But every day Epimetheus would think that the men and women of the world
should be able to talk to him about this maiden with the wonderful
radiance of gold, and with the lovely garments, and the marvelous crown.
And one day he took Pandora by the hand, and he brought her out of that
deep-lying valley, and toward the homes of men. He did not forget the jar
that Hermes had left with her. All things that belonged to the Golden Maid
were precious, and Epimetheus took the jar along.
The race of men at the time were simple and content. Their days were
passed in toil, but now, since Prometheus had given them fire, they had
good fruits of their toil. They had well-shaped tools to dig the earth and
to build houses. Their homes were warmed with fire, and fire burned upon
the altars that were upon their ways.
Greatly they reverenced Prometheus; who had given them fire, and greatly
they reverenced the race of the Titans. So when Epimetheus came amongst
them, tall as a man walking with stilts, they welcomed him and brought him
and the Golden Maid to their hearths. And Epimetheus showed Pandora the
wonderful element that his brother had given to men, and she rejoiced to
see the fire, clapping her hands with delight. The jar that Epimetheus
brought he left in an open place.
In carrying it up the rough ways out of the valley Epimetheus may have
knocked the jar about, for the lid that had been tight upon it now fitted
very loosely. But no one gave heed to the jar as it stood in the open
space where Epimetheus had left it.
At first the men and women looked upon the beauty of Pandora, upon her
lovely dresses, and her golden crown and her girdle of flowers, with
wonder and delight. Epimetheus would have every one admire and praise her.
The men would leave off working in the fields, or hammering on iron, or
building houses, and the women would leave off spinning or weaving, and
come at his call, and stand about and admire the Golden Maid. But as time
went by a change came upon the women: one woman would weep, and another
would look angry, and a third would go back sullenly to her work when
Pandora was admired or praised.
Once the women were gathered together, and one who was the wisest
amongst them said: “Once we did not think about ourselves, and we were
content. But now we think about ourselves, and we say to ourselves that we
are harsh and ill-favored indeed compared to the Golden Maid that the
Titan is so enchanted with. And we hate to see our own men praise and
admire her, and often, in our hearts, we would destroy her if we could.”
“That is true,” the women said. And then a young woman cried out in a
most yearnful voice, “O tell us, you who are wise, how can we make
ourselves as beautiful as Pandora!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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