In this series, we will translate Hesiod's "Theogony" into English, dividing it into meaningful sections and providing annotations for readers. This article includes lines 1-115, the "prologue."
Introduction (Lines 1-115)
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Let us begin our song, from the Muses of Helicon.
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They possessed Mount Helicon, a great and most sacred mountain.
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The violet spring, and with slender legs.
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Dancing around the altar of Chronos' powerful offspring.
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And then, using Permesso, wash your skin gently.
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Or, purify yourself at the fountain of horses, or at the sacred Ormeios.
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Atop Mount Helicon, beautifully,
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She created a circle of captivating dance and danced with powerful steps.
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From there, he stood up and was enveloped in a thick fog.
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At night, it emitted a deeply beautiful voice.
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Zeus, who possesses Aegis, and [we] praise Hera, who is revered.
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Praising Argus, the goddess who wore golden shoes,
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Athena, daughter of Zeus who possesses Aegis, with shining eyes,
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Phoebus Apollo, and Artemis pouring arrows.
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Poseidon, who maintains and shakes the earth,
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The revered goddess Themis, and Aphrodite with her gaze wandering around.
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Hebe, who wears a golden crown, and beautiful Dione.
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Leto, Iapetus, and Chronos, who weaves intricate schemes.
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Eos, and the great Helios, and shining Selene.
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Gaia, and the great Oceanus, and black Nyx.
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And to the other immortal and holy race of gods who have existed eternally.
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Those goddesses, who once taught Hesiod beautiful songs.
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To him, who was tending sheep at the foot of Mount Helicon, a place so sacred.
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And then, the goddesses spoke these words to me first.
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The Muses of Olympus, daughters of Zeus who wear the aegis.
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"You shepherds who live in the wilderness, you worthless and contemptible men, you gluttons!"
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We know how to tell many lies that resemble the truth.
28 And, when one desires it, they also know how to tell the truth.
- Thus, the daughters of Zeus, who were skilled in words, spoke.
30 And then I was given a staff – a branch from a well-grown laurel tree.
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I picked up a broken, amazing staff. Then, it spoke to me.
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To praise the divine revelation, and for things that are to come, and for things that have already happened.
33 And to me, praise be to the blessed gods of eternity,
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They were commanded to sing about themselves, from beginning to end, always.
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But, why do I need this story about oak trees and rocks?
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Now, let's start with the Muses. They are daughters of Zeus.
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Sing praises, and delight the great heart within Olympus.
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Speak of what currently exists, what will exist in the future, and what once existed.
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Raising our voices in unison. That voice, unaware of fatigue.
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Sweetly flowing from everyone's lips, our father.
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The hall of Zeus, where thunder rumbles, is filled with the voices of goddesses, like lilies.
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It expands and brings a smile. The summit of Olympus covered in snow.
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The hall of immortal gods resounds. They emit voices that are immortal,
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First, sing praises to a family of deities worthy of reverence.
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From the very beginning - the gods born from Gaia and Ouranos,
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Also, gods who bestow good things, born from those deities.
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Next, Zeus, the father of gods and humans,
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We praise both when we begin to sing and when we finish singing.
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To sing of how, among the gods, he is most excellent and greatest in power.
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Furthermore, the human race and the powerful Gigantes race.
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Singing praises, to please the heart of Zeus within Olympus.
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The Muses of Olympus, daughters of Zeus who wear the Aegis.
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With those daughters, in Pieria, they mingled with the children of Kronos, their father.
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The goddess who rules the hills of Eleuthera, born from Mnemosyne.
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Something that makes one forget misfortune, and a respite from mental fatigue.
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For nine nights, Zeus, rich in schemes, lay with her.
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Depart from the immortal gods and ascend to the sacred bed.
58 And then a year passed, and the seasons turned.
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As the moon wanes month by month, and as many days pass,
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She gave birth to nine daughters who were united in heart. In their hearts,
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Having thoughts about songs, and possessing a heart free from sorrow.
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Just below the highest peak of Olympus, covered in snow.
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There, there is a place where their radiant dances take place, and a beautiful mansion.
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On the other hand, Kalites and Himeros also had residences there.
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I am in a festive gathering. The Muses are emitting voices that entice from the heart.
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Singing of the laws and honorable ways of all immortal gods,
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While emitting joyful voices, praising the gods.
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At that time, they proceeded to Olympus, boasting their beautiful voices.
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Resonating an immortal song. Around the singing women, the black earth rumbles.
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From beneath his feet, alluring footsteps arose.
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The girls were heading towards their own father's place. Their father was ruling over the heavens.
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He himself wielded thunder and blazing lightning.
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After defeating his father, Cronus, with force, and to the immortal gods.
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He distributed everything fairly and equally, and declared his authority.
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Those things, the Muses sang about, those who dwell in Olympus.
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The nine daughters born from Zeus.
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Clay, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene.
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Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia, Urania.
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And Calliope. She is the first among all the Muses.
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This is because she also stands by worthy kings.
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The daughters of the great Zeus are revered,
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Among the kings raised by Zeus, to those who witness their birth,
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Pouring a sweet dew onto that tongue,
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From that mouth, words like honey flowed. The people all...
85 He gazes at him, sharing in his judgment,
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When delivering a straightforward judgment, he spoke with unwavering conviction.
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It will immediately quell even large conflicts, with great skill.
88 Therefore, kings are thoughtful. The people
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When harmed in a gathering, it is because you are trying to return things to their original state.
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Please explain it to me in an easy and gentle manner.
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When he came to the assembly, people welcomed him like a god,
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He shows gentle reverence and shines brightly among those gathered.
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This is a sacred gift bestowed upon humans by the Muses.
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Indeed, from the Muses and from Apollo who shoots arrows far away.
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The singers and harpists of the earth were born,
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The kings are born from Zeus. Fortunately, the Muses are...
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To my beloved one, sweet voices flow from their mouth.
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Even if someone brings lamentations to a heart burdened with new sorrow,
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A poet who serves the Muses, even while suffering and being exhausted.
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The honor of people in the past,
101 If you sing of the blissful gods who dwell in Olympus,
102 He immediately forgot his sadness and suffering.
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I no longer remember it, because the gifts from the goddesses quickly changed my heart.
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Rejoice, daughters of Zeus. Grant us songs that enchant the heart.
105 And, praise the sacred lineage of the immortal gods who have always existed.
106 Gaia and those born from Uranus, who is shining with stars.
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Also, those born from Nyx, and those nurtured by Pontus, who is salty.
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Speak of how, in the beginning, the gods and the earth came to be.
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The river and the endless sea, where waves rise and crash.
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How shining stars and the vast sky above them came to be.
111 [And from them, gods who bestow good things were born.]
- Furthermore, how they distributed wealth and how they allocated power.
113 And first of all, how Olympus was obtained with its many folds.
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Tell me about them, you Muses who dwell on Olympus.
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From the beginning. And tell me, what was the first thing that happened?
Translation Note
Helicon
Mountains in the region of Boeotia. They are sung about as a sacred place for the Muses.
Uma no Izumi (Horse Spring)
Helicon Mountain spring, Hippocrene. "Hippocrene" means "horse's fountain" in Greek.
Chronos' Child
Here, this refers to Zeus. The main deity of the altar mentioned in the text is referred to by a name based on his father, Cronus.
Aegis
A symbol of divine power associated with Zeus and Athena. It is sometimes represented as a shield or breastplate.
Oceanus
A god personified as a great river surrounding the world, distinct from the ordinary sea itself.
Bay tree branch
The staffs that the Muses bestow upon poets, indicating that they have been granted the power to sing by the gods.
Oak trees and rocks
Let's move on to the main topic, abandoning the side story, using a proverb-like expression. Starting from line 36, a new call to the Muses begins.
A voice like a lily.
The metaphor that the voices of the Muses have on the original text. It is difficult to determine which properties of lilies were transferred to the voice, so I left the metaphors in the translation.
Uranus
A god who personifies the sky. Along with Gaia, it appears as a being that gives birth to the early gods.
Gigantes
A powerful race connected to the earth. Here, they are listed alongside human races as subjects that the Muses sing about.
Pieria
The region located north of Mount Olympus. In the text, it is described as the birthplace of the nine Muses.
Mnemosyne
A goddess who personifies "memory." She gives birth to nine Muses with Zeus.
Kalites and Himelos
Charites are goddesses who bring beauty and joy, and Himéros is a god personifying love and longing. He dwells near the Muses' abode.
Thunder
Zeus's weapon of thunder. It demonstrates Zeus's power to defeat Cronus and rule the heavens, alongside the sound of thunder.
Calliope
The last of the nine Muses, and considered the first among them all. In later times, she was particularly associated with epic poetry.
Kings Raised by Zeus.
A conventional way of saying that a king's authority and actions are supported by Zeus' protection, which does not only mean literal upbringing.
Apollo, shooting arrows from afar.
A typical name for Apollo, representing the power to make arrows reach far distances. Here, along with the Muses, he is considered the source of inspiration for singers and harpists.
Pontus
A god who personifies the sea. In line 107, it appears as a divine name and is distinguished from the general term "sea" in line 109.
Olympus with multiple folds.
An adjective that describes a mountain range with many overlapping ridges and valleys. The circumstances surrounding how deities first came to reside there are being questioned.