The words on this panel come from the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, lines 344-45. In this story, Persephone, the daughter of Demeter (the goddess of the harvest), is kidnapped by Hades. Demeter searches everywhere for her daughter, not eating or drinking or sleeping for nine days. Finally, someone tells her where Persephone has been taken.
Demeter immediately goes to Zeus (the king of the gods) and asks him to make Hades give back Persephone. Zeus sides with Hades, and tells Demeter that she is lucky to have such a prestigious son-in-law. Demeter is obviously upset, so she leaves the home of the gods and lives with the mortals. She also puts a famine on the land so that no crops will grow. Zeus finally decides to have Hades give back Persephone once he realizes that without food, the humans are bringing him fewer offerings than normal.
Hades pretends to give Persephone back, but also fed her some pomegranate seeds which means she cannot leave the realm of the dead. A compromise is reached where Persephone will spend part of the year with her mother, and part with Hades. When Persephone is with Hades, Demeter once again curses the land, which is why we have winter.
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