Greek Stories and Proverbs: 18: sow, hurry, receive, fall, join

Here are today's vocabulary words; they are verbs with the present, future, and aorist stems, plus a brief definition. (If you are just beginning Greek and have not studied the future or aorist stems yet, you can just focus on the present stem.) Click on the word to learn more at Logeion, and there's also a study tips post.

1. σπείρω ~ σπερῶ ~ ἔσπειρα (verb): sow, scatter

2. σπεύδω ~ σπεύσω ~ ἔσπευσα (verb): hurry, hasten

3. δέχομαι ~ δέξομαι ~ ἐδεξάμην (verb): receive, take

4. πίπτω ~ πεσοῦμαι ~ ἔπεσον (verb): fall, fall down

5. μίγνυμι ~ μίξω ~ ἔμιξα (verb): mix, join

Here are the proverbs and sayings:

Πέτρας σπείρεις.

Σπεῦδε βραδέως.

Χελιδόνα οἰκίαι μὴ δέχου.

Τέφραν φεύγων, εἰς ἀνθρακιὰν ἔπεσεν.

Ὄρος ὄρει οὐ μίγνυται, ἄνθρωπος δ᾽ ἀνθρώπῳ.

Listen at SoundCloud:

Laura Gibbs · Greek Proverbs: 018

Plus some commentary:

Πέτρας σπείρεις.

You're sowing rocks.

Of course, you are supposed to sow seeds, not rocks: you are not going to get any harvest if you sow rocks! Compare a similar saying about a futile endeavor from a previous post: Πέτρας ἕψεις.

Σπεῦδε βραδέως.

Hurry up slowly.

In other words: don't be slow, but don't be too fast either! This phrase became popular as a Latin saying, which has its own Wikipedia article: Festina lente. Compare a similarly paradoxical English saying: "More haste, less speed."

Χελιδόνα οἰκίαι μὴ δέχου.

Do not receive a swallow in your house.

The saying is attributed to Pythagoras, who was not alone in regarding the swallow as a bird of ill omen, but the swallow could also be a good omen. For an overview of the swallow as a bird who could be regarded as both an ill omen and a good omen, see J. G. Frazer: Swallows in the House.

Τέφραν φεύγων, εἰς ἀνθρακιὰν ἔπεσεν.

Fleeing the ashes, he fell into the coals.

Compare the English saying, "Out of the frying pan, into the fire." The Greek word ἀνθρακιά is formed from ἄνθραξ, which means charcoal and also carbuncle, and thus an abcess or boil that looks like a carbuncle. Hence the English word anthrax.

Ὄρος ὄρει οὐ μίγνυται, ἄνθρωπος δ᾽ ἀνθρώπῳ.

A mountain cannot get acquainted with (another) mountain, but a person can (get acquainted with another) person.

You can find the saying in English: "A mountain never meets a mountain but a man meets a man." The verb μίγνυμι has a range of meanings, from mix to mingle to join. From Greek ἄνθρωπος we get English anthropology, and from ὄρος, orography.

Here is an ancient Minoan fresco with swallows: