HESIOD

(Eighth century, B. C.)

"Ir is from the Works and Days' and the introduction to the Theogony' that we learn all we know about Hesiod's life. His father came from Cyme in Æolia and settled in Ascra, at the foot of Mount Helicon, in Boeotia. There, as far as we know, Hesiod spent his life. After his father's death he lost his share of his father's property in a lawsuit brought against him by his brother, Persês, who obtained a verdict by bribing the judges. This, however, seems not to have prevented Hesiod from obtaining, by careful farming, a livelihood sufficient to enable him to give assistance to his brother subsequently, when Persês was in need of aid. Nor did the work which he had to do prevent him from composing didactic poetry.

"The lawsuit with his brother was the occasion of Hesiod's composing the poem which now forms the first part of the 'Works and Days'; the appeals of Persês for assistance afforded him the opportunity for giving the advice contained. . . Under the title Works and Days' there are comprised in all probability two works. There is the Works and Days' proper, consisting of advice about farming and husbandry generally, and constituting the second half of the poem as it now stands. There is also another poem addressed to Hesiod's brother and containing moral advice, which makes the first half of the poem in its present form. .

"Hesiod's verses are not in themselves beautiful, nor does his subject, even when it of itself suggests poetical treatment, exalt his style above his ordinary prosaic level. He lacks imagination. But it is unfair to convert this into a reproach. His object was to give sound practical advice, and this he does in a practical if prosaic manner.

. . . Verse

was the proper vehicle for his ideas, not because they required poetical rendering, but because it was an aid to the mem- F. B. JEVONS, "History of Greek Literature," pt. i. bk. i. ch. 6.

ory.

"The Hesiodic poems contain certain pretended reminiscences, and one of them, the 'Erga,' is largely made up of addresses to Persês, assumed to be the poet's erring friend in one part, his brother. We have seen that the reminiscences are fictions, and presumably Persês is a fiction too. If a real man had treacherously robbed Hesiod of his patrimony by means of bribes to 'man-devouring princes,' Hesiod would scarcely have remained on intimate terms with him. Persês is a lay figure for the didactic epos to preach at, and as such he does his duty. . . . We have, then, no information of what Hesiod was - only a tradition of what Hesiod was supposed to be." - GILBERT MURRAY, "History of Ancient Greek Literature," ch. 2.

ADVICE TO PERSÊS.

(From Hesiod's "Works and Days," translated by C. A. Elton.)

Most simple Persês! I the good perceive,
And willing tell thee, wouldst thou but believe:
Choose Sin, by troops she shall beside thee stand:
Smooth is the track, her mansion is at hand :
Where Virtue dwells the gods have placed before
The dropping sweat that springs from every pore ;
And ere the foot can reach her high abode,
Long, rugged, steep th' ascent, and rough the road:
The ridge once gain'd, the path so hard of late
Runs easy on, and level to the gate.
Far best is he whom conscious wisdom guides,
Who, first and last, the right and fit decides;
He too is good that to the wiser friend
His docile reason can submissive bend;
But worthless he that Wisdom's voice defies,
Nor wise himself, nor duteous to the wise.

But thou, O Persês! what my words impart
Let memory bind forever on thy heart.
O son of Dios! labour evermore,

That hunger turn abhorrent from thy door;
That Ceres bless'd with spiky garland crown'd,
Greet thee with love, and bid thy barns abound.
Still on the sluggard hungry want attends;
The scorn of man, the hate of Heaven impends;
While he, averse from labour, drags his days,
Yet greedy on the gains of others preys;
E'en as the stingless drones devouring seize
With glutted sloth the harvest of the bees.
Love every seemly toil, that so the store
Of foodful seasons heap thy garner's floor.

Shame of ill sort shall still the needy bind;
Shame, which or greatly helps or hurts mankind:
Shame leads to want; to courage wealth is given;
No ravish'd riches; best the boon of Heaven.
He that shall heaps of hoarded gold command,
By fraudful tongue, or by rapacious hand;
As oft betides, when lucre lights the flame,
And shamelessness expels the better shame;
Him shall the god cast down, in darkness hurl'd,
And that man's house be wasted from the world;
The wealth, for which he pawn'd his soul, decay,
The breath and shining bubble of a day.

Alike the man of sin is he confess'd,

Who spurns the suppliant, and who wrongs the guest;
Who climbs, by lure of stol'n embraces led,
With ill-timed act, a brother's marriage bed;
Who dares by crafty wickedness abuse
His trust, and robs the orphans of their dues;
Who, on the threshold of afflictive age

His hoary parent stings with taunting rage;
On him shall Jove in anger look from high,
And deep requite the dark iniquity:
But wholly thou from these refrain thy mind,
Weak as it is, and wavering as the wind.

With thy best means perform the ritual part,
Outwardly pure, and spotless at the heart;
Now burn choice portions to the gods; dispense
Wine-offerings now, and smoke of frankincense;
When on the nightly couch thy limbs repose,
Or sacred light from far its coming shows:
So shall they yearn to thee with soul benign,
And thou buy others' land, not others thine.

Bid to thy feast a friend; thy foe forbear;
Let a next neighbour chief thy welcome share;
In household calls th' ungirded neighbours run,
But kinsmen gird them when thy work is done.
As the good neighbour is our prop and stay,
So is the bad a pitfall in our way:
Thus bless'd or curs'd, we this or that obtain,
The first a blessing, and the last a bane.
How should thine ox by chance untimely die?
The evil neighbour looks and passes by.

Measure thy neighbour's loan, and strict repay;
Give more, if more thou canst; some future day
His ready hand thy needy call supplies ;

But shun bad gains, those losses in disguise.

Love him who loves thee; to the kind draw nigh;
Give to the giver, but the churl pass by.

Men fill the giving, not th' ungiving hand;
The gift is good, but Rapine walks the land,

Squand'ring the seeds of death; though much he give,

The willing donor shall rejoice and live:

Th' extortioner of bold unblushing sin,

Though small the plunder, feels a thorn within.

If with a little thou a little blend
Continual, mighty shall the heap ascend.
Who bids his gather'd substance gradual grow
Shall see not livid hunger's face of woe.

No bosom pang attends the home-laid store,
But fraught with loss the food without thy door.
'Tis good to take from hoards, and pain to need
What is far from thee: give the precept heed.

Spare the mid-cask; when broach'd or low, drink free; Bad is the thrift that spares it on the lee. Let thy friend's service guerdon fit receive; Not e'en thy brother on his word believe, But, as in laughter, set a witness by; Mistrust destroys us, and credulity.