The Poems of Hesiod

by Hesiod

  and an echo surrounded them, while the women danced a lovely

  dance to the accompaniment of lyres.

  Then, on the other side,

  youths led a revel to the sound of the flute, some sporting in dance

  and song; others went in front, laughing, every one, to the flute.

  The whole city was given to mirth and dance and festivity. In front

  250

  of the city darted men mounted on horseback, and plowmen broke

  up the shining earth, clothed in shirts that they had girt up. There was

  a rich crop. Some men were reaping with sharp tools the curving stalks,

  heavy with the ears of wheat, as if it were the grain of Demeter.

  Others were binding the wheat with bands, and these were falling

  255

  onto the threshing floor. Still others harvested the wine grapes

  with reaping hooks in their hands, and others took the grapes,

  white and black, from the reapers and loaded them into baskets

  from the long rows of vines, heavy with leaves and silver tendrils.

  Next to them was a row of vines in gold, the famous work

  260

  of cunning Hephaistos, with shimmering leaves and stakes, made

  of silver, loaded with grapes that were turning black. Some men

  were treading the grapes; others were drawing off the juice.

  And some men were boxing and wrestling, while others, hunters,

  chased after swift hares, and a pair of sharp-toothed dogs ran before

  265

  them, eager to catch the hares, but they longed to escape. Next to them

  horsemen labored hard: They worked and contended for a prize.

  Charioteers standing on plaited cars urged on their swift horses,

  giving slack to their reins. The jointed cars flew on, rattling,

  and the naves of the wheels shrieked. So they engaged in a labor

  270

  for which there was no end, and a victory never appeared for them,

  and the prize remained unclaimed—a huge tripod set out

  for them within the racecourse, made of gold, the famous work

  of cunning Hephaistos.

  And around the rim of the shield ran Ocean,

  looking as though it were in full flood, enclosing the whole

  275

  of the fancy shield. Over it soared high-flying swans, crying

  loudly, and many others swam on the surface of the water.

  And beside them fish darted about wildly, a wonder to see

  even for deep-thundering Zeus, through whose counsels Hephaistos

  had made the shield, huge and strong, fitting it together with

  280

  his hands. And the mighty son of Zeus shook it with power!

  Herakles leaped on his horse-chariot like the lightning

  of his father, Zeus, who carries the goatskin fetish, springing lightly.

  His charioteer, strong Iolaos, mounted the car too and guided

  the curved chariot.

  285

  The goddess flashing-eyed Athena came close

  to them. She spoke encouraging words that went like arrows:

  “Greetings, offspring of far-famed Lynkeus!287 Now mighty Zeus,

  who rules over the blessed ones, grants that you kill Kyknos

  and strip from him his famous armor. But I will tell you something else,

  mightiest one of the people. When you have deprived Kyknos

  290

  of his sweet life, then leave him there, and his armor. You yourself

  watch out for manslaying Ares as he comes on. There, where

  you see Ares naked beneath his beautiful shield, wound him with

  your sharp spear. Then fall back: It is not fated that you take

  his horses or his glorious armor.”

  295

  So speaking, the shining goddess

  mounted eagerly into her chariot, holding victory and fame

  in her deathless hands. Then Zeus-born297 Iolaos called loudly

  to his horses, and at his cry they swiftly bore the fast chariot,

  raising dust from the plain. By shaking the goatskin fetish, flashing-eyed

  Athena infused strength in them, and the earth groaned all around.

  300

  They came on together, like fire or storm, horse-taming Kyknos

  and Ares, insatiate of the war cry. Then their horses whinnied sharply

  when they came face to face, and an echo crashed around them.

  Mighty Herakles addressed him first: “Whoa, Kyknos!

  Why do you set your swift horses against us, men who are experienced

  305

  in pain and sorrow? But drive your well-polished chariot to the side!

  Yield, go outside the path! I am traveling to TRACHIS, to King Keux,

  who in Trachis excels in power and honor, which you yourself

  well know, for you are married to his daughter, dark-eyed Themistonoê.309

  “Fool! Ares will not ward off from you the end of death, if the two

  310

  of us come together to fight. For I say that he made trial of my spear

  before, when he stood against me for the sake of sandy PYLOS,312

  longing ravenously for battle. Struck three times by my spear,

  he leaned on the ground, his shield pierced. On the fourth time

  I drove it into his thigh, leaning on with all my strength, and I broke

  315

  through deeply into his flesh. He fell face-down in the dust

  on the ground by the blast of my spear. Then truly he would have

  been disgraced among the deathless ones, leaving his bloody spoils

  at my hands!”

  So he spoke. But Kyknos of the strong ash spear

  had no desire to obey him and to pull up the horses that drew

  320

  his chariot. Then they leaped down quickly from their well-plaited

  chariots to the ground, the son of great Zeus and the son of King

  Enyalios.323 The charioteers drove their horses with beautiful manes

  nearby, and the broad earth rang beneath the pounding of their hooves

  as they rushed along.

  325

  Even as when rocks leap forth from the high peak

  of a great mountain, and they fall on one another, and many towering

  oaks and many firs and poplars with deep roots are broken beneath

  them as they roll swiftly down until they come onto the plain

  —even so did they fall on one another with loud shouts. All the town

  of the Myrmidons and famous IOLKOS and Arnê and Helikê and grassy

  330

  Antheia resounded loudly at their voices.331

  Figure 23. Zeus in the center, carrying a thunderbolt, parts Athena on the left from Ares on the right, while Kyknos on the far right, holding out his shield, flees Herakles, who approaches on the far left in his chariot (only his horses are visible). Athena carries a shield on her left arm, brandishes a spear, and wears the goatskin fetish (aigis). Ares appears as an ordinary Greek soldier (a hoplite), carries a shield, and brandishes a spear. Kyknos’ driver is steering his chariot. Athenian black-figure wine-mixing bowl, ca. 540–510 B.C. British Museum, London (Photo: Jastrow; https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Herakles_Kyknos_BM_B364.jpg)

  With a wondrous cry

  they came together. Zeus the Counselor thundered mightily

  and threw down from heaven bloody drops, giving a sign for battle

  to his bold son.

  Even as a boar with jutting tusks, angry to be seen

  up ahead in the woods of a mountain, decides in its spirit to fight

  with the huntsmen, and turning sideways he sharpens his white tusk,

  335

  and foam drips around his gnashing mouth, and his eyes are lik
e

  gleaming fire, and he bristles the hair on his mane and around

  his neck—even so the son of Zeus leaped from his horse-chariot.

  And when the shrill dark-winged cicada, sitting on a green branch,

  begins to sing of summer to humans, whose drink and food

  340

  is the tender dew, and all day long, beginning at dawn, he pours

  forth his voice in the awful heat; when Sirius dries up the flesh

  —then the beards grow on the grain that men plant in summer,

  when the unripe grape changes color that Dionysos gave to men

  as a joy and a sorrow—that was the season in which they fought,345

  345

  and a great clamor arose.

  Even as two lions rush against each other,

  raging around a killed stag, and a terrible roaring and gnashing

  comes from their teeth; or just as vultures with bent claws

  and hooked beaks battle on a high rock, screaming loudly over

  a mountain goat or a fat wild stag that a lusty man has shot and killed

  350

  with an arrow from the string of his bow, and he himself

  has wandered off someplace else, not knowing the place,

  but they knew it quickly and eagerly entered bitter combat

  over it—even so they rushed together, shouting, upon each other.

  Then Kyknos, eager to kill the son of almighty Zeus, struck

  355

  his shield with his bronze spear, but the bronze did not break it.

  The gift of the god prevented it. But the son of Amphitryon, mighty

  Herakles, swiftly drove his long spear through Kyknos’ neck, with power,

  beneath his chin, where it was left naked between helmet and shield.

  The mankilling spear cut through both tendons, for the great strength

  360

  of Herakles leaned upon it.

  Kyknos fell as when an oak

  or a lofty pine falls, struck by the smoky thunderbolt of Zeus

  —even so he fell, and his armor adorned with bronze crashed

  around him. Then the brave son of Zeus let him go, and staring savagely

  with his eyes—like a lion who has come on some animal and ravenously

  365

  tears at its skin with his powerful claws, and as quickly

  as possible takes away its sweet life; his dark heart is filled with rage,

  and glancing fiercely with his eyes, and lashing furiously his sides

  and shoulders with his tail, he digs at the ground with his paws,

  370

  nor does anyone dare to face him and go near to give

  battle—he watched for manslaying Ares, who came against him:

  even so the son of Amphitryon, insatiate of battle, stood eagerly

  before Ares, increasing courage in his heart.

  But Ares came up near,

  grieving in his heart. Both shouted and rushed at each other.

  Just as when a rock rushes out from a great cliff, and leaping

  375

  forth it rolls down, and it comes on eagerly with a roar,

  and meets a high crag and runs up against it and is stopped

  in its tracks: With just such a roar did deadly Ares, who weighed

  down his chariot, rush with a shout at Herakles, who straightaway

  received the attack.

  380

  But Athena, the daughter of Zeus

  who carries the goatskin fetish, came against Ares, holding

  the dark fetish, and with a frightening frown spoke words that went

  like arrows: “Ares, restrain your great strength and your

  indomitable hands. For it is not destined that you kill Herakles,

  the bold-hearted son of Zeus, and strip the glorious armor from him.

  385

  Come, stop this fight, and do not stand against me.”

  So she spoke.

  But she did not persuade the great-hearted spirit of Ares.

  Shouting loudly, powerfully brandishing his spear like fire,

  he attacked mighty Herakles, yearning to kill him. And he quickly

  cast his bronze spear on the great shield, angry because of his dead son.

  390

  But flashing-eyed Athena reached out from her chariot and turned

  aside the force of the spear.

  Then bitter grief took hold

  of Ares. Drawing his sharp sword, he rushed at brave Herakles.

  But the son of Amphitryon, insatiate of savage battle, met him

  as he came on and wounded him with power in his thigh

  395

  where it was naked beneath his decorated shield. Guiding

  his spear, he drove it deeply into his flesh and threw him onto

  the ground between them. And Fear and Terror hastily drove

  their well-running chariot and horses near him, and they lifted

  him from the wide-wayed earth into the richly worked car.

  400

  Quickly then the two sons whipped their horses, and they

  came to high Olympos. The son of Alkmenê and bold Iolaos stripped

  Kyknos’ handsome armor from his shoulders and went off.

  Then soon they came to the city of Trachis with their swift-hoofed

  horses. But flashing-eyed Athena went to great Olympos

  405

  and the house of her father. Keux buried Kyknos together

  with the countless people who live near the city of the famous

  king, who dwell in Anthê and the famous city of the Myrmidons,

  and near Iolkos and Arnê and Helikê. Many people were gathered,

  honoring Keux, dear to the blessed gods. But the river Anauros,

  410

  swollen with winter rain, obliterated the grave and tombstone.

  Apollo, the son of Leto, ordered it, because Kyknos used to waylay

  and rob with violence whoever brought famous sacrifices to DELPHI.

  Notes

  GENERAL INTRODUCTION: HESIOD AND HIS POEMS

  1. The famous Cup of Nestor inscription. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestor%27s_Cup#The_.22Cup_of_Nestor.22_from_Pithekoussai.

  2. From M. L. West, ed., Works and Days (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978), 60.

  3. Later Greeks, as early as Pindar (ca. 522–ca. 443 B.C.), played with this word, making it come from rhapto, “to stitch,” as if singers were “song stitchers,” linking together formulaic expressions to create their verses; but it must derive from rhabdos, “staff,” just as citharode, “lyre singer,” and aulode, “flute singer,” derive from the appropriate instruments.

  THEOGENY

  3. . . . son of Kronos: This is Zeus, who must have had an altar on MOUNT HELIKON. Helikon is a snow-capped mountain around 6,000 feet high, ten miles inland from the north coast of the GULF OF CORINTH, halfway between THEBES and DELPHI. It is the tallest mountain in BOEOTIA. The Muses (perhaps “thinkers”) are goddesses personifying the spirit of the oral tradition that allows the singer to compose his song. Hesiod feels that his song comes from outside himself, a common impression among great artists. (Bob Dylan speaks of “that creative something out there.”) Hesiod’s Theogony begins with a proem that is similar to the Homeric Hymns to various gods, which also seem to have introduced other songs.

  6. . . . with power: Permessos, Spring of the Horse, and Olmeios are local names for actual springs or watercourses near the top of Helikon. Later the name Spring of the Horse (hippokrenê in Greek) was explained as deriving from the winged horse Pegasos’ striking the earth there with his hoof, causing a spring to rise up.

  18. . . . who never die: The Muses’ song begins with Zeus and his wife, Hera, who had a famous temple near Argos. The meaning of the Greek aigiochos, “aegis-bearing,” here translated as “who carries the goatskin fetish,” is unclear, but it seems to refer to a magical shield usually carr
ied by Zeus or worn as a cloak by Athena, made of goatskin (aigis means “goat”) with snakes for tassels. The Muses’ song passes then to Zeus’s daughter, Athena, and Zeus’s children, Apollo and Artemis. Then comes the great god Poseidon and the mighty goddesses Themis, “law” (she is actually a Titan), and Aphrodite, who suggests Hebê, “youth,” and Dionê, a feminine form of “Zeus,” who in Homer is Aphrodite’s mother (but in Hesiod she is some kind of nymph). Then comes the powerful goddess Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis, and two Titans: Iapetos, probably the same name as the biblical Japheth (but they are not at all the same character), the father of Prometheus; and Kronos. Kronos’ epithet “Crooked-Counseling” (angkylometis) may originally have meant “he of the curved sickle.” Finally come the elemental gods: Dawn (Eos), Sun (Helios), Moon (Selenê), Earth (Gaia), Ocean (Okeanos), and Night (Nyx). Hesiod gives us a catalogue of gods in a generally sensible order. His poetry is much given to the making of lists, and there are several such in the Theogony.