6
of evil-doers and of all such things, as many as are upon this earth. - But when after these things I came within the twentieth year, then indeed I came to the land of Egypt of gloomy men and trod the soil of Memphis. And there I learned as much as is not seemly for a mortal; how chthonic beings have kindred things, and how are called the spirits that turn one away; what stars they long for, and then by what ordinances and deeds, and how they are put to flight; and how they themselves guard the unsmiling gloom; and what spirits are contrary to them; and how many are the rulers of most terrible Erebus, along with the demigods, and how they are like in their souls and bodies to beasts and crawling things; and what things are a care to them, and what things they might do: swift course and knowledge, memory, terror, cunning craft, the foot's tracks, secret forgetfulness of cities and the people's sports, and whatever is like to these. And there I learned the trembling of the earth, and the generation of rainy showers and their sound likewise, and the swelling of the land and of the sea, imitations just as true images of immortal wisdom, ever-existing. There I perceived the souls of mighty and tall mortals, of terrible, monstrous Giants, terribly pressed within the misty gloom, carrying the earth on their backs like a phantom only, just as a man carries heavy timbers as a burden on his shoulders. I saw the demonic consorts of crooked serpents, and bitter blasts, which they send forth to chthonic beings for their doom; from there wandering myriad terrible demons are sent forth upon men, rushing round into matter. And I saw the earth toiling under a demon, and not seated upon restless water on account of uplifters and bases, which they received as their portion. - I came also to the land where they exchange places as antagonists—which the serpent, in strife with the divine spirit, fashioned for the whole crooked, joyless life of mortals—; from whom many spirits, toiling, bring impiety to men who have an equal foundation and walk upon the ground. And indeed there I perceived one liable for evils coming in strife suddenly against a pious mortal; and in turn a madman, a destructive light to the prudent and the just; and there nothing is holy, nothing is a decided matter. There I saw the intricate, unpleasing form of Falsehood. And Lechery had a threefold form of mischief-plotting, bloody, all-scorched, like foam and liver. Then I saw the type of Wrath, winged, grievous, harsh, bestial. But Deceit I saw again, continuous, hidden, glorying in tricky words. And of Hatred I saw a hideous, blind form; and behind its head it had four eyeballs, fleeing the glorious eye of the all-shining light; and myriad terrible, single feet hung from its head, and there was no belly in that one; for it is pitiless and ranges about without entrails. Zeal and terrible Envy are like one another, but destructive Envy bears a tongue like a shovel. And I saw Ill-nature, very subtle, like a corpse—and it had many eyes, and its eyeballs were arrows—, always rushing in mind toward defense. But I saw the form of the insatiate demon; and it had above a narrow and long head—and it had two mouths, one upon its breast, and the other upon its back—, devouring the solid earth and heavy rocks, being hungry and sated with flesh, wasted away by wickedness. And I saw in turn the love of Wealth; it had a rapacious and sharp body; you would say you were looking at a sickle; and the pupils of its eyes were ever-ceasing. And likewise I saw Commerce, low on the ground, swift-roving; and it carried all hope of wealth as a burden on its shoulders. And I saw the form of Folly; it had a good spirit and rich flesh; but it had no white bones. And I perceived the high-flying worship of Idols; and on its head above it had two thick wings, with which it seemed to cover all things, but it had no strength to make a covering even for its own limbs. There I saw the fickle, heavy terror of Hypocrisy, altogether delicate, but it had a mouldy breast, secretly wasting away, destroyed by wind, as if being torn apart. And I saw the form of Madness—and it had two natures together, of a young man and of a woman—, naked, within shamelessness and without defense. And I saw unfortunate Rashness, which had a long tongue, by far of all its limbs
6
αἰσυλοεργῶν καὶ τοίων πάντων, ὅσ' ἐπὶ χθονὶ τῇδέ τ' ἔασιν. - ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐεικοστοῦ λυκάβαντος ἐντὸς ἔβην, τότε δὴ ζοφερῶν ἀνδρῶν ποτὶ γαῖαν Αἰγύπτου ἱκόμην καὶ Μέμφιδος οὖδας ἔτετμον. πειρήθην κἀκεῖσε ὅσον βροτῷ οὐκ ἐπιεικτόν· ὡς χθονίοισι πέλουσιν ὁμόγνια, πῶς δὲ καλεῦνται πνεύματ' ἀπότροπα· ποίων δ' ἄστρων ἱμείρουσι καὶ θέμισιν δὴ ἔπειτα καὶ ἔργμασι, πῶς δὲ φέβονται· πῶς δέ τ' ἀμειδήεντα φυλάσσουσιν ζόφον αὐτά· πνεύματα δ' οἷά γε τοῖσιν ἐναντία· ἠδ' ὅσοι ἀρχοὶ αἰνοτάτου Ἐρέβοιο ἅμ' ἀντιθέων περ ἔασιν, ἠδ' ὅππως ψυχαῖς καὶ σώμασιν εἴκελοί εἰσι κτηνῶν καὶ νεπόδων· καὶ ὅσσ' αὐτοῖσι μέμηλεν ἠδ' ὅσα κεν ῥέζουσι, ταχὺς δρόμος εἴδησίς τε, μνημοσύνη, τάρβος, τέχνη δολερή, ποδὸς ἴχνη, κρυπταδίη λήθη πολέων καὶ παίγματα δήμου, καὶ ὅσα εἴκελα τοῖσιν. ἐκεῖ δ' ἔγνων τρόμον αἴης, ὄμβρων δ' ὑετίων γένεσιν καὶ δοῦπον ὁμοίως οἶδμά τε γῆς πόντου τε, μιμήματα ἠύτ' ἀληθῆ ἀθανάτου σοφίης ἰνδάλματα αἰὲν ἐόντα. κεῖθι μεγασθενέων καὶ μηκεδανῶν μεροπήων ψυχὰς εἰσενόησα, Γιγάντων αἰνοπελώρων, αἰνὰ πιεζομένας εἴσω ζόφου ἠερόεντος, φάσματι δ' οἷα μόνον γαίην κατὰ νῶτα φερούσας, ἠύτ' ἀνὴρ βαρὺ ἄχθος ἐπ' ὤμων δοῦρα φέρῃσι. εἶδον δαιμονίους ὀάρους σκολιῶν τε δρακόντων, πικρὰ δ' ἀήμαθ', ἅ περ χθονίοις εἰς οἶτον ἱᾶσιν· ἔνθεν ἐπ' ἀνθρώποισιν ἰάλλουσιν περιφοῖται μυρία δαίμονες αἰνὰ περισπέρχοντες ἐς ὕλην. καὶ χθόνα μοχθίζουσαν ἐγὼν ὑπὸ δαίμονος εἶδον μηδέ τ' ἐφεζομένην ἐπὶ ὕδατος ἀσταθέοντος εἵνεκ' ἀναφορέων βάσεων θ', ὧν μοιρήσαντο. - ἔφθασα καὶ χώρην, ὅθ' ἀμείβοντ' ἀντιπάλαμνοι- ἥν περ ὄφις κατ' ἔριν θείου μένεός περ ἔτευξεν ἐς σκολιὴν κακόχαρτον ὅλην βιοτὴν μεροπήων-· ἐξ ὧν πνεύματα πολλὰ πονείοντ' ἰσοθελύμνοις ἀνδράσι δυσσεβίην χαμαὶ ἐρχομένοισι φέροντα. καὶ μὴν κεῖσ' ἐνόησα κακῶν ἔνοχον κατὰ νεῖκος ἐλθόντ' ἐξαπίνης ἄντ' εὐσεβέος μεροπῆος· μάργος δ' αὖ πινυτῷ καὶ ἰθυδίκῃ ὀλοὸς φώς, οὐχ ὅσιον δέ τ' ἐκεῖ, οὐ κεκριμένον πράγος ἐστίν. ἔνθ' ἔσιδον ψεύδους πολυδαίδαλον εἶδος ἀτερπές. μαχλοσύνης τρίτυπον δὲ κακορραφίης ἔχεν εἶδος, αἱματόεν, περίκαυστον, ἀφρῷ καὶ ἥπατι ἶσον. μήνιδος αὖτ' ἔσιδον τύπον πτερόεντα, ἀνιγρόν, τρηχύν, θηριόεντα. ἀτὰρ δόλον αὖτε δέδορκα συνεχέα, κρύφιον, δολεροῖς ἐπέεσσι κομῶντα. μίσους δ' αὖ ἔσιδον μορφὴν στυγερήν, ἀλαωπήν· ἐς δ' ὄπιθεν κορυφῆς γλήνας πίσυράς κεν ἔχεσκε φευγούσας φάεος περιλαμπέος ἀγλαὸν ὄμμα· μυρίοι ἐκ κεφαλῆς δ' αὐτῷ πόδες ᾐώρηντο μοῦνοι σμερδαλέοι, νηδὺς δ' οὐκ ἦν ἐν ἐκείνῳ· νηλὴς γάρ τε πέλει καὶ ἄτερ σπλάγχνοιο πολεύει. ζῆλος καὶ φθόνος αἰνὸς ὁμοίιοι ἀλλήλοιιν, ἀλλά γε δὴ φθόνος οὖλος ἄμῃ γλῶσσαν φέρει ἴσην. δυστροπίην δ' ἔσιδον λεπτὴν μάλα, εὖτ' ἀλίβαντα- ὀφθαλμοὺς πολέας δέ τ' ἔχεν, γλήνας δέ τ' ὀϊστούς-, ἐσσυμένην πρὸς ἄμυναν ἀεὶ νόον. αὐτὰρ ἀπλήστου μορφὴν δαίμονος εἶδον· ἔχεν δ' ἐφύπερθε κάρηνον στεινωπὸν ταναόν τε- δύω δ' αὐτῷ στόματ' ἦεν, ἓν μὲν ἐπὶ στήθεσσι, τὸ δ' αὖ ἕτερον κατὰ νῶτα-, γαίην δαινύμενος στερεὴν πέτρας τε βαρείας πεινάων καὶ σάρκας ἅδην, κακότητι τετηκώς. ὄλβου δ' αὖ φιλότητα ἐγὼν ἴδον· ἁρπαλέον μὲν καὶ δέμας ὀξὺ δ' ἔχεν· φαίης δρεπάνην καθορᾶσθαι· καὶ γλῆναι βλεφάρων αἰεὶ λήγουσαι ἔησαν. ἐμπορίην δέ θ' ὁμῶς κάτιδον χθαμαλήν, ταχύρεμβον· ὄλβου δ' ἐλπίδα πᾶσαν ἐπωμάδιον φέρε φόρτον. ἠλεμάτου μορφὴν δ' ἔσιδον· ἀγαθὸν δ' ἔχε θυμὸν σάρκα τε πιαλέην· λεύκ' ὀστέα δ' οὐκ ἔσαν αὐτῷ. εἰδώλων δ' ἐνόησα λατρείην ὑψιπότητον· ἐν κορυφῇ δ' ἐφύπερθεν ἔχε πτέρυγας δύο πυκνάς, αἷς δόκεεν πάντα μὲν ἐπισκεπάειν, ἀτὰρ οὔ τι οὐδὲ ἑῶν μελέων σκέπας ἔσθενε ποιήσασθαι. ἔνθ' ἴδον ἀλλοπρόσαλλον ὑποκρίσεως βαρὺ δεῖμα, λεπταλέον μὲν ὅλον, στέρνα δ' ἔχεν εὐρώεντα, κρύβδην τηκόμενον, ἀνεμόφθορον, εὖτε δαΐζον. ἠδὲ παραφροσύνης μορφὴν εἶδον-δύο δ' αὐτῇ ἦσαν ὁμοῦ φύσιες, ἀνδρὸς νέου ἠδὲ γυναικός-, γυμνόν, ἀναιδείης ἐντὸς ἀλκῆς τ' ἀπάνευθε. καὶ προπετῆ ἔσιδον δυσδαίμονα, ὃς ταναήν γε γλῶσσαν ἔχεν πάντων μελέων πολὺ