Greek Reading: Fables 4

Today's stories are from Anthon's Greek Reader, available at the Internet Archive. There are notes at the bottom of the pages, so use the story links to access those notes.

Here are the stories, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English.

10. Ὄνος καὶ δορὰ λέοντος

Ὄνος, δορὰν λέοντος ἐπενδυθεὶς, λέων ἐνομίζετο πᾶσι, καὶ φυγὴ μὲν ἦν ἀνθρώπων, φυγὴ δὲ ποιμνίων. Ὡς δὲ ἄνεμος, βιαιότερον πνεύσας, ἐγύμνου αὐτὸν τοῦ προκαλύμματος, τότε πάντες ἐπιδραμόντες ξύλοις καὶ ῥοπάλοις αὐτὸν ἔπαιον.

Ὄνος, 

δορὰν λέοντος 

ἐπενδυθεὶς, 

λέων 

ἐνομίζετο πᾶσι, 

καὶ φυγὴ μὲν 

ἦν ἀνθρώπων, 

φυγὴ δὲ 

ποιμνίων. 

Ὡς δὲ ἄνεμος, 

βιαιότερον πνεύσας, 

ἐγύμνου αὐτὸν 

τοῦ προκαλύμματος, 

τότε πάντες,

ἐπιδραμόντες, 

ξύλοις καὶ ῥοπάλοις 

αὐτὸν ἔπαιον.

Ὄνος  ...  a donkey, 

ἐπενδυθεὶς  ...  clothed 

δορὰν λέοντος  ...  in a lion skin, 

ἐνομίζετο λέων  ...  was thought a lion 

πᾶσι  ...  by everyone, 

καὶ ἦν  ...  and there was 

φυγὴ μὲν ἀνθρώπων  ...  a running away of people, 

φυγὴ δὲ ποιμνίων  ...  and a running away of flocks.

 Ὡς δὲ ἄνεμος  ...  But as the wind, 

πνεύσας βιαιότερον  ...  having gusted very strongly, 

ἐγύμνου αὐτὸν  ...  stripped him 

τοῦ προκαλύμματος  ...  of his covering; 

τότε πάντες  ...  then everybody, 

ἐπιδραμόντες  ...  attacking, 

ἔπαιον αὐτὸν  ...  struck him 

ξύλοις καὶ ῥοπάλοις  ...  with cudgels and clubs.

Donkey and the Lion Skin

11. Γυνὴ καὶ ὄρνις

Γυνή τις χήρα ὄρνιν εἶχε καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ὠὸν αὐτῇ τίκτουσαν. Νομίσασα δὲ, ὡς, εἰ πλείους τῇ ὄρνιθι κριθὰς παραβάλοι, δὶς τέξεται τῆς ἡμέρας, τοῦτο πεποίηκεν. Ἡ δʼ ὄρνις, πιμελὴς γενομένη, οὐδʼ ἅπαξ τῆς ἡμέρας τεκεῖν ἡδύνατο.

Γυνή τις 

χήρα 

ὄρνιν εἶχε

καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν 

ὠὸν 

αὐτῇ τίκτουσαν. 

Νομίσασα δὲ, 

ὡς, 

εἰ πλείους κριθὰς 

τῇ ὄρνιθι παραβάλοι, 

δὶς τέξεται τῆς ἡμέρας, 

τοῦτο πεποίηκεν. 

Ἡ δʼ ὄρνις, 

πιμελὴς γενομένη, 

οὐδʼ ἅπαξ τῆς ἡμέρας 

τεκεῖν ἡδύνατο.

Γυνή τις χήρα  ...  a certain woman, a widow, 

ὄρνιν εἶχε  ...  had a hen 

τίκτουσαν ὠὸν αὐτῇ  ...  who laid an egg for her 

καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν  ...  every day. 

Νομίσασα δὲ  ...  and having gotten the idea 

ὡς τέξεται  ...  that she would lay 

δὶς τῆς ἡμέρας  ...  twice each day 

εἰ παραβάλοι τῇ ὄρνιθι  ...  if she gave the hen 

πλείους κριθὰς  ...  more barley, 

πεποίηκεν τοῦτο  ...  she did [just] that. 

Ἡ δʼ ὄρνις  ...  but the hen, 

πιμελὴς γενομένη  ...  having grown fat,

οὐδʼ ἡδύνατο τεκεῖν  ...  was not able to lay [an egg] 

ἅπαξ τῆς ἡμέρας  ...  once each day.

The Woman and the Hen

12. Ταὼς καὶ ὄρνιθες

Τῶν ὀρνίθων βουλομένων ποιῆσαι βασιλέα, ταὼς ἑαυτὸν ἠξίου διὰ τὸ κάλλος χειροτονεῖν. Αἱρουμένων δὲ τοῦτον τῶν ἄλλων, ὁ κολοιὸς ὑπολαβὼν ἔφη· ἀλλ' εἰ, σοῦ βασιλεύοντος, ὁ ἀετὸς ἡμᾶς καταδιώκειν ἐπιχειρήσει, πῶς ἡμῖν ἐπαρκέσεις; 

Τῶν ὀρνίθων 

βουλομένων 

ποιῆσαι βασιλέα, 

ταὼς ἠξίου 

ἑαυτὸν

διὰ τὸ κάλλος 

χειροτονεῖν. 

Αἱρουμένων δὲ τοῦτον 

τῶν ἄλλων, 

ὁ κολοιὸς 

ὑπολαβὼν 

ἔφη· 

ἀλλ' εἰ, 

σοῦ βασιλεύοντος, 

ὁ ἀετὸς 

ἡμᾶς καταδιώκειν 

ἐπιχειρήσει, 

πῶς ἡμῖν ἐπαρκέσεις; 

Τῶν ὀρνίθων βουλομένων  ...  the birds wanting 

ποιῆσαι βασιλέα  ...  to make a king, 

ταὼς ἠξίου  ...  the peacock expected [them] 

χειροτονεῖν ἑαυτὸν  ...  to elect him 

διὰ τὸ κάλλος  ...  on account of his beauty. 

Τῶν ἄλλων δὲ  ...  but the other [birds] 

αἱρουμένων τοῦτον  ...  having selected him, 

ὁ κολοιὸς ὑπολαβὼν ἔφη  ...  the jackdaw, interrupting said, 

"ἀλλ' εἰ   ...  but if, 

σοῦ βασιλεύοντος  ...  while you rule as king, 

ὁ ἀετὸς ἐπιχειρήσει  ...  the eagle attempts 

ἡμᾶς καταδιώκειν  ...  to persecute us, 

πῶς ἡμῖν ἐπαρκέσεις  ...  how will you defend us?"

The Peacock

And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too :

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 4

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 132. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

μέλλω ~ μελλήσω ~ ἐμέλλησα: be about to, be fated 

θαυμάζω ~ θαυμάσω ~ ἐθαύμασα: wonder at, admire 

τίκτω ~ τέξω ~ ἔτεκον: bear, breed 

ἄρχω ~ ἄρξω ~ ἦρξα: begin; rule 

τεύχω ~ τεύξω ~ ἔτευξα: make, build 

These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Ὅρα τὸ μέλλον.

Χρησμοὺς θαύμαζε.

῾Ηδονὴν φεῦγε, ἥτις λύπην τίκτει. 

Ἄρχεσθαι μαθὼν ἄρχειν ἐπιστήσῃ.

Διὸς ἵμερος οὐκ εὐθήρατος ἐτύχθη.

And now, some commentary:

Ὅρα τὸ μέλλον.

See the future.

The verb μέλλω means "about to happen," so the participle, τὸ μέλλον, means that which is about to happen, the future, or destiny. This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus.

Χρησμοὺς θαύμαζε.

Be amazed at oracles.

Greek χρησμός refers to the oracle itself and also to the response provided by the oracle. It is from the verb χράω, which originally referred to the consultation of oracles and which later came to have the more general meaning of "use, have, possess." The noun χρησμός can remind you of the verb's original menaing. From the root in Greek θαύμ- we get English "thaumaturgy." For more about Greek oracles, see Wikipedia: Oracle.

῾Ηδονὴν φεῦγε, ἥτις λύπην τίκτει. 

Flee any pleasure which produces grief.

This is another saying attributed to Solon.

The pronoun ἥτις gives the sense of "whichever, whoever," so that's why I said "any pleasure" in the translation, shifting that sense of "whatever" to the noun instead of the pronoun. From Greek ἡδονή we get English "hedonism."

Ἄρχεσθαι μαθὼν ἄρχειν ἐπιστήσῃ.

Having learned to obey, you will know how to command.

This is a sentence attributed to Solon. You can see the active infinitive, ἄρχειν, "to rule, command," along with the passive ἄρχεσθαι, "to be ruled, commanded" that is "to obey." The basic meaning of ἄρχ- is to be first, both in the sense of "original" (as in English "archaic"), but also first in the sense of "superior," which is how the verb comes to refer to being in command over others, as in "archangel" or "archbishop."

Διὸς ἵμερος οὐκ εὐθήρατος ἐτύχθη.

The desire of Zeus is not easy to catch.

The line is from Aeschylus's Suppliant Women. The verb τεύχω means "make, build," but in the passive, as here, it is another verb of being, in the sense of something that is created, brought into being. The adjective εὐθήρατος is a compound: εὐ-θήρατος, from the root θήρ, meaning a wild beast, a beast of prey, which you can see in English "theriomorphic." The sense of "catch" here is metaphorical, like English "grasp," as when you can grasp a concept or idea, when you "get it."

ruins at oracle of Delphi

And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too :

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Greek Reading: Fables 3

Today's stories are from Anthon's Greek Reader, available at the Internet Archive. There are notes at the bottom of the pages, so use the story links to access those notes.

Here are the stories, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English.

7. Παῖς λουόμενος καὶ παροδίτης

Παῖς λουόμενος ἐν ποταμῷ ἐκινδύνευε πνιγῆναι· καὶ ἰδών τινα παροδίτην ἐπεφώνει, Βοήθησον. Ὁ δὲ ἐμέμφετο τῷ παιδὶ τολμηρίαν. Τὸ δὲ παιδίον εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ νῦν μοι βοήθησον, ὕστερον δὲ σωθέντι μέμφου.

Παῖς 

λουόμενος ἐν ποταμῷ 

ἐκινδύνευε πνιγῆναι· 

καὶ ἰδών 

τινα παροδίτην 

ἐπεφώνει, 

Βοήθησον. 

Ὁ δὲ 

ἐμέμφετο τῷ παιδὶ 

τολμηρίαν. 

Τὸ δὲ παιδίον εἶπεν, 

"ἀλλὰ 

νῦν μοι βοήθησον, 

ὕστερον δὲ 

σωθέντι μέμφου."

Παῖς  ...  a boy, 

λουόμενος ἐν ποταμῷ ...   bathing in a river, 

ἐκινδύνευε πνιγῆναι ...   was in danger of drowning, 

καὶ ...   and, 

ἰδών τινα παροδίτην ...   having seen a passerby, 

ἐπεφώνει "Βοήθησον ...   he shouted, "help!" 

Ὁ δὲ ...   but the passerby 

ἐμέμφετο τῷ παιδὶ ...   criticized the boy 

τολμηρίαν ...   for his recklessness. 

Τὸ δὲ παιδίον εἶπεν ...   and the child said, 

"ἀλλὰ νῦν μοι βοήθησον ...   but now  help me, 

ὕστερον δὲ μέμφου ...   and then criticize 

σωθέντι me [when I've been] ...   rescued."

The Boy Bathing

8. Κύων καὶ ἀλώπηξ

Κύων θηρευτικὸς λέοντα ἰδων, τοῦτον ἐδίωκεν. Ὡς δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς ἐκεῖνος ἐβρυχήσατο, ὁ κύων φοβηθεὶς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἔφυγεν. Ἀλώπηξ δὲ θεασαμένη αὐτὸν ἔφη· Ὦ κακὴ κεφαλή, σὺ λέοντα ἐδίωκες, οὗτινος οὐδὲ τὸν βρυχηθμὸν ὑπήνεγκας.

Κύων θηρευτικὸς, 

λέοντα ἰδων, 

τοῦτον ἐδίωκεν. 

Ὡς δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς 

ἐκεῖνος ἐβρυχήσατο, 

ὁ κύων 

φοβηθεὶς 

εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἔφυγεν. 

Ἀλώπηξ δὲ 

θεασαμένη αὐτὸν 

ἔφη· 

Ὦ κακὴ κεφαλή, 

σὺ λέοντα ἐδίωκες, 

οὗτινος τὸν βρυχηθμὸν 

οὐδὲ ὑπήνεγκας!

Κύων θηρευτικὸς  ...  a hunting dog, 

λέοντα ἰδων  ...  having seen a lion, 

τοῦτον ἐδίωκεν  ...  chased him. 

Ὡς δὲ ἐκεῖνος  ...  And as he [the lion], 

ἐπιστραφεὶς  ...  having turned upon him, 

ἐβρυχήσατο  ...  roared, 

ὁ κύων φοβηθεὶς  ...  the dog, terrified,

ἔφυγεν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω  ...  he fled backwards. 

Ἀλώπηξ δὲ ἔφη  ...  And the fox said, 

θεασαμένη αὐτὸν  ...  when she saw him,

"Ὦ κακὴ κεφαλή  ...  O wretched creature, 

σὺ λέοντα ἐδίωκες  ...  you chased a lion, 

οὗτινος βρυχηθμὸν  ...  whose roar 

οὐδὲ τὸν ὑπήνεγκας  ...  you couldn't stand!"

The Lion's Roar

9. Λύκος καὶ ἀμνόν

Λύκος ἀμνὸν ἐδίωκεν. Ὃ δὲ εἰς ναὸν κατέφυγε. Προσκαλουμένου δὲ τοῦ λύκου τὸν ἀμνὸν, καὶ λέγοντος ὅτι θυσιάσει αὐτὸν ὁ ἱερεὺς τῷ θεῷ, ἐκεῖνος ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· ἀλλ' αἱρετώτερόν μοί ἐστι θεῷ θυσίαν εἶναι ἢ ὑπό σοῦ διαφθαρῆναι.

Λύκος

ἀμνὸν ἐδίωκεν. 

Ὃ δὲ 

εἰς ναὸν κατέφυγε. 

Προσκαλουμένου δὲ τοῦ λύκου 

τὸν ἀμνὸν, 

καὶ λέγοντος ὅτι 

θυσιάσει αὐτὸν ὁ ἱερεὺς 

τῷ θεῷ, 

ἐκεῖνος 

ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· 

"ἀλλ' αἱρετώτερόν μοί ἐστι 

θεῷ θυσίαν εἶναι

ἢ ὑπό σοῦ διαφθαρῆναι."

Λύκος ἀμνὸν ἐδίωκεν  ...  a wolf pursued a lamb.

 Ὃ δὲ  ...  he [the lamb] 

κατέφυγε εἰς ναὸν  ...  fled into a temple. 

Τοῦ λύκου δὲ  ...  And when the wolf 

προσκαλουμένου τὸν ἀμνὸν  ...  called the lamb 

καὶ λέγοντος ὅτι  ...  and said that 

ὁ ἱερεὺς  ...  the priest 

θυσιάσει αὐτὸν  ...  would sacrifice [him] 

τῷ θεῷ  ...  to the god, 

ἐκεῖνος ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν  ...  he said to him, 

"ἀλλ' μοί αἱρετώτερόν ἐστι  ...  but I'd rather

εἶναι θυσίανa θεῷ  ...  be a sacrifice for god 

ἢ διαφθαρῆναι  ...  than be killed 

ὑπό σοῦ  ...  by you."

The Wolf and the Lamb

And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too :

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 2

Here are today's vocabulary words from some proverbs you have seen before; this is Group 131. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

εὔχομαι ~ εὔξομαι ~ εὐξάμην: pray, vow 

ἐλαύνω ~ ἐλάω ~ ἤλασα:  drive, set in motion 

ταράττω ~ ταράξω ~ ἐτάραξον:  disturb, trouble 

μίγνυμι ~ μίξω ~ ἔμιξα:  mix, join 

ἀφαιρέω ~ ἀφαιρήσω ~ ἄφειλον:  take away 

These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Εὔχου δυνατά.

Μία μάστιξ πάντας ἐλαύνει.

Μὴ μοῦ τοὺς κύκλους τάραττε.

Ἐμοῦ θανόντος γαῖα μιχθήτω πυρί.

Τόπων μεταβολαὶ οὔτε φρόνησιν διδάσκουσιν οὔτε ἀφροσύνην ἀφαιροῦνται.

And now, some commentary:

Εὔχου δυνατά.

Pray for things that are possible.

The verb εὔχου is a middle imperative from the deponent verb εὔχομαι; like many middle verbs it can still take a direct object: δυνατά, an adjective being used here as a noun, "possible (things)." This is another of the maxims attributed by Stobaeus to the Seven Sages.

Μία μάστιξ πάντας ἐλαύνει.

One whip drives them all.

This proverb depends on the contrast between the single whip, μία, and πάντας, all whom the whip drives, i.e. πάντας βόες, all the cattle, all the horses, etc. (or all the human slaves). Erasmus explains that the saying can also be used to refer to work that is going well, nearly running of its own accord, so that only a single nudge is needed to keep things moving along. He also suggests that the single whip could refer to a shared motivation that drives people's actions, such as love, hate, a desire for gain, etc. Note that the feminine μία looks quite different than the masculine and neuter forms, εἷς and ἕν.

Μὴ μοῦ τοὺς κύκλους τάραττε.

Don't disturb my circles.

These were supposedly the last words of Archimedes. The Romans had conquered the city of Syracuse, and when a Roman soldier entered Archimedes' house, Archimedes, who was working on a geometry problem, supposedly shouted these words at him; you can read more at Wikipedia: Noli turbare circulos meos. Archimedes and the Siege of Syracuse made their way into the latest Indiana Jones movie!

Ἐμοῦ θανόντος γαῖα μιχθήτω πυρί.

When I die, let the earth be mixed with fire.

The opening words, ἐμοῦ θανόντος, are a genitive absolute, the idea being that once I'm dead, it doesn't matter to me what happens; the earth might as well burn to ashes for all I care. The words are the first line of an iambic couplet from the Greek Anthology; the second line is: οὐδὲν μέλει μοι· τἀμὰ γὰρ καλῶς ἔχει, "It doesn't matter at all to me, for my situation (τὰ ἐμά, "my stuff") is just fine." The saying was quoted by the Emperor Tiberius, and this callous and self-centered sentiment certainly suits him.

Τόπων μεταβολαὶ οὔτε φρόνησιν διδάσκουσιν οὔτε ἀφροσύνην ἀφαιροῦνται.

Changes of place(s) do not teach wisdom nor do they remove folly. 

In other words, you can't just run away from who you are. The words φρόνησιν and ἀφροσύνην share the same root; ἀφροσύνη is from ἄ-φρον-, "not-wise," i.e. folly. From Greek μεταβολή we get the English word metabolism, i.e. the changes and alterations in body chemistry that sustain life.

Archimedes and the soldier

And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too :

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