Rheia, submissive in love to Kronos/bore glorious children,

This opening line gives an almost reverent tone to the poem. The birth of royal children, especially in the time of the Greeks, was a huge event. Through this line, it is possible to learn much about both Rheia and Kronos. Why is Rheia described as submissive? The name Rheia is soft and delicate like a flower petal, whereas Kronos seems to sparkle with energy and danger. Many images come from this single line. I picture a gorgeous young dark haired woman who is gentle and kind being controlled by a powerful, old, mean and controlling husband. Hesiod draws many mental images in the first line of this poem.

Hestia and Demeter,/Hera of the golden sandals,/and strong Hades, who under the ground/lives in his place-

The second line also adds to the dramatic and happy tone of the poem. Naming off all the children and their powers is something a mother would do. It seems that this birth is greater than the poem lets on. Rheia is a sort of Pandora's Box which everything comes out of, even the cruel Hades of the underworld. The tone of the poem still suggests the love from the mother toward her children.

and has a hear without pity;/the deep-thunderous Earthshaker,/and Zeus of the Counsels,/

Again, Hesiod shows the diversity of the children and the glory that must be felt.

who is the father of gods and mortals,/and underneath whose thunder the whole wide earth shudders;

A very important line. How can Zeus be father to the gods when Kronos is father to the gods? Is Hesiod attempting to prove that it takes more than conceiving a child to be a father? What a fascinating twist thrown in, especially for a Greek writer. Somehow, this line also seems to foreshadow the future and imply a cyclical response from Zeus to repeat the sins of his father. What does it mean to be a father? This poem so far is a stereotypical view of the weak woman and strong oppressive man, which will obviously be propagated with Zeus.

but, as each of these children/ came from the womb of its mother/to her knees, great Kronos swallowed it down,

As each of these children were born, it was swallowed up by its father. Could it also be that these people were swallowed up by their unique culture and the gender roles people play within it? If so, how do we escape what we are born into? Is it even possible? I like this line because it has an obvious double meaning. "From the womb of its mother/ to her knees" means to give birth, but it also implies that Rheia is on her knees pleading with Kronos to let her children live. This touching image of a woman pleading and a man totally ignoring her wishes is powerful. This marks an important change in the mood of the poem from happy to downright evil.

with the intention/that no other of the prowl children/ children of the line of Ouranos/ should ever hold the king's position among the immortals...

Much can be gleaned from Greek culture from this line. What does it say about a society in which powerful men are terrified of other men, especially their own children, to take their power? I think that all fathers want what is best for their children, but always want to be looked up to, to be seen as powerful.

Therefore he kept watch, and did not sleep,/but waited/ for his children, and swallowed them,

It is possible to see Kronos's full paranoia and distress at any challenge to his power. Selfishness is controlling him even though he must know what he is doing is wrong.

and Rheia's sorrow was beyond forgetting-