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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