Greek Reading: Fables 5

Today's stories are from Rushbrooke's First Greek Reader, 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.

13. Δύο πῆραι

Αἴσωπος ἔφη δύο πήρας ἕκαστον ἡμῶν φέρειν, τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν, τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν. Καὶ εἰς μὲν τὴν ἔμπροσθεν ἀποτιθέναι ἡμᾶς τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτήματα, εἰς δὲ τὴν ὄπισθεν τὰ ἡμέτερα, διὸ οὐδὲ καθορῶμεν αὐτά.

Αἴσωπος ἔφη 

δύο πήρας 

ἕκαστον ἡμῶν φέρειν, 

τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν, 

τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν. 

Καὶ εἰς μὲν τὴν ἔμπροσθεν 

ἀποτιθέναι ἡμᾶς 

τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτήματα, 

εἰς δὲ τὴν ὄπισθεν 

τὰ ἡμέτερα, 

διὸ οὐδὲ καθορῶμεν αὐτά.

Αἴσωπος ἔφη  ...  Aesop said that 

ἕκαστον ἡμῶν φέρειν  ...  each of us carries 

δύο πήρας  ...  two sacks, 

τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν  ...  one in front, 

τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν  ...  and one behind. 

Καὶ εἰς μὲν τὴν ἔμπροσθεν  ...  And in the front sack 

ἀποτιθέναι ἡμᾶς  ...  we put 

τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτήματα  ...  other people's faults, 

εἰς δὲ τὴν ὄπισθεν  ...  and behind 

τὰ ἡμέτερα  ...  (we put) our ownn (faults); 

διὸ  ...  that's why 

οὐδὲ καθορῶμεν αὐτά  ...  we don't see them (our faults).

Our Faults and Others'

14 Κύων καὶ λαγωὸς

Κύων λαγωὸν διώξας ἐκράτησε· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἔδακνε, ποτὲ δὲ σαίνων προσέχαιρε καὶ ἐφίλει. Καὶ ὁ λαγωὸς εἶπεν· εἰ μὲν φίλοω εἶ, τί δάκνεις; εἰ δὲ ἐχθρός, τί σαίνεις οὐράν;

Κύων 

λαγωὸν διώξας 

ἐκράτησε· 

καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἔδακνε, 

ποτὲ δὲ σαίνων 

προσέχαιρε καὶ ἐφίλει. 

Καὶ ὁ λαγωὸς εἶπεν· 

εἰ μὲν φίλοω εἶ, 

τί δάκνεις; 

εἰ δὲ ἐχθρός, 

τί σαίνεις οὐράν;

Λαγωὸν διώξας  ...  having pursued a hare

κύων ἐκράτησε  ...  a dog caught (him)

καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἔδακνε  ...  and sometimes (the dog) bit,

ποτὲ δὲ σαίνων  ...  and sometimes wagging (his) tail

προσέχαιρεκαὶ ἐφίλει   ...  (the dog) saluted and kissed (the hare).

Καὶ ὁ λαγωὸς εἶπεν  ...  And the hare said,

εἰ μὲν φίλος εἶ  ...  "If you are a friend,

τί δάκνεις  ...  why do you bite?

εἰ δὲ ἐχθρός  ...  If you are an enemy,

τί σαίνεις οὐράν  ...  why do you wag your tail?

The Dog and the Hare

15 Ἔχις καὶ ἀλώπηξ

Ἔχις ἐπὶ δέσμῃ ἀκανθῶν εἴς τινα ποταμὸν ἐφέρετο· ἀλώπηξ δὲ ὡς ἐθεάσατο αὐτόν, εἶπεν· ἄξιος τῆς νεὼς ὁ ναύκληρος.

Ἔχις 

ἐπὶ δέσμῃ ἀκανθῶν 

εἰς τινα ποταμὸν 

ἐφέρετο· 

ἀλώπηξ δὲ 

ὡς ἐθεάσατο αὐτόν, 

εἶπεν· 

ἄξιος τῆς νεὼς 

ὁ ναύκληρος.

Ἔχις ἐφέρετο  ...  A viper was being carried

ἐπὶ δέσμῃ ἀκανθῶν  ...  on a bundle of thornbushes

εἰς τινα ποταμὸν  ...  towards some river

ἀλώπηξ δὲ εἶπεν  ...  and a fox said

ὡς ἐθεάσατο αὐτόν  ...  when she saw him,

"ὁ ναύκληρος  ...  the skipper

ἄξιος τῆς νεὼς  ...  is worthy of his ship."

I don't have an illustration for this fable, but there is a viper called "spiny bush viper," shown here:

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

---

---

---

Click here to subscribe/unsubscribe to the email list.

---