§405οἶκον μὲν πρώτιστα γυναῖκά τε βοῦν τʼ ἀροτῆρα, §406κτητήν, οὐ γαμετήν, ἥτις καὶ βουσὶν ἕποιτο, §407χρήματα δʼ ἐν οἴκῳ πάντʼ ἄρμενα ποιήσασθαι, §408μὴ σὺ μὲν αἰτῇς ἄλλον, ὃ δʼ ἀρνῆται, σὺ δὲ τητᾷ,
First of all, get a house, and a woman, and a plowing ox, a slave woman, not a wife, who could also follow the oxen, and make all the gear ready in the house, lest you ask another, and he refuse, and you be in want, and the season pass by, and your work be diminished.
§409ἡ δʼ ὥρη παραμείβηται, μινύθῃ δὲ τὸ ἔργον. §410μηδʼ ἀναβάλλεσθαι ἔς τʼ αὔριον ἔς τε ἔνηφιν· §411οὐ γὰρ ἐτωσιοεργὸς ἀνὴρ πίμπλησι καλιὴν §412οὐδʼ ἀναβαλλόμενος· μελέτη δὲ τὸ ἔργον ὀφέλλει·
Do not put off your work until tomorrow or the day after; for the lazy man does not fill his barn, nor does he who puts off; but diligence prospers work.
§413αἰεὶ δʼ ἀμβολιεργὸς ἀνὴρ ἄτῃσι παλαίει.
A man who always postpones his work wrestles with ruin.
§414ἦμος δὴ λήγει μένος ὀξέος ἠελίοιο §415καύματος ἰδαλίμου, μετοπωρινὸν ὀμβρήσαντος §416Ζηνὸς ἐρισθενέος, μετὰ δὲ τρέπεται βρότεος χρὼς §417πολλὸν ἐλαφρότερος· δὴ γὰρ τότε Σείριος ἀστὴρ §418βαιὸν ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς κηριτρεφέων ἀνθρώπων §419ἔρχεται ἠμάτιος, πλεῖον δέ τε νυκτὸς ἐπαυρεῖ· §420τῆμος ἀδηκτοτάτη πέλεται τμηθεῖσα σιδήρῳ §421ὕλη, φύλλα δʼ ἔραζε χέει, πτόρθοιό τε λήγει·
When the power of the sharp sun ceases from the sweating heat, when mighty Zeus sends autumn rains, and human flesh changes, becoming much lighter—for indeed then the star Sirius goes only briefly over the heads of death-doomed men by day, and enjoys a greater share of the night; then wood cut with iron is least worm-eaten, and pours its leaves to the ground, and ceases from budding.
§422τῆμος ἄρʼ ὑλοτομεῖν μεμνημένος ὥρια ἔργα.
Mindful of this season, cut wood for timely tasks.
Cut a mortar of three feet, a pestle of three cubits, and an axle of seven feet; for thus it is very suitable for you.
μάλα γάρ νύ τοι ἄρμενον οὕτω· §425εἰ δέ κεν ὀκταπόδην, ἀπὸ καὶ σφῦράν κε τάμοιο.
But if you cut it eight feet, you can also cut a mallet from it.
§426τρισπίθαμον δʼ ἄψιν τάμνειν δεκαδώρῳ ἀμάξῃ.
And cut a wheel-rim of three spans for a ten-palm wagon.
§427πόλλʼ ἐπικαμπύλα κᾶλα· φέρειν δὲ γύην, ὅτʼ ἂν εὕρῃς, §428ἐς οἶκον, κατʼ ὄρος διζήμενος ἢ κατʼ ἄρουραν, §429πρίνινον· ὃς γὰρ βουσὶν ἀροῦν ὀχυρώτατός ἐστιν, §430εὖτʼ ἂν Ἀθηναίης δμῷος ἐν ἐλύματι πήξας §431γόμφοισιν πελάσας προσαρήρεται ἱστοβοῆι.
There are many curved timbers; bring a plow-tree home when you find it, searching on the mountain or in the field, one of holm-oak; for this is the strongest for oxen to plow with, when the servant of Athena, having fixed it in the share-beam and brought it near with pegs, fits it to the pole.
Make two plows, working on them at home, one of one piece, and one jointed, since it is much better so.
§434εἴ χʼ ἕτερον ἄξαις, ἕτερόν κʼ ἐπὶ βουσὶ βάλοιο.
If you should break one, you can put the other on the oxen.
Poles of laurel or elm are freest from worms, the share-beam of oak, the plow-tree of holm-oak.
βόε δʼ ἐνναετήρω §437ἄρσενε κεκτῆσθαι, τῶν γὰρ σθένος οὐκ ἀλαπαδνόν, §438ἥβης μέτρον ἔχοντε· τὼ ἐργάζεσθαι ἀρίστω.
And get two nine-year-old male oxen, for their strength is not easily spent, having the measure of youth; they are best for working.
They would not, quarreling in the furrow, break the plow, and leave the work unfinished right there.
§441τοῖς δʼ ἅμα τεσσαρακονταετὴς αἰζηὸς ἕποιτο §442ἄρτον δειπνήσας τετράτρυφον, ὀκτάβλωμον, §443ὃς ἔργου μελετῶν ἰθεῖάν κʼ αὔλακʼ ἐλαύνοι, §444μηκέτι παπταίνων μεθʼ ὁμήλικας, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ ἔργῳ §445θυμὸν ἔχων· τοῦ δʼ οὔτι νεώτερος ἄλλος ἀμείνων §446σπέρματα δάσσασθαι καὶ ἐπισπορίην ἀλέασθαι.
Let a sturdy man of forty years follow them, having dined on a loaf broken into four pieces, of eight mouthfuls, who, minding his work, would drive a straight furrow, no longer looking about after his companions, but having his mind on his work; and no other man younger than him is better at sowing the seed and avoiding sowing over again.
§447κουρότερος γὰρ ἀνὴρ μεθʼ ὁμήλικας ἐπτοίηται.
For a younger man is fluttered after his companions.
§448φράζεσθαι δʼ, εὖτʼ ἂν γεράνου φωνὴν ἐπακούσῃς §449ὑψόθεν ἐκ νεφέων ἐνιαύσια κεκληγυίης· §450ἥτʼ ἀρότοιό τε σῆμα φέρει καὶ χείματος ὥρην §451δεικνύει ὀμβρηροῦ· κραδίην δʼ ἔδακʼ ἀνδρὸς ἀβούτεω·
Take heed when you hear the voice of the crane crying from on high from the clouds year by year; she brings the signal for plowing and shows the season of rainy winter; and she bites the heart of the oxless man.
§452δὴ τότε χορτάζειν ἕλικας βόας ἔνδον ἐόντας· §453ῥηίδιον γὰρ ἔπος εἰπεῖν· βόε δὸς καὶ ἄμαξαν· §454ῥηίδιον δʼ ἀπανήνασθαι· πάρα ἔργα βόεσσιν. §455φησὶ δʼ ἀνὴρ φρένας ἀφνειὸς πήξασθαι ἄμαξαν, §456νήπιος, οὐδὲ τὸ οἶδʼ· ἑκατὸν δέ τε δούρατʼ ἀμάξης, §457τῶν πρόσθεν μελέτην ἐχέμεν οἰκήια θέσθαι.
Then feed the curved-horned oxen staying inside the house; for it is easy to say: "Give me two oxen and a wagon," but it is easy also to refuse: "My oxen have work at hand." A man rich in his own fancy says he will build a wagon, the fool, and does not know this: there are a hundred timbers in a wagon, of which one must take care beforehand to lay them up at home.
§458εὖτʼ ἂν δὲ πρώτιστʼ ἄροτος θνητοῖσι φανείῃ, §459δὴ τότʼ ἐφορμηθῆναι ὁμῶς δμῶές τε καὶ αὐτὸς §460αὔην καὶ διερὴν ἀρόων ἀρότοιο καθʼ ὥρην, §461πρωὶ μάλα σπεύδων, ἵνα τοι πλήθωσιν ἄρουραι.
And when the time for plowing first appears to mortals, then set to work, both your servants and yourself, plowing dry and wet land alike in the season of plowing, hastening very early in the morning, so that your fields may be full.
§462ἦρι πολεῖν· θέρεος δὲ νεωμένη οὔ σʼ ἀπατήσει.
Plow in the spring; and fallow land turned up in summer will not deceive you.
Sow the fallow land while the soil is still light; fallow land is a defender against ruin, a soother of children.
§465εὔχεσθαι δὲ Διὶ χθονίῳ Δημήτερί θʼ ἁγνῇ, §466ἐκτελέα βρίθειν Δημήτερος ἱερὸν ἀκτήν, §467ἀρχόμενος τὰ πρῶτʼ ἀρότου, ὅτʼ ἂν ἄκρον ἐχέτλης §468χειρὶ λαβὼν ὅρπηκα βοῶν ἐπὶ νῶτον ἵκηαι §469ἔνδρυον ἑλκόντων μεσάβων.
Pray to chthonic Zeus and holy Demeter, that Demeter's sacred grain may grow heavy and ripe, when you first begin your plowing, when, taking the end of the plow-tail in your hand, you touch with the goad the backs of the oxen as they pull the wooden yoke-peg.
ὁ δὲ τυτθὸς ὄπισθε §470δμῷος ἔχων μακέλην πόνον ὀρνίθεσσι τιθείη §471σπέρμα κατακρύπτων· ἐυθημοσύνη γὰρ ἀρίστη §472θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποις, κακοθημοσύνη δὲ κακίστη.
And let a slave boy follow close behind with a mattock, making trouble for the birds by hiding the seed; for good management is best for mortal men, and bad management is worst.
§473ὧδέ κεν ἀδροσύνῃ στάχυες νεύοιεν ἔραζε, §474εἰ τέλος αὐτὸς ὄπισθεν Ὀλύμπιος ἐσθλὸν ὀπάζοι, §475ἐκ δʼ ἀγγέων ἐλάσειας ἀράχνια· καί σε ἔολπα §476γηθήσειν βιότου αἰρεύμενον ἔνδον ἐόντος.
Thus the ears of corn will nod to the ground with fullness, if the Olympian himself grants a good end afterward; and you will drive the spider webs from the vessels, and I hope that you will rejoice as you take from the substance stored within.