The Theogony

In the beginning, Chaos reigned supreme;
No light, no voice, no thing did move or dream.
But then the Earth appeared, that steadfast place,
And all the gods did stand upon its face.
Tartarus too was there, in shroud of mist,
To hold in chains the wicked in his fist.
And then came Love; of all he was the worst:
For his sake many suffered and were cursed.
He tamed their spirits, and he made them weak.
Never did they rise or against him speak,
For he was beautiful and thus held sway,
And all who knew him thought him just and gay.

And Chaos birthed him Erebos and Night,
And Night gave birth to Space and Day the bright.
These two in love to Erebos she bore,
And after these she ceased and bore no more.
Earth bore Heaven who was Ouranos named,
In whom the stars that shine were set and framed.
And this she made that all the gods might be
Secure in rest for all eternity.
The hills and mountain clefts she fashioned for,
The nymphs, the goddesses of ancient lore.
The barren sea with breaking waves, its birth
Was such as came without sweet love or mirth.

With Heaven then, Ouranos, lay the Earth,
And by him brought twelve children to the birth.
The deep and swirling Oceanus, first
Of Heaven’s sons from Gaia’s womb did burst.
Then Koios, Kreius, and Iapetos who bore
Prometheus whose schemes provoked Zeus sore;
Hyperion, the father of the Sun,
Was born the next, but still Earth was not done.
Theia, Rhea, Themis, and Mnemosyne;
Then Tethys, lovely in form and design;
Then Phoebe, Titan was golden crowned;
And Kronos who was in Tartarus bound.

Again the Earth did bare the Cyclopes,
Arges the proud, Brontes, and Steropes;
And they were those who found and gave to Zeus
The lightning bolt and thunder that he loosed.
The brow of these had but a single eye,
Great virtue showed they in all that they did try.
Last of all they bore, Gaia and Ouranos,
The Hundred-hands, the first of which was Kottos,
And Gyes and Briareus, the three
Had each so many eyes with which to see,
For they had fifty heads, and with their arms,
The beat till battered all their foes in swarms.