Today's fables are from Potts and Darnell's
Aditus Faciliores Graeci and from Colton's
Greek Reader, both of which have notes for the stories and a vocabulary in the back and are available at the Internet Archive. The joke is from Rushbrooke's
First Greek Reader, also at the Internet Archive, and with a dictionary in the back.
So, here are the stories in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.
Γερανοί ποτε κατενέμοντο τὴν χώραν γεωργοῦ τινὸς νεωστὶ ἐσπαρμένην. ὁ δὲ πολλῇ κραυγῇ καὶ βοῇ ἀπηλαυνεν αὐτούς. οἱ δὲ γέρανοι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπέφευγον φοβηθέντες, ὕστερον δὲ εἰθισμένοι κατεφρόνησαν τε αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἀπέφυγον. τότε δὲ ὁ γεωργὸς λίθους ἔβαλλεν. ὁ δὲ γεραίτατος τῶν γεράνων ἰδὼν ἔλεγεν, ἀποφεύγωμεν, φίλοι, οὗτος γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ οὐκέτι ἀπειλεῖ, ἀλλ' ἤδη πράσσειν τι ἄρχεται.
Γερανοί ποτε κατενέμοντο
τὴν χώραν γεωργοῦ τινὸς
νεωστὶ ἐσπαρμένην.
ὁ δὲ
πολλῇ κραυγῇ καὶ βοῇ
ἀπηλαυνεν αὐτούς.
οἱ δὲ γέρανοι
τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπέφευγον
φοβηθέντες,
ὕστερον δὲ
εἰθισμένοι
κατεφρόνησαν τε αὐτοῦ
καὶ οὐκ ἀπέφυγον.
τότε δὲ ὁ γεωργὸς
λίθους ἔβαλλεν.
ὁ δὲ γεραίτατος τῶν γεράνων
ἰδὼν ἔλεγεν,
ἀποφεύγωμεν, φίλοι,
οὗτος γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ
οὐκέτι ἀπειλεῖ,
ἀλλ' ἤδη
πράσσειν τι ἄρχεται.
Γερανοί ποτε κατενέμοντο ... Some cranes once grazed
τὴν χώραν γεωργοῦ τινὸς ... on a certain farmer's land
νεωστὶ ἐσπαρμένην ... which had recently been sown.
ὁ δὲ ... But he
πολλῇ κραυγῇ καὶ βοῇ ... with a loud shout and cry
ἀπηλαυνεν αὐτούς ... drove the cranes away.
οἱ δὲ γέρανοι ... And the cranes
τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπέφευγον ... fled at first,
φοβηθέντες ... being afraid,
ὕστερον δὲ ... but the next time,
εἰθισμένοι ... getting accustomed (to the shouting),
κατεφρόνησαν τε αὐτοῦ ... they scorned him,
καὶ οὐκ ἀπέφυγον ... and did not flee.
τότε δὲ ὁ γεωργὸς ... And then the farmer
λίθους ἔβαλλεν ... threw stones.
ὁ δὲ γεραίτατος τῶν γεράνων ... The eldest of the cranes
ἰδὼν ἔλεγεν ... saw this and said,
ἀποφεύγωμεν, φίλοι ... My friends, let us flee!
οὗτος γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ ... For this man
οὐκέτι ἀπειλεῖ ... is no longer just making threats,
ἀλλ' ἤδη ... but now
πράσσειν τι ἄρχεται ... he is starting to do something!
(another version of a story you have seen before
here and
here)
Ἄνθρωπός τις ἵππον εἶχε καὶ ὄνον· ἐπεφόρτισε δὲ πλείω τὴν ὄνον· ἥτις δὴ καὶ ὁδεύσασα μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ βάρους, πρὸς τὸν ἵππον ἐβόα· Λάβε ἀπὸ τοῦ βάρους, καὶ κούφισόν με ὀλίγον· οὐ γὰρ δύναμαι ταῦτα πάντα βαστάζειν· καὶ εἰ μὲν βούλει, ζήσομεν ἐν τῷ βίῳ· εἰ δὲ μὴ πεισθῇς μοι, ὄψει με τεθνηκυῖαν. Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐπείσθη ἐλεῆσαι τὴν ὄνον· καὶ παραχρῆμα θανοῦσα ἐπεπτώκει. Τοῦ δὲ κυρίου θέντος πάντα τῷ παναθλίῳ. Τί μοι συνέβη ἄρτι τῷ ταλαιπώρῳ; εἶτε· μὴ θελήσας γὰρ μικρὸν λαβεῖν ἐκ τοῦ βάρους, ἰδοὺ ἅπαντα βαστάζω σὺν τῷ δέρματι.
Ἄνθρωπός τις
ἵππον εἶχε καὶ ὄνον·
ἐπεφόρτισε δὲ τὴν ὄνον
πλείω·
ἥτις δὴ
καὶ ὁδεύσασα
μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ βάρους,
πρὸς τὸν ἵππον ἐβόα·
Λάβε ἀπὸ τοῦ βάρους,
καὶ κούφισόν με ὀλίγον·
οὐ γὰρ δύναμαι
ταῦτα πάντα βαστάζειν·
καὶ εἰ μὲν βούλει,
ζήσομεν ἐν τῷ βίῳ·
εἰ δὲ μὴ πεισθῇς μοι,
ὄψει με τεθνηκυῖαν.
Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐπείσθη
ἐλεῆσαι τὴν ὄνον·
καὶ παραχρῆμα θανοῦσα
ἐπεπτώκει.
Τοῦ δὲ κυρίου
θέντος πάντα
τῷ παναθλίῳ.
Τί μοι συνέβη
ἄρτι τῷ ταλαιπώρῳ;
εἶτε·
μὴ θελήσας γὰρ
μικρὸν λαβεῖν
ἐκ τοῦ βάρους,
ἰδοὺ
ἅπαντα βαστάζω
σὺν τῷ δέρματι.
Ἄνθρωπός τις ... A certain man
ἵππον εἶχε καὶ ὄνον ... had a horse and a she-donkey,
ἐπεφόρτισε δὲ τὴν ὄνον ... and he loaded the donkey
πλείω ... more heavily.
ἥτις δὴ καὶ ὁδεύσασα ... So indeed she traveled along
μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ βάρους ... with this great load,
πρὸς τὸν ἵππον ἐβόα ... and shouted at the horse:
Λάβε ἀπὸ τοῦ βάρους ... Take some of this load,
καὶ κούφισόν με ὀλίγον ... and alleviate me a little,
οὐ γὰρ δύναμαι ... for I am not able
ταῦτα πάντα βαστάζειν ... to carry all this,
καὶ εἰ μὲν βούλει ... and if you agree,
ζήσομεν ἐν τῷ βίῳ ... we'll live in this world,
εἰ δὲ μὴ πεισθῇς μοι ... but if you don't obey me,
ὄψει με τεθνηκυῖαν ... you'll see me dead.
Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐπείσθη ... But the horse was not persuaded
ἐλεῆσαι τὴν ὄνον ... to take pity on the donkey,
καὶ παραχρῆμα θανοῦσα ... and she soon died
ἐπεπτώκει ... and fell down.
Τοῦ δὲ κυρίου θέντος πάντα ... Their owner put everything
τῷ παναθλίῳ ... on that most wretched (horse),
εἶτε ... and the horse said:
Τί μοι συνέβη ... What has happened to me
ἄρτι τῷ ταλαιπώρῳ ... wretched as I am now?
μὴ θελήσας γὰρ ... For I did not want
μικρὸν λαβεῖν ἐκ τοῦ βάρους ... to take a little of the load,
ἰδοὺ ... and look:
ἅπαντα βαστάζω ... I am carrying everything
σὺν τῷ δέρματι ... along with the (donkey's) skin.
Σχολαστικός τις, ποταμὸν βουλόμενος περᾶν, ἐπέβη ἐπὶ τὸ πλοῖον ἐφ' ἵππου καθήμενος. πυθομένου δὲ τινος τὴν αἰτίαν, ἔφη, σπουδάζειν.
Σχολαστικός τις,
ποταμὸν βουλόμενος περᾶν,
ἐπέβη ἐπὶ τὸ πλοῖον
ἐφ' ἵππου καθήμενος.
πυθομένου δὲ τινος
τὴν αἰτίαν,
ἔφη,
σπουδάζειν.
Σχολαστικός τις ... A certain dunce
ποταμὸν βουλόμενος περᾶν ... wanted to cross a river
ἐπέβη ἐπὶ τὸ πλοῖον ... and got on to the ferry
ἐφ' ἵππου καθήμενος ... seated upon his horse.
πυθομένου δὲ τινος ... When someone asked
τὴν αἰτίαν ... the reason (for staying on his horse),
ἔφη ... he said:
σπουδάζειν ... In order to hurry.
And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too :