κοινός ~ κοινοῦ (adj. neut.): common, shared
ἄριστον ~ ἀρίστου (adj. neut.): best, finest
γυμνός ~ γυμνοῦ (adj. masc.): naked, bare
αἰτία ~ αἰτίας (adj. fem.): responsible, cause of
πονηρός ~ πονηροῦ (adj. masc.): bad, worthless
These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):
Ἑρμῆς κοινός.
Ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ.
Γυμνὸς ὡς ἐκ μήτρας.
Προπέτεια πολλοῖς ἐστιν αἰτία κακῶν.
Πονηρός ἐστι πᾶς ἀχάριστος ἄνθρωπος.
And now, some commentary:
Ἑρμῆς κοινός.
Hermes is shared.
The god Hermes, Ἑρμῆς, is invoked here in the meaning of a "windfall," something that is acquired by pure luck, so the saying means that when you have acquired something by luck, it should be shared. The Greek word for "windfall" is ἕρμαιον, like the name of the god; compare the archaic English word godsend. The saying appears in a funny little poem from the Greek Anthology about a woman who finds her daughter with a lover and insists on sharing in her good luck: "Ἑρμῆς κοινός," ἔφη "θύγατερ."
Erasmus cites Lucian and Plutarch, along with a long fable from Aristides, in his commentary on the saying.
Ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ.
The best thing is water.
The words are from Pindar in his first Olympian ode: "Water is best, and gold like a blazing fire in the night stands out supreme of all lordly wealth," ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ, ὁ δὲ χρυσὸς αἰθόμενον πῦρ / ἅτε διαπρέπει νυκτὶ μεγάνορος ἔξοχα πλούτου." Aristotle, who had a great interest in proverbs, discusses this saying in his Rhetoric. From the root of Greek ἄριστο- we get English aristocracy.
Γυμνὸς ὡς ἐκ μήτρας.
Naked as from the womb.
Compare the equivalent English saying, "As naked as the day he was born." The Greek phrase was used, metaphorically, to refer to someone who was as helpless as a baby. See also the Biblical Book of Job, αὐτὸς γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἐκεῖ, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither." From the root in Greek γυμνό- we get English gymnasium.
Προπέτεια πολλοῖς ἐστιν αἰτία κακῶν.
Hastiness often leads to disaster.
Literally: Hastiness for many is to blame for bad things. This is one of Menander's monostichs (one-liners); here is the meter marked:
Προπέτει|α πολ||λοῖς ἐσ|τιν αἰ||τία | κακῶν.
You can read the word αἰτία either as an adjective (feminine form of αἴτιος, which is how I would take it) or as a noun (αἰτία). Both the adjective and the noun are common words in ancient Greek. From αἰτι- we get English aetiology.
Πονηρός ἐστι πᾶς ἀχάριστος ἄνθρωπος.
Every person who shows no gratitude is worthless.
This is another one of Menander's monostichs, and it is also reported in this form: Πονηρός ἐστ’ ἄνθρωπος πᾶς τις ἀχάριστος. The word ἀχάριστος is an alpha-privative: ἀ-χάριστος, un-grateful.
And here's a random proverb too:
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