Greek Reading: 97

Today's stories come from Analecta Graeca Minora by Andrew Dalzel (Sir Walter Scott's Greek teacher!), which is available at the Internet Archive. 

You'll find the stories below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Παῖς λουσάμενος

(another version)

Παῖς λουσάμενος ἐν ποτᾶμῷ ἐκινδύνευε πνιγῆναι καὶ ἰδών τινα παροδίτην, ἐπεφώνει, βοήθησον. Ὁ δὲ ἐμέμφετο τῷ παιδὶ τὸ τόλμημα. Τὸ  παιδίον εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ νῦν μοι βοήθησον, ὕστερον δὲ σωθέντι μέμφον.

Παῖς 

λουσάμενος ἐν ποτᾶμῷ 

ἐκινδύνευε πνιγῆναι 

καὶ ἰδών τινα παροδίτην, 

ἐπεφώνει, 

βοήθησον. 

Ὁ δὲ 

ἐμέμφετο τῷ παιδὶ 

τὸ τόλμημα. 

Τὸ παιδίον εἶπεν, 

ἀλλὰ νῦν μοι βοήθησον, 

ὕστερον δὲ σωθέντι μέμφον.

Παῖς  ...  A boy

λουσάμενος ἐν ποτᾶμῷ  ...  bathing in the river 

ἐκινδύνευε πνιγῆναι  ...  was in danger of drowning 

καὶ ἰδών  ...  and when he saw

τινα παροδίτην  ...  a passer-by

ἐπεφώνει  ...  he shouted to him:

βοήθησον  ...  Help!

Ὁ δὲ  ...  But the passer-by 

ἐμέμφετο τῷ παιδὶ  ...  rebuked the boy

τὸ τόλμημα  ...  for his recklessness.

Τὸ παιδίον εἶπεν  ...  And the little boy said, 

ἀλλὰ νῦν μοι βοήθησον  ...  Just help me now,

ὕστερον δὲ μέμφον  ...  and then criticize me

σωθέντι  ...  once I'm safe.

(illustration by Tenniel)

βουκόλος

(another version)

βουκόλος ἀγέλην ταύρων βόσκων ἀπώλεσε μόσχον. Περιελθὼν δὲ πᾶσαν τὴν ἔρημον διέτριβεν ἐρευνῶν. Ὡς δὲ οὐδὲν εὑρεῖν ἠδυνήθη, ηὔξατο τῷ Διί, ἂν τὸν λαβόντα μόσχον κλέπτην ὑποδείξῃ, ἔριφον εἰς θυσίαν προσάξειν. Καὶ δὴ ἐρχόμενος εἴς τινα δρυμῶνα εὑρίσκει λέοντα κατεσθίοντα τὸν μόσχον. Ἔμφοβος οὖν γενόμενος καὶ μέγα δειλιάσας, ἐπάρας τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, εἶπεν· Ὦ δέσποτα Ζεῦ, ἐπηγγειλάμην σοι ἔριφον δώσειν, ἐὰν τὸν κλέπτην εὕρω· νῦν δὲ ταῦρον σοι θύσειν ὑπισχνοῦμαι, ἐὰν τούτου τὰς χεῖρας ἐκφύγω.

βουκόλος 

ἀγέλην ταύρων βόσκων 

ἀπώλεσε μόσχον. 

Περιελθὼν δὲ 

πᾶσαν τὴν ἔρημον 

διέτριβεν ἐρευνῶν. 

Ὡς δὲ οὐδὲν εὑρεῖν ἠδυνήθη, 

ηὔξατο τῷ Διί, 

ἂν ὑποδείξῃ

τὸν λαβόντα μόσχον κλέπτην, 

ἔριφον εἰς θυσίαν προσάξειν. 

Καὶ δὴ ἐρχόμενος 

εἴς τινα δρυμῶνα 

εὑρίσκει λέοντα 

κατεσθίοντα τὸν μόσχον. 

Ἔμφοβος οὖν γενόμενος 

καὶ μέγα δειλιάσας, 

ἐπάρας τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ 

εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, 

εἶπεν· 

Ὦ δέσποτα Ζεῦ, 

ἐπηγγειλάμην σοι ἔριφον δώσειν, 

ἐὰν τὸν κλέπτην εὕρω· 

νῦν δὲ ταῦρον σοι θύσειν ὑπισχνοῦμαι, 

ἐὰν τούτου τὰς χεῖρας ἐκφύγω.

βουκόλος  ...  A cow-herd 

ἀγέλην ταύρων βόσκων  ...  tending a herd of cattle  

ἀπώλεσε μόσχον  ...  lost a calf. 

Περιελθὼν δὲ  ...  He went around

πᾶσαν τὴν ἔρημον  ...  all over the wilderness  

διέτριβεν ἐρευνῶν  ...  busying himself in the search.

Ὡς δὲ ἠδυνήθη  ...  And as he was not able 

οὐδὲν εὑρεῖν  ...  to find anything, 

ηὔξατο τῷ Διί  ...  he vowed to Zeus, 

ἂν ὑποδείξῃ  ...  that if he would show him

τὸν κλέπτην  ...  the thief

τὸν λαβόντα μόσχον  ...  who had taken the calf, 

ἔριφον προσάξειν  ...  he'd offer a kid

εἰς θυσίαν  ...  in sacrifice. 

Καὶ δὴ ἐρχόμενος  ...  And then, coming

εἴς τινα δρυμῶνα  ...  to a thicket,

εὑρίσκει λέοντα  ...  he finds a lion

κατεσθίοντα τὸν μόσχον  ...  eating the calf. 

Ἔμφοβος οὖν γενόμενος  ...  Struck by fear 

καὶ μέγα δειλιάσας  ...  and thoroughly terrified,

ἐπάρας τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ  ...  he lifted up his hands

εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν  ...  to heaven

εἶπεν  ...  and said, 

Ὦ δέσποτα Ζεῦ  ...  O Lord Zeus, 

ἐπηγγειλάμην  ...  I promised 

σοι ἔριφον δώσειν  ...  to give you a kid, 

ἐὰν τὸν κλέπτην εὕρω  ...  if I found the thief, 

νῦν δὲ ὑπισχνοῦμαι  ...  and now I swear

ταῦρον σοι θύσειν  ...  to sacrifice a bull to you

ἐὰν ἐκφύγω  ...  if I escape

τούτου τὰς χεῖρας  ...  his clutches.

(illustration by Bewick)

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

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Greek Animal Vocabulary: Sept. 2

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 191. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

κύκνειος ~ κυκνείου (adj. masc.): of a swan 

ὄϊς ~ ὄϊος (noun c.): sheep 

κύων ~ κυνὸς (noun c.): dog 

αἴξ ~ αἰγός (noun c.): goat 

κάμηλος ~ καμήλου (noun c.): camel 

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

Κύκνειον ᾆσμα.

Τῷ λύκῳ τὴν ὄϊν.

Ἐν φρέατι κυνομαχεῖν.

Ἀτενὲς ὁρᾷς ὥσπερ ἡ αἲξ τὴν θάλασσαν.

Κάμηλος καὶ ψωριῶσα πολλῶν ὄνων ἀνατίθεται φορτία.

And now, some commentary:

Κύκνειον ᾆσμα.

A swan song.

You've seen another version of this saying in a previous post: Κύκνειον μέλος. The legend of the song that the swan (supposedly) sings just before it dies, having spent the rest of its life in silence, has its own article at Wikipedia: Swan song. The word ᾆσμα is from the verb ἀείδω, "sing," while μέλος has a more general meaning: it is a "part" or "limb" of a larger whole, and then comes to mean specifically a "tune" or "song."

Τῷ λύκῳ τὴν ὄϊν.

(Entrusting) the sheep to the wolf.

Of course this is not a good idea! Compare the English saying, "Setting the fox to guard the henhouse." For more Greek and Latin parallels, see Erasmus.

Ἐν φρέατι κυνομαχεῖν.

To fight with dogs in a well.

This is definitely something you want to avoid! A dog-fight is bad enough, but it is even more violent and dangerous if it is happening in a confined space like a well. You can also read more about this Greek saying in Erasmus.

Ἀτενὲς ὁρᾷς ὥσπερ ἡ αἲξ τὴν θάλασσαν.

You are gazing intently like the goat at the sea.

You've seen an abbreviated version of this saying in a previous post: Αἲξ θάλασσαν. The idea is that the goat is amazed by the sea, and looks at it with fascination because it is something entirely new. Goats live in mountains and valleys; they do not often get to see the sea, so the saying is used to refer to someone who is staring in amazement at something they have not seen before.

Κάμηλος καὶ ψωριῶσα πολλῶν ὄνων ἀνατίθεται φορτία.

A camel, even a mangy one, can bear the loads of many donkeys.

The idea is that someone who is superior can still continue to excel even when they are not in top condition. Of course a camel can carry more than multiple donkeys, and that is still true even when the camel is mangy: καὶ ψωριῶσα (the καὶ is adverbial).

camel mosaic

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

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Greek Reading: 96

Today's stories come from Colson's Stories and Legends: A First Greek Reader which is available at the Internet Archive. These are the last two stories from Colson; I have included a lot of stories from Colson because his book, unlike many of the others, contains original texts, not just copies of Chambry, etc.

You'll find the stories below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Σαλπιγκτής

στρατιῶταί τινες νικήσαντες τοὺς πολεμίους σαλπιγκτὴν ἔλαβον. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔμελλον ἀποκτείνειν, εἶπεν, ὦ ἄνδρες, μὴ τοῦτο ποιήσητε. ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐδένα ὑμῶν ἀπἔκτεινα. ὁρᾶτε δὲ ὅτι οὐδὲν ὅπλον ἔχω, πλὴν ταύτης τῆς σάλπιγγος. οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες εἶπον, διὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἔτι μᾶλλον δίκαιος εἶ ἀποθανεῖν, ὅτι σὺ μὲν αὐτὸς οὐ πολεμεῖς, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ἐς μαχὴν ἐγείρεις.

στρατιῶταί τινες 

νικήσαντες τοὺς πολεμίους 

σαλπιγκτὴν ἔλαβον. 

ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔμελλον ἀποκτείνειν, 

εἶπεν, 

ὦ ἄνδρες, μὴ τοῦτο ποιήσητε. 

ἐγὼ γὰρ 

οὐδένα ὑμῶν ἀπἔκτεινα. 

ὁρᾶτε δὲ 

ὅτι οὐδὲν ὅπλον ἔχω, 

πλὴν ταύτης τῆς σάλπιγγος.

οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες εἶπον, 

διὰ δὲ τοῦτο 

ἔτι μᾶλλον δίκαιος εἶ ἀποθανεῖν, 

ὅτι σὺ μὲν αὐτὸς 

οὐ πολεμεῖς, 

τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους 

ἐς μαχὴν ἐγείρεις.

στρατιῶταί τινες  ...  Some soldiers

νικήσαντες τοὺς πολεμίους  ...  conquered the enemy 

σαλπιγκτὴν ἔλαβον  ...  and seized their trumpeter. 

ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔμελλον ἀποκτείνειν  ...  When they were about to kill him

εἶπεν  ...  he said, 

ὦ ἄνδρες  ...  O men, 

μὴ τοῦτο ποιήσητε  ...  you should not do this. 

ἐγὼ γὰρ  ...  For I 

οὐδένα ὑμῶν ἀπἔκτεινα  ...  killed not one of you. 

ὁρᾶτε δὲ ὅτι ...  And you see that

οὐδὲν ὅπλον ἔχω  ...  I have no weapons, 

πλὴν ταύτης τῆς σάλπιγγος  ...  only this trumpet.

οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες εἶπον  ...  The men said, 

διὰ δὲ τοῦτο  ...  "That is why 

ἔτι μᾶλλον δίκαιος εἶ  ...  you are all the more deserving 

ἀποθανεῖν  ...  of death, 

ὅτι σὺ μὲν αὐτὸς  ...  because you yourself 

οὐ πολεμεῖς  ...  did not engage in battle, 

ἐγείρεις δὲ τοὺς ἄλλους  ...  but you roused the others 

ἐς μαχὴν  ...  to fight.

illustration by Walter Crane

Κατὰ τὸν Νεῖλον

λόγος τίς ἐστιν, ὡς ἄνθρωπος φόνον ποιήσας ἐδιώκετο. γενόμενος δὲ κατὰ τὸν Νεῖλον, λέοντα ὁρᾷ. φοβηθεὶς δὲ ἀναβαίνει ἐς δένδρον. ἐν δὲ τῷ δένδρῳ εὑρίσκει δράκοντα. καὶ πάλιν αὖ τοῦτον φοβηθείς, ῥίπτει ἑαυτὸν ἐς τὸν ποταμόν. ἐν δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ ὄντα κροκόδειλος κατεσθίει. τοὺς γὰρ φονέας καὶ ἡ γῆ καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἀποστυγοῦσι.

λόγος τίς ἐστιν, 

ὡς ἄνθρωπος 

φόνον ποιήσας 

ἐδιώκετο. 

γενόμενος δὲ 

κατὰ τὸν Νεῖλον, 

λέοντα ὁρᾷ. 

φοβηθεὶς δὲ 

ἀναβαίνει ἐς δένδρον. 

ἐν δὲ τῷ δένδρῳ 

εὑρίσκει δράκοντα. 

καὶ πάλιν αὖ 

τοῦτον φοβηθείς, 

ῥίπτει ἑαυτὸν 

ἐς τὸν ποταμόν. 

ἐν δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ ὄντα 

κροκόδειλος κατεσθίει. 

τοὺς γὰρ φονέας 

καὶ ἡ γῆ καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ 

ἀποστυγοῦσι.

λόγος τίς ἐστιν  ...  There is a story 

ὡς ἄνθρωπος  ...  that a man

φόνον ποιήσας  ...  had committed murder

ἐδιώκετο  ...  and was being pursued.

γενόμενος δὲ  ...  When he reaches 

κατὰ τὸν Νεῖλον  ...  the Nile river, 

λέοντα ὁρᾷ  ...  he sees a lion. 

φοβηθεὶς δὲ  ...  Terrified, 

ἀναβαίνει ἐς δένδρον  ...  he climbs a tree. 

ἐν δὲ τῷ δένδρῳ  ...  In the tree 

εὑρίσκει δράκοντα  ...  he discovers a dragon. 

καὶ πάλιν αὖ  ...  And once again, 

τοῦτον φοβηθείς  ...  terrified at this, 

ῥίπτει ἑαυτὸν  ...  he throws himself 

ἐς τὸν ποταμόν  ...  into the river. 

ἐν δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ ὄντα  ...  When he is in the river, 

κροκόδειλος κατεσθίει  ...  a crocodile eats him. 

καὶ ἡ γῆ καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ  ...  Earth, Air, and Water 

ἀποστυγοῦσι τοὺς φονέας  ...  abhor murderers.  

crocodile mosaic from Flickr

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

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Greek Animal Vocabulary: August 28

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 190. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion ("egg" is not exactly an animal, but it is animal-related!):

λύκος ~ λύκου (noun m.): wolf 

ᾠόν ~ ᾠοῦ (noun n.): egg 

κόραξ ~ κόρακος (noun m.): crow 

ὄνος ~ ὄνου (noun m.): donkey 

γλαύξ ~ γλαυκός (noun f.): owl 

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

Λύκων φιλία.

ᾨὸν τίλλεις.

Κόραξ ὑδρεύει.

Ὄνου παρακύψεως.

Τίς γλαῦκ' Ἀθήναζ' ἤγαγεν;

And now, some commentary:

Λύκων φιλία.

The friendship of wolves.

This is not much of a friendship, since wolves have no loyalty whatsoever. You can also find this idea expressed as a single word: λυκοφιλία.

ᾨὸν τίλλεις.

You're plucking an egg.

In other words: you are wasting your time! Unlike a bird, which can be plucked, a bird's egg is completely smooth; there is nothing to pluck. This is another proverbial adynaton (impossibility).

Κόραξ ὑδρεύει.

The crow is drawing water.

This saying alludes to an anecdote told about a crow drinking from a bucket or vase of water by using stones to raise the level of the water. It also appears as an Aesop's fable: The Crow and the Pitcher. Actual crows have done this in modern experiments! You can see a video here: Clever crow uses physics to get its food.

Ἐξ ὄνου παρακύψεως.

Because of a donkey's peeking.

This is a proverb about how a tiny action can lead to disastrous consequences, and it can also be used to refer to a frivolous lawsuit. The proverb is based on a story about a donkey who out of curiosity stuck his nose into the window of a shop; this scared some birds in the shop, and, in their frenzy, the birds then broke all the clay pots in the shop. The owner of the shop then took the donkey's owner to court on a charge of "the donkey's peeping."

Τίς γλαῦκ' Ἀθήναζ' ἤγαγεν;

Who brought an owl to Athens?

This line comes from Aristophanes's Birds. The motif of "owls to Athens" is like the British equivalent of "coals to Newcastle." There's no reason to bring an owl to Athens because Athens is full of owls, both because of owls being the bird of Athena, and also because of the owls that appear on Athenian coins.

Athenian coin, 5th century B.C.E.

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

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