Greek Proverbs

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):

Παθὼν δέ τε ______ ἔγνω.

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Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

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Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν ______.

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Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν λαγωῶν.

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______ θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.

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Ποταμὸς θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.

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Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ ______.

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Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ χρόνος.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ ______ ἔχεις.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις.

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Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

Even the fool learns by experience.

The words come from Hesiod's Works and Days. Compare Homer's Iliad: Ρεχθέν δε τε νήπιος έγνω. The word νήπιος can mean a child, someone young, but it can also mean childish, foolish, silly, etc., as in this saying. The idea here is that a more wise person might use reasoning instead without suffering "the school of hard knocks" as we say in English; that English saying even has its own Wikipedia article: School of Hard Knocks.

Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν λαγωῶν.

You are more cowardly than the rabbits.

There is an Aesop's fable about the proverbial cowardice of rabbits, but in the Aesop's fable, the rabbits are comforted by the fact that the frogs are even more scared than they are; here's that fable in Greek: Λαγωοὶ καὶ βάτραχοι.

Ποταμὸς θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.

A river is contending with the sea.

In other words, someone is pretending to be much greater than he is, as if any river could rival a sea. Erasmus cites a version in the second person: Ποταμὸς θαλάττῃ ἐρίζεις, "You, a river, are contending with the sea." The verb ἐρίζει is from the noun ἔρις, meaning "strife" or "contention." For the personified Goddess of Strife, see Wikipedia: Eris.

Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ χρόνος.

Time is a remedy for anger.

From Greek φάρμακον we get the English word pharmacy. This Greek word was also made famous in modern times thanks to its use by the French philosopher Derrida; see more at Wikipedia: Pharmakon.

Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις. 

You've got your feet outside of the mud.

This means you're in a good position, not likely to slip and slide into some kind of disaster. The word ἐκτός can be used as a preposition with the genitive, as here, and it can also be used as an adverb. You can see this root in English "ectoplasm." You can see Greek πούς in English "podium."

Παθὼν δέ τε ______ ἔγνω.

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Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

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Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν ______.

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Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν λαγωῶν.

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______ θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.

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Ποταμὸς θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.

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Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ ______.

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Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ χρόνος.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ ______ ἔχεις.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις.

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

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Greek Proverbs: September 1

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):

______ δ' ἀρετῆς ἀναίτιος.

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Τύχη δ' ἀρετῆς ἀναίτιος.

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Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε ______.

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Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου.

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Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι ______ οἶδα.

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Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα.

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______ νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἰχθὺν νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἐν ______ κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.

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Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.

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Τύχη δ' ἀρετῆς ἀναίτιος.

Luck (is) not the cause of excellence.

Literally: Luck is not-cause, ἀναίτιος, of excellence. Alpha-privative adjectives like ἀναίτιος do not have a distinctive feminine form. In other words: you don't achieve excellence just by being lucky; you have to work for it. You can read about the goddess of luck at Wikipedia: Tyche. 

Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου.

Give to each person who asks you.

The words come from the Gospel of Luke, and you can find out more at Wikipedia: Sermon on the Plain (not the same as Sermon on the Mount in Matthew).

Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα.

I know one (thing)  — that I know nothing.

This is the so-called "Socratic paradox." You can find out more at Wikipedia: I know that I know nothing. Both ἕν and οὐδὲν are being used substantively: one (thing) and not one (thing).

Ἰχθὺν νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

You're teaching a fish to swim.

This is a proverbial fool's errand: fish know how to swim already; you don't have to teach them. Compare a similar saying: Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις, "You're teaching an eagle to fly." From the root in the verb διδάσκω, we get English words like didactic, autodidact, etc.

Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι. 

To fight with dogs in a well.

This is used to refer to a quarrel or disagreement (μάχεσθαι) with disreputable, quarrelsome people (κυσὶ) in a situation from which you cannot extricate yourself (ἐν φρέατι). There a variation using a less well-known verb:  Ἐν φρέατι κυνομαχεῖν (κυνο-μαχέω, "fight with dogs").

______ δ' ἀρετῆς ἀναίτιος.

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Τύχη δ' ἀρετῆς ἀναίτιος.

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Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε ______.

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Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου.

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Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι ______ οἶδα.

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Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα.

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______ νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἰχθὺν νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἐν ______ κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.

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Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.

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

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Greek Proverbs: August 27

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):

Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ _____ ποιεῖς.

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Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς.

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_____ ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

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Ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

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Πάταξον μέν, _____ δέ.

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Πάταξον μέν, ἄκουσον δέ.

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Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ _____.

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Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ πολέμου.

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Μητὲ _____, μητὲ μελίσσας.

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Μητὲ μέλι, μητὲ μελίσσας.

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Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς.

You're making an elephant out of a fly.

Compare the English saying: "You're making a mountain out of a molehill." This Greek saying appears in Erasmus's Adagia.

Ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

Having ears, do you not hear?

The words come from the Gospel of Mark when Jesus is rebuking his disciples for their lack of understanding. He also invokes the eyes and sight: ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντες οὐ βλέπετε; καὶ ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε; "Having eyes, do you not see?"

Πάταξον μέν, ἄκουσον δέ.

Hit me, but listen!

The words are from Plutarch's Life of Themistocles. The situation is that Eurybiades is about to hit Themistocles with his staff while they are arguing about whether the navy should retreat or stay to fight the Persians; Themistocles wins the argument. You can read about the career of Themistocles at Wikipedia, and you can also read about Eurybiades.

Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ πολέμου.

War brings many strange things.

Bentley includes this Greek saying in his Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris, applying the saying quite wittily to the strange anachronistic contradictions he discovers in the process of debunking the letters and attributing them not to the 6th century B.C.E. but to the 2nd century C.E.

Μητὲ μέλι, μητὲ μελίσσας.

Neither the honey, nor the bees.

From the Greek μέλισσα we get the name Melissa. The words are adapted from the poet Sappho: Μήτ᾿ ἐμοὶ μέλι, μήτε μέλιττα, "for me neither the honey, nor the bee." For Sappho, no doubt, the sweetness and sting referred to the sweetness and sting of love. You can read about her at Wikipedia: Sappho.

Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ _____ ποιεῖς.

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Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς.

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_____ ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

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Ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

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Πάταξον μέν, _____ δέ.

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Πάταξον μέν, ἄκουσον δέ.

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Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ _____.

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Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ πολέμου.

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Μητὲ _____, μητὲ μελίσσας.

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Μητὲ μέλι, μητὲ μελίσσας.

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

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Greek Proverbs

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):

Κούφη _____ τοῦτον καλύπτοι.

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Κούφη γῆ τοῦτον καλύπτοι.

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Μία _____ ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

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Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

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Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ _____.

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Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ σκορπίος.

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Μήτε νεῖν, μήτε _____.

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Μήτε νεῖν, μήτε γράμματα.

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Κακοῦ κόρακος, _____ ᾠόν.

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Κακοῦ κόρακος, κακὸν ᾠόν.

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Κούφη γῆ τοῦτον καλύπτοι.

May the earth cover him lightly.

This is a Greek epitaph; the earth referred to here is the earth of the grave. The adjective κούφη can mean light in the sense of quick or nimble, and it can also mean light in the sense of easy, not heavy, which is the meaning here. The verb καλύπτοι is in the optative mood. You can see the Greek root καλύπτ- in the word apocalypse, which means "uncovering" in Greek, as in the title of the Book of Revelation in the Bible with its apocalyptic contents.

Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

One swallow does not make a spring.

Compare the English saying: "One swallow does not make a summer." Aristotle cites the Greek saying in his Nicomachean Ethics, and it also provides the subject of an Aesop's fable: The Young Man and the Swallow.

Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ σκορπίος.

Under every stone (there is) a scorpion.

So, you may want to "leave no stone unturned" (as the English saying advises), but this Greek proverb warns you to be careful when turning over stones: watch out for the scorpion underneath! As you can see, we get the word scorpion in English from the Greek σκορπίος.

Μήτε νεῖν μήτε γράμματα.

Not (knowing how) to swim nor (knowing) letters.

This saying refers to someone who is completely ignorant: they have no practical skills, such as swimming, and they cannot read or write. From the root of Greek γράμμα we get gram- words in English like grammar and telegram.

Κακοῦ κόρακος κακὸν ᾠόν.

Bad egg of a bad crow.

Compare the English saying, "A chip off the old block," but with negative connotations. At Wikipedia, you can read a funny anecdote about the rhetorician Corax of Syracuse, whose name Κόραξ means crow; when Corax and a student who refused to pay his tuition got involved in a lawsuit, the judge got so angry at both of them that he threw them out of court, proclaiming "Κακοῦ κόρακος κακὸν ᾠόν," with Corax being the bad crow, κακός κόραξ, and his pupil being the bad egg, κακὸν ᾠόν. In his Natural History, Aelian reports the proverb, claiming that crow-fathers were notorious for eating their offspring.

Κούφη _____ τοῦτον καλύπτοι.

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Κούφη γῆ τοῦτον καλύπτοι.

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Μία _____ ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

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Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

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Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ _____.

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Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ σκορπίος.

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Μήτε νεῖν, μήτε _____.

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Μήτε νεῖν, μήτε γράμματα.

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Κακοῦ κόρακος, _____ ᾠόν.

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Κακοῦ κόρακος, κακὸν ᾠόν.

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

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