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第21章

hesiod, the homeric hymns, and homerica-第21章

小说: hesiod, the homeric hymns, and homerica 字数: 每页4000字

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 he showed forth all his strength。  From Heaven and from Olympus he came forthwith; hurling his lightning: the bold flew thick and fast from his strong hand together with thunder and lightning; whirling an awesome flame。  The life…giving earth crashed around in burning; and the vast wood crackled loud with fire all about。  All the land seethed; and Ocean's streams and the unfruitful sea。  The hot vapour lapped round the earthborn Titans: flame unspeakable rose to the bright upper air: the flashing glare of the thunder… stone and lightning blinded their eyes for all that there were strong。  Astounding heat seized Chaos: and to see with eyes and to hear the sound with ears it seemed even as if Earth and wide Heaven above came together; for such a mighty crash would have arisen if Earth were being hurled to ruin; and Heaven from on high were hurling her down; so great a crash was there while the gods were meeting together in strife。  Also the winds brought rumbling earthquake and duststorm; thunder and lightning and the lurid thunderbolt; which are the shafts of great Zeus; and carried the clangour and the warcry into the midst of the two hosts。  An horrible uproar of terrible strife arose: mighty deeds were shown and the battle inclined。  But until then; they kept at one another and fought continually in cruel war。

(ll。 713…735) And amongst the foremost Cottus and Briareos and Gyes insatiate for war raised fierce fighting: three hundred rocks; one upon another; they launched from their strong hands and overshadowed the Titans with their missiles; and buried them beneath the wide…pathed earth; and bound them in bitter chains when they had conquered them by their strength for all their great spirit; as far beneath the earth to Tartarus。  For a brazen anvil falling down from heaven nine nights and days would reach the earth upon the tenth: and again; a brazen anvil falling from earth nine nights and days would reach Tartarus upon the tenth。  Round it runs a fence of bronze; and night spreads in triple line all about it like a neck…circlet; while above grow the roots of the earth and unfruitful sea。  There by the counsel of Zeus who drives the clouds the Titan gods are hidden under misty gloom; in a dank place where are the ends of the huge earth。  And they may not go out; for Poseidon fixed gates of bronze upon it; and a wall runs all round it on every side。  There Gyes and Cottus and great…souled Obriareus live; trusty warders of Zeus who holds the aegis。

(ll。 736…744) And there; all in their order; are the sources and ends of gloomy earth and misty Tartarus and the unfruitful sea and starry heaven; loathsome and dank; which even the gods abhor。

It is a great gulf; and if once a man were within the gates; he would not reach the floor until a whole year had reached its end; but cruel blast upon blast would carry him this way and that。  And this marvel is awful even to the deathless gods。

(ll。 744…757) There stands the awful home of murky Night wrapped in dark clouds。  In front of it the son of Iapetus (22) stands immovably upholding the wide heaven upon his head and unwearying hands; where Night and Day draw near and greet one another as they pass the great threshold of bronze: and while the one is about to go down into the house; the other comes out at the door。

And the house never holds them both within; but always one is without the house passing over the earth; while the other stays at home and waits until the time for her journeying come; and the one holds all…seeing light for them on earth; but the other holds in her arms Sleep the brother of Death; even evil Night; wrapped in a vaporous cloud。

(ll。 758…766) And there the children of dark Night have their dwellings; Sleep and Death; awful gods。  The glowing Sun never looks upon them with his beams; neither as he goes up into heaven; nor as he comes down from heaven。  And the former of them roams peacefully over the earth and the sea's broad back and is kindly to men; but the other has a heart of iron; and his spirit within him is pitiless as bronze: whomsoever of men he has once seized he holds fast: and he is hateful even to the deathless gods。

(ll。 767…774) There; in front; stand the echoing halls of the god of the lower…world; strong Hades; and of awful Persephone。  A fearful hound guards the house in front; pitiless; and he has a cruel trick。  On those who go in he fawns with his tail and both is ears; but suffers them not to go out back again; but keeps watch and devours whomsoever he catches going out of the gates of strong Hades and awful Persephone。

(ll。 775…806) And there dwells the goddess loathed by the deathless gods; terrible Styx; eldest daughter of back…flowing (23) Ocean。  She lives apart from the gods in her glorious house vaulted over with great rocks and propped up to heaven all round with silver pillars。  Rarely does the daughter of Thaumas; swift… footed Iris; come to her with a message over the sea's wide back。

But when strife and quarrel arise among the deathless gods; and when any of them who live in the house of Olympus lies; then Zeus sends Iris to bring in a golden jug the great oath of the gods from far away; the famous cold water which trickles down from a high and beetling rock。  Far under the wide…pathed earth a branch of Oceanus flows through the dark night out of the holy stream; and a tenth part of his water is allotted to her。  With nine silver…swirling streams he winds about the earth and the sea's wide back; and then falls into the main (24); but the tenth flows out from a rock; a sore trouble to the gods。  For whoever of the deathless gods that hold the peaks of snowy Olympus pours a libation of her water is forsworn; lies breathless until a full year is completed; and never comes near to taste ambrosia and nectar; but lies spiritless and voiceless on a strewn bed: and a heavy trance overshadows him。  But when he has spent a long year in his sickness; another penance and an harder follows after the first。  For nine years he is cut off from the eternal gods and never joins their councils of their feasts; nine full years。  But in the tenth year he comes again to join the assemblies of the deathless gods who live in the house of Olympus。  Such an oath; then; did the gods appoint the eternal and primaeval water of Styx to be: and it spouts through a rugged place。

(ll。 807…819) And there; all in their order; are the sources and ends of the dark earth and misty Tartarus and the unfruitful sea and starry heaven; loathsome and dank; which even the gods abhor。

And there are shining gates and an immoveable threshold of bronze having unending roots and it is grown of itself (25)。  And beyond; away from all the gods; live the Titans; beyond gloomy Chaos。  But the glorious allies of loud…crashing Zeus have their dwelling upon Ocean's foundations; even Cottus and Gyes; but Briareos; being goodly; the deep…roaring Earth…Shaker made his son…in…law; giving him Cymopolea his daughter to wed。

(ll。 820…868) But when Zeus had driven the Titans from heaven; huge Earth bare her youngest child Typhoeus of the love of Tartarus; by the aid of golden Aphrodite。  Strength was with his hands in all that he did and the feet of the strong god were untiring。  From his shoulders grew an hundred heads of a snake; a fearful dragon; with dark; flickering tongues; and from under the brows of his eyes in his marvellous heads flashed fire; and fire burned from his heads as he glared。  And there were voices in all his dreadful heads which uttered every kind of sound unspeakable; for at one time they made sounds such that the gods understood; but at another; the noise of a bull bellowing aloud in proud ungovernable fury; and at another; the sound of a lion; relentless of heart; and at anothers; sounds like whelps; wonderful to hear; and again; at another; he would hiss; so that the high mountains re…echoed。  And truly a thing past help would have happened on that day; and he would have come to reign over mortals and immortals; had not the father of men and gods been quick to perceive it。  But he thundered hard and mightily: and the earth around resounded terribly and the wide heaven above; and the sea and Ocean's streams and the nether parts of the ea

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