Προμηθεύς ἦν τοίνυν πάλαι — ῥᾷον γὰρ οὕτω δῆλον ἂν γένοιτο, εἴ τι ἠδίκηκα ἐγὼ μετακοσμήσας καὶ νεωτερίσας τὰ περὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους — ἦν οὖν τὸ θεῖον μόνον καὶ τὸ ἐπουράνιον γένος, ἡ γῆ δὲ ἄγριόν τι χρῆμα καὶ ἄμορφον, ὕλαις ἅπασα καὶ ταύταις ἀνημέροις λάσιος, οὔτε δὲ βωμοὶ θεῶν ἢ νέως, — πόθεν γάρ; — ἢ ξόανα ἤ τι ἄλλο τοιοῦτον, οἷα πολλὰ νῦν ἁπανταχόθι φαίνεται μετὰ πάσης ἐπιμελείας τιμώμενα· ἐγὼ δὲ — ἀεὶ γάρ τι προβουλεύω ἐς τὸ κοινὸν καὶ σκοπῶ ὅπως αὐξηθήσεται μὲν τὰ τῶν θεῶν, ἐπιδώσει δὲ καὶ τἆλλα πάντα ἐς κόσμον καὶ κάλλος — ἐνενόησα ὡς ἄμεινον εἴη ὀλίγον ὅσον τοῦ πηλοῦ λαβόντα ζῷά τινα συστήσασθαι καὶ ἀναπλάσαι τὰς μορφὰς μὲν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς προσεοικότα· καὶ γὰρ ἐνδεῖν τι ᾤμην τῷ θείῳ, μὴ ὄντος τοῦ ἐναντίου αὐτῷ καὶ πρὸς ὃ ἔμελλεν ἡ ἐξέτασις γιγνομένη εὐδαιμονέστερον ἀποφαίνειν αὐτό· θνητὸν μέντοι εἶναι τοῦτο, εὐμηχανώτατον δʼ ἄλλως καὶ συνετώτατον καὶ τοῦ βελτίονος αἰσθανόμενον.
Προμηθεύς καὶ δὴ κατὰ τὸν ποιητικὸν λόγον γαῖαν ὕδει φύρας καὶ διαμαλάξας ἀνέπλασα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἔτι καὶ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν παρακαλέσας συνεπιλαβέσθαι μοι τοῦ ἔργου. ταῦτά ἐστιν ἃ μεγάλα ἐγὼ τοὺς θεοὺς ἠδίκηκα. καὶ τὸ ζημίωμα ὁρᾷς ἡλίκον, εἰ ἐκ πηλοῦ ζῷα ἐποίησα καὶ τὸ τέως ἀκίνητον εἰς κίνησιν ἤγαγον· καί, ὡς ἔοικε, τὸ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου ἧττον θεοί εἰσιν οἱ θεοί, διότι καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς τινα θνητὰ ζῷα γεγένηται· οὕτω γὰρ δὴ καὶ ἀγανακτεῖ νῦν ὁ Ζεὺς ὥσπερ ἐλαττουμένων τῶν θεῶν ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γενέσεως, εἰ μὴ ἄρα τοῦτο δέδιε, μὴ καὶ οὗτοι ἐπανάστασιν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν βουλεύσωσι καὶ πόλεμον ἐξενέγκωσι πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς ὥσπερ οἱ Γίγαντες.
ἀλλʼ ὅτι μὲν δὴ οὐδὲν ἠδίκησθε, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, πρὸς ἐμοῦ καὶ τῶν ἔργων τῶν ἐμῶν, δῆλον· ἢ σὺ δεῖξον κἂν ἕν τι μικρότατον, κἀγὼ σιωπήσομαι καὶ δίκαια ἔσομαι πεπονθὼς πρὸς ὑμῶν.
I am next to speak of my creation of mankind. And here the terms of your accusation are ambiguous. I have to choose between two distinct possibilities. Do you maintain that I had no right to create men at all, that I ought to have left the senseless clay alone? Or do you only complain of the form in which I designed them? However, I shall have something to say on both points. I shall first endeavour to show that no harm has accrued to the Gods from my bringing mankind into existence; and shall then proceed to the positive advantages and improvements which have resulted to them from the peopling of the earth. The question as to the harm done by my innovation is best answered by an appeal to the past, to those days when the race of heaven-born Gods stood alone, and earth was a hideous shapeless mass, a tangle of rude vegetation. The Gods had no altars then, nor temples (for who should raise them?), no images of wood or stone, such as now abound in every corner of the earth, and are honoured with all observance. It was to me that the idea occurred—amid my ceaseless meditations on the common welfare, on the aggrandizement of the Gods and the promotion of order and beauty in the universe—of setting all to rights with a handful of clay; of creating living things, and moulding them after our own likeness. I saw what was lacking to our godhead: some counterpart, some foil wherein to set off its blessedness. And that counterpart must be mortal; but in all else exquisitely contrived, perfect in intelligence, keen to appreciate our superiority. Thereupon, I moulded my material,
With water mingling clay,
and created man, calling in Athene to aid me in the task. And this is my rank offence against the Gods. Destructive work,—to reduce inanimate clay to life and motion! The Gods, it seems, are Gods no longer, now that there are mortal creatures on the earth. To judge at least by Zeus’s indignation, one would suppose that the Gods suffered some loss of prestige from the creation of mankind; unless it is that he is afraid of another revolt, of their waging war with heaven, like the Giants.
Προμηθεύς ὅτι δὲ καὶ χρήσιμα ταῦτα γεγένηται τοῖς θεοῖς, οὕτως ἂν μάθοις, εἰ ἐπιβλέψειας ἅπασαν τὴν γῆν οὐκέτʼ αὐχμηρὰν καὶ ἀκαλλῆ οὖσαν, ἀλλὰ πόλεσι καὶ γεωργίαις καὶ φυτοῖς ἡμέροις διακεκοσμημένην καὶ τὴν θάλατταν πλεομένην καὶ τὰς νήσους κατοικουμένας, ἁπανταχοῦ δὲ βωμοὺς καὶ θυσίας καὶ ναοὺς καὶ πανηγύρεις· μεσταὶ δὲ Διὸς πᾶσαι μὲν ἀγυιαί, πᾶσαι δʼ ἀνθρώπων ἀγοραί. καὶ γὰρ εἰ μὲν ἐμαυτῷ μόνῳ κτῆμα τοῦτο ἐπλασάμην, ἐπλεονέκτουν ἂν ἴσως, νυνὶ δὲ εἰς τὸ κοινὸν φέρων κατέθηκα ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς· μᾶλλον δὲ Διὸς μὲν καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ Ἥρας καὶ σοῦ δέ, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, νεὼς ἰδεῖν ἁπανταχοῦ ἐστι, Προμηθέως δὲ οὐδαμοῦ. ὁρᾷς ὅπως τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ μόνα σκοπῶ, τὰ κοινὰ δὲ καταπροδίδωμι καὶ ἐλάττω ποιῶ;
Προμηθεύς ἔτι δέ μοι, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ τόδε ἐννόησον, εἴ τι σοι δοκεῖ ἀγαθὸν ἀμάρτυρον, οἷον κτῆμα ἢ ποίημα ὃ μηδεὶς ὄψεται μηδὲ ἐπαινέσεται, ὁμοίως ἡδὺ καὶ τερπνὸν ἔσεσθαι τῷ ἔχοντι. πρὸς δὴ τί τοῦτʼ ἔφην; ὅτι μὴ γενομένων τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀμάρτυρον συνέβαινε τὸ κάλλος εἶναι τῶν ὅλων, καὶ πλοῦτόν τινα πλουτήσειν ἐμέλλομεν οὔτε ὑπʼ ἄλλου τινὸς θαυμασθησόμενον οὔτε ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ὁμοίως τίμιον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν εἴχομεν πρὸς ὅ τι ἔλαττον παραθεωρῶμεν αὐτόν, οὐδʼ ἂν συνίεμεν ἡλίκα εὐδαιμονοῦμεν οὐχ ὁρῶντες ἀμοίρους τῶν ἡμετέρων τινάς· οὕτω γὰρ δὴ καὶ τὸ μέγα δόξειεν ἂν μέγα, εἰ τῷ μικρῷ παραμετροῖτο. ὑμεῖς δέ, τιμᾶν ἐπὶ τῷ πολιτεύματι τούτῳ δέον, ἀνεσταυρώκατέ με καὶ ταύτην μοι τὴν ἀμοιβὴν ἀποδεδώκατε τοῦ βουλεύματος.
That the cause of the Gods suffered nothing at my hands is evident; show me the slightest instance to the contrary, and I will say no more; I have but my deserts. But for the positive benefits I have conferred, use the evidence of your eyes. The earth, no longer barren and untilled, is decked with cities and farms and the fruits of cultivation; the sea has its ships, the islands their inhabitants. Everywhere are altars and temples, everywhere festivals and sacrifices:
Zeus with his presence fills their gatherings, He fills their streets.
Had I created mankind for my own private convenience, it might perhaps have denoted a grasping spirit: but I made them common property; they are at the service of every God of you. Nay more: temples of Zeus, and Apollo, and Hera, temples of Hermes, are everywhere to be seen; but who ever saw a temple of Prometheus? You may judge from this, how far I have sacrificed the common cause to my private ambition.
And further. Consider, Hermes: can any good thing whatsoever, be it gift of Nature or work of our hands, give the full measure of enjoyment to its possessor, when there is none to see, none to admire? You see whither my question tends? But for mankind, the glories of the universe must have been without a witness; and there was little satisfaction to be derived from a wealth which was doomed to excite no envy in others. We should have lacked a standard for comparison; and should never have known the extent of our happiness, while all were as happy as ourselves. The great is not great, till it is compared with the small. Yet instead of honouring me for my political insight, you crucify me; such are the wages of wisdom!
Προμηθεύς ἀλλὰ κακοῦργοί τινες, φής, ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ μοιχεύουσι καὶ πολεμοῦσι καὶ ἀδελφὰς γαμοῦσι καὶ πατράσιν ἐπιβουλεύουσι. παρʼ ἡμῖν γὰρ οὐχὶ πολλὴ τούτων ἀφθονία; καὶ οὐ δήπου διὰ τοῦτο αἰτιάσαιτʼ ἄν τις τὸν Οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν Γῆν, ὅτι ἡμᾶς συνεστήσαντο. ἔτι καὶ τοῦτο ἴσως φαίης ἄν, ὅτι ἀνάγκη πολλὰ ἡμᾶς ἔχειν πράγματα ἐπιμελουμένους αὐτῶν. οὐκοῦν διά γε τοῦτο καὶ ὁ νομεὺς ἀχθέσθω ἐπὶ τῷ ἔχειν τὴν ἀγέλην, διότι ἀναγκαῖον αὐτῷ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι αὐτῆς. καίτοι τό γε ἐργῶδες τοῦτο καὶ ἡδύ· ἄλλως καὶ ἡ φροντὶς οὐκ ἀτερπὴς ἔχουσά τινα διατριβήν. ἢ τί γὰρ ἂν ἐπράττομεν οὐκ ἔχοντες ὧν προνοοῦμεν τούτων; ἠργοῦμεν ἂν καὶ τὸ νέκταρ ἐπίνομεν καὶ τῆς ἀμβροσίας ἐνεφορούμεθα οὐδὲν ποιοῦντες.
Προμηθεύς ὃ δὲ μάλιστά με πνίγει τοῦτʼ ἐστίν, ὅτι μεμφόμενοι τὴν ἀνθρωποποιίαν καὶ μάλιστά γε τὰς γυναῖκας ὅμως ἐρᾶτε αὐτῶν καὶ οὐ διαλείπετε κατιόντες, ἄρτι μὲν ταῦροι, ἄρτι δὲ σάτυροι καὶ κύκνοι γενόμενοι, καὶ θεοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν ποιεῖσθαι ἀξιοῦτε.
ἀλλʼ ἐχρῆν μέν, ἴσως φήσεις, ἀναπεπλάσθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἄλλον δέ τινα τρόπον, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἡμῖν ἐοικότας· καὶ τί ἂν ἄλλο παράδειγμα τούτου ἄμεινον προεστησάμην, ὃ πάντως καλὸν ἠπιστάμην; ἢ ἀσύνετον καὶ θηριῶδες ἔδει καὶ ἄγριον ἀπεργάσασθαι τὸ ζῷον; καὶ πῶς ἂν ἢ θεοῖς ἔθυσαν ἢ τὰς ἄλλας ὑμῖν τιμὰς ἀπένειμαν οὐχὶ τοιοῦτοι γενόμενοι; ἀλλὰ ὑμεῖς, ὅταν μὲν ὑμῖν τὰς ἑκατόμβας προσάγωσιν, οὐκ ὀκνεῖτε, κἂν ἐπὶ τὸν Ὠκεανὸν ἐλθεῖν δέῃ μετʼ ἀμύμονας Αἰθιοπῆας· τὸν δὲ τῶν τιμῶν ὑμῖν καὶ τῶν θυσιῶν αἴτιον ἀνεσταυρώκατε.
περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ταῦτα ἱκανά.
Ah, but (you will say) there is so much wickedness among them; adultery, war, incest, parricide. Well, I fancy these are not unknown among ourselves? And I am sure no one would think that a reason for saying that Uranus and Ge made a mistake in creating us. Or again, you will complain that we have so much trouble in looking after them. At that rate, a shepherd ought to object to the possession of a flock, because he has to look after it. Besides, a certain show of occupation is rather gratifying than otherwise; the responsibility is not unwelcome,—it helps to pass the time. What should we do, if we had not mankind to think of? There would be nothing to live for; we should sit about drinking nectar and gorging ourselves with ambrosia. But what fairly takes away my breath is, your assurance in finding fault with my women in particular, when all the time you are in love with them: our bulls and satyrs and swans are never tired of making descents upon the Earth; women, they find, are good enough to be made the mothers of Gods!
Yes, yes (you will say), it was quite right that men should be created, but they should not have been made in our likeness. And what better model could I have taken than this, whose perfection I knew? Was I to make them brute beasts without understanding? Had they been other than they are, how should they have paid you due honour and sacrifice? When the hecatombs are getting ready, you think nothing of a journey to the ends of the earth to see the ‘blameless Ethiopians’; and my reward for procuring you these advantages is—crucifixion! But on this subject I have said enough.
Προμηθεύς ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ, εἰ δοκεῖ, μέτειμι καὶ τὴν ἐπονείδιστον ταύτην κλοπήν. καὶ πρὸς θεῶν τοῦτό μοι ἀπόκριναι μηδὲν ὀκνήσας· ἔσθʼ ὅ τι ἡμεῖς τοῦ πυρὸς ἀπολωλέκαμεν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ παρʼ ἀνθρώποις ἐστίν; οὐκ ἂν εἴποις. αὕτη γάρ, οἶμαι, φύσις τουτουὶ τοῦ κτήματος, οὐδέν τι ἔλαττον γίγνεται, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος αὐτοῦ μεταλάβοι· οὐ γὰρ ἀποσβέννυται ἐναυσαμένου τινός· φθόνος δὲ δὴ ἄντικρυς τὸ τοιοῦτο, ἀφʼ ὧν μηδὲν ὑμεῖς ἠδίκησθε, τούτων κωλύειν μεταδιδόναι τοῖς δεομένοις. καίτοι θεούς γε ὄντας ἀγαθοὺς εἶναι χρὴ καὶ δωτῆρας ἑάων καὶ ἔξω φθόνου παντὸς ἑστάναι· ὅπου γε καὶ εἰ τὸ πᾶν τοῦτο πῦρ ὑφελόμενος κατεκόμισα ἐς τὴν γῆν μηδʼ ὅλως τι αὐτοῦ καταλιπών, οὐ μεγάλα ὑμᾶς ἠδίκουν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὑμεῖς δεῖσθε αὐτοῦ μήτε ῥιγοῦντες μήτε ἕψοντες τὴν ἀμβροσίαν μήτε φωτὸς ἐπιτεχνητοῦ δεόμενοι.
Προμηθεύς οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι καὶ εἰς τὰ ἄλλα μὲν ἀναγκαίῳ χρῶνται τῷ πυρί, μάλιστα δὲ ἐς τὰς θυσίας, ὅπως ἔχοιεν κνισᾶν τὰς ἀγυιὰς καὶ τοῦ λιβανωτοῦ θυμιᾶν καὶ τὰ μηρία καίειν ἐπὶ τῶν βωμῶν. ὁρῶ δέ γε ὑμᾶς μάλιστα χαίροντας τῷ καπνῷ καὶ τὴν εὐωχίαν ταύτην ἡδίστην οἰομένους, ὁπόταν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἡ κνῖσα παραγένηται ἑλισσομένη περὶ καπνῷ. ἐναντιωτάτη τοίνυν ἡ μέμψις αὕτη ἂν γένοιτο τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἐπιθυμίᾳ. θαυμάζω δὲ ὅπως οὐχὶ καὶ τὸν ἥλιον κεκωλύκατε καταλάμπειν αὐτούς· καίτοι πῦρ καὶ οὗτός ἐστι πολὺ θειότερόν τε καὶ πυρωδέστερον. ἢ κἀκεῖνον αἰτιᾶσθε ὡς σπαθῶντα ὑμῶν τὸ κτῆμα;
εἴρηκα. σφὼ δέ, ὦ Ἑρμῆ καὶ Ἥφαιστε, εἴ τι μὴ καλῶς εἰρῆσθαι δοκεῖ, διευθύνετε καὶ ἐξελέγχετε, κἀγὼ αὖθις ἀπολογήσομαι.
And now, with your permission, I will approach the subject of that stolen fire, of which we hear so much. I have a question to ask, which I beg you will answer frankly. Has there been one spark less fire in Heaven, since men shared it with us? Of course not. It is the nature of fire, that it does not become less by being imparted to others. A fire is not put out by kindling another from it. No, this is sheer envy: you cannot bear that men should have a share of this necessary, though you have suffered no harm thereby. For shame! Gods should be beneficent, ‘givers of good’; they should be above all envy. Had I taken away fire altogether, and left not a spark behind, it would have been no great loss. You have no use for it. You are never cold; you need no artificial light; nor is ambrosia improved by boiling. To man, on the other hand, fire is indispensable for many purposes, particularly for those of sacrifice; how else are they to fill their streets with the savour of burnt-offerings, and the fumes of frankincense? how else to burn fat thigh-pieces upon your altars? I observe that you take a particular pleasure in the steam arising therefrom, and think no feast more delicious than the smell of roast meat, as it mounts heavenwards
In eddying clouds of smoke.
Your present complaint, you see, is sadly at variance with this taste. I wonder you do not forbid the Sun to shine on mankind. He too is of fire, and fire of a purer and diviner quality. Has anything been said to him about his lavish expenditure of your property?
And now I have done. If there is any flaw in my defence, it is for you two to refute me. I shall answer your objections in due course.
Ἑρμῆς οὐ ῥᾴδιον, ὦ Προμηθεῦ, πρὸς οὕτω γενναῖον σοφιστὴν ἁμιλλᾶσθαι· πλὴν ἀλλὰ ὤνησο, διότι μὴ καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς ταῦτα ἐπήκουσέ σου· εὖ γὰρ οἶδα, ἑκκαίδεκα γῦπας ἂν ἐπέστησέ σοι τὰ ἔγκατα ἐξαιρήσοντας· οὕτω δεινῶς αὐτοῦ κατηγόρηκας ἀπολογεῖσθαι δοκῶν. ἐκεῖνο δέ γε θαυμάζω, ὅπως μάντις ὢν οὐ προεγίγνωσκες ἐπὶ τούτοις κολασθησόμενος.
Προμηθεύς ἠπιστάμην, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ ταῦτα μὲν καὶ ὅτι ἀπολυθήσομαι αὖθις οἶδα, καὶ ἤδη γέ τις ἐκ Θηβῶν ἀφίξεται σὸς ἀδελφὸς οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν κατατοξεύσων ὃν φὴς ἐπιπτήσεσθαί μοι τὸν ἀετόν.
Ἑρμῆς εἰ γὰρ γένοιτο, ὦ Προμηθεῦ, ταῦτα καὶ ἐπίδοιμί σε λελυμένον, κοινῇ σὺν ἡμῖν εὐωχούμενον, οὐ μέντοι καὶ κρεανομοῦντά γε.
Προμηθεύς θάρρει· καὶ συνευωχήσομαι ὑμῖν καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς λύσει με οὐκ ἀντὶ μικρᾶς εὐεργεσίας.
Ἑρμῆς τίνος ταύτης; μὴ γὰρ ὀκνήσῃς εἰπεῖν.
Προμηθεύς οἶσθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, τὴν Θέτιν; ἀλλʼ οὐ χρὴ λέγειν· φυλάττειν γὰρ ἄμεινον τὸ ἀπόρρητον, ὡς μισθὸς εἴη καὶ λύτρα μοι ἀντὶ τῆς καταδίκης.
Ἑρμῆς ἀλλὰ φύλαττε, ὦ Τιτάν, εἰ τοῦτʼ ἄμεινον. ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀπίωμεν, ὦ Ἥφαιστε· καὶ γὰρ ἤδη πλησίον οὑτοσὶ ὁ ἀετός. ὑπόμενε οὖν καρτερῶς· εἴη δέ γε ἤδη σοι τὸν Θηβαῖον ὃν φὴς τοξότην ἐπιφανῆναι, ὡς παύσειέ σε ἀνατεμνόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ ὀρνέου.
HERMES Nay, you are too hard for us, Prometheus; we will not attempt a sophist of your mettle. Well for you that Zeus is not within earshot, or you would have had a round dozen of hungry vultures to reckon with, for certain; in clearing your own character, you have grievously mishandled his. But one thing puzzles me: you are a prophet; you ought to have foreseen your sentence.
PROMETHEUS All this I knew, and more than this; for I shall be released; nay, even now the day is not far off when one of your blood shall come from Thebes, and shoot this eagle with which you threaten me.
HERMES With all my heart! I shall be delighted to see you free again, and feasting in our midst; but not, my friend, not carving for us!
PROMETHEUS You may take my word for it; I shall be with you again. I have the wherewithal to pay abundantly for my ransom.
HERMES Oh, indeed? Come, tell us all about it.
PROMETHEUS You know Thetis—But no; the secret is best kept. Ransom and reward depend upon it.
HERMES Well, you know best. Now, Hephaestus, we must be going; see, here comes the eagle.—Bear a brave heart, Prometheus; and all speed to your Theban archer, who is to set a term to this creature’s activity.
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