HESIOD'S THEOGONY AND WORKS AND DAYS

Hesiod lived around the 700s BCE and was a prominent poet whose works give us insight into the foundations of Greek mythology. In Theogony, we get the best source available for the origins of the Greek pantheon. The second piece, Works and Days, is largely dedicated to explaining the lot in life for mortals, specifically, why we need to work for a living. Here Hesiod provides an interesting look at early Greek philosophy. Hesiod lived about 300 years before Socrates, so this is a look at a different era of the subject. This translation, by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, was published in 1914. The translation is in prose, whereas the original works were in dactylic hexameter. This was the common meter of Greek and Latin epics, used by Homer and Vergil, as well as many others. This meter does not work well in English, so works are typically translated either into a different meter or into prose. I have edited the text to improve readability and have added footnotes to give greater context. I hope you enjoy this look at early Greek literature.