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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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εὖτ᾽ ἂν ἐπ᾽ ἐμπορίην τρέψας ἀεσίφρονα θυμὸν
βούληαι χρέα τε προφυγεῖν καὶ λιμὸν ἀτερπέα,
δείξω δή τοι μέτρα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης,
οὔτε τι ναυτιλίης σεσοφισμένος οὔτε τι νηῶν.
οὐ γάρ πώ ποτε νηί γ᾽ ἐπέπλων εὐρέα πόντον,
εἰ μὴ ἐς Εὔβοιαν ἐξ Αὐλίδος, ᾗ ποτ᾽ Ἀχαιοὶ
μείναντες χειμῶνα πολὺν σὺν λαὸν ἄγειραν
Ἑλλάδος ἐξ ἱερῆς Τροίην ἐς καλλιγύναικα.
ἔνθα δ᾽ ἐγὼν ἐπ᾽ ἄεθλα δαΐφρονος Ἀμφιδάμαντος
Χαλκίδα τ᾽ εἲς ἐπέρησα: τὰ δὲ προπεφραδμένα πολλὰ
ἄεθλ᾽ ἔθεσαν παῖδες μεγαλήτορος: ἔνθα μέ φημι
ὕμνῳ νικήσαντα φέρειν τρίποδ᾽ ὠτώεντα.
τὸν μὲν ἐγὼ Μούσῃς Ἑλικωνιάδεσσ᾽ ἀνέθηκα,
ἔνθα με τὸ πρῶτον λιγυρῆς ἐπέβησαν ἀοιδῆς.
τόσσον τοι νηῶν γε πεπείρημαι πολυγόμφων:
ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς ἐρέω Ζηνὸς νόον αἰγιόχοιο:
Μοῦσαι γάρ μ᾽ ἐδίδαξαν ἀθέσφατον ὕμνον ἀείδειν. 
(Sailing the ocean 646-662) If ever you turn your misguided heart to trading and with to escape from debt and joyless hunger, I will show you the measures of the loud-roaring sea, though I have no skill in sea-faring nor in ships; for never yet have I sailed by ship over the wide sea, but only to Euboea from Aulis where the Achaeans once stayed through much storm when they had gathered a great host from divine Hellas for Troy, the land of fair women. Then I crossed over to Chalcis, to the games of wise Amphidamas where the sons of the great-hearted hero proclaimed and appointed prizes. And there I boast that I gained the victory with a song and carried off an handled tripod which I dedicated to the Muses of Helicon, in the place where they first set me in the way of clear song. Such is all my experience of many-pegged ships; nevertheless I will tell you the will of Zeus who holds the aegis; for the Muses have taught me to sing in marvellous song. 
663-677ἤματα πεντήκοντα μετὰ τροπὰς ἠελίοιο,
ἐς τέλος ἐλθόντος θέρεος καματώδεος ὥρης,
ὡραῖος πέλεται θνητοῖς πλόος: οὔτε κε νῆα
καυάξαις οὔτ᾽ ἄνδρας ἀποφθείσειε θάλασσα,
εἰ δὴ μὴ πρόφρων γε Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων
ἢ Ζεὺς ἀθανάτων βασιλεὺς ἐθέλῃσιν ὀλέσσαι:
ἐν τοῖς γὰρ τέλος ἐστὶν ὁμῶς ἀγαθῶν τε κακῶν τε.
τῆμος δ᾽ εὐκρινέες τ᾽ αὖραι καὶ πόντος ἀπήμων:
εὔκηλος τότε νῆα θοὴν ἀνέμοισι πιθήσας
ἑλκέμεν ἐς πόντον φόρτον τ᾽ ἐς πάντα τίθεσθαι,
σπεύδειν δ᾽ ὅττι τάχιστα πάλιν οἶκόνδε νέεσθαι:
μηδὲ μένειν οἶνόν τε νέον καὶ ὀπωρινὸν ὄμβρον
καὶ χειμῶν᾽ ἐπιόντα Νότοιό τε δεινὰς ἀήτας,
ὅστ᾽ ὤρινε θάλασσαν ὁμαρτήσας Διὸς ὄμβρῳ
πολλῷ ὀπωρινῷ, χαλεπὸν δέ τε πόντον ἔθηκεν. 
(663-677) Fifty days after the solstice , when the season of wearisome heat is come to an end, is the right time for me to go sailing. Then you will not wreck your ship, nor will the sea destroy the sailors, unless Poseidon the Earth-Shaker be set upon it, or Zeus, the king of the deathless gods, wish to slay them; for the issues of good and evil alike are with them. At that time the winds are steady, and the sea is harmless. Then trust in the winds without care, and haul your swift ship down to the sea and put all the freight on board; but make all haste you can to return home again and do not wait till the time of the new wine and autumn rain and oncoming storms with the fierce gales of Notus who accompanies the heavy autumn rain of Zeus and stirs up the sea and makes the deep dangerous. 
ἄλλος δ᾽ εἰαρινὸς πέλεται πλόος ἀνθρώποισιν:
ἦμος δὴ τὸ πρῶτον, ὅσον τ᾽ ἐπιβᾶσα κορώνη
ἴχνος ἐποίησεν, τόσσον πέταλ᾽ ἀνδρὶ φανείῃ
ἐν κράδῃ ἀκροτάτῃ, τότε δ᾽ ἄμβατός ἐστι θάλασσα:
εἰαρινὸς δ᾽ οὗτος πέλεται πλόος. οὔ μιν ἔγωγε
αἴνημ᾽: οὐ γὰρ ἐμῷ θυμῷ κεχαρισμένος ἐστίν:
ἁρπακτός: χαλεπῶς κε φύγοις κακόν: ἀλλά νυ καὶ τὰ
ἄνθρωποι ῥέζουσιν ἀιδρείῃσι νόοιο:
χρήματα γὰρ ψυχὴ πέλεται δειλοῖσι βροτοῖσιν.
δεινὸν δ᾽ ἐστὶ θανεῖν μετὰ κύμασιν. ἀλλά σ᾽ ἄνωγα
φράζεσθαι τάδε πάντα μετὰ φρεσίν, ὡς ἀγορεύω.
μηδ᾽ ἐν νηυσὶν ἅπαντα βίον κοΐλῃσι τίθεσθαι:
ἀλλὰ πλέω λείπειν, τὰ δὲ μείονα φορτίζεσθαι.
δεινὸν γὰρ πόντου μετὰ κύμασι πήματι κύρσαι.
δεινὸν δ᾽, εἴ κ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἄμαξαν ὑπέρβιον ἄχθος ἀείρας
ἄξονα. καυάξαις καὶ φορτία μαυρωθείη.
μέτρα φυλάσσεσθαι: καιρὸς δ᾽ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἄριστος. 
(678-694) Another time for men to go sailing is in spring when a man first sees leaves on the topmost shoot of a fig-tree as large as the foot-print that a cow makes; then the sea is passable, and this is the spring sailing time. For my part I do not praise it, for my heart does not like it. Such a sailing is snatched, and you will hardly avoid mischief. Yet in their ignorance men do even this, for wealth means life to poor mortals; but it is fearful to die among the waves. But I bid you consider all these things in your heart as I say. Do not put all your goods in hallow ships; leave the greater part behind, and put the lesser part on board; for it is a bad business to meet with disaster among the waves of the sea, as it is bad if you put too great a load on your waggon and break the axle, and your goods are spoiled. Observe due measure: and proportion is best in all things. 
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