For the
gods keep hidden from men the means of life. Else you would easily do work enough in a day to
supply you for a full year even without working; [45] soon would you put away
your rudder over the smoke, and the fields worked by ox and sturdy mule would
run to waste. But Zeus in the anger of his heart hid it, because Prometheus the
crafty deceived him; therefore he planned sorrow and mischief against men. [50]
He hid fire; but that the noble son of Iapetus stole
again for men from Zeus the counsellor in a hollow
fennel-stalk, so that Zeus who delights in thunder did not see it. But
afterwards Zeus who gathers the clouds said to him in anger:
“Son of Iapetus,
surpassing all in cunning, [55] you are glad that you have outwitted me and
stolen fire--a great plague to you yourself and to men that shall be. But I
will give men as the price for fire an evil thing in which they may all be glad
of heart while they embrace their own destruction.”
So said the father of men and
gods, and laughed aloud. [60] And he bade famous Hephaestus make haste and mix
earth with water and to put in it the voice and strength of human kind, and
fashion a sweet, lovely maiden-shape, like to the immortal goddesses in face;
and Athena to teach her needlework and the weaving of the varied web; [65] and
golden Aphrodite to shed grace upon her head and cruel longing and cares that
weary the limbs. And he charged Hermes the guide, the Slayer of Argus, to put
in her a shameless mind and a deceitful nature.
So he ordered. And they
obeyed the lord Zeus the son of Cronos. [70]
Forthwith the famous Lame God moulded clay in the
likeness of a modest maid, as the son of Cronos
purposed. And the goddess brighteyed Athena girded
and clothed her, and the divine Graces and queenly Persuasion put necklaces of
gold upon her, [75] and the rich-haired Hours crowned her head with spring
flowers. And Pallas Athena bedecked her form with all manner of finery. Also
the Guide, the Slayer of Argus, contrived within her lies and crafty words and
a deceitful nature at the will of loud thundering Zeus, [80] and the Herald of
the gods put speech in her. And he called this woman Pandora,1
because all they who dwelt on
But when he had finished the
sheer, hopeless snare, the Father sent glorious Argus-Slayer, [85] the swift
messenger of the gods, to take it to Epimetheus as a
gift. And Epimetheus did not think on what Prometheus
had said to him, bidding him never take a gift of Olympian Zeus, but to send it
back for fear it might prove to be something harmful to men. But he took the
gift, and afterwards, when the evil thing was already his, he understood.
[90] For ere this the tribes
of men lived on earth remote and free from ills and hard toil and heavy
sicknesses which bring the Fates upon men; for in misery men grow old quickly.
But the woman took off the great lid of the jar1 with her hands [95] and
scattered, all these and her thought caused sorrow and mischief to men. Only
Hope remained there in an unbreakable home within under the rim of the great
jar, and did not fly out at the door; for ere that, the lid of the jar stopped
her, by the will of Aegis-holding Zeus who gathers the clouds. [100] But the
rest, countless plagues, wander amongst men; for earth is full of evils, and
the sea is full. Of themselves diseases come upon men continually by day and by
night, bringing mischief to mortals silently; for wise Zeus took away speech
from them. [105] So is there no way to escape the will
of Zeus.
Or if you will, I will sum
you up another tale well and skilfully--and do you lay it up in your heart,--how the gods and mortal men sprang
from one source.