Greek Reading: Fables 15

Today's stories are from Turner's Easy Latin and Greek Passages, available at the Internet Archive. You can use the linked titles to access the book, and it occasionally has some notes on the individual stories.

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

Λέων καὶ βάτραχος

Λέων ἀκούσας ποτὲ βατράχου μέγα βοῶντος, πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν ἐπεστράφη, νομίζων μέγα τι ζῶον εἶναι· χρόνον δὲ μικρὸν προσμείνας, ὡς εἶδεν αὐτὸν προελθόντα ἐκ τῆς λίμνης, προσελθών αὐτὸν κατεπάτησεν.

Λέων 

ἀκούσας ποτὲ βατράχου 

μέγα βοῶντος, 

πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν ἐπεστράφη, 

νομίζων μέγα τι ζῶον εἶναι· 

χρόνον δὲ μικρὸν προσμείνας, 

ὡς εἶδεν αὐτὸν 

προελθόντα ἐκ τῆς λίμνης, 

προσελθών αὐτὸν κατεπάτησεν.

Λέων  ... A lion

ἀκούσας ποτὲ βατράχου  ... once heard a frog

μέγα βοῶντος  ... croaking loudly 

πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν ἐπεστράφη  ... and turned towards the sound, 

νομίζων μέγα τι ζῶον εἶναι  ... thinking it was some big animal — 

χρόνον δὲ μικρὸν προσμείνας  ... but waiting a short time, 

ὡς εἶδεν αὐτὸν  ... when he saw it (the frog) 

προελθόντα ἐκ τῆς λίμνης  ... approaching from out of the swamp, 

προσελθών αὐτὸν κατεπάτησεν  ... he approached and squashed it.

Lion and Frog

Λέων καὶ ὄνος καὶ ἀλώπηξ

Λέων καὶ ὄνος καὶ ἀλώπηξ, κοινωνίαν ποιησάμενοι, ἐξῆλθον πρὸς ἄγραν. πολλῆς οὖν θήρας συλληφθείσης, προσέταξεν ὁ λέων τῷ ὄνῳ διελεῖν αὐτοῖς· ὁ δὲ τρεῖς μερίδας ἴσας ποιησάμενος, ἐκλέξασθαι αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευε. καὶ ὁ λέων ὀργισθεὶς τὸν ὄνον κατέφαγεν· εἶτα τῇ ἀλώπεκι μερίζειν ἐκέλευσεν. ἡ δ' εἰς μίαν μερίδα πάντα σωρεύσασα, ἑαυτῇ μικρόν τι μέρος κατέλιπεν. καὶ ὁ λέων πρὸς αὐτὴν, Τίς σε, ὦ Βελτίστη, διαιρεῖν οὕτως ἐδίδαξεν· ἡ δ' εἶπε, Ἡ τοῦ ὄνου συμφορά.

Λέων καὶ ὄνος καὶ ἀλώπηξ, 

κοινωνίαν ποιησάμενοι, 

ἐξῆλθον πρὸς ἄγραν. 

πολλῆς οὖν θήρας συλληφθείσης, 

προσέταξεν ὁ λέων τῷ ὄνῳ 

διελεῖν αὐτοῖς· 

ὁ δὲ τρεῖς μερίδας ἴσας ποιησάμενος, 

ἐκλέξασθαι αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευε. 

καὶ ὁ λέων ὀργισθεὶς 

τὸν ὄνον κατέφαγεν· 

εἶτα τῇ ἀλώπεκι μερίζειν ἐκέλευσεν. 

ἡ δ' εἰς μίαν μερίδα πάντα σωρεύσασα, 

ἑαυτῇ μικρόν τι μέρος κατέλιπεν. 

καὶ ὁ λέων πρὸς αὐτὴν, 

Τίς σε, ὦ Βελτίστη, διαιρεῖν οὕτως ἐδίδαξεν·

ἡ δ' εἶπε, 

Ἡ τοῦ ὄνου συμφορά.

Λέων καὶ ὄνος καὶ ἀλώπηξ  ...  A lion, a donkey, and a fox, 

κοινωνίαν ποιησάμενοι  ...  having made a partnership, 

ἐξῆλθον πρὸς ἄγραν  ...  went out hunting. 

πολλῆς οὖν θήρας συλληφθείσης  ...  They caught much game,  

προσέταξεν ὁ λέων τῷ ὄνῳ  ...  and the lion ordered the donkey

διελεῖν αὐτοῖς  ...  to divide it up for them — 

ὁ δὲ τρεῖς μερίδας ἴσας ποιησάμενος  ...  he made 3 equal parts, 

ἐκλέξασθαι αὐτοὺς ἐκέλευε  ...  and ordered them to choose. 

καὶ ὁ λέων ὀργισθεὶς  ...  And the lion, who got angry,

τὸν ὄνον κατέφαγεν  ...  ate the donkey — 

εἶτα ἐκέλευσεν τῇ ἀλώπεκι  ...  then ordered the fox

μερίζειν  ... to make the division.

ἡ δ' πάντα σωρεύσασα  ...  she heaped it all up

εἰς μίαν μερίδα  ...  into one portion,

ἑαυτῇ μικρόν τι μέρος κατέλιπεν  ...  leaving a tiny bit for herself. 

καὶ ὁ λέων πρὸς αὐτὴν  ...  And the lion (said) to her, 

ὦ Βελτίστη, τίς σε ἐδίδαξεν  ...  My good fox, who taught you

διαιρεῖν οὕτως  ...  to divide this way? 

ἡ δ' εἶπε  ...  And she said, 

Ἡ τοῦ ὄνου συμφορά  ...  The misfortune of the donkey.

Lion, Donkey, and Fox

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 31

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 140. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

εὐτυχία ~ εὐτυχίας (noun f.): good luck, success 

βίος ~ βίου (noun m.): life, lifestyle 

χρῆμα ~ χρήματος (noun n.): property, money 

κίνδυνος ~ κινδύνου (noun m.): danger, hazard, risk 

ζυγόν ~ ζυγοῦ (noun n.): yoke 

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

Εὐτυχίαν εὔχου.

Ὁ βίος  τρόχος, ἄστατος ὄλβος.

Μὴ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἀδίκοις.

Πᾶσίν τοι κίνδυνος ἐπ᾽ ἔργμασιν.

Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ σὺ ταὐτὸν ἕλκομεν ζυγόν.

And now, some commentary:

Εὐτυχίαν εὔχου.

Pray for success.

This is one of the "Delphic maxims" recorded by Stobaeus. The word εὐτυχία is literally εὐ-τυχία, "good luck, good fortune," and it also means success. Notice that the act of praying, εὔχομαι, is one of those middle verbs that takes a direct object (εὔχου is a middle imperative).

Ὁ βίος τρόχος, ἄστατος ὄλβος.

Life is a wheel, and wealth is unstable.

This is a saying found in Pseudo-Phocylides, whose sayings are hexameter lines. This saying is the second part of a hexameter, following the caesura:

κοινὰ πάθη πάντων· ὁ βίος  τρόχος, ἄστατος ὄλβος.

The first part reads: Suffering is common to all.

Here is the meter marked:

κοινὰ πά|θη πάν|των ~ ὁ βί|ος  τρόχος | ἄστατος | ὄλβος

You can find out more at Wikipedia: Pseudo-Phocylides.

Μὴ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἀδίκοις.

Do not grasp at ill-gotten goods. 

This is from the Biblical Book of Sirach; find out more at Wikipedia: Ecclesiasticus. The verse goes on to explain why: μὴ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἀδίκοις οὐδὲν γὰρ ὠφελήσει σε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπαγωγῆς ... in the King James version: Set not thine heart upon goods unjustly gotten, for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity.

Πᾶσίν τοι κίνδυνος ἐπ᾽ ἔργμασιν.

There is risk in every sort of business.

The words come from Solon; you can see a collection of his fragments here. The words are the start of a hexameter line in an elegiac couplet: Πᾶσίν | τοι κίν|δυνος ἐπ᾽ | ἔργμασιν... You can find out more about this Greek politician and philosopher at Wikipedia: Solon.

Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ σὺ ταὐτὸν ἕλκομεν ζυγόν.

You and I are dragging the same yoke.

The metaphor is two oxen who are yoked together, so this saying refers to a situation of two people stuck in a situation together, with no way to go but forward, like oxen under the same yoke. The line is in iambic verse:

Ἐγὼ | δὲ καὶ || σὺ ταὐ|τὸν ἕλ||κομεν | ζυγόν.

ancient Greek terracotta: yoked oxen

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

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Greek Proverb Review: Jan. 30

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 128, 129, and 130. Here's the post with the details about how the slideshows work, and there's a random cat at the bottom of the post! Plus more cats.

The slideshow is embedded in the blog post, and you can also access today's slideshow directly, full-sized view. And remember: each time you see the English translation on a slide, you can click to access the original blog post with the notes for each proverb.

These are the proverbs, linked back to their blog posts:

• Ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων τέκνα πήματα.
  
• Ἀνεῳγμέναι Μουσῶν θύραι.
  
• Ἄνω κάτω πάντα.
  
• Ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός.
  
• Ἀφ' Ἑστίας ἀρχόμενοι.
  
• Δικαίως κτῶ.
  
• Ἐπ' ἀμφότερα καθεύδεις τὰ ὦτα.
  
• Κακὰ πλεῖστα πόλει δυσνομία παρέχει.
  
• Ὅν οἱ θεοὶ φιλοῦσιν ἀποθνῄσκει νέος.
  
• Οὐδὲν γίγνεται ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος.
  
• Σίδηρον πλεῖν διδάσκεις.
  
• Σύροι πρὸς Φοίνικας.
  
• Τὸ Ἱππάρχου τειχίον.
  
• Ὑφορῶ μηδένα.
  
• Χρυσὸς ὁ ἀφανὴς τύραννος.

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 14

Today's story (it's just one story today because it's like a two-parter, as you will see) is from Turner's Easy Latin and Greek Passages, available at the Internet Archive. You can use the linked title to access the book.

So, here's the story, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English.

Κώνωψ καὶ λέω

Κώνωψ πρὸς λέοντα ἐλθὼν, "Οὐδε φοβοῦμαί σε, οὐδὲ δυνατώτερός μου εἶ. τί γὰρ σοί ἐστιν ἡ δύναμις; ὅτὶ ξύεις τοῖς ὄνυξι, καὶ δάκνεις ὀδοῦσι· τοῦτο καὶ γυνή, τῷ ἀνδρὶ μαχομένη, ποιεῖ. ἐγὼ δὲ λίαν εἰμὶ σου ἰσχυρότερος. εἰ δὲ θέλεις, ἔλθωμεν καὶ εἰς πόλεμον." καὶ σαλπίσας, ὁ κώνωψ ἐνεπήγετο, δάκνων τὰ περὶ τὰς ῥίνας αὐτοῦ ἄτριχα πρόσωπα. ὁ δὲ λέων τοι ἰδίοις ὄνυξι κατέλυεν ἑαυτόν, ἕως  οὗ ἠγανάκτησεν.

ὁ κώνωψ δὲ νικήσας τὸν λέοντα καὶ ἐπινίκιον ᾄσας ἔπτατο. ἀράχνης δὲ δεσμῷ ἐμπλακείς, ἐσθιόμενος ἀπωδύρετο, ὅτι μεγίστοις πολεμῶν, ὑπ’ εὐτελοῦς ζώου, τῆς ἀράχνης, ἀπώλετο.

Κώνωψ πρὸς λέοντα ἐλθὼν, 

"Οὐδε φοβοῦμαί σε, 

οὐδὲ δυνατώτερός μου εἶ. 

τί γὰρ σοί ἐστιν ἡ δύναμις; 

ὅτὶ ξύεις τοῖς ὄνυξι, 

καὶ δάκνεις ὀδοῦσι· 

τοῦτο καὶ γυνή, 

τῷ ἀνδρὶ μαχομένη, 

ποιεῖ. 

ἐγὼ δὲ 

λίαν εἰμὶ σου ἰσχυρότερος. 

εἰ δὲ θέλεις, 

ἔλθωμεν καὶ εἰς πόλεμον." 

καὶ σαλπίσας, 

ὁ κώνωψ ἐνεπήγετο, 

δάκνων 

τὰ περὶ τὰς ῥίνας αὐτοῦ ἄτριχα πρόσωπα. 

ὁ δὲ λέων 

τοι ἰδίοις ὄνυξι κατέλυεν ἑαυτόν, 

ἕως  οὗ ἠγανάκτησεν.

ὁ κώνωψ δὲ 

νικήσας τὸν λέοντα 

καὶ ἐπινίκιον ᾄσας 

ἔπτατο. 

ἀράχνης δὲ δεσμῷ ἐμπλακείς, 

ἐσθιόμενος ἀπωδύρετο, 

ὅτι μεγίστοις πολεμῶν 

ὑπ’ εὐτελοῦς ζώου,

τῆς ἀράχνης, ἀπώλετο.

Κώνωψ πρὸς λέοντα ἐλθὼν  ... A gnat came to a lion, 

"Οὐδε φοβοῦμαί σε  ... (and said) "I don't fear you, 

οὐδὲ δυνατώτερός μου εἶ  ... and you're not stronger than me. 

τί γὰρ σοί ἐστιν ἡ δύναμις  ... What can you do? 

ὅτὶ ξύεις τοῖς ὄνυξι  ... you scratch with your claws, 

καὶ δάκνεις ὀδοῦσι  ... and bite with your teeth — 

τοῦτο καὶ γυνή ποιεῖ  ... even a woman does this, 

τῷ ἀνδρὶ μαχομένη  ... fighting with her husband, 

ἐγὼ δὲ  ... But I 

λίαν εἰμὶ σου ἰσχυρότερος  ... am far stronger than you. 

εἰ δὲ θέλεις  ... If you want, 

ἔλθωμεν καὶ εἰς πόλεμον  ... let's also go to war!" 

καὶ ὁ κώνωψ σαλπίσας  ... And the gnat, trumpeting,

ἐνεπήγετο  ... stung (the lion), 

δάκνων πρόσωπα ... biting his face

τὰ ἄτριχα  ...  where it didn't have any fur

περὶ τὰς ῥίνας αὐτοῦ  ... around his nostrils. 

ὁ δὲ λέων  ... And the lion 

τοι ἰδίοις ὄνυξι κατέλυεν  ... turned his own claws 

ἑαυτόν  ...  against himself 

ἕως οὗ ἠγανάκτησεν  ... until it hurt.

ὁ κώνωψ δὲ  ... And the gnat, 

νικήσας τὸν λέοντα  ... having defeated the lion 

καὶ ἐπινίκιον ᾄσας  ... sang his victory song 

ἔπτατο  ... and flew away. 

ἀράχνης δὲ δεσμῷ ἐμπλακείς  ... But entangled in a spiderweb, 

ἐσθιόμενος ἀπωδύρετο ὅτι   ... and being eaten, he lamented 

μεγίστοις πολεμῶν  ... that a warrior against the most powerful

ἀπώλετο  ...  was destroyed

ὑπ’ εὐτελοῦς ζώου  ... by a paltry creature, 

τῆς ἀράχνης  ...  the spider.

from Grandville's La Fontaine

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 28

Here are today's vocabulary words, Group 139; the sayings may be familiar from past posts, but now there are new words to focus on. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἔρημος ~ ἐρήμου (noun f.): desert 

θρίξ ~ τριχός (noun f.): hair, fur 

ἀήρ ~ ἀέρος (noun m.): air 

σάρξ ~ σαρκός (noun f.): flesh, meat 

πνεῦμα ~ πνεύματος (noun n.): breath, spirit 

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

Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.

Λέων τὴν τρίχα, ὄνος τόν βίον.

Ἅπας μὲν ἀὴρ αἰετῷ περάσιμος.

Τὸ μὲν πνεῦμα πρόθυμον ἡ δὲ σὰρξ ἀσθενής.

Τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτέινει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζῳοποιεῖ.

And now, some commentary:

Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.

The voice of one shouting in the desert.

These words appear in all four Gospels — Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John — referring to John the Baptist, echoing the prophet Isaiah. The word φωνὴ (as in English telephone, etc.) is a feminine noun of the first declension, while the word ἔρημος (as in English hermit, etc.) is a feminine noun of the second declension.

Λέων τὴν τρίχα, ὄνος τὸν βίον.

A lion (judging by its) fur, a donkey (by its) lifestyle.

This saying alludes to the famous Aesop's fable about the donkey in the lion skin: it looks like a lion, but it acts like a donkey. However, in his note to this proverb Apostolius reports a different story about a man who found a lion cub and raised it. The man then used the lion to draw a wagon; hence the proverb. The story has a sad ending: when people saw the lion acting in this shameful and undignified way, they killed it. Of course, things don't turn out well for the donkey in the lion-skin either! You can see the root τρίχ- in trichotillomania.

Ἅπας μὲν ἀὴρ αἰετῷ περάσιμος.

All the sky is open to the eagle.

This is a fragment from the "Phaethon" of Euripides, and the following line of the fragment reads: ἅπασα δὲ χθὼν ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ πατρίς, "all the earth is a fatherland for a noble man," which is a saying discussed in an earlier blog post. Greek ἀὴρ gives us English "air."

Τὸ μὲν πνεῦμα πρόθυμον ἡ δὲ σὰρξ ἀσθενής.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

The words are from the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus rebukes Peter for falling asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane. The words also appear in the Gospel of Matthew. In the adjective πρόθυμον, you can see the word θυμός, which has a wide range of meaning in Greek: spirit, desire, will, courage, anger; see Logeion for more. You can see σὰρξ in English words like "sarcoma" and "sarcophagus."

Τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτέινει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζῳοποιεῖ.

The letter kills, but the spirit creates life.

The words come from 2 Corinthians in the Bible. You can find out more about the enduring and broad significance of this Biblical phrase in the Wikipedia article: Letter and spirit of the law. From the root of Greek πνεῦμα, we get English words like "pneumatic" and "pneumonia."

Walter Crane's Aesop

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 13

Today's stories are from Smith's Initia Graeca and Turner's Easy Latin and Greek Passages, both of which are available at the Internet Archive. You can use the linked titles to access the books; Smith's book has a dictionary in the back, and Turner has notes on the individual stories.

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

Ἵππος καὶ ὄνος 

Ἄνθρωπός τις εἶχεν ἵππον καὶ ὄνον. Ὁδευόντων δέ, ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ εἶπεν ὁ ὄνος τῷ ἵππῳ· ἆρον ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ βάρους, εἰ θέλεις εἶναι με σῶν. Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐπείσθη· ὁ δὲ ὄνος πεσὼν ἐκ τοῦ κόπου ἐτελεύτησα. Τοῦ δὲ δεσπότου πάντα ἐπιθέντος αὐτῷ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ ὄνου δοράν, θρηνῶν ὁ ἵππος ἐβόα· οἰμοι τῷ παναθλίῳ, τί μοι συνέβη τῷ ταλαιπώρῳ· μὴ θελήσας γὰρ μικρὸν βάρος λαβεῖν, ἰδοὺ ἅπαντα βαστάζω, καὶ τὸ δέρμα.

Ἄνθρωπός τις 

εἶχεν ἵππον καὶ ὄνον. 

Ὁδευόντων δέ, 

ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ εἶπεν ὁ ὄνος τῷ ἵππῳ· 

ἆρον ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ βάρους, 

εἰ θέλεις εἶναι με σῶν. 

Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐπείσθη· 

ὁ δὲ ὄνος 

πεσὼν ἐκ τοῦ κόπου 

ἐτελεύτησα. 

Τοῦ δὲ δεσπότου πάντα ἐπιθέντος αὐτῷ 

καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ ὄνου δοράν, 

θρηνῶν ὁ ἵππος ἐβόα· 

οἰμοι τῷ παναθλίῳ, 

τί μοι συνέβη τῷ ταλαιπώρῳ· 

μὴ θελήσας γὰρ 

μικρὸν βάρος λαβεῖν, 

ἰδοὺ 

ἅπαντα βαστάζω, καὶ τὸ δέρμα.

Ἄνθρωπός τις  ...  A certain person

εἶχεν ἵππον καὶ ὄνον  ...  had a horse and a donkey. 

Ὁδευόντων δέ  ...  As they were making a journey, 

ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ  ...  along the way

εἶπεν ὁ ὄνος τῷ ἵππῳ  ...  the donkey said to the horse, 

ἆρον ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ βάρους  ...  Take some of my load, 

εἰ θέλεις εἶναι με σῶν  ...  if you want me to survive. 

Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐπείσθη  ...  But (the horse) was not persuaded· 

ὁ δὲ ὄνος  ...  And the donkey, 

πεσὼν ἐκ τοῦ κόπου  ...  collapsing from the toil, 

ἐτελεύτησα ...  died. 

Τοῦ δὲ δεσπότου  ...  Their owner

πάντα ἐπιθέντος αὐτῷ  ...  put all (the burdens) on the horse

καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν τοῦ ὄνου δοράν  ...  including the donkey's skin, 

θρηνῶν ὁ ἵππος ἐβόα  ...  and the horse, wailing, shouted,  

οἰμοι τῷ παναθλίῳ  ...  Woe is me, completely wretched, 

τί μοι συνέβη τῷ ταλαιπώρῳ ... what's happened to miserable me?  

μὴ θελήσας γὰρ  ...  Because I did not want

μικρὸν βάρος λαβεῖν  ...  to accept a small burden, 

ἰδοὺ  ...  behold:

ἅπαντα βαστάζω  ...  I am carrying everything, 

καὶ τὸ δέρμα  ...  even the skin.

The Horse and the Donkey

Βάτραχοι δύο

Βάτραχοι δύο ξηρανθείσης τῆς λίμνης, ἐν ᾗ κατῴκουν περιῄεσαν ξητοῦντες ποῦ καταμεῖναι. καὶ ἐλθόντες εἰς φρέαρ βαθὺ καὶ ἰδόντες τὸ ὕδωρ, ὁ μὲν εἷς συνεβούλευεν, ἵνα πηδήσωσι εὐθὺς κάτω· ὁ δ᾿ ἕτερος εἶπεν, Ἐὰν οὖν τοῦτο ξηρανθὴ, πῶς δυνησόμεθα ἀναβῆναι;

Βάτραχοι δύο  ...  Two frogs,

ξηρανθείσης τῆς λίμνης  ...  when the pool dried up 

ἐν ᾗ κατῴκουν  ...  where they lived,

περιῄεσαν  ...  they went around 

ξητοῦντες ποῦ καταμεῖναι  ...  looking where they could live. 

καὶ ἐλθόντες εἰς φρέαρ βαθὺ  ...  And coming to a deep well 

καὶ ἰδόντες τὸ ὕδωρ  ...  and seeing the water, 

ὁ μὲν εἷς συνεβούλευεν  ...  one advised 

ἵνα πηδήσωσι εὐθὺς κάτω  ...  that they leap down right away, 

ὁ δ᾿ ἕτερος εἶπεν  ...  and the other said, 

Ἐὰν οὖν τοῦτο ξηρανθὴ  ...  If this were to dry up, 

πῶς δυνησόμεθα ἀναβῆναι  ...  how will we manage to get out?

The Two Frogs

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 25

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 138. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

φυλάσσω ~ φυλάξω ~ ἐφύλαξα: guard, preserve 

ἁμαρτάνω ~ ἁμαρτήσομαι ~ ἥμαρτον: fail, go wrong, err 

δεῖ ~ δεήσει ~ ἐδέησε: must, it is necessary 

φιλέω ~ φιλήσω ~ ἐφίλησα: love, feel affection 

ἐσθίω ~ φάγομαι ~ ἔφαγον: eat, devour 

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

Ἴδια φύλαττε.

Ἁμαρτάνων μετανόει.

Δεῖ φέρειν τὰ τῶν θεῶν.

Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὃν φοβεῖται φιλεῖ.

Αὐτοὶ χελώνας ἔσθεθ᾿ οἵπερ εἵλετε.

And now, some commentary:

Ἴδια φύλαττε.

Protect what is yours.

This is one of the Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. The form φύλαττε is Attic; the dictionary form of the verb is φυλάσσω. And yes, English "idiot" is from Greek ἴδιος; details at the Wiktionary.

Ἁμαρτάνων μετανόει.

When you make a mistake, change your mind.

In other words: when you make a mistake, learn from your mistake! This is another one of the Delphic maxims, although both of these words went on to have somewhat different meanings in Christianity, where ἁμαρτάνω became a "sin" rather than just a mistake or error, and μετανόει became "repentance," rather than just changing your mind.

Δεῖ φέρειν τὰ τῶν θεῶν.

It is necessary to endure the things of the gods.

In other words: you must endure the things that are sent by the gods; that is your fate, your destiny. The saying is found in Euripides' Phoenician Women.

Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὃν φοβεῖται φιλεῖ.

No one likes the man whom he fears.

This comes from Aristotle's Rhetoric. Remember that φοβέω is to incite fear, to frighten, while φοβέομαι is to be frightened, to be afraid, to fear, as here.

Αὐτοὶ χελώνας ἔσθεθ᾿ οἵπερ εἵλετε.

Eat the turtles yourselves, you who caught them.

The words were spoken by Hermes to some fishermen who had caught more turtles than they could eat and offered the excess turtles to Hermes as if they were being generous; Hermes was not impressed and rebuked them for their hypocrisy. The Greek proverb was reported by Erasmus and eventually ended up in the Aesopic fable corpus as it was (re)assembled during the Renaissance. Here's a depiction of Hermes from classical Athens:

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 12

Today's stories are from Smith's Initia Graeca, available at the Internet Archive. You can use the linked titles to access the book, and it has a dictionary in the back.

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

Μύρμηξ καὶ περιστερά

Μύρμηξ διψήσας, κατελθὼν εἰς πηγήν, παρασυρεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ῥεύματος ἀπεπνίγετο. Περιστερὰ δὲ τοῦτο θεασαμένη κλῶνα δένδρου περιελοῦσα εἰς τὴν πηγὴν ἔρριψεν, ἐφ’ οὗ καὶ καθίσας ὁ μύρμηξ διεσώθη. Ἰξευτὴς δέ τις μετὰ τοῦτο τοὺς καλάμους συνθεὶς ἐπὶ τὸ τὴν περιστερὰν συλλαβεῖν ᾔει. Τοῦτο δ’ ὁ μύρμηξ ἑωρακὼς τὸν τοῦ ἰξευτοῦ πόδα ἔδακεν. Ὁ δὲ ἀλγήσας τούς τε καλάμους ἔρριψε καὶ τὴν περιστερὰν αὐτίκα φυγεῖν ἐποίησεν.

Μύρμηξ διψήσας, 

κατελθὼν εἰς πηγὴν, 

παρασυρεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ῥεύματος 

ἀπεπνίγετο. 

Περιστερὰ δὲ 

τοῦτο θεασαμένη, 

κλῶνα δένδρου περιελοῦσα 

εἰς τὴν πηγὴν ἔρριψεν, 

ἐφ' οὗ καὶ καθίσας 

ὁ μύρμηξ διεσώθη. 

Ἰξευτὴς δέ τις 

μετὰ τοῦτο 

τοὺς καλάμους συνθεὶς 

ἐπὶ τὸ τὴν περιστερὰν συλλαβεῖν ᾔει. 

Τοῦτο δὲ ὁ μύρμηξ ἑωρακὼς 

τὸν τοῦ ἰξευτοῦ πόδα ἔδακεν. 

Ὁ δὲ ἀλγήσας 

τούς τε καλάμους ἔρριψε 

καὶ τὴν περιστερὰν αὐτίκα φυγεῖν ἐποίησεν.

Μύρμηξ διψήσας  ... An ant, thirsty, 

κατελθὼν εἰς πηγὴν  ... went down to a spring; 

παρασυρεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ῥεύματος  ... swept away by the current, 

ἀπεπνίγετο  ... he was drowning. 

Περιστερὰ δὲ τοῦτο θεασαμένη  ... A dove saw this, 

κλῶνα δένδρου περιελοῦσα  ... grabbed a twig from a tree

εἰς τὴν πηγὴν ἔρριψεν  ... threw it into the spring, 

ἐφ' οὗ καὶ καθίσας  ...  and having sat on it,

ὁ μύρμηξ διεσώθη  ... the ant was saved. 

Ἰξευτὴς δέ τις μετὰ τοῦτο ᾔει  ...  after this a birdcatcher came,

τοὺς καλάμους συνθεὶς  ... arranged his (limed) reeds 

ἐπὶ τὸ τὴν περιστερὰν συλλαβεῖν  ...  to trap the dove.

Τοῦτο δὲ ὁ μύρμηξ ἑωρακὼς  ... The ant, seeing this, 

τὸν τοῦ ἰξευτοῦ πόδα ἔδακεν  ... bit the birdcatcher on the foot. 

Ὁ δὲ ἀλγήσας  ... In pain, 

τούς τε καλάμους ἔρριψε  ... he cast aside his reeds 

καὶ ἐποίησεν  ... and thus made

τὴν περιστερὰν αὐτίκα φυγεῖν  ... the dove fly off immediately.

The Ant and the Dove

Ἀηδὼν καὶ ἱέραξ

Ἀηδὼν ἐπί τινος ὑψηλῆς δρυὸς καθημένη κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες ᾖδεν· ἱέραξ δὲ αὐτὴν θεασάμενος, ὡς ἠπόρει τροφῆς, ἐπιπτὰς συνέλαβεν· ἡ δὲ μέλλουσα ἀναιρεῖσθαι ἐδέετο μεθεῖναι αὐτήν, λέγουσα, ὡς οὐχ ἱκανή ἐστιν ἱέρακος γαστέρα αὐτὴ πληρῶσαι· δεῖν δὲ αὐτόν, εἰ τροφῆς ἀπορεῖ, ἐπὶ τὰ μείζονα τῶν ὀρνέων τρέπεσθαι. Καὶ ὅς ὑποτυχὼν εἶπεν· ἀλλ' ἔγωγε ἀπόπληκτος ἂν εἴην, εἰ τὴν ἐν χερσὶν ἑτοίμην βορὰν ἀφεὶς τὰ μηδέπω φαινόμενα διώκοιμι.

Ἀηδὼν 

ἐπί τινος ὑψηλῆς δρυὸς καθημένη 

κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες ᾖδεν· 

ἱέραξ δὲ αὐτὴν θεασάμενος, 

ὡς ἠπόρει τροφῆς, 

ἐπιπτὰς συνέλαβεν· 

ἡ δὲ μέλλουσα ἀναιρεῖσθαι 

ἐδέετο μεθεῖναι αὐτήν, λέγουσα, 

ὡς οὐχ ἱκανή ἐστιν 

ἱέρακος γαστέρα αὐτὴ πληρῶσαι· 

δεῖν δὲ αὐτόν, 

εἰ τροφῆς ἀπορεῖ, 

ἐπὶ τὰ μείζονα τῶν ὀρνέων τρέπεσθαι. 

Καὶ ὅς ὑποτυχὼν εἶπεν· 

ἀλλ' ἔγωγε ἀπόπληκτος ἂν εἴην, 

εἰ τὴν ἐν χερσὶν ἑτοίμην βορὰν ἀφεὶς 

τὰ μηδέπω φαινόμενα διώκοιμι.

Ἀηδὼν  ...  A nightingale

ἐπί τινος ὑψηλῆς δρυὸς καθημένη  ...  settled on a high tree

κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες ᾖδεν  ...  was singing as usual· 

ἱέραξ δὲ αὐτὴν θεασάμενος  ...  but a hawk saw her, 

ὡς ἠπόρει τροφῆς  ...  as he was in need of food, 

ἐπιπτὰς συνέλαβεν  ...  flew up and grabbed her· 

ἡ δὲ μέλλουσα ἀναιρεῖσθαι  ...  she, about to be killed,

ἐδέετο μεθεῖναι αὐτήν, λέγουσα  ...  begged him to let her go, 

ὡς οὐχ ἱκανή ἐστιν αὐτὴ  ...  as she was not sufficient

ἱέρακος γαστέρα πληρῶσαι  ...  to fill a hawk's stomach;

εἰ τροφῆς ἀπορεῖ  ...  if he needed food, 

δεῖν δὲ αὐτόν τρέπεσθαι  ...  he should turn to

ἐπὶ τὰ μείζονα τῶν ὀρνέων  ...  the bigger birds. 

Καὶ ὅς ὑποτυχὼν εἶπεν  ...  And, interrupting, he said· 

ἀλλ' ἔγωγε ἀπόπληκτος ἂν εἴην  ...  but I would be struck dumb, 

εἰ ἀφεὶς  ...  If I let go

τὴν ἐν χερσὶν ἑτοίμην βορὰν   ...  ready meat in my hand

τὰ μηδέπω φαινόμενα διώκοιμι  ...  pursuing as yet invisible things.

Hawk and Nightingale

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 23

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 137, featuring proverbs you may have seen before (if you've been following along here from the start), but with a focus on different words. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

τρὶς (adverb): three times 

οὐδέ (adverb.): not even 

σύν (prep.+dat.): with, together with 

καθώς (adverb): as, just as 

εἶτα (adverb): then, next 

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

Δὶς καὶ τρὶς τὸ καλόν.

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.

Σὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρας κίνει.

Καθὼς ἡ μήτηρ καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ.

Ὤδινεν ὄρος, εἶτα μῦν ἀπέτεκεν.

And now, some commentary:

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.

Not even Heracles (fights) against two.

In other words: don't pick a fight where your enemies outnumber you. The saying appears in a fragment of the archaic poet Archilochus. Meanwhile, you can read about the exploits of the hero Hercules at Wikipedia: Heracles.

Δὶς καὶ τρὶς τὸ καλόν.

Two times and three times (repeat what is) good.

The idea is that if something is good, once is not enough: repeat it again, and then again — two times and three. You can find this proverbial saying in Plato. Here's a rhyming version in English: "That which seemeth well, 'tis well twice and also thrice to tell." The saying is often applied to things that are well said, but I like to think of having second and third helpings of food that is good to eat!

Σὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρας κίνει.

With Athena, move your arms too!

This is from an Aesop's fable (Perry 30) about an Athenian whose ship went down in a storm; as he was praying to Athena to save him, a sailor from the ship swam by him and spoke these words. Compare the English saying, "God helps them that help themselves."

Καθὼς ἡ μήτηρ καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ.

As the mother, so also the daughter.

Compare the English saying, "Like mother, like daughter." The Greek kinship terms are related to the English terms; you can see a handy table of Indo-European kinship terms at Wikipedia.

Ὤδινεν ὄρος, εἶτα μῦν ἀπέτεκεν.

The mountain groaned in labor; then it gave birth to a mouse.

This saying became part of the Aesopic tradition: The Mountain in Labor. Erasmus provides Greek citations, along with the famous instance in Horace: Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. From Greek ὄρος we get orography in English, the scientific description of mountains.

Here is Bewick's illustration of the Aesopic fable about the mountain giving birth to a mouse:

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 11

Today's stories are from Smith's Initia Graeca, available at the Internet Archive. You can use the linked titles to access the book, and it has a dictionary in the back.

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

Νεβρός καὶ ἔλαφος

Νεβρός ποτε πρὸς τὸν ἔλαφον εἶπε· Πάτερ, σὺ καὶ μείζων καὶ θάσσων κυνῶν εἶ καὶ κέρατα πρὸς τούτοις μεγάλα φέρεις πρὸς ἄμυναν. τί δή ποτ' οὖν οὕτω τούτους φοβῇ; κἀκεῖνος γελῶν εἶπεν· ἀληθῆ μὲν ταῦτα φῂς, τέκνον, ἕν δ' οἶδα, ὡς, ἐπειδὰν κυνὸς ὑλακὴν ἀκούω, αὐτίκα πρὸς φυγὴν, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ἐκφέρομαι.

Νεβρός ποτε 

πρὸς τὸν ἔλαφον εἶπε· 

Πάτερ, σὺ 

καὶ μείζων καὶ θάσσων κυνῶν εἶ 

καὶ κέρατα πρὸς τούτοις μεγάλα φέρεις 

πρὸς ἄμυναν. 

τί δή ποτ' οὖν οὕτω τούτους φοβῇ; 

κἀκεῖνος γελῶν εἶπεν· 

ἀληθῆ μὲν ταῦτα φῂς, τέκνον, 

ἕν δ' οἶδα, ὡς, 

ἐπειδὰν κυνὸς ὑλακὴν ἀκούω, 

αὐτίκα πρὸς φυγὴν, 

οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ἐκφέρομαι.

Νεβρός ποτε εἶπε  ...  A fawn once said

πρὸς τὸν ἔλαφον  ...  to a stag,

Πάτερ, σὺ εἶ  ...  Father, you are both

καὶ μείζων καὶ θάσσων  ...  both bigger and faster 

κυνῶν   ...  than the dogs

καὶ κέρατα μεγάλα φέρεις  ...  and you bear great horns 

πρὸς ἄμυναν πρὸς τούτοις  ...  for warding them off.

τί δή ποτ' οὖν   ...  So then why

οὕτω τούτους φοβῇ;   ...  are you so afraid of them?

κἀκεῖνος γελῶν εἶπεν·   ...  And he, laughing, said,

τέκνον, ἀληθῆ μὲν ταῦτα φῂς  ...  Son, you speak truly, 

ἕν δ' οἶδα,  ...  but I know one thing:  

ὡς ἐπειδὰν κυνὸς ὑλακὴν ἀκούω  ...  whenever I hear a dog's bark,

οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως  ... — I don't know how (it happens) —

αὐτίκα ἐκφέρομαι πρὸς φυγὴν  ...  I rush away at once to escape.

Barlow's Aesop

Γεωργός καὶ παῖδες

Γεωργός τις, μέλλων καταλύειν τὸν βίον καὶ βουλόμενος τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ παῖδας πεῖραν λαβεῖν τῆς γεωργίας, προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς ἔφη· παῖδες ἐμοί, ἐγὼ μὲν ἤδη τοῦ βίου ὑπέξειμι, ὑμεῖς δ', ἅπερ ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ μοι κέκρυπται, ζητήσαντες εὑρήσετε πάντα. Οἱ μὲν οὖν οἰηθέντες θησαυρὸν ἐκεῖ που κατορωρύχθαι πᾶσαν τὴν τῆς ἀμπέλου γῆν μετὰ τὴν ἀποβίωσιν τοῦ πατρὸς κατέσκαψαν· καὶ θησαυρῷ μὲν οὐ περιέτυχον, ἡ δὲ ἄμπελος καλῶς σκαφεῖσα πολλαπλασίονα τὸν καρπὸν ἀνέδωκεν.

Γεωργός τις, 

μέλλων καταλύειν τὸν βίον 

καὶ βουλόμενος 

τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ παῖδας 

πεῖραν λαβεῖν τῆς γεωργίας, 

προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς 

ἔφη· παῖδες ἐμοί, 

ἐγὼ μὲν 

ἤδη τοῦ βίου ὑπέξειμι, 

ὑμεῖς δ', 

ἅπερ 

ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ μοι κέκρυπται, 

ζητήσαντες εὑρήσετε πάντα. 

Οἱ μὲν οὖν οἰηθέντες 

θησαυρὸν ἐκεῖ που κατορωρύχθαι 

πᾶσαν τὴν τῆς ἀμπέλου γῆν

μετὰ τὴν ἀποβίωσιν τοῦ πατρὸς 

κατέσκαψαν· 

καὶ θησαυρῷ μὲν οὐ περιέτυχον, 

ἡ δὲ ἄμπελος 

καλῶς σκαφεῖσα 

πολλαπλασίονα τὸν καρπὸν ἀνέδωκεν.

Γεωργός τις  ...  A certain farmer, 

μέλλων καταλύειν τὸν βίον  ...  about to leave this life

καὶ βουλόμενος  ...  and wanting

τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ παῖδας  ...  that his children

πεῖραν λαβεῖν τῆς γεωργίας  ...  would get farming experience, 

προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς  ...  summoned them;

ἔφη· παῖδες ἐμοί  ...  he said: My boys, 

ἐγὼ μὲν ἤδη τοῦ βίου ὑπέξειμι  ...  I'm now leaving this life, 

ὑμεῖς δ' ζητήσαντες εὑρήσετε  ...  but you, by seeking, will find

πάντα ἅπερ κέκρυπται  ... everything that is buried.

ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ μοι  ...  in my vineyard.

Οἱ μὲν οὖν οἰηθέντες  ...  And so they, thinking that

θησαυρὸν ἐκεῖ που κατορωρύχθαι ...  treasure was buried there

κατέσκαψαν  ...  they dug up 

πᾶσαν τὴν τῆς ἀμπέλου γῆν ...  all the earth in the vineyard

μετὰ τὴν ἀποβίωσιν τοῦ πατρὸς  ...  after their father's demise,

καὶ θησαυρῷ μὲν οὐ περιέτυχον  ...  and they did not find a treasure, 

ἡ δὲ ἄμπελος  ...  but the vineyard, 

καλῶς σκαφεῖσα  ...  beautifully dug up,

τὸν καρπὸν ἀνέδωκεν πολλαπλασίονα  ...  gave fruit abundantly.

Medici Aesop

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

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Greek Proverb Review: Jan. 21

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 125, 126, and 127. Here's the post with the details about how the slideshows work, and there's a random cat at the bottom of the post! Plus more cats.

The slideshow is embedded in the blog post, and you can also access today's slideshow directly, full-sized view. And remember: each time you see the English translation on a slide, you can click to access the original blog post with the notes for each proverb.

These are the proverbs, linked back to their blog posts:

• Ἄδακρυς πόλεμος.
  
• Ἀδελφὸς ἀνδρὶ παρείη.
  
• Ἀεὶ γὰρ εὖ πίπτουσιν οἱ Διὸς κύβοι.
  
• Ἄνευ ξύλου μὴ βάδιζε.
  
• Ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου μετάστηθι.
  
• Ἐπαίνει ἀρετήν.
  
• Θάλαττα, θάλαττα.
  
• Ἰατρὲ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν.
  
• Μὴ ἴσθι ὡς λέων ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου.
  
• Ὁ ἔχων δύο χιτῶνας μεταδότω τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι.
  
• Πενία δὲ τὴν σοφίαν ἔλαχε.
  
• Ῥήματα ἀντί ἀλφίτων.
  
• Τὸ μέλλον οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.
  
• Τὸ φῶς ἡλίῳ δανείζεις.
  
• Τύχην νόμιζε.
  

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 10

Today's stories are from Smith's Initia Graeca, available at the Internet Archive. (There are just two stories today; I'm going to aim for around 100 words per post.) You can use the linked titles to access the book, and it has a dictionary in the back.

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

Ἄνθρωπός κατὰ τὸν ποταμὸν

Ἄνθρωπός τις φόνον ποιήσας ἐδιώκετο ὑπὸ τῶν συγγενῶν τοῦ φονευθέντος. Γενόμενος δὲ κατὰ τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν Νεῖλον, λέοντα ἰδὼν καὶ φοβηθεὶς ἀνέβη εἰς δένδρον. Εὗρε δὲ δράκοντα ἐπάνω τοῦ δένδρου, καὶ πάλιν τοῦτον φοβηθεὶς ἔρριψεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸν ποταμόν. Ἐν δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ κροκόδειλος αὐτὸν κατεθοινήσατο.

Ἄνθρωπός τις 

φόνον ποιήσας 

ἐδιώκετο 

ὑπὸ τῶν συγγενῶν τοῦ φονευθέντος. 

Γενόμενος δὲ 

κατὰ τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν Νεῖλον, 

λέοντα ἰδὼν καὶ φοβηθεὶς 

ἀνέβη εἰς δένδρον. 

Εὗρε δὲ δράκοντα 

ἐπάνω τοῦ δένδρου, 

καὶ πάλιν τοῦτον φοβηθεὶς 

ἔρριψεν ἑαυτὸν 

εἰς τὸν ποταμόν. 

Ἐν δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ 

κροκόδειλος αὐτὸν κατεθοινήσατο.

Φόνον ποιήσας  ...  Having committed a murder

ἄνθρωπός τις ἐδιώκετο  ...  a man was being pursued

ὑπὸ τῶν συγγενῶν  ...  by the relatives

τοῦ φονευθέντος  ...  of the man he had murdered. 

Γενόμενος δὲ  ...  Having arrived

κατὰ τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν Νεῖλον  ...  at the river Nile, 

λέοντα ἰδὼν καὶ φοβηθεὶς  ...  he saw a lion and was afraid; 

ἀνέβη εἰς δένδρον  ...  he climbed up a tree. 

Εὗρε δὲ δράκοντα  ...  But he found a dragon 

ἐπάνω τοῦ δένδρου  ...  up in the tree, 

καὶ πάλιν τοῦτον φοβηθεὶς  ...  and he was afraid of that; 

ἔρριψεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸν ποταμόν  ...  he jumped into the river 

Ἐν δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ  ...  And in the river 

κροκόδειλος αὐτὸν κατεθοινήσατο  ...  a crocodile feasted on him.

crocodile

Γυνὴ καὶ θεραπαινίδες

Γυνὴ χήρα φιλεργὸς θεραπαινίδας ἔχουσα, ταύτας εἰώθει νυκτὸς ἐγείρειν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων ᾠδάς. Αἱ δὲ συνεχῶς τῷ πόνῳ ταλαιπωρούμεναι, ἔγνωσαν δεῖν τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἀποκτεῖναι ἀλεκτρυόνα, ὡς ἐκείνου νύκτωρ ἐξανιστάντος τὴν δέσποιναν. Συνέβη δ' αὐταῖς τοῦτο διαπραξαμέναις χαλεπωτέροις περιπεσεῖν τοῖς δεινοῖς. Ἡ γὰρ δεσπότις ἀγνοοῦσα τὴν τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων ὥραν, ἐννυχώτερον ταύτας ἀνίστη.

Γυνὴ χήρα φιλεργὸς

θεραπαινίδας ἔχουσα, 

ταύτας εἰώθει νυκτὸς ἐγείρειν 

ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα 

πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων ᾠδάς. 

Αἱ δὲ συνεχῶς 

τῷ πόνῳ ταλαιπωρούμεναι, 

ἔγνωσαν δεῖν 

τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἀποκτεῖναι ἀλεκτρυόνα, 

ὡς ἐκείνου νύκτωρ ἐξανιστάντος τὴν δέσποιναν. 

Συνέβη δ' αὐταῖς 

τοῦτο διαπραξαμέναις 

χαλεπωτέροις περιπεσεῖν τοῖς δεινοῖς. 

Ἡ γὰρ δεσπότις 

ἀγνοοῦσα τὴν τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων ὥραν, 

ἐννυχώτερον ταύτας ἀνίστη.

Γυνὴ χήρα φιλεργὸς  ...  A hardworking widow woman

θεραπαινίδας ἔχουσα  ...  had some maids; 

ταύτας εἰώθει νυκτὸς ἐγείρειν  ...  she usually woke them at night 

ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα  ...  for their duties

πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων ᾠδάς  ...  before cock-crow. 

Αἱ δὲ συνεχῶς ταλαιπωρούμεναι  ...  Suffering continuously

τῷ πόνῳ  ...  from the hard work, 

ἔγνωσαν δεῖν  ...  they decided that they had to 

ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν ἀλεκτρυόνα  ...  kill the rooster

ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας  ...  on the rooftop 

ὡς ἐκείνου ἐξανιστάντος  ...  since he was the one who roused

τὴν δέσποιναν  ...  the mistress

νύκτωρ  ...  at night. 

αὐταῖς διαπραξαμέναις τοῦτο  ...  after they had done this thing,

συνέβη δ'  ...  it happened that

περιπεσεῖν τοῖς δεινοῖς  ...  they met with troubles

χαλεπωτέροις  ...  that were even more burdensome,

ἡ γὰρ δεσπότις  ...  for the mistress, 

ἀγνοοῦσα ὥραν  ...  not knowing the hour

τὴν τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων  ...  of the cockcrow, 

ἐννυχώτερον ταύτας ἀνίστη  ...  woke them deeper in the night.

The Woman and Her Maids

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 18

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 136. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

φιλόσοφος ~ φιλοσόφου (adj. m/f.): lover of wisdom 

πλούσιος ~ πλουσίου (adj. masc.): wealthy, rich 

μόνος ~ μόνου (adj. masc.): alone, only 

ἰσχυρόν ~ ἰσχυροῦ (adj. neut.): strong, violent 

κρείσσων ~ κρείσσονος (adj. fem.): stronger, better 

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

Φιλόσοφος γίνου.

Ἀεὶ γεωργὸς εἰς νέωτα πλούσιος.

Τοῦτ' ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν μὴ σεαυτῷ ζῆν μόνῳ.

Ἰσχυρὸν ὄχλος ἐστίν, οὐκ ἔχει δὲ νοῦν.

Γνώμη δὲ κρείσσων ἐστίν ἢ ῥώμη χερῶν.

And now, some commentary:

Φιλόσοφος γίνου.

Be a lover of wisdom.

This is another of the maxims of the Seven Sages recorded by Stobaeus; for more, see Wikipedia: Delphic maxims. Like many compound adjectives, there is not a distinctive feminine form; φιλόσοφος is both masculine and feminine, depending on context. It is often used substantively as a noun, which is the origin of our "philosopher" in English.

Ἀεὶ γεωργὸς εἰς νέωτα πλούσιος.

The farmer is always rich next year.

As Erasmus explains, this saying can refer literally to farmers, but it can also apply to all kinds of speculators who put their hopes in a future harvest, literal or metaphorical.  The adjective πλούσιος is from the noun πλοῦτος, "wealth," and Πλοῦτος was also a god. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Plutus.

Τοῦτ' ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν μὴ σεαυτῷ ζῆν μόνῳ.

This is what living is: not living for oneself alone.

This is one of the monostichs of Menander, and so it is in iambic verse:

Τοῦτ' ἐσ-τὶ τὸ || ζῆν μὴ σεαυ||τῷ ζῆν μόνῳ.

Ἰσχυρὸν ὄχλος ἐστίν, οὐκ ἔχει δὲ νοῦν.

The crowd is powerful, but it doesn't have a mind.

And this is another one of Menander's monostichs in iambic verse:

Ἰσχυ-ρὸν ὄχ||λος ἐσ-τίν, οὐκ || ἔχει δὲ νοῦν.

Γνώμη δὲ κρείσσων ἐστίν ἢ ῥώμη χερῶν.

Thought is stronger than the power of hands.

This is a fragment of the tragic poet Agathon; his plays are lost, only a few titles and fragments having survived, but Agathon appears as a character in the writings of both Plato and Aristophanes. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Agathon. Here he appears in a painting that depicts Plato's Symposium, greeting Alcibiades:

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 9

Today's stories are from Smith's Initia Graeca, available at the Internet Archive. You can use the linked titles to access the book, and it has a dictionary in the back.

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

Πίθηκος καὶ κάμηλος

Ἐν συνόδῳ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων πίθηκος ἀναστὰς ὠρχεῖτο. Σφόδρα δὲ αὐτοῦ εὐδοκιμοῦντος καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων ἐπισημαινομένου, κάμηλος φθονήσασα ἠβουλήθη τῶν αὐτῶν ἐφικέσθαι. Διόπερ ἐξαναστᾶσα ἐπειρᾶτο καὶ αὐτὴ ὀρχεῖσθαι· πολλὰ δὲ αὐτῆς ἄτοπα ποιησάσης, τὰ ζῶα ἀγανακτήσαντα, ῥοπάλοις αὐτὴν παίοντα ἐξήλασαν.

Ἐν συνόδῳ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων 

πίθηκος 

ἀναστὰς ὠρχεῖτο. 

Σφόδρα δὲ αὐτοῦ εὐδοκιμοῦντος 

καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων ἐπισημαινομένου, 

κάμηλος 

φθονήσασα ἠβουλήθη 

τῶν αὐτῶν ἐφικέσθαι. 

Διόπερ 

ἐξαναστᾶσα ἐπειρᾶτο 

καὶ αὐτὴ ὀρχεῖσθαι· 

πολλὰ δὲ αὐτῆς ἄτοπα ποιησάσης, 

τὰ ζῶα 

ἀγανακτήσαντα

ῥοπάλοις αὐτὴν παίοντα ἐξήλασαν.

Ἐν συνόδῳ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων  ...  in an assembly of dumb beasts

πίθηκος ἀναστὰς ὠρχεῖτο  ...  the ape stood up and danced.

Σφόδρα δὲ αὐτοῦ εὐδοκιμοῦντος  ...  He was well regarded

καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων ἐπισημαινομένου  ...  and applauded by all;

κάμηλος φθονήσασα  ...  the camel was jealous

ἠβουλήθη τῶν αὐτῶν ἐφικέσθαι  ...  and wanted to get the same.

Διόπερ ἐξαναστᾶσα ...  So she stood up

ἐπειρᾶτο καὶ αὐτὴ ὀρχεῖσθαι  ...  and also tried to dance;  

πολλὰ δὲ αὐτῆς ἄτοπα ποιησάσης  ...  when she did so very badly,

τὰ ζῶα ἀγανακτήσαντα  ...  the animals were irritated

αὐτὴν ἐξήλασαν  ...  and drove her away

ῥοπάλοις παίοντα  ...  beating her with clubs.

The Dancing Camel

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ λέων

Ἀλώπηξ μηδέποτε θεασαμένη λέοντα, ἐπειδὴ κατά τινα τύχην ὑπήντνσεν αὐτῷ, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἰδοῦσα αὐτὸν οὕτως ἐφοβήθη, ὡς μικροῦ καὶ ἀποθανεῖν. Ἐκ δευτέρου δὲ αὐτῷ περιτυχοῦσα ἐφοβήθη μὲν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς τὸ πρότερον. Ἐκ τρίου δὲ θεασαμένη αὐτὸν οὕτως κατεθάρσησεν, ὡς καὶ προσελθοῦσα αὐτῷ διαλεχθῆναι.

Ἀλώπηξ 

μηδέποτε θεασαμένη λέοντα, 

ἐπειδὴ 

κατά τινα τύχην 

ὑπήντνσεν αὐτῷ, 

τὸ μὲν πρῶτον 

ἰδοῦσα αὐτὸν 

οὕτως ἐφοβήθη, 

ὡς μικροῦ καὶ ἀποθανεῖν. 

Ἐκ δευτέρου δὲ 

αὐτῷ περιτυχοῦσα 

ἐφοβήθη μὲν, 

ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς τὸ πρότερον. 

Ἐκ τρίου δὲ 

θεασαμένη αὐτὸν 

οὕτως κατεθάρσησεν, 

ὡς καὶ προσελθοῦσα 

αὐτῷ διαλεχθῆναι.

Ἀλώπηξ  ...  A fox

μηδέποτε θεασαμένη λέοντα  ...  had never seen a lion; 

ἐπειδὴ κατά τινα τύχην  ...  when by chance 

ὑπήντνσεν αὐτῷ  ...  she encountered him

τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἰδοῦσα αὐτὸν  ...  seeing him the first time

οὕτως ἐφοβήθη  ...  she was so terrified 

ὡς μικροῦ καὶ ἀποθανεῖν  ...  that she nearly died.

Ἐκ δευτέρου δὲ  ...  But the second time

αὐτῷ περιτυχοῦσα  ...  she happened upon him

ἐφοβήθη μὲν  ...  she was terrified, 

ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς τὸ πρότερον  ...  but not like the first time. 

Ἐκ τρίου δὲ θεασαμένη αὐτὸν  ...  The third time she saw him

οὕτως κατεθάρσησεν  ...  she felt so confident 

ὡς καὶ προσελθοῦσα  ...  that she even went up to him

αὐτῷ διαλεχθῆναι  ...  to have a conversation.

Lion and Fox

Ὄνος καὶ ἀλώπηξ

Ὄνος ἐνδυσάμενος λέοντος δέρμα περιῄει ἐκφοβῶν τὰ ἄλογα ζῶα. Καὶ δὴ θεασάμενος ἀλώπεκα ἐπειρᾶτο καὶ ταύτην δεδίττεσθαι. Ἡ δέ, ἐτύγχανε γὰρ αὐτοῦ φθεγξαμένου προακηκουῖα, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· ἀλλ' εὖ ἴσθι, ὡς καὶ ἐγὼ ἄν σε ἐφοβήθην, εἰμὴ ὀγκωμένου ἤκουσα.

Ὄνος 

ἐνδυσάμενος λέοντος δέρμα 

περιῄει ἐκφοβῶν τὰ ἄλογα ζῶα. 

Καὶ δὴ θεασάμενος ἀλώπεκα 

ἐπειρᾶτο καὶ ταύτην δεδίττεσθαι. 

Ἡ δέ, 

ἐτύγχανε γὰρ 

αὐτοῦ φθεγξαμένου προακηκουῖα, 

ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· 

ἀλλ' εὖ ἴσθι, 

ὡς καὶ ἐγὼ ἄν σε ἐφοβήθην, 

εἰμὴ ὀγκωμένου ἤκουσα.

Ὄνος  ...  A donkey

ἐνδυσάμενος λέοντος δέρμα  ...  having put on a lion skin

περιῄει  ...  walked around

ἐκφοβῶν τὰ ἄλογα ζῶα  ... scaring the dumb beasts. 

Καὶ δὴ θεασάμενος ἀλώπεκα  ...  And when he saw a fox

ἐπειρᾶτο καὶ ταύτην δεδίττεσθαι  ...  he tried to scare her too. 

Ἡ δέ ἐτύγχανε γὰρ προακηκουῖα  ...  But she happened to hear

αὐτοῦ φθεγξαμένου  ...  the donkey speaking, 

ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν  ...  and said to him:

ἀλλ' εὖ ἴσθι  ...  Rest assured, 

ὡς καὶ ἐγὼ ἄν σε ἐφοβήθην  ...  I too would have been frightened

εἰμὴ ὀγκωμένου ἤκουσα  ...  if I had not heard you braying.

The Fox and the Donkey in the Lion Skin

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

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 16

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 135, containing familiar proverbs but with a focus on different words this time around. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἔαρ ~ ἔαρος (noun n.): spring (season) 

συμμαχία ~ συμμαχίας (noun f.): alliance, allies 

ζῷον ~ ζῴου (noun n.): animal, living being 

ξύλον ~ ξύλου (noun n.): wood, tree 

καρπός ~ καρποῦ (noun m.): fruit 

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

Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

Μετὰ πόλεμον, ἡ συμμαχία.

Πολιτικὸν ζῷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

Ξύλον ἀγκύλον ουδέποτ' ὀρθόν.

Ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ δένδρον γιγνώσκω.

And now, some commentary:

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.

Μετὰ πόλεμον, ἡ συμμαχία.

After the battle (is over), the allies (arrive).

In other words, you need allied forces to show up before the battle, not afterwards when it's too late to do any good. Compare the English saying: "Closing the barn door after the horse has bolted."

Πολιτικὸν ζῷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

A person (is) a political animal.

The saying is adapted from Aristotle's Politics. The word πολιτικός is from the word πόλις, meaning "city," so πολιτικός describes someone who lives in a city or state or some other community. In his History of Animals, Aristotle explains that there are other animals besides humans who are "political," i.e. living in communities; they are the bee, the wasp, the ant, and the crane.

Ξύλον ἀγκύλον ουδέποτ' ὀρθόν.

A crooked piece of wood never (will be) straight.

The word οὐδέποτε loses its final -ε before the following vowel: ουδέποτ' ὀρθόν. From the root in Greek ξύλον we get the English word xylophone, and from ὀρθόν we get all the ortho- words: orthodoxy, orthopedic, and on and on. Compare a saying in the Book of Ecclesiastes: That which is crooked cannot be made straight. (If you are following my little Latin course: Pravum lignum numquam rectum.)

Ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ δένδρον γινώσκω.

From the fruit, I know the tree.

Compare a similar saying in the Gospel of Matthew: Ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς, "Ye shall know them by their fruits." You can find out more at Wikipedia: The Tree and its Fruits. From Greek δένδρον we get the English term dendrochronology. 

the fable of the swallow

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

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