Book 1
1 Beginning With the generation first
2 Of mortal men down to the very last
3 I’ll prophesy each thing: what erst has been,
4 And what is now, and what shall yet befall
5 The world through the impiety of men.
6 First now God urges on me to relate
7 Truly how into being came the world.
8 And thou, shrewd mortal, prudently make known,
9 Lest ever thou should’st my commands neglect,
10 The King most high, who brought into existence
11 The whole world, saying, “Let there be,” and there was.
12 For he the earth established, placing it
13 Round about Tartarus, and he himself
14 Gave the sweet light; he raised the heaven on high,
15 Spread out the gleaming sea, and crowned the sky
16 With an abundance of bright-shining stars,
17 And decked the earth with plants, and mingled sea
18 With rivers, and the air with zephyrs mixed
19 And watery clouds; and then, another race
20 Appointing, he gave fishes to the seas
21 And birds unto the winds, and to the woods
22 The beasts of shaggy neck, and snakes that crawl,
23 And all things which now on the earth appear.
24 These by his word he made, and every thing
25 Was speedily and with precision done;
26 For he was self-caused and from heaven looked down,
27 And finished was the world exceeding well.
28 And then thereafter fashioned he again
29 A living product, copying a new man
30 From his own image, beautiful, divine,
31 And bade him in ambrosial garden dwell,
32 That labors beautiful might be his care.
33 But in that fertile field of Paradise
34 He longed for conversation, being alone,
35 And prayed that he might see another form
36 Such as he had. And forthwith, from man’s side
37 Taking a bone, God himself made fair Eve,
38 A wedded spouse, and in that Paradise
39 Gave her to dwell with him. And, when he gazed
40 Upon her, on a sudden filled with joy
41 Great admiration held his soul, he saw
42 A pattern so exact; and with wise words
43 Spontaneous flowing answered he in turn;
44 For God had care for all things. For the mind
45 They darkened not with passion, nor concealed
46 Their nakedness, but with hearts far from evil
47 Even like wild beasts they walked with limbs exposed.
48 And afterwards delivering them commands.
49 God showed them not to touch a certain tree;
50 But the dread serpent drew them off by guile
51 To go away unto the fate of death
52 And to gain knowledge of both good and evil
53 But the wife then first traitress proved to God;
54 She gave, and urged the unknowing man to sin.
55 And he, persuaded by the woman’s words,
56 Forgot the immortal Maker utterly,
57 And treated plain commandments with neglect.
58 Therefore, instead of good, received they evil
59 According to their deed. And then the leaves
60 Of the sweet fig-tree piercing they made clothes
61 And put them on each other, and concealed
62 The sexual parts, because they were ashamed.
63 But on them the Immortal set his wrath
64 And cast them out of the immortal land,
65 For their abiding now in mortal land
66 Was brought to pass, since hearing they kept not
67 The word of the immortal mighty God.
68 And straightway they, upon the fruitful soil
69 Forthgoing, with their tears and groans were wet;
70 And to them then the immortal God himself
71 A word more excellent spoke: “Multiply,
72 Increase, work constantly upon the earth,
73 That with the sweat of labor ye may have
74 Sufficient food.” Thus he spoke; and he made
75 The author of deceit to press the ground
76 On belly and on side, a crawling snake,
77 Driving him out severely; and he sent
78 Dire enmity between them; and the one
79 Is on the look-out to preserve his head,
80 But man his heel; for death is neighbor near
81 Of evil-plotting vipers and of men.
82 And then indeed the race was multiplied
83 As the Almighty himself gave command,
84 And there grew up one people on another
85 Innumerable. And houses they adorned
86 Of all kinds and made cities and their walls
87 Well and expertly; and to them was given
88 A day of long time for a life much-loved;
89 For they did not worn out with troubles die,
90 But as subdued by sleep; most happy men
91 Of great heart, whom the immortal Saviour loved,
92 The King, God. But they also did transgress,
93 Smitten with folly. For with impudence
94 They mocked their fathers and their mothers scorned;
95 Kinsmen they knew not, and they formed intrigues
96 Against their brothers. And they were impure,
97 Having defiled themselves with human gore,
98 And they made wars. And then upon them came
99 The last calamity sent forth from heaven,
100 Which snatched the dreadful men away from life;
101 And Hades then received them; it was called
102 Hades since Adam, having tasted death,
103 Went first and earth encompassed him around.
104 And therefore all men born upon the earth
105 Are in abodes of Hades called to go.
106 But even in Hades all these when they came
107 Had honor, since they were the earliest race.
108 But when Hades received these, secondly
109 [Of the surviving and most righteous men]
110 God formed another very subtile race
111 That cared for lovely works, and noble toils,
112 Distinguished reverence and solid wisdom;
113 And they were trained in arts of every kind,
114 Finding inventions by their lack of means.
115 And one devised to till the land with plows,
116 Another worked in wood, another cared
117 For sailing, and another watched the stars
118 And practiced augury with winged fowls;
119 And use of drugs had interest for one,
120 While for another magic had a charm;
121 And others were in every other art
122 Which men care for instructed, wide awake,
123 Industrious, worthy of that eponym
124 Because they bad a sleepless mind within
125 And a huge body; stout with mighty form
126 They were; but, notwithstanding, down they went
127 Into Tartarean chamber terrible,
128 Kept in firm chains to pay full penalty
129 In Gehenna of strong, furious, quenchless fire.
130 And after these a third strong-minded race
131 Appeared, a race of overbearing men
132 And terrible, who wrought among themselves
133 Many an evil. And fights, homicides,
134 And battles did continually destroy
135 Those men possessed of overweening heart.
136 And from these afterward another race
137 Proceeded, late-completed, youngest born,
138 Blood-stained, perverse in counsel; of men these
139 Were in the fourth race; much the blood they spilled,
140 Nor feared they God nor had regard for men,
141 For maddening wrath and sore impiety
142 Were sent upon them. And wars, homicides,
143 And battles sent some into Erebus,
144 Since they were overweening impious men.
145 But the rest did the heavenly God himself
146 In anger afterwards change from his world,
147 Casting them into mighty Tartarus
148 Down under the foundation of the earth.
149 And later yet another race much worse
150 [Of men he made, to whom no good thereafter]
151 The Immortal formed, since they wrought many evils.
152 For they were much more violent than those,
153 Giants perverse, foul language pouring out.
154 Single among all men, most just and true,
155 Was the most faithful Noah, full of care
156 For noblest works. And to him God himself
157 From heaven thus spoke: “Noah, be of good cheer
158 In thyself and to all the people preach
159 Repentance, so that they may all be saved.
160 But if, with shameless soul, they heed me not
161 The whole race I will utterly destroy
162 With mighty floods of waters. Quickly now
163 An undecaying house I bid thee frame
164 Of planks strong and impervious to the wet.
165 I will put understanding in thy heart,
166 And subtile skill, and rule of measurement
167 And order; and for all things will I care
168 That thou be saved, and all who dwell with thee.
169 And I am He who is, and in thy heart
170 Do thou discern. I clothe me with the heaven,
171 And cast the sea around me, and for me
172 Earth is a footstool, and the air is poured
173 Around my body; and on every side
174 Around me runs the chorus of the stars.
175 Nine letters have I; of four syllables
176 I am discern me. The first three have each
177 Two letters, the remaining one the rest,
178 And five are mutes; and of the entire sum
179 The hundreds are twice eight and thrice three tens
180 Along with seven. Now, knowing who I am,
181 Be thou not uninitiate in my lore.”
182 Thus he spoke; and great trembling seized on him
183 At what he heard. And then, within his mind
184 Having contrived each matter, he besought
185 The people and began with words like these:
186 “O men insatiate, smit with madness great,
187 Whatever things ye practiced they shall not
188 Escape God’s notice; for he knows all things,
189 Immortal Saviour overseeing all,
190 Who bade me warn you, that ye perish not.
191 Be sober, cut off badness, do not fight
192 Perforce each other with blood-guilty heart,
193 Nor irrigate much land with human gore.
194 Revere, O mortals, the supremely great
195 And fearless heavenly Creator, God
196 Imperishable, whose dwelling is the sky;
197 And do ye all entreat him—he is kind—
198 For life of cities and of all the world,
199 And of four-footed beasts and flying fowls;
200 Entreat him to be gracious unto all.
201 For when the whole unbounded world of men
202 Shall be destroyed by waters loud ye’ll raise
203 A fearful cry. And suddenly for you
204 The air shall be disordered, and from heaven
205 The fury of the mighty God shall come
206 Upon you. And it certainly shall be
207 That the immortal Saviour against men
208 Will send wrath if ye do not placate God
209 And from this time repent; and nothing more
210 Fretful and evil lawlessly shall ye
211 One to another do, but let there be
212 A guarding of one’s self by holy life.”
213 But when they heard him each turned up his nose,
214 Calling him mad, a frenzy-smitton man.
215 And then again did Noah sound this strain:
216 “O men exceeding wretched, base in heart,
217 Unstable, leaving modesty behind
218 And loving shamelessness, rapacious lords,
219 Fierce sinners, false, insatiate, mischievous,
220 In nothing true, stealthy adulterers,
221 Flippant in language, pouring forth foul words,
222 The wrath of God most high not fearing, kept
223 To the fifth generation to atone!
224 In no way do ye wail, harsh men, but laugh;
225 Sardonic smile shall ye laugh, when shall come
226 That which I speak—God’s dire incoming flood,
227 When Eve’s polluted race, in the great earth
228 Blooming perennial in impervious stem,
229 Shall, root and branch, in one night disappear,
230 And cities, men and all, shall the Earth-shaker
231 From the depths scatter and their walls destroy.
232 And then the whole world of annumbered men
233 Shall die. But how shall I weep, how lament
234 In wooden house, how mingle tears with waves?
235 For, if this water bidden of God shall come,
236 Earth shall float, bills float, and even sky shall float;
237 Everything shall be water, and all things
238 Shall be destroyed by waters. And the winds
239 Shall stand still, and a second age shall come.
240 O Phrygia, thou shalt from the water’s crest
241 First rise up, and thou first another race
242 Of men shalt nourish, once again anew
243 Beginning; and thou shalt be nurse for all.”
244 But when now to the lawless generation
245 He had thus vainly spoken, the Most High
246 Appeared, and once more cried aloud and said:
247 “The time is now come, Noah, to proclaim
248 Each thing, even all which I that day to thee
249 Did promise and confirm, and to complete,
250 Because of a people disobedient,
251 Throughout the boundless world even all the things
252 Which generations of a former time
253 Did practice, evil things innumerable.
254 But do thou quickly enter with thy sons
255 And the wives. Call as many as I bid,
256 Of tribes of beasts and creeping things and birds,
257 And in as many as I ordain for life
258 Will I then put a willingness to go.”
259 Thus spoke he; forth went (Noah) and aloud
260 Cried out and called. And then wife, sons and brides,
261 Entered the house of wood; then also went
262 The other things, as many as God willed
263 To shut in. But when fitting bolt was put
264 About the lid, and in its polished place
265 Was fitted sideways, then was brought to pass
266 Forthwith the purpose of the God of heaven.
267 And he massed clouds, and hid the sun’s bright disk,
268 And moon, and stars, and circle of the heaven,
269 Obscuring all things round; he thundered loud,
270 Terror of mortals, sending lightnings forth;
271 And all the winds together were aroused,
272 And all the veins of water were unloosed
273 By opening of great cataracts from heaven,
274 And from earth’s caverns and the tireless deep
275 Appeared the myriad waters, and the whole
276 limitable earth was covered o’er.
277 But on the water swam that wondrous house;
278 And torn by many furious waves, and struck
279 By force of winds, it rushed on fearfully;
280 But with its keel it cut the mass of foam
281 While the loud-babbling waters dashed around.
282 But when God deluged all the world with rains
283 Then also Noah took thought to observe
284 By counsels of the Immortal; for he now
285 Had had enough of Nereus. And straightway
286 The house he opened from the polished wall,
287 That crosswise was bound fast with skillful stays.
288 And looking out upon the mighty mass
289 Of boundless waters Noah on all sides—
290 And ‘twas his fortune with his eyes to see!—
291 Fear possessed and shook mightily his heart.
292 And then the air became a little calm,
293 Since it was weary wetting all the world.
294 Many days; parting, then, it brought to light
295 How pale and blood-red was the mighty sky
296 And sun’s bright disk awearied; scarcely held
297 Noah his courage. And then forth afar
298 Sent he a dove alone, that he might learn
299 If yet firm land appeared. But with tired wing,
300 Flying round all things, she again returned;
301 For not yet had the water ebbed away;
302 For it was deeply filling every place.
303 But after resting quietly for days
304 He sent the dove once more, to learn if yet
305 Had ceased the many waters. And she flew
306 And flew on, and went o’er the earth and, resting
307 Her body lightly on the humid ground,
308 Again to Noah back she came and bore
309 An olive branch—of tidings a great sign.
310 Courage now filled them all, and groat delight,
311 Because they hoped to look upon the land.
312 But then thereafter yet another bird,
313 Of black wing, sent he forth as hastily;
314 Which, trusting to its wings, flew willingly,
315 And coming to the land continued there.
316 And Noah knew the land was nearer now.
317 But when on dashing waves the craft divine
318 Had here and there o’er ocean’s billows swum,
319 It was made fast upon the narrow strand.
320 There is in Phrygia on the dark mainland
321 A steep, tall mountain; Ararat its name,
322 Because upon it all were to be saved
323 From death, and there was great desire of heart;
324 Thence streams of the great river Marsyas spring.
325 There on a lofty peak the ark abode
326 When the waters ceased, and then again from heaven
327 The voice divine of the great God this word
328 Proclaimed: “O Noah, guarded, faithful, just,
329 Come boldly forth, with thy sons and thy wife
330 And the three brides, and fill ye all the earth,
331 Increasing, multiplying, rendering justice
332 To one another through all generations,
333 Until to judgment every race of men
334 Shall come; for judgment shall be unto all.”
335 Thus spoke the voice divine. Then from his couch
336 Noah, encouraged, hastened on the land,
337 And with him went his sons and wife and brides,
338 And creeping things, and birds and quadrupeds,
339 And all things else went from the wooden house
340 Into one place. And then went Noah forth
341 As eighth, most just of men, when on the waters
342 He had made full twice twenty days and one
343 Because of counsels of the mighty God,
344 Then a new stock of life again arose,
345 Golden first, which indeed was sixth, and best,
346 From the time when the first-formed man appeared;
347 Heavenly its name, because all things to God
348 Shall be a care. O first race of sixth age!
349 O mighty joy which I thereafter shared,
350 When I escaped sheer ruin, by the waves
351 Much tossed, with husband and with brothers-in-law,
352 Stepfather and stepmother, and with wives
353 Of husband’s brothers suffering terribly.
354 Fitting things now will I sing: There shall be
355 On the fig-tree a many-colored flower,
356 And afterward the royal power and sway
357 Shall Cronos have. For three kings of great soul,
358 Men most just, shall distribute portions then,
359 And many a year rule, rendering what is just
360 To men who care for toil and deeds of love.
361 And earth shall glory in her many fruits
362 Self-growing, yielding much corn for the race.
363 And the foster-fathers, ageless all their days,
364 Shall from diseases chill and dreadful be
365 Far aloof; they shall die as fallen on sleep,
366 And unto Acheron in the abodes
367 Of Hades they shall go away, and there
368 Shall they have honor, since they were a race
369 Of blessed ones, fortunate heroes, whom
370 The Lord of Sabaoth gave a noble mind,
371 And with whom always he his counsels shared.
372 But blessed shall they be even when they go
373 In Hades. And then afterward again
374 Oppressive, strong, another second race
375 Of earth-born men, the Titans. All excel
376 In figure, stature, growth; and there shall be
377 One language, as of old from the first race
378 God in their breasts implanted. But even these,
379 Having a haughty heart and rushing on
380 To ruin, shall at last resolve to fight
381 Against the starry heaven. And then the stream
382 Of the great ocean shall upon them pour
383 Its raging waters. But the mighty Lord
384 Of Sabaoth though enraged shall check his wrath,
385 Because he promised that again no flood
386 Should be brought upon men of evil soul.
387 But when the great high-thundering God shall cause
388 The boundless swelling of the many waters—
389 With their waves hither and thither rising high—
390 To cease from wrath, and into other depths
391 Of sea their measure lessen, setting bounds
392 By harbors and rough headlands round the land;
393 Then also shall a child of the great God
394 Come, clothed in flesh, to men, and fashioned like
395 To mortals in the earth; and he doth bear
396 Four vowels, and two consonants in him
397 Are twice announced; the whole sum I will name:
398 For eight ones, and as many tens on these,
399 And yet, eight hundred will reveal the name
400 To men insatiate; and do thou discern
401 In thine own understanding that the Christ
402 Is child of the immortal God most high.
403 And he shall fulfill God’s law, not destroy,
404 Bearing his very image, and all things.
405 Shall he teach. Unto him shall priests convey
406 And offer gold, and myrrh, and frankincense;
407 For all these things he’ll also bring to pass.
408 But when a voice shall through the desert land
409 Come bearing tidings to men, and to all
410 Shall call to make straight paths, and from the heart
411 Cast wickedness out and illuminate
412 With water all the bodies of mankind,
413 That being born again they may no more
414 From what is righteous go at all astray—
415 And one of barbarous mind, by dances bound,
416 Cutting that (voice) off shall bestow reward—
417 Then on a sudden there shall be a sign
418 To mortals, when, watched over, there shall come
419 Out of the land of Egypt a fair stone;
420 And on it shall the Hebrew people stumble;
421 But by his guiding nations shall be brought
422 Together; for the God who rules on high
423 They also shall know through him, and the way
424 In common light. For unto chosen men
425 Will he show life eternal, but the fire
426 Will he for ages on the lawless bring.
427 And then shall he the sickly heal, and all
428 Who are blameworthy who shall trust in him.
429 And then the blind shall see, the lame shall walk,
430 The deaf shall hearken, and the dumb shall speak.
431 Demons shall he drive out, and of the dead
432 There shall be an uprising; on the waves
433 Shall he walk; also in a desert place
434 Shall he five thousand satisfy with food.
435 From five loaves and a fish out of the sea,
436 And with the remnants of them, for the hope
437 Of peoples, shall he fill twelve baskets full.
438 And then shall Israel, drunken, not discern,
439 Nor shall they hear, oppressed with feeble ears.
440 But when the maddening wrath of the Most High
441 Shall come upon the Hebrews, and take faith
442 Away from them, because they slew the Son.
443 Of the heavenly God; then also with foul lips
444 Shall Israel give him cuffs and spittle drugged.
445 And gall for food and vinegar unmixed
446 For drink will they, with evil madness smitten
447 In bosom and in heart, give impiously,
448 Not seeing with their eyes, more blind than moles,
449 More terrible than crawling poisonous beasts,
450 Fast bound by heavy sleep. But when his hands
451 He shall spread forth and measure out all things,
452 And bear the crown of thorns, and they shall pierce
453 His side with reeds, for which dark monstrous night
454 Shall be for three hours in the midst of day,
455 Then also shall the temple of Solomon
456 Bring to an end a mighty sign for men,
457 When he shall to the house of Hades go
458 Proclaiming resurrection to the dead.
459 But when in three days he shall come again
460 Unto the light, and show his form to men
461 And teach all things, ascending in the clouds
462 Unto the house of heaven shall he go
463 Leaving the world a Gospel convenant.
464 And in his name shall blossom a new shoot
465 From nations that are guided by the law
466 Of the Mighty One. But also after this
467 There shall be wise guides, and then afterward
468 There shall be a cessation of the prophets.
469 After that, when the Hebrew people reap
470 Their evil harvest, shall a Roman king
471 Much gold and silver utterly destroy.
472 And afterward shall other royal powers
473 Continuously arise as kingdoms perish,
474 And they will oppress mortals. But great fall
475 Shall be for those men, when they shall begin
476 Unrighteous arrogance. But when the temple
477 Of Solomon in the holy land shall fall,
478 Cast down by barbarous men in brazen mail,
479 And from the land the Hebrews shall be driven
480 Wandering and wasted, and among the wheat
481 They shall much darnel mingle, there shall be
482 Evil contention among all mankind;
483 And the cities suffering outrage shall bewail
484 Each other, in their breasts receiving wrath
485 Of the great God, since they wrought evil work.