Theogony and Works and Days

by Hesiod

Book Overview

This new, fully-annotated translation by a leading expert on Hesiodic poems combines accuracy with readability and includes an introduction and explanatory notes on these two works by one of the oldest known Greek poets. The Theogony contains a systematic genealogy and account of the struggles of the gods, and the Works and Days offers a compendium of moral and practical advice for a life of honest husbandry.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192839411
• ISBN13: 9780192839411
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 7.5" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Best translation available

I must have compared a number of different Hesiod translation before finding Stanley Lombardo's! At once I felt at peace with my searching struggle and was extremely happy with his version! He has presented the "Theogony" and "Works & Days" in a way that makes for easy and pleasurable reading, with a realistic power and a believability in Hesiod himself. Not only that but he has taken the time to seperated each text into paragraphs and sections, and has given each section a title for quick reference and artistic aesthetic! I love this beautiful edition!

Words of Wisdom from an Everyday Rustic

Hesiod's Theogony was the best known poem in antiquity and the single greatest summary of the Greek gods and the theological tradition of Archaic Greece (800-480 B.C.) Its origins are based in oral tradition and the poem itself is structured in run-composition with framed episodes that use repetitious formulas. Due to its structure, the narrative can shift suddenly from one topic to another, thus leading to inconsistencies in the gods' parentage. The Theogony is a succession myth that explains how generations of patriarchal gods overthrow each other until one god consolidates power. Therefore, the story has a linear progression, but it also has a cyclical element since each generation represents a reincarnation of previous generations that all try to keep their children secluded from power. Four main themes in the Theogony include: the concern for the displacement of elders, the frustration of gender politics, the folktale element of moral messages, and the concern of sexual excess demonstrated by the gods. Hesiod also wrote Works and Days which was a poem to his brother who had squandered his share of their father's inheritance. Throughout the poem, Hesiod outlines practical guidelines for basic living. He also gives examples of Greek cosmogony such as the Ages of Man that is not found elsewhere in Greek literary sources. Scholars have described Hesiod's worldview as apocalyptic and pessimistic, but Hesiod's stern dealings with his brother occasionally give way to a more lighthearted tone which Lombardo emphasizes in modern prose. Both translations are enlightening reads and Lombardo gives extensive, useful notes, and Robert Lamberton provides an excellent introduction that outlines Hesiod's life and his poems.

Ian Myles Slater on: West's Hesiod Translation

Some of the other reviews offered with M.L. West's translation of Hesiod's "Theogony" and "Works and Days" for the Oxford World's Classics actually refer to Dorothea Wender's verse translation of the same works, plus a charming version of the collection of lyrics attributed to Theognis, published in the Penguin Classics. That is a worthwhile version -- although the joining of the peasant-oriented Boeotian Hesiod to the mainly aristocratic, and partly Athenian, "Theognis" corpus is a little odd. West's version of the two main Hesiodic poems is, however, in prose, and offers the latest in textual and historical scholarship -- although this is not very obviously on display. West, who has edited much (perhaps by now all) of the "Hesiodic" corpus, with substantial technical commentaries (along with a good deal of Homer and the "Homeric Hymns"), offers here his best reading of the two long poems which seem most firmly attributed Hesiod. (Although some, including Wender, would prefer two poets, in addition to the problem of interpolations). West's commentary, although useful, is surprisingly sparse, given what he could have offered; a lot of detailed argument has been converted into the translation itself. "Theogony," for those not familiar with the work even by reputation, is the story of the origins and struggles of the gods of Classical Greece. Although the meter and basic style are those of the Homeric epics, and the gods are mainly the same, many details are different (Zeus is a younger son, not the eldest, for example), and the struggles between various generations are the foreground story, not a long-concluded background to the reign of Zeus. We meet Heaven, and his sons and daughters, culminating in the rebellion of the Titans, then the Olympians, who wage war against their father and his fellow-Titans, and so on. It is an extremely violent story, full of abusive parents, mutilations inflicted by rebellious offspring, divine cannibalism, and a whole succession of other behaviors the Greeks themselves considered repellent. The philosophers had real problems with this work -- one can understand from it why Plato wanted to ban poets from the ideal state. Interspersed through the action are a number of catalogues of nature-deities, which are variously regarded by critics as interpolations or key structural elements. Many readers simply find them boring; it helps if you are using a translation which interprets the Greek names, which are usually charmingly appropriate for the natural element being personified. "Works and Days" contains several important mythological passages, expanding and altering "Theogony," but is in the main a sort of sermon on how to be prosperous and righteous. It is packed with details of daily life, which readers will find either fascinating or tedious. and are sometimes rather opaque. West does a good job in making readable this combination of a sort of pagan equivalent of an Old Testament prophet with an Iron Age Farme

One of the best Classical translations I have ever read

Penguin translations often go too far in pursuit of a contemporary and popular sound, for instance in the infamous Rieu translations of Homer, with Athena "dancing attendance on Odysseus like a lover"; but this one is perfect, probably the best of the entire Penguin Classics collection. The jewel in this excellent book is the translation of Hesiod's WORKS AND DAYS; a translation of exceptional quality, worthy of being mentioned in one breath with Robert Fagles and C.Day Lewis.Next to it are the wonderful, engaging introductory essays, in which Professor Wender shows the most enchanting insight into the mentality and attitude of her poets, making them live on the page for us. It is unmistakeably the work of a specialist, yet it is pitched - successfully - at the ordinary reader. A person who knows nothing about the Classics will leave them not only having a clear and precise idea of the characters of Hesiod and Theognis, but having learned a considerable amount about what makes good poetry. If the translation shows the poetic gifts of a Fagles or Lewis, the introduction shows the critical eye of a truly great critic - a C.S.Lewis, a Matthew Arnold. Do not be misled by the reviewer who says that she "carps" at the Theogony; he is only showing his shock at the notion that someone might have different views from his own. Professor Wender's criticisms are justified, especially in view of her very insightful comparison of the literary quality of the THEOGONY and that of the WORKS AND DAYS. This is the model of what a paperback translation of a classic work should be. As for the verse, I can do no better than to quote the terrible sequence, building up to a smashing final blow, which Professor Wender herself mentions as a fine instance of the poetic excellence of the author of the WORKS AND DAYS, but which might as well feature as the type of her own fluent and beautiful poetic ear; think, as you listen, of that last white flash of deathless beauty, vanishing away to the land of the Gods to leave men abandoned to their fate:Zeus will destroy this race of mortal menWhen babies shall be born with greying hair.Father will have no common bond with son,Neither will guest with host, nor friend with friend;The brother-love of past days will be gone.Men will dishonour parents who grow oldToo quickly, and will blame and criticizeWith cruel words. Wretched and godless, they,Refusing to repay their bringing up,Will cheat their aged parents of their due.Men will destroy the towns of other men.The just, the good, the man who keeps his wordWill be despised, but men will praise the badAnd insolent. Might will be right, and shameWill cease to be. Men will do injuryTo better men by speaking crooked wordsAnd adding lying oaths; and everywhere,Harsh-voiced and sullen-faced and loving harm,Envy will walk along with wretched men.Last to Olympus from the broadpathed Earth,Hiding their loveliness in robes of whiteTo join the gods, abandoning mankindWill go the spir

Standard reading

Hesiod is thought to have lived about the same time as Homer. In his "Theogony" he offers perhaps the most detailed Grecian creation myth still in existence. It traces the emergence of Gaia, her marriage to Ouranos, the fatherly castrations (Kronos / Ouranos & Zeus / Kronos), the hegemony of Zeus as well as a good bit of neurotic misogyny mixed in for good measure. The geneologies serve as a wonderful preamble for those who wish to read Homer and Virgil later on. Above all else, however, Hesiod pays homage to Zeus. In page after page, the adulation that the author holds for the thunder god is unmistakable. There is no doubting as to who the "hero" of the poem is."Works And Days" can best be described as one of the earliest farmers almanacs in the western world. It is written as an "instruction manual for life" for his indolent brother, Perses. Throughout the work, Hesiod admonishes Perses on the subjects of ethics, self-control and moderation. He also writes on how to run a farm and when the best times to sail are. Later authors of this genre, such as Xenophon & Virgil, doubtlessly were inspired by Hesiod.Theognis came a few centuries later than Hesiod, somewhere around 550 BC. His "Elegies" give a fascinating look at the transformation of Greek life in the 6th century. Slowly but surely, the Aristoi (the Greek ruling party) saw the erosion of its status, power & wealth. No longer were armies made up of the elite class; more and more, armies were comprised of hoplites, made up of working-class peasants. Along with the wartime duties went the justification (Arete) of the Aristoi's claim to power. In the "Elegies" we discover the frustrations of an upper-class Grecian gentleman who is forced to deal with the changing idealogies. He spurns the thought of poverty above all else, but comes to the realization that, for the 1st time, it is possible for a member of the Aristoi to be poor.Like Hesiod, much of Theognis is told in an advisory manner. However, Theognis is far more inconsistent than H, especially when it comes to the concept of wealth.Wender does an exceptional job at translating these early Greek texts. She also offers helpful introductions which set the tone for both authors' poems. Her commentary is especially insightful on why she believes there were "2" Hesiods (1 artist for each poem) rather than 1. I will leave you with a sagacious passage from one of Theognis' elegies:No one is always lucky in all things;Good men endure bad luck without complaint,The common man cannot control himselfIn good times or in bad. All sorts of giftsCome to us mortals from the gods; we mustEndure, whatever sorts of gifts they give.441-446