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rachstae's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Love Stallings's translation. Accessible and flows well. The breakdown of Hesiod's life and times as well as info on her choices in the translation were just as entertaining for me as the actual poem.
annathebooksiread's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
dee9401's review against another edition
2.0
I really like Hesiod but didn’t enjoy this translation. The rhyming scheme is forced and the introduction and notes left me wanting. If I’d encountered Hesiod first through this edition, I’d likely have just moved on. For a better translation, see Dorothea Wender’s version of Works & Days that also includes the Theogony. (I gave that edition 5 stars.)
tpalmi's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
This rating reflects my enjoyment of the work and is not an attempt to quantifiably rate the translation of a 3000 year old piece of history and mythology.
momomo's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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.