Theogony

BIRTH OF THE GODS OF THE WORDS OF THE WORLD

literal translation of Adalinda Gasparini

1 Let us begin to sing from the Heliconian Muses,

who live on Mount Helicon, great and sacred,
and they dance with soft feet around the fountain
violet, at the altar of the mighty Cronus:
5 they had washed their tender body in the Permit,
in the source of the Horse, or in the purest Olmèo,
they returned with dancing feet on the summit
of Helicon, swaying, pleasant and beautiful;
from the peak they departed, hidden in the dense fog,
10 and advancing they filled the night with their hymns,
singing of Zeus the leader, of Hera the Argive lady,
who wears golden shoes when walking;
to Athena, blue-eyed, daughter of Zeus and aegis,
to Febo Apollo, he shoots arrows to Artemis,
15 to Poseidon, earth-shaker,
to shy Themes, to the eye-educating Aphrodite,
O Golden Gate, O beautiful Dione,
to Leto, to Giapèto, to Cronos twisted thought
to Eos, to Elios, to Selene immense lamp.
20 to Gaia, to the great Ocean, to the Black Night,
and to the other immortals, sacred generation;
the Muses taught me, Hesiod, a beautiful song,
when I grazed the sheep under the divine Helicon,
they started to tell me these words,
25 the divine Olympians, daughters of Zeus Aegis-bearing:
Country shepherds, a bad breed, only belly,
we know how to tell false things that seem true,
and if we want we can also sing the truth;
so said the daughters of great Zeus, tongues loosened,
30 they gave me a scepter of lush laurel, a marvelous
a branch they picked, and inspired me to write a divine poem,
because I sang the praises of future and past things;
they pushed me to sing of the generation of the always blessed,
and to celebrate them, the Muses, at the beginning, at the end, always:
35 setting aside the stories of oaks or rocks;
And then, let's start with them, who sing for Zeus father
they rejoice the great mind in Olympus;
they tell about present, future, and past things;
according to the voices: their song flows continuously
40 from the fragrant mouths, and the house of the father smiles
Thunderous Zeus, to their voice that spreads,
like the perfume of lilies: the peak of the snowy Olympus resonates
with the house of the immortals; raising the divine voice
First they sing of the generation of the gods,
45 who descends from Gaia and Uranus/Sky, immense
from them were born the gods who bestow good things;
then the Muses praise Zeus, father of gods and men,
 at the beginning and at the end of the song they tell about him:
the greatest, most powerful, and largest of all the gods;
50 then they brighten the mind of Zeus in Olympus,
singing the generation of men and the mighty Titans,
the daughters of Zeus, the Olympian Muses,
O Mnemosyne, queen of Eleuthero,
conceived in Pieria, embraced by father Cronus,
55 as oblivion of evils and respite from troubles;
for nine nights the wise Zeus joined with her,
ascending to the sacred bed, secluded from the immortals;
the days passed, many, and the months were consumed,
the circle of seasons was finishing: a year later
60 she gave birth to nine daughters, united in spirit,
with the song that springs from the heart without sorrow;
their house is beautiful near the very high peak
of the snowy Olympus, and they never tire of dancing:
Felici, le Cariti, and Imeros have nearby houses;
65 From their mouths arises a loving voice, singing
the beauty of the laws and wise customs
of all the immortals, the voice that sings lovingly:
towards Olympus advanced the glorious Muses, singing
with the magical voice; it resonated all around the black earth,
70 and a joyful rhombus rose under their feet, when
they were going to their father dancing: from the lord of heaven,
master of thunder and the lightning that incinerates,
strong winner of father Cronos; just order
he posed among the immortals and established the honors;
75 thus sang the Muses, who reside in the Olympic dwellings,
the nine maidens generated by great Zeus:
Clio, Euterpe, Talia, Melpomene
Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia, Urania
O Calliope: of all, the most noble,
80 because it is always close to the revered kings;
if the daughters of great Zeus choose one of the kings
nourished by Zeus, and witness his birth,
a sweet dew glistens on its tongue:
the words that come out of her mouth taste like honey,
85 and all the people turn to him, who passes judgments
in the right way: speak confidently and knowledgeably,
Immediately it silences the disputes, even the very great ones;
because this is why kings have wisdom,
because in the assembly they easily repair the offenses
90 of the people, soothing them with gentle words;
when he arrives at the assembly they address him as a god
with humble respect, shines among those present:
this is for men the sacred gift of the Muses;
with the love of the Muses and of Apollo infallible arrows
95 men become singers in the world and players of the lyre,
Re with the love of Zeus; happy is he who is loved by the Muses:
from the sweet mouth flows the voice;
because if someone has a pain that oppresses their soul,
and it also dries out the heart, as long as the poet,
100 student of the Muses, sing the glory of the first men,
and of the blessed gods of Olympus, so that it may dissolve
the anguish, and completely forget his pains:
In an instant, he was diverted by the gift of the goddesses;
O blessed daughters of Zeus, grant me the song of love,
105 narrate the glory of the sacred generation of the immortals,
who were born from the Earth and the starry Sky,
narrate of the dark Night, of he who nourished the Salty Sea,
tell me how they were born in the beginning
the rivers and the boundless sea, which swells and boils,
110 and the shining stars and the vast sky above,
from them were born the gods who bestow blessings;
tell me how the domains and honors were divided,
and how they were once lords of the winding Olympus;
Muses who dwell on Olympus, tell us
115 the principle, and who was the first of them to be born;
In the beginning, Chaos was born, then Gaia.
from the immense bosom, a base forever firm for all
the immortal lords of the snowy summit of Olympus,
and Tartarus, a vast underground of grim dark galleries,
120 and Eros, who is the most beautiful among the immortal gods,
loosen limbs, which subdues the mind and the wise
intentions in all gods as in all men;
From Chaos were born Erebus and Night.
they were born Ether and Day from Night,
125 who conceived them united in the embrace with Erebus;
first of all Gaia gave life to her likeness,
Starry Uranus, so that it embraced everything,
and it would be an unshakable dwelling forever for the blessed gods;
I generated the beautiful elevated Mountains, where the divine love to stay.
130 Nymphs, who dwell among the steep mountains;
I also generated the sea, never tired, that stirs and boils,
the Ponto, who wished to abstain from the embrace; after him
hugging Uranus generated deep ocean vortices,
Coios, Crios,Yperion, Giapeto,
135 Theia, Rhea, Themis, and Mnemosyne,
and Febe with the golden crown, and the lovely Thetis;
After them, Cronos was born, a twisted thought, the last,
the terrible child: hated the vigorous father;
then he generated the Cyclopes from a stubborn heart,
140 Bronte, Sterope, and Arge with a violent spirit,
who offered thunder and formed lightning for Zeus;
in all other things they were just like the other gods,
but on their forehead they had only one round eye:
they were called by the name of Cyclopes because they had
145 a single round eye in the middle of the forehead
they completed their works with force, violence, and cunning;
others were also born from Gaia and Uranus,
three great and superb brothers, unnameable,
Cottos and Briareo and Gige, proud sons;
150 from the shoulders, a hundred hands moved effortlessly,
fifty heads arose on their mighty bodies,
 and an infinite force increased those gigantic figures;
how many were born from Gaia and Uranus,
155 terrible children, many of them hated their parent,
from the beginning, and did not let them come to light:
she used to hide them all in her womb as soon as they were born

Gaia was enjoying her wicked work.

Uranus, but within herself the prodigious Gaia was groaning
160 oppress, and found a cunning and evil system;
quickly he made the gray species of adamantine iron,
he built a great scythe and turned to his dear children:
he encouraged her, with a heavy heart, saying:
My children and of a wicked father, if you wish
165 trust me, we will avenge the horrible outrage
of your father, who first devised infamous works -
Thus he said, fear took hold of them all, no one among them
spoke; great Cronos had the courage, twisted thought,
and with these words he replied to the wise mother:
170 - Mother, I promise that I will be the one to fulfill
the enterprise, because I do not care about my detestable father,
who first devised infamous works -
thus he said; Gaia the prodigious rejoiced in the great heart;
he sent him to hide in ambush; he put in his hand
175 the scythe with sharp teeth: weave the whole plot;
carrying the night came the great Uranus, he settled above
Gaia surrounded by her desire for love, laid down.
everywhere; from the hiding place, the hand reached out
left and with the right hand grasped the large sickle
180 prodigious, with sharp teeth: in an instant
he detached the genitals from the dear father, threw them away
throwing it backward, but it did not escape in vain
from his hand: Gaia collected every drop
of sparkling blood, and as the years go by
185 the strong Furies and the great Giants came to light,
shining in arms, wielding long spears,
and the Nymphs, whom they call Meliae on the boundless earth;
as soon as he had cut the genitals with the sharp iron,
he threw it into the very agitated sea from the shore,
190 thus it was brought from the sea for so long, and it gushed forth
bianca the foam from the immortal member: in the foam
A girl was growing up, and she was the first to arrive on the waves.
to the inhabitants of divine Cythera, then it arrived in Cyprus
as the waves wash around; the beautiful goddess emerged from the sea
195 and venerated, the grass grew under her light feet:
Aphrodite, Born from the foam, the gods and men call her,
because in the foam it has grown, and Citerea crowned with light,
because he arrived at the Citeresi, and also Cyprus, because it was born
to Cipro where the waves wash around, and Philommedea,
200 Lover of the genitals, because he appeared from the genitals;
Eros and beautiful Imeros became companions, followed him,
from when he was born and headed towards the lineage of the gods;
this honor she had and obtained from the beginning
in fate, between men and immortal gods,
205 discussions of girls and smiles and seductions
and sweet pleasure and honey love;
the great father Uranus called them by the name of Titans,
the sons of outrage, generated by him himself:
he said that by titanic efforts they had accomplished a great work
210 in wickedness, for which the future prepared a punishment;
Night gave birth to the hateful Moros, the dark Chera,
Thanatos, fathered Hypnos, fathered the lineage of Dreams,
without joining anyone, the Dark Night gave birth to them,
so also Momo and Oizis painfully,
215 and the Hesperides, who guard the beautiful golden apples
and the trees loaded with fruits beyond the noble Ocean;
And the Fates generated, and the inexorable Furies,
Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos:
that at the birth of men, their fates of good and evil are woven,
220 they pursue the crimes of men and gods,
terribly angry, never stopping, until they have punished
harshly the crime, whoever has committed it;
then the fateful Night gave birth to Nemesis, disaster
for men subject to death, he spawned Deceit and Desire,
225 Devouring Ghera, and Eris with an impetuous spirit;
but then hateful Eris gave birth to the painful Ponos,
The Witches, Fame, the Tearful Algoys,
the Mischiefs, the Battles, the Murders, the Massacres,
the Discord, the empty speeches, those senseless ones,
230 Disnomia and Insatiability, often companions,
and the Oath of the Ogre, which harms the perjured men more than once,
living beings on Earth who choose to swear falsely;
the Pontus generated Nereus, sincere and truthful,
the eldest son, they call him the Old Man
235 for this reason: safe and benevolent, does not forget
the rights, and his thoughts are good and just;
Then joined with Gaia, he generated Thaumas.
great, the brave Forci, Ceto beautiful cheeks,
and Power that has a heart of adamant in its chest;
240 they were then born in the sea never tired from Nereus
and of Dori with hair, the daughter of Ocean, perfect river
who has an end in himself, most lovable divine daughters:
Proto, Eucrante, Sao, Amphitrite,
Eudora, Teti, Galene, Glauce,
245 Fast style, Lovely waist
Pasitea, Erato, Euniche arms of pink,
Melite dear, Eulimente, Agave,
Doto, Proto, Ferusa, Dinamene,
Nesea, Actea, Protomedea,
250 Doris, Panope, beautiful Galatea,
Amable Ippotoe, Ipponoe with arms of rose,
Cimodoce, which in the misty sea easily
place the waves and the blows of the fierce winds,
with Cimatoleghe and with Amphitrite from the beautiful ankles,
255 Cimo, Eione, Alimede from the beautiful crown,
Glauconome lover of laughter, Pontoporea,
 Leagora, Evagora, Laomedea,
Polinoe, Autonoe, Lisianassa,
Evarne from the amiable nature and the perfect shapes,
260 Oh dear Psamate, Menippe who appears divine,
Neso, Eupompe, Temisto, Pronoe
Nemerte, who like his father has an immortal mind;
these were born from the irrepressible Nereus, fifty
young ladies, who know how to perform impeccable works;
265 Taumante married Electra, the daughter of Ocean
deep currents: she generated swift Iris,
the Harpies with hair, Aello and Ocypete,
they fly with the breath of the winds alongside the great birds,
beating their wings quickly: they soar high behind them;
270 then Ceto conceived with Forci the beautiful cheeks of the Graeae,
Canute from birth, the immortal gods call them the Grey.
and the men who came to earth, Penfredo from the beautiful peplos
and Enio from the peplos of crocus, and the Gorgons: Stenno, Euryale,
the wretched nature of Medusa, who dwell beyond the noble Ocean,
275 at the last of the borders, near the Night, to the great voices
of the Hesperides; Medusa was mortal, immortals
the other two, and they never aged: but with her alone
the god with turquoise hair lay in the meadow
between the tender grass and the spring flowers;
280 from Medusa, when Perseus cut off her head,
they burst forth Crisaore and the horse Pegasus;
the name came first from the golden sword that he wielded
at the second from the sources of the Ocean where it was born;
Pegasus took off flying from the mother earth of flocks.
285 and she arrived among the immortals: she resides in the dwelling of Zeus,
and brings thunder and lightning to the great thinker god;
Crisaore generated the three-headed Geryon,
embraced by Callirhoe, daughter of the noble Ocean;
he was defeated by the strength of Heracles, next to the cows
290 who tread the soil of Eritia surrounded by waters;
he won it on the day he drove the oxen wide brow
to the sacred Tirinto, crossing the paths of the Ocean;
after killing Orto and the herdsman Euritione,
in the refuge of darkness, beyond the noble Ocean;
295 in the cave of a cave then generated another monster,
invincible, which does not resemble any of mortal men
neither of the immortal gods: Echidna with a violent spirit,
half is a nymph with sparkling eyes, beautiful cheeks,
but for the other half it is a monstrous snake, terrible, large,
300 shimmering, voracious, under the recesses of the holy land;
who has the deep cave, under a hollow rock,
far from the immortal gods and from men subject to death,
where the gods assigned her a noble dwelling to inhabit;
a certain Echidna, the gloomy one, among the Arìmi underground,
305 immortal nymph, who does not age on any day;
they say that Typhon is terrible, impious, proud,
he mated with her, girl with shining eyes:
the burdened gave birth to children of a violent spirit:
 Geryon first gave birth to the dog Orto,
310 then he gave life to the invincible and unnameable,
Voracious Cerberus, with a bronze voice, the dog of Hades
from the fifty heads, shameless and vigorous,
then he generated the Hydra of Lerna, skilled in mournful things,
who nourished the goddess with white arms, Hera,
315 terribly hostile to Herculean strength:
he killed her with ruthless bronze, the Amphitryonide son of Zeus,
Heracles, accompanied by Iolaus, a strong warrior,
by the will of Athena the predator;
she gave birth to Chimera, who breathes an invincible fire,
320 terrifying, great, fast, and vigorous;
it had three heads: one of a lion with fiery eyes,
a goat one, a dragon-snake one, strong,
of lion in front, behind of dragon-snake, of goat in the middle;
325 she was killed by Pegasus and the brave Bellerophon;
Then Ceto, subdued by Orto, generated.
the fatal Sphinx, which brought the ruin of the lineage of Cadmus,
and the Nemean lion, raised by Hera, the noble lover of Zeus,
that assigned him to the valleys of Nemea, a disaster for men;
330 imperversing at Treto, at Nemea, at Apesanto,
the lion was destroying the lineage of men:
but the strength of Heracles knocked him down;
jointly with Forci, Ceto gave birth to the most vigorous son,
a terrific serpent, wrapped in immense coils,
335 guardian of the golden apples in the ravines of the dark land:
this is the lineage of Ceto and Forci;
Tethys together with Oceanus generated the swirling rivers:
Nile, Alpheus, and Eridanus from the deep whirlpools,
Strimone, Meander and Ister with beautiful currents,
340 Fasi, Reso and Acheloo from the silver whirlpools,
Nesso, Rodio, Aliacmone and Eptaporo,
Grenico, Esepo and Simoenta divine,
Peneo, Ermo, and Caico from the good currents,
Great Sangario, Ladone and Partenio,
345 Enevo, Ardesco, and divine Scamandro;
then I generated the divine lineage of the daughters, who nurture
men until youth, together with the rivers,
with sovereign Apollo: they have this nature from Zeus:
Peito, Admete, Iante, Elettra,
350 Doride, Primno, Urania, from the divine forms,
Ippo, Climene, Rodeia, Calliroe;
Zeuxo, Clizia, Idia, Pasitoe
Plexaure, Galaxaure, Love Dione,
Melobosi, Toe, Polidore beautiful,
355 Cercled by the loving figure, Pluto with gentle eyes,
Perseide, Ianeira, Acaste, Xante,
Petra loving, Menesto, Europe with the big eyes,
Metis, Eurinome, Telesto from the saffron mantle,
Criseyde, Asia, loving Calypso,
360 Eudora, Tiche, Anfiroe
Ociroe, and Stige, the noblest of all;
 Thus they were born from Ocean and Tethys,
the oldest daughters, of which there are many, and others still;
because they are three times a thousand the Oceanines with a light step,
365 splendid generation of goddesses, who govern everything
disseminate on the earth and in the depths of the waters;
as many are the rivers that flow with a roar,
children of Ocean, born from queen Tethys,
for a mortal man it is difficult to say all their names,
370 while those who live where they flow know them;
A submissive web in love by Hyperion
I generated Elios and Selene immense lamp.
and Eos, who shines for all mortals,
and for the immortal gods, who inhabit the vast sky;
375 United in love with Crios, Euribia gave birth to
Great Astraea and Pallant, goddess of goddesses,
and Perse, who shone above all for wisdom;
in the embrace of love, goddess with god, Eos
with Astreo he generated the winds with a stormy soul,
380 Gentle Zephyr, swift Boreas, and Notus;
then he generated the morning star, Eosphorus,
and the shining stars, with which the sky is crowned;
Stige, daughter of Ocean, gave birth to Zelo and Niche
of the beautiful ankles, joined with Pallante in his chambers,
385 and he generated the noble children Cratos and Bia,
who have no home nor ever live far from Zeus,
nor do they traverse paths where his command does not reach,
because they always stay close to Zeus from the deep thunder;
Thus that day Stige, immortal oceanian, decided,
390 when Olympian thunderbolt summoned all to gather
all the immortal gods on the great Olympus, and said
to every god aligned with him in the battle of the Titans
his domains and honors would not have been torn away,
but they would have kept them, as the immortal gods had them;
395 he said that even the gods deprived of rewards and honors by Cronos,
awards and honors would have been assigned, according to justice;
came first to the immortal Stygian Olympus,
with his children, following the design of the dear father;
Zeus filled her with honors and gave her many gifts;
400 he established that for her it was the greatest oath of the gods,
and that her children would live forever in her abode;
He kept all that he had promised.
with all: he has great power and reigns with greatness;
then Foibe entered the beautiful love bed of Coios,
405 the goddess conceived embracing the god,
and Leto was born from the azure robe, which always smells of honey,
of honey from the origin, the sweetest in Olympus,
benevolent for men and for the immortal gods;
I generated Asteria, a beautiful name, which Perse led one day.
410 in her grand mansion, to gently call her bride;
she became pregnant and gave birth to Hecate, whom Zeus honored greatly
more than all: he bestowed shining gifts and domains
both on land and at sea, never tired;
 received honors even from the starry sky,
415 and the immortal gods grant them great honors;
so now, when it happens that one of the inhabitants of the earth
offerings and sacrifices that appease according to the law,
invoke Hecate: then receives great honor, without any pain,
when the goddess hears her prayers,
420 and it makes him lucky, because this power belongs to him;
It is a part of the domain of all descendants.
of Gaia and Uranus, of all those who received honors;
neither did Cronus subdue her nor did he take anything from her
of what he had obtained with the Titans, the first gods:
425 Hecate preserves her dominions as they were
distributed in land, in the sky and in the sea
it has origins, and they were not diminished
because she was the only daughter, but grew in the honor of Zeus;
to whom he favors, stays very close and helps him,
430 in the court sits next to the noble kings,
in the assembly it shines for those who are preferred above all peoples;
And when men arm themselves for the devastating war,
Good Hecate is close to those she favors,
so that they achieve victory and are adorned with glory;
435 benign is also when she is close to a man
and it helps him in wrestling matches: easily
Vince excelling in strength and power;
he is happy about the beautiful prize and his glory honors his parents;
she is kind when she is next to the knights she chooses;
440 to those who toil in the stormy blue sea
and they rely on Hecate and the thundering Ennosigeo,
easily the goddess grants an abundant catch,
and easily makes it disappear, if that is what he chooses in his heart;
benign in the stables together with Hermes makes the livestock prosper;
445 the cattle herds, the vast flocks of goats and the flocks
of woolly sheep, if your heart desires it, from small ones
it makes them multiply and when they grow, it reduces them to few in number;
thus, as she is the only one born to her mother,
among all the immortals, it is filled with gifts and honors;
450 the Cronide nourishes the creatures that are faithful to her
they opened their eyes to the light of Eos who sees everything,
Thus from the origins, the goddess Hecate nourishes the creatures devoted to her.
Rhea, submissive to Cronos, gave birth to splendid children.
Hecate, Demeter, Hera with the golden sandals,
455 the strong Hades, who lives in the underground dwellings
with his ruthless heart, the lofty Poseidon who shakes the earth,
and Zeus, great thinker, father of gods and men:
under its thunder trembles all the vast earth;
they were eaten when they came out of the sacred breast of the mother,
460 as soon as they touched his knees, he swallowed them all
the great father Cronos, thinking of avoiding that someone else
of the lineage of Uranus would receive the dominion of royal dignity;
having learned from Gaia and starry Uranus
what was fixed for him, no matter how strong it was,
465 that one of the sons would have subdued him, by the will
 of great Zeus, father Cronos with wide open eyes
he stood guard and swallowed his children; the mother Rhea
she felt an unbearable pain; but when she was about to give birth
Zeus, the father of gods and men, then pleaded with his parents,
470 the beloved Gaia and starry Uranus, who were searching
to think of a way to hide the beloved child
at the moment of birth, to satisfy the avenging Furies of the father
the evocation, and of the children swallowed by great Cronos with sinuous thoughts;
they listened and granted the beloved daughter,
475 they established for her what was set
for King Cronos and for the son with the impetuous soul;
when she was about to give birth, they sent to Licto, in the rich
country of Crete, his youngest son, the last,
the great Zeus: he was welcomed by the wondrous Gaia,
480 in the great land of Crete, to feed and raise it;
He arrived first at Licto, carrying it swiftly through the dark night,
he took it in his hands and hid it in a cave
steep, under the ravines of the holy land,
in the Aegean mountain wrapped in the forests;
485 and he gave a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes to the great Cronos,
to the first king of the gods, son of Uranus;
he took the wrapped stone in his hand and swallowed it down his throat
horrible: and not understood in the mind that was behind him
instead of the stone, his son remained outside, intact,
490 who was about to subdue him and overthrow him with force and power,
who was about to reign in his place among the immortals;
with prodigious speed grew the strength and the noble limbs
of this new sovereign: after a few years,
deceived by the plots woven by the cunning thoughts of Gaia,
495 the great Cronos with a twisting mind, defeated
from the arts and the strength of the son, he spat out his born ones;
first it spat out the stone, having swallowed it last:
Zeus set it down on the earth with many paths,
in the sacred Pito, because in the valleys below Parnassus
500 it may be a miraculous sign for mortals in the future;
then he broke the horrible chains of his father's brothers, the Uranids,
that father Cronos had senselessly chained:
they did not forget the gratitude for the good,
and they gave him the thunder, the lightning that ignites
505 and the thunderbolt: first it held them, prodigious Gaia, in her womb,
Using their power, Zeus reigns over the immortals and mortals;
Giapeto brought with him the daughter of Ocean,
Climene with the beautiful ankles, and they went to bed together;
she generated Atlas from a violent soul, the mighty one
510 Menezio, then Prometheus from the lightning
varied thoughts and Epimetheus from the unprepared mind,
which from its origins caused harm to enterprising men,
because it was he who first welcomed the virgin woman,
just shaped by Zeus; the proud Menezio, for the pride
515 madness and malevolent force drove him into Hades, Zeus
you immense, hurling the smoking lightning;
Atlas for the pressing necessity of the wide sky bears the weight,
 at the ends of the earth, from the Hesperides who have very high voices,
he holds it up with his head and tireless hands,
520 because this fate was set for him by the thought of Zeus;
Prometheus, with his varied projects, tied him with painful bonds,
indissoluble, by tying them he chained him in the middle of a column;
and he set against an eagle with wide wings, which was eating him
the immortal liver: it grew back every night in every part
525 how every day the bird with large wings ate it;
he was killed by the son of Alcmene with the beautiful ankles,
the strong Heracles drove away the terrible pain
from the son of Japheth, and freed him from evil,
without opposing the will of the sovereign Olympian Zeus,
530 ensuring the glory of Heracles of Thebes
to spread even larger across the earth that nourishes all;
thus Zeus honored his noble son, and the anger
set aside, even though he was angry since Prometheus
with his projects he had competed against him, the son of Cronus;
535 because when the contest took place between the gods and mortal men,
At Mecone, Prometheus had presented with a courteous spirit.
a great score of a bull, deluding the mind of Zeus:
for the men wrapped the beautiful fatty flesh and entrails
in the skin, hidden in the belly of the ox,
540 for him, she arranged the whitish bones of the ox
with a deceptive trick, hidden in the splendid fat;
then the father of men and gods said to him:
Son of Iapetus, who is illustrious among kings, dear friend,
you certainly haven't made a fair division; so said
545 mocking him Zeus, who knew indestructible plans;
my Prometheus with the sinuous mind smiled a little and said:
not forgetting the deceptive artifice: "Take, noble Zeus,
whatever you want, you who are the greatest among the gods of all time,
choose between the two that attracts your soul the most
550 He spoke with a deceitful spirit: Zeus, who knew plans
immovable, understood, the deceit did not remain hidden from him: in the soul
it predicted damage to mortal men that would come true;
he gathered the white fat with both hands;
felt the indignation in his chest, and the bile reached his heart,
555 as soon as he saw the white ox bones, an art of deception;
since then the lineages of men on earth to the immortals
they sacrifice the white bones by burning them on the altars;
full of rage Zeus who gathers the clouds spoke:
Son of Iapetus, you who know the plans better than anyone,
560 dear friend, you haven't forgotten the art of deceit yet.
Thus spoke Zeus, indignant, who knows immutable plans:
and always remembering the deception from that day
to the men subject to death who live on earth
did not leave in the wood the strength of the tireless fire;
565 but the valiant son of Iapetus deceived him,
when he hid the light of the fire in a hollow reed
tireless that shines from afar; deep in the heart
Zeus suffered long, his soul filled with indignation,
he just saw among the men the light of the fire shining from afar;
570 immediately built an evil to make men pay for the fire;
the illustrious Ambimembro following the instructions of Zeus
he shaped a figure of a chaste virgin with the earth;
the goddess Athena with blue eyes covered her and made her beautiful
with a splendid white garment; from her head she draped
575 an elegant veil, which descended marvelously;
then Pallas Athena placed it around her head
lovely crowns of freshly bloomed flowers,
and crowned her with a golden diadem,
jewel that the illustrious Ambimembro had made
580 with his own hands to please father Zeus;
many marvelous masterpieces were forged in the crown,
monstrous beings, as many as the shore and the sea feed,
there are so many, stunning, and they shone with beauty
sublime, as if they were alive and could speak;
585 but having done this harm to make that good pay,
he brought the masterpiece adorned by the powerful daughter with sky-blue eyes
where other gods and other men were; as soon as they saw her,
the immortal gods and mortal men were astonished,
in the face of the deceptive masterpiece, irresistible to men,
590 from her descends the species of the most feminine women,
the harmful species descends from her, the lineage of women,
causing great harm to mortals, they are with them
companions in wealth, but not in misery;
like when bees in the hives are carefully covered
595 they feed the bugs, which accompany them in their bad deeds:
while every day, from sunrise to sunset,
the bees work and with their effort they build the white combs,
the leeches fill their bellies with the work of others
remaining protected by the shady beehives:
600 Thus, high-thundering Zeus placed alongside men subject to death
the evil of women, who accompany them in wicked deeds
having done this wrong to make that good pay for it:
for those who, having chosen not to marry, shun marriage
From the pitiful works of women comes the ruinous old age.
605 and there is no one to take care of the old man; he does not lack
food to live, and distant heirs when it dies
they divide their assets; for those who are fortunate enough to have marriage,
and a well-formed bride with a sensitive heart and wise thoughts,
Throughout his life, evil confronts him.
610 Well said: but who encounters a cursed breed
I live overwhelmed by an incessant struggle
in the soul and in the heart, and it is an incurable evil;
thus it does not deceive the mind of Zeus, nor betray,
so much so that the beneficial son of Iapetus, Prometheus
615 did not escape his terrible wrath, but out of necessity
As wise as he is, he remains trapped by a great bond;
in his soul the father became angry again with OBriareo,
with Cotto, with Gige, he tied them with a strong cord
humiliating their overpowering virility, beauty, greatness:
620 the spindles underground from the multiple paths;
and they were suffering underground living
 at the extreme limit, at the end of the vast land;
for so long, afflicted in the heart by immense pain;
my Zeus Cronides and the other immortal gods,
625 the beautiful-haired Rhea conceived embraced by Cronus,
they brought it to light, following Gaia's advice:
she described everything to the gods in every detail,
how they would have brought back with them victory and splendid glory;
for a long time and with immense efforts
630 the Titans against the gods born from Cronos
they fought in fierce battles,
from the high Monte Otri the exalted Titans,
from Olympus the gods who dispense what is good,
the beautiful-haired Rhea conceived in bed with Cronos;
635 the gods fought each other without ever stopping
for ten whole years, consumed by anger,
and there was neither a solution nor an end to the conflict
for neither side, the fortunes of war were equal;
but when the prisoners in the dark borders of the earth
640 they were supplied with the best, nectar and ambrosia, the food of the gods,
the virile spirit grew in all their chests;
as soon as they were fed with nectar and exquisite ambrosia,
the father of men and gods said to them:
"Listen, noble children of Gaia and Uranus,"
645 so that I can tell you the things that the heart dictates in my chest;
It's been a long time that we have been opposing each other.
we fight every day, for victory and might,
the gods of the Titans and us, all the gods generated by Cronos;
show against the Titans in the disastrous fight
650 the immense strength of your invincible hands,
memories of our love and our kindness,
and how much you suffered before returning to the light,
for our will, from the painful prison of the misty west;
thus said Zeus, and the irrepressible Cotto replied to him:
655 O divine, do not tell unknown things, for we too
we know what revolves around your heart, what thoughts,
how terrible you have been defending the immortals from extermination;
for your wise thoughts from the ruthless prison
from the misty west we were able to return,
660 O sovereign son of Cronos, we did not hope for it and it has happened to us;
for this reason from now on with attentive mind and wise will
we will protect your power in the disastrous conflict,
fighting against the Titans in the terrible battles
Thus he said, the gods dispensers of goods applauded.
665 Hearing his speech: the war inflamed their spirits
even more than before: the battle ignited that day
for the fury of all, male and female deities,
the Titans and all the gods generated by Cronos, all of them
what Zeus brought back to light from the underground Erebus,
670 terrible and strong, endowed with overwhelming strength;
From their shoulders, a hundred hands moved with force,
from the shoulders of everyone, and each had fifty heads
that grew on the body with the great strong limbs;
 in the disastrous battle against the Titans, they were deployed
675 with gigantic stones in all their hands;
on the other side, the Titans carefully reinforced their ranks,
both showed the work at the same time
of hands and of strength; the boundless sea sounded horrifically,
the great earth roared, the vast sky trembled and groaned,
680 From the deep boundary vibrated the great Olympus
to the assault of the immortals; to the Tartarus of darkness
the shock of the sudden noise of footsteps arrived
and the incessant turmoil of the strong blows:
both sides were throwing painful darts;
685 the cry of both contenders rose to the sky
stellar: they were united by a massive war cry;
Zeus could no longer contain his fury, anger overcame him.
in all his chest, and showed all his strength:
unstoppably from the sky and from Olympus, it moved
690 casting lightning: from the mighty hand
the lightning flew clashing with thunder and flashes
and they made the sacred fire blaze:
all around the earth that gives life roared,
the vast, boundless forest crackled, penetrated by fire;
695 Everything was igniting, the ground, the currents of the Ocean
and the sea never tired: the scorching breath surrounded
the earthly Titans, an endless flame was coming
in the divine ether, the sparkling brilliance of the lightning
and the lightning blinded them, even though they were very strong;
700 Chaos held within itself a divine warmth: then it seemed
to see with one's own eyes and to hear with one's ears
as if Gaia and Uranus vast above her were embracing:
immense noise was this that rose up as if Gaia
squashed, as if Uranus had crashed down,
705 the clamor generated by the conflict in which the gods clashed;
The winds were swirling high, causing dust to swirl and shake.
thunder, lightning, and flaming bolts;
pangs of great Zeus, and they carried the scream and the shout
between the two parties: a formidable noise arose
710 from the terrible struggle, manifesting the strength of enterprises;
the battle tilted: until then the two sides had opposed each other
unceasingly in fruitless battles;
among the first rekindled the impetuous battle
Cotto, Briareo and Gige never satiated by war:
715 together they were throwing thick blows with their strong hands
three hundred stones, and with the darts they wrapped the Titans:
they were bound in heavy chains, having been defeated
with their hands, they, as much as they had inflamed spirits,
they pushed him deep into the earth through many paths,
720 below in the earth as far as the sky is distant above:
so far is the earth from the Tartarus of darkness;
a bronze anvil falling from the sky for nine days
and after nine nights, on the tenth it would arrive on earth:
in the same way for nine nights and days a bronze anvil
725 falling from the earth would arrive in the tenth in Tartarus;
 around it, a bronze barrier was raised
the night is stretched around the neck wrapping itself in three turns, but above
the roots of the earth and the never-tiring sea were formed;
Beneath the dark haze, the Titan gods were buried,
730 according to the will of Zeus who gathers the clouds,
in a moldy place, the extreme edge of the wondrous earth;
they have no way out, Poseidon locked it up
bronze door, a wall runs around it on both sides;
who reside Gige, Cotto and OBriareo the magnanimous,
735 trust guardians of Zeus and Egioco;
what are the sources and the ends of the shadowy land,
of the nebulous Tartarus, of the never-tiring sea
and of the starry sky, one follows the other, terrible,
muffled, that horrify even the gods,
740 immense abyss: to anyone who left through the gates,
a whole year would not be enough for him to reach the thresholds,
my strike a storm would tear it away to the storm:
this horror is terrible even for the gods
immortals: the terrible house of the dark Night
745 It rises from cyanotic hidden clouds;
in front of them Atlas, son of Iapetus, holds firmly
the vast sky, with the head and hands never tired,
where Night and Day approach to the maximum
they talk to each other, taking turns on the large bronze threshold:
750 one is descending inside, the other is rising outside,
and the house never contains both of them,
while the other goes out of the house
turn the earth, the one that goes inside the house
wait for his turn to come along,
755 the one with its brightness that illuminates things,
the other with Sleep in his hands, brother of Death,
the fatal Night, hidden in a cloud of darkness;
where the children of the dark Night dwell,
Sleep and Death, terrible deities: never look at them
760 with its rays shining Helios
rising to the sky or descending from the sky;
one quietly travels the earth and the vast back of the sea
and its warmth spreads among men sweet as honey,
the other, with the iron heart, the bronze chest and the ruthless breast,
765 he has forever among men who grasps
first, hated even by the immortal gods;
here in front of the houses of the underground god,
of the mighty Hades and the revered Persephone,
they rise, in front is the guardian of the dwelling, the terrible one
770 ruthless dog, skilled in malice: anyone who enters,
he wags his tail and both ears,
but it no longer allows him to cross the threshold to go out:
It ambushes and eats anyone who comes out of the doors.
of the mighty Hades and of the revered Persephone;
775 where the terrible goddess resides for the immortals,
the horrible Stige, the eldest daughter of the ebbing
Ocean: lives far from the gods a noble house
 covered by a roof of large stones: all around
with silver columns it is leaning against the sky;
780 rarely the swift-footed daughter of Taumante, Iris/Rainbow,
on the vast back of the sea comes to bring a message;
if a conflict or a quarrel arises among the immortals,
if someone lies among the inhabitants of the Olympic dwellings,
Zeus sends Iris/Rainbow to fetch with a golden pitcher.
785 the great oath of the gods, the famous icy water,
that stills from the sublime steep rock:
Beneath the earth with many paths, it flows abundantly.
from the sacred river for the black night in an arm
from the Ocean, one-tenth part was separated:
790 with nine silver whirlpools entwining the earth
and for the vast back of the sea, it plunges into the waters,
with the last it flows through the rock, a serious harm for the gods;
be one of the immortals who have the peak of snowy Olympus
spergiura, after having poured swearing by pouring its water,
795 stay breathless for a whole year,
and no nectar nourishment ever comes near to him
and of ambrosia, remains to lie in a bed like this,
breathless and voiceless, wrapped in a bad hibernation;
but when the punishment that lasts a whole year is over,
800 must undergo an even more difficult test;
For nine years he is excluded from the presence of the gods.
eternal, never participates in the council, nor in the banquets,
for nine whole years: in the tenth he participates in the meetings again
of the immortals, who reside in the Olympic abodes;
805 a certain oath the gods established on the immortal water
of the Stige Ogigia, which flows through the inhospitable land;
what are the sources and the ends of the shadowy land,
of the nebulous Tartarus, of the never-tiring sea
and of the starry sky, one after another, terrible,
810 moldy, which horrify even the gods;
here the marble doors and the bronze one were erected by themselves
unwavering threshold, nailed to countless roots:
in front, estranged from all the gods,
the Titans dwell, beyond the nebulous Chaos;
815 then the noble allies of Zeus with the terrible roar,
Cottos and Gige reside in houses at the foundations
of the Ocean: a Briareus endowed with maximum strength,
the Ennosigeo of the deep thunder gave in marriage
Cimolopea, his daughter, and thus made him his son-in-law.
820 but after Zeus had expelled the Titans from the sky,
Gaia portentous gave birth to Tartarus in the loving embrace,
wanted by the golden Aphrodite, her last son:
he had hands forged by strength, for great deeds,
tired feet of mighty God: on the shoulders
825 he rose in a hundred heads of a terrible dragon-serpent,
vibrating the dark tongues; in the wonderful heads
under the eyelashes the fire was shining in his eyes,
when they looked at the fire it ignited in all heads;
from each of the terrifying heads came the voice
 Thus they were born from Ocean and Tethys,
the oldest daughters, of which there are many, and others still;
because they are three times a thousand the Oceanines with a light step,
365 splendid generation of goddesses, who govern everything
disseminate on the earth and in the depths of the waters;
as many are the rivers that flow with a roar,
children of Ocean, born from queen Tethys,
for a mortal man it is difficult to say all their names,
370 while those who live where they flow know them;
A submissive web in love by Hyperion
I generated Elios and Selene immense lamp.
and Eos, who shines for all mortals,
and for the immortal gods, who inhabit the vast sky;
375 United in love with Crios, Euribia gave birth to
Great Astraea and Pallant, goddess of goddesses,
and Perse, who shone above all for wisdom;
in the embrace of love, goddess with god, Eos
with Astreo he generated the winds with a stormy soul,
380 Gentle Zephyr, swift Boreas, and Notus;
then he generated the morning star, Eosphorus,
and the shining stars, with which the sky is crowned;
Stige, daughter of Ocean, gave birth to Zelo and Niche
of the beautiful ankles, joined with Pallante in his chambers,
385 and he generated the noble children Cratos and Bia,
who have no home nor ever live far from Zeus,
nor do they traverse paths where his command does not reach,
because they always stay close to Zeus from the deep thunder;
Thus that day Stige, immortal oceanian, decided,
390 when Olympian thunderbolt summoned all to gather
all the immortal gods on the great Olympus, and said
to every god aligned with him in the battle of the Titans
his domains and honors would not have been torn away,
but they would have kept them, as the immortal gods had them;
395 he said that even the gods deprived of rewards and honors by Cronos,
awards and honors would have been assigned, according to justice;
came first to the immortal Stygian Olympus,
with his children, following the design of the dear father;
Zeus filled her with honors and gave her many gifts;
400 he established that for her it was the greatest oath of the gods,
and that her children would live forever in her abode;
He kept all that he had promised.
with all: he has great power and reigns with greatness;
then Foibe entered the beautiful love bed of Coios,
405 the goddess conceived embracing the god,
and Leto was born from the azure robe, which always smells of honey,
of honey from the origin, the sweetest in Olympus,
benevolent for men and for the immortal gods;
I generated Asteria, a beautiful name, which Perse led one day.
410 in her grand mansion, to gently call her bride;
she became pregnant and gave birth to Hecate, whom Zeus honored greatly
more than all: he bestowed shining gifts and domains
both on land and at sea, never tired;
 and they won the domain by imposing themselves with force on the Titans,
then they urged to reign and to govern over the immortals
Olympian Zeus, immense voice, following the advice
885 of Gaia: he distributed his domains among them;
as his first wife, Zeus, the sovereign of the gods, took Metis,
of many things wise, more than the gods and men subject to death;
But when Metis was about to give birth to the goddess Athena
from the sky-blue eyes, confusing his thoughts with illusions
890 and seductive tales, Zeus put it in his belly,
following the advice of Gaia and Starry Uranus;
they advised him this because the royal domain of Zeus
did not touch any of the other eternal gods; it was established
that Metis had great children in thoughts:
895 the blue-eyed daughter, Athena would have been born first
Tritogenia, wise in thought and equal to her father in strength,
per second she had to give birth to a sovereign son
of gods and men, from the overpowering heart,
but Zeus swallowed her and closed her in his belly,
900 because the goddess pointed out to him the good and the evil;
as his second wife, he took the fertile Temi,
who generated the Hours, Eunomia, Dike, Irene
flourishing, that watch over the works of men subject to death,
and the Fates, to whom wise Zeus granted great dominion,
905 Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos:
that at the birth of men their fates of good and evil are spun;
the daughter of Ocean with beautiful cheeks, Eurinome/Kindness,
very lovely to behold, he generated the three Charites,
Aglaia, Eufrosine and beloved Talia
910 they dissolve the limbs, their eyes spread beauty,
and when they turn their gaze, love drips from their lashes;
But Zeus also went to bed with Demeter, the greatest nurturer,
who generated Persephone from her white arms, whom Hades
took from the side of his mother: wise Zeus granted it;
915 then he fell in love with Mnemosyne with the beautiful hair,
who gave birth to the nine daughters crowned in gold, the Muses,
who love feasts and the joy of songs;
Leto, most kind among the children of Uranus,
joining in love with Zeus Aegios
920 I generated Apollo and the darting Artemis;
for the last one taken in marriage was flourishing
and she gave birth to Hebe, Ares, and Eilitia,
united in the love of the sovereign of gods and men;
while Zeus generated Athena from his head with sky-blue eyes,
925 terrible lady, agitator, invincible leader,
who loves the clangor of arms, wars, and battles,
He generated the noble Hephaestus without having joined with anyone,
because she became angry and wanted to compete with the groom,
that stands out among the Uranids in all the arts;
930 from Amphitrite and the high-sounding Zeus was born
the mighty great Triton, terrible god: who of the sea
be the foundation, terrible god who is with the beloved mother
and the sovereign father resides in a golden house; to Ares
 who breaks the shields, Citerea birthed Phobos and Deimos:
935 formidable forces push, together with Ares, destroyer of cities,
the dense ranks of many men in the cold war; and then Harmony,
that Cadmus, with a fiery soul, took as his wife;
Maia, daughter of Atlas, ascended to the sacred bed and bore to Zeus.
the illustrious Hermes, messenger of the immortals;
940 Semele, daughter of Cadmus, after uniting with Zeus in love,
he begot the splendid son, the most joyous Dionysus: she was mortal,
he immortal: now both are divine;
Alcmene conceived the strength of Heracles,
united in love with Zeus who gathers the clouds
945 the illustrious Ambimembro took as his wife
the flourishing Aglaia, the last of the Charites;
Dionysus with golden hair married the blonde.
Arianna, flourishing daughter of Minos;
for him the Cronide made her immortal and young forever;
950 the strong son of Alcmena with beautiful ankles,
Heracles, having completed the arduous labors, took as his wife
on the snowy Olympus the modest Hebe,
daughter of great Zeus and Hera with golden sandals,
blessed, who having completed the great work resides
955 safe and sound among the immortals young forever;
to Elios tireless the noble Oceanina
Perseus generated Circe and the lord Aeetes;
Aiete, son of Helios who brings light to men,
following divine advice, he married Inia with the beautiful cheeks,
960 daughter of Ocean, river that flows endlessly;
submissive law in the desired romantic encounter
from the golden Aphrodite, he fathered Medea with a light step;
I greet you now, you who have the Olympic abodes,
the islands, the land masses and the salty sea that surround them;
965 now sing of the generation of goddesses, Olympic Muses,
how sweet are your words, daughters of Zeus AegIOC.
chant of the goddesses who lie beside mortal men,
they generated immortal children from divine forms;
Demeter, goddess of goddesses, in a fallow field plowed three times,
970 in the loving embrace joined to Giasone,
in the fattened land of Crete, conceived the benevolent Pluto,
that arrives everywhere on earth and in the vast
back of the sea: to those who are fortunate enough to meet it
expands wealth, and enjoys great well-being;
975 Harmony, daughter of golden Aphrodite, gave birth to
a Cadmus, in Thebes crowned with walls,
Ino, Semele, Agave with beautiful cheeks,
and Autonoe, who married the thick-haired Aristeo;
Calliroe, daughter of Ocean, united with Crisaores
980 in the amorous embrace, by the will of golden Aphrodite,
he generated the strongest son among all mortals,
Geryon, whom the strength of Heracles killed,
because of the slow-footed oxen in Eritia surrounded by walls;
With Titan Eos generated Memnon,
985 sovereign of the Ethiopians, and Emazione sovereign,
 but then with Cephalus she gave birth to the shining son,
Phaethon, a man akin to the gods;
when I was just a child with serene thoughts,
in the delicate flower of bright puberty, he was ignited
990 and was kidnapped by Aphrodite, lover of the genitals, who made him
nocturnal guardian of his most holy temples, divine demon;
Esonide, following the advice of the eternal gods,
he seized the daughter of Aieta, the sovereign nourished by the gods,
after having completed the painful deeds, many,
995 imposed by the great superb king,
the arrogant Pelias, with his mad wicked thoughts; the son of Esione
after completing them, after suffering a lot,
carrying with him the girl with sparkling eyes
he arrived in Iolcus on the swift ship and made her his blossoming bride;
1000 and Medea, subdued by Jason, shepherd of people,
she conceived a son, whom Chiron the centaur raised
on the mountains; the thought of great Zeus achieved its purpose;
As for the daughters of Nereus, the old man of the sea,
Psamate, goddess of goddesses, uniting with Aeacus in their embrace.
1005 loving, by the will of the golden Aphrodite, generated Phocus;
the goddess Thetis with silver feet, submissive to Peleus,
he generated Achilles, destroyer of armies, lion-hearted;
Reading from the beautiful crown, united by the desired love
to the hero Anchises, he fathered Aeneas, high on the mountain
1010 Ida, with many gorges, covered in woods;
Circe, daughter of the Hyperionid Helios,
loving Odysseus, constant in feeling,
I generated Agrio and the irrepressible strong Latino, then,
gave birth to Telegonus, at the behest of golden Aphrodite;
1015 they ruled far away, in the bosom
all the sacred islands, over all the glorious Tyrrhenians;
Calypso, goddess of goddesses, united by the longed-for love
Odysseus fathered Nausithoos and Nausinoos;
these immortals lying next to the mortals
1020 they generated immortal children, of divine forms:
sing now of the generation of women, Olympic Muses,
how sweet are your words, daughters of Zeus Aegisbearer...

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