Greek Proverbs: March 19

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Πᾶσιν ἁρμόζου.

Accommodate yourself to everyone/everything.

This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. Note the middle/passive imperative: ἁρμόζου. The Greek word has a wonderfully wide range of metaphorical uses which you can see in the LSJ dictionary entry.

Ἰατρὸς νόσου ὁ ὕπνος.

Sleep is the doctor of sickness.

In other words: get some sleep — you'll feel better! The words are adapted from a fragment of Sophocles. From root of the Greek word ἰατρός, we get a variety of English compound words formed with -iatric: pediatric, geriatric, etc. Compare a similar saying you saw earlier at this blog: Ὕπνος δὲ πάσης ἐστὶν ὑγιεία νόσου.

Ἐξ ὄνυχος τὸν λέοντα.

By the claw (you know) the lion.

The idea is that you can recognize someone by a specific trait or feature, although it might be very small; a lion is very big, but his claw is very small. Plus lions, like other cats, often keep their claws hidden... you might not recognize the lion until it is too late!

Τὸ φῶς ἡλίῳ δανείζεις.

You're loaning light to the sun.

This is another proverb about acting both foolishly and presumptuously: the sun doesn't need any light from you! From Greek φωτο- we get a huge number of English photo- words, and from ἥλιος we get English helium and also heliotrope. For more about the sun god Ἥλιος, see Wikipedia: Helios.

Φίλοις βοήθει.

Help your friends.

This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. Notice that the verb βοηθέω takes a dative complement: φίλοις.

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

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Greek Proverbs: March 17

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Χαῖρε, φίλον φῶς.

Farewell, dear light.

This saying was used when extinguishing a lamp or candle. 

As Erasmus explains, these words could be used in all seriousness, as when a character in a tragedy is about to die, but the words could also be used in more risque contexts; for example, he relates a story for teaching purposes (docendi causa) about an old woman who is about to have sex, and who thus speaks to the candle before she puts it out so that her lover will not see her wrinkles.

Ἰλιὰς κακῶν.

An Iliad of evils.

As Erasmus explains, this refers to a series of disasters and calamities, alluding to the disasters and calamities that befell Troy in their war with the Greeks as narrated in Homer's Iliad. The word κακῶν is the neuter adjective being used substantively: An Iliad of evil (things). The word Ἰλιὰς (genitive Ῑ̓λῐᾰ́δος, hence English Iliad) is formed from Ἴλιον, Ilium, i.e. Troy. The Homeric evidence suggests that this name began with a digamma: *Ϝίλιον. You can find out more about the Greek digamma at Wikipedia.

Τέχνῃ χρῶ.

Use your skill.

The word χρῶ is a middle imperative from the contract verb χράομαι, which takes a dative complement: τέχνῃ. This is one of the maxims Stobaeus attributes to the Seven Sages. The Greek root τέχν- gives us all the English tech- words. It is related to the word for weaving in Latin, texo (which gives us English words like textile and text).

Γόρδιος δεσμός.
The Gordian knot.
You can read about Alexander the Great and the "knot of Gordium" at Wikipedia: Gordian Knot. The word δεσμός refers to any kind of bond or tie, literal and metaphorical; it can also mean a binding spell or charm.

Ἄδύνατα θηρᾷς.

You're hunting things that are impossible.

The adjective ἀδύνατα is an alpha-privative form of δυνατά: im-possible; note also the change in stress. The Greek word appears in English rhetorical terminology as adynaton, meaning a hyperbole so extreme as to be impossible. See Wikipedia: Adynaton for examples.

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

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Greek Proverbs: March 14

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Δόξαν δίωκε.

Pursue glory.

This is one of the maxims attributed to the Seven Sages as recorded by Stobaeus. The word δόξα has a wide range of meaning in Greek; the specific meaning of "glory" became important for Christianity, as in English doxology.

Ἔριν μίσει.

Hate strife.

Don't let μίσει fool you: that's the imperative form of an -εω contract verb! From the Greek root  μίσ- we get English words like misanthrope and misogyny. Meanwhile, for more about strife personified as a goddess, Ἔρις, see Wikipedia: Eris.

Πάντα λίθον κινεῖν.

To move every stone.

Compare the English saying "to leave no stone unturned." The historian Joannes Zonaras marks this as a proverbial expression: πάντα λίθον κινῶν, τὸ τῆς παροιμίας (παροιμία = proverb), as does Nicephorus Gregoras, πάντα λίθον κινῶν, τὸ τοῦ λόγου. From the λίθ- root, we get words like lithography and neolithic in English.

Εὔχου δυνατά.

Pray for things that are possible.

The verb εὔχου is a middle imperative from the deponent verb εὔχομαι; like many middle verbs it can still take a direct object: δυνατά, an adjective being used here as a noun, "possible (things)." This is one of the maxims attributed by Stobaeus to the Seven Sages.

Κάθαμμα λύειν.

To loosen the knot.

As Erasmus explains, this is a reference to the legend of the Gordian knot, which you can read about also at Wikipedia. Alexander the Great famously cut the knot with his sword rather than figuring out how to untie it (see below). Compare this saying from an earlier blog post (in fact, the very first Greek proverb post at this blog!): Γόρδιος δεσμός.

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

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Greek Proverbs: March 10

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Κοινὰ τὰ φίλων.

Friends have things in common.

Literally, the things of friends are common; in other words, "what's mine is yours, and what's yours in mine." This is the very first item in Erasmus's adages. Erasmus cites a wide variety of Greek sources for this popular saying, including Euripides' Orestes; the saying appears in a conversation between Orestes and his dear friend Pylades. The adjective φίλος is being used substantively, as a noun: "friend." From this same root in Greek we get all the phil- words in English.

Βοιώτιος νοῦς.

The mind of a Boeotian.

This proverbial saying referred to someone who was ignorant or stupid; such was the reputation of people from Boeotia, a region in central Greece. You could also find the sentiment expressed in this form: Ἡ Βοιωτία ὗς, a Boeotian pig. The Greek phrase lives on in French, where the insulting term béotien means someone who is a country bumpkin, unsophisticated (compare the English use of "philistine," lower-case p).

Ἡρακλῆς καὶ πίθηκος.

Heracles and an ape.

The saying is about things that cannot be compared, much like the English saying "apples and oranges." Lucian uses these words to denounce contemporary philosophers in The Fisherman, where he also includes the absurd comparison of a vulture to a nightingale (νῦν δὲ θᾶττον ἂν γὺψ ἀηδόνα μιμήσαιτο ἢ οὗτοι φιλοσόφους).

Πάθει μάθος.

Wisdom (is acquired) by means of suffering.

The words are spoken by the chorus in Aeschylus's Agamemnon, where the word μάθος is a poetic equivalent to μάθησις, "learning, the getting of knowledge, wisdom." The word πάθος (from the verb πάσχω) can simply mean "experience," but it can also have the negative connotation of "suffering." Given that the chorus then goes on to speak about πόνος, "hard work, toil," I opted for "suffering" in the English translation. In addition, Greek πάθος can also mean "emotion, passion," which is the sense it has taken on in the English word pathos, and also in compounds like sympathy and empathy. Compare a saying from an earlier blog post: Τα παθήματα μαθήματα.

Ὅσια κρῖνε.

Choose the things that are holy.

This is one of the Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. The verb κρίνω has a wide range of meaning; often it means "decide," but here, with a direct object, it means something more like "pick out, choose." Note also the circumflex accent for this imperative form: κρῖνε.

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

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