Greek Crossword 7-8-9 + Jumbles Game

The proverbs for today come from back in Group 7, Group 8, and Group 9; you can visit those blog posts for the translations and more information. 

• Βατράχῳ ὕδωρ.
• Δικτύῳ ἄνεμον θηρᾶς.
• Εὐτυχία πολύφιλος.
• Ἐχθρῶν ἄδωρα δῶρα.
• Ζητεῖτε καὶ εὑρήσετε.
• Ἡ σοφίας πήγη διὰ βιβλίων ῥεῖ.
• Λύκος ποιμήν.
• Λωτοῦ ἔφαγες.
• Μακραὶ τυράννων χεῖρες.
• Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.
• Μιᾶς γὰρ χειρὸς ἀσθενὴς μάχη.
• Νεκρὸς οὐ δάκνει.
• Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.
• Τιθωνοῦ γῆρας.
• Χάρις χάριν τίκτει.

As a new kind of game, I've turned those into word-jumbles; see if you can un-jumble them! Hint: find one word that you recognize, and that will make it easier to un-jumble the others.

• εττηεζι ακι τηευσρεε.
• κσνροε υο ιανκδε.
• ιωυκτιδ αμννοε ηρσθα.
• χευυαιτ φσιυπλλοο.
• αρσχι ρναχι τικτιε.
• ρβαωτιχα ρωυδ.
• τλωου σεγεφα.
• ευδο Ηρλσκηα ποσρ υοδ.
• η σιαφσο ηηγπ αιδ ωβιιλνβ ριε.
• μασι ργα ορσειχ θσασηεν ηαχμ.
• κλυσο ηοιπμν.
• θωνρεχ ρααδω ρωδα.
• Τθυονιω σργαη.
• ιααμρκ υωνρνταν ερσεχι.
• ιαμ δινχλεω αερ υο εοπιι.

I've also made a crossword as usual based on a missing word from each proverb: printable Crossword PDF. I've pasted in screenshots below so you can see what the crossword looks like:

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 27

Today's fables are from Potts and Darnell's Aditus Faciliores Graeci and from Colton's Greek Reader, both of which have notes for the stories and a vocabulary in the back and are available at the Internet Archive. The joke is from Rushbrooke's First Greek Reader, also at the Internet Archive, and with a dictionary in the back.

So, here are the stories in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Ὄνος καὶ τέττιγες 

Ὄνος ἀκούσας τεττίγων ᾀδόντων ἥσθη ἐπὶ τῇ εὐφωνίᾳ, καὶ ζηλώσας αὐτῶν τῆν ἡδύτητα εἶπε· Τι σιτούμενοι τοιαύτην φωνὴν ἀφίετε; Τῶν δὲ εἰπόντων, Δρόσον, ὁ ὄνος προσπαραμένων τῇ δρόσῳ, λιμῷ διεφθάρη.

Ὄνος ἀκούσας 

τεττίγων ᾀδόντων 

ἥσθη ἐπὶ τῇ εὐφωνίᾳ, 

καὶ ζηλώσας αὐτῶν τῆν ἡδύτητα 

εἶπε· 

Τι σιτούμενοι 

τοιαύτην φωνὴν ἀφίετε; 

Τῶν δὲ εἰπόντων, 

Δρόσον, 

ὁ ὄνος 

προσπαραμένων τῇ δρόσῳ

λιμῷ διεφθάρη.

Ὄνος ἀκούσας  ...  A donkey heard

τεττίγων ᾀδόντων  ...  the cicadas singing 

ἥσθη ἐπὶ τῇ εὐφωνίᾳ  ...  and enjoyed their lovely sound,

καὶ ζηλώσας  ...  and wanted to imitate

αὐτῶν τῆν ἡδύτητα  ...  their sweetness — 

εἶπε  ...  he said, 

Τι σιτούμενοι  ...  What do you eat 

τοιαύτην φωνὴν ἀφίετε;  ...  that you utter such a sound? 

Τῶν δὲ εἰπόντων  ...  And they answered, 

Δρόσον  ...  The dew.

ὁ ὄνος  ...  The donkey 

προσπαραμένων τῇ δρόσῳ  ...  eating nothing but dew

λιμῷ διεφθάρη  ...  died of hunger.

Βόες καὶ μάγειροι

Οἱ βόες ποτὲ ἀπολέσαι τοὺς μαγείρους βουλόμενοι ἤδη τὰ κέρατα εἰς τὴν μάχψν έθηγον. αὐτῶν δέ τις, βοῦς γέρων καὶ δεινός, ἐκώλυεν αὐτούς, λέγων, μὴ τοῦτο δράσητε, φίλοι. οἱ γὰρ μάγειροι ἡμᾶς ἐμπείροις ταῖς χερσὶ σφάζουσι καὶ ταχέως ἀποκτείνουσιν. ἢν δὲ ἄτεχνοί τινες ἀποσφάξωσιν ἡμᾶς, διπλοῦς τότ' ἔσται θάνατος. θύσουσι γὰρ ἀεὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι τοὺς βοῦς, κἂν τοὺς μαγείρους ἀποκτείνωμεν.

Οἱ βόες ποτὲ 

ἀπολέσαι τοὺς μαγείρους βουλόμενοι 

ἤδη τὰ κέρατα εἰς τὴν μάχψν έθηγον. 

αὐτῶν δέ τις, 

βοῦς γέρων καὶ δεινός, 

ἐκώλυεν αὐτούς, λέγων, 

μὴ τοῦτο δράσητε, φίλοι. 

οἱ γὰρ μάγειροι 

ἡμᾶς ἐμπείροις ταῖς χερσὶ σφάζουσι 

καὶ ταχέως ἀποκτείνουσιν. 

ἢν δὲ ἄτεχνοί τινες 

ἀποσφάξωσιν ἡμᾶς, 

διπλοῦς τότ' ἔσται θάνατος. 

θύσουσι γὰρ ἀεὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι τοὺς βοῦς, 

κἂν τοὺς μαγείρους ἀποκτείνωμεν.

Οἱ βόες ποτὲ βουλόμενοι  ...  The cattle once wanted

ἀπολέσαι τοὺς μαγείρους  ...  to kill the butchers 

ἤδη τὰ κέρατα έθηγον  ...  were already sharpening their horns

εἰς τὴν μάχψν  ...  for battle.

αὐτῶν δέ τις  ...  But one of them, 

βοῦς γέρων καὶ δεινός  ...  an old and clever bull, 

ἐκώλυεν αὐτούς, λέγων  ...  stopped them, saying, 

μὴ τοῦτο δράσητε, φίλοι  ...  don't do this thing, friends! 

οἱ γὰρ μάγειροι  ...  For the butchers 

ἡμᾶς σφάζουσι  ...  slaughter us 

ἐμπείροις ταῖς χερσὶ  ...  with skilled hands 

καὶ ταχέως ἀποκτείνουσιν  ...  and kill us quickly. 

ἢν δὲ ἄτεχνοί τινες  ...  But if unskilled (butchers) 

ἀποσφάξωσιν ἡμᾶς  ...  will slaughter us, 

διπλοῦς τότ' ἔσται θάνατος  ...  then double will be our death.

ἀεὶ γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι  ...  For people are always 

θύσουσι τοὺς βοῦς  ...  going to sacrifice cattle, 

κἂν ἀποκτείνωμεν  ...  even if we were to kill

τοὺς μαγείρους  ...  the butchers.

Cattle and Butchers

Σχολαστικός καὶ στρουθοί

Σχολαστικός τις ἰδὼν πολλοὺς στρουθοὺς ἐπὶ δένδρου ἑστῶτας, ἁπλώσας τὸν κόλπον ἔσειε τὸ δένδρον ὡς ὑποδεξόμενος τοὺς στρουθούς.

Σχολαστικός τις 

ἰδὼν πολλοὺς στρουθοὺς 

ἐπὶ δένδρου ἑστῶτας, 

ἁπλώσας τὸν κόλπον 

ἔσειε τὸ δένδρον 

ὡς ὑποδεξόμενος τοὺς στρουθούς.

Σχολαστικός τις  ...  A certain dunce

ἰδὼν πολλοὺς στρουθοὺς  ...  seeing many sparrows 

ἐπὶ δένδρου ἑστῶτας  ...  perched upon a tree, 

ἁπλώσας τὸν κόλπον  ...  stretched out his cloak 

ἔσειε τὸ δένδρον  ...  and shook the tree 

ὡς ὑποδεξόμενος  ...  so he could gather

τοὺς στρουθούς  ...  the sparrows (as if they were fruit!).

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Feb. 27

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 147. You may have seen these proverbs if you've been here for a while, but the vocabulary focus is new. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἀλλά (conj.): but 

ἐπὶ (prep.+acc.): on, upon 

ἥτις ~ ἧστινος (pronoun): whoever, whatever 

ἄγαν (adverb): very much, too much 

κακῶς (adverb): badly 

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

Ἕνα ἀλλὰ λέοντα.

Ἐπ' ἀμφότερα καθεύδεις τὰ ὦτα.

῾Ηδονὴν φεῦγε, ἥτις λύπην τίκτει. 

Μηδὲν ἄγαν, καιρῷ πάντα πρόσεστι καλά.

Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλ᾽ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες.

And now, some commentary:

Ἕνα ἀλλὰ λέοντα.

One, but a lion.

This is the punchline to an Aesop's fable: when the fox rebukes the lioness for having only one cub, this is the lioness's reply. That's why the words are in the accusative: "(I have only) one (cub), but (he is) a lion." In other words, all the offspring of the fox could never equal a single lion. Here are some English versions of the Aesop's fable, and this was one of the first Greek fables I shared here: Λέαινα καὶ ἀλώπηξ.

Ἐπ' ἀμφότερα καθεύδεις τὰ ὦτα.

You're sleeping on both ears.

This means to be sleeping deeply; compare the English saying "to sleep like a log." The idea is that you are in such a comfortable and secure situation that you don't need to keep an ear open for danger while you sleep. Greek ἐπὶ shows up in many English words such as "epidermis" and "epidemic."

῾Ηδονὴν φεῦγε, ἥτις λύπην τίκτει. 

Flee any pleasure which produces grief.

This is a saying attributed to Solon. The pronoun ἥτις gives the sense of "whichever, whoever," so that's why I said "any pleasure" in the translation, shifting that sense of "whatever" to the noun instead of the pronoun. From Greek ἡδονή we get English "hedonism."

Μηδὲν ἄγαν, καιρῷ πάντα πρόσεστι καλά.

Nothing in excess; all things are good in the right measure.

Diogenes Laertius attributes these words to Chilon of Sparta; you can find out more about Chilon at Wikipedia; like Solon, Chilon was considered to be one of the Seven Sages of ancient Greece. You can also find this saying shortened to simply: Μηδὲν ἄγαν. The μη in μηδὲν gives it the sense of an imperative, as μη is the negating word for non-indicative moods: (do) nothing in excess.

Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλ᾽ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες.

Those who are strong have no need of a doctor but those who are not well (do need a doctor).

The words are spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark in response to those who rebuke him for associating with sinners and other low-lifes. He explains the metaphorical application in the second half of the verse: οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς, "I have come to call not those who are righteous, but whose who have done wrong." The saying also appears in the Gospel of Matthew, and in a slightly different form in Luke: οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλὰ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες.

The Lioness and the Fox

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 26

Today's fables are from Potts and Darnell's Aditus Faciliores Graeci and from Colton's Greek Reader, both of which have notes for the stories and a vocabulary in the back and are available at the Internet Archive. The joke is from Rushbrooke's First Greek Reader, also at the Internet Archive, and with a dictionary in the back.

So, here are the stories in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Ἐργάτης καὶ Τύχη

Ἐργάτης τίς ποτε ὑπ' ἀγνοίας ἐγγὺς φρέατος ἐκάθευδεν. ἡ δὲ Τύχη αὐτῷ ἐπιστᾶσα εἶπεν, οὗτος, ἐξεγείρου. οὐ θέλω σε ἐς τὸ φρέαρ πεσεῖν. ἐγὼ γὰρ κακῶς ἀκούω καὶ κακὴν φήμην λαμβάνω, ὅποτάν τις τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀγνοίᾳ καὶ αἰτίᾳ δυστυχῇ ἢ πταίῃ.

Ἐργάτης τίς ποτε 

ὑπ' ἀγνοίας 

ἐγγὺς φρέατος ἐκάθευδεν. 

ἡ δὲ Τύχη αὐτῷ ἐπιστᾶσα εἶπεν, 

οὗτος, ἐξεγείρου. 

οὐ θέλω σε ἐς τὸ φρέαρ πεσεῖν. 

ἐγὼ γὰρ κακῶς ἀκούω 

καὶ κακὴν φήμην λαμβάνω, 

ὅποτάν τις 

τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀγνοίᾳ καὶ αἰτίᾳ 

δυστυχῇ ἢ πταίῃ.

Ἐργάτης τίς ποτε  ... A workman once 

ὑπ' ἀγνοίας  ... through ignorance 

ἐγγὺς φρέατος ἐκάθευδεν  ... fell asleep by a well. 

ἡ δὲ Τύχη  ... The goddess Tyche (Fortune, Luck) 

αὐτῷ ἐπιστᾶσα εἶπεν  ... stood over him and said, 

οὗτος, ἐξεγείρου  ... Hey you, get up! 

οὐ θέλω σε πεσεῖν  ... I don't want you to fall

ἐς τὸ φρέαρ  ... into the well. 

ἐγὼ γὰρ κακῶς ἀκούω  ... I hear bad (things said of me)

καὶ κακὴν φήμην λαμβάνω  ... and I get a bad report

ὅποτάν τις  ... whenever someone

τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀγνοίᾳ ... through his own ignorance 

καὶ αἰτίᾳ  ... and fault

δυστυχῇ ἢ πταίῃ  ...  suffers misfortune or stumbles.

Fortune and the Fool

Ὄρνις χρυσοτόκος 

Ὄρνιθά τις πάνυ καλλίστην εἶχεν, ἥτις ἔτικτεν ἀεὶ χρυσᾶ ὠά. Ὁ δὲ νομίσας ἔνδον χρυσὸν ὑπάρχειν, σφάξας παρευθὺς, εὗρεν αὐτὴν ὥσπερ καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ τυγχάνουσιν ὄρνιθες. Καὶ πλοῦτον εὑρηκέναι νομίσας, ἀπεστερήθη καὶ τοῦ μικροῦ τούτου κέρδους. 

Ὄρνιθά τις πάνυ καλλίστην εἶχεν, 

ἥτις ἔτικτεν ἀεὶ χρυσᾶ ὠά. 

Ὁ δὲ νομίσας 

ἔνδον χρυσὸν ὑπάρχειν, 

σφάξας παρευθὺς, 

εὗρεν αὐτὴν 

ὥσπερ καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ τυγχάνουσιν ὄρνιθες. 

Καὶ πλοῦτον εὑρηκέναι νομίσας, 

ἀπεστερήθη καὶ τοῦ μικροῦ τούτου κέρδους. 

τις εἶχεν  ...  a certain man had

ὄρνιθα πάνυ καλλίστην  ...  a most beautiful bird

ἥτις ἔτικτεν ἀεὶ  ...  who always laid 

χρυσᾶ ὠά  ...  golden eggs. 

Ὁ δὲ νομίσας  ...  But he got the idea 

ἔνδον χρυσὸν ὑπάρχειν  ...  that there was gold inside, 

σφάξας παρευθὺς  ...  so he promptly killed (the bird), 

εὗρεν αὐτὴν  ...  and found her

ὥσπερ καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ ὄρνιθες  ...  just like the other birds 

τυγχάνουσιν  ...  happened to be. 

Καὶ νομίσας  ...  And having thought

πλοῦτον εὑρηκέναι  ...  he would find wealth, 

ἀπεστερήθη  ...  he was deprived 

καὶ τοῦ μικροῦ τούτου κέρδους  ...  of that little profit. 

(although golden eggs sound like more than a little profit!)

Golden Eggs

Ἡ περὶ τῶν βιβλίων ἐπιστολή

Οὐκ ἔγνως ἐκεῖνον, ᾧ ὁ ἑταῖρος ἀποδημῶν ἔγραψεν ἵνα βιβλία ἀγοράσῃ; ὁ δὲ ἀμελήσας, ἐπανελθόντι αὐτῷ ἀπαντήσας· Τὴν περὶ τῶν βιβλίων ἐπιστολὴν, ἔφη, ἣν ἀπέστειλας, οὐκ ἐδεξάμην.

Οὐκ ἔγνως ἐκεῖνον, 

ᾧ ὁ ἑταῖρος ἀποδημῶν 

ἔγραψεν 

ἵνα βιβλία ἀγοράσῃ; 

ὁ δὲ ἀμελήσας, 

ἐπανελθόντι αὐτῷ ἀπαντήσας· 

Τὴν περὶ τῶν βιβλίων ἐπιστολὴν, 

ἔφη, 

ἣν ἀπέστειλας, 

οὐκ ἐδεξάμην.

Οὐκ ἔγνως ἐκεῖνον;  ... Don't you know that (dunce):

ὁ ἑταῖρος ἀποδημῶν  ...  his friend, while away from home,

ᾧ ἔγραψεν  ... wrote to him 

ἵνα βιβλία ἀγοράσῃ   ... to buy (some) books.

ὁ δὲ ἀμελήσας  ... But he forgot, 

αὐτῷ ἀπαντήσας  ... and when he ran into his friend 

ἐπανελθόντι  ... who had come back home, 

ἔφη  ... he said,

Τὴν ἐπιστολὴν  ... That letter

περὶ τῶν βιβλίων  ... about the books

ἣν ἀπέστειλας  ...  which you sent me —

οὐκ ἐδεξάμην  ... I didn't receive it!

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Feb. 25

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 146. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ὅσιον ~ ὁσίου (adj. neut.): holy, sacred, pure 

πλῆρες ~ πλήρους (adj. neut.): full, full of 

θρασύς ~ θρασέος (adj. masc.): bold, rash 

ἀσθενεστέρα ~ ἀσθενεστέρας (adj. fem.): weaker 

ταχύ ~ ταχέος (adj. neut.): swift, sudden, quick 

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

Ὅσια κρῖνε.

Πάντα πλήρη θεῶν.

Μὴ γίνου θρασὺς ἐν γλώσσῃ σου.

Τέχνη δ' ἀνάγκης ἀσθενεστέρα μακρῷ.

Ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης πάντα δουλοῦται ταχύ.

And now, some commentary:

Ὅσια κρῖνε.

Choose the things that are holy.

This is another of the Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. The verb κρίνω has a wide range of meaning; often it means "decide," but here, with a direct object, it means something more like "pick out, choose." Note also the circumflex accent for this imperative form: κρῖνε.

Πάντα πλήρη θεῶν.

All things are full of the gods.

This is a saying attributed to Thales and which is cited by both Plato and Aristotle among others. You can read more about Thales at Wikipedia.

Μὴ γίνου θρασὺς ἐν γλώσσῃ σου.

Don't be rash in your tongue.

This is a saying from the Biblical Book of Sirach. The tongue stands here for speech, i.e. don't speak rashly. The whole verse pairs up words and deeds: μὴ γίνου θρασὺς ἐν γλώσσῃ σου καὶ νωθρὸς καὶ παρειμένος ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου, "and don't be lazy and slack in your deeds."

Τέχνη δ' ἀνάγκης ἀσθενεστέρα μακρῷ.

Skill is weaker by far than Necessity.

The words come from Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound. Prometheus is speaking to the Chorus, and he goes on to explain that Necessity is the work of the Fates (Moirai), Μοῖραι, and the Furies (Erinyes), Ἐρινύες, which is why I have chosen to use a capital N in the English: she is Necessity.

Ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης πάντα δουλοῦται ταχύ.

By Necessity all things are soon enslaved.

As often, the neuter ταχύ is being used adverbially, "quickly, soon." You can read more about the Greek goddess Necessity at Wikipedia: Ananke. This saying is one of Menander's monostixoi (one-liners). The meter is iambic:

Ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγ||κης πάντα δου||λοῦται ταχύ.

 

Classical Greek Theatre Festival staging of Prometheus Bound

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 25

Today's fable is a long one (and a really good one IMO) from Potts and Darnell's Aditus Faciliores Graeci, which has notes below each story and vocabulary in the back. 

Here is the story, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English. The title is linked to the Internet Archive page. I've broken the segmented versions up into the different episodes of the story, which is a perfect example of a "chain tale" (probably my all-time favorite type of folktale!).

Sparrow and Hawk

Στροῦθός τις δένδρῳ ἐφεζόμενος μυῖαν ἥρπασεν· ἡ δὲ ἀνεβόα, ἔα με ζῆν. ἀποθανεῖ μὲν οὖν, ἔφη ὁ στροῦθος, μικρὸς γὰρ εἶ· ἐγὼ δὲ μέγας εἰμὶ καὶ ἰσχηυρός. ἀποκτείνας οὖν τὴν μυῖαν κατήσθιεν.
ἱέραξ δὲ τις κατιδὼν τὸν στροῦθον τοῦ δείπνου ἀπολαύοντα ῥᾳδίως αὐτὸν ἐδάμασεν. ὁ δὲ στροῦθος ἀνεβόα, μὴ μ' ἀποκτείνῃς· τί γὰρ κακὸν πεποίνκα; ὁ δὲ ἱέραξ, ἀποθανεῖ, ἔφη, ἐπεὶ ἐγὼ μὲν ἰσχύω, σὺ δὲ ἀσθενὴς εἶ.
τότε δὲ αἰετὸς καὶ τὸν ἱέρακα ἥρπασε ταῖς χηλαῖς. ὁ δὲ ἱέραξ, ἀφής με, ἔφη, ὦ βασιλεῦ, σπαράξεις γάρ με ταῖς χηλαῖς. οὔτοι σε ἀφήσω, ἔφη ὁ αἰετὸς. μέγιστος γὰρ καὶ ἰσχυρότατός εἰμι τῶν ὀρνίθων.
μέλλοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ κατέδεσθαι τὸν ἱέρακα θηρευτής τις προσελθὼν ὀϊστὸν ἀφεὶς τοῦ αἰετοῦ ἔτυχεν. ὦ μιαρέ, ἔφη, τί με τῷ ὀϊστῷ ἀποκτεῖναι βούλει; οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄξιον θανάτου πεποίηκα. ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο, οὐ δῆτα· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι καὶ πάνυ ἰσχυρός. σὺ δὲ ἀσθενής τις καὶ οὐ λόγου ἄξιος.

Στροῦθός τις 

δένδρῳ ἐφεζόμενος 

μυῖαν ἥρπασεν· 

ἡ δὲ ἀνεβόα, 

ἔα με ζῆν. 

ἀποθανεῖ μὲν οὖν, 

ἔφη ὁ στροῦθος, 

μικρὸς γὰρ εἶ· 

ἐγὼ δὲ μέγας εἰμὶ 

καὶ ἰσχηυρός. 

ἀποκτείνας οὖν τὴν μυῖαν 

κατήσθιεν. 

Στροῦθός τις  ... A sparrow

δένδρῳ ἐφεζόμενος  ... perched on a tree 

μυῖαν ἥρπασεν  ... seized a fly. 

ἡ δὲ ἀνεβόα  ... The fly shouted, 

ἔα με ζῆν  ... Allow me to live! 

ἔφη ὁ στροῦθος  ... The sparrow said,

ἀποθανεῖ μὲν οὖν  ... You're going to die in fact, 

μικρὸς γὰρ εἶ  ... for you are small, 

ἐγὼ δὲ μέγας εἰμὶ  ... but I am big

καὶ ἰσχηυρός  ... and strong.

ἀποκτείνας οὖν τὴν μυῖαν  ... So having killed the fly, 

κατήσθιεν  ... the sparrow gobbled her down. 

ἱέραξ δὲ τις
κατιδὼν τὸν στροῦθον
τοῦ δείπνου ἀπολαύοντα
ῥᾳδίως αὐτὸν ἐδάμασεν.
ὁ δὲ στροῦθος ἀνεβόα,
μὴ μ' ἀποκτείνῃς·
τί γὰρ κακὸν πεποίνκα;
ὁ δὲ ἱέραξ, ἀποθανεῖ, ἔφη,
ἐπεὶ ἐγὼ μὲν ἰσχύω,
σὺ δὲ ἀσθενὴς εἶ.

ἱέραξ δὲ τις  ...  But a hawk

κατιδὼν τὸν στροῦθον  ...  looking down on the sparrow 

τοῦ δείπνου ἀπολαύοντα  ...  as he enjoyed his meal 

ῥᾳδίως αὐτὸν ἐδάμασεν  ...  easily subdued him. 

ὁ δὲ στροῦθος ἀνεβόα  ...  The sparrow shouted, 

μὴ μ' ἀποκτείνῃς  ...  Don't kill me! 

τί γὰρ κακὸν πεποίνκα  ...  What wrong have I done? 

ὁ δὲ ἱέραξ ἔφη  ...  The hawk said,

ἀποθανεῖ  ...  You will die,

ἐπεὶ ἐγὼ μὲν ἰσχύω  ...  since I am strong, 

σὺ δὲ ἀσθενὴς εἶ  ...  but you are weak. 

τότε δὲ αἰετὸς 

καὶ τὸν ἱέρακα ἥρπασε 

ταῖς χηλαῖς. 

ὁ δὲ ἱέραξ, ἀφής με, ἔφη, ὦ βασιλεῦ, 

σπαράξεις γάρ με ταῖς χηλαῖς. 

οὔτοι σε ἀφήσω, ἔφη ὁ αἰετὸς. 

μέγιστος γὰρ 

καὶ ἰσχυρότατός εἰμι τῶν ὀρνίθων. 

τότε δὲ αἰετὸς  ...  And then an eagle

καὶ τὸν ἱέρακα ἥρπασε  ...  likewise seized the hawk 

ταῖς χηλαῖς  ...  in his talons. 

ὁ δὲ ἱέραξ ἔφη  ...  And the hawk said, 

ἀφής με, ὦ βασιλεῦ  ...  Let me go, O king! 

σπαράξεις γάρ με  ...  for you will tear me to pieces 

ταῖς χηλαῖς  ...  with your talons. 

ἔφη ὁ αἰετὸς  ...  The eagle said,

οὔτοι σε ἀφήσω  ...  I will not let you go, 

μέγιστος γὰρ εἰμι  ...  for I am mighty 

καὶ ἰσχυρότατός  ...  and the strongest 

τῶν ὀρνίθων  ...  of all the birds.

μέλλοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ 

κατέδεσθαι τὸν ἱέρακα 

θηρευτής τις προσελθὼν 

ὀϊστὸν ἀφεὶς 

τοῦ αἰετοῦ ἔτυχεν. 

ὦ μιαρέ, ἔφη, 

τί με τῷ ὀϊστῷ ἀποκτεῖναι βούλει; 

οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄξιον θανάτου πεποίηκα. 

ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο, 

οὐ δῆτα· 

ἐγὼ γὰρ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι 

καὶ πάνυ ἰσχυρός. 

σὺ δὲ ἀσθενής τις 

καὶ οὐ λόγου ἄξιος.

μέλλοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ  ... As he (the eagle) was about

κατέδεσθαι τὸν ἱέρακα  ... to gobble down the hawk, 

θηρευτής τις προσελθὼν  ... a hunter approached 

ὀϊστὸν ἀφεὶς  ... and let loose an arrow

τοῦ αἰετοῦ ἔτυχεν  ... which hit the eagle.

ὦ μιαρέ, ἔφη  ... You scoundrel, said the eagle,

τί με ἀποκτεῖναι βούλει  ... Why do you want to kill me

τῷ ὀϊστῷ  ...  with your arrow?

οὐδὲν γὰρ πεποίηκα  ... I have done nothing

ἄξιον θανάτου  ...  worthy of death. 

ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο  ... The hunter answered, 

οὐ δῆτα  ... Not so — 

ἐγὼ γὰρ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι  ... for I am a human, 

καὶ πάνυ ἰσχυρός  ... and exceedingly strong. 

σὺ δὲ ἀσθενής τις  ... But you are someone weak, 

καὶ οὐ λόγου ἄξιος  ... and not worth speaking about.

hawk and little bird

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Feb. 22

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 145. These are proverbs you (may) have seen before, but with a different word focus this time. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἥμισυ ~ ἡμίσεος (noun n.): half 

γενεά ~ γενεᾶς (noun f.): generation, tribe 

κτῆμα ~ κτήματος (noun n.): possession 

διδάσκαλος ~ διδασκάλου (noun c.): teacher 

καῖσαρ ~ καίσαρος (noun m.): Caesar

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

Ἀρχὴ ἥμισυ παντός.

Γενεὰ πορεύεται καὶ γενεὰ ἔρχεται.

Σοφία δὲ πλούτου κτῆμα τιμιώτερον.

Πολλοὶ μαθηταὶ κρείττονες διδασκάλων.

Τὰ καίσαρος ἀπόδοτε καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ θεῷ. 

And now, some commentary:

Ἀρχὴ ἥμισυ παντός.
The beginning (is) half of the whole.

In other words: the key to finishing anything is just to get started. Compare the English saying: "Well begun is half done." Things that are "archaic" existed from the beginning of time, and you can see the "half" of ἥμισυ is English words like "hemisphere."

Γενεὰ πορεύεται καὶ γενεὰ ἔρχεται.

A generation goes and a generation comes.

The words are from the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. The complete verse reads: γενεὰ πορεύεται καὶ γενεὰ ἔρχεται καὶ ἡ γῆ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἕστηκεν, "and the earth abides forever." The Greek word γενεά is from the Indo-European root, *ǵenh₁, "produce, give birth," thus related to English "kin."

Σοφία δὲ πλούτου κτῆμα τιμιώτερον.

Wisdom is a more valuable possession than wealth.

The word τιμιώτερον is a comparative form of the adjective, τίμιον, "valued, valuable," and it thus takes a genitive complement: "more valuable than wealth." The noun σοφία, "wisdom," shares a root with the adjective σοφός, "wise," and this is where we get soph- words in English. 

Πολλοὶ μαθηταὶ κρείττονες διδασκάλων.

Many students are greater than (their) teachers.

This Greek proverb actually appears in Henry Fielding's Tom Jones: "I remember my old schoolmaster, who was a prodigious great scholar, used often to say, Polly matete cry town is my daskalon. The English of which, he told us, was, That a child may sometimes teach his grandmother to suck eggs." Thanks to Michael Gilleland for that citation!

Τὰ καίσαρος ἀπόδοτε καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ θεῷ. 

Pay the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God.

The words appear in the Gospel of Mark, and also in Matthew and Luke. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Render Unto Caesar. The word καῖσαρ is a Roman name used in Greek, Caesar, which was originally a Roman clan name, or cognomen, which then became a shorthand way of saying "emperor," as the Julio-Claudians were the first Roman imperial family. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Caesar - Title. This is the origin of the German word Kaiser, which is much closer to the Roman pronunciation than English "Caesar." It is also the origin of the Russian word tsar.

(a coin showing the Roman emperor Tiberius)

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 24

Today's fables are from Potts and Darnell's Aditus Faciliores Graeci, which has notes below each story and vocabulary in the back. The joke is from Rushbrooke's First Greek Reader, both available at the Internet Archive; Rushbrooke's book also contains a dictionary in the back.

Here are the stories, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Γεωργὸς καὶ θάλασσα

Γεωργός τις ἰδὼν ναῦν ἐν θαλάσσῃ κυμαινομενην ἐδάκρυσε καὶ κατηρᾶτο τῇ θαλάσσῃ· αὐτὴ δὲ ἀνεβόα, τί μοι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, μέμφει; οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε τῶν κινδύνων αἰτία εἰμί, ἀλλ' οἱ ἄνεμοι· οὗτοι γὰρ διαταράσσουσί με. ἢν δὲ ἐν νηνεμίᾳ βουληθῇς πλεῦσαι, ἡμερωτέραν με τῆς γῆς εὑρήσεις.

Γεωργός τις 

ἰδὼν ναῦν 

ἐν θαλάσσῃ κυμαινομενην 

ἐδάκρυσε 

καὶ κατηρᾶτο τῇ θαλάσσῃ· 

αὐτὴ δὲ ἀνεβόα, 

τί μοι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, μέμφει;

οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε 

τῶν κινδύνων αἰτία εἰμί, 

ἀλλ' οἱ ἄνεμοι· 

οὗτοι γὰρ διαταράσσουσί με. 

ἢν δὲ ἐν νηνεμίᾳ βουληθῇς πλεῦσαι, 

ἡμερωτέραν με τῆς γῆς εὑρήσεις.

Γεωργός τις  ...  A farmer

ἰδὼν ναῦν  ...  seeing a ship 

ἐν θαλάσσῃ κυμαινομενην  ...  tossed on the sea 

ἐδάκρυσε  ...  wept 

καὶ κατηρᾶτο τῇ θαλάσσῃ  ...  and cursed the sea.

αὐτὴ δὲ ἀνεβόα  ...  The sea shouted, 

ὦ ἄνθρωπε  ...  O person, 

τί μοι μέμφει  ...  why do you criticize me? 

οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγε αἰτία εἰμί  ...  For I am not the cause

τῶν κινδύνων  ...  of the dangers

ἀλλ' οἱ ἄνεμοι  ...  but rather the winds (are the cause) —  

οὗτοι γὰρ διαταράσσουσί με  ...  for they stir me up. 

ἢν δὲ βουληθῇς πλεῦσαι  ... If you wanted to sail

ἐν νηνεμίᾳ  ... when the winds are still, 

εὑρήσεις με  ... you will find me

ἡμερωτέραν τῆς γῆς  ... more gentle than the land.

The Sea Speaks

Δύο πῆραι β

Ἄνθρωπος ἕκαστος δύο πήρας φέρει, τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν, τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν, ἑκατέρα δὲ τῶν πηρῶν γέμει κακῶν. ἡ μὲν ἔμπροσθεν ἔχει ἀλλότρια κακὰ, ἡ δὲ ὄπισθεν τὰ τοῦ φέροντος· διὰ τοῦτο οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὰ αὑτῶν κακὰ οὐχ ὁρῶσι, τὰ δὲ ἀλλότρια πάνυ ἀκριβῶς θεῶνται.

(another version here)

Ἄνθρωπος ἕκαστος 

δύο πήρας φέρει, 

τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν, 

τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν, 

ἑκατέρα δὲ τῶν πηρῶν γέμει κακῶν. 

ἡ μὲν ἔμπροσθεν 

ἔχει ἀλλότρια κακὰ, 

ἡ δὲ ὄπισθεν 

τὰ τοῦ φέροντος· 

διὰ τοῦτο οἱ ἄνθρωποι 

τὰ αὑτῶν κακὰ οὐχ ὁρῶσι, 

τὰ δὲ ἀλλότρια 

πάνυ ἀκριβῶς θεῶνται.

Ἄνθρωπος ἕκαστος  ...  Each person

δύο πήρας φέρει  ...  carries two sacks, 

τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν  ...  one behind, 

τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν  ...  the other in front, 

ἑκατέρα δὲ τῶν πηρῶν  each of the sacks

γέμει κακῶν  ...  filled up with faults. 

ἡ μὲν ἔμπροσθεν  ...  The one in front 

ἔχει ἀλλότρια κακὰ  ...  holds other people's faults, 

ἡ δὲ ὄπισθεν  ...  and the one behind, 

τὰ τοῦ φέροντος  ...  the faults of the bearer.

διὰ τοῦτο οἱ ἄνθρωποι  ...  That's why people 

τὰ αὑτῶν κακὰ οὐχ ὁρῶσι  ...  don't see their own faults, 

τὰ δὲ ἀλλότρια  ...  but the faults of other people

πάνυ ἀκριβῶς θεῶνται  ...  they observe with all precision.

The Two Sacks

Ἀβδηρίτης καὶ χοιρίδιον

Ἀβδηρίτης τις κατ' ὄναρ χοιρίδιον ἐπώλει καὶ ἐζήτει δραχμὰς ἑκατόν. διδόντος δέ τινος πεντήκοντα, μὴ βουλόμενος λαβεῖν διύπνισε. καμμύσας οὖν καὶ τὴν χεῖρα προτείνας εἶπε, Δός μοι τὰς πεντήκοντα.

Ἀβδηρίτης τις 

κατ' ὄναρ 

χοιρίδιον ἐπώλει 

καὶ ἐζήτει δραχμὰς ἑκατόν. 

διδόντος δέ τινος πεντήκοντα, 

μὴ βουλόμενος λαβεῖν 

διύπνισε. 

καμμύσας οὖν 

καὶ τὴν χεῖρα προτείνας 

εἶπε, 

Δός μοι τὰς πεντήκοντα.

Ἀβδηρίτης τις  ...  A fool (from Abdera)

κατ' ὄναρ  ...  dreamed

χοιρίδιον ἐπώλει  ...  he was selling a piglet 

καὶ ἐζήτει δραχμὰς ἑκατόν  ...  and wanted 100 drachmas for it. 

διδόντος δέ τινος πεντήκοντα  ...  A buyer offered fifty, 

μὴ βουλόμενος λαβεῖν  ...  but he didn't want to accept 

διύπνισε  ...  and woke up. 

καμμύσας οὖν  ...  Then, closing his eyes 

καὶ τὴν χεῖρα προτείνας  ...  and reaching out his hand, 

εἶπε  ...  he said, 

Δός μοι τὰς πεντήκοντα  ...  "Give me the fifty!"

ancient drachma

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

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Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword: Feb. 20

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 134, 135, and 136. 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.

There's also a crossword puzzle PDF that you can print; here's a screenshot of the key. :-)

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

• Ἀεὶ γεωργὸς εἰς νέωτα πλούσιος.
  
• Αἰέτιον χάριν ἐκτίνειν.
  
• Γνώμη δὲ κρείσσων ἐστίν ἢ ῥώμη χερῶν.
  
• Ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ δένδρον γιγνώσκω.
  
• Ἰσχυρὸν ὄχλος ἐστίν, οὐκ ἔχει δὲ νοῦν.
  
• Μετὰ πόλεμον, ἡ συμμαχία.
  
• Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.
  
• Ξύλον ἀγκύλον ουδέποτ' ὀρθόν.
  
• Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει.
  
• Πολιτικὸν ζῷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος.
  
• Τὰ Ταντάλου τάλαντα.
  
• Ταντάλειοι τιμωρίαι.
  
• Τοῦτ' ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν μὴ σεαυτῷ ζῆν μόνῳ.
  
• Φιλόσοφος γίνου.
  
• Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν.
  

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 23

Today's fables are from Potts and Darnell's Aditus Faciliores Graeci, which has notes below each story and vocabulary in the back. The joke is from Rushbrooke's First Greek Reader, both available at the Internet Archive; Rushbrooke's book also contains a dictionary in the back.

Here are today's stories, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Λύκος καὶ λέων

Λύκος ποτὲ ἄρας πρόβατον ἐκ ποιμνίου ἐκόμιζεν αὐτὸ ἐς τὴν κοίτην· λέων δὲ συναντήσας ἀφεῖλε τὸ πρόβατον. ὁ δὲ λύκος πόρῥωθεν στὰς ἔφη· ἀδικεῖς με ἀφελὼν τὸ πρόβατον. ὁ δὲ λέων γελάσας ἔφη· σὺ γὰρ δικαίως αὐτὸ ἔλαβες;

Λύκος ποτὲ

ἄρας πρόβατον ἐκ ποιμνίου 

ἐκόμιζεν αὐτὸ ἐς τὴν κοίτην· 

λέων δὲ συναντήσας 

ἀφεῖλε τὸ πρόβατον. 

ὁ δὲ λύκος πόρῥωθεν στὰς ἔφη· 

ἀδικεῖς με ἀφελὼν τὸ πρόβατον. 

ὁ δὲ λέων γελάσας ἔφη· 

σὺ γὰρ δικαίως αὐτὸ ἔλαβες;

Λύκος ποτὲ  ...  Once upon a time a wolf

ἄρας πρόβατον  ...  carried off a sheep 

ἐκ ποιμνίου  ...  from the flock 

ἐκόμιζεν αὐτὸ  ...  and brought it 

ἐς τὴν κοίτην  ...  to his lair. 

λέων δὲ συναντήσας  ...  A lion met up with him 

ἀφεῖλε τὸ πρόβατον  ...  and snatched the sheep.

ὁ δὲ λύκος πόρῥωθεν στὰς  ...  The wolf stood at a distance

ἔφη  ...  and said, 

ἀδικεῖς  ...  you are acting unjustly

με ἀφελὼν τὸ πρόβατον  ...  by snatching my sheep. 

ὁ δὲ λέων γελάσας  ...   The lion laughed

ἔφη  ...  and said, 

σὺ γὰρ  ...   And YOU

δικαίως αὐτὸ ἔλαβες;  ...  did you take the sheep justly?

The Wolf and the Lion

Κύων καὶ κώδων 

ὁ δὲ δεσπότης αὐτοῦ κώδωνα τῷ τραχήλῳ αὐτοῦ περιέθηκεν, ἵνα μηδένα λαθὼν δάκνοι. ὁ δὲ κύων ἐς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐλθὼν τὸν κώδωνα πάνυ σεμνῶς ἔσειε. γραῦς δέ τις ἰδοῦσα αὐτὸν σεμνυνόμενον εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τί σεμνύνει, κύον; οὐ γὰρ διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν φορεῖς τὸν κώδωνα, ἀλλὰ τῆς κακίας σημεῖον.

Κύων τις λάθρα ἔδακνεν· 

ὁ δὲ δεσπότης αὐτοῦ 

κώδωνα τῷ τραχήλῳ αὐτοῦ περιέθηκεν, 

ἵνα μηδένα λαθὼν δάκνοι. 

ὁ δὲ κύων 

ἐς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐλθὼν

 τὸν κώδωνα πάνυ σεμνῶς ἔσειε. 

γραῦς δέ τις ἰδοῦσα 

αὐτὸν σεμνυνόμενον 

εἶπεν αὐτῷ· 

τί σεμνύνει, κύον; 

οὐ γὰρ διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν 

φορεῖς τὸν κώδωνα, 

ἀλλὰ τῆς κακίας σημεῖον.

Κύων τις ἔδακνεν  ... A dog used to bite

λάθρα  ... sneakily.

ὁ δὲ δεσπότης αὐτοῦ  ... His owner 

κώδωνα περιέθηκεν  ... tied a bell 

τῷ τραχήλῳ αὐτοῦ  ... around his neck, 

ἵνα λαθὼν  ... so that he could not sneak up 

δάκνοι μηδένα ... and bite anybody. 

ὁ δὲ κύων  ... The dog 

ἐς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐλθὼν  ... went to the market

τὸν κώδωνα ἔσειε  ... shaking his bell

πάνυ σεμνῶς  ... with utter pride. 

γραῦς δέ τις  ...  An old woman

ἰδοῦσα αὐτὸν σεμνυνόμενον  ...  saw him boasting

εἶπεν αὐτῷ  ... and said to him, 

τί σεμνύνει, κύον;  ...  Why are you boasting, dog? 

οὐ γὰρ διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν  ...  It's not for your excellence 

φορεῖς τὸν κώδωνα  ...  that you wear that bell, 

ἀλλὰ τῆς κακίας σημεῖον  ...  but as a sign of wickedness.

The Dog and his Bell

Τίς ὁ τεθνηκώς;

Ἐν Κύμῃ ἐπισήμου τινος κηδευομένου προσελθών τις ἠρώτα, Τίς ὁ τεθνηκώς; Κυμαῖος δέ τις ὑπεδείκνυε λέγων, Ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης ἀνακείμενος.

Ἐν Κύμῃ 

ἐπισήμου τινος κηδευομένου 

προσελθών τις ἠρώτα, 

Τίς ὁ τεθνηκώς; 

Κυμαῖος δέ τις ὑπεδείκνυε 

λέγων, 

Ἐκεῖνος 

ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης ἀνακείμενος.

Ἐν Κύμῃ  ...  In Cumae (the land of fools)

κηδευομένου  ...  a funeral was being held

ἐπισήμου τινος  ...  for a distinguished citizen,

προσελθών τις  ...  and someone arrived 

ἠρώτα  ...  and asked, 

Τίς ὁ τεθνηκώς;  ...  Who's the dead guy? 

Κυμαῖος δέ τις ὑπεδείκνυε  ...  A fool pointed 

λέγων  ...  and said, 

Ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀνακείμενος  ...  The one lying there

ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης ...  on the funeral bier.

burial scence (vase from appx. 750 BCE)

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Feb. 18

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 144. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

αἰδέομαι ~ αἰδέσομαι ~ ᾐδεσάμην: be in awe, respect 

ἐξαμαρτάνω ~ ἐξαμαρτήσομαι ~ ἐξήμαρτον: make a mistake 

ὑπέχω ~ ὑφέξω ~ ὑπέσχον: support, supply, undergo 

φθέγγομαι ~ φθέγξομαι ~ ἐφθεγξάμην: utter a sound, speak 

λούω ~ λούσω ~ ἔλουσα: wash, bathe 

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

Ἱκέτας αἰδοῦ.

Σοφῷ γὰρ αἰσχρὸν ἐξαμαρτάνειν.

Δίκην ὑφέξει κἂν ὄνος δάκῃ κύνα.

Ἐν ἀμούσοις καὶ κόρυδος φθέγγεται.

Ὗς λουσαμένη εἰς κυλισμὸν βορβόρου.

And now, some commentary:

Ἱκέτας αἰδοῦ.

Respect suppliants.

This is one of the so-called sayings recorded by Stobaeus; more information at Wikipedia: Delphic maxims. These maxims are a great way to practice imperatives, especially those sneaky middle imperatives: αἰδοῦ, from the deponent verb αἰδέομαι, which takes a direct object: ἱκέτας, from the noun ἱκέτης.

Σοφῷ γὰρ αἰσχρὸν ἐξαμαρτάνειν.

It is a shameful thing for a wise man to commit an error.

The idea is that the "wise" person is being held to a higher standard; being wise should help you keep from making mistakes. The words are spoken by the chorus in Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound.

Δίκην ὑφέξει κἂν ὄνος δάκῃ κύνα.

He'll bring a lawsuit even if a donkey bites a dog.

This saying makes fun of someone who will make a legal case over something that's a trivial, everyday occurrence. The word κἂν is a compound: καί - ἄν, with καί being used adverbially here: "even if."

Ἐν ἀμούσοις καὶ κόρυδος φθέγγεται.

Among the uncultured, even a lark can sing.

The implication here is that people with refined taste would prefer the song of the nightingale, but for those who will settle for anything, the song of a common lark is good enough. Apparently the lark has a nice enough song, but it also utters some buzzing sounds, although I guess I must be un-mused, as I like the song of the lark. The word ἄμουσος is an alpha-privative compound: ἄ-μουσος, being without the Muses, uncultured.

Ὗς λουσαμένη εἰς κυλισμὸν βορβόρου.

The pig, having been washed, goes to roll in the mud.

The idea here is that nature will out: you can clean up a pig, but it will still go right back into the mud. This saying comes from the Biblical letter of 2 Peter, where it is labeled a proverb, παροιμία. Here is a ancient Greek terracotta pig:

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 22

Today's fable is from Potts and Darnell's Aditus Faciliores Graeci, which has notes below each story and vocabulary in the back. The jokes are from Rushbrooke's First Greek Reader, both available at the Internet Archive; Rushbrooke's book also contains a dictionary in the back.

Here are today's stories, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Λύκος καὶ πρόβατον

Λύκος ποτὲ ὑπὸ κυνῶν δηχθεὶς κακῶς ἔπασχε τροφῆς δὲ ἀπορῶν, προβάτου ἐδεῖτο ποτὸν αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ παραρῥέοντος ποταμοῦ κομίσαι· ἐὰν γὰρ, ἔφη, σύ μοι ποτὸν δῷς, ῥᾳδίως ἐμαυτῷ τροφὴν εὑρήσω. σαφ' οἶδα τοῦτο, ἔφη το πρόβατον, καὶ ἀποστατεῖν μᾶλλον θέλω.

Λύκος ποτὲ 

ὑπὸ κυνῶν δηχθεὶς 

κακῶς ἔπασχε 

τροφῆς δὲ ἀπορῶν, 

προβάτου ἐδεῖτο 

ποτὸν αὐτῷ 

ἐκ τοῦ παραρῥέοντος ποταμοῦ 

κομίσαι· 

ἐὰν γὰρ, ἔφη, 

σύ μοι ποτὸν δῷς, 

ῥᾳδίως ἐμαυτῷ τροφὴν εὑρήσω. 

σαφ' οἶδα τοῦτο, 

ἔφη το πρόβατον, 

καὶ ἀποστατεῖν μᾶλλον θέλω.

Λύκος ποτὲ  ...  Once upon a time a wolf

ὑπὸ κυνῶν δηχθεὶς  ...  chased by dogs

κακῶς ἔπασχε  ...  was in bad shape

τροφῆς δὲ ἀπορῶν  ...  and unable to get food, 

προβάτου ἐδεῖτο  ...  he begged a sheep 

κομίσαι ποτὸν αὐτῷ  ...  to bring him a drink 

ἐκ τοῦ παραρῥέοντος ποταμοῦ  ...  from a nearby river. 

ἔφη  ...  he said

ἐὰν γὰρ σύ μοι ποτὸν δῷς  ...  if you give me a drink, 

ἐμαυτῷ τροφὴν εὑρήσω  ...  I'll find myself some food

ῥᾳδίως  ...  easily.

σαφ' οἶδα τοῦτο  ...  I know that full well, 

ἔφη το πρόβατον  ...  said the sheep, 

καὶ ἀποστατεῖν μᾶλλον θέλω  ...  and I prefer to keep my distance.

The Wolf and the Sheep

Τρεῖς ταῦροι

Τρεῖς ταῦροι ἀεὶ ὁμοῦ ἐνέμοντο. λέων δὲ τις ἐφεδρεύων αὐτοῖς, πάντας ὁμοῦ νικῆσαι οὐ δυνάμενος, διαβολῇ καὶ ψεύδεσιν αὐτοὺς ἀλλήλοις ἐχθροὺς ἐποίησε· χωρίσας δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀπ' ἀλλήλων ῥᾳδίως ἕκαστον ἐνίκησε. 

Τρεῖς ταῦροι 

ἀεὶ ὁμοῦ ἐνέμοντο. 

λέων δὲ τις 

ἐφεδρεύων αὐτοῖς, 

πάντας ὁμοῦ νικῆσαι 

οὐ δυνάμενος, 

διαβολῇ καὶ ψεύδεσιν 

αὐτοὺς ἀλλήλοις ἐχθροὺς ἐποίησε· 

χωρίσας δὲ αὐτοὺς 

ἀπ' ἀλλήλων 

ῥᾳδίως ἕκαστον ἐνίκησε. 

Τρεῖς ταῦροι  ...  Three bulls

ἀεὶ ὁμοῦ ἐνέμοντο  ...  always grazed together. 

λέων δὲ τις  ...  A lion 

ἐφεδρεύων αὐτοῖς  ...  lay in wait for them, 

οὐ δυνάμενος  ...  not being able

πάντας ὁμοῦ νικῆσαι  ...  to defeat them all together. 

διαβολῇ καὶ ψεύδεσιν  ...  By slander and lies

αὐτοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐποίησε  ...  he made them enemies

ἀλλήλοις  ...  against one another.

χωρίσας δὲ αὐτοὺς  ...  having divided them 

ἀπ' ἀλλήλων  ...  from one another 

ῥᾳδίως ἕκαστον ἐνίκησε  ...  he easily defeated each one. 

The Lion and the Bulls

Σχολαστικός τις ἐνοπτρίζεται

Σχολαστικός τις ἐθέλων ἰδεῖν εἰ πρέπει αὐτῷ κοιμᾶσθαι, καμμύσας ἐνωπτρίζετο.

Σχολαστικός τις 

ἐθέλων ἰδεῖν 

εἰ πρέπει αὐτῷ κοιμᾶσθαι, 

καμμύσας ἐνωπτρίζετο.

Σχολαστικός τις  ...  A dunce

ἐθέλων ἰδεῖν  ...  wanted to see 

εἰ πρέπει αὐτῷ κοιμᾶσθαι  ...  if sleeping suited him, 

ἐνωπτρίζετο  ...  he looked in a mirror

καμμύσας  ...  eyes closed.

Καθ' ὕπνους ἰδὼν...

Σχολαστικῷ τινί τις ἀπαντήσας ἔφη, Κύριε σχολαστικὲ, καθ' ὕπνους σε ἰδὼν προσηγόρευσα. Ὁ δὲ, Μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς, ἔφη, ἄσχολος ὢν οὐ προσεῖχον.

Σχολαστικῷ τινί 

τις ἀπαντήσας ἔφη, 

Κύριε σχολαστικὲ, 

καθ' ὕπνους σε ἰδὼν προσηγόρευσα. 

Ὁ δὲ, 

Μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς, ἔφη, 

ἄσχολος ὢν οὐ προσεῖχον.

Ἀπαντήσας τις  ...  A man ran into

Σχολαστικῷ τινί  ...  a dunce

ἔφη  ...  and said, 

Κύριε σχολαστικὲ  ...  Mister Dunce, 

καθ' ὕπνους ἰδὼν  ...  while sleeping I saw (you)

σε προσηγόρευσα  ...  and spoke to you.

Ὁ δὲ ἔφη  ...  And the dunce said,

Μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς  ...  By the gods,

ἄσχολος ὢν  ...  as I was busy, 

οὐ προσεῖχον  ...  I didn't answer you.

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

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Greek Crossword 4-5-6

Here's a crossword from Group 4, Group 5, and Group 6; you can visit those blog posts for the vocabulary information. The crossword is based on a missing word from each proverb: printable Crossword PDF. I've pasted in screenshots below so you can see what I mean.

Here are the proverbs in the puzzle:

Χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά.

Excellent (things are) difficult (to achieve).

The adjective καλά is being used substantively here: "excellent things." You can find these words in Plato, who refers to it as a proverb, παροιμία.

Μέγα βιβλίον μέγα κακόν.

A big book (is) a big evil.
So wrote the poet Callimachus, in defense of short poetry as opposed to epics. The adjective κακόν is being used substantively: an evil (thing).

Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα.

I know one (thing)  — that I know nothing.

This is the so-called "Socratic paradox." You can find out more at Wikipedia: I know that I know nothing. Both ἕν and οὐδὲν are being used substantively: one (thing) and not one (thing).

Μηδὲν ἄγαν.

Nothing to excess.

Note the specific form of "nothing" used here: μηδέν as opposed to οὐδέν (see previous saying). The word μή is used for negative imperatives, which gives this proverb the force of a negative imperative even though no verb is expressed: don't talk too much, don't eat too much, don't sleep too much, etc. etc. — μηδὲν ἄγαν.

Πάντα ῥεῖ.  

Everything flows.

Note that the neuter plural takes a singular verb, as is the rule in Greek: πάντα (everything = literally, all things) ῥεῖ. Another translation might be: "All things are in flux," or "All situations are fluid." The idea is attributed to the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus.

Γνῶθι σεαυτόν. 

Know yourself.

You can read about this Delphic maxim at Wikipedia: Know thyself. You will also find this form of the saying: Γνῶθι σαυτόν.

Εἷς ἀνὴρ οὐ πάνθ᾽ ὁρᾷ. 

One man does not see all things.

The final alpha of πάντα elides before the following vowel, and because the following vowel is aspirated, πάντ' becomes πάνθ᾽. The saying is from Euripides's Phoenician Women.

Οἱ διψῶντες σιωπῇ πίνουσι.   

Those who are thirsty drink in silence.

The word διψῶντες is a participle from the verb διψάω; compare the English word dipsomaniac. The idea is that when someone really needs something, they will be completely focused on that thing. Total absorption; no chit-chat.

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐχ ἁλίσκει. 

An elephant doesn't catch a mouse.

In other words: don't sweat the small stuff. If you are an elephant, the mouse is not worth your time and attention! This saying made its way into Erasmus's Adagia. A variation: Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐκ ἀλεγίζει, "An elephant doesn't trouble himself about a mouse."

Πολλαῖς πληγαῖς δρῦς δαμάζεται.

By many blows (of the axe), the oak tree is toppled.

In other words: if you have a big task in front of you, be persistent! You are not going to get the job done all at once. This is a good saying for language learners too: Greek is learned one word at a time. :-)

Μὴ πῦρ ἐπὶ πῦρ.

Don't (add) fire to the fire. 

The Greek saying is quoted by Plutarch, and we have a similar expression in English "adding fuel to the fire." In other words, making a bad situation worse, with the result that the fire might start to burn out of control. From this Greek root, we get English words like pyre and pyromaniac.

Ἐν οἴνῳ ἀλήθεια.

In wine (there is) truth.

Wine loosens people's tongues and, under the influence of the wine, they speak the truth, saying things they would not admit when they are sober. Compare the famous Latin saying, "In vino veritas."

Γλαῦκας εἰς Ἀθήνας.

(Bringing) owls to Athens.

This refers to a foolish effort: there's no need to bring owls to Athens because Athens is full of owls. The owls that lived in the Parthenon were a symbol of Athens, and the coins of Athens were stamped with owls. Compare the English saying "Coals to Newcastle."

Ἅμαξα τὸν βοῦν ἕλκει.

The cart is pulling the ox.

Compare the English saying: "Don't put the cart before the horse."

Τῶν ὤτων ἔχω τὸν λύκον.  
I've got the wolf by the ears.

This refers to a no-win situation: it's dangerous to hold on, but it's also dangerous to let go! From this Greek root ὠτ- we get the English word otologist, an ear-doctor.

printable Crossword PDF

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 21

Today's fable is from Potts and Darnell's Aditus Faciliores Graeci, which has notes below each story and vocabulary in the back. The jokes are from Rushbrooke's First Greek Reader, both available at the Internet Archive; Rushbrooke's book also contains a dictionary in the back.

Here are today's stories, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Ἵππος καὶ ὄνος

(you saw a different version of this story earlier)

Ἄνθρωπός τις ὄνον εἶχε καὶ ἵππον· τὸν δὲ ἵππον κενὸν ἄνευ φορτίου παρέλκειν εἰώθει, τῷ δὲ ὄνῳ ἤδη γερόντι τὸ φορτίον ἐπετίθει. ὁ δὲ ὄνος ποτὲ εἶπε τῷ ἵππῳ· Λαβέ μοι μέρος τι τοῦ φορτίου· μέλλω γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ βάρους ἀποκαμεῖσθαι. ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἤθελεν αὐτῷ βοηθεῖν. τέλος δὲ ὁ ὄνος βαρυνθεὶς νεκρὸς ἔπεσεν. ὁ δε δεσπότης ἰδὼν αὐτὸν τεθνηκότα, τὸ φορτίον τῷ ἵππῳ ἐπέθηκεν. ὁ δὲ ἵππος· φεῦ, ἔφη, τῆς ἀνοίας. ἐγὼ γὰρ ὃς οὐκ ἤθελον ἄλλῳ βοηθεῖν, νῦν αὐτὸς ἐς συμφορὰν πέπτωκα.

Ἄνθρωπός τις 

ὄνον εἶχε καὶ ἵππον· 

τὸν δὲ ἵππον 

κενὸν ἄνευ φορτίου 

παρέλκειν εἰώθει, 

τῷ δὲ ὄνῳ 

ἤδη γερόντι 

τὸ φορτίον ἐπετίθει. 

ὁ δὲ ὄνος ποτὲ εἶπε τῷ ἵππῳ· 

Λαβέ μοι μέρος τι τοῦ φορτίου· 

μέλλω γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ βάρους ἀποκαμεῖσθαι. 

ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἤθελεν αὐτῷ βοηθεῖν. 

τέλος δὲ 

ὁ ὄνος βαρυνθεὶς νεκρὸς ἔπεσεν. 

ὁ δε δεσπότης 

ἰδὼν αὐτὸν τεθνηκότα, 

τὸ φορτίον τῷ ἵππῳ ἐπέθηκεν. 

ὁ δὲ ἵππος· 

φεῦ, ἔφη, τῆς ἀνοίας. 

ἐγὼ γὰρ 

ὃς οὐκ ἤθελον ἄλλῳ βοηθεῖν, 

νῦν αὐτὸς ἐς συμφορὰν πέπτωκα.

Ἄνθρωπός τις  ... A certain man 

ὄνον εἶχε καὶ ἵππον  ... had a donkey and a horse — 

εἰώθει δὲ  ... he was accustomed 

παρέλκειν τὸν ἵππον  ... to lead the horse alongside (the donkey)

κενὸν ἄνευ φορτίου  ... empty without any load;

τῷ δὲ ὄνῳ τὸ φορτίον ἐπετίθει  ... he added the load to the donkey

ἤδη γερόντι  ... who was already carrying (a load). 

ὁ δὲ ὄνος ποτὲ εἶπε τῷ ἵππῳ  ... The donkey once said to the horse:

Λαβέ μοι μέρος τι τοῦ φορτίου  ... Take some part of my load, 

μέλλω γὰρ ἀποκαμεῖσθαι  ... for I'm going to collapse

ὑπὸ τοῦ βάρους  ... under the weight. 

ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἤθελεν αὐτῷ βοηθεῖν  ... The horse refused to help him, 

τέλος δὲ ὁ ὄνος βαρυνθεὶς  ... Finally, the overloaded donkey

νεκρὸς ἔπεσεν  ... fell down dead. 

ὁ δε δεσπότης  ... Then their owner 

ἰδὼν αὐτὸν τεθνηκότα  ... seeing the donkey had died, 

τὸ φορτίον τῷ ἵππῳ ἐπέθηκεν  ... put the load on the horse. 

ὁ δὲ ἵππος ἔφη  ... The horse said, 

φεῦ τῆς ἀνοίας  ... How what foolishness!

ἐγὼ γὰρ ὃς οὐκ ἤθελον   ... For I who refused

ἄλλῳ βοηθεῖν  ... to help another;

νῦν αὐτὸς  ...  now I myself

ἐς συμφορὰν πέπτωκα  ...  have come to grief.

The Donkey and the Horse

Κυμαῖός τις μέλι ἐπώλει...

Κυμαῖός τις μέλι ἐπώλει· ἐλθόντος δὲ τινος καὶ γευσαμένου καὶ εἰπόντος ὅτι, Πάνυ καλόν ἐστιν. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ, ἔφη, μῦς ἐνέπεσεν εἰς αὐτὸ, οὐκ ἂν ἐπώλουν.

Κυμαῖός τις μέλι ἐπώλει· 

ἐλθόντος δὲ τινος 

καὶ γευσαμένου 

καὶ εἰπόντος ὅτι, 

Πάνυ καλόν ἐστιν. 

Εἰ μὴ γὰρ, ἔφη, μῦς ἐνέπεσεν εἰς αὐτὸ, 

οὐκ ἂν ἐπώλουν.

Κυμαῖός τις μέλι ἐπώλει  ...  A certain fool was selling honey. 

ἐλθόντος δὲ τινος  ...  Someone came along 

καὶ γευσαμένου  ...  took a taste 

καὶ εἰπόντος ὅτι  ...  and said, 

Πάνυ καλόν ἐστιν  ...  It is very good!

ἔφη  ...  The fool said 

Εἰ μὴ γὰρ μῦς ἐνέπεσεν  ...  If a mouse hadn't fallen 

εἰς αὐτὸ  ...  into it, 

οὐκ ἂν ἐπώλουν  ...  I wouldn't be selling it.

Ἐπὶ δεῖπνον κληθείς...

Ἐπὶ δεῖπνον κληθείς τις οὐκ ἤσθιεν. ἐρωτήσαντος δέ τινος τῶν κεκλημένων, Διὰ τί οὐκ ἐσθίεις; Ἵνα μὴ, ἔφη, τοῦ φαγεῖν ἕνεκα δόξω παρεῖναι.

Ἐπὶ δεῖπνον κληθείς τις 

οὐκ ἤσθιεν. 

ἐρωτήσαντος δέ τινος τῶν κεκλημένων, 

Διὰ τί οὐκ ἐσθίεις; 

Ἵνα μὴ, ἔφη, τοῦ φαγεῖν ἕνεκα δόξω παρεῖναι.

Ἐπὶ δεῖπνον κληθείς τις  ...  A man invited to a banquet, 

οὐκ ἤσθιεν  ...  didn't eat anything. 

ἐρωτήσαντος δέ τινος τῶν κεκλημένων  ...  A guest asked, 

Διὰ τί οὐκ ἐσθίεις;  ...  Why don't you eat something? 

ἔφη  ...  He said

Ἵνα μὴ δόξω παρεῖναι  ...  Because I don't want to seem to be here

τοῦ φαγεῖν ἕνεκα  ...  in order to eat.

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

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