Greek Proverbs

NOTE: I'll be away for next week, so the next post/email won't be until Tuesday, Oct. 5, after I get back. I'm also thinking about a new turn in the ongoing development of this project. When I started, I hadn't intended for it to be cat-based, but with this new round of cats, there are now over 365 cats. That's enough for one every day of the year. So I am thinking I will switch over to a daily post, presenting a proverb each day and glossing all the words and providing more systematic grammar notes. I'll keep making new cats too, but it's fun to think that there are enough for a year now, and having fully glossed proverbs will be better for students, right? Plus, hey, it's Greek: we can all benefit from glossing. :-)

So now: here's one more round of five new cats with previous proverbs, and with the quiz. See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email).

Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ______ ὑμῶν.

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Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν.

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______ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.

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Ὀφθαλμοὶ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.

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Ἀρχὴ τῆς ______ ἡ παιδεία.

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Ἀρχὴ τῆς σοφίας ἡ παιδεία.

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Δόσις δ᾿ ὀλίγη τε ______ τε.

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Δόσις δ᾿ ὀλίγη τε φίλη τε.

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Ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων ______ πήματα.

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Ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων τέκνα πήματα.

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Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν.

Love your enemies.

This is another Biblical saying, this time from the Gospel of Luke, specifically from the section known as the Sermon on the Plain; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Sermon on the Plain. There is also a Wikipedia article about this saying in particular: Love your enemies.

Ὀφθαλμοὶ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.

The eyes (are) more trustworthy than the ears.

The idea is that you need to see something for yourself rather than listening to someone else tell you about it. Compare the English saying, "Seeing is believing." The word πιστότεροι is a comparative form of the adjective πιστός, and as a comparative it takes a genitive complement: ὠτίων. 

Ἀρχὴ τῆς σοφίας ἡ παιδεία.

Education (is) the beginning of wisdom.

All three of the nouns in this sentence are feminine! The root of the word παιδεία is παῖς, "child," which also gives us English words like pediatric and pedagogy.

Δόσις δ᾿ ὀλίγη τε φίλη τε.

A gift, small (but) welcome.

The words appear twice in Homer's Odyssey. First, in Book 6, when Nausicaa offers hospitality to Odysseus, and again in Book 14, when Eumaeus welcomes Odysseus in Ithaca. The saying offers an apology for not having a bigger gift to offer; the idea is that a gift, although small, is given gladly and should be welcome. You can see the Greek root ὀλίγ- in oligopoly and oligarchy.

Ἄνδρῶν ἡρώων τέκνα πήματα.
The children of heroes (are) calamities.
In other words, you cannot predict the quality of a person based on who their fathers are; heroes' children do not always turn out to be heroes — sometimes just the opposite. Erasmus includes this saying in his Adagia.

Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ______ ὑμῶν.

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Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν.

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______ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.

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Ὀφθαλμοὶ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.

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Ἀρχὴ τῆς ______ ἡ παιδεία.

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Ἀρχὴ τῆς σοφίας ἡ παιδεία.

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Δόσις δ᾿ ὀλίγη τε ______ τε.

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Δόσις δ᾿ ὀλίγη τε φίλη τε.

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Ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων ______ πήματα.

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Ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων τέκνα πήματα.

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And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverbs: Sept. 22

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ἐὰν μὴ πάθῃς, οὐ μὴ ______.

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Ἐὰν μὴ πάθῃς, οὐ μὴ μάθῃς.

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______, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.

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Ἀπολύετε, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.

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______ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.

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Ἀγαθὴ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.

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Οἱ διψῶντες ______ πίνουσι.

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Οἱ διψῶντες σιωπῇ πίνουσι.

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Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ ______.

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Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

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Ἐὰν μὴ πάθῃς, οὐ μὴ μάθῃς.

If you don't suffer, you won't learn.

Compare a similar saying from an earlier blog post: Τα παθήματα μαθήματα. Both πάθῃς and μάθῃς are in the subjunctive, and the use of οὐ μὴ with the subjunctive expresses an emphatic negative prediction, so the saying could even be translated as "you won't ever learn."

Ἀπολύετε, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

The words are from the Gospel of Luke.

The complete verse has three parallel statements: καὶ μὴ κρίνετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ κριθῆτε· καὶ μὴ καταδικάζετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ καταδικασθῆτε. ἀπολύετε, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε, "Do not judge, and you will not be judge; do not not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven."

Ἀγαθὴ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.

Even a barley-cake is good, after the bread (is gone).

Barley-cakes were the proverbial food of poor people and slaves. In other words, when someone's circumstances have changed for the worst, they will change their opinion about what is good. Note the adverbial use of καὶ here: instead of joining two equal things as a conjunction, it means something like "even" or "also." From Greek Ἀγαθὴ, we get the name Agatha.

Οἱ διψῶντες σιωπῇ πίνουσι.   

Those who are thirsty drink in silence.

The word διψῶντες is a participle from the verb διψάω; you can see the Greek root in the English word dipsomaniac. The idea is that when someone really needs something, they will be completely focused on that thing. Total absorption; no chit-chat.

Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

The thieves are having a holiday.

The saying refers to people who are able to steal with impunity; it's a fragment of Cratinus, a comic poet who flourished in the 5th century B.C.E. He was one of the most famous comic playwrights, but only fragments of his plays survive.

Ἐὰν μὴ πάθῃς, οὐ μὴ ______.

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Ἐὰν μὴ πάθῃς, οὐ μὴ μάθῃς.

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______, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.

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Ἀπολύετε, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.

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______ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.

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Ἀγαθὴ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.

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Οἱ διψῶντες ______ πίνουσι.

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Οἱ διψῶντες σιωπῇ πίνουσι.

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Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ ______.

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Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

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And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverbs: Sept. 17

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Διώκει ______ ποτανὸν ὄρνιν.

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Διώκει παῖς ποτανὸν ὄρνιν.

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Βελλεροφόντης τὰ ______.

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Βελλεροφόντης τὰ γράμματα.

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Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα ______.

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Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα σοφός.

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______ ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.

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Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς ______.

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Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος.

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Διώκει παῖς ποτανὸν ὄρνιν.

The child is chasing a winged bird.

The saying is invoked by the chorus of Aeschylus's Agamemnon. It refers to something like what we call a "wild goose chase" in English, a futile endeavor or something even more sinister, leading to disaster. The chorus goes on to invoke Paris's theft of Helen a few lines later, so the proverb appears to be associated with a presumed fable, otherwise lost to us, about a child who, in pursuit of a bird, somehow brings destruction on a city as Paris brought destruction on Troy.

Βελλεροφόντης τὰ γράμματα.

The letter of Bellerophon.

This saying alludes to a story about the hero Bellerophon who was sent to King Iobates bearing a letter (Greek γράμματα, plural, means a "letter" in English) that said "Kill Bellerophon." You can read more at Wikipedia: Bellerophon. Another famous letter like this appears in the story of King David in the Hebrew Bible; David sends Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, on a mission carrying a letter intended to secure Uriah's death. Uriah does, in fact, die, but Bellerophon survives and goes on to other heroic adventures. More about Uriah in Wikipedia: Bathsheba. You can also read about this motif at the great TVTropes website: Kill The Messenger.

Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα σοφός.

No one is wise in all things.

The saying is adapted from the ancient Greek poet, Theognis (see below). From the Greek word σοφός we get words like philosophy and sophomore.

Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις. 

You're teaching an eagle to fly.

This is one of those proverbial fool's errands. Not only does an eagle not need you to teach it to fly, the eagle can fly far higher and faster than you can. Compare the saying that you saw in an earlier post: Ἰχθὺν νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις, "You're teaching a fish to swim."

Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος.

Nothing is sweeter than one's fatherland.

The word γλύκιον is comparative ("sweeter"), so it takes a genitive complement: πατρίδος. The words appear in Homer's Odyssey, and so echo on throughout Greek literature, quoted by later authors.

For example, here is a line from the Greek Anthology, with "said Odysseus" at the end: ὡς οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος, εἶπεν Ὀδυσσεύς. The complete line in the Odyssey includes parents also:

ὣς οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος οὐδὲ τοκήων

Here is the meter:

ὣς οὐ~δὲν γλύκι~ον ἧς ~ πατρίδος ~ οὐδὲ το~κήων

Διώκει ______ ποτανὸν ὄρνιν.

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Διώκει παῖς ποτανὸν ὄρνιν.

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Βελλεροφόντης τὰ ______.

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Βελλεροφόντης τὰ γράμματα.

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Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα ______.

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Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα σοφός.

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______ ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.

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Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς ______.

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Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος.

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And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverbs: September 15

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

______ ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον δραμεῖται.

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Ὗς ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον δραμεῖται.

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Τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι ______.

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Τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι φίλος.

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Τὸ ______ οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.

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Τὸ μέλλον οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.

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______ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.

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Ὄφιν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.

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Σίδηρον ______ διδάσκεις.

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Σίδηρον πλεῖν διδάσκεις.

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Ὗς ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον δραμεῖται.

The pig will run to the cudgel.

The saying refers to someone who foolishly rushes headlong into their own doom instead of running away from it.

Τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι φίλος.

One grasshopper is dear to another.

The words come from one of the idylls of Theocritus: τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι φίλος, μύρμακι δὲ μύρμαξ, / ἴρηκες δ᾿ ἴρηξιν, with the τέττιξ, grasshopper or cicada, the μύρμαξ, ant, and the hawks, ἴρηκες.

Τὸ μέλλον οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.

No one can escape what is coming.

The verb ἐκφύγοι is in the optative mood, expressing potential: people might wish to escape what is coming, but nobody can escape, οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι. The participial phrase τὸ μέλλον means "that which is coming," i.e. the future, fate, destiny, etc.

Ὄφιν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.

You're nursing a snake in your bosom.

This saying appears in Erasmus's Adagia. Compare the Aesop's fable about the man who found a frozen snake in the snow and warmed it, only to be bitten by the snake when it thawed: The Man and the Snake. You can see a more poetic restatement of this proverb, emphasizing that the snake is cold, in this post: Ψυχρὸν ἐν κόλπῳ ποικίλον εἶχες ὄφιν.

Σίδηρον πλεῖν διδάσκεις.

You're teaching iron to float.

This is another kind of fool's errand, the opposite of the previous proverb: iron is never going to float. At least, that's what the Greeks thought about iron. Later on, of course, iron did learn to float! You can read about the history of iron-hulled sailing ships at Wikipedia.

______ ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον δραμεῖται.

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Ὗς ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον δραμεῖται.

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Τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι ______.

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Τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι φίλος.

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Τὸ ______ οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.

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Τὸ μέλλον οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.

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______ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.

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Ὄφιν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.

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Σίδηρον ______ διδάσκεις.

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Σίδηρον πλεῖν διδάσκεις.

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And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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