You are here: BP HOME > MLM > Hesiod: Works and Days > fulltext
Hesiod: Works and Days

Choose languages

Choose images, etc.

Choose languages
Choose display
  • Enable images
  • Enable footnotes
    • Show all footnotes
    • Minimize footnotes
Search-help
Choose specific texts..
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
Back to library
ὡραῖος δὲ γυναῖκα τεὸν ποτὶ οἶκον ἄγεσθαι,
μήτε τριηκόντων ἐτέων μάλα πόλλ᾽ ἀπολείπων
μήτ᾽ ἐπιθεὶς μάλα πολλά: γάμος δέ τοι ὥριος οὗτος:
ἡ δὲ γυνὴ τέτορ᾽ ἡβώοι, πέμπτῳ δὲ γαμοῖτο.
παρθενικὴν δὲ γαμεῖν, ὥς κ᾽ ἤθεα κεδνὰ διδάξῃς.
τὴν δὲ μάλιστα γαμεῖν, ἥ τις σέθεν ἐγγύθι ναίει,
πάντα μάλ᾽ ἀμφιιδών, μὴ γείτοσι χάρματα γήμῃς.
οὐ μὲν γάρ τι γυναικὸς ἀνὴρ ληίζετ᾽ ἄμεινον
τῆς ἀγαθῆς, τῆς δ᾽ αὖτε κακῆς οὐ ῥίγιον ἄλλο,
δειπνολόχης: ἥτ᾽ ἄνδρα καὶ ἴφθιμόν περ ἐόντα
εὕει ἄτερ δαλοῖο καὶ ὠμῷ γήραϊ δῶκεν. 
(Marriage and Honour 695-705) Bring home a wife to your house when you are of the right age, while you are not far short of thirty years nor much above; this is the right age for marriage. Let your wife have been grown up four years, and marry her in the fifth. Marry a maiden, so that you can teach her careful ways, and especially marry one who lives near you, but look well about you and see that your marriage will not be a joke to your neighbours. For a man wins nothing better than a good wife, and, again, nothing worse than a bad one, a greedy soul who roasts her man without fire, strong though he may be, and brings him to a raw old age. 
εὖ δ᾽ ὄπιν ἀθανάτων μακάρων πεφυλαγμένος εἶναι.
μηδὲ κασιγνήτῳ ἶσον ποιεῖσθαι ἑταῖρον:
εἰ δέ κε ποιήσῃς, μή μιν πρότερος κακὸν ἔρξῃς.
μηδὲ ψεύδεσθαι γλώσσης χάριν: εἰ δὲ σέ γ᾽ ἄρχῃ
ἤ τι ἔπος εἰπὼν ἀποθύμιον ἠὲ καὶ ἔρξας,
δὶς τόσα τίνυσθαι μεμνημένος: εἰ δὲ σέ γ᾽ αὖτις
ἡγῆτ᾽ ἐς φιλότητα, δίκην δ᾽ ἐθέλῃσι παρασχεῖν,
δέξασθαι: δειλός τοι ἀνὴρ φίλον ἄλλοτε ἄλλον
ποιεῖται, σὲ δὲ μή τι νόον κατελεγχέτω εἶδος. 
(706-714) Be careful to avoid the anger of the deathless gods. Do not make a friend equal to a brother; but if you do, do not wrong him first, and do not lie to please the tongue. But if he wrongs you first, offending either in word or in deed, remember to repay him double; but if he ask you to be his friend again and be ready to give you satisfaction, welcome him. He is a worthless man who makes now one and now another his friend; but as for you, do not let your face put your heart to shame. 
μηδὲ πολύξεινον μηδ᾽ ἄξεινον καλέεσθαι,
μηδὲ κακῶν ἕταρον μηδ᾽ ἐσθλῶν νεικεστῆρα. 
(715-716) Do not get a name either as lavish or as churlish; as a friend of rogues or as a slanderer of good men. 
717-721μηδέ ποτ᾽ οὐλομένην πενίην θυμοφθόρον ἀνδρὶ
τέτλαθ᾽ ὀνειδίζειν, μακάρων δόσιν αἰὲν ἐόντων.
γλώσσης τοι θησαυρὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἄριστος
φειδωλῆς, πλείστη δὲ χάρις κατὰ μέτρον ἰούσης.
εἰ δὲ κακὸν εἴποις, τάχα κ᾽ αὐτὸς μεῖζον ἀκούσαις. 
(717-721) Never dare to taunt a man with deadly poverty which eats out the heart; it is sent by the deathless gods. The best treasure a man can have is a sparing tongue, and the greatest pleasure, one that moves orderly; for if you speak evil, you yourself will soon be worse spoken of. 
Permanent link
Go to Wiki Documentation
Enhet: Det humanistiske fakultet   Utviklet av: IT-seksjonen ved HF
Login