They are called blessed under-earth spirits by mortals, secondary, but nevertheless honor attends them also.
§143Ζεὺς δὲ πατὴρ τρίτον ἄλλο γένος μερόπων ἀνθρώπων §144χάλκειον ποίησʼ, οὐκ ἀργυρέῳ οὐδὲν ὁμοῖον, §145ἐκ μελιᾶν, δεινόν τε καὶ ὄβριμον· οἷσιν Ἄρηος §146ἔργʼ ἔμελεν στονόεντα καὶ ὕβριες· οὐδέ τι σῖτον §147ἤσθιον, ἀλλʼ ἀδάμαντος ἔχον κρατερόφρονα θυμόν, §148ἄπλαστοι· μεγάλη δὲ βίη καὶ χεῖρες ἄαπτοι §149ἐξ ὤμων ἐπέφυκον ἐπὶ στιβαροῖσι μέλεσσιν.
And father Zeus made a third, another race of speech-gifted men of bronze, in no way like the silver, from ash-trees, terrible and mighty; who cared for the lamentable deeds of Ares and insolence; nor did they eat grain at all, but had a stout-hearted spirit of adamant, unapproachable; and great strength and untouchable hands grew from their shoulders upon their sturdy limbs.
§150ὧν δʼ ἦν χάλκεα μὲν τεύχεα, χάλκεοι δέ τε οἶκοι §151χαλκῷ δʼ εἰργάζοντο· μέλας δʼ οὐκ ἔσκε σίδηρος.
Of them the armor was of bronze, and of bronze were the houses, and with bronze they worked; for black iron did not exist.
§152καὶ τοὶ μὲν χείρεσσιν ὕπο σφετέρῃσι δαμέντες §153βῆσαν ἐς εὐρώεντα δόμον κρυεροῦ Αίδαο §154νώνυμνοι· θάνατος δὲ καὶ ἐκπάγλους περ ἐόντας §155εἷλε μέλας, λαμπρὸν δʼ ἔλιπον φάος ἠελίοιο.
And they, subdued beneath their own hands, went to the moldy house of chill Hades nameless; and black death seized them, outstandingly strong though they were, and they left the bright light of the sun.
§156αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο γένος κατὰ γαῖʼ ἐκάλυψεν, §157αὖτις ἔτʼ ἄλλο τέταρτον ἐπὶ χθονὶ πουλυβοτείρῃ §158Ζεὺς Κρονίδης ποίησε, δικαιότερον καὶ ἄρειον, §159ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων θεῖον γένος, οἳ καλέονται §160ἡμίθεοι, προτέρη γενεὴ κατʼ ἀπείρονα γαῖαν.
But when earth had covered this race too, then again another, a fourth on the many-nourishing earth did Zeus the son of Kronos make, more just and better, a divine race of hero men, who are called demigods, the generation before us on the boundless earth.
§161καὶ τοὺς μὲν πόλεμός τε κακὸς καὶ φύλοπις αἰνή, §162τοὺς μὲν ὑφʼ ἑπταπύλῳ Θήβῃ, Καδμηίδι γαίῃ, §163ὤλεσε μαρναμένους μήλων ἕνεκʼ Οἰδιπόδαο, §164τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἐν νήεσσιν ὑπὲρ μέγα λαῖτμα θαλάσσης §165ἐς Τροίην ἀγαγὼν Ἑλένης ἕνεκʼ ἠυκόμοιο.
And some of them evil war and dread battle destroyed, some under seven-gated Thebes, the Cadmean land, fighting for the flocks of Oedipus, and others having led them in ships over the great gulf of the sea to Troy for the sake of lovely-haired Helen.
§166ἔνθʼ ἤτοι τοὺς μὲν θανάτου τέλος ἀμφεκάλυψε, §167τοῖς δὲ δίχʼ ἀνθρώπων βίοτον καὶ ἤθεʼ ὀπάσσας §168Ζεὺς Κρονίδης κατένασσε πατὴρ ἐς πείρατα γαίης.
There indeed the end of death enveloped some of them, but to others, granting a livelihood and dwellings apart from men, father Zeus the son of Kronos settled them at the ends of the earth.
§170καὶ τοὶ μὲν ναίουσιν ἀκηδέα θυμὸν ἔχοντες §171ἐν μακάρων νήσοισι παρʼ Ὠκεανὸν βαθυδίνην, §172ὄλβιοι ἥρωες, τοῖσιν μελιηδέα καρπὸν §173τρὶς ἔτεος θάλλοντα φέρει ζείδωρος ἄρουρα.
And they dwell, having a heart free from care, in the islands of the blessed beside deep-swirling Oceanus, happy heroes, for whom honey-sweet fruit three times a year flourishing does the grain-giving earth bear.
§169τηλοῦ ἀπʼ ἀθανάτων· τοῖσιν Κρόνος ἐμβασιλεύει.
far from the immortals; and Kronos rules over them.
§169aν ἔλυσε πα §169bεάτοις τιμὴ §169cλλο γένος θῆκʼ §169dγεγάασιν ἐπὶ §174μηκέτʼ ἔπειτʼ ὤφελλον ἐγὼ πέμπτοισι μετεῖναι §175ἀνδράσιν, ἀλλʼ ἢ πρόσθε θανεῖν ἢ ἔπειτα γενέσθαι.
[...] released, father [...] [...] to the last, honor [...] [...] placed another race [...] [...] they are born upon [...] Would that I were no longer thereafter among the fifth men, but had either died before or been born afterwards.
§176νῦν γὰρ δὴ γένος ἐστὶ σιδήρεον· οὐδέ ποτʼ ἦμαρ §177παύονται καμάτου καὶ ὀιζύος, οὐδέ τι νύκτωρ §178φθειρόμενοι.
For now indeed the race is of iron; nor ever by day do they cease from labor and sorrow, nor by night from being destroyed.
χαλεπὰς δὲ θεοὶ δώσουσι μερίμνας· §179ἀλλʼ ἔμπης καὶ τοῖσι μεμείξεται ἐσθλὰ κακοῖσιν.
And the gods will give harsh cares; but nevertheless, even for them good things will be mixed with evils.
§180Ζεὺς δʼ ὀλέσει καὶ τοῦτο γένος μερόπων ἀνθρώπων, §181εὖτʼ ἂν γεινόμενοι πολιοκρόταφοι τελέθωσιν.
And Zeus will destroy this race of speech-gifted men too, when they are born with grey temples.
§182οὐδὲ πατὴρ παίδεσσιν ὁμοίιος οὐδέ τι παῖδες, §183οὐδὲ ξεῖνος ξεινοδόκῳ καὶ ἑταῖρος ἑταίρῳ, §184οὐδὲ κασίγνητος φίλος ἔσσεται, ὡς τὸ πάρος περ.
Nor will a father be like-minded with his children, nor children at all with him, nor a guest with his host, nor a companion with his companion, nor will a brother be dear, as in former times.
§185αἶψα δὲ γηράσκοντας ἀτιμήσουσι τοκῆας· §186μέμψονται δʼ ἄρα τοὺς χαλεποῖς βάζοντες ἔπεσσι §187σχέτλιοι οὐδὲ θεῶν ὄπιν εἰδότες· οὐδέ κεν οἵ γε §188γηράντεσσι τοκεῦσιν ἀπὸ θρεπτήρια δοῖεν §189χειροδίκαι· ἕτερος δʼ ἑτέρου πόλιν ἐξαλαπάξει.
And quickly they will dishonor their aging parents; and they will find fault with them, addressing them with harsh words, wretches, not knowing the retribution of the gods; nor would they give back nurture to their aging parents, with right in their hands; and one will sack the city of another.
§190οὐδέ τις εὐόρκου χάρις ἔσσεται οὔτε δικαίου §191οὔτʼ ἀγαθοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ κακῶν ῥεκτῆρα καὶ ὕβριν §192ἀνέρες αἰνήσουσι· δίκη δʼ ἐν χερσί, καὶ αἰδὼς §193οὐκ ἔσται· βλάψει δʼ ὁ κακὸς τὸν ἀρείονα φῶτα §194μύθοισιν σκολιοῖς ἐνέπων, ἐπὶ δʼ ὅρκον ὀμεῖται.
Nor will there be any favor for the oath-keeper, nor for the just, nor for the good, but rather the doer of evil and insolence men will praise; and justice will be in their hands, and shame will not exist; and the bad man will harm the better man, speaking with crooked words, and will swear an oath besides.
And envy, among all miserable men, harsh-voiced, rejoicing in evil, hateful-looking, will accompany.
§197καὶ τότε δὴ πρὸς Ὄλυμπον ἀπὸ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης §198λευκοῖσιν φάρεσσι καλυψαμένα χρόα καλὸν §199ἀθανάτων μετὰ φῦλον ἴτον προλιπόντʼ ἀνθρώπους §200Αἰδὼς καὶ Νέμεσις· τὰ δὲ λείψεται ἄλγεα λυγρὰ §201θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποισι· κακοῦ δʼ οὐκ ἔσσεται ἀλκή.
And then indeed to Olympus from the broad-wayed earth, having veiled their beautiful skin in white robes, to the tribe of the immortals they will go, leaving men behind, Shame and Indignation; and sorrowful pains will be left for mortal men, and there will be no defense against evil.
§202νῦν δʼ αἶνον βασιλεῦσιν ἐρέω φρονέουσι καὶ αὐτοῖς· §203ὧδʼ ἴρηξ προσέειπεν ἀηδόνα ποικιλόδειρον §204ὕψι μάλʼ ἐν νεφέεσσι φέρων ὀνύχεσσι μεμαρπώς· §205ἣ δʼ ἐλεόν, γναμπτοῖσι πεπαρμένη ἀμφʼ ὀνύχεσσι, §206μύρετο· τὴν ὅγʼ ἐπικρατέως πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν·
And now I will speak a fable to kings, who themselves understand: thus the hawk addressed the dappled-necked nightingale, carrying her very high in the clouds, having gripped her in his talons; and she, miserably pierced by his curved talons, was weeping; but he masterfully addressed his speech to her: