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Hesiod: Works and Days

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Hesiod: Works and Days
    Click to Expand/Collapse Option Complete text
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionProoemium
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionTwo kinds of Strife
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionStrife in courts
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionPrometheus
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionPandora
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionEpimetheus
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionThe Golden Age
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionThe Silver Age
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionThe Bronze Age
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionThe Heroic Age
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionThe Iron Age
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionFable of the Nightingale
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionDike
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionZeus’ Punishment
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionEye of Zeus
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionCatalogue of Virtues
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionGifts and Friendship
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionOikos
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionPloughing
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionReaping
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionWinter
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionSpring
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionSummer
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionAutumn
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionSailing
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionSailing the ocean
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionMarriage and Honour
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionFestivals
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionReputation
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionCalendar
Click to Expand/Collapse OptionEnd
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μὴ δὲ γυνή σε νόον πυγοστόλος ἐξαπατάτω
αἱμύλα κωτίλλουσα, τεὴν διφῶσα καλιήν.
ὃς δὲ γυναικὶ πέποιθε, πέποιθ᾽ ὅ γε φηλήτῃσιν. 
(Oikos 373-375) Do not let a flaunting woman coax and cozen and deceive you: she is after your barn. The man who trusts womankind trusts deceivers. 
μουνογενὴς δὲ πάις εἴη πατρώιον οἶκον
φερβέμεν ὣς γὰρ πλοῦτος ἀέξεται ἐν μεγάροισιν.
γηραιὸς δὲ θάνοις ἕτερον παῖδ᾽ ἐγκαταλείπων.
ῥεῖα δέ κεν πλεόνεσσι πόροι Ζεὺς ἄσπετον ὄλβον.
πλείων μὲν πλεόνων μελέτη, μείζων δ᾽ ἐπιθήκη. 
(376-380) There should be an only son, to feed his father’s house, for so wealth will increase in the home; but if you leave a second son you should die old. Yet Zeus can easily give great wealth to a greater number. More hands mean more work and more increase. 
σοὶ δ᾽ εἰ πλούτου θυμὸς ἐέλδεται ἐν φρεσὶν ᾗσιν,
ὧδ᾽ ἔρδειν, καὶ ἔργον ἐπ᾽ ἔργῳ ἐργάζεσθαι. 
(381-382) If your heart within you desires wealth, do these things and work with work upon work. 
πληιάδων Ἀτλαγενέων ἐπιτελλομενάων
ἄρχεσθ᾽ ἀμήτου, ἀρότοιο δὲ δυσομενάων.
αἳ δή τοι νύκτας τε καὶ ἤματα τεσσαράκοντα
κεκρύφαται, αὖτις δὲ περιπλομένου ἐνιαυτοῦ
φαίνονται τὰ πρῶτα χαρασσομένοιο σιδήρου.
οὗτός τοι πεδίων πέλεται νόμος, οἵ τε θαλάσσης
ἐγγύθι ναιετάουσ᾽, οἵ τ᾽ ἄγκεα βησσήεντα,
πόντου κυμαίνοντος ἀπόπροθι, πίονα χῶρον
ναίουσιν: γυμνὸν σπείρειν, γυμνὸν δὲ βοωτεῖν,
γυμνὸν δ᾽ ἀμάειν, εἴ χ᾽ ὥρια πάντ᾽ ἐθέλῃσθα
ἔργα κομίζεσθαι Δημήτερος: ὥς τοι ἕκαστα
ὥρι᾽ ἀέξηται, μή πως τὰ μέταζε χατίζων
πτώσσῃς ἀλλοτρίους οἴκους καὶ μηδὲν ἀνύσσῃς.
ὡς καὶ νῦν ἐπ᾽ ἔμ᾽ ἦλθες: ἐγὼ δέ τοι οὐκ ἐπιδώσω
οὐδ᾽ ἐπιμετρήσω: ἐργάζευ, νήπιε Πέρση,
ἔργα, τά τ᾽ ἀνθρώποισι θεοὶ διετεκμήραντο,
μή ποτε σὺν παίδεσσι γυναικί τε θυμὸν ἀχεύων
ζητεύῃς βίοτον κατὰ γείτονας, οἳ δ᾽ ἀμελῶσιν.
δὶς μὲν γὰρ καὶ τρὶς τάχα τεύξεαι: ἢν δ᾽ ἔτι λυπῇς,
χρῆμα μὲν οὐ πρήξεις, σὺ δ᾽ ἐτώσια πόλλ᾽ ἀγορεύσεις:
ἀχρεῖος δ᾽ ἔσται ἐπέων νομός. ἀλλά σ᾽ ἄνωγα
φράζεσθαι χρειῶν τε λύσιν λιμοῦ τ᾽ ἀλεωρήν. 
(383-404) When the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas, are rising , begin your harvest, and your ploughing when they are going to set. Forty nights and days they are hidden and appear again as the year moves round, when first you sharpen your sickle. This is the law of the plains, and of those who live near the sea, and who inhabit rich country, the glens and dingles far from the tossing sea,--strip to sow and strip to plough and strip to reap, if you wish to get in all Demeter’s fruits in due season, and that each kind may grow in its season. Else, afterwards, you may chance to be in want, and go begging to other men’s houses, but without avail; as you have already come to me. But I will give you no more nor give you further measure. Foolish Perses! Work the work which the gods ordained for men, lest in bitter anguish of spirit you with your wife and children seek your livelihood amongst your neighbours, and they do not heed you. Two or three times, may be, you will succeed, but if you trouble them further, it will not avail you, and all your talk will be in vain, and your word-play unprofitable. Nay, I bid you find a way to pay your debts and avoid hunger. 
οἶκον μὲν πρώτιστα γυναῖκά τε βοῦν τ᾽ ἀροτῆρα,
κτητήν, οὐ γαμετήν, ἥτις καὶ βουσὶν ἕποιτο,
χρήματα δ᾽ ἐν οἴκῳ πάντ᾽ ἄρμενα ποιήσασθαι,
μὴ σὺ μὲν αἰτῇς ἄλλον, ὃ δ᾽ ἀρνῆται, σὺ δὲ τητᾷ,
ἡ δ᾽ ὥρη παραμείβηται, μινύθῃ δὲ τὸ ἔργον.
μηδ᾽ ἀναβάλλεσθαι ἔς τ᾽ αὔριον ἔς τε ἔνηφιν:
οὐ γὰρ ἐτωσιοεργὸς ἀνὴρ πίμπλησι καλιὴν
οὐδ᾽ ἀναβαλλόμενος: μελέτη δὲ τὸ ἔργον ὀφέλλει:
αἰεὶ δ᾽ ἀμβολιεργὸς ἀνὴρ ἄτῃσι παλαίει. 
(405-413) First of all, get a house, and a woman and an ox for the plough--a slave woman and not a wife, to follow the oxen as well--and make everything ready at home, so that you may not have to ask of another, and he refuses you, and so, because you are in lack, the season pass by and your work come to nothing. Do not put your work off till to-morrow and the day after; for a sluggish worker does not fill his barn, nor one who puts off his work: industry makes work go well, but a man who puts off work is always at hand-grips with ruin. 
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Enhet: Det humanistiske fakultet   Utviklet av: IT-seksjonen ved HF
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