Which Hesiod poem tells the main story of Pandora opening the vessel?

Works and Days tells the main story of Pandora opening the vessel.

The poem is attributed to Hesiod and combines practical advice about farming and seafaring with reflections on justice, labor, and the human condition. Pandora’s story appears as part of its explanation for why evils and hardship exist among mortals. The poem includes the creation of Pandora, her marriage to Epimetheus, and the opening of the container.

Hesiod’s Theogony also refers to Pandora, but it is not the principal source for the complete jar episode. The Iliad and Odyssey are Homeric epics and do not provide the familiar narrative in the same form. Identifying the correct poem is therefore important when tracing the earliest literary evidence.

Works and Days survives through a manuscript tradition and has been translated many times. Wording varies among translations, especially for the vessel and for elpis, the term commonly rendered as “hope.” The core attribution to Works and Days remains stable.