A conversation with Hesiod (6-9)

Well, if I have to come to grips with the charge, and make a clear-cut defence, read my Works and Days, my man. You will see how much, like a real seer and prophet, I foretold in that poem, predicting the outcome of right and timely action and the penalties of neglect. Remember my

“you will carry it in a basket, and few there’ll be

to admire” [*]

In that, my admirable Hesiod, there speaks the true shepherd; [*] you seem to be justifying the story that the Muses inspired you, since you cannot even defend your poetry as your own. But this is not the prophecy we expected from you and the Muses. In that sort of thing the farmers are much better prophets than you poets. They can foretell such things excellently to us: for instance, that after rain the crops will flourish, while in the time of drought when the fields are thirsty, you can do nothing to prevent famine following their thirst; that you must not plough in the middle of summer; that it is no good scattering seed at random or cutting the corn when it is still green, or you will find the ear empty. Nor is there any need whatever to prophesy this, that unless you cover up the seed and your man pulls soil over with a hoe, down will fly the birds and eat up all your summer’s hope in advance.

One could not go wrong in giving such precepts and admonitions, but they seem to me very far from prophecy. Prophecy’s task is to know in advance what is unknown and altogether beyond perception—for example, to foretell to Minos that his son [*] will be smothered in the jar of honey, and forewarn the Achaeans of the reason for Apollo’s anger and that Troy will be captured in the tenth year. That is prophecy. If such things as you mention are to

Then away with such pleas and prophecies! But that point you made at the beginning, perhaps that can be admitted, that you knew nothing of what you said; it was some divine inspiration filled you with your verses, and not so very reliable at that, or it would not have kept part of what it promised and left the rest unfulfilled.