he came immediately, hurling his
lightning: the bolts flew thick and fast from his strong hand together
with thunder and lightning, whirling an awesome flame. The life-giving
earth crashed around in burning, and the vast wood crackled loud with
fire all about.All the land
seethed, and Ocean's streams and the unfruitful sea. The hot vapor
lapped round the earthborn Titans: flame unspeakable rose to the
bright upper air: the flashing glare of the thunderstone and lightning
blinded their eyes for all that they were strong.Astounding heat seized Chaos: and to
see with eyes and to hear the sound with ears it seemed even as if
Earth and wide Heaven above came together; for such a mighty crash
would have arisen if Earth were being hurled to ruin, and Heaven from
on high were hurling her down;so great a crash was there while the gods were meeting together in
strife. Also the winds brought rumbling earthquake and duststorm,
thunder and lightning and the lurid thunderbolt, which are the shafts
of great Zeus, and carried the clangor and the warcry into the midst
of the two hosts. A horrible uproarof terrible strife arose: mighty deeds were shown and the
battle inclined. But until then, they kept at one another and fought
continually in cruel war. And amongst the foremost Cottus and Briareos
and Gyes insatiate for warraised fierce fighting: three hundred rocks, one upon another, they
launched from their strong hands and overshadowed the Titans with
their missiles, and hurled them beneath the wide-pathed earth, and
bound them in bitter chains when they had conquered them by their
strength for all their great spirit,as far beneath the earth as heaven is above earth; for so
far is it from earth to Tartarus. For a brazen anvil falling down from
heaven nine nights and days would reach the earth upon the tenth: and
again, a brazen anvil falling from earth nine nights and
dayswould reach Tartarus
upon the tenth. Round it runs a fence of bronze, and night spreads in
triple line all about it like a neck-circlet, while above grow the
roots of the earth and unfruitful sea.
There by the counsel of Zeus who drives the clouds the Titan
gods