Hesiod
From: GODGETTING
yawning long,
Then Earth's expanse of bosom showed,
surface sure for Olympus' sake,
And darkening Tartarus came to light
in the bowels of wide-wayed Earth,
Then Eros, fairest of those first Gods,
marring mind and loosing limb
of men and God
appeared.
First Earth alone made Sky star-spangled
to suit her on all sides,
then molded hills
halls for nymphs,
and the leeless Sea,
salt-wavy tumult,
all with no lying in love.
Then Earth under sky
got swollen Ocean
and bore a Titan brood
whose last and best,
trick-minded Time,
a boy who
bore green hate
for his undying father.
For each child in his coming
was tucked back under
deep in the folds of Earth
and Sky was glad in his evil.
Earth, strapped, groaned within
giving phrase to guile-plan.
Was bold to body forth grey flint-stone
she shaved it to scythe-form
and called to her child-brood,
heartening them though hard in her own.
`Children got on a careless sire,
let him pay war-worth
for the marring of his mind-lust,
for he first fathered unseemly acts.'
Only trick-minded Time stood bold
speaking back to his bearer
I promise, mother, to see this plan done
since I don't care for our dread-named sire
and he first fathered unseemly acts.'
She set Time entrenched
and in his hands
put shark-tooth scythe
when Sky came longing
with Night in tow
stretched over Earth and lying spread,
the boy reached out and took the giant
shark-tooth scythe in his right
and quick to cut, un-membering father,
hurled it out of hand.
Translated by Avi Sharon
Page(s) 216-217
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