Aesopic Proverbs: Oct. 14

Here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 197. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

κάλλος ~ κάλλους (noun n.): beauty 

ὁρίζω ~ ὁριέω ~ ὥρισα (verb): define, divide 

χείρ ~ χειρός (noun f.): hand 

ἐργάζομαι ~ ἐργάσομαι ~ εἰργασάμην (verb): work at, make 

ἰατρός ~ ἰατροῦ (noun m.): physician 

These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Κάλλος οἶκον οὐ τρέφει.

Λύκος γηράσας νόμους ὁρίζει.

Σὺν θεῷ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας κίνει.

Καλὸν ἀργεῖν ἢ κακῶς ἐργάζεσθαι.

Ἰατρῷ καὶ νομικῷ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγε.

And now, some commentary:

Κάλλος οἶκον οὐ τρέφει.

Beauty does not nourish the household.

The noun κάλλος, "beauty," stands here for the beautiful woman: someone might have married for beauty, but this proverb advocates for wives with skills needed to take care of the household.

Λύκος γηράσας νόμους ὁρίζει.

The wolf, when he grows old, lays down the lay.

In his youth, of course, the wolf was a lawbreaker, but in his old age, he hypocritically endorses laws that he himself never obeyed. Compare the medieval proverbs and sayings about the wolf who grows pious in his old age, even sometimes becoming a monk.

Σὺν θεῷ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας κίνει.

With god, move your hands too.

You've seen a different version of this saying that invokes Athena, alluding to the Aesop's fable about the drowning Athenian (details in the previous post): Σὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρας κίνει. Compare the English saying, "God helps them that help themselves."

Καλὸν ἀργεῖν ἢ κακῶς ἐργάζεσθαι.

Doing a good job of being lazy rather than doing a bad job of working.

This is a nice little paradoxical proverb, while it also resembles the principle of "First, do no harm." In other words: better to do nothing than to do something harmful. The verb ἀργεῖν has the ἐργ- root, with an alpha-privative prefix: ἀ-εργεῖν.

Ἰατρῷ καὶ νομικῷ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγε.

Tell the truth to your doctor and your lawyer.

The idea, of course, is that you can say whatever you want to everybody else! There are quite a few modern variations on this ancient saying; the most common seems to be: "You should never lie to three people: your doctor, your lawyer and your accountant." Of course, without the IRS back in the day, you didn't need an accountant as many people do today. You can find other modern variations as well, with "yourself," or "your mother," or "your therapist" in place of the accountant. Just Google and see!

3rd century BCE "wolf" coin from Argos

And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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Aesopic Proverbs: October 11

Here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 196. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἐάν (conj.):   if, if perhaps 

ἐσθίω ~ φάγομαι ~ ἔφαγον (verb): eat, devour 

Ἑρμῆς ~ Ἑρμοῦ (noun m.):  Hermes 

βάλλω ~ βαλέω ~ ἔβαλον (verb): throw, cast 

οὐδαμῶς (adverb): in no way 

These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Κοχλίας, ἐὰν ὀπτηθῇ, τρύζει.

Φαγέτω με λέων καὶ μὴ ἀλωπηξ.

Ζητῶν Ἑρμῆν γλύψαι, Κέρκωπα ἐγλυψα.

῾Ο πέπερι ἔχων καὶ εἰς φακὸν βάλλει.

῎Οφις τὸ δέρμα ἀποδύεται, τὴν γνώμην δὲ οὐδαμῶς.

And now, some commentary:

Κοχλίας, ἐὰν ὀπτηθῇ, τρύζει.

A snail, if roasted, mutters.

The idea is that snails are normally unprotesting creatures who never make a sound, but in extreme circumstances they will mutter in protest. So too with a human being who is normally unprotesting: if you push them hard enough, they will eventually complain. Compare the Aesop's fable where a boy mocks the snails as he cooks them.

Φαγέτω με λέων καὶ μὴ ἀλωπηξ.

Let a lion eat me, and not a fox.

Lions and foxes are two of the most prominent characters in Aesop's fables. The idea here is that it would be better to fall victim to a valiant opponent (the lion) as opposed to being tricked by somone sneaky (the fox). The form φαγέτω is a third-person aorist imperative.

Ζητῶν Ἑρμῆν γλύψαι, Κέρκωπα ἐγλυψα.

Seeking to carve a Hermes, I carved a Kerkops.

The Kercopes were mythological mischief-makers; you can read about their antics at Wikipedia: Cercopes. The Cercopes were also associated with monkeys (Ovid tells the story of Zeus turning the Cercopes into monkeys), which is probably the idea here: instead of a god, I ended up with a monkey.

῾Ο πέπερι ἔχων καὶ εἰς φακὸν βάλλει.

Someone who has pepper can put it on his lentils.

Pepper was a rarity, not something you would squander on a food as common as lentils. For another lentil saying in the Aesopic proverbs, see the previous post: Κἂν εὐτυχήσας τῆς φακῆς μνημόνευε.

῎Οφις τὸ δέρμα ἀποδύεται, τὴν γνώμην δὲ οὐδαμῶς.

A snake sheds its skin, but its disposition not at all.

In Greek, there is a special word for the snake's shed skin, λεβηρίς, and you saw that word in an earlier post: Κενότερος λεβηρίδος.

Tempesta's illustration of Ovid's Metamorphoses:
Zeus turning the Cercopes into monkeys

And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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Aesopic Proverbs: Oct. 9

For the next couple of weeks, I'll be blogging about the proverbs attributed to Aesop (a reader of this blog is taking Ph.D. qualifying exams later this month, and the proverbs of Aesop are on his reading list). I'm still focusing on proverbs that have at least one common vocabulary word, but I'm not trying to group the vocabulary items by type. Today, for example, you'll find a noun, a verb, an adverb, and two prepositions, all of which are in the most common 2000 Greek vocabulary words.

And now, here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 195. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἀεὶ (adverb): always 

ἐκ (prep.+ gen.): out from, out of  

ἐγγύς (prep.+ gen.): next to, near 

πηγή ~ πηγῆς (noun f.): stream, source 

μνημονεύω ~ μνημονεύσω ~ ἐμνημόνευσα (verb): remember 

These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι καλά.

Ἐξ ἄμμου σχοινίον πλέκειν.

Ὁ ἐγγὺς Διός, ἐγγὺς κεραυνοῦ.

Πηγῆς ἐξ ἦς οὐ πίνω ξηρανθείη.

Κἂν εὐτυχήσας τῆς φακῆς μνημόνευε.

And now, some commentary:

Ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι καλά.

The things of the past (were) always good.

You've seen a similar saying in an earlier blog post, using the comparative form: Ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι βελτίω. Compare the English saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Their absence in time and distance from the present is what makes the things of the past good; it's nostalgic hindsight.

Ἐξ ἄμμου σχοινίον πλέκεις.

You're weaving a rope from sand.

This is a proverbial fool's errand, because of course you cannot weave a rope from sand and expect it to do what a rope is supposed to do. This same proverbial idea is found in English and in other languages too.

Ὁ ἐγγὺς Διός, ἐγγὺς κεραυνοῦ.

He who is near Zeus is near his thunderbolt.

In other words, by consorting with those who are powerful, you are exposing yourself to danger. This saying is a warning about the dangers of being close to those in power, and there is a similar saying that advocates keeping your distance: Πόρρω Διός τε καὶ κεραυνοῦ, "Far from Zeus and from his thunderbolt."

Πηγῆς ἐξ ἦς οὐ πίνω ξηρανθείη.

May the stream from which I do not drink dry up.

These are the words of someone who is resentful of others' prosperity: if wealth is not going to be shared so that I too can be wealthy (if I cannot drink from the stream myself), then I don't want anyone to enjoy that wealth (may the stream dry up!).

Κἂν εὐτυχήσας τῆς φακῆς μνημόνευε.

If you become wealthy, remember eating lentils.

Lentil stew is the proverbial food of the poor, so the idea is that if someone becomes rich, they should not forget their humble origins. As always, verbs of remembering take a genitive complement: φακῆς μνημόνευε.

Zeus and his thunderbolt

And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Reading: 103

**I'll be away for the coming week, but will be back on October 9 with more proverbs.**

Here's the conclusion of the story of Hermes and the woodcutter; the first part is here. This comes from Analecta Graeca Minora by Andrew Dalzel, which is available at the Internet Archive. You'll find the story below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English, broken up into two pieces this time; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page. 

Ξυλευόμενός καὶ Ἑρμῆς (β)

Παραγενόμενος οὖν πρὸς τοὺς ἑταίρους αὐτοῦ, διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς τὰ συμβάντα αὐτῷ. Εἷς δέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν τοῦτον ἐπιφθονήσας ἐβουλήθη καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ ἴσον παραγενόμενος ἐκεῖσε διαπράξασθαι. Διόπερ ἀναλαβὼν πέλεκυν, παρεγένετο ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν ξυλευσόμενος, καὶ ἐπιτηδείως τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀξίνην ῥίψας ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ, ἐκαθέζετο κλαίων. Αὐτίκα οὖν τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ ἐπιφανέντος καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν θρήνων πυνθανομένου, ἔφη ὅτι πέλεκυν ἀπώλεσα ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ· ὅπερ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἑρμῆς, καταβὰς χρυσοῦν πέλεκυν ἀνήγαγε. Καὶ δὴ φήσαντος αὐτοῦ εἰ τοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν, ἔφη μετὰ χαρᾶς· « Ναὶ ἀληθῶς οὗτός ἐστιν. » Ἰδὼν οὖν ἐκεῖνος τὴν ἀναίδειαν καὶ τὸ ψεῦσμα αὐτοῦ, οὐ μόνον τοῦτον οὐκ ἐδωρήσατο αὐτῷ, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ τὸν ἴδιον ἀπέδωκε πέλεκυν.

Παραγενόμενος οὖν 

πρὸς τοὺς ἑταίρους αὐτοῦ, 

διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς 

τὰ συμβάντα αὐτῷ. 

Εἷς δέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν 

τοῦτον ἐπιφθονήσας 

ἐβουλήθη καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ ἴσον 

παραγενόμενος ἐκεῖσε 

διαπράξασθαι. 

Διόπερ 

ἀναλαβὼν πέλεκυν, 

παρεγένετο ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν 

ξυλευσόμενος, 

καὶ ἐπιτηδείως 

τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀξίνην ῥίψας 

ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ, 

ἐκαθέζετο κλαίων. 

Παραγενόμενος οὖν  ...  So the woodcutter went 

πρὸς τοὺς ἑταίρους αὐτοῦ  ...  to his companions

διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς  ...  and told them

τὰ συμβάντα αὐτῷ  ...  what had happened to him.

Εἷς δέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν  ...  One of them 

τοῦτον ἐπιφθονήσας  ...  was jealous of him 

ἐβουλήθη καὶ αὐτὸς  ...  and he also wanted 

παραγενόμενος ἐκεῖσε  ...  to go there

τὸ ἴσον διαπράξασθαι ...  and do the same thing. 

Διόπερ  ...  Accordingly 

ἀναλαβὼν πέλεκυν  ...  he picked up his axe, 

παρεγένετο  ...  and went 

ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν  ...  to the same river, 

ξυλευσόμενος  ...  to cut wood, 

καὶ ἐπιτηδείως  ...  and on purpose

τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀξίνην ῥίψας  ...  he hurled his axe 

ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ  ...  in the river

ἐκαθέζετο κλαίων  ...  and sat down, weeping. 

Αὐτίκα οὖν 

τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ ἐπιφανέντος 

καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν θρήνων 

πυνθανομένου, 

ἔφη ὅτι 

πέλεκυν ἀπώλεσα 

ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ· 

ὅπερ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἑρμῆς, 

καταβὰς 

χρυσοῦν πέλεκυν ἀνήγαγε. 

Καὶ δὴ φήσαντος αὐτοῦ 

εἰ τοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν, 

ἔφη μετὰ χαρᾶς· 

Ναὶ ἀληθῶς οὗτός ἐστιν. 

Ἰδὼν οὖν ἐκεῖνος 

τὴν ἀναίδειαν καὶ τὸ ψεῦσμα αὐτοῦ, 

οὐ μόνον 

τοῦτον οὐκ ἐδωρήσατο αὐτῷ, 

ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ τὸν ἴδιον ἀπέδωκε πέλεκυν.

Αὐτίκα οὖν  ...  Immediately 

τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ ἐπιφανέντος  ...  Hermes appeared 

καὶ πυνθανομένου  ...  and asked

τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν θρήνων  ...  the reason for his grief,

ἔφη ὅτι  ...  and he said,

πέλεκυν ἀπώλεσα  ...  I love my axe 

ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ  ...  in the river.

ὅπερ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἑρμῆς  ...  When Hermes heard this

καταβὰς  ...  he plunged down 

χρυσοῦν πέλεκυν ἀνήγαγε  ...  and brought up a golden axe. 

Καὶ δὴ φήσαντος αὐτοῦ  ...  ANd when he asked him  

εἰ τοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν  ...  if he had lost that axe

ἔφη μετὰ χαρᾶς  ...  the man joyfully said:

Ναὶ ἀληθῶς οὗτός ἐστιν  ...  Yes, truly, that's it!

Ἰδὼν οὖν ἐκεῖνος  ...  When Hermes saw  

τὴν ἀναίδειαν  ...  the man's shamelessness 

καὶ τὸ ψεῦσμα αὐτοῦ  ...  and deceit, 

οὐ μόνον  ...  not only

οὐκ ἐδωρήσατο αὐτῷ  ...  did he not give him

τοῦτον  ...  the golden axe,

ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ ἀπέδωκε  ...  but he also refused to return

τὸν ἴδιον πέλεκυν  ...  the man's own axe.

Bewick's Aesop

And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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