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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