλεμόν τε κακὸν καὶ δῆριν ὀφέλλει, §15σχετλίη· οὔτις τήν γε φιλεῖ βροτός, ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης §16ἀθανάτων βουλῇσιν Ἔριν τιμῶσι βαρεῖαν.
For the one fosters evil war and battle, cruel thing; no mortal loves her, but by necessity, through the wills of the immortals, they honor heavy Strife.
§17τὴν δʼ ἑτέρην προτέρην μὲν ἐγείνατο Νὺξ ἐρεβεννή, §18θῆκε δέ μιν Κρονίδης ὑψίζυγος, αἰθέρι ναίων, §19γαίης ἐν ῥίζῃσι, καὶ ἀνδράσι πολλὸν ἀμείνω· §20ἥτε καὶ ἀπάλαμόν περ ὁμῶς ἐπὶ ἔργον ἔγειρεν.
But the other, gloomy Night bore first, and the son of Kronos, sitting on high, dwelling in the ether, set her in the roots of the earth, and she is much better for men; she rouses even the shiftless man to work.
§21εἰς ἕτερον γάρ τίς τε ἰδὼν ἔργοιο χατίζει §22πλούσιον, ὃς σπεύδει μὲν ἀρώμεναι ἠδὲ φυτεύειν §23οἶκόν τʼ εὖ θέσθαι· ζηλοῖ δέ τε γείτονα γείτων §24εἰς ἄφενος σπεύδοντʼ· ἀγαθὴ δʼ Ἔρις ἥδε βροτοῖσιν.
For when someone looks upon another who is rich in work, who hastens to plow and to plant and to set his house in order; then neighbor envies neighbor hastening after wealth; and this Strife is good for mortals.
And potter is angry with potter, and craftsman with craftsman, and beggar envies beggar, and singer envies singer.
§27ὦ Πέρση, σὺ δὲ ταῦτα τεῷ ἐνικάτθεο θυμῷ, §28μηδέ σʼ Ἔρις κακόχαρτος ἀπʼ ἔργου θυμὸν ἐρύκοι §29νείκεʼ ὀπιπεύοντʼ ἀγορῆς ἐπακουὸν ἐόντα.
O Perses, lay these things up in your heart, and do not let malicious Strife hold your mind back from work, while you watch disputes and listen in the marketplace.
§30ὤρη γάρ τʼ ὀλίγη πέλεται νεικέων τʼ ἀγορέων τε, §31ᾧτινι μὴ βίος ἔνδον ἐπηετανὸς κατάκειται §32ὡραῖος, τὸν γαῖα φέρει, Δημήτερος ἀκτήν.
For there is little concern for disputes and marketplaces for him who does not have sufficient livelihood laid up at home in season, which the earth bears, Demeter's grain.
§33τοῦ κε κορεσσάμενος νείκεα καὶ δῆριν ὀφέλλοις §34κτήμασʼ ἐπʼ ἀλλοτρίοις· σοὶ δʼ οὐκέτι δεύτερον ἔσται §35ὧδʼ ἔρδειν· ἀλλʼ αὖθι διακρινώμεθα νεῖκος §36ἰθείῃσι δίκῃς, αἵ τʼ ἐκ Διός εἰσιν ἄρισται.
When you are sated with this, you might foster disputes and strife over other men's possessions; but you will not have a second chance to act thus; rather, let us settle our dispute here with straight judgments, which are the best from Zeus.
§37ἤδη μὲν γὰρ κλῆρον ἐδασσάμεθʼ, ἀλλὰ τὰ πολλὰ §38ἁρπάζων ἐφόρεις μέγα κυδαίνων βασιλῆας §39δωροφάγους, οἳ τήνδε δίκην ἐθέλουσι δίκασσαι.
For already we had divided our inheritance, but you snatched and carried off many things, greatly flattering the gift-devouring kings, who wish to judge this law-suit.
Fools, they do not even know how much more the half is than the whole, nor how great a benefit there is in mallow and asphodel.
§42κρύψαντες γὰρ ἔχουσι θεοὶ βίον ἀνθρώποισιν· §43ῥηιδίως γάρ κεν καὶ ἐπʼ ἤματι ἐργάσσαιο, §44ὥστε σε κεἰς ἐνιαυτὸν ἔχειν καὶ ἀεργὸν ἐόντα· §45αἶψά κε πηδάλιον μὲν ὑπὲρ καπνοῦ καταθεῖο, §46ἔργα βοῶν δʼ ἀπόλοιτο καὶ ἡμιόνων ταλαεργῶν.
For the gods keep the livelihood of men hidden; for otherwise you would easily work even for a single day, so as to have enough for a year, even being idle; quickly you would hang up the rudder over the smoke, and the work of oxen and of hard-working mules would perish.
§47ἀλλὰ Ζεὺς ἔκρυψε χολωσάμενος φρεσὶν ᾗσιν, §48ὅττι μιν ἐξαπάτησε Προμηθεὺς ἀγκυλομήτης· §49τοὔνεκʼ ἄρʼ ἀνθρώποισιν ἐμήσατο κήδεα λυγρά.
But Zeus hid it, being angry in his heart, because Prometheus of crooked counsel deceived him; therefore indeed he devised sorrowful cares for men.
§50κρύψε δὲ πῦρ· τὸ μὲν αὖτις ἐὺς πάις Ἰαπετοῖο §51ἔκλεψʼ ἀνθρώποισι Διὸς πάρα μητιόεντος §52ἐν κοῒλῳ νάρθηκι λαθὼν Δία τερπικέραυνον.
And he hid fire; which again the noble son of Iapetus stole for men from Zeus of wise counsel, in a hollow fennel-stalk, escaping the notice of Zeus who delights in thunder.
§53τὸν δὲ χολωσάμενος προσέφη νεφεληγερέτα Ζευς· §54Ἰαπετιονίδη, πάντων πέρι μήδεα εἰδώς, §55χαίρεις πῦρ κλέψας καὶ ἐμὰς φρένας ἠπεροπεύσας, §56σοί τʼ αὐτῷ μέγα πῆμα καὶ ἀνδράσιν ἐσσομένοισιν.
And angry at him, cloud-gathering Zeus addressed him: "Son of Iapetus, knowing thoughts beyond all others, you rejoice that you stole fire and deceived my mind, a great grief for yourself and for men to come.
§57τοῖς δʼ ἐγὼ ἀντὶ πυρὸς δώσω κακόν, ᾧ κεν ἅπαντες §58τέρπωνται κατὰ θυμὸν ἑὸν κακὸν ἀμφαγαπῶντες. §59ὣς ἔφατʼ· ἐκ δʼ ἐγέλασσε πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε.
To them, instead of fire, I will give an evil, in which they all may delight in their hearts, embracing their own evil." So he spoke; and the father of men and of gods laughed aloud.
§60Ἥφαιστον δʼ ἐκέλευσε περικλυτὸν ὅττι τάχιστα §61γαῖαν ὕδει φύρειν, ἐν δʼ ἀνθρώπου θέμεν αὐδὴν §62καὶ σθένος, ἀθανάτῃς δὲ θεῇς εἰς ὦπα ἐίσκειν §63παρθενικῆς καλὸν εἶδος ἐπήρατον· αὐτὰρ Ἀθήνην §64ἔργα διδασκῆσαι, πολυδαίδαλον ἱστὸν ὑφαίνειν· §65καὶ χάριν ἀμφιχέαι κεφαλῇ χρυσέην Ἀφροδίτην §66καὶ πόθον ἀργαλέον καὶ γυιοβόρους μελεδώνας· §67ἐν δὲ θέμεν κύνεόν τε νόον καὶ ἐπίκλοπον ἦθος §68Ἑρμείην ἤνωγε, διάκτορον Ἀργεϊφόντην.
And he ordered renowned Hephaestus as quickly as possible to mix earth with water, and to put in it the voice and strength of a human, and to fashion it like the immortal goddesses in face, a beautiful, lovely maidenly form; and Athena to teach her works, to weave the highly-wrought web; and golden Aphrodite to pour grace around her head and painful desire and limb-consuming cares; and to put in her a dog-like mind and a deceitful character he commanded Hermes, the guide, the slayer of Argus.
§69ὣς ἔφαθʼ· οἳ δʼ ἐπίθοντο Διὶ Κρονίωνι ἄνακτι.
So he spoke; and they obeyed Lord Zeus, the son of Kronos.