Hesiod, Works and Days 27-41

Edition by	Sarah Burges Watson
In guides	Hesiod

ὦ Πέρση, σὺ δὲ ταῦτα τεῶι ἐνικάτθεο θυμῶι, 27 μηδέ σ’ Ἔρις κακόχαρτος ἀπ’ ἔργου θυμὸν ἐρύκοι νείκε’ ὀπιπεύοντ’ ἀγορῆς ἐπακουὸν ἐόντα. ὤρη γάρ τ’ ὀλίγη πέλεται νεικέων τ’ ἀγορέων τε, 30 ὧιτινι μὴ βίος ἔνδον ἐπηετανὸς κατάκειται ὡραῖος, τὸν γαῖα φέρει, Δημήτερος ἀκτήν. τοῦ κε κορεσσάμενος νείκεα καὶ δῆριν ὀφέλλοις κτήμασ’ ἐπ’ ἀλλοτρίοις. σοὶ δ’ οὐκέτι δεύτερον ἔσται ὧδ’ ἔρδειν· ἀλλ’ αὖθι διακρινώμεθα νεῖκος 35 ἰθείηισι δίκηις, αἵ τ’ ἐκ Διός εἰσιν ἄρισται. ἤδη μὲν γὰρ κλῆρον ἐδασσάμεθ’, ἄλλα τε πολλὰ ἁρπάζων ἐφόρεις, μέγα κυδαίνων βασιλῆας δωροφάγους, οἳ τήνδε δίκην ἐθέλουσι δικάσσαι· νήπιοι, οὐδὲ ἴσασιν ὅσωι πλέον ἥμισυ παντός, 40 οὐδ’ ὅσον ἐν μαλάχηι τε καὶ ἀσφοδέλωι μέγ’ ὄνειαρ.

But you, Perses, store these things in your heart, and may the Strife who delights in evil not keep your heart away from work, making you a spectator of wrangles and a listener in the assembly. For a man has little time for quarrels and assemblies (30) when he does not have sufficient livelihood stored up in good season, the earth’s produce, grain of Demeter. When you have your fill of that, then you can multiply quarrels and strife for the sake of other men’s property. But you will not have another chance to act thus: let us settle our quarrel right away (35), with straight judgments, the best that come from Zeus. For already we divided our land and you snatched and kept taking a whole lot more, by fawning on the kings, eaters of gifts, who are willing to pass this judgment. Fools that they are; they do not know how much more the half is than the whole (40), nor how great the benefit in mallow and asphodel.