Orpheus

A First Greek Reader for Use at Eton, by Edmund Fowle. Internet Archive link. This is reading 11. There are notes for each story that provide some context along with detailed comments on the Greek. The reading materials come from Jacobs.

Ὀπφεύς, Καλλιόπης Μούσης καὶ Οἰάγρου υἱός, ᾄδων ἐκίνει λίθους τε καὶ δένδρα. Ἀποθανούσης δὲ Εὐρυδίκης, τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ, δηχθείσης ὑπὸ ὄφεως, κατῆλθεν εἰς ᾅδου καὶ Πλούτωνα ἔπεισεν ἀναπέμψαι αὐτήν. Ὁ δὲ ὑπέσχετο τοῦτο ποιήσειν, ἂν μὴ πορευόμενος Ὀρφεὺς ἐπιστραφῇ, πρὶν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὑτοῦ παραγενέσθαι. Ὁ δὲ ἀπιστῶν ἐπιστραφεὶς ἐθεάσατο τὴν γυναῖκα· ἡ δὲ πάλιν ὑπέστρεψεν.

Ὀπφεύς,
υἱός
Καλλιόπης Μούσης καὶ Οἰάγρου,
ᾄδων
ἐκίνει
λίθους τε καὶ δένδρα.

Εὐρυδίκης δὲ ἀποθανούσης
τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ,
δηχθείσης
ὑπὸ ὄφεως,
κατῆλθεν εἰς ᾅδου
καὶ  ἔπεισεν Πλούτωνα
ἀναπέμψαι αὐτήν.

Ὁ δὲ
ὑπέσχετο
ποιήσειν τοῦτο,
ἂν μὴ
Ὀρφεὺς,
πορευόμενος,
ἐπιστραφῇ,
πρὶν
παραγενέσθαι
εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὑτοῦ.

Ὁ δὲ,
ἀπιστῶν,
ἐπιστραφεὶς
ἐθεάσατο τὴν γυναῖκα·
ἡ δὲ
πάλιν ὑπέστρεψεν.

Orpheus, the son
of the Muse Calliope
and of Oeagrus

Ὀπφεύς,
Καλλιόπης Μούσης καὶ Οἰάγρου
υἱός,

by his singing
moved stones and trees

ᾄδων
ἐκίνει
λίθους τε καὶ δένδρα.

When his wife Eurydice
died

Ἀποθανούσης δὲ Εὐρυδίκης,
τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ,

bitten by a snake

δηχθείσης ὑπὸ ὄφεως,

he went down
to Hades

κατῆλθεν εἰς ᾅδου

and persuaded Pluto

καὶ Πλούτωνα ἔπεισεν 

to send her back up

ἀναπέμψαι αὐτήν. 

Pluto promised
to do this

Ὁ δὲ ὑπέσχετο
τοῦτο ποιήσειν, 

provided that,
as he went,
Orpheus not turn around

ἂν μὴ
πορευόμενος
Ὀρφεὺς ἐπιστραφῇ, 

before
reaching his own home

πρὶν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὑτοῦ
παραγενέσθαι. 

But Orpheus,
being in doubt

Ὁ δὲ ἀπιστῶν 

turned around
and saw his wife

ἐπιστραφεὶς
ἐθεάσατο τὴν γυναῖκα· 

and she
went back down

ἡ δὲ πάλιν ὑπέστρεψεν.

Orpheus and Eurydice

The Boastful Gnat

A Greek Reader, selected principally from the (Elementarbuch) of F. Jacobs, by Charles Anthon. Internet Archive link. There are notes for the stories at the bottom of the page, and a vocabulary in the back of the book. The texts here come from Jacobs as reprinted in many other books, but the notes and vocabulary make this a very useful edition.

Κώνωψ επί κέρατος βοὸς εκαθέσθη καὶ ηὔλει· εἶπε δὲ πρὸς τὸν βοῦν, εἰ βαρῶ σου τὸν τένοντα, ἀναχωρήσω. Ὁ δὲ ἔφη, οὔτε ὅτε ἥλθες ἔγνων, οὔτε ἐὰν μένῃς, μελήσει μοι.

Κώνωψ
εκαθέσθη
επί κέρατος βοὸς
καὶ ηὔλει· 

εἶπε δὲ
πρὸς τὸν βοῦν, 

"εἰ βαρῶ
σου τὸν τένοντα,
ἀναχωρήσω."

Ὁ δὲ ἔφη,

"οὔτε ἔγνων,
ὅτε ἥλθες,
οὔτε,
μελήσει μοι
ἐὰν μένῃς."

A gnat
landed on the horn
of a ox

Κώνωψ
επί κέρατος βοὸς
εκαθέσθη

and hummed a tune

καὶ ηὔλει·

then he said

to the ox

εἶπε δὲ
πρὸς τὸν βοῦν, 

"If I'm burdening
your neck

εἰ βαρῶ
σου τὸν τένοντα

I'll go away

ἀναχωρήσω."

And the ox said,

Ὁ δὲ ἔφη,

"I didn't notice
when you came

οὔτε
ὅτε ἥλθες
ἔγνων

nor will it matter to me

οὔτε
μελήσει μοι

if you stay

ἐὰν μένῃς."

illustration by Rackham

The Donkey That Learned Not to Eat

Easy Greek Reader by Evelyn Abbott. Internet Archive link. There are notes for the stories (this is story 16 in the section called "Wisdom of Fools"), and a vocabulary in the back of the book. In addition to the Wisdom of Fools, the book features Aesop's fables and stories from the Life of Aesop.

Σχολαστικός θέλων τὸν ὄνον αὐτοῦ διδάξαι μὴ τρώγειν, οὐ παρέβαλεν αὐτῷ τροφάς. ἀποθανόντος δὲ τοῦ ὄνου ἀπὸ λιμοῦ, ἔλεγε· "μεγάλα ἐζημιώθην· ὅτε γὰρ ἔμαθε μὴ τρώγειν, τότε ἀπέθανεν."

Σχολαστικός
θέλων διδάξαι
τὸν ὄνον αὐτοῦ 
μὴ τρώγειν,
οὐ παρέβαλεν αὐτῷ
τροφάς.

ἀποθανόντος δὲ τοῦ ὄνου
ἀπὸ λιμοῦ,
ἔλεγε·

"μεγάλα ἐζημιώθην·
ὅτε γὰρ
ἔμαθε μὴ τρώγειν,
τότε ἀπέθανεν."

"Scholasticus" (the fool)

Σχολαστικός 

wanted to teach his donkey

not to eat

θέλων 

τὸν ὄνον αὐτοῦ διδάξαι

μὴ τρώγειν 

and did not give him

 fodder

οὐ παρέβαλεν αὐτῷ 

τροφάς. 

when the donkey died

from hunger

ἀποθανόντος δὲ τοῦ ὄνου

ἀπὸ λιμοῦ 

the fool said

ἔλεγε 

"I've suffered a great loss!"

μεγάλα ἐζημιώθην· 

for just when he learned

how to not eat

ὅτε γὰρ ἔμαθε μὴ τρώγειν 

he died

τότε ἀπέθανεν."

Niobe

Stories in Attic Greek, Forming a Greek Reading Book by Francis David Morice. Internet Archive link. There are notes for the stories (Niobe is story 5), and a vocabulary in the back of the book. There are many short stories in this book in a variety of genres, but the stories not organized in any particular order: Table of Contents.

ἡ τοῦ Ταντάλου θυγάτηρ Νιόβη, ἔχουσα τέκνα πολλά τε καὶ καλὰ, ἐπὶ τούτοις λίαν ἐσεμνύνετο. διαλεγομένη γὰρ αὐτῇ ποτε γυνή τις τῶν συνηθῶν ἔφη κατὰ τύχην, ὅτι ἡ Λητώ ἐστι καλλίπαις, οἱ γὰρ παῖδες αὐτῆς θεοί εἰσιν, ὁ τε Ἀπόλλων καὶ ἡ Ἄρτεμισ· ἀκούσασα δὲ ταῦτα ἡ Νιόβη ἔφη μεγαλαυχουμένη ὡς τὰ ἑαυτῆς τέκνα πολλῷ εὐειδέστερά ἐστιν ἢ τὰ ἐκείνης. διὰ ταῦτα οὖν ἀγανακτήσασα ἡ Λητὼ πέμπει τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα καὶ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν. οἱ δὲ ἀφικόμενοι τὰ τῆς Νιόβης τέκνα πάντα κατετόξευσαν. ἡ δὲ Νιὀβη συνεχῶς δακρύουσα κατετήκετο, καὶ ἐγένετο πέτρα καταχέουσα ἀεὶ χειμῶνός τε καὶ θέρους ὑδάτια.

ἡ θυγάτηρ τοῦ Ταντάλου,
Νιόβη,
ἔχουσα 
πολλά τε καὶ καλὰ τέκνα,
λίαν ἐσεμνύνετο
ἐπὶ τούτοις. 

γυνή τις γὰρ τῶν συνηθῶν
διαλεγομένη  αὐτῇ ποτε
ἔφη,
κατὰ τύχην,
ὅτι ἡ Λητώ ἐστι καλλίπαις,
οἱ γὰρ παῖδες αὐτῆς
εἰσιν θεοί,
ὁ τε Ἀπόλλων καὶ ἡ Ἄρτεμις·

ἀκούσασα δὲ ταῦτα
ἡ Νιόβη 
μεγαλαυχουμένη
ἔφη
ὡς τὰ τέκνα ἑαυτῆς
ἐστιν εὐειδέστερά πολλῷ
ἢ τὰ ἐκείνης. 

διὰ ταῦτα οὖν
ἡ Λητὼ
ἀγανακτήσασα
πέμπει 
τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα καὶ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν. 

οἱ δὲ
ἀφικόμενοι
κατετόξευσαν
πάντα
τὰ τέκνα
τῆς Νιόβης. 

ἡ δὲ Νιὀβη,
συνεχῶς δακρύουσα,
κατετήκετο,
καὶ ἐγένετο πέτρα
ἀεὶ καταχέουσα 
ὑδάτια
χειμῶνός τε καὶ θέρους.

Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus

ἡ τοῦ Ταντάλου θυγάτηρ
Νιόβη, 

having children

ἔχουσα τέκνα 

both numerous and beautiful

πολλά τε καὶ καλὰ, 

was extremely proud of them

ἐπὶ τούτοις
λίαν ἐσεμνύνετο. 

A woman of her acquaintance

γυνή τις τῶν συνηθῶν 

speaking with her
on some occasion

διαλεγομένη γὰρ αὐτῇ ποτε 

happened to remark

ἔφη κατὰ τύχην 

that Leto was blessed
with beautiful children

ὅτι ἡ Λητώ
ἐστι καλλίπαις 

for her children
were gods

οἱ γὰρ παῖδες αὐτῆς
θεοί εἰσιν, 

Apollo and Artemis.

ὁ τε Ἀπόλλων
καὶ ἡ Ἄρτεμισ· 

Hearing these words

ἀκούσασα δὲ ταῦτα 

Niobe said boastfully

ἡ Νιόβη ἔφη
μεγαλαυχουμένη 

that her children
were far better-looking

ὡς τὰ ἑαυτῆς τέκνα
πολλῷ
εὐειδέστερά ἐστιν 

than Leto's children

ἢ τὰ ἐκείνης.

So, because of what
Niobe said

διὰ ταῦτα οὖν 

Leto was angry

ἀγανακτήσασα
ἡ Λητὼ 

and dispatched
Apollo and Artemis

πέμπει
τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα
καὶ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν. 

They arrived

οἱ δὲ ἀφικόμενοι 

and killed
all the children of Niobe
with their arrows

τὰ τῆς Νιόβης τέκνα
πάντα
κατετόξευσαν. 

Niobe, weeping continually,
melted

ἡ δὲ Νιὀβη
συνεχῶς δακρύουσα
κατετήκετο 

and she became
a stone

καὶ ἐγένετο πέτρα 

forever pouring forth
streams

καταχέουσα ἀεὶ ὑδάτια 

during both winter
and summer

χειμῶνός τε καὶ θέρους.

Niobe by David

Getting started

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