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Hesiod-Bot
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Not actually a bot. Posting excerpts from Hesiod's Theogony line-by-line curated by @mattitiahu.bsky.social.

Greek text follows that of M.L. West. 1966. Hesiod: Theogony with Prolegomena and Commentary. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Hesiod, a Boeotian, however is writing in Epic Ionic, as was the custom for the literary form of early Greek epic poetry.
January 16, 2026 at 7:51 PM
The original form κάλϝος is preserved in early Boeotian, notably in a metrical votive inscription from ca. 550–525 BCE (CEG I 334):

καλϝὸν ἄγαλμα ϝάνακτι ϝ[εκαβόλοι Ἀ]|[πόλονι ∶ / –]ορίδας ποίϝεσέ μ’ Ἐχέστροτ|ος [...]

Ekhestrotos made me, a beautiful statue for the far-shooting Lord Apollo [...]
January 16, 2026 at 7:48 PM
A small correction, the transcription of the first word of the line should be /kaːlóːs/. Ionic has κᾱλός < *kalwós with the Third Compensatory lengthening, while Attic has κᾰλός without the 3CL. Similarly compare Attic ξένος 'guest-friend' vs. Ionic ξεῖνος < *ksénwos w/ 3CL.
January 16, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Vocab.

καλούς : adj. acc. pl. m. καλός ‘beautiful’, modifying χοροὺς in the preceding line
ἱμερόεντας : adj. acc. pl. m. ἱμερόεις ‘exciting desire, lovely’ (ἵμερος ‘longing, yearning; desire, love’)
ἐπερρώσαντο : 3. pl. aor. mid. ind. ἐπιρρώομαι here ‘move nimbly’
ποσσίν : dat. pl. m. πούς ‘foot’
January 16, 2026 at 5:17 PM
8 καλούς, ἱμερόεντας, ἐπερρώσαντο δὲ ποσσίν.
/kalóːs hiːme̞ró̞e̞ntas e̞pe̞rrɔ́ːsanto̞ dè̞ po̞ssín/
Arousing desire, they move nimbly with their feet.
| – – | – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – – | – ⏑ ⏑ | – – |
January 16, 2026 at 5:16 PM
'beautiful' (καλούς) modifying χοροὺς comes in from an enjambment at the beginning of line 8, but I haven't been able to neatly render it in a line-by-line reading. You'll get it tomorrow.
January 15, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Vocab.

ἀκροτάτῳ : adj. dat. sg. m. superl. ἄκρος ‘the very topmost, furthest point’
Ἑλικῶνι : PN dat. sg. m. Ἑλικών ‘Mt. Helicon’
χοροὺς : acc. pl. m. χορός ‘dance’
ἐνεποιήσαντο : 3. pl. aor. mid. ind. ἐμποιέω ‘make in, produce, create’ (gnomic aorist)
January 15, 2026 at 6:35 PM
7 ἀκροτάτῳ Ἑλικῶνι χοροὺς ἐνεποιήσαντο,
/akro̞tátɔːi he̞likɔ̂ːni kʰo̞ròːs e̞ne̞poiɛ́ːsanto̞/
They carry out their beautiful dances on the topmost peak of Mt. Helicon
| – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – – | – ⏑ |
January 15, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Vocab.

ἠ(ε) : conj. ‘or’
Ἵππου κρήνης : PN gen. sg. f. ‘spring of the horse, Hippocrene’ (a spring on Helicon)
Ὀλμειοῦ : PN gen. sg. m. Ὀλμειός ‘a stream on Mt. Helicon flowing into Lake Copais)
ζαθέοιο : adj. gen. sg. n. ‘very holy’ (intensive prefix ζά- + θεός)
January 14, 2026 at 3:52 PM
6 ἠ᾽ Ἵππου κρήνης ἠ᾽ Ὀλμειοῦ ζαθέοιο
/ɛː hippoː krɛ́ːnɛːs ɛː o̞lmeːôː zdatʰé̞oio̞/
Or in Hippocrene or very divine Olmeios
| – – | – – | – – | – –| – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ |
January 14, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Vocab.

καί : conj. ‘and’
τε : encl. conj. ‘and’
λοεσσάμεναι : aor. mid. ptcp. nom. pl. f. λούω ‘wash (the body)’
τέρενα : adj. acc. sg. m. τέρην ‘soft, delicate’
χρόα : acc. sg. m. χρώς, Ion. gen. χροός ‘skin, flesh’
Περμησσοῖο : PN gen. sg. m. ‘Permessos’ (a stream on Helicon merging with Olmeios)
January 13, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Vocab.

ὀρχεῦνται : 3. pl. prs. ind. mid. ὀρχέομαι ‘dance’
καὶ : conj. ‘and’
βωμὸν : acc. sg. m. βωμός ‘altar’
ἐρισθενέος : adj. gen. sg. m. ἐρι-σθενής ‘very mighty’
Κρονίωνος : PN gen. sg. m. Κρονίων ‘son of Kronos (Zeus)’
January 12, 2026 at 5:20 PM
4 ὀρχεῦνται καὶ βωμὸν ἐρισθενέος Κρονίωνος.
/o̞rkʰeûntai kaì bɔːmò̞n e̞ristʰe̞né̞o̞s kro̞níɔːno̞s/
And the altar of the very mighty son of Kronos, they dance.
| – – | – – | – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – – |
January 12, 2026 at 5:20 PM
ἰοειδέα : adj. acc. sg. f. ἰοειδής ‘resembling the ἴον (violet flower), violet-dark’
πόσσ(ι) : dat. pl. m. πούς ‘foot’
ἁπαλοῖσιν : adj. dat. pl. m. ‘soft, tender; delicate’
January 11, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Vocab.

καί : conj. ‘and’
τε : encl. conj. ‘and’
περὶ : prep. + acc. ‘around, round about’
κρήνην : acc. sg. f. κρήνη ‘spring, fountain’
January 11, 2026 at 6:52 PM
μέγα : adj. acc. sg. n. μέγας ‘big, large’
τε : encl. conj. ‘and’
ζάθεόν : adj. acc. sg. n. ζάθεος ‘very divine, sacred’ (intensive prefix ζά- + θεός)
January 10, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Vocab:

αἵ : rel. pron. nom. pl. f. ὅς, ἥ, ὅ ‘who, which’
θ᾽ = τε : encl. conj. ‘and’
Ἑλικῶνος : gen. sg. m. Ἑλικών ‘Mt. Helicon’
ἔχουσιν : 3. pl. prs. act. ind. ἔχω ‘have, hold’
ὄρος : acc. sg. n. ὄρος, -εος ‘mountain, hill’
January 10, 2026 at 5:59 PM
ἀρχώμεθ(α) : 1. pl. prs. mid. subj. ἄρχω ‘be first, begin, make a beginning’
ἀείδειν : prs. act. inf. ἀείδω ‘sing’
January 9, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Vocab:

Μουσάων : gen. pl. f. μοῦσα ‘muse’ (nine goddesses of the arts, daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne ‘memory’)
Ἑλικωνιάδων : adj. gen. pl. f. Ἑλικωνιάς ‘who dwell on Helicon (Ἑλικών, a mountain in Boeotia, the seat of the Muses)’
January 9, 2026 at 11:04 PM