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