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 :

---

---

---

Click here to subscribe/unsubscribe to the email list.

---