momomo's review
4.0
The translation makes this age-old poem quite fun to read and the lengthy introduction and notes add a lot to the reading experience.
raoul_g's review
3.0
Works and Days by Hesiod is a poem from Classical Antiquity. It has a special place in the history of literature as Hesiod is the first self-styled poet in Western literature. In it one can find at times stories of ancient Greek mythology, at times philosophical advice the author is giving his brother, all in poetic form. A.E. Stallings did a superb job with the English translations.
The values Hesiod has, shine through the text in many different places:
He is irritated by the corruption he sees, and hopes for justice:
He is an advocate for living peacefully with the people around oneself:
Rationality and willingness to learn are important to Hesiod:
He instructs those who want to be wealthy to work hard:
The values Hesiod has, shine through the text in many different places:
He is irritated by the corruption he sees, and hopes for justice:
I would not be an honest man, not now,
Nor wish it for my son – when I see how
It’s evil to be honest in a land
Where crooks and schemers have the upper hand.
I still have hopes this isn’t what Zeus planned.
He is an advocate for living peacefully with the people around oneself:
He harms himself who harms another man;
The plotter is the worst hurt by the plan.
Rationality and willingness to learn are important to Hesiod:
That man is best
Who thinks for himself, and puts all to the test
To weigh the ends and outcomes. It will suffice
Even to heed another’s good advice.
But he who can’t think for himself, nor once
Learn from another, is a useless dunce.
He instructs those who want to be wealthy to work hard:
But if it’s wealth you long for in your chest,
Then do this: work on work and never rest.
jola_g's review
3.0
One of the most peculiar books I have ever read. Basically, it is a long didactic poem with a plethora of practical tips Hesiod wrote for his brother, Perses. A hodgepodge of philosophy, mythology and everyday life, from motivational aphorisms to agricultural lifehacks.
I admire A. E. Stallings' efforts to make her translation of Works and Days accessible. The use of contemporary vocabulary and dactylic hexameter, bizarrely akin to the rhythm of rap, makes this book, written around 700 BC, an enjoyable read. The translator's hard work and dedication are remarkable. She investigated so many details, for instance, types of thistle or species of cranes. Truth be told, I often found her comments more interesting than the book itself. I also enjoyed the personal tone of the long (37% of the book!) introduction which reads like a captivating essay.
I did my best to let A. E. Stallings infect me with her passion for Hesiod — and her deep fascination with his oeuvre is perceptible — but I turned out to be rather immune. For example, his opinion on women made me cringe:
Don’t let a woman mystify your mind
With sweet talk and the sway of her behind –
She’s just after your barn. He who believes
A woman, is a man who trusts in thieves.
At the same time, it turns out that a wife makes an indispensable part of the equipment:
You'll need
A woman and an ox to start a life.
How gallant of Hesiod to list a woman first!
What does Works and Days tell us about Hesiod?
I guess his intention was to sound wise, experienced and generous, sharing his precious knowledge with his brother who evidently does not deserve it. His patronizing tone was so irksome! Hesiod seems to be a boring know-it-all and I found his superiority obnoxious. It felt awkward when he kept boasting about winning a poetry competition. He seemingly cares for his brother but at the same time, he portrays — or rather caricatures — him as a halfwit.
What does Works and Days tell us about Perses, Hesiod's brother?
The way Hesiod addresses his brother is not exactly affectionate:
Fool Perses, what I say’s for your own good.
You great fool, Perses!
Judging from Hesiod's instructive advice on urinating and defecating:
Do not piss on the road
Or off it, as you walk.
Don’t urinate in streams that flow downhill
To the sea, or springs. To this, be much averse.
And do not void yourself in them – that’s worse!
...and his friendly reminder not to show privates smirched with sex, Perses must have been a catastrophic failure. Or this is what Hesiod wants us to believe. Isn't it strange that such a stupid, primitive simpleton was supposed to read and understand his brother's fancy didactic poem written in dactylic hexameter?
Gustave Moreau, Hesiod and Muse.
I admire A. E. Stallings' efforts to make her translation of Works and Days accessible. The use of contemporary vocabulary and dactylic hexameter, bizarrely akin to the rhythm of rap, makes this book, written around 700 BC, an enjoyable read. The translator's hard work and dedication are remarkable. She investigated so many details, for instance, types of thistle or species of cranes. Truth be told, I often found her comments more interesting than the book itself. I also enjoyed the personal tone of the long (37% of the book!) introduction which reads like a captivating essay.
I did my best to let A. E. Stallings infect me with her passion for Hesiod — and her deep fascination with his oeuvre is perceptible — but I turned out to be rather immune. For example, his opinion on women made me cringe:
Don’t let a woman mystify your mind
With sweet talk and the sway of her behind –
She’s just after your barn. He who believes
A woman, is a man who trusts in thieves.
At the same time, it turns out that a wife makes an indispensable part of the equipment:
You'll need
A woman and an ox to start a life.
How gallant of Hesiod to list a woman first!
What does Works and Days tell us about Hesiod?
I guess his intention was to sound wise, experienced and generous, sharing his precious knowledge with his brother who evidently does not deserve it. His patronizing tone was so irksome! Hesiod seems to be a boring know-it-all and I found his superiority obnoxious. It felt awkward when he kept boasting about winning a poetry competition. He seemingly cares for his brother but at the same time, he portrays — or rather caricatures — him as a halfwit.
What does Works and Days tell us about Perses, Hesiod's brother?
The way Hesiod addresses his brother is not exactly affectionate:
Fool Perses, what I say’s for your own good.
You great fool, Perses!
Judging from Hesiod's instructive advice on urinating and defecating:
Do not piss on the road
Or off it, as you walk.
Don’t urinate in streams that flow downhill
To the sea, or springs. To this, be much averse.
And do not void yourself in them – that’s worse!
...and his friendly reminder not to show privates smirched with sex, Perses must have been a catastrophic failure. Or this is what Hesiod wants us to believe. Isn't it strange that such a stupid, primitive simpleton was supposed to read and understand his brother's fancy didactic poem written in dactylic hexameter?
Gustave Moreau, Hesiod and Muse.
remembered_reads's review
fast-paced
4.0
AE Stallings’ introduction to her translation of Hesiod’s Works and Days is fantastic. It’s worth picking up this edition just for her enthusiastic commentary and notes.
leelulah's review against another edition
2.0
I had no idea I already had read this one, it's pretty short.
There are lots of things here, first a mythological account of why men must work, mainly blamed on Prometheus and Pandora (the ever living myth of the seductive woman, but created specifically by gods to deceive men) and a reference to Helen of Troy.
Of course, the justification is that work is in itself some kind of punishment for divine trangression and subject to all sorts of complicated rules such as figuring out the right time to do any sort of activity, because you don't want to make your situation with the gods worse. As much as they're on a superior level compared to mere mortals, they aren't prevented by divine wisdom of having terrible behavior.
In fact, it surprised me how morally inclined is, not that we're forced to agree with its ethics, after all it advices 30 year old men to marry off 14-15 year old girls, but those were considered the age of male maturity and the age of female fertility, respectively.
There are lots of things here, first a mythological account of why men must work, mainly blamed on Prometheus and Pandora (the ever living myth of the seductive woman, but created specifically by gods to deceive men) and a reference to Helen of Troy.
Of course, the justification is that work is in itself some kind of punishment for divine trangression and subject to all sorts of complicated rules such as figuring out the right time to do any sort of activity, because you don't want to make your situation with the gods worse. As much as they're on a superior level compared to mere mortals, they aren't prevented by divine wisdom of having terrible behavior.
In fact, it surprised me how morally inclined is, not that we're forced to agree with its ethics, after all it advices 30 year old men to marry off 14-15 year old girls, but those were considered the age of male maturity and the age of female fertility, respectively.
kieranf's review
3.0
This review is in relation to the A.E Stallings translation. I am in two minds regarding this translation of Hesiod’s works and days. While it is amazing that the translator managed to translate the whole poem into rhyming couplets, I think this choice ultimately detracted from my enjoyment of the poem. I found that the rhymes always centred my attention on the beginning and ending of the lines, as a result I sometimes lost track of what I had Just read further up the page and I had to re-read some pages several times in order to fully comprehend the text. Although this isn’t a particularly long (epic) poem; it is difficult to keep the quality of rhyming couplets over 60-70 pages and while some rhymes worked brilliantly, others were jarring/comical and this really broke my immersion. I think this was an ambitious undertaking and I’m glad to have read it, but I would definitely not recommend this as a being a perfect introduction to Hesiod or Greek literature in general as the execution of the translation may make it overwhelming to all but the most ardent fans of rhyming couplets.
marinavarea's review
3.0
the misogyny got in the way of me enjoying this one, but I can’t blame anyone, the book was written more than two thousand years ago