WD.430   εὖτ' ^[1ἂν Ἀθηναίης^1] δμῶος ἐν ἐλύματι πήξας
WD.430   After some hand of Athena's has fastened it tight to the plough share,

WD.431   γόμφοισιν πελάσας προσαρήρεται ἱστοβοῆι.
WD.431   Pegging the business end to the handle. So keep in the house two

WD.432   δοιὰ δὲ θέσθαι ἄροτρα, πονησάμενος κατὰ οἶκον,
WD.432   Ploughs you are working on, one with a natural; bent and the other

WD.433   αὐτόγυον καὶ πηκτόν, ἐπεὶ πολὺ λώιον οὕτω:
WD.433   Joined artificially, for that scheme is undoubtedly better:

WD.434   εἴ χ' ἕτερον [γ'] ἄξαις, ἕτερόν κ' ἐπὶ βουσὶ βάλοιο.
WD.434   If you should break one plough you can yoke up the ox to the other.

WD.435   δάφνης δ' ἢ πτελέης ἀκιώτατοι ἱστοβοῆες.
WD.435   Handles of laurel and elm are most likely totally worm-free,

WD.436   δρυὸς ἔλυμα, πρίνου δὲ γύην. βόε δ' ἐνναετήρω
WD.436   So is a plough-share of oak as well as a plough-tree of holm-oak.

WD.437   ἄρσενε κεκτῆσθαι: [τῶν γὰρ σθένος οὐκ ἀλαπαδνόν:
WD.437   Get two oxen, two bulls about nine years of age, when their strength is

WD.438   ἥβης μέτρον ἔχοντε:] τὼ ἐργάζεσθαι ἀρίστω.
WD.438   Still at its peak in the prime of their age: such are excellent workers

WD.439   οὐκ ἂν τώ γ' ἐρίσαντε ἐν αὔλακι κὰμ μὲν ἄροτρον
WD.439   Nor will they fight one another in ploughland, smashing the plough to

WD.440   ἄξειαν, τὸ δὲ ἔργον ἐτώσιον αὖθι λίποιεν.
WD.440   Pieces, and bringing your hard agricultural labour to nothing.

WD.441   τοῖς δ' ἅμα τεσσαρακονταετὴς αἰζηὸς ἕποιτο
WD.441   Let them be followed by some energetic farm-worker of forty

WD.442   ἄρτον δειπνήσας τετράτρυφον, ὀκτάβλωμον,
WD.442   Years, who has broken his fast with a quarter-loaf of eight sections,

WD.443   ὅς κ' ἔργου μελετῶν ἰθείην αὔλακ' ἐλαύνοι,
WD.443   And will attend to his work white driving the straightest of furrows,

WD.444   μηκέτι παπταίνων μεθ' ὁμήλικας, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ἔργῳ
WD.444   Having no time for glancing askance at his comrades; he keeps his

WD.445   θυμὸν ἔχων: τοῦ δ' οὔ τι νεώτερος ἄλλος ἀμείνων
WD.445   Mind on his work, for better by far a grown man as a partner,

WD.446   σπέρματα δάσσασθαι καὶ ἐπισπορίην ἀλέασθαι:
WD.446   Better at scattering seeds and keeping from scattering double;

WD.447   κουρότερος γὰρ ἀνὴρ μεθ' ὁμήλικας ἐπτοίηται.
WD.447   While immature young men are too often intrigued with each other,

WD.448   φράζεσθαι δ', εὖτ' ἂν γεράνου φωνὴν ἐπακούσῃς
WD.448   Every year when you hear the shrill din of the cranes from the clouds,

WD.449   ὑψόθεν ἐκ νεφέων ἐνιαύσια κεκληγυίης,
WD.449   Note, for it signals the season to plough, indicating the rainy

WD.450   ἥ τ' ἀρότοιό τε σῆμα φέρει καὶ χείματος ὥρην
WD.450   Wintertime, gnawing the heart of the man who possesses no oxen.

WD.451   δεικνύει ὀμβρηροῦ, κραδίην δ' ἔδακ' ἀνδρὸς ἀβούτεω:
WD.451   (blank line)

WD.452   δὴ τότε χορτάζειν ἕλικας βόας ἔνδον ἐόντας:
WD.452   Now's the appropriate time for feeding up long-horned cattle

WD.453   ῥηΐδιον γὰρ ἔπος εἰπεῖν: "βόε δὸς καὶ ἄμαξαν:"
WD.453   Indoors, for it's easy to ask for a team and a wagon,

WD.454   ῥηΐδιον δ' ἀπανήνασθαι: "πάρα [δ'] ἔργα βόεσσιν."
WD.454   Easier still to refuse: "I've plenty of work for my oxen."

WD.455   φησὶ δ' ἀνὴρ φρένας ἀφνειὸς πήξασθαι ἄμαξαν:
WD.455   Thick are the wits of the man who says that his wagon 's already

WD.456   νήπιος, οὐδὲ τὸ οἶδ': ἑκατὸν δέ τε δούρατ' ἀμάξης,
WD.456   Finished; the fool doesn't know there are hundreds of planks in a wagon

WD.457   τῶν πρόσθεν μελέτην ἐχέμεν οἰκήϊα θέσθαι.
WD.457   Make it your business to have these planks in your house for the future

WD.458   εὖτ' ἂν δὴ πρώτιστ' ἄροτος θνητοῖσι φανήῃ,
WD.458   Then, when the time for ploughing at last is apparent to mortals,