Hesiod, Works and Days 376-380

So, Hesiod, how many children should we have?

μουνογενὴς δὲ πάις εἴη πατρώιον οἶκον
φερβέμεν ὣς γὰρ πλοῦτος ἀέξεται ἐν μεγάροισιν.
γηραιὸς δὲ θάνοις ἕτερον παῖδ’ ἐγκαταλείπων.
ῥεῖα δέ κεν πλεόνεσσι πόροι Ζεὺς ἄσπετον ὄλβον.
πλείων μὲν πλεόνων μελέτη, μείζων δ’ ἐπιθήκη.

There should be an only son to nourish the ancestral house, for so will wealth increase in the halls – but if you leave a second son you should die old. Yet Zeus can easily give huge wealth to a bigger number: from more people come more work and more increase.

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