I finished reading Hesiod’s long poem The Works and Days. After the long retelling of the ages of the earth from the Golden Age to the present, after retelling about how Prometheus stole fire and how Pandora was created and evil let loose into the world, the poem turns out to be about how one should go about living. The assumption is that if you work hard, follow the precepts outlined in the poem, and make the proper sacrifices and prayers, Zeus will bless you and make you successful. Yeah, right. Anyone who has been paying attention will know that Zeus is fickle even if you have prayed and sacrificed. Sometimes Zeus will accept your prayers and then disregard them. He did it to Agamemnon in The Iliad, why wouldn’t he do it to the average Joe too?
Still, I suppose you don’t want to totally piss off the gods. They have tempers, hold grudges and have long memories. So Hesiod, writing to Perses, explains “the law as Zeus established it/ for human beings.” One should keep to the side of justice because “she in the end/ is proved the best thing” and Zeus might grant you prosperity. One should not steal because
If any man by force of hands wins him
a great fortune,
or steals it by the cleverness of his tongue,
as so often
happens among people when the intelligence
is blinded
by greed, a man’s shameless spirit tramples
his sense of honor;
lightly the gods wipe out that man, and diminish
the household
of such a one, and his wealth stays with him
for only a short time.
One should also be generous and not greedy. But most of all, a man should watch out for women:
Do not let sweet-talking women beguile
your good sense
with the fascinations of her shape. It’s your barn
she’s after.
Anyone who will trust a woman is trusting flatterers.
Ah yes, look out, what every woman wants is a big barn. She’ll even roll in the prickly hay with you to get it. Once she has it then, wham! You’re out on the street, staying at the Y and hanging around the communal baths.
At one point Hesiod really made me laugh. He tells Perses that it’s best not to go to sea, but if he has to, then there are certain times of the year that are better than others. But the thing is, Hesiod has never sailed anywhere:
I will show you the measures
of the much-thundering sea, I
who am not one who has much knowledge of ships
and sea voyages;
for I never did sail in a ship across the wide water
But yet he goes on to tell which way the wind blows and all kinds of other details. I’m not sure how he’s come by his information. Maybe a beguiling woman stole his barn and he’s been hanging out around the docks.
The Works and Days is an easy to read poem and makes for an interesting contrast to Homer. I’m glad I read it. I have another Hesiod poem to read now, Theogony. It’s a a couple hundred lines longer than Works and Days and I have no idea what it’s about–yet.
This did make me laugh! I remember reading somewhere that what’s interesting about the Greek Gods is that they are the only deities to have very human flaws – they squabble, get jealous, bear grudges, seek revenge, and generally behave badly. But yes, you do what they say, or you end up marrying your mother or something…
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Very interesting. I’m glad you’re reading Hesiod so I can learn about him through you — I may get to him eventually, but who knows when, so I’m glad to have your posts!
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Lovely to contrast Hesiod with Homer. I’m going to remember that delightful turn of phrase (“It’s your barn / she’s after”) for a long time. I’m also going to be on the lookout for some Hesiod to read myself.
Love it.
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Quite amazing. Stephanie, I am so impressed by your reading, it’s incredible. Thanks for sharing.
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Stefanie, I apologize for the misspelling on your name. And then I compounded the error by apologizing at the wrong blog entry. Sooooo sorry.
You rock!
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Glad to provide some humor Litlove. The Greek gods are very interesting, they are one big dysfunctional family and humans are their toys. And you right, marrying your mother will not turn out well 🙂
Glad to oblige Dorothy!
Thanks Edwardhenry. Hesiod has turned out to be very enjoyable and easy to read.
LK, don’t worry about misspelling my name. My own aunt still spells it with a “ph.” Hesiod began sort of as a whim but is turning out quite good which is something I didn’t expect.
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Hats off to you for having anything to do with the word “Hesiod.” (And thanks for being so gracious.)
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i just finished reading works and days…and wonder why Hesiod is so much against the women kind..in fact, we have to do an assignment on the topic too…is it because Hesiod was cheated by some women or does he illustrate the common notions about women during his era?
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