Aeschylus and the Tortoise

Stories and Legends: A First Greek Reader by F. H. Colson. Internet Archive link. This is reading 3 in the Stories and Fables section. There are brief notes for each story and also a vocabulary in the back of the book. The book contains Stories and Fables, Mythology, Athenian Anecdotes, Spartan Anecdotes, Miscellaneous Stories, Alexander Stories, Games and Oracles, and Philosophers: table of contents.

Αἰσχύλιος ὁ ποιητὴς, γέρων γενόμενος, φαλακρὸς ἦν τὴν κεφαλήν. ἐπεὶ δέ ποτε ἐν ἀγρῷ περιεπάτει, ἐπετετο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀετός, χελώνην ἔχων ἐν ταῖς χερσίν. καὶ ὁ ἀετός, θέλων ἐσθίειν τὴν χελώνην, οὐκ ἐδύνατο διὰ τὸ δέρμα. ἰδὼν δὲ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ Αἰσχύλου, λευκὴν οὖσαν, ἐνόμιζε λίθον εἶναι. κατέβαλεν οὖν τὴν χελώνην, βουλόμενος ἐπὶ τῷ λίθῳ ῥηγνύναι τὸ δέρμα. ἡ δὲ χελώνη, ἐπιπεσοῦσα τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν.

Αἰσχύλιος
ὁ ποιητὴς,
γενόμενος γέρων,
ἦν φαλακρὸς
τὴν κεφαλήν.

ἐπεὶ δέ ποτε
περιεπάτει ἐν ἀγρῷ ,
ἀετός
ἐπετετο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ,
ἔχων χελώνην 
ἐν ταῖς χερσίν.

καὶ ὁ ἀετός,
θέλων
ἐσθίειν τὴν χελώνην,
οὐκ ἐδύνατο
διὰ τὸ δέρμα.

ἰδὼν δὲ
τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ Αἰσχύλου,
οὖσαν λευκὴν,
ἐνόμιζε
εἶναι λίθον.
κατέβαλεν οὖν
τὴν χελώνην,
βουλόμενος
ῥηγνύναι τὸ δέρμα
ἐπὶ τῷ λίθῳ.

ἡ δὲ χελώνη,
ἐπιπεσοῦσα
τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς,
ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν.

Aeschylus the poet

Αἰσχύλιος ὁ ποιητὴς,

having grown old

γέρων γενόμενος,

was bald-headed

φαλακρὸς ἦν
τὴν κεφαλήν.

When he was once
strolling
in the countryside

ἐπεὶ δέ ποτε
ἐν ἀγρῷ περιεπάτει,

an eagle
flew over him

ἐπετετο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ
ἀετός,

having a tortoise
in its claws

χελώνην ἔχων
ἐν ταῖς χερσίν.

And the eagle

καὶ ὁ ἀετός,

wanting
to eat the tortoise

θέλων ἐσθίειν τὴν χελώνην,

was not able to do so 

οὐκ ἐδύνατο

because of the shell

διὰ τὸ δέρμα.

Having seen
Aeschylus's head

ἰδὼν δὲ τὴν κεφαλὴν
τοῦ Αἰσχύλου,

white as it was

λευκὴν οὖσαν,

the eagle thought
it was a rock

ἐνόμιζε
λίθον εἶναι.

So the eagle
dropped the tortoise

κατέβαλεν οὖν τὴν χελώνην,

intending
 to shatter the shell
on the rock

βουλόμενος
ἐπὶ τῷ λίθῳ
ῥηγνύναι τὸ δέρμα.

And the tortoise 

ἡ δὲ χελώνη,

falling
on the man's head

ἐπιπεσοῦσα

τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς,

killed him

ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν.

emblem by Otto van Veen