8: eat, breed, seek, make, flow

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. ἐσθίω ~ φάγομαι ~ ἔφᾰγον: eat, devour
2. τίκτω ~ τέξω ~ ἔτεκον: bear, breed
3. ζητέω ~ ζητήσω ~ ἐζήτησα: seek, desire
4. ποιέω ~ ποιήσω ~ ἐποίησα: make, do
5. ῥέω ~ ῥεύσω ~ ἔρρευσα: flow

Here are the proverbs and sayings:

Λωτοῦ ἔφαγες.  

Χάρις χάριν τίκτει.

Ζητεῖτε καὶ εὑρήσετε.

Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

Ἡ σοφίας πήγη διὰ βιβλίων ῥεῖ.

Listen at SoundCloud:

Laura Gibbs · Greek Proverbs: 008

Plus some commentary:

Λωτοῦ ἔφαγες.

You've eaten from the lotus.

In other words, you're high! After eating the narcotic lotus, you're lost in a cloud of forgetfulness, not doing the things you should. The mythological "lotus-eaters" (λωτοφάγοι) forgot everything, even their homes and families. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Lotus-Eaters.

Χάρις χάριν τίκτει.

One kindness gives rise to another.

Compare a saying you saw earlier at this blog: Δίκη δίκην τίκτει, καὶ βλάβη βλάβην. The Greek word χάρις has a wide range of meaning, as you can see at Logeion: χάρις.

Ζητεῖτε καὶ εὑρήσετε.

Seek, and you will find.

The words are from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew; find out more at Wikipedia: Matthew 7:7-8.

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.

Ἡ σοφίας πηγὴ διὰ βιβλίων ῥεῖ.

The spring of wisdom flows through books.

You can also see this proverb with the uncontracted form of the verb: Ἡ σοφίας πήγη διὰ βιβλίων ῥέει. From the Greek word βιβλίον, we get English words like bible and bibliography... and bibliophile of course! (I am one.)

Here is an illustration by W. Heath Robinson that shows Odysseus's men after eating from the lotus:

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