Hymn 2 to Demeter, Hesiod The Homeric hymns. And Homerica (280-350)

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0013.tlg002.perseus-eng2:280-350

Refs	`{'start': {'reference': '280', 'human_reference': 'Line 280'}, 'end': {'reference': '350', 'human_reference': 'Line 350'}}`
Ancestors	`[]`
Children	`[]`

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so that the strong house was filled with brightness as with lightning. And so she went out from the palace.

And straightway Metaneira's knees were loosed and she remained speechless for a long while and did not remember to take up her late-born son from the ground. But his sisters heard his pitiful wailing and sprang down from their well-spread beds:

one of them took up the child in her arms and laid him in her bosom, while another revived the fire, and a third rushed with soft feet to bring their mother from her fragrant chamber. And they gathered about the struggling child and washed him,

embracing him lovingly; but he was not comforted, because nurses and handmaids much less skilful were holding him now.

292

All night long they sought to appease the glorious goddess, quaking with fear. But, as soon as dawn began to show, they told powerful Celeus all things without fail,

as the lovely-crowned goddess Demeter charged them. So Celeus called the countless people to an assembly and bade them make a goodly temple for rich-haired Demeter and an altar upon the rising hillock. And they obeyed him right speedily and harkened to his voice,

doing as he commanded. As for the child, he grew like an immortal being.

Now when they had finished building and had drawn back from their toil, they went every man to his house. But golden-haired Demeter sat there apart from all the blessed gods and stayed, wasting with yearning for her deep-bosomed daughter.

Then she caused a most dreadful and cruel year for mankind over the all-nourishing earth: the ground would not make the seed sprout, for rich-crowned Demeter kept it hid. In the fields the oxen drew many a curved plough in vain, and much white barley was cast upon the land without avail.

So she would have destroyed the whole race of man with cruel famine and have robbed them who dwell on Olympus of their glorious right of gifts and sacrifices, had not Zeus perceived and marked this in his heart. First he sent golden-winged Iris to call

rich-haired Demeter, lovely in form. So he commanded. And she obeyed the dark-clouded Son of Cronos, and sped with swift feet across the space between. She came to the stronghold of fragrant Eleusis, and there finding dark-cloaked Demeter in her temple,

spake to her and uttered winged words:

“Demeter, father Zeus, whose wisdom is everlasting, calls you to come join the tribes of the eternal gods: come therefore, and let not the message I bring from Zeus pass unobeyed.”

Thus said Iris imploring her. But Demeter's heart was not moved.

Then again the father sent forth all the blessed and eternal gods besides: and they came, one after the other, and kept calling her and offering many very beautiful gifts and whatever rights she might be pleased to choose among the deathless gods. Yet no one was able to persuade her mind and will,

so wroth was she in her heart; but she stubbornly rejected all their words: for she vowed that she would never set foot on fragrant Olympus nor let fruit spring out of the ground, until she beheld with her eyes her own fair-faced daughter.

Now when all-seeing Zeus the loud-thunderer heard this,

he sent the Slayer of Argus whose wand is of gold to Erebus, so that having won over Hades with soft words, he might lead forth chaste Persephone to the light from the misty gloom to join the gods, and that her mother might see her with her eyes and cease from her anger.

And Hermes obeyed, and leaving the house of Olympus, straightway sprang down with speed to the hidden places of the earth. And he found the lord Hades in his house seated upon a couch, and his shy mate with him, much reluctant, because she yearned for her mother. But she was afar off,

brooding on her fell design because of the deeds of the blessed gods. And the strong Slayer of Argus drew near and said:

347

“Dark-haired Hades, ruler over the departed, father Zeus bids me bring noble Persephone forth from Erebus unto the gods,

that her mother may see her with her eyes and cease from her dread anger with the immortals; for now she plans an awful deed, to destroy the weakly tribes of earth-born men by keeping seed hidden beneath the earth, and so she makes an end of the honors of the undying gods. For she keeps fearful anger and does not consort with the gods,

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the	72	w	3234
gods	7	w	3238
that	5	w	3243
her	32	w	3246
mother	4	w	3252
may	1	w	3255
see	4	w	3258
her	34	w	3261
with	15	w	3265
her	35	w	3268
eyes	3	w	3272
and	38	w	3275
cease	2	w	3280
from	11	w	3284
her	36	w	3287
dread	2	w	3292
anger	2	w	3297
with	16	w	3301
the	74	w	3304
immortals	1	w	3313
for	15	w	3317
now	2	w	3320
she	17	w	3323
plans	1	w	3328
an	59	w	3330
awful	1	w	3335
deed	2	w	3339
to	22	w	3342
destroy	2	w	3349
the	75	w	3352
weakly	1	w	3358
tribes	2	w	3364
of	20	w	3366
earth-born	1	w	3376
men	1	w	3379
by	1	w	3381
keeping	1	w	3388
seed	2	w	3392
hidden	2	w	3398
beneath	1	w	3405
the	76	w	3408
earth	4	w	3413
and	39	w	3417
so	12	w	3419
she	18	w	3422
makes	1	w	3427
an	61	w	3429
end	1	w	3432
of	21	w	3434
the	77	w	3437
honors	1	w	3443
of	22	w	3445
the	78	w	3448
undying	1	w	3455
gods	8	w	3459
For	1	w	3463
she	19	w	3466
keeps	1	w	3471
fearful	1	w	3478
anger	3	w	3483
and	40	w	3486
does	1	w	3490
not	8	w	3493
consort	1	w	3500
with	17	w	3504
the	79	w	3507
gods	9	w	3511