Greek Reading: Fables 31

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.

Λύχνος ἐλαίου πλήρης 

Λύχνος ποτέ τις ἐλαίου πλήρης λαμπρότατα ἔλαμπε, καὶ ὀγκωθεὶς μέγαλα ἐκόμπει. ὡς δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ παριόντες ἐθαύμαζον, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, ἰδοῦ, πολῖται. ἐγὼ γὰρ λαμπρότερός εἰμι τῆς σελήνης καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων. εἰπόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα, ἄνεμος ἰσχυρὸς ἐπιγενόμενος κατέσβεσεν αὐτῷ τὴν φλόγα. τῶν δὲ παρόντων τις ἀνῆψεν αὐτὸν λέγων, μή μεγαλαύχει. σεαυτῷ γὰρ καλὸς εἶναι δοκεῖς. ὅμως δὲ σμικρά σε ῥιπὴ ἄνεμου ἀποσβέσας ἀποκτείνει. οἱ δὲ ἀστέρες εἰσίν ἀθάνατοι, καὶ ἐς ἀεὶ λάμψουσιν.

Λύχνος ποτέ τις 

ἐλαίου πλήρης 

λαμπρότατα ἔλαμπε, 

καὶ ὀγκωθεὶς μέγαλα ἐκόμπει. 

ὡς δὲ αὐτὸν 

οἱ παριόντες ἐθαύμαζον, 

εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, 

ἰδοῦ, πολῖται. 

ἐγὼ γὰρ λαμπρότερός εἰμι 

τῆς σελήνης καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων. 

εἰπόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα,

ἄνεμος ἰσχυρὸς ἐπιγενόμενος 

κατέσβεσεν αὐτῷ τὴν φλόγα. 

τῶν δὲ παρόντων τις 

ἀνῆψεν αὐτὸν λέγων, 

μή μεγαλαύχει. 

σεαυτῷ γὰρ 

καλὸς εἶναι δοκεῖς. 

ὅμως δὲ 

σμικρά σε ῥιπὴ ἄνεμου ἀποσβέσας ἀποκτείνει. 

οἱ δὲ ἀστέρες εἰσίν ἀθάνατοι, 

καὶ ἐς ἀεὶ λάμψουσιν.

Λύχνος ποτέ τις  ...  Once upon a time a lamp

ἐλαίου πλήρης  ...  full of oil 

λαμπρότατα ἔλαμπε  ...  shone very brightly, 

καὶ ὀγκωθεὶς  ... and puffed up with pride

μέγαλα ἐκόμπει  ...  he boasted loudly.

ὡς δὲ οἱ παριόντες  ...  as the bystanders

ἐθαύμαζον αὐτὸν  ... looked at him in wonder,

εἶπεν αὐτοῖς  ...  he said to them:

ἰδοῦ, πολῖται  ...  Behold, citizens,

ἐγὼ γὰρ λαμπρότερός εἰμι  ...  for I am brighter 

τῆς σελήνης καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων  ...  the the moon and stars. 

εἰπόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα  ...  As the lamp said these things,

ἄνεμος ἰσχυρὸς ἐπιγενόμενος  ...  a strong wind arose 

κατέσβεσεν αὐτῷ τὴν φλόγα  ...  and extinguished his flame. 

τῶν δὲ παρόντων τις  ...  One of the bystanders 

ἀνῆψεν αὐτὸν λέγων  ...  relit the lamp and said, 

μή μεγαλαύχει  ...  Don't boast! 

σεαυτῷ γὰρ  ... While to yourself

καλὸς εἶναι δοκεῖς  ...  you seem to be good, 

ὅμως δὲ  ...  nevertheless

σμικρά ῥιπὴ ἄνεμου  ...  a small puff of wind 

σε ἀποσβέσας ἀποκτείνει  ...  can put you out and kill you.

οἱ δὲ ἀστέρες εἰσίν ἀθάνατοι  ...  But the stars are immortal, 

καὶ ἐς ἀεὶ λάμψουσιν  ...  and they shine for eternity.

oil lamp

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ βότρυες 

(you saw another version of this fable earlier)

Ἀλώπηξ λιμώττουσα, ὡς ἐθεάσατο ἐπί τινα ἀναδενδράδα βότρυας κρεμαμενους, ἠβουλήθη αὐτῶν περιγενέσθαι, καὶ οὐκ ἐδύνατο· ἀπαλλαττομένη δὲ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν εἶπεν· Ὄμφακές εἰσιν.

Ἀλώπηξ λιμώττουσα, 

ὡς ἐθεάσατο 

ἐπί τινα ἀναδενδράδα 

βότρυας κρεμαμενους, 

ἠβουλήθη αὐτῶν περιγενέσθαι, 

καὶ οὐκ ἐδύνατο· 

ἀπαλλαττομένη δὲ 

πρὸς ἑαυτὴν εἶπεν· 

Ὄμφακές εἰσιν.

Ἀλώπηξ λιμώττουσα  ...  A hungry fox

ὡς ἐθεάσατο  ...  when she saw

βότρυας κρεμαμενους  ...  grape clusters hanging 

ἐπί τινα ἀναδενδράδα  ...  upon a vine trained up a tree, 

ἠβουλήθη αὐτῶν περιγενέσθαι  ...  wanted to reach them, 

καὶ οὐκ ἐδύνατο  ...  but was not able to do so. 

ἀπαλλαττομένη δὲ  ...  Going away

πρὸς ἑαυτὴν εἶπεν  ...  she said to herself: 

Ὄμφακές εἰσιν  ...  They were not ripe.

the fox and the grapes

Σχολαστικὸς καὶ ὄνος 

Σχολαστικός τις ἐθέλων τὸν ὄνον αὐτοῦ διδάξαι μὴ τρώγειν, οὐ παρέβαλεν αὐτῷ χόρτον. ἀποθανόντος δὲ τοῦ ὄνου λιμῷ ἔλεγε, Μεγάλα ἐζημιώθην· ὅτε γὰρ ἔμαθε μὴ τρώγειν, τότε ἀπέθανεν.

Σχολαστικός τις ἐθέλων

τὸν ὄνον αὐτοῦ διδάξαι 

μὴ τρώγειν, 

οὐ παρέβαλεν αὐτῷ χόρτον. 

ἀποθανόντος δὲ τοῦ ὄνου λιμῷ 

ἔλεγε, 

Μεγάλα ἐζημιώθην· 

ὅτε γὰρ ἔμαθε μὴ τρώγειν, 

τότε ἀπέθανεν.

Σχολαστικός τις ἐθέλων  ...  A certain dunce wanted

τὸν ὄνον αὐτοῦ διδάξαι  ...  to teach his donkey

μὴ τρώγειν  ...  to go without eating,

οὐ παρέβαλεν αὐτῷ χόρτον  ...  and didn't give him good. 

ἀποθανόντος δὲ τοῦ ὄνου λιμῷ  ...  The donkey died of hunger

ἔλεγε  ...  and he said:

Μεγάλα ἐζημιώθην  ...  What a terrible loss for me! 

ὅτε γὰρ ἔμαθε μὴ τρώγειν  ...  Just when he'd learned not to eat,

τότε ἀπέθανεν  ...  he died.

donkey-headed drinking vessel

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: March 8

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 149. These are sayings you may have seen before but with a new word focus. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἔρις ~ ἔριδος  (noun f.): strife, quarrel 

χθών ~ χθονός (noun f.): earth, land 

εὐχή ~ εὐχῆς  (noun f.): prayer, vow 

προφήτης ~ προφήτου (noun m.): prophet 

δρόμος ~ δρόμου (noun m.): race, running

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

Ἔριν μίσει.

Ἅπασα δὲ χθὼν ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ πατρίς.

Ἔργα νέων, βουλαὶ δὲ μέσων, εὐχαὶ δὲ γερόντων.

Οὐδεὶς προφήτης δεκτός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ.

Οὐ τοῖς κούφοις ὁ δρόμος καὶ οὐ τοῖς δυνατοῖς ὁ πόλεμος.

And now, some commentary:

Ἔριν μίσει.

Hate strife.

Don't let μίσει fool you: that's the imperative form of an -εω contract verb! From the Greek root  μίσ- we get English words like misanthrope and misogyny. Meanwhile, for more about strife personified as a goddess, Ἔρις, see Wikipedia: Eris.

Ἅπασα δὲ χθὼν ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ πατρίς.

Every land is a homeland to a noble man.

In other words, if you are a worthy person, you can live anywhere in the world as if it were your native land. The words are a fragment from a lost play by Euripides as quoted by the Roman Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus in an essay about why exile should not be considered a bad thing (Musonius himself was exiled to the island of Gyara by the emperor Nero). A fuller version of the passage from Euripides reads: Ἅπας μὲν ἀὴρ αἰετῷ περάσιμος· ἅπασα δὲ χθὼν ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ πατρίς, "All air can be crossed by the eagle; every land..." From Greek χθὼν we get the -chthon- words in English like chthonic and autochthonous.

Ἔργα νέων, βουλαὶ δὲ μέσων, εὐχαὶ δὲ γερόντων.

Deeds (are) for the young, plans for the middle-aged, and prayers for the old.

This is one of the fragments of Hesiod, and there is a hilarious story in Strabo about Athenodorus Cananites which features a parody of this saying which replaces εὐχαὶ with a different word: ἔργα νέων, βουλαὶ δὲ μέσων, πορδαὶ δὲ γερόντων — the word πορδή means "fart" (and, yes, the Greek and English words are both from the same Indo-European root!). You can read the whole story in Strabo here; just click on "load" to see the English translation side by side with Strabo in Greek.

Οὐκ ἔστιν προφήτης ἄτιμος εἰ μὴ ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ.

A prophet is not without honor except in his own homeland.

The words come from the Gospel of Mark; the full statement is: οὐκ ἔστιν προφήτης ἄτιμος εἰ μὴ ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τοῖς συγγενεῦσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ, adding "and among his relatives and in his own house" at the end. The Gospel of Matthew features a similar saying: οὐκ ἔστιν προφήτης ἄτιμος εἰ μὴ ἐν τῇ πατρίδι καὶ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ. You saw the version in the Gospel of Luke in an earlier blog post: Οὐδεὶς προφήτης δεκτός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ. Of course English "prophet" is from the Greek προφήτης.

Οὐ τοῖς κούφοις ὁ δρόμος καὶ οὐ τοῖς δυνατοῖς ὁ πόλεμος.

The race (is) not to the swift and the battle (is) not to the mighty.

This saying comes from the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes, and here is the entire verse as rendered in the King James version:

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

You can see Greek δρόμ- in English words like palindrome and hippodrome.

Eris

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 30

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.

Ἄνθρωπὸς καὶ ἀλώπηξ

Ἄνθρωπός τίς ποτε ἀλώπεκα ἑλὼν, λίνον τι προσέδησε τῇ κέρκῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἧψεν αὐτό. οὕτω δὲ αφῆκεν. δαίμων δὲ τις ὀργισθεὶς ὡδήγησε τὴν ἀλώπεκα ἐς τὴν ἄρουραν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀφέντος τὴν ἀλώπεκα. ἡ δὲ τῇ φλογὶ τοῦ λίνου ἀνῆψεν αὐτοῦ τὸν σῖτον ἔτι ακμάζοντα. οὕτω πολλὴν τὴν ζημίαν τῆς ὠμότητος ἀπέτισεν.

Ἄνθρωπός τίς ποτε 

ἀλώπεκα ἑλὼν, 

λίνον τι προσέδησε 

τῇ κέρκῳ αὐτοῦ 

καὶ ἧψεν αὐτό. 

οὕτω δὲ αφῆκεν. 

δαίμων δὲ τις ὀργισθεὶς 

ὡδήγησε τὴν ἀλώπεκα 

ἐς τὴν ἄρουραν 

αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀφέντος τὴν ἀλώπεκα. 

ἡ δὲ 

τῇ φλογὶ τοῦ λίνου 

ἀνῆψεν αὐτοῦ τὸν σῖτον 

ἔτι ακμάζοντα. 

οὕτω πολλὴν τὴν ζημίαν 

τῆς ὠμότητος 

ἀπέτισεν.

Ἄνθρωπός τίς ποτε  ... A man once

ἀλώπεκα ἑλὼν  ... caught a fox  

λίνον τι προσέδησε  ... and tied a flax rope 

τῇ κέρκῳ αὐτοῦ  ... onto the fox's tail 

καὶ ἧψεν αὐτό  ... and set it on fire. 

οὕτω δὲ αφῆκεν  ... then he let the fox loose. 

δαίμων δὲ τις ὀργισθεὶς  ... A god got angry

ὡδήγησε τὴν ἀλώπεκα  ... and guided the fox 

ἐς τὴν ἄρουραν αὐτοῦ  ... to the field of the man

τοῦ ἀφέντος τὴν ἀλώπεκα  ... who had let the fox go. 

ἡ δὲ  ... And the fox 

τῇ φλογὶ τοῦ λίνου  ... with the fire of the flax 

ἀνῆψεν αὐτοῦ τὸν σῖτον  ... burnt up his grain 

ἔτι ακμάζοντα  ... that was still ripening (in the field). 

οὕτω ἀπέτισεν  ... thus he paid

πολλὴν τὴν ζημίαν  ... a great penalty

τῆς ὠμότητος  ... for his cruelty. 

Firefox logo

Παῖς καὶ Τύχη

(a shorter version of a fable you saw from another reader earlier)

Ἐγγὺς φρέατος παῖς τις ἐκοιμᾶτο. Ἐπιστᾶσα δὲ αὐτῷ ἡ Τύχη ἐβόα, Ἀνάστα καὶ ἄπελθε ἐντεῦθεν, μὴ πως κάτωθεν τοῦ φρέατος πέσὴς, καὶ ἐμὲ τὴν Τύχην καταμέμψωνται πάντες.

Ἐγγὺς φρέατος 

παῖς τις ἐκοιμᾶτο. 

Ἐπιστᾶσα δὲ αὐτῷ 

ἡ Τύχη ἐβόα,

Ἀνάστα 

καὶ ἄπελθε ἐντεῦθεν, 

μὴ πως κάτωθεν τοῦ φρέατος πέσὴς, 

καὶ ἐμὲ τὴν Τύχην 

καταμέμψωνται πάντες.

Ἐγγὺς φρέατος  ... Beside a well

παῖς τις ἐκοιμᾶτο  ... a child fell asleep. 

Ἐπιστᾶσα δὲ αὐτῷ  ... Standing beside him 

ἡ Τύχη ἐβόα  ... Lady Luck shouted,

Ἀνάστα  ... Get up 

καὶ ἄπελθε ἐντεῦθεν  ... and go away from here 

μὴ πως πέσὴς  ... lest you fall 

κάτωθεν τοῦ φρέατος  ... down into the well, 

καὶ καταμέμψωνται πάντες  ... and everybody blame

ἐμὲ τὴν Τύχην  ... me, Lady Luck. 

Fortune and the Schoolboy

Σχολαστικὸς καὶ πώγων

Σχολαστικός τις ἀκούσας τινῶν εἰπόντων ὅτι,  ̔Ο πώγων σου ἤδη ἔρχεται, ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πύλην καὶ ἐξεδέχετο αὐτόν. Ἕτερος δὲ τὴν πρόφασιν ἐρωτήσας καὶ γνούς, Εἰκότως, ἔφη, μωροὶ καλούμεθα· πόθεν γὰρ οἶσθα εἰ διὰ τῆς ἑτέρας πύλης οὐκ ἔρχεται;

Σχολαστικός τις ἀκούσας 

τινῶν εἰπόντων ὅτι, 

 ̔Ο πώγων σου ἤδη ἔρχεται, 

ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πύλην 

καὶ ἐξεδέχετο αὐτόν. 

Ἕτερος δὲ 

τὴν πρόφασιν ἐρωτήσας 

καὶ γνούς, 

Εἰκότως, ἔφη, μωροὶ καλούμεθα· 

πόθεν γὰρ οἶσθα 

εἰ διὰ τῆς ἑτέρας πύλης οὐκ ἔρχεται;

Σχολαστικός τις ἀκούσας  ...  A certain dunce

τινῶν εἰπόντων ὅτι  ...  heard people telling him that 

 ̔Ο πώγων σου ἤδη ἔρχεται  ...  "Your beard is coming soon."

ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πύλην  ...  He went to the city gate

καὶ ἐξεδέχετο αὐτόν  ...  and waited for his beard.

Ἕτερος δὲ  ...  Another dunce

τὴν πρόφασιν ἐρωτήσας  ...  asked what he was doing 

καὶ γνούς ἔφη  ...  and when he found out, said,

Εἰκότως μωροὶ καλούμεθα  ...  It's right that we're called idiots!

πόθεν γὰρ οἶσθα  ...  For how do you know 

εἰ οὐκ ἔρχεται  ...  that it's not coming

διὰ τῆς ἑτέρας πύλης  ...  through the other gate?

Greek terracotta of bearded man

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

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Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword: March 6

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 137, 138, and 139. 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:

1. Ἁμαρτάνων μετανόει.
   
2. Ἅπας μὲν ἀὴρ αἰετῷ περάσιμος.
   
3. Αὐτοὶ χελώνας ἔσθεθ᾿ οἵπερ εἵλετε.
   
4. Δεῖ φέρειν τὰ τῶν θεῶν.
   
5. Δὶς καὶ τρὶς τὸ καλόν.
   
6. Ἴδια φύλαττε.
   
7. Καθὼς ἡ μήτηρ καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ.
   
8. Λέων τὴν τρίχα, ὄνος τὸν βίον.
   
9. Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.
   
10. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὃν φοβεῖται φιλεῖ.
    
11. Σὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρας κίνει.
    
12. Τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτέινει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζῳοποιεῖ.
    
13. Τὸ μὲν πνεῦμα πρόθυμον, ἡ δὲ σὰρξ ἀσθενής.
    
14. Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.
    
15. Ὤδινεν ὄρος, εἶτα μῦν ἀπέτεκεν.

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 29

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.

Κυναγός καὶ λέων

Κυναγός τις, τοξότης δεινότατος, εἰς ὄρος ἦλθεν. ἐλθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ, φυγὴ πάντων τῶν θηρίων ἐγένετο. λέων δέ τις ἐπέμεινε καὶ μάχεσθαι ἤθελεν. ὁ δὲ κυναγὸς, ἄγγελόν τινα, ἔφη, σοὶ προπέμψω, ἵνα γνῷς οἷός τις αὐτός εἰμι. εἶτα ἐτόξευσεν. ὁ δὲ λέων, ἐβλήθη γάρ, ἐς τὴν νάπην ἀπέφευγε λέγων, εὖ οἶδα τοῦτον φοβερὸν ὄντα, ὅστις ἀγγέλους τοιούτους προπέμψαι δύναται.

Κυναγός τις, 

τοξότης δεινότατος, 

εἰς ὄρος ἦλθεν. 

ἐλθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ, 

φυγὴ πάντων τῶν θηρίων ἐγένετο. 

λέων δέ τις ἐπέμεινε 

καὶ μάχεσθαι ἤθελεν. 

ὁ δὲ κυναγὸς, 

ἄγγελόν τινα, ἔφη, 

σοὶ προπέμψω, 

ἵνα γνῷς 

οἷός τις αὐτός εἰμι. 

εἶτα ἐτόξευσεν. 

ὁ δὲ λέων, 

ἐβλήθη γάρ, 

ἐς τὴν νάπην ἀπέφευγε 

λέγων, 

εὖ οἶδα 

τοῦτον φοβερὸν ὄντα, 

ὅστις 

ἀγγέλους τοιούτους προπέμψαι 

δύναται.

Κυναγός τις  ... A hunter,

τοξότης δεινότατος  ... a fearsome archer, 

εἰς ὄρος ἦλθεν  ... came to the mountain. 

ἐλθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ  ... When he got there, 

φυγὴ πάντων τῶν θηρίων ἐγένετο  ... all the animals fled. 

λέων δέ τις ἐπέμεινε  ... But a lion remained

καὶ μάχεσθαι ἤθελεν  ... and wanted to fight. 

ὁ δὲ κυναγὸς ἔφη  ... The hunter said, 

ἄγγελόν τινα  ... A messenger

σοὶ προπέμψω  ... I'll send to you, 

ἵνα γνῷς  ... so that you know 

οἷός τις αὐτός εἰμι  ... just who I am. 

εἶτα ἐτόξευσεν  ... Then he shot. 

ὁ δὲ λέων  ... The lion, 

ἐβλήθη γάρ  ... as he was hit, 

ἐς τὴν νάπην ἀπέφευγε  ... fled into the woodland 

λέγων  ... saying, 

εὖ οἶδα  ... I know well 

τοῦτον φοβερὸν ὄντα  ... this is a terrible thing

ὅστις δύναται  ... who can

ἀγγέλους τοιούτους προπέμψαι  ... send messengers like that.

(in this version, the lion speaks with a fox)

Αἴλουρος καὶ ὄρνιθες 

Αἴλουρος ἀκούσας, ὅτι ἔν τινι τόπῳ ἐπ' αὐλῇ ὄρνιθες νοσοῦσιν, εἰς ἰατρὸν ἑαυτὸν σχηματίσας, καὶ τὰ τὴς ἐπιστήμης πρόσφορα ἀναλαβὼν ἐργαλεῖα, παρεγένετο· καὶ στὰς πρὸ τῆς ἐπαύλεως, ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτὰς, πῶς ἔχοιεν. Αἱ δὲ ἀποκριθεῖσαι, Καλῶς, ἔφασαν, ἐὰν σὺ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγῇς.

Αἴλουρος ἀκούσας 

ὅτι ἔν τινι τόπῳ ἐπ' αὐλῇ 

ὄρνιθες νοσοῦσιν, 

εἰς ἰατρὸν ἑαυτὸν σχηματίσας, 

καὶ τὰ τὴς ἐπιστήμης πρόσφορα 

ἀναλαβὼν ἐργαλεῖα, 

παρεγένετο· 

καὶ στὰς πρὸ τῆς ἐπαύλεως, 

ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτὰς, 

πῶς ἔχοιεν. 

Αἱ δὲ ἀποκριθεῖσαι, 

Καλῶς, ἔφασαν, 

ἐὰν σὺ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγῇς.

Αἴλουρος ἀκούσας  ...  A cat heard

ὅτι ἔν τινι τόπῳ ἐπ' αὐλῇ  ...  that somewhere in a yard

ὄρνιθες νοσοῦσιν  ...  the chickens were sick, 

εἰς ἰατρὸν ἑαυτὸν σχηματίσας  ...  and dressed up as a doctor, 

καὶ ἀναλαβὼν ἐργαλεῖα  ...  taking up the instruments

τὰ τὴς ἐπιστήμης πρόσφορα  ...  that pertain to the profession,

παρεγένετο  ...  he went there 

καὶ στὰς πρὸ τῆς ἐπαύλεως  ...  and stood at the yard gate, 

ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτὰς  ...  and asked them

πῶς ἔχοιεν  ...  how they were doing.

Αἱ δὲ ἀποκριθεῖσαι ἔφασαν ...  And they answered, saying,

Καλῶς,  ...  We'd be doing well

ἐὰν σὺ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγῇς  ...  if YOU would just get out of here.

The Cat and the Birds

Σχολαστικοὶ δύο καὶ μέλαινα ὄρνις 

Σχολαστικοὶ δύο ὁμοῦ ἐβάδιζον· ἰδὼν οὖν ὁ ἕτερος αὐτῶν μέλαιναν ὄρνιν, Ἀδελφὲ, φησὶν, ἴσως ταύτης ὁ ἀλεκτρύων ἀπέθανεν.

Σχολαστικοὶ δύο 

ὁμοῦ ἐβάδιζον· 

ἰδὼν οὖν ὁ ἕτερος αὐτῶν 

μέλαιναν ὄρνιν, 

Ἀδελφὲ, φησὶν, 

ἴσως ταύτης ὁ ἀλεκτρύων ἀπέθανεν.

Σχολαστικοὶ δύο  ... Two dunces

ὁμοῦ ἐβάδιζον  ... were walking together. 

ἰδὼν οὖν ὁ ἕτερος αὐτῶν  ... Then one of them saw 

μέλαιναν ὄρνιν  ... a black bird; 

φησὶν: Ἀδελφὲ  ... he said: Brother,

ἴσως  ... it looks like

ταύτης ὁ ἀλεκτρύων ἀπέθανεν  ...  her rooster must have died.

(i.e. the bird's black feathers are her mourning clothes)

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: March 4

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 148. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

νεώτερος ~ νεωτέρου (adj. masc.): younger, young, new 

πρεσβύτερος ~ πρεσβυτέρου (adj. masc.): older, elder 

μέγα ~ μεγάλου (adj. neut.): big, great

μέγας~ μεγάλου (adj. masc.): big, great 

πονηρός~ πονηροῦ (adj. masc.): bad, worthless

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

Νεώτερον δίδασκε.

Πρεσβύτερον αἰδοῦ.

Ἐν ὄρφνῃ δραπέτης μέγα σθένει.

Οἱ μεγάλοι κλέπται τὸν μικρὸν ἀπάγουσι.

Ὄφιν τρέφειν καὶ πονηρὸν εὐεργετεῖν ταὐτόν ἐστιν.

And now, some commentary:

Νεώτερον δίδασκε.

Teach a younger person.

This is one of those "Delphic maxims" recorded by Stobaeus. The word νεώτερος is a comparative form of νέος meaning "newer, younger; very new, very young." Catullus and other contemporary Roman poets were known as "neoteric" poets; they were the νεωτερικοί, the poetae novi. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Neoteric.

Πρεσβύτερον αἰδοῦ.

Respect an elder.

This is another Delphic maxim; I thought it would make a good pair with the preceding maxim. This one also has a comparative adjective; πρεσβύτερος is the comparative form of πρέσβυς, meaning "older, elder." This is the root of the English word "Presbyterian." Greek πρεσβύτερος is also the origin of English "priest."

Ἐν ὄρφνῃ δραπέτης μέγα σθένει.

In the darkness, a runaway is very strong.

The words are from Euripides' Rhesus. The neuter adjective μέγα is being used adverbially, as often with neuter adjectives. The idea is that the runaway uses the darkness to his advantage, but it is a contemptible, cowardly kind of advantage. The words are spoken by Hector, who is angry that the night has come before he has defeated the Greeks; he suspects they will flee in their ships during the night before he can launch another attack. You can find out more about this play at Wikipedia: Rhesus.

Οἱ μεγάλοι κλέπται τὸν μικρὸν ἀπάγουσι.

The big thieves carry the petty thief off to prison.

The words are attributed to Diogenes the Cynic. The story goes that he saw some temple priests leading away a man who had stolen a bowl that belonged to the temple treasury; the great thieves were the priests themselves, and they were leading the petty thief off to prison. Compare the English saying: "Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape."

Ὄφιν τρέφειν καὶ πονηρὸν εὐεργετεῖν ταὐτόν ἐστιν.

To nourish a snake and to assist an evildoer is the same thing.

Compare another saying you've seen before about nursing a snake: Ὄφιν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις, "You're nursing a snake in your bosom." That snake is going to bite you sooner or later, just as the evildoer is going to do evil. See the previous blog post for the Aesop's fable on the subject of kindness to snakes.

Aesop's fable about the man and the snake

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 28

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.

Νυκτερίς 

Οἱ ὄρνιθές ποτε τοῖς θηρίοις ἐπολέμουν· ὁ δὲ πόλεμος ἄσπονδος ἦν καὶ δεινός. ἡ δὲ νυκτερίς μετ' οὐδετέρων ἦν. βούλομαι γὰρ, ἔφη, ἰδεῖν ὁπότεροι νικήσειν μέλλουσι. κρατούντων δὲ ποτε τῶν θηρίων αὐτοὶς συνεπολέμει ἡ νυκτερὶς καὶ πολλὴν σπουδὴν ἀπεδείξατο. τέλος δὲ οἱ ὄρνιθες συνεστράφησαν καὶ κραυγῇ πολλῇ χρώμενοι ἐνίκησαν τὰ θήρια. τότε δὲ αὖ νυκτερὶς μεταβαλομένη ἐς βοήθειαν ἦλθε τοῖς ὄρνισι. τέλος δὲ εἰρήνης γενομένης ἀμφοτέροις προδότις εἶναι ἔδοξε καὶ τῶν σπονδῶν ἀπεκλείσθη. διόπερ ἀποφυγεῖν ἀναγκασθεῖσα ἀπεκρύπτετο καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐξιέναι ἐφοβεῖτο. ὅθεν δειλὴ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐν τῷ σκότῳ μόνον περιπέτεται.

Οἱ ὄρνιθές ποτε 

τοῖς θηρίοις ἐπολέμουν· 

ὁ δὲ πόλεμος ἄσπονδος ἦν 

καὶ δεινός. 

ἡ δὲ νυκτερίς 

μετ' οὐδετέρων ἦν. 

βούλομαι γὰρ, ἔφη, ἰδεῖν 

ὁπότεροι νικήσειν μέλλουσι. 

κρατούντων δὲ ποτε τῶν θηρίων 

αὐτοὶς συνεπολέμει ἡ νυκτερὶς 

καὶ πολλὴν σπουδὴν ἀπεδείξατο. 

τέλος δὲ 

οἱ ὄρνιθες συνεστράφησαν 

καὶ κραυγῇ πολλῇ χρώμενοι 

ἐνίκησαν τὰ θήρια. 

τότε δὲ αὖ νυκτερὶς μεταβαλομένη 

ἐς βοήθειαν ἦλθε τοῖς ὄρνισι. 

τέλος δὲ 

εἰρήνης γενομένης 

ἀμφοτέροις προδότις εἶναι ἔδοξε 

καὶ τῶν σπονδῶν ἀπεκλείσθη. 

διόπερ ἀποφυγεῖν ἀναγκασθεῖσα 

ἀπεκρύπτετο 

καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐξιέναι ἐφοβεῖτο. 

ὅθεν δειλὴ ἐγένετο 

καὶ ἐν τῷ σκότῳ μόνον περιπέτεται.

Οἱ ὄρνιθές ποτε  ...  Once upon a time the birds

τοῖς θηρίοις ἐπολέμουν  ...  were at war with the animals.

ὁ δὲ πόλεμος ἄσπονδος ἦν  ...  The battle was unrelenting

καὶ δεινός  ...  and dreadful. 

ἡ δὲ νυκτερίς  ...  The bat 

μετ' οὐδετέρων ἦν  ...  was on neither side. 

βούλομαι γὰρ ἰδεῖν  ...  for I want to see,

ἔφη  ...  she said,

ὁπότεροι νικήσειν μέλλουσι  ...  which ones are going to win. 

τῶν θηρίων ποτε  ...  once when the animals

κρατούντων  ...  were prevailing,  

αὐτοὶς συνεπολέμει ἡ νυκτερὶς  ...  the bat fought on their side, 

καὶ πολλὴν σπουδὴν ἀπεδείξατο  ...  and offered great assistance. 

τέλος δὲ  ...  Finally 

οἱ ὄρνιθες συνεστράφησαν  ...  the birds counterattacked together 

καὶ κραυγῇ πολλῇ χρώμενοι  ...  and uttering a loud shriek 

ἐνίκησαν τὰ θήρια  ...  they defeated the animals. 

τότε δὲ νυκτερὶς  ...  Then the bat 

αὖ μεταβαλομένη  ...  again changed sides 

ἐς βοήθειαν ἦλθε τοῖς ὄρνισι  ...  and came to the birds' aid. 

τέλος δὲ  ...  Finally 

εἰρήνης γενομένης  ...  when the peace came

ἀμφοτέροις ἔδοξε  ...  it was clear to both sides 

προδότις εἶναι  ...  that the bat was a traitor 

καὶ ἀπεκλείσθη  ...  and she was rejected

τῶν σπονδῶν ...  from the peace-making.

διόπερ  ...  Thus 

ἀποφυγεῖν ἀναγκασθεῖσα  ...  the bat was compelled to flee 

ἀπεκρύπτετο  ...  and hide herself, 

καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐξιέναι ἐφοβεῖτο  ...  afraid to come out by day. 

ὅθεν δειλὴ ἐγένετο  ...  So the bat became a wretched creature, 

καὶ μόνον περιπέτεται  ...  only flying about 

ἐν τῷ σκότῳ  ...  in the dark.

The Battle of the Birds and the Animals

Βόες καὶ ἅμαξα

Βόες ἅμαξαν εἷλκον. Τοῦ δὲ ἄξονος τρύζοντος, ἐπιστραφέντες ἔφησαν πρὸς αὐτόν. Ὦ οὗτος, ἡμῶν τὸ ὅλον βάρος φερόντων, σὺ τί κράζεις;

Βόες ἅμαξαν εἷλκον. 

Τοῦ δὲ ἄξονος τρύζοντος, 

ἐπιστραφέντες 

ἔφησαν πρὸς αὐτόν. 

Ὦ οὗτος, 

ἡμῶν τὸ ὅλον βάρος φερόντων, 

σὺ τί κράζεις;

Βόες ἅμαξαν εἷλκον  ... Oxen were dragging a cart. 

Τοῦ δὲ ἄξονος τρύζοντος  ... When the axle squeaked, 

ἐπιστραφέντες  ... the oxen turned back 

ἔφησαν πρὸς αὐτόν  ... and said to the axle: 

Ὦ οὗτος  ... Hey you! 

ἡμῶν φερόντων  ... Since we're the ones carrying

τὸ ὅλον βάρος  ... the whole load,

σὺ τί κράζεις;  ... what are you shouting about?

The Oxen and the Cart

Σχολαστικός καὶ κλῖμαξ

Σχολαστικός τις περὶ κλίμακός τινος πυθόμενος ὅτι ἀναβαινοντων ἔχει βάθρα εἰκοσιν, ἐπύθετο εἰ καὶ καταβαινόντων τοσαῦτά ἐστιν.

Σχολαστικός τις 

περὶ κλίμακός τινος πυθόμενος 

ὅτι ἀναβαινοντων ἔχει βάθρα εἰκοσιν, 

ἐπύθετο 

εἰ καὶ καταβαινόντων τοσαῦτά ἐστιν.

Σχολαστικός τις  ...  There was a dunce

πυθόμενος  ...  who learned

περὶ κλίμακός τινος  ...  about a certain ladder 

ὅτι ἔχει βάθρα εἰκοσιν  ...  that it had twenty rungs

ἀναβαινοντων  ...  going up,

ἐπύθετο  ...  asked

εἰ τοσαῦτά ἐστιν  ...  if there were just as many

καὶ καταβαινόντων  ...  going down.

ladder in an ancient Greek vase painting

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

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