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.

Ἀετός καὶ κολοιός 

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. 

illustration by Walter Crane

Σχολαστικὸς ναυαγεῖν μέλλων

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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