Monday, March 31, 2025

Greek Vocabulary Challenge: April 1

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 155. You may have seen these proverbs before (this project has been going for over a year now!), but this time the vocabulary focus is different. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἄπειρος ~ ἀπείρου (adj. masc.): inexperienced, ignorant 
γλύκιον ~ γλυκίονος (adj. neut.): sweeter, more dear 
ἐμός ~ ἐμοῦ (adj. masc.): my, mine 
περισσόν ~ περισσοῦ (adj. neut.): excessive, superfluous 
ὑμετέρα ~ ὑμετέρας (adj. fem.): yours 

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

Γλυκὺς ἀπείρῳ πόλεμος.

Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος.

Ἐμοῦ θανόντος γαῖα μιχθήτω πυρί.

Μὴ γίνου δίκαιος πολὺ καὶ μὴ σοφίζου περισσά. 

Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί, ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ.

And now, some commentary:

Γλυκὺς ἀπείρῳ πόλεμος.
War (is) sweet to the inexperienced (person).
By implication, the person with experience of war knows that it is anything but sweet. The adjective ἄπειρος is an alpha-privative: ἄ-πειρος, and you can see the root πειρ- in English "empirical." From the root of γλυκύς, we get medical terms like hypoglycemia, "low blood sugar," in English.

Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος.
Nothing is sweeter than one's fatherland.
The word γλύκιον is comparative ("sweeter"), so it takes a genitive complement: πατρίδος. The words appear in Homer's Odyssey, and so echo on throughout Greek literature, quoted by later authors.
For example, here is a line from the Greek Anthology, with "said Odysseus" at the end: ὡς οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος, εἶπεν Ὀδυσσεύς. The complete line in the Odyssey includes parents also:
ὣς οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος οὐδὲ τοκήων
Here is the dactylic meter:
ὣς οὐ~δὲν γλύκι~ον ἧς ~ πατρίδος ~ οὐδὲ το~κήων

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. Here is the meter marked:
Ἐμοῦ ~ θανόν~τος γαῖ~α μιχ~θήτω ~ πυρί.
οὐδὲν ~ μέλει ~ μοι· τἀ~μὰ γὰρ ~ καλῶς ~ ἔχει,

Μὴ γίνου δίκαιος πολὺ καὶ μὴ σοφίζου περισσά.
Do not be too righteous and do not be overly clever.
This advice comes from the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. Both πολὺ and περισσά are neuter adjectives (singular and plural) being used adverbially. You can see the adjective σοφός in the verb σοφίζω: "wise-ify," i.e. to be clever. You can see the root of δίκαιος in Δίκη, the goddess of justice; find out more at Wikipedia: Dike.

Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί, ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ.
Blessed are (you who are) poor, because the kingdom of god will be yours.
These words also come from the Gospel of Luke. This is the first of the four "beatitudes," in which Jesus blesses the people who are poor, who are hungry, who are grieving, and who are hated. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Beatitudes. The use of the second-person pronoun conveys that sense of Jesus addressing his audience. From the root βασιλ- in βασιλεία, we get English words like basil and basilica.


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




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Sunday, March 30, 2025

Greek Reading: Fables 40

Today's fables and also the joke come from Colton's Greek Reader, which has notes for the stories and a vocabulary in the back; the book is available at the Internet Archive. 

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


(this is another version of the fable of the two frogs that you saw before)

Βάτραχοι δύο ἐνέμοντο ἐν λίμνῃ. Ἐν ἡμέραις δὲ τοῦ θέρους ἐξηράνθη ἡ λίμνη, καὶ καταλείψαντες ἐκείνην, ἄλλην ἐπεζήτουν. Παραχρῆμα οὖν ἐνέτυχον φρέατι βαθεῖ. Εἶπε δὲ ὁ ἕτερος τῷ ἑτέρῳ· Συγκατέλθωμεν ἐνταῦθα, ὦ φίλε. Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ ἕτερος ἀντεῖπεν· Ἐὰν οὖν καὶ τὸ ἐνθάδε ὕδωρ ξηρανθῇ, πῶς δυνησόμεθα ἀνελθεῖν;

Βάτραχοι δύο 
ἐνέμοντο ἐν λίμνῃ. 
Ἐν ἡμέραις δὲ τοῦ θέρους 
ἐξηράνθη ἡ λίμνη, 
καὶ καταλείψαντες ἐκείνην, 
ἄλλην ἐπεζήτουν. 
Παραχρῆμα οὖν ἐνέτυχον 
φρέατι βαθεῖ. 
Εἶπε δὲ ὁ ἕτερος τῷ ἑτέρῳ· 
Συγκατέλθωμεν ἐνταῦθα, ὦ φίλε. 
Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ ἕτερος ἀντεῖπεν· 
Ἐὰν οὖν καὶ τὸ ἐνθάδε ὕδωρ ξηρανθῇ, 
πῶς δυνησόμεθα ἀνελθεῖν;

Βάτραχοι δύο  ...  Two frogs 
ἐνέμοντο ἐν λίμνῃ  ...  living in a pool. 
Ἐν ἡμέραις δὲ τοῦ θέρους  ...  In the days of summer 
ἐξηράνθη ἡ λίμνη  ...  the pool dried up, 
καὶ καταλείψαντες ἐκείνην  ...  and they left it behind, 
ἄλλην ἐπεζήτουν  ...  and sought another. 
Παραχρῆμα οὖν ἐνέτυχον  ...  Soon they came across 
φρέατι βαθεῖ  ...  a deep well. 
Εἶπε δὲ ὁ ἕτερος τῷ ἑτέρῳ  ...  One said to the other,
Συγκατέλθωμεν ἐνταῦθα  ...  Let's settle here, 
ὦ φίλε  ...  my friend! 
Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ ἕτερος  ...  The other replied
ἀντεῖπεν  ...  disagreeing, 
Ἐὰν οὖν καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ... And what if this water also
ἐνθάδε ξηρανθῇ  ...  dries up here:
πῶς δυνησόμεθα ἀνελθεῖν  ...  how will we be able to get out?



Ἔν τινι ποίμνῃ προβάτων δέλφαξ εἰσελθὼν ἐνέμετο. Καὶ δή ποτε τοῦ ποιμένος συλλαμβάνοντος αὐτὸ, ἐκεκράγει τε καὶ ἀντέτεινε. Τῶν δὲ προβάτων αἰτιωμένων ἐπὶ τῷ βοᾷν, καὶ λεγόντων, Ἡμᾶς γὰρ συνεχῶς συλλαμβάνει, καὶ οὐ κράζομεν, ἔφη πρὸς ταῦτα· Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁμοία γε τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἡ ἐμὴ σύλληψις· ὑμᾶς γὰρ ἢ διὰ τὰ ἔρια ἀγρεύει, ἢ διὰ τοὺς ἄρνας, ἐμὲ δὲ διὰ τὸ κρέας.

Ἔν τινι ποίμνῃ προβάτων 
δέλφαξ εἰσελθὼν ἐνέμετο. 
Καὶ δή ποτε 
τοῦ ποιμένος συλλαμβάνοντος αὐτὸ, 
ἐκεκράγει τε καὶ ἀντέτεινε. 
Τῶν δὲ προβάτων αἰτιωμένων 
ἐπὶ τῷ βοᾷν, 
καὶ λεγόντων, 
Ἡμᾶς γὰρ συνεχῶς συλλαμβάνει, 
καὶ οὐ κράζομεν, 
ἔφη πρὸς ταῦτα· 
Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁμοία γε τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ 
ἡ ἐμὴ σύλληψις· 
ὑμᾶς γὰρ ἢ διὰ τὰ ἔρια ἀγρεύει, 
ἢ διὰ τοὺς ἄρνας, 
ἐμὲ δὲ διὰ τὸ κρέας.

δέλφαξ εἰσελθὼν  ...  A pig came into 
ἔν τινι ποίμνῃ προβάτων  ...  a flock of sheep
ἐνέμετο  ...  and lived with them.
Καὶ δή ποτε  ...  And then 
τοῦ ποιμένος  ...  when the shepherd
συλλαμβάνοντος αὐτὸ  ...  grabbed him, 
ἐκεκράγει τε  ...  he squealed 
καὶ ἀντέτεινε  ...  struggled. 
Τῶν δὲ προβάτων αἰτιωμένων  ...  The sheep rebuked
ἐπὶ τῷ βοᾷν  ...  for shouting,
καὶ λεγόντων  ...  and they said, 
Ἡμᾶς γὰρ συλλαμβάνει  ...  He seizes us
συνεχῶς  ...  frequently, 
καὶ οὐ κράζομεν  ...  and we don't cry out. 
ἔφη πρὸς ταῦτα  ...  The pig said to them, 
Ἀλλ' ἡ ἐμὴ σύλληψις  ...  When he grabs me
οὐχ ὁμοία γε τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ  ...  it's not at all like grabbing you.
ὑμᾶς γὰρ ἀγρεύει ...  For he catches you 
ἢ διὰ τὰ ἔρια  ...  either for your wool
ἢ διὰ τοὺς ἄρνας  ...  or for your lambs, 
ἐμὲ δὲ διὰ τὸ κρέας  ...  but he catches me for my flesh.


Σχολαστικὸς, μαθὼν ὅτι ὁ κόραξ ὑπὲρ τὰ διακόσια ἔτη ζῇ, ἀγοράσας κόρακα εἰς ἀπόπειραν ἔτρεφε.

Σχολαστικὸς, 
μαθὼν ὅτι 
ὁ κόραξ ὑπὲρ τὰ διακόσια ἔτη ζῇ, 
ἀγοράσας κόρακα 
εἰς ἀπόπειραν ἔτρεφε.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  A dunce, 
μαθὼν ὅτι  ...  when he learned that
ὁ κόραξ ζῇ  ...  the crow lives
ὑπὲρ τὰ διακόσια ἔτη  ...  over two hundred years,
ἀγοράσας κόρακα ἔτρεφε ...  bought and raised a crow
εἰς ἀπόπειραν  ...  to see for himself.

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




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Friday, March 28, 2025

Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword: March 29

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 143, 144, and 145. 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 puzzle and key. :-)


These are the proverbs, linked back to their blog post:
  1. Ἀρχὴ ἥμισυ παντός.
  2. Γενεὰ πορεύεται καὶ γενεὰ ἔρχεται.
  3. Δίκην ὑφέξει κἂν ὄνος δάκῃ κύνα.
  4. Ἐν ἀμούσοις καὶ κόρυδος φθέγγεται.
  5. Ἡ σοφίας πήγη διὰ βιβλίων ῥεῖ.
  6. Ἱκέτας αἰδοῦ.
  7. Ὀφθαλμοὶ τῶν ὤτων ἀκριβέστεροι μάρτυρες.
  8. Πολλαῖς πληγαῖς δρῦς δαμάζεται.
  9. Πολλοὶ μαθηταὶ κρείττονες διδασκάλων.
  10. Σιγηροῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ βάθη γυρεύει.
  11. Σοφία δὲ πλούτου κτῆμα τιμιώτερον.
  12. Σοφῷ γὰρ αἰσχρὸν ἐξαμαρτάνειν.
  13. Τὰ καίσαρος ἀπόδοτε καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ θεῷ.
  14. Τῶν γὰρ πενήτων εἰσὶν οἱ λόγοι κενοί.
  15. Ὗς λουσαμένη εἰς κυλισμὸν βορβόρου.

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




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Thursday, March 27, 2025

Greek Reading: Fables 39

Today's fables and also the joke come from Colton's Greek Reader, which has notes for the stories and a vocabulary in the back; the book is available at the Internet Archive. 

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


Ἔν τινι ἐπαύλει ὄνος καὶ ἀλεκτρυὼν ἦσαν. Λέων δὲ λιμώττων, ὡς ἐθεάσατο τὸν ὄνον, οἷός τε ἦν, εἰσελθὼν ἤμελλε καταθοινήσασθαι. Περὶ δὲ τὸν ψόφον, ἀλεκτρυόνος φθεγξαμένου καταπτήξας, φασὶ γάρ τοὺς λέοντας πτύρεσθαι πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων φωνὰς, εἰς φυγὴν ἐτράπη. Καὶ ὁ ὄνος ἀναπτερωθεὶς κατ' αὐτοῦ, εἴγε ἀλεκτρυόνα ἐφοβήθη, ἐξῆλθεν ὡς ἀποδιώξων αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ, ὡς μακρὰν ἐγένετο, κατέφαγεν αὐτόν.

Ἔν τινι ἐπαύλει 
ὄνος καὶ ἀλεκτρυὼν ἦσαν. 
Λέων δὲ λιμώττων, 
ὡς ἐθεάσατο τὸν ὄνον, 
οἷός τε ἦν, 
εἰσελθὼν 
ἤμελλε καταθοινήσασθαι. 
Περὶ δὲ τὸν ψόφον, 
ἀλεκτρυόνος φθεγξαμένου 
καταπτήξας, 
φασὶ γάρ 
τοὺς λέοντας πτύρεσθαι 
πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων φωνὰς, 
εἰς φυγὴν ἐτράπη. 
Καὶ ὁ ὄνος 
ἀναπτερωθεὶς κατ' αὐτοῦ, 
εἴγε ἀλεκτρυόνα ἐφοβήθη,
ἐξῆλθεν 
ὡς ἀποδιώξων αὐτόν. 
Ὁ δὲ, 
ὡς μακρὰν ἐγένετο, 
κατέφαγεν αὐτόν.

Ἔν τινι ἐπαύλει  ... On a farmstead 
ὄνος καὶ ἀλεκτρυὼν ἦσαν  ... there was a donkey and rooster. 
Λέων δὲ λιμώττων  ... A hungry lion 
ὡς ἐθεάσατο τὸν ὄνον  ... when he saw the donkey, 
οἷός τε ἦν εἰσελθὼν  ... and being as he was (a lion), he went in
ἤμελλε καταθοινήσασθαι  ... and planned to have a feast. 
Περὶ δὲ τὸν ψόφον  ... But because of the noise
ἀλεκτρυόνος φθεγξαμένου  ... of the rooster squawking,
καταπτήξας  ... the lion cowered — 
φασὶ γάρ  ... for they say
τοὺς λέοντας πτύρεσθαι  ... that lions are terrified  
πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων φωνὰς  ... by roosters crowing — 
εἰς φυγὴν ἐτράπη  ... he turned around to run. 
Καὶ ὁ ὄνος  ... And the donkey 
ἀναπτερωθεὶς κατ' αὐτοῦ  ... felt elated because of this,
εἴγε ἀλεκτρυόνα ἐφοβήθη  ... since the lion feared the rooster,
ἐξῆλθεν  ... and went out 
ὡς ἀποδιώξων αὐτόν  ... in pursuit of the lion. 
Ὁ δὲ  ... But the lion, 
ὡς μακρὰν ἐγένετο  ... when he was far (from the rooster),
κατέφαγεν αὐτόν  ... devoured the donkey.



Λαγωοί ποτε πολεμοῦντες ἀετοῖς, παρεκάλουν εἰς συμμαχίαν ἀλώπεκας. Αἱ δὲ ἔφασαν· Ἐβοηθήσαμεν ἂν ὑμῖν, εἰ μὴ εἴδειμεν, τίνες ἦτε καὶ τίσι πολεμεῖτε.

Λαγωοί ποτε 
πολεμοῦντες ἀετοῖς, 
παρεκάλουν εἰς συμμαχίαν ἀλώπεκας. 
Αἱ δὲ ἔφασαν· 
Ἐβοηθήσαμεν ἂν ὑμῖν, 
εἰ μὴ εἴδειμεν, 
τίνες ἦτε καὶ τίσι πολεμεῖτε.

Λαγωοί ποτε  ... The rabbits once upon a time
πολεμοῦντες ἀετοῖς  ... were at war with the eagles, 
παρεκάλουν ἀλώπεκας  ... and ordered the foxes
εἰς συμμαχίαν  ... to come fight as their allies. 
Αἱ δὲ ἔφασαν  ... But the foxes said, 
Ἐβοηθήσαμεν ἂν ὑμῖν  ... We'd come help you, 
εἰ μὴ εἴδειμεν  ... if we didn't know
τίνες ἦτε  ... who you are
καὶ τίσι πολεμεῖτε  ... and who you are fight against.




Σχολαστικὸς νοσοῦντα ἐπισκεπτόμενος ἠρώτα περὶ τῆς ἡγιείας· ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἀποκριθῆναι. Ὀργισθεὶς οὖν ἐξήλεγχεν. Ἐλπίζω κἀμὲ νοσήσαι, καὶ ἐλθόντι σοι μὴ ἀποκριθῆναι.

Σχολαστικὸς 
νοσοῦντα ἐπισκεπτόμενος 
ἠρώτα περὶ τῆς ἡγιείας· 
ὁ δὲ 
οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἀποκριθῆναι. 
Ὀργισθεὶς οὖν ἐξήλεγχεν. 
Ἐλπίζω κἀμὲ νοσήσαι, 
καὶ ἐλθόντι σοι 
μὴ ἀποκριθῆναι.

Σχολαστικὸς  ... A dunce 
νοσοῦντα ἐπισκεπτόμενος  ... looked in on a sick (friend) 
ἠρώτα περὶ τῆς ἡγιείας  ... and asked about his health.
ὁ δὲ  ... The (sick man) 
οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἀποκριθῆναι  ... was not able to answer. 
Ὀργισθεὶς οὖν  ...  So the dunce got angry 
ἐξήλεγχεν  ... and rebuked him, 
Ἐλπίζω κἀμὲ νοσήσαι  ... I hope I get sick too!
καὶ ἐλθόντι σοι  ... And when you come to see me,
μὴ ἀποκριθῆναι  ... I won't answer you!

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




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Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Greek Vocabulary Challenge: March 27

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 154. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

φιλία ~ φιλίας (noun f.): friendship 
πενία ~ πενίας (noun f.): poverty 
κύκλος ~ κύκλου (noun m.): circle, ring 
ἑσπέρα ~ ἑσπέρας (noun f.): evening, west 
φύλαξ ~ φύλακος (noun m.): guard, keeper 

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

Φιλίαν φύλαττε.

Πενίῃ σοφίη ἔλαχεν.

Κύκλος τῶν ἀνθρωπηΐων πρηγμάτων.

Ἠδη γὰρ ὁ βίος οὑμὸς ἑσπέραν ἄγει.

Μὴ φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μού εἰμι ἐγώ.


And now, some commentary:

Φιλίαν φύλαττε.
Preserve friendship.
The nice word-play in the Greek doesn't come through in the English, alas. This is another one of the sayings recorded in the Delphic Maxims of Stobaeus. You see the Attic form of the verb φυλάσσ-. You can see the root of this Greek verb in English "prophylactic." For the related noun φύλαξ, see below.

Πενίῃ σοφίη ἔλαχεν.
Wisdom is the lot of poverty.
The idea is that someone who has to work for the basics of food and shelter has to be ingenious; it's a matter of life or death, not philosophical speculation. The verb ἔλαχεν can be intransitive as here, and it can also be used transitively ("obtain by lot"), which means you can also see the saying in this form: Πενία τὴν σοφίαν ἔλαχε (as found in a fragment of Euripides).

Κύκλος τῶν ἀνθρωπηΐων πρηγμάτων.
The circle of human affairs.
The idea is that things go around and around, up and down, in the cycle of human existence; compare the idea of the wheel of Fortune, which is both round and also goes up and down. From Greek κύκλος we get English "cycle." Sanskrit chakra is also from the same Indo-European root.

Μὴ φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μού εἰμι ἐγώ.
I could not possibly be my brother's keeper.
This famous line is from the story of Cain and Abel in the Biblical Book of Genesis. Note the emphatic pronoun ἐγώ in the emphatic final position, along with the use of μὴ for the negative: this is not a matter of simple fact (οὐκ...εἰμι) but of utter impossibility: μὴ...εἰμι. Here is the complete verse with the King James translation: καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Καιν ποῦ ἐστιν Αβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου ὁ δὲ εἶπεν οὐ γινώσκω μὴ φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μού εἰμι ἐγώ, "And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?"

Ἤδη γὰρ ὁ βίος οὑμὸς ἑσπέραν ἄγει.
My life now is bringing its evening.
The idea is that human life is like a day, and as life reaches its end, that's like the evening of the day. This is a fragment from the comic playwright Alexis; more about Alexis at Wikipedia. Coincidentally, Alexis supposedly lived to the ripe old age of 106 and died on stage while he was being crowned as the winner of yet another prize; he supposedly wrote 245 comedies, although only a few fragments survive. The word οὑμὸς is a contraction of ὁ ἐμός. You can see ἑσπέρα in the Greek Hesperides, the nymphs of sunset who reside in the farthest west. Hesperus, meanwhile, is the name of the evening star.

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




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Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Greek Reading: Fables 38

Today's fable and also the joke come from Colton's Greek Reader, which has notes for the stories and a vocabulary in the back; the book is available at the Internet Archive. 

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


Ἀετὸς καταπτὰς ἀπό τινος ἡψηλῆς πέτρας, ἥρπασεν ἄρνα. Κολοιὸς δὲ τοῦτον θεασάμενος, διὰ ζῆλον μιμησάμενος καθεὶς ἑαυτὸν μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ ῥοίζου, ἐπὶ κριὸν ἠνέχθη. Ἐμπαρέντων δὲ αὐτοῦ τῶν ὀνύχων ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνου μαλλοῖς, ἐξαρθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενος ἐπτερύσσετο ἕως οὗ ὁ ποιμὴν τὸ γεγονὸς αἰσθόμενος, προσδραμὼν ἀνελάβετο αὐτὸν, καὶ περικόψας αὐτοῦ τὸ ὀξύπτερα, ὡς ἑσπέρα κατέλαβε, τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ παισὶν ἐκόμισε. Τῶν δὲ πυνθανομένων, τί εἴη τὸ ὄρνεον, ἔφη· Ὡς μὲν ἐγὼ σαφὼς οἶδα, κολοιὸς, ὡς δὲ αὐτὸς βούλεται, ἀετός.

Ἀετὸς καταπτὰς 
ἀπό τινος ἡψηλῆς πέτρας, 
ἥρπασεν ἄρνα. 
Κολοιὸς δὲ 
τοῦτον θεασάμενος, 
διὰ ζῆλον μιμησάμενος 
καθεὶς ἑαυτὸν 
μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ ῥοίζου, 
ἐπὶ κριὸν ἠνέχθη. 
Ἐμπαρέντων δὲ 
αὐτοῦ τῶν ὀνύχων 
ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνου μαλλοῖς, 
ἐξαρθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενος 
ἐπτερύσσετο 
ἕως οὗ ὁ ποιμὴν 
τὸ γεγονὸς αἰσθόμενος, 
προσδραμὼν 
ἀνελάβετο αὐτὸν, 
καὶ περικόψας αὐτοῦ τὰ ὀξύπτερα, 
ὡς ἑσπέρα κατέλαβε, 
τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ παισὶν ἐκόμισε. 
Τῶν δὲ πυνθανομένων, 
τί εἴη τὸ ὄρνεον, 
ἔφη·
 Ὡς μὲν ἐγὼ σαφὼς οἶδα, 
κολοιὸς, 
ὡς δὲ αὐτὸς βούλεται, 
ἀετός. 

Ἀετὸς καταπτὰς  ... An eagle plunged
ἀπό τινος ἡψηλῆς πέτρας  ... from a lofty rock, 
ἥρπασεν ἄρνα  ... and seized a sheep. 
Κολοιὸς δὲ  ... A jackdaw 
τοῦτον θεασάμενος  ... saw this and, 
διὰ ζῆλον  ... feeling envious,
μιμησάμενος  ... he imitated (the eagle),
καθεὶς ἑαυτὸν  ... hurling himself down
μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ ῥοίζου  ... with a great whoosh
ἐπὶ κριὸν ἠνέχθη  ... and landed on a ram. 
αὐτοῦ τῶν ὀνύχων  ... The jackdaw's claws 
ἐμπαρέντων  ... dug into  
ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνου μαλλοῖς  ... the ram's wool; 
ἐξαρθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενος  ... unable to break free
ἐπτερύσσετο  ... he flapped his wings 
ἕως οὗ ὁ ποιμὴν  ... until a shepherd 
τὸ γεγονὸς αἰσθόμενος  ... realized what had happened, 
προσδραμὼν  ... and, running up, 
ἀνελάβετο αὐτὸν  ... he seized the jackdaw, 
καὶ περικόψας  ... and clipped short 
αὐτοῦ τὰ ὀξύπτερα  ... the jackdaw's wings. 
ὡς ἑσπέρα κατέλαβε  ...  As evening came on,
ἐκόμισε  ... he carried (the bird)
τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ παισὶν  ...  to his children.
Τῶν δὲ πυνθανομένων  ... When they asked, 
τί εἴη τὸ ὄρνεον  ... what kind of bird it was, 
ἔφη  ... he said
 Ὡς μὲν ἐγὼ σαφὼς οἶδα  ... As I know full well 
κολοιὸς  ... he's a jackdaw, 
ὡς δὲ αὐτὸς βούλεται  ... but as he wants (to think):
ἀετός  ... he's an eagle. 



Σχολαστικὸς, ναυαγεῖν μέλλων, πινακίδας ᾔτει, ἵνα διαθήκας γράφῃ. Τοὺς δὲ οἰκέτας ὁρῶν ἀλγοῦντας διὰ τὸν κίνδυνον, ἔφη· Μὴ λυπεῖσθε, ἐλευθερῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς.

Σχολαστικὸς, 
ναυαγεῖν μέλλων, 
πινακίδας ᾔτει, 
ἵνα διαθήκας γράφῃ. 
Τοὺς δὲ οἰκέτας ὁρῶν 
ἀλγοῦντας διὰ τὸν κίνδυνον, 
ἔφη· 
Μὴ λυπεῖσθε,
 ἐλευθερῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  A dunce, 
ναυαγεῖν μέλλων  ...  about to die in a shipwreck, 
πινακίδας ᾔτει  ...  asked for writing tablets, 
ἵνα διαθήκας γράφῃ  ...  to he could write his will. 
Τοὺς δὲ οἰκέτας ὁρῶν  ...  Seeing his house-slaves 
ἀλγοῦντας  ... in agony
διὰ τὸν κίνδυνον  ...  on account of the danger, 
ἔφη  ...  said, 
Μὴ λυπεῖσθε  ...  Don't feel bad!
 ἐλευθερῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς  ...  I'm going to free you!

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




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Monday, March 24, 2025

Proverbs Crossword: 13-14-15 (plus jumbles)

The proverbs for today come from back in Group 13, Group 14, and Group 15; you can visit those blog posts for the translations and more information. 
As a kind of game-review, 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.
  • ροοεκκοιλδυ καυαδρ.
  • δυςεοι οτυπλσηεε αςχωτε οδκιιας νω.
  • ιςε νυαονρο ιπςτυε.
  • νλιφει νμὲ οπνραοδσι, οδοτπνηρ εδ ιμσινε.
  • ςει ανρη ςοδευι ηανρ.
  • ιξα ντη ρμιχνααα.
  • ατ πταθαμηα ηατμμααθ.
  • οτ ητς θμαλαεςαι ερςκα.
  • αοιτςσρ ιαςρτο η ςιφυσ.
  • υςθιχ κε τςη ςκλφεηα ζινοε αεχαριτ.
  • ητημρ ςητ εεαςινδ η γαειρα.
  • πηεςμρουθ ταεμ ατ τρααμαγπ.
  • δυοπυςασ ρεκνω εεθιυιπμ.
  • ιςδ πςαδιε ιο ςνοεγερτ.
  • κε οτυ πακρυο οτ εδδνρον γκωισων.
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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Sunday, March 23, 2025

Greek Reading: Fables 37

Today's fable and also the joke is from Colton's Greek Reader, which has notes for the stories and a vocabulary in the back; the book is available at the Internet Archive. 

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


Μυσὶ καὶ γαλαῖς πόλεμος ἦν· ἀεὶ δὲ οἱ μύες ἡττώμενοι, ἐπειδὴ συνῆλθον εἰς ταὐτὸν, ὑπέλαβον ὅτι διὰ ἀναρχίαν τοῦτο πάσχουσιν. Ὅθεν ἐπιλεξάμενοι ἑαυτῶν τινας, στρατηγοὺς ἐχειροτόνησαν. Οἱ δὲ βουλόμενοι ἐπισημότεροι τῶν ἄλλων εἶναι, κέρατα σκευάσαντες ἑαυτοῖς συνῆψαν. Ἐνστάσης δὲ τῆς μάχης,συνέβη πάντας τοὺς μύας ἡττηθῆναι. Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι πάντες ῥᾳδίως εἰσέδυνον, οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι εἰσελθεῖν διὰ τὰ κέρατα αὐτῶν, συλλαμβανόμενοι κατησθίοντο.

Μυσὶ καὶ γαλαῖς πόλεμος ἦν· 
ἀεὶ δὲ οἱ μύες ἡττώμενοι, 
ἐπειδὴ συνῆλθον εἰς ταὐτὸν, 
ὑπέλαβον 
ὅτι διὰ ἀναρχίαν τοῦτο πάσχουσιν. 
Ὅθεν ἐπιλεξάμενοι 
ἑαυτῶν τινας στρατηγοὺς 
ἐχειροτόνησαν. 
Οἱ δὲ βουλόμενοι 
ἐπισημότεροι τῶν ἄλλων εἶναι, 
κέρατα σκευάσαντες 
ἑαυτοῖς συνῆψαν. 
Ἐνστάσης δὲ τῆς μάχης,
συνέβη 
πάντας τοὺς μύας ἡττηθῆναι. 
Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι πάντες 
ῥᾳδίως εἰσέδυνον, 
οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ 
μὴ δυνάμενοι εἰσελθεῖν 
διὰ τὰ κέρατα αὐτῶν, 
συλλαμβανόμενοι κατησθίοντο.

Μυσὶ καὶ γαλαῖς πόλεμος ἦν  ... The mice and weasels were at war.
ἀεὶ δὲ οἱ μύες ἡττώμενοι  ... The mice always being weaker 
ἐπειδὴ συνῆλθον εἰς ταὐτὸν  ... when they went to (war) 
ὑπέλαβον  ... supposed 
ὅτι τοῦτο πάσχουσιν  ... that they were suffering in this way
διὰ ἀναρχίαν  ...  because of a lack of leadership.
Ὅθεν ἐπιλεξάμενοι  ...  So having thought this over,
ἐχειροτόνησαν  ... they elected
ἑαυτῶν τινας στρατηγοὺς  ...  some of the mice to be generals.
Οἱ δὲ βουλόμενοι  ... The generals wanted 
ἐπισημότεροι εἶναι  ... to be more distinguished 
τῶν ἄλλων  ...  than the others 
κέρατα σκευάσαντες  ... so they prepared horns
ἑαυτοῖς συνῆψαν  ... and attached them (to their heads). 
Ἐνστάσης δὲ τῆς μάχης  ... When the battle began,
συνέβη  ... it happened 
πάντας τοὺς μύας ἡττηθῆναι  ... that all the mice were defeated. 
Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι πάντες  ... All the others
ῥᾳδίως εἰσέδυνον  ... easily entered (their holes)
οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ  ... but the generals 
μὴ δυνάμενοι εἰσελθεῖν  ... were not able to enter 
διὰ τὰ κέρατα αὐτῶν  ... on account of their horns, 
συλλαμβανόμενοι κατησθίοντο  ... so they were caught and eaten.



Σχολαστικὸς ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀγρῷ ἐξιὼν ἠρώτα πιεῖν ὕδωρ, εἰ καλὸν ἐν τῷ αὐτόθι φρέατι· τῶν δὲ φησάντων ὅτι καλὸν, καὶ γὰρ οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπινον, Καὶ πηλίκους, ἔφη, εἶχον τραχήλους, ὅτι εἰς τοσοῦτον βάθος πίνειν ἠδύναντο.
φρέατι. τῶν δὲ φησάντων, ὅτι Καλόν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ γονεῖς σου ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπινον. Καὶ πηλίκους, ἔφη, εἶχον τραχήλους, ὅτι εἰς τοσοῦτον βάθος πίνειν ἐδύναντο.

Σχολαστικὸς 
ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀγρῷ ἐξιὼν 
ἠρώτα πιεῖν ὕδωρ, 
εἰ καλὸν ἐν τῷ αὐτόθι φρέατι· 
τῶν δὲ φησάντων ὅτι καλὸν, 
καὶ γὰρ οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ 
ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπινον, 
Καὶ πηλίκους, ἔφη, 
εἶχον τραχήλους, 
ὅτι εἰς τοσοῦτον βάθος 
πίνειν ἠδύναντο.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  A dunce
ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀγρῷ ἐξιὼν  ...  went out into his own farm 
ἠρώτα πιεῖν ὕδωρ  ...  and wanted to drink some water, 
εἰ ἐν τῷ αὐτόθι φρέατι  ...  if the water there in the well
καλὸν  ...  was good.
τῶν δὲ φησάντων  ...  When the people said
ὅτι καλὸν  ...  that the water was good, 
καὶ γὰρ οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ  ...  and in fact his ancestors
ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπινον  ...  used to drink from the well, 
ἔφη  ...  the dunce said,
Καὶ πηλίκους τραχήλους  ...  What long necks 
εἶχον  ...  they must have had, 
ὅτι πίνειν ἠδύναντο  ...  since they were able to drink
εἰς τοσοῦτον βάθος  ...  from such a depth.


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




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Friday, March 21, 2025

Greek Vocabulary Challenge: March 22

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 153. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

τιμάω ~ τιμήσω ~ ἐτίμησα: honor, revere, prize 
πράσσω ~ πράξω ~ ἔπραξα: do, manage, practice 
τίθημι ~ θήσω ~ ἔθηκα: put, establish, bring about 
σπεύδω ~ σπεύσω ~ ἔσπευσα: hurry, hasten 
ἅπτω ~ ἅψω ~ ἧψα: kindle; fasten, engage 

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

Ἑστίαν τίμα.

Πρᾶττε ἀμετανοήτως.

Πλάνη βίον τίθησι σωφρονέστερον.

Τί με σπεύδοντα καὶ αὐτὸν ὀτρύνεις;

Μὴ πρὸς λέοντα δορκὰς ἅψομαι μάχης.


And now, some commentary:

Ἑστίαν τίμα.
Honor Hestia / the hearth-fire.
This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. As usual, the maxim takes the form of an imperative: τίμα (uncontracted form: τίμαε).  Compare another saying about the goddess of the hearth that you saw in a previous post: Ἀφ' Ἑστίας ἀρχόμενοι. You can read about both Hestia and Vesta (Roman hearth-goddess) at Wikipedia.

Πρᾶττε ἀμετανοήτως.
Act without regret.
This is another one of the Delphic maxims, with the Attic form of the verb, πρᾶττε, as opposed to πρᾶσσε. The adverb ἀμετανοήτως literally means "not-after-thinking,"  ἀ-μετα-νοή-τως, from μετά-νοια. Sometimes μετάνοια is a positive thing, as when you change your mind, realizing that you have made a mistake. It can also be something with a more negative, painful quality, like regret or repentance, which is the sense here.

Πλάνη βίον τίθησι σωφρονέστερον.
Blundering results in a more reasonable life.
In other words, you learn from making mistakes (or mis-steps, if you take πλάνη literally). If you've never thought about the enormous range of idiomatic meanings of the verb τίθημι, just take a look at Logeion. Here the sense is to set up, establish, bring about, etc. The noun πλάνη also has a range of meaning,  from the literal wandering or blundering around to the metaphorical idea of making mistakes, something like the way "erring" works in English. This is one of the iambic sayings of Menander; here's the meter marked:
Πλάνη ~ βίον || τίθη~σι σω||φρονέ~στερον.

Τί με σπεύδοντα καὶ αὐτὸν ὀτρύνεις;
Why are you urging me when I myself am also eager?
The words come from Homer's Iliad. Teucer, who was both the half-brother of Ajax but also the nephew of King Priam, fought on the Greek side in the war. As Teucer is killing one Trojan after another on the battlefield, Agamemnon urges him to keep going, offering him various prizes, but Teucer rebukes him with these words; he doesn't need Agamemnon to provide incentives because he is already eager for victory.

Μὴ πρὸς λέοντα δορκὰς ἅψομαι μάχης.
Being a deer, I will not engage in battle against a lion.
This saying appears in all the major Greek proverb collections, but it is not attested in extant Greek literature. It sure sounds like it should belong to some Aesop's fable that, alas, did not get written down. The use of μή shows how the future is conceived of in terms of possibility or, in this case, negative possibility: I do not want to, I would not, etc.


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




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Thursday, March 20, 2025

Greek Reading: Fables 36

Today's fable and also the joke is from Colton's Greek Reader, which has notes for the stories and a vocabulary in the back; the book is available at the Internet Archive. 

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


Ἄνθρωπός τις καὶ σάτυρος φιλίαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ποιησάμενοι, ἐκάθισαν ἀμφότεροι τοῦ ἐσθίειν. Χειμῶνος δὲ καταλαβόντος, καὶ ψύχους γενομένου, ὁ ἄνθρωπος προσφέρων τὰς χεῖρας τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ ἀπέπνει. Τοῦ δὲ σατύρου ἐπερωτήσαντος, Δι' ἣν αἰτίαν πράττεις τοῦτο, φίλε; ἔφη· Τὰς χεῖρας θερμαίνω ἐκ τοῦ κρύους. Μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ ἐδέσματος θερμοῦ προσενεχθέντος, ὁ ἄνθρωπος πάλιν ἐπιφέρων τῷ στόματι τὸ βρῶμα ἐφύσα τοῦτο. Πυνθανομένου δὲ πάλιν τοῦ σατύρου, Δι' ἣν αἰτίαν τοῦτο πάλιν πράττεις; ἔφη· Τὸ ἔδεσμα καταψύχω. Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἔφη· Ἀλλ' ἔγωγε ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ἀποτάσσομαί σου τῇ φιλίᾳ, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος τὸ ψυχρὸν καὶ τὸ θερμὸν ἐξάγεις.

Ἄνθρωπός τις καὶ σάτυρος 
φιλίαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ποιησάμενοι, 
ἐκάθισαν ἀμφότεροι τοῦ ἐσθίειν. 
Χειμῶνος δὲ καταλαβόντος, 
καὶ ψύχους γενομένου, 
ὁ ἄνθρωπος 
προσφέρων τὰς χεῖρας τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ 
ἀπέπνει. 
Τοῦ δὲ σατύρου ἐπερωτήσαντος, 
Δι' ἣν αἰτίαν πράττεις τοῦτο, φίλε; 
ἔφη· 
Τὰς χεῖρας θερμαίνω 
ἐκ τοῦ κρύους. 
Μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ 
ἐδέσματος θερμοῦ προσενεχθέντος, 
ὁ ἄνθρωπος 
πάλιν ἐπιφέρων τῷ στόματι τὸ βρῶμα 
ἐφύσα τοῦτο. 
Πυνθανομένου δὲ πάλιν τοῦ σατύρου, 
Δι' ἣν αἰτίαν τοῦτο πάλιν πράττεις; 
ἔφη· 
Τὸ ἔδεσμα καταψύχω. 
Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἔφη· 
Ἀλλ' ἔγωγε 
ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν 
ἀποτάσσομαί σου τῇ φιλίᾳ, 
ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος 
τὸ ψυχρὸν καὶ τὸ θερμὸν ἐξάγεις.

Ἄνθρωπός τις καὶ σάτυρος  ... A man and a satyr
φιλίαν ποιησάμενοι  ... had become friends
πρὸς ἀλλήλους  ... with one another;
ἐκάθισαν ἀμφότεροι  ...  they both sat down
τοῦ ἐσθίειν  ... to eat.
Χειμῶνος δὲ καταλαβόντος  ... Winter had come on 
καὶ ψύχους γενομένου  ... and it was cold; 
ὁ ἄνθρωπος  ... the man 
προσφέρων τὰς χεῖρας  ... brought his hands 
τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ  ... to his mouth 
ἀπέπνει  ... and blew on them. 
Τοῦ δὲ σατύρου ἐπερωτήσαντος  ... The satyr asked: 
φίλε  ... My friend,
δι' ἣν αἰτίαν πράττεις τοῦτο;  ... why are you doing that?
ἔφη  ... The man said,
Τὰς χεῖρας θερμαίνω  ... I'm warming my hands 
ἐκ τοῦ κρύους  ... from the chill. 
Μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ  ... After a little while 
ἐδέσματος θερμοῦ προσενεχθέντος  ... hot food was served, 
ὁ ἄνθρωπος  ... and the man 
ἐπιφέρων τὸ βρῶμα  ... putting the food 
πάλιν τῷ στόματι  ... to his mouth again 
ἐφύσα τοῦτο  ... and puffed on it. 
Πυνθανομένου δὲ πάλιν τοῦ σατύρου  ... The satyr again asked, 
Δι' ἣν αἰτίαν τοῦτο πάλιν πράττεις; ... Why do you do that again?
ἔφη  ... The man said,
Τὸ ἔδεσμα καταψύχω  ... I'm cooling the food. 
Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἔφη  ... The satyr said in reply:
Ἀλλ' ἔγωγε ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν  ... From now on I
ἀποτάσσομαί σου τῇ φιλίᾳ  ... renounce our friendship, 
ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος  ... because from the same mouth
ἐξάγεις τὸ ψυχρὸν καὶ τὸ θερμὸν ...  you blow both cold and hot.



Διδύμων ἀδελφῶν εἷς ἐτελεύτησε. Σχολαστικὸς οὖν ἀπαντήσας τῷ ζῶντι ἠρώτα· Σὺ ἀπέθανες, ἢ ὁ ἀδελφός σου;

Διδύμων ἀδελφῶν εἷς ἐτελεύτησε. 
Σχολαστικὸς οὖν 
ἀπαντήσας τῷ ζῶντι 
ἠρώτα· 
Σὺ ἀπέθανες, 
ἢ ὁ ἀδελφός σου;

Διδύμων ἀδελφῶν  ... There were two twin brothers
εἷς ἐτελεύτησε  ... and one of them died.
Σχολαστικὸς οὖν  ... So when a dunce 
ἀπαντήσας τῷ ζῶντι  ... ran into the surviving brother 
ἠρώτα  ... he asked, 
Σὺ ἀπέθανες  ... Did you die, 
ἢ ὁ ἀδελφός σου;  ... or was it your brother?


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




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Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword: March 20

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 140, 141, and 142. 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 puzzle and key. :-)


These are the proverbs, linked back to their blog post:
  1. Ἄνω ποταμῶν χωροῦσι πηγαί.
  2. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ σὺ ταὐτὸν ἕλκομεν ζυγόν.
  3. Ἐπὶ ῥώμῃ μὴ καυχῶ.
  4. Ἔτος φέρει, οὐχὶ ἄρουρα.
  5. Εὐτυχίαν εὔχου.
  6. Λόγοι σοφῶν ὡς τὰ βούκεντρα.
  7. Μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες νῦν, ὅτι χορτασθήσεσθε.
  8. Μὴ ἅμα ἀρχῇ πᾶν τέλος καταφαίνεσθαι.
  9. Μὴ ἔπεχε ἐπὶ χρήμασιν ἀδίκοις.
  10. Μηδέποτε πειρῶ δύο φίλων εἶναι κριτής.
  11. Ὁ βίος τρόχος, ἄστατος ὄλβος.
  12. Ὄψον ἄριστον πόνος τῷ γήρᾳ.
  13. Πᾶσίν τοι κίνδυνος ἐπ᾽ ἔργμασιν.
  14. Συβαριτικὴ τράπεζα.
  15. Σωφροσύνα, δώρημα κάλλιστον θεῶν.

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




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Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Greek Reading: Fables 35

Today's fable is from Colton's Greek Reader, which has notes for the stories and a vocabulary in the back; the book is 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.

(fox with a cropped tail)

Ἀλώπηξ ὑπό τινος παγίδος τὴν οὐρὰν ἀποκοπεῖσα, ἐξ αἰσχύνης ἀβίωτον τὸν βίον ἡγεῖτο. Ἔγνω δὲ καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀλώπεκας εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ περιαγαγεῖν, ἵνα τῷ κοινῷ πάθει τὸ ἴδιον ἐλάττωμα συγκρύψῃ. Καὶ δὴ ἁπάσας ἀθροίσασα, παρῄνει αὐταῖς τὰς οὐρὰς ἀποκόπτειν, λέγουσα ὡς οὐκ ἀπρεπὲς τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περισσὸν αὐταῖς προσήρτηται βάρος. Τούτων δέ τις ὑπολαβοῦσα, ἔφη· Ὦ φίλη, ἀλλ' εἴ σοι μὴ τοῦτο συνέφερεν, οὐκ ἂν ἡμῖν αὐτὸ συνεβούλευες.

Ἀλώπηξ 
ὑπό τινος παγίδος 
τὴν οὐρὰν ἀποκοπεῖσα, 
ἐξ αἰσχύνης 
ἀβίωτον τὸν βίον ἡγεῖτο. 
Ἔγνω δὲ 
καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀλώπεκας 
εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ περιαγαγεῖν, 
ἵνα τῷ κοινῷ πάθει 
τὸ ἴδιον ἐλάττωμα συγκρύψῃ. 
Καὶ δὴ ἁπάσας ἀθροίσασα, 
παρῄνει αὐταῖς 
τὰς οὐρὰς ἀποκόπτειν, 
λέγουσα ὡς 
οὐκ ἀπρεπὲς τοῦτο μόνον, 
ἀλλὰ καὶ περισσὸν αὐταῖς προσήρτηται βάρος. 
Τούτων δέ τις ὑπολαβοῦσα, 
ἔφη· 
Ὦ φίλη, 
ἀλλ' εἴ σοι μὴ τοῦτο συνέφερεν, 
οὐκ ἂν ἡμῖν αὐτὸ συνεβούλευες.

Ἀλώπηξ  ...  A fox
τὴν οὐρὰν ἀποκοπεῖσα  ...  had her tail cut off
ὑπό τινος παγίδος  ...  by a trap,
ἐξ αἰσχύνης  ...  and from shame 
ἀβίωτον τὸν βίον ἡγεῖτο  ...  lived a life not worth living. 
Ἔγνω δὲ περιαγαγεῖν  ...  She decided to lead
καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀλώπεκας  ...  the other foxes also 
εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ  ...  to the same, 
ἵνα συγκρύψῃ  ...  so that she could cover up 
τὸ ἴδιον ἐλάττωμα  ...  her own loss 
τῷ κοινῷ πάθει  ...  with a common misfortune.
Καὶ δὴ ἀθροίσασα  ...  And when she gathered together
ἁπάσας  ...  all the foxes,
παρῄνει αὐταῖς  ...  she advised them 
τὰς οὐρὰς ἀποκόπτειν  ...  to cut off their tails, 
λέγουσα ὡς  ...  saying that 
οὐκ μόνον  ...  not only was 
ἀπρεπὲς τοῦτο  ...  having a tail unbecoming, 
ἀλλὰ καὶ  ...  but also 
περισσὸν βάρος  ...  it was an added weight
αὐταῖς προσήρτηται  ...  attached to them. 
Τούτων δέ τις  ...  One of those foxes 
ὑπολαβοῦσα  ...  interrupted, 
ἔφη  ...  and said, 
ἀλλ' ὦ φίλη  ...  but, my dear, 
εἴ μὴ τοῦτο συνέφερεν  ...  if this was not advantageous
σοι  ...  to you,
οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸ συνεβούλευες  ...  you would not recommend it
ἡμῖν  ...  to us.


Κυμαῖός τις ἐπ' ὄνου παρὰ κῆπον ὠχεῖτο. ἰδὼν δὲ κλάδον συκῆς ὑπερέχοντα, σύκων ὡραίων πεπληρωμένον, ἐπελάβετο τοῦ κλάδου. Τοῦ δὲ ὄνου ὑπεκδραμόντος ἐπεκρεμάσθη, καὶ τοῦ γειτόνος ἐρωτήσαντος τί ἐκεῖ ποιεῖ κρεμάμενος, ἔλεγεν, Ἐκ τοῦ ὄνου πέπτωκα.

Κυμαῖός τις 
ἐπ' ὄνου 
παρὰ κῆπον ὠχεῖτο. 
ἰδὼν δὲ κλάδον συκῆς 
ὑπερέχοντα, 
σύκων ὡραίων πεπληρωμένον, 
ἐπελάβετο τοῦ κλάδου. 
Τοῦ δὲ ὄνου ὑπεκδραμόντος 
ἐπεκρεμάσθη, 
καὶ τοῦ γειτόνος ἐρωτήσαντος 
τί ἐκεῖ ποιεῖ 
κρεμάμενος, 
ἔλεγεν, 
Ἐκ τοῦ ὄνου πέπτωκα.

Κυμαῖός τις  ...  A certain fool (Cumaean)
ἐπ' ὄνου  ...  on a donkey 
παρὰ κῆπον ὠχεῖτο  ...  rode by a fig tree. 
ἰδὼν δὲ κλάδον συκῆς  ...  Seeing a branch of the fig tree
ὑπερέχοντα  ...  up above, 
σύκων ὡραίων πεπληρωμένον  ...  full of ripe figs, 
ἐπελάβετο τοῦ κλάδου  ...  he grabbed the branch. 
Τοῦ δὲ ὄνου  ... The donkey
ὑπεκδραμόντος  ...  backed out from under him,
ἐπεκρεμάσθη  ...  and the man was hanging there, 
καὶ τοῦ γειτόνος  ...  and his neighbor 
ἐρωτήσαντος  ...  asked 
τί ποιεῖ  ...  what he was doing 
ἐκεῖ κρεμάμενος  ...  hanging there; 
ἔλεγεν  ...  the fool said, 
Ἐκ τοῦ ὄνου πέπτωκα  ...  I fell off my donkey.

(This same story is told about Nasruddin; several of these ancient Greek jokes circulate later as Nasruddin jokes!)

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




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Monday, March 17, 2025

Greek Vocabulary Challenge: March 18

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 152, featuring proverbs you (may) have seen before, but with a new word focus. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἴδιον ~ ἰδίου (adj. neut.): one's own, private; peculiar 
χρύσεον ~ χρυσέου (adj. neut.): golden, gold 
τραχύς ~ τραχέος (adj. masc.): prickly, rough 
ἄδικος ~ ἀδίκου (adj. masc.): unjust, unrighteous 
δεινή ~ δεινῆς (adj. fem.): fearful, terrible 

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

Ἴδια φύλαττε.

Χρύσεα χαλκείων.

Ἅπας ἐχῖνος τραχύς.

Ὁ ἄδικος οὐ λανθάνει τοὺς θεούς.

Δεινῆς ἀνάγκης οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον.


And now, some commentary:

Ἴδια φύλαττε.
Protect what is yours.
This is one of the Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. The form φύλαττε is Attic; the dictionary form of the verb is φυλάσσω. And yes, English "idiot" is from Greek ἴδιος; details at the Wiktionary.

Χρύσεα χαλκείων.
Golden things (in exchange for) bronze.
The spelling χαλκείων is epic, and comes from an episode in Homer's Iliad, when Glaucus foolishly traded his golden armor for the bronze armor of Diomedes. But it's not really Glaucus's fault; Zeus made him lose his mind: φρένας ἐξέλετο Ζεύς, "Zeus took away his wits." You can read more at Wikipedia: Glaucus, and Plato invokes this as a proverbial saying in The Symposium. For the Greek root χρυσ- in English, see "chrysanthemum," golden-flower.

Ἅπας ἐχῖνος τραχύς.
The whole hedgehog is prickly.
As Erasmus explains, this saying refers to a person who is "prickly" by analogy to the prickly hedgehog. In the same way that there is no un-prickly part of a hedgehog that allows you to safely pick it up, so too there are some people who are impossible to deal with no matter what you try to do: they are completely prickly. From the same root in Greek τραχύς we get English trachea, so-called because of the windpipe's bumpy cartilage.

Ὁ ἄδικος οὐ λανθάνει τοὺς θεούς.
The unjust person does not escape the gods.
The word ἄδικος is an alpha-privative, ἄ-δικος. The word "escape" here means to "escape the notice of," i.e. the gods see the person who is unjust; he cannot escape their judgment.

Δεινῆς ἀνάγκης οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον.
Nothing (is) stronger than dire necessity.
The comparison — stronger than, ἰσχυρότερον — takes a genitive complement in Greek: δεινῆς ἀνάγκης. The adjective ἰσχυρότερον, "stronger," is a comparative form of ἰσχυρόν, "strong." You can see the Greek adjective δειν- in the English dinosaur. For more about ἀνάγκη, see Wikipedia: Ananke.


Glaucus and Diomedes exchanging armor; Glaucus is on the right.

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




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Greek Reading: Fables 34

Today's fable is from Colton's Greek Reader, which has notes for the stories and a vocabulary in the back; the book is 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.



Ἑρμῆς, γηῶναι βουλόμενος ἐν τίνι τιμῇ παρ' ἀνθρώποις ἐστὶν, ἧκεν εἰς ἀγαλματοποιοῦ, ἑαυτὸν εἰκάσας ἀνθρώπῳ, καὶ θεασάμενος ἄγαλμα τοῦ Διὸς ἠρώτα, πόσου τις αὐτὸ πρίασθαι δύναται. Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος, Δραχμῆς, γελάσας, Πόσου τὸ τῆς Ἥρας; ἔφη. Εἰπόντος δὲ, Πλείονος, ἰδὼν καὶ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἄγαλμα, καὶ νομίσας, ὡς, ἐπειδὴ ἄγγελός ἐστι Θεῶν καὶ κερδῷος, πολὺν αὑτοῦ παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εἶναι τὸν λόγον, ἤρετο περὶ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δ' ἀγαλματοποιὸς ἔφη· Ἐὰν τούτους ὠνήσῃ, καὶ τοῦτον προσθήκην σοι δίδωμι.

Ἑρμῆς γηῶναι βουλόμενος 
ἐν τίνι τιμῇ 
παρ' ἀνθρώποις ἐστὶν, 
ἧκεν εἰς ἀγαλματοποιοῦ, 
ἑαυτὸν εἰκάσας ἀνθρώπῳ, 
καὶ θεασάμενος ἄγαλμα τοῦ Διὸς 
ἠρώτα, 
πόσου τις αὐτὸ πρίασθαι δύναται. 
Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος, 
Δραχμῆς, γελάσας, 
Πόσου τὸ τῆς Ἥρας; 
ἔφη. 
Εἰπόντος δὲ, 
Πλείονος, 
ἰδὼν καὶ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἄγαλμα, 
καὶ νομίσας, 
ὡς, ἐπειδὴ ἄγγελός ἐστι Θεῶν 
καὶ κερδῷος, 
πολὺν αὑτοῦ 
παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις 
εἶναι τὸν λόγον, 
ἤρετο περὶ αὐτοῦ. 
Ὁ δ' ἀγαλματοποιὸς ἔφη· 
Ἐὰν τούτους ὠνήσῃ, 
καὶ τοῦτον 
προσθήκην σοι δίδωμι.

Ἑρμῆς γηῶναι βουλόμενος  ...  Hermes wanted to know
ἐν τίνι τιμῇ ἐστὶν  ...  how he was valued
παρ' ἀνθρώποις  ...  by people, 
ἧκεν εἰς ἀγαλματοποιοῦ  ...  so he went to a sculptor
ἑαυτὸν εἰκάσας ἀνθρώπῳ  ...  and made himself look like a man.
καὶ θεασάμενος ἄγαλμα τοῦ Διὸς  ...  He saw a statue of Zeus
ἠρώτα  ...  and asked 
πόσου τις αὐτὸ πρίασθαι δύναται  ...  how much it cost.
Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος  ...  And the sculptor answered, 
Δραχμῆς ...  A drachma.
γελάσας ἔφη ...  And Hermes laughed and said, 
Πόσου τὸ τῆς Ἥρας  ...  how much for the statue of Hera?
Εἰπόντος δὲ  ...  And the statue-maker said, 
Πλείονος  ...  More.
ἰδὼν καὶ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἄγαλμα  ...  And he saw a statue of himself
καὶ νομίσας  ...  and thought, 
ὡς ἐπειδὴ ἄγγελός ἐστι Θεῶν  ...  as he was the gods' messenger 
καὶ κερδῷος  ...  and a bringer of profit, 
πολὺν αὑτοῦ εἶναι τὸν λόγον  ...  his would be reckoned highly
παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις  ...  by the people. 
ἤρετο περὶ αὐτοῦ  ...  He asked about it 
Ὁ δ' ἀγαλματοποιὸς ἔφη  ...  and the sculptor said,
Ἐὰν τούτους ὠνήσῃ  ...  If you buy those, 
σοι δίδωμι καὶ τοῦτον  ...  I'll give you this one too
προσθήκην  ... as an add-on.



Δύσκολόν τινά τις ἐζήτει. ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο, Οὐκ εἰμὶ ὧδε. Τοῦ δὲ γελάσαντος καὶ εἰπόντος, Ψεύδει· τὴς γὰρ φωνῆς σου ἀκούω, εἶπεν, ὦ κάθαρμα, εἰ μὲν ὁ δοῦλός μου εἶπεν, ἐπίστευσας ἂν αὐτῷ· ἐγὼ δέ σοι οὐ φαίνομαι ἀξιοπιστότερος ἐκείνου εἶναι;

Δύσκολόν τινά 
τις ἐζήτει. 
ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο, 
Οὐκ εἰμὶ ὧδε. 
Τοῦ δὲ γελάσαντος 
καὶ εἰπόντος, 
Ψεύδει· 
τὴς γὰρ φωνῆς σου ἀκούω, 
εἶπεν, 
ὦ κάθαρμα, 
εἰ μὲν ὁ δοῦλός μου εἶπεν, 
ἐπίστευσας ἂν αὐτῷ· 
ἐγὼ δέ 
σοι οὐ φαίνομαι 
ἀξιοπιστότερος ἐκείνου εἶναι;

τις ἐζήτει  ...  Someone was looking
δύσκολόν τινά  ...  for a grouchy person.
ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο  ...  The grouch answered, 
Οὐκ εἰμὶ ὧδε  ...  I'm not here!
Τοῦ δὲ γελάσαντος  ...  The visitor laughed
καὶ εἰπόντος  ...  and said,
Ψεύδει  ...  You're lying,
τὴς γὰρ φωνῆς σου ἀκούω  ...  for I hear your voice. 
εἶπεν  ...  The grouch said,
ὦ κάθαρμα  ...  You scum, 
εἰ μὲν ὁ δοῦλός μου εἶπεν  ...  if my slave had said it, 
ἐπίστευσας ἂν αὐτῷ  ...  you'd have believed him. 
ἐγὼ δέ σοι οὐ φαίνομαι εἶναι  ...  Don't I seem to you to be
ἀξιοπιστότερος ἐκείνου  ...  more trustworthy than him?

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




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