Greek Reading: Fables 53

Both the fable and the joke below come from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader which 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.

Γαλῆ καὶ Ἀφροδίτη

Γαλῆ ἐρασθεῖσα νεανίσκου εὐπρεποῦς ηὔξατο τῇ ᾿Αφροδίτῃ, ὅπως αὐτὴν μεταμορφώσῃ εἰς γυναῖκα. Καὶ ἡ θεὸς ἐλεήσασα αὐτῆς τὸ πάθος μετετύπωσεν αὐτὴν εἰς κόρην εὐειδῆ· καὶ οὕτως ὁ νεανίσκος θεασάμενος αὐτὴν καὶ ἐρασθεὶς οἴκαδε ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἀπήγαγε. Καθημένων δ’ αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ θαλάμῳ, ἡ Ἀφροδίτη γνῶναι βουλομένη, εἰ μεταβαλοῦσα τὸ σῶμα ἡ γαλῆ καὶ τὸν τρόπον κατήλλαξε, μῦν εἰς τὸ μέσον καθῆκεν. ἡ δὲ ἐπιλαθομένη τῶν παρόντων ἐξαναστᾶσα ἀπὸ τῆς κοίτης τὸν μῦν ἐδίωκε καταφαγεῖν θέλουσα. Καὶ ἡ θεὸς ἀγανακτήσασα κατ’ αὐτῆς πάλιν αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν φύσιν ἀποκατέστησεν.

Γαλῆ 

ἐρασθεῖσα νεανίσκου εὐπρεποῦς 

ηὔξατο τῇ ᾿Αφροδίτῃ 

ὅπως αὐτὴν μεταμορφώσῃ 

εἰς γυναῖκα. 

Καὶ ἡ θεὸς 

ἐλεήσασα αὐτῆς τὸ πάθος 

μετετύπωσεν αὐτὴν 

εἰς κόρην εὐειδῆ· 

καὶ οὕτως ὁ νεανίσκος 

θεασάμενος αὐτὴν 

καὶ ἐρασθεὶς 

οἴκαδε ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἀπήγαγε. 

Καθημένων δ’ αὐτῶν 

ἐν τῷ θαλάμῳ, 

ἡ Ἀφροδίτη γνῶναι βουλομένη, 

εἰ μεταβαλοῦσα τὸ σῶμα 

ἡ γαλῆ καὶ τὸν τρόπον κατήλλαξε, 

μῦν εἰς τὸ μέσον καθῆκεν. 

Ἡ δὲ ἐπιλαθομένη τῶν παρόντων 

ἐξαναστᾶσα ἀπὸ τῆς κοίτης 

τὸν μῦν ἐδίωκε 

καταφαγεῖν θέλουσα. 

Καὶ ἡ θεὸς 

ἀγανακτήσασα κατ’ αὐτῆς 

πάλιν αὐτὴν 

εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν φύσιν ἀποκατέστησεν.

Γαλῆ ἐρασθεῖσα  ...  A weasel fell in love

νεανίσκου εὐπρεποῦς  ...  with a handsome young man, 

ηὔξατο τῇ ᾿Αφροδίτῃ  ...  and prayed to Aphrodite 

ὅπως αὐτὴν μεταμορφώσῃ  ...  to change her

εἰς γυναῖκα  ...  into a woman. 

Καὶ ἡ θεὸς  ...  And the goddess 

ἐλεήσασα αὐτῆς τὸ πάθος  ...  felt sorry for her situation 

μετετύπωσεν αὐτὴν  ...  and transformed her 

εἰς κόρην εὐειδῆ  ...  into a lovely maiden, 

καὶ οὕτως ὁ νεανίσκος  ...  And when the young man 

θεασάμενος αὐτὴν  ...  saw her 

καὶ ἐρασθεὶς  ...  he too fell in love 

οἴκαδε ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἀπήγαγε  ...  and brought her home. 

Καθημένων δ’ αὐτῶν  ...  When they were seated

ἐν τῷ θαλάμῳ  ...  in the bedroom, 

ἡ Ἀφροδίτη γνῶναι βουλομένη  ...  Aphrodite wanted to know 

εἰ μεταβαλοῦσα τὸ σῶμα  ...  if by changing her body 

ἡ γαλῆ  ...  the weasel

καὶ τὸν τρόπον κατήλλαξε  ...  also changed her habits, 

μῦν εἰς τὸ μέσον καθῆκεν  ...  she set a mouse between them. 

Ἡ δὲ ἐπιλαθομένη  ...  Forgetting  

τῶν παρόντων  ...  her surroundings

ἐξαναστᾶσα ἀπὸ τῆς κοίτης  ...  she got up from the marriage-bed 

τὸν μῦν ἐδίωκε  ...  and chased the mouse, 

καταφαγεῖν θέλουσα  ...  wanting to eat it. 

Καὶ ἡ θεὸς  ...  And the goddess

ἀγανακτήσασα κατ’ αὐτῆς  ...  was vexed with her 

πάλιν αὐτὴν ἀποκατέστησεν  ...  and changed her back 

εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν φύσιν  ...  to her original nature.

illustration by Tenniel

Κριτήρια ἐν ᾍδου

Μωρὸς ἀκούσας ὅτι ἐν ᾍδου δίκαια τὰ κριτήρια, πρᾶγμα ἔχων, ἀπήγξατο.

Μωρὸς ἀκούσας ὅτι 

ἐν ᾍδου 

δίκαια τὰ κριτήρια, 

πρᾶγμα ἔχων, 

ἀπήγξατο.

Μωρὸς ἀκούσας ὅτι  ...  A fool heard

ἐν ᾍδου  ...  that in Hades 

δίκαια τὰ κριτήρια  ...  the courts were just, 

πρᾶγμα ἔχων  ...  and since he had a court case, 

ἀπήγξατο  ...  he hanged himself.

The Judges in Hades

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: April 29

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 162. You've seen the sayings before, but there's a different vocabulary focus this time. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

χρησμός ~ χρησμοῦ (noun m.): oracle 

ἐνιαυτός ~ ἐνιαυτοῦ (noun m.): year, anniversary 

σωτηρία ~ σωτηρίας (noun f.): safety, well-being 

σκοπός ~ σκοποῦ (noun m.): watcher, guardian 

θηρίον ~ θηρίου (noun n.): wild animal, beast 

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

Χρησμοὺς θαύμαζε.

Μέγα στόμα τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ.

Ὕπνος πέφυκε σωμάτων σωτηρία.

Τὸν ὑψόθεν σκοπὸν ἐπισκόπει, φύλακα πολυπόνων.

Ὁ δὲ ὄφις ἦν φρονιμώτατος πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

And now, some commentary:

Χρησμοὺς θαύμαζε.

Be amazed at oracles.

The idea is to be amazed and thus to respect and honor the oracles. Greek χρησμός refers to the oracle itself and also to the response provided by the oracle. It is from the verb χράω, which originally referred to the consultation of oracles and which later came to have the more general meaning of "use, have, possess." The noun χρησμός can remind you of the verb's original meaning. From the root in Greek θαύμ- we get English "thaumaturgy." For more about Greek oracles, see Wikipedia: Oracle.

Μέγα στόμα τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ.

The year's mouth is big.

This saying might not make much sense at first sight, but the word ἐνιαυτός can refer not just to a year but specifically to the culmination of the seasonal cycle. The idea, then, is that farmers, looking at the year's harvest, feel encouraged by their prosperity and talk "big," full of confidence and even boastful, as if the next year will surely come to a similar conclusion. There are many English words formed from Greek μεγα.

Ὕπνος πέφυκε σωμάτων σωτηρία.

Sleep is the body's well-being.

The word σωτηρία normally means "preservation" or "safety," but in this context it means something like "well-being," literally, "the well-being of bodies" (plural). The verb φύω is one of many Greek verbs that express the idea of "being" or "becoming" in English. The root of φύω conveys the idea of "being (by nature)" as in the word φύσις, "nature" (and from this root we get the English word "physical"). This is another of Menander's "monostichs" in iambic meter:

Ὕπνος - πέφυ—κε σω-μάτων — σωτη-ρία.

Τὸν ὑψόθεν σκοπὸν ἐπισκόπει, φύλακα πολυπόνων.

Consider the one who watches from on high, the protector of long-suffering people.

The words are from Aeschylus's Suppliant Women. The chorus of Danaids is speaking to King Pelasgus, invoking Zeus as they urge him to help them; Zeus is the watcher, σκοπός, who is on high.

Ὁ δὲ ὄφις ἦν φρονιμώτατος πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

And the snake was more wise than all the animals on the earth.

The words come from the Book of Genesis; this is the snake who is going to tempt Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. The adjective φρονιμώτατος is the superlative form of φρόνιμος, but it is being used here in Septuagint Greek as a comparative adjective, "more wise," with a genitive complement: "more wise than all the animals." You can see the Greek θηρίον in English "theriomorphic."

This is Michelangelo's depiction of the serpent with Adam and Eve:

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 52

Both the fable and the joke below come from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader which 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.

Βάτραχοι καὶ Ζεύς

Βάτραχοι λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν ἐπὶ τὸν Δία, δεόμενοι βασιλέα αὐτοῖς παρασχεῖν. Ὁ δὲ συνιδὼν τὴν εὐήθειαν, ξύλον εἰς τὴν λίμνην καθῆκε. Καὶ οἱ βάτραχοι, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον καταπλαγέντες τὸν ψόφον, ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς λιμνης ἐδίδοσαν· ὕστερον δὲ, ὡς ἀκίνητον ἦν τὸ ξύλον, ἀναδύναντες εἰς τοσοῦτον καταφρονήσεως ἦλθον ὥστ' ἐπιβαίνοντες αὐτῷ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι. Ἀναξιοπαθοῦντες δὲ τοιοῦτον ἔχειν βασιλέα, ἧκον ἐκ δευτέρου πρὸς τὸν Δία καὶ τοῦτον παρεκάλουν ἀλλάξαι αὐτοῖς τὸν ἄρχοντα· τὸν γὰρ πρῶτον λίαν εἶναι νωχελῆ. Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς ἀγανακτήσας καθ' αὐτῶν ὕδραν αὐτοῖς ἐπέπεμψεν, ὑφ' ἧς συλλαμβανόμενοι κατησθίοντο. 

Βάτραχοι λυπούμενοι 

ἐπὶ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ 

πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν ἐπὶ τὸν Δία, 

δεόμενοι 

βασιλέα αὐτοῖς παρασχεῖν. 

Ὁ δὲ 

συνιδὼν τὴν εὐήθειαν, 

ξύλον εἰς τὴν λίμνην καθῆκε. 

Καὶ οἱ βάτραχοι, 

τὸ μὲν πρῶτον 

καταπλαγέντες τὸν ψόφον, 

ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς λιμνης ἐδίδοσαν· 

ὕστερον δὲ, 

ὡς ἀκίνητον ἦν τὸ ξύλον, 

ἀναδύναντες εἰς τοσοῦτον 

καταφρονήσεως ἦλθον 

ὥστ' ἐπιβαίνοντες αὐτῷ 

ἐπικαθέζεσθαι. 

Ἀναξιοπαθοῦντες δὲ 

τοιοῦτον ἔχειν βασιλέα, 

ἧκον ἐκ δευτέρου 

πρὸς τὸν Δία 

καὶ τοῦτον παρεκάλουν 

ἀλλάξαι αὐτοῖς τὸν ἄρχοντα· 

τὸν γὰρ πρῶτον 

λίαν εἶναι νωχελῆ. 

Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς 

ἀγανακτήσας καθ' αὐτῶν 

ὕδραν αὐτοῖς ἐπέπεμψεν, 

ὑφ' ἧς συλλαμβανόμενοι 

κατησθίοντο. 

Βάτραχοι λυπούμενοι  ...  The frogs were distressed

ἐπὶ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ  ...  about their lack of a leader, 

πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν ἐπὶ τὸν Δία  ...  so they sent envoys to Zeus

δεόμενοι  ...  begging him  

βασιλέα αὐτοῖς παρασχεῖν  ...  to supply them with a king. 

Ὁ δὲ συνιδὼν τὴν εὐήθειαν  ...  Zeus, aware of their foolishness,

ξύλον εἰς τὴν λίμνην καθῆκε  ...  threw a log into the swamp. 

Καὶ οἱ βάτραχοι  ...  And the frogs, 

τὸ μὲν πρῶτον  ...  at first 

καταπλαγέντες τὸν ψόφον  ...  terrified by the big noise, 

ἑαυτοὺς ἐδίδοσαν  ... hurled themselves

εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς λιμνης  ...  into the depths of the swamp, 

ὕστερον δὲ  ...  but later, 

ὡς ἀκίνητον ἦν τὸ ξύλον  ...  as the log was motionless, 

ἀναδύναντες  ...  the frogs swam back up

εἰς τοσοῦτον ἦλθον ...  and came to the log,

καταφρονήσεως  ...  feeling such contempt for the log

ὥστ' ἐπιβαίνοντες αὐτῷ  ...  that they walked all over it 

ἐπικαθέζεσθαι  ...  and squatted there. 

Ἀναξιοπαθοῦντες δὲ  ...  Feeling that it was unworthy 

τοιοῦτον ἔχειν βασιλέα  ...  for them to have such a king, 

ἧκον ἐκ δευτέρου  ...  come a second time  

πρὸς τὸν Δία  ...  to Zeus 

καὶ τοῦτον παρεκάλουν  ...  and demanded

ἀλλάξαι αὐτοῖς τὸν ἄρχοντα  ...  to give them a different leader,

τὸν γὰρ πρῶτον  ...  for the first one 

λίαν εἶναι νωχελῆ  ...  was too sluggish.

Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς  ...  And Zeus 

ἀγανακτήσας καθ' αὐτῶν  ...  was irritated with the frogs 

ὕδραν αὐτοῖς ἐπέπεμψεν  ...  and sent them a water-snake; 

ὑφ' ἧς συλλαμβανόμενοι  ...  the frogs were seized by the snake 

κατησθίοντο  ...  and gobbled up. 

(what a fierce water-snake!)

Κυμαῖος ἰατρὸς

Κυμαῖος ἰατρὸς τέμνων τινὰ δεινῶς ἀλγοῦντα καὶ βοῶντα, ἀμβλυτέραν σμίλην μετέλαβεν.

Κυμαῖος ἰατρὸς 

τέμνων τινὰ 

δεινῶς ἀλγοῦντα 

καὶ βοῶντα, 

ἀμβλυτέραν σμίλην 

μετέλαβεν.

Κυμαῖος ἰατρὸς  ...  A dunce doctor

τέμνων τινὰ  ...  was doing surgery on a patient 

δεινῶς ἀλγοῦντα  ...  who was in terrible pain 

καὶ βοῶντα  ...  and screaming, 

μετέλαβεν  ...  so he swapped (his sharp knife)

ἀμβλυτέραν σμίλην  ...  for a more dull knife.

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

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Crossword Puzzle 22-23-24

The proverbs for today come from back in Groups 22, 23, and 24; you can visit those blog posts for the translations and more information. 

• Ἀγροίκου μὴ καταφρόνει ῥήτορος.
  
• Ἄκουε τοῦ τέσσαρα ὦτα ἔχοντος.
  
• Ἀκρὸν λάβε, καὶ μέσον ἕξεις.
  
• Ἄνθρωπος μέτρον.
  
• Καθὼς ἡ μήτηρ καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ.
  
• Κύων σπεύδουσα τυφλὰ τίκτει.
  
• Λέων τὴν τρίχα, ὄνος τὸν βίον.
  
• Οἶνος καὶ παῖδες ἀληθεῖς.
  
• Ὄνος λύρας ἀκούων κινεῖ τὰ ὦτα.
  
• Πόλλ᾿ ἐλπίδες ψεύδουσι βροτοὺς.
  
• Πολλοὶ ἰατροὶ βασιλέα ἀπώλεσαν.
  
• Σιγηροῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ βάθη γυρεύει.
  
• Σὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρας κίνει.
  
• Ὕπνος δεινὸν ἀνθρώποις κακόν.
  
• Ὦτα καὶ ὀφθαλμοὶ πολλοὶ βασιλέως.
  

Here are the sayings without spaces: see if you can find the word breaks!

α ν θ ρ ω π ο σ μ ε τ ρ ο ν.

ο ι ν ο σ κ α ι π α ι δ ε σ α λ η θ ε ι ς.

σ υ ν α θ η ν α ι κ α ι χ ε ι ρ α σ κ ι ν ε ι.

κ α θ ω σ η μ η τ η ρ κ α ι η θ υ γ α τ η ρ.

κ υ ω ν σ π ε υ δ ο υ σ α τ υ φ λ α τ ι κ τ ε ι.

α κ ρ ο ν λ α β ε κ α ι μ ε σ ο ν ε ξ ε ι ς.

υ π ν ο ω δ ε ι ν ο ν α ν θ ρ ω π ο ι σ κ α κ ο ν.

λ ε ω ν τ η ν τ ρ ι χ α ο ν ο σ τ ο ν β ι ο ν.

π ο λ λ ο ι ι α τ ρ ο ι β α σ ι λ ε α α π ω λ ε σ α ν.

ο ν ο σ λ υ ρ α σ α κ ο υ ω ν κ ι ν ε ι τ α ω τ α.

α κ ο υ ε τ ο υ τ ε σ σ α ρ α ω τ α ε χ ο ν τ ο ς.

π ο λ λ ε λ π ι δ ε σ θ ε υ δ ο υ σ ι β ρ ο τ ο υ ς.

And here's the crossword puzzle 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 51

Both the fables and the joke below come from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader which 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.

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ πίθηκος

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ πίθηκος ἐν ταὐτῷ ὁδοιπροῦντες περὶ εὐγενείας ἤριζον. Πολλὰ δὲ ἑκατέρων διεξιόντων, ἐπειδὴ ἐγένοντο κατά τινα τόπον, ἐνταῦθα ἀποβλέψας ἀνεστέναξεν ὁ πίθηκος· τῆς δ' ἀλώπεκος ἐρομένης τὴν αἰτίαν, ὁ πίθηκος ἐπιδείξας αὐτῇ τὰ μνήματα, ἔφη· ἀλλ' οὐ μέλλω κλαίειν, ὁρῶν τὰς στήλας τῶν πατρικῶν μου ἀπελευθέρων καὶ δούλων; Κἀκείνη πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη· ἀλλὰ ψεύδου ὅσα βούλει· οὐδεὶς γὰρ τούτων ἀναστάς σε ἐλέγξει. 

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ πίθηκος 

ἐν ταὐτῷ ὁδοιπροῦντες 

περὶ εὐγενείας ἤριζον. 

Πολλὰ δὲ ἑκατέρων διεξιόντων, 

ἐπειδὴ ἐγένοντο κατά τινα τόπον, 

ἐνταῦθα ἀποβλέψας 

ἀνεστέναξεν ὁ πίθηκος· 

τῆς δ' ἀλώπεκος ἐρομένης τὴν αἰτίαν, 

ὁ πίθηκος 

ἐπιδείξας αὐτῇ τὰ μνήματα, 

ἔφη· 

ἀλλ' οὐ μέλλω κλαίειν, 

ὁρῶν τὰς στήλας τῶν πατρικῶν μου 

ἀπελευθέρων καὶ δούλων; 

Κἀκείνη πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη· 

ἀλλὰ ψεύδου ὅσα βούλει· 

οὐδεὶς γὰρ τούτων ἀναστάς σε ἐλέγξει. 

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ πίθηκος  ...  A fox and an ape

ἐν ταὐτῷ ὁδοιπροῦντες  ...  traveling along the same road 

περὶ εὐγενείας ἤριζον  ...  debated about their ancestry. 

Πολλὰ δὲ ἑκατέρων διεξιόντων  ...  Each spoke in great detail, 

ἐπειδὴ ἐγένοντο  ...  and when they reached

κατά τινα τόπον  ...  a certain place, 

ὁ πίθηκος ἐνταῦθα ἀποβλέψας  ...  the ape looked around there

ἀνεστέναξεν  ...  and groaned·

τῆς δ' ἀλώπεκος  ...  and when the fox 

ἐρομένης τὴν αἰτίαν  ...  asked the reason, 

ὁ πίθηκος  ...  the ape 

ἐπιδείξας αὐτῇ  ...  showed her

τὰ μνήματα  ...  the tombstones, 

ἔφη  ...  and said, 

ἀλλ' οὐ μέλλω κλαίειν  ...  but how could I not weep, 

ὁρῶν τὰς στήλας  ...  seeing these gravestones

ἀπελευθέρων καὶ δούλων  ...  of the freedmen and slaves

τῶν πατρικῶν μου  ...  of my forefathers?

Κἀκείνη πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη  ...  And the fox said to him,

ἀλλὰ ψεύδου  ...  Go on and lie 

ὅσα βούλει  ...  all you want,

οὐδεὶς γὰρ τούτων  ...  for none of them 

ἀναστάς σε ἐλέγξει  ...  is going to rise up and refute you.

illustration by Conde

Λαγωοὶ καὶ βάτραχοι

Λαγωοὶ καταγνόντες ἑαυτῶν δειλίαν ἔγνωσαν δεῖν ἑαυτοὺς κατακρημνίσαι. Παραγενομένων δὲ αὐτῶν ἐπί τινα κρημνὸν, ᾧ λίμνη ἐπέκειτο, ἐνταῦθα βάτραχοι ἀκούσαντες τῆς ποδοψοφίας ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς λίμνης ἐδίδοσαν. Εἷς δέ τις τῶν λαγωῶν θεασάμενος αὐτοὺς ἔφη πρὸς τοὺς ἑτέρους· ἀλλὰ μηκέτι ἑαυτοὺς κατακρημνίσωμεν· ἰδοὺ γὰρ εὕρηνται καὶ ἡμῶν δειλότερα ζῶα.

Λαγωοὶ 

καταγνόντες ἑαυτῶν δειλίαν 

ἔγνωσαν 

δεῖν ἑαυτοὺς κατακρημνίσαι. 

Παραγενομένων δὲ αὐτῶν 

ἐπί τινα κρημνὸν, 

ᾧ λίμνη ἐπέκειτο, 

ἐνταῦθα βάτραχοι 

ἀκούσαντες τῆς ποδοψοφίας 

ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς λίμνης ἐδίδοσαν. 

Εἷς δέ τις τῶν λαγωῶν 

θεασάμενος αὐτοὺς 

ἔφη πρὸς τοὺς ἑτέρους· 

ἀλλὰ μηκέτι ἑαυτοὺς κατακρημνίσωμεν· 

ἰδοὺ γὰρ εὕρηνται 

καὶ ἡμῶν δειλότερα ζῶα.

Λαγωοὶ  ...  The rabbits

καταγνόντες ἑαυτῶν δειλίαν  ...   realized their cowardice

ἔγνωσαν δεῖν  ...  and decided that they had to 

ἑαυτοὺς κατακρημνίσαι  ...  hurl themselves off a cliff.

Παραγενομένων δὲ αὐτῶν  ...  When they came

ἐπί τινα κρημνὸν  ...  to the cliff, 

ᾧ λίμνη ἐπέκειτο  ...  below which there was a swamp, 

ἐνταῦθα βάτραχοι ἀκούσαντες  ...  then the frogs heard them 

τῆς ποδοψοφίας  ...  the noise of the rabbits' feet 

ἑαυτοὺς ἐδίδοσαν  ...  they delivered themselves

εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς λίμνης  ...  into the depths of the swamp. 

Εἷς δέ τις τῶν λαγωῶν  ...  Then one of the rabbits 

θεασάμενος αὐτοὺς  ...  saw them 

ἔφη πρὸς τοὺς ἑτέρους  ...  and said to the others, 

ἀλλὰ μηκέτι ...  wait: let's not

ἑαυτοὺς κατακρημνίσωμεν  ...   hurl ourselves off the cliff yet,

ἰδοὺ γὰρ  ...  for behold: 

εὕρηνται ζῶα  ...  creatures have been found

καὶ ἡμῶν δειλότερα  ...  who are even more cowardly than we are.

illustration by Weir

Σχολαστικὸς καὶ σελήνη

Σχολαστικὸς τὴν σελήνην ἰδών, ἐπυνθάνετο τοῦ πατρὸς εἰ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσι τοιαῦται σελῆναί εἰσιν.

Σχολαστικὸς 

τὴν σελήνην ἰδών, 

ἐπυνθάνετο τοῦ πατρὸς 

εἰ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσι 

τοιαῦται σελῆναί εἰσιν.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  A dunce

τὴν σελήνην ἰδών  ...  saw the moon 

ἐπυνθάνετο τοῦ πατρὸς  ...  and asked his father

εἰ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσι  ...  if other cities also had

τοιαῦται σελῆναί εἰσιν  ...  moons like this one.

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: April 24

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 161. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ποῖ (adv.): to where, whither, where 

ἐν (prep.+dat.): in, at 

παρά (prep.+dat.): beside, with 

ὥσπερ (adverb): like, as 

μᾶλλον (adverb): more, rather, better

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

Γλῶσσα ποῖ πορεύῃ;

Πίθηκος ἐν πορφύραι.

Ἀεὶ κολοιὸς παρὰ κολοιῷ ἰζάνει.

Ἔχεται δ' ὥσπερ πολύπους πέτρας.

Φιλήκοον εἶναι μᾶλλον ἢ πολύλαλον.

And now, some commentary:

Γλῶσσα ποῖ πορεύῃ;

Tongue, where are you going?

This proverb invokes the idea that the tongue (words, language) can be a force for good or a force for evil. Here is the saying in full: γλῶσσα, ποῖ πορεύῃ; πόλιν ἀνορθώσουσα καὶ πόλιν καταστρέψουσα; "Tongue, where are you going? To build the city up or to tear it down?"

Πίθηκος ἐν πορφύραι.

A monkey in royal robes.

The saying refers to someone putting on airs and making a ridiculous impression. Literally, the robes are purple, referring to Tyrian purple, a dye that was extremely expensive and eventually became associated with royalty, so much so that "the purple" could refer to the kingship itself, and the word "porphyrogeniture" referred to the way that sons born after their father became king would inherit the throne, even over the claims of older siblings. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Born in the purple.

Ἔχεται δ' ὥσπερ πολύπους πέτρας.

He's grabbing hold like an octopus grabbing the rocks.

You can tell ἔχεται is a middle verb here because it takes a direct object: Ἔχεται δ' ὥσπερ πολύπους (ἔχεται) πέτρας. The idea is that the octopus is strong, and the rock is strong too; if you are going to grab onto something, this is the way to do it. The octopus is πολύ-πους, "many-foot," and gives us English "polyp."

Ἀεὶ κολοιὸς παρὰ κολοιῷ ἰζάνει.

A jackdaw always sits next to a jackdaw.

Compare the English saying, "Birds of a feather flock together." The Greek preposition παρά shows up in all kinds of English words, both those borrowed from Greek, like parasite, but also newly coined English words, like "parasail."

Φιλήκοον εἶναι μᾶλλον ἢ πολύλαλον.

It's better to be a lover-of-listening than a much-talker.

The idea is that it is better to keep quiet and listen instead of babbling on and on. The infinitive εἶναι takes predicate accusatives: φιλήκοον and πολύλαλον. This is one of the sayings attributed to Cleobulus, one of the Seven Sages; more at Wikipedia: Cleobulus.

(Minoan bottle)

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 50

Both the fables and the jokes below come from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader which 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.

Λέων καὶ βάτραχος

(here's another version of this fable)

Λέων ἀκούσας βατράχου κεκραγότος ἐπεστράφη πρὸς τὴν φωνήν, οἰόμενος μέγα τι ζῷον εἶναι. Προσμείνας δὲ μικρὸν χρόνον, ὡς ἐθεάσατο αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς λίμνης ἐξελθόντα, προσελθὼν κατεπάτησεν εἰπών· μηδένα ἀκοὴ ταραττέετω πρὸ τῆς θέας.

Λέων 

ἀκούσας βατράχου κεκραγότος 

ἐπεστράφη πρὸς τὴν φωνήν, 

οἰόμενος 

μέγα τι ζῷον εἶναι. 

Προσμείνας δὲ 

μικρὸν χρόνον, 

ὡς ἐθεάσατο αὐτὸν 

ἀπὸ τῆς λίμνης ἐξελθόντα, 

προσελθὼν 

κατεπάτησεν 

εἰπών· 

μηδένα ἀκοὴ ταραττέτω 

πρὸ τῆς θέας.

Λέων  ...  A lion

ἀκούσας βατράχου κεκραγότος  ...  heard a frog croaking,

ἐπεστράφη πρὸς τὴν φωνήν  ...  and turned toward the sound, 

οἰόμενος  ...  thinking that 

μέγα τι ζῷον εἶναι  ...  it was some big animal. 

Προσμείνας δὲ  ...  He waited

μικρὸν χρόνον  ...  a little while; 

ὡς ἐθεάσατο αὐτὸν  ...  when he saw it

ἀπὸ τῆς λίμνης ἐξελθόντα  ...  coming out of the swamp, 

προσελθὼν  ...  he walked over 

κατεπάτησεν  ...  trod it under foot 

εἰπών  ...  and said, 

μηδένα ἀκοὴ ταραττέτω  ...  Let no sound ever cause fear

πρὸ τῆς θέας  ...  before being seen.

Medici Aesop

Ὄνος ἐν Κύμῃ

(you've also seen another version of this story before)

Ὄνος ἐν Κύμῃ, λεοντῆν περιβαλόμενος, ἠξίου λέων αὐτὸς εἶναι, πρὸς ἀγνοοῦντας τοὺς Κυμαίους ὀγκώμενος  μάλα τραχὺ καὶ καταπληκτικόν· ἄχρι δή τις αὐτὸν ξένος, καὶ λέοντα ἰδὼν πολλάκις καὶ ὄνον, ἤλεγξε παίων τοῖς ξύλοις.

Ὄνος ἐν Κύμῃ, 

λεοντῆν περιβαλόμενος, 

ἠξίου 

λέων αὐτὸς εἶναι, 

πρὸς ἀγνοοῦντας τοὺς Κυμαίους 

ὀγκώμενος 

μάλα τραχὺ 

καὶ καταπληκτικόν· 

ἄχρι δή τις αὐτὸν ξένος, 

καὶ λέοντα ἰδὼν πολλάκις 

καὶ ὄνον, 

ἤλεγξε 

παίων τοῖς ξύλοις.

Ὄνος ἐν Κύμῃ  ...  A donkey in Cumae, 

λεοντῆν περιβαλόμενος  ...  wrapped himself in a donkey-skin

ἠξίου αὐτὸς  ...  and deemed himself 

λέων εἶναι  ...  to be a lion, 

ὀγκώμενος  ...  braying 

πρὸς ἀγνοοῦντας τοὺς Κυμαίους  ...  at the ignorant Cumaeans, 

μάλα τραχὺ  ...  making a very harsh 

καὶ καταπληκτικόν  ...  and stupefying sound, 

ἄχρι δή τις ξένος  ...  until a foreigner, 

ἰδὼν πολλάκις  ...  who had many times seen 

καὶ λέοντα καὶ ὄνον  ...  both lions and donkeys,

αὐτὸν ἤλεγξε  ...  exposed him

παίων τοῖς ξύλοις  ...  by beating him with cudgels.

Steinhowel's Aesop

Φιλάργυρος

Φιλάργυρος διαθήκας γράφων ἑαυτὸν κληρονόμον ἔταξεν. 

Φιλάργυρος 

διαθήκας γράφων 

ἑαυτὸν κληρονόμον ἔταξεν. 

Φιλάργυρος  ...  A miser

διαθήκας γράφων  ...  writing his will 

ἑαυτὸν ἔταξεν  ...  appointed himself

κληρονόμον  ...  as his own heir.

Σχολαστικὸς μαχόμενος τῷ πατρ

Σχολαστικὸς μαχόμενος τῷ πατρὶ λέγει πρὸς αὐτόν· κακὲ δοῦλε, οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅσα με ἐζημίωσας; εἰ γὰρ σὺ μὴ ἐγεννήθης, ἐγὼ ἂν τὸν πάππον μου ἐκληρονόμησα.

Σχολαστικὸς 

μαχόμενος τῷ πατρὶ 

λέγει πρὸς αὐτόν,

κακὲ δοῦλε, 

οὐχ ὁρᾷς 

ὅσα με ἐζημίωσας; 

εἰ γὰρ σὺ μὴ ἐγεννήθης, 

ἐγὼ ἂν 

τὸν πάππον μου ἐκληρονόμησα.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  A dunce 

μαχόμενος τῷ πατρὶ  ...  fought with his father 

λέγει πρὸς αὐτόν  ...  and said to him,

κακὲ δοῦλε  ...  You rotten nobody! 

οὐχ ὁρᾷς  ...  Don't you see

ὅσα με ἐζημίωσας  ...  how much I've lost because of you? 

εἰ γὰρ σὺ μὴ ἐγεννήθης  ...  If you hadn't been born, 

ἐγὼ ἂν ἐκληρονόμησα  ...  then I would have inherited 

τὸν πάππον μου  ...  from my grandfather!

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

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Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword: April 22

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 149, 150, and 151. 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. Ἁλιεὺς πληγεὶς νοῦν οἴσει.
   
2. Ἅπασα δὲ χθὼν ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ πατρίς.
   
3. Δασύπους κρεῶν ἐπιθυμεῖ.
   
4. Ἔργα νέων, βουλαὶ δὲ μέσων, εὐχαὶ δὲ γερόντων.
   
5. Ἔριν μίσει.
   
6. Ἔχθρας διάλυε.
   
7. Μῶρα γὰρ μῶρος λέγει.
   
8. Νυμφίου βίον ὑμεῖς ζῆτε.
   
9. Οὐ τοῖς κούφοις ὁ δρόμος καὶ οὐ τοῖς δυνατοῖς ὁ πόλεμος.
   
10. Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλ᾽ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες.
    
11. Οὐδεὶς προφήτης δεκτός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ.
    
12. Οὐδὲν πρὸς τὴν Παρμένοντος ὗν.
    
13. Πρὸ τῆς νίκης τὸ ἐγκώμιον ᾄδεις.
    
14. Σεαυτὸν εὖ ποίει.
    
15. Ὑφ' ἡδονῆς ὁ φρόνιμος οὐχ ἁλίσκεται.
    

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 49

Both the fables and the joke below come from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader which 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.

Ζεὺς καὶ νοῦς

Ζεὺς πλάσας ἀνθρώπους ἐκέλευσεν Ἑημῇ νοῦν αὐτοῖς ἐγχέαι· κἀκεῖνος μέτρον ἴσον ποιήσας ἑκάστῳ ἐνέχεε. Συνέβη οὖν τοὺς μὲν μικροφυεῖς πληρωθέντας τοῦ μέτρου φρονίμους γενέσθαι, τοὺς δὲ μακρούς, ἅτε μὴ ἐφικομένου τοῦ ποτοῦ μὴδε εἰς πᾶν τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ μέχρι γονάτων, ἀφρονεστέρους γενέσθαι.

Ζεὺς πλάσας ἀνθρώπους 

ἐκέλευσεν Ἑημῇ 

νοῦν αὐτοῖς ἐγχέαι,

κἀκεῖνος μέτρον ἴσον ποιήσας 

ἑκάστῳ ἐνέχεε. 

Συνέβη οὖν 

τοὺς μὲν μικροφυεῖς 

πληρωθέντας τοῦ μέτρου 

φρονίμους γενέσθαι, 

τοὺς δὲ μακρούς, 

ἅτε μὴ ἐφικομένου τοῦ ποτοῦ 

μὴδε εἰς πᾶν τὸ σῶμα, 

ἀλλὰ μέχρι γονάτων, 

ἀφρονεστέρους γενέσθαι.

Ζεὺς πλάσας ἀνθρώπους  ...  Zeus formed human beings

ἐκέλευσεν Ἑημῇ  ...  and ordered Hermes 

νοῦν αὐτοῖς ἐγχέαι  ...  to pour intelligence into them,

κἀκεῖνος ποιήσας  ...  and Hermes made 

μέτρον ἴσον  ...  equal doses

ἑκάστῳ ἐνέχεε  ...  and poured a dose into each person. 

Συνέβη οὖν  ...  It turned out 

τοὺς μὲν μικροφυεῖς  ...  that the short people 

πληρωθέντας τοῦ μέτρου  ...  were filled up by the dose 

φρονίμους γενέσθαι  ...  and turned out smart, 

τοὺς δὲ μακρούς  ...  but the tall people, 

ἅτε μὴ ἐφικομένου τοῦ ποτοῦ  ...  since the drink didn't reach 

μὴδε εἰς πᾶν τὸ σῶμα  ...  through their whole body, 

ἀλλὰ μέχρι γονάτων  ...  but only up to their knees, 

ἀφρονεστέρους γενέσθαι  ...  they turned out very stupid.

Hermes and Zeus

Ὄρνιθά καὶ ὠὰ χρυσᾶ

(you read another version of this story in an earlier post)

Ὄρνιθά τις εἶχεν ὠὰ χρυσᾶ τίκτουσαν· καὶ νομίσας ἔνδον αὐτῆς ὄγκον χρυσίου εἶναι κτείνας εὕρηκεν ὁμοίαν τῶν λοιπῶν ὀρνίθων. ὁ δὲ ἀθρόον πλοῦτον ἐλπίσας εὑρήσειν, καὶ τοῦ μικροῦ ἐστέρηται ἐκείνου.

Ὄρνιθά τις εἶχεν 

ὠὰ χρυσᾶ τίκτουσαν,

καὶ νομίσας ἔνδον αὐτῆς 

ὄγκον χρυσίου εἶναι 

κτείνας 

εὕρηκεν ὁμοίαν 

τῶν λοιπῶν ὀρνίθων. 

ὁ δὲ ἀθρόον πλοῦτον ἐλπίσας εὑρήσειν, 

καὶ τοῦ μικροῦ ἐστέρηται ἐκείνου.

Ὄρνιθά τις εἶχεν  ...  A certain man had a bird

ὠὰ χρυσᾶ τίκτουσαν  ...  that laid golden eggs,

καὶ νομίσας ἔνδον αὐτῆς  ...  and he thought that inside her 

ὄγκον χρυσίου εἶναι  ...  there was a lump of gold,

κτείνας  ...  so he killed the bird 

εὕρηκεν ὁμοίαν  ...  and found she was the same 

τῶν λοιπῶν ὀρνίθων  ...  as other birds. 

ὁ δὲ ἐλπίσας εὑρήσειν  ...  He had hoped to find

ἀθρόον πλοῦτον  ...  a heap of money, 

καὶ ἐστέρηται  ...  and what deprived of

τοῦ μικροῦ ἐκείνου  ...  that little (which he had).

(Heighway illustration)

Προσκεφάλαιον

Σχολαστικὸς καθευδῆσαι βουλόμενος, μὴ ἔχων προσκεφάλαιον, ἐκέλευσε τῷ δούλῳ κεράμιον ὑποθεῖναι. τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος ὅτι "σκληρόν ἐστι" πτερῶν αὐτὸ γεμισθῆναι ἐκέλευσεν.

Σχολαστικὸς 

καθευδῆσαι βουλόμενος, 

μὴ ἔχων προσκεφάλαιον, 

ἐκέλευσε τῷ δούλῳ 

κεράμιον ὑποθεῖναι. 

τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος ὅτι "σκληρόν ἐστι" 

πτερῶν αὐτὸ γεμισθῆναι ἐκέλευσεν.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  A dunce

καθευδῆσαι βουλόμενος  ...  wanted to go to sleep, 

μὴ ἔχων προσκεφάλαιον  ...  but he didn't have a pillow, 

ἐκέλευσε τῷ δούλῳ  ...  so he ordered a slave

κεράμιον ὑποθεῖναι  ...  to put a clay pot under his head. 

τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος ὅτι  ...  And the slave said that 

"σκληρόν ἐστι"  ...  "It's hard!" 

ἐκέλευσεν  ...  so the dunce ordered him

πτερῶν αὐτὸ γεμισθῆναι  ...  to stuff it with feathers.

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: April 19

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 160. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἀκούω ~ ἀκούσομαι ~ ἤκουσα: listen, hear 

νοέω ~ νοήσω ~ νόησα: perceive, comprehend 

μάχομαι ~ μαχοῦμαι ~ ἐμαχεσάμην: fight, struggle 

διδάσκω ~ διδάξω ~ ἐδίδαξα: teach, instruct 

βουλεύω ~ βουλεύσω ~ ἐβούλευσα: deliberate, plan 

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

Ἄκουε πάντα.

Ἀκούσας νόει.

Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι. 

Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις. 

Οὐδεὶς μετ' ὀργῆς ἀσφαλῶς βουλεύεται.

And now, some commentary:

Ἄκουε πάντα.

Listen to everything.

This is one of the Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. Notice the accusative object, πάντα. That means ἄκουε has the sense of "listen to," as in listening to things, to sounds heard. When ἀκούω takes the genitive, it has the sense of "hearing" a person, and even "hear and obey."

Ἀκούσας νόει.

After having listened, think.

This is another one of those maxims from Stobaeus, and it makes a good pair with the preceding saying: Ἄκουε πάντα, and then: Ἀκούσας νόει. Note that it is the accent which tells you this is the imperative of a contract verb, νοέω: νόει. The 3rd-person indicate is νοεῖ. The verb in turn is from the noun νοῦς, "mind." You can see this root in English "noetic."

Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι. 

To fight with dogs in a well.

This is used to refer to a quarrel or disagreement (μάχεσθαι) with disreputable, quarrelsome people (κυσὶ) in a situation from which you cannot extricate yourself (ἐν φρέατι). There a variation using a less well-known verb:  Ἐν φρέατι κυνομαχεῖν: κυνο-μαχέω, "fight with dogs."

Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις. 

You're teaching an eagle to fly.

This is one of those proverbial fool's errands. Not only does an eagle not need you to teach it to fly, the eagle can fly far higher and faster than you can. Compare the saying that you saw in an earlier post: Ἰχθὺν νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις, "You're teaching a fish to swim."

Οὐδεὶς μετ' ὀργῆς ἀσφαλῶς βουλεύεται.

Nobody can safely make plans in anger.

This is another one of those "one-liners" of Menander; here is the iambic meter marked:

Οὐδεὶς | μετ' ὀρ|γῆς ἀσ|φαλῶς | βουλεύ|εται.

Ganymede and Eagle mosaic

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 48

Both the fables and the jokes below come from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader which 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.

Κώνωψ καὶ βοῦς

(You've seen another version of this story before.)

Κώνωψ ἐπιστὰς κέρατι ταύρου καὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἐπικαθίσας, ἐπειδὴ ἀπαλλάττεσθαι ἔμελλεν, ἐπυνθάνετο τοῦ ταύρου εἰ ἤδη βούλεται αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν. Ὁ δὲ ὑποτυχὼν εἶπεν· ἀλλ’ οὔτε, ὅτε ἦλθες, ἔγνων, οὔτε, ἐὰν ἀπέλθῃς, γνώσομαι.

Κώνωψ 

ἐπιστὰς κέρατι ταύρου 

καὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἐπικαθίσας, 

ἐπειδὴ ἀπαλλάττεσθαι ἔμελλεν, 

ἐπυνθάνετο τοῦ ταύρου 

εἰ ἤδη βούλεται αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν. 

Ὁ δὲ ὑποτυχὼν εἶπεν· 

ἀλλ’ οὔτε, ὅτε ἦλθες, ἔγνων, 

οὔτε, ἐὰν ἀπέλθῃς, γνώσομαι.

Κώνωψ  ...  A gnat

ἐπιστὰς κέρατι ταύρου  ...  settled down on a bull's horn 

καὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἐπικαθίσας  ...  and sat there a long time. 

ἐπειδὴ ἀπαλλάττεσθαι ἔμελλεν  ...  When he was about to fly off, 

ἐπυνθάνετο τοῦ ταύρου  ...  he asked the bull 

εἰ ἤδη βούλεται αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν  ...  if he wanted him to go now. 

Ὁ δὲ ὑποτυχὼν εἶπεν  ...  The bull said in reply, 

ἀλλ’ οὔτε, ὅτε ἦλθες, ἔγνων  ...  Not only did I not notice when you came, 

οὔτε, ἐὰν ἀπέλθῃς, γνώσομαι  ...  but I won't notice if you go away.

illustration by Rackham

Ἀλεκτόρων δύο

Ἀλεκτόρων δύο μαχομένων περὶ θηλειῶν ὀρνίθων ὁ εἷς τὸν ἕτερον κατετροπώσατο. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἡττηθεὶς εἰς τόπον κατάσκιον ἀπιὼν ἐκρύβη· ὁ δὲ νικήσας εἰς ὕψος ἀρθεὶς καὶ ἐφ᾽ ὑψηλοῦ τοίχου στὰς μεγαλοφώνως ἐβόησε. Καὶ παρευθὺς ἀετὸς καταπτὰς ἥρπασεν αὐτόν.

Ἀλεκτόρων δύο 

μαχομένων περὶ θηλειῶν ὀρνίθων 

ὁ εἷς τὸν ἕτερον κατετροπώσατο. 

Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἡττηθεὶς 

εἰς τόπον κατάσκιον ἀπιὼν 

ἐκρύβη· 

ὁ δὲ νικήσας 

εἰς ὕψος ἀρθεὶς 

καὶ ἐφ᾽ ὑψηλοῦ τοίχου στὰς 

μεγαλοφώνως ἐβόησε. 

Καὶ παρευθὺς 

ἀετὸς καταπτὰς 

ἥρπασεν αὐτόν.

Ἀλεκτόρων δύο  ...  Two roosters

μαχομένων περὶ θηλειῶν ὀρνίθων  ...  were fighting over female birds,

ὁ εἷς τὸν ἕτερον κατετροπώσατο  ...  and one chased away the other.

Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἡττηθεὶς  ...  The one who was defeated 

εἰς τόπον κατάσκιον ἀπιὼν  ...  went off into a shady place

ἐκρύβη  ...  and hid, 

ὁ δὲ νικήσας  ...  but the one who won 

εἰς ὕψος ἀρθεὶς  ...  flew up to a high place 

καὶ ἐφ᾽ ὑψηλοῦ τοίχου στὰς  ...  and standing on the rooftop 

μεγαλοφώνως ἐβόησε  ...  he let out a mighty cock-a-doodle-doo. 

Καὶ παρευθὺς  ...  And straight away

ἀετὸς καταπτὰς  ...  an eagle swooped down

ἥρπασεν αὐτόν  ...  and carried him off.

illustration by Grandville

Πλοῖα ἀσφαλέστερα

Δειλὸς ἐρωτηθείς, ποῖα τῶν πλοίων ἀσφαλέστερα, τὰ μακρὰ ἢ τὰ στρογγύλα; ἔφη· τὰ νενεωλκημένα.

Δειλὸς ἐρωτηθείς

ποῖα τῶν πλοίων ἀσφαλέστερα, 

τὰ μακρὰ ἢ τὰ στρογγύλα; 

ἔφη· 

τὰ νενεωλκημένα.

Δειλὸς ἐρωτηθείς  ...  A coward was asked

ποῖα τῶν πλοίων ἀσφαλέστερα  ...  which ships are safest, 

τὰ μακρὰ ἢ τὰ στρογγύλα  ...  ships of war or merchant ships. 

ἔφη  ...  He said,

τὰ νενεωλκημένα  ...  Ships hauled up on the land!

Δειλὸς κυνηγὸς

Δειλὸς κυνηγὸς συνεχῶς τὴν νύκτα ὑπὸ ἄρκτου διωκόμενος ἐν ὕπνῳ, κύνας μισθωσάμενος μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐκοίμιζεν. 

Δειλὸς κυνηγὸς  ...  A cowardly hunter

συνεχῶς τὴν νύκτα  ...  non-stop all night 

ὑπὸ ἄρκτου διωκόμενος  ...  was chased by a bear 

ἐν ὕπνῳ  ...  in his sleep, 

κύνας μισθωσάμενος  ...  so he bought some dogs 

μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐκοίμιζεν  ...  and had them sleep with him. 

bear mosaic from Pompeii

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: April 17

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 159. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

βοῦς ~ βοός (noun c.): ox, cow 

πούς ~ ποδός (noun m.): foot 

πῦρ ~ πυρός (noun n.): fire 

γέρων ~ γέροντος (noun m.): old; old man 

ἀδελφός~ ἀδελφοῦ (noun m.): brother 

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

Βοῦς ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ κονιεῖται.

Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις. 

Εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ κάπνου.

Γέρων δὲ καὶ μῦς οὐχ ἁλισκεται πάγῃ.

Τίς ἐστιν ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί;

And now, some commentary:

Βοῦς ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ κονιεῖται.

The ox kicks up dust upon himself.

The saying refers to someone who in anger or stubbornness only manages to bring trouble upon himself. The noun βοῦς is common gender, but the pronoun ἑαυτῷ marks this instance as masculine. The verb κονίω is from the noun κόνις, "dust," which is cognate with Latin cinis, from which we get "incinerate."

Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις. 

You've got your feet outside of the mud.

This means you're in a good position, not likely to slip and slide into some kind of disaster. The word ἐκτός can be used as a preposition with the genitive, as here, and it can also be used as an adverb. You can see this root in English "ectoplasm." You can see Greek πούς in English "podium."

Εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ κάπνου.

Into the fire from the smoke.

Compare the English saying, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire." You can see Greek πῦρ in English "pyre" (with the -y- as a clue to its Greek origin).

Γέρων δὲ καὶ μῦς οὐχ ἁλισκεται πάγῃ.

Someone old, even a mouse, is not caught in a trap.

The idea is that experience, which comes with age, teaches animals, even mice, to beware of traps set for them. You can see Greek γέρων in English "gerontology."

Τίς ἐστιν ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί;

Who is my mother and who are my brothers?

The words are spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark when his mother and brothers have come to find him. Answering his own question, he then says that his fellow believers are his mother and brothers:  ἴδε ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου, "Behold my mother and my brothers." The story is also told in the Gospel of Matthew and in the Gospel of Luke. For more information, see Wikipedia: Jesus' true relatives, which is the source for this 14th-century Orthodox illustration:

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 47

Both the fables and the joke below come from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader which 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.

Δράκων καὶ ἀετὸς 

Δράκων καὶ ἀετὸς συμπλακέντες ἀλλήλοις ἐμάχοντο· καὶ ὁ μὲν δράκων εἶχε τὸν ἀετὸν συλλαβών. Γεωργὸς δὲ ἰδὼν λύσας τὴν πλοκὴν τοῦ δράκοντος αὐτόνομον ἀφῆκε τὸν ἀετόν. Χαλεπήνας δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ δράκων ἰὸν ἀφῆκε τῷ τοῦ σώσαντος πόματι. Πιεῖν δὲ τοῦ γεωργοῦ πρὸς ἄγνοιαν μέλλοντος ὁ ἀετὸς καταπτὰς τῶν τοῦ γεωργοῦ χειρῶν ἐξαιρεῖται τὴν κύλικα.

Δράκων καὶ ἀετὸς 

συμπλακέντες ἀλλήλοις 

ἐμάχοντο· 

καὶ ὁ μὲν δράκων 

εἶχε τὸν ἀετὸν 

συλλαβών. 

Γεωργὸς δὲ ἰδὼν 

λύσας τὴν πλοκὴν τοῦ δράκοντος 

αὐτόνομον ἀφῆκε τὸν ἀετόν. 

Χαλεπήνας δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις 

ὁ δράκων 

ἰὸν ἀφῆκε τῷ τοῦ σώσαντος πόματι. 

Πιεῖν δὲ τοῦ γεωργοῦ 

πρὸς ἄγνοιαν μέλλοντος 

ὁ ἀετὸς καταπτὰς 

τῶν τοῦ γεωργοῦ χειρῶν 

ἐξαιρεῖται τὴν κύλικα.

Δράκων καὶ ἀετὸς  ...  A serpent and an eagle

ἐμάχοντο  ...  were fighting

συμπλακέντες ἀλλήλοις  ...  entangled with one another,

καὶ ὁ μὲν δράκων  ...   and when the serpent

συλλαβών  ...  grabbed 

εἶχε τὸν ἀετὸν  ...  and held the eagle, 

γεωργὸς δὲ ἰδὼν  ...  a farmer saw 

λύσας  ...  and loosened 

τὴν πλοκὴν τοῦ δράκοντος  ...  the serpent's coil 

αὐτόνομον ἀφῆκε τὸν ἀετόν  ...  let the eagle go free. 

Χαλεπήνας δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις  ...  Angry at them, 

ὁ δράκων ἰὸν ἀφῆκε ...  the serpent squirted poison

τῷ τοῦ σώσαντος πόματι  ...  into the rescuer's drink. 

τοῦ γεωργοῦ  ... When the farmer

πιεῖν δὲ μέλλοντος  ... was about to drink,

πρὸς ἄγνοιαν  ... unsuspecting,

ὁ ἀετὸς καταπτὰς  ... the eagle swooped down

ἐξαιρεῖται τὴν κύλικα  ... seized the cup

τῶν τοῦ γεωργοῦ χειρῶν  ... out of the farmer's hands.

Byzantine mosaic

Ζεὺς καὶ Ἀπόλλων

Ζεὺς καὶ Ἀπόλλων περὶ τοξικῆς ἤριζον· τοῦ δὲ Ἀπόλλωνος ἐκτείναντος τὸ τόξον καὶ τὸ βέλος ἀφέντος, Ζεὺς τοσοῦτον διέβη, ὅσον Ἀπόλλων ἐτόξευσεν.

Ζεὺς καὶ Ἀπόλλων 

περὶ τοξικῆς ἤριζον· 

τοῦ δὲ Ἀπόλλωνος 

ἐκτείναντος τὸ τόξον 

καὶ τὸ βέλος ἀφέντος, 

Ζεὺς τοσοῦτον διέβη, 

ὅσον Ἀπόλλων ἐτόξευσεν.

Ζεὺς καὶ Ἀπόλλων  ... Zeus and Apollo

περὶ τοξικῆς ἤριζον  ... were competing at archery. 

τοῦ δὲ Ἀπόλλωνος  ... After Apollo 

ἐκτείναντος τὸ τόξον  ... stretched his bow 

καὶ τὸ βέλος ἀφέντος  ... and let loose the arrow, 

Ζεὺς τοσοῦτον διέβη  ... Zeus took a step as long 

ὅσον Ἀπόλλων ἐτόξευσεν  ... as Apollo had shot.

Zeus at Olympia

Σχολαστικὸς καὶ ἰατρός 

Σχολαστικῷ τις ἰατρῷ προσελθὼν εἰπεν· ἰατρέ, ὅταν ἀναστῶ ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνουν, ἡμιώριον ἐσκότωμαι, καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως ἀποκαθίσταμαι. καὶ ὁ ἰατρός· μετὰ τὸ ἡμιώριον ἐγείρου.

Σχολαστικῷ τις 

ἰατρῷ προσελθὼν 

εἰπεν· 

ἰατρέ, 

ὅταν ἀναστῶ ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνουν, 

ἡμιώριον ἐσκότωμαι, 

καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως ἀποκαθίσταμαι. 

καὶ ὁ ἰατρός· 

μετὰ τὸ ἡμιώριον ἐγείρου.

Σχολαστικῷ τις  ...  A dunce 

ἰατρῷ προσελθὼν  ...  went to the doctor 

εἰπεν  ...  and said. 

ἰατρέ  ...  Doctor, 

ὅταν ἀναστῶ ἐκ τοῦ ὕπνουν  ...  whenever I get up from sleep, 

ἡμιώριον ἐσκότωμαι  ...  I'm dizzy for a half-hour, 

καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως ἀποκαθίσταμαι  ...  and then after that I'm fine.

καὶ ὁ ἰατρός  ...  And the doctor (said), 

μετὰ τὸ ἡμιώριον ἐγείρου  ...  Get up a half-hour later!

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

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Crossword Puzzle 19-20-21

The proverbs for today come from back in Group 19, Group 20, and Group 21; you can visit those blog posts for the translations and more information. 

• Ἀεί τι καινὸν ἡμέρα παιδεύεται.
  
• Ἀνδρὶ σοφῷ πᾶσα γῆ βατή.
  
• Ἄνδρῶν ἡρώων τέκνα πήματα.
  
• Βελλεροφόντης τὰ γράμματα.
  
• Δεινῆς ἀνάγκης οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον.
  
• Δὶς κράμβη θάνατος.
  
• Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς.
  
• Ἰατρὲ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν.
  
• Καδμεία νίκη.
  
• Μέτρον ἄριστον.
  
• Μὴ μοῦ τοὺς κύκλους τάραττε.
  
• Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα σοφός.
  
• Ὄφιν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.
  
• Πολιτικὸν ζῷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος.
  
• Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ χρόνος.
  

I got some nice feedback about the proverbs with all the spaces removed as being easier and more useful than the jumbles, so that's what I'll include along with the crossword puzzles for these old sets of proverbs. :-)

Κ α δ μ ε ι α ν ι κ η.

Μ ε τ ρ ο ν α ρ ι ς τ ο ν.

Δ ι ς κ ρ α μ β η θ α ν α τ ο ς.

Α ν δ ρ ι ς ο φ ῳ π α ς α γ η β α τ η.

Ο φ ι ν ε ν τ ῳ κ ο λ π ῳ τ ρ ε φ ε ι ς.

Φ α ρ μ α κ ο ν ο ρ γ η ς ο χ ρ ο ν ο ς.

Ε λ ε φ α ν τ α ε κ μ υ ι α ς π ο ι ε ι ς.

Ο υ δ ε ι ς ε ς τ ι ν α π α ν τ α ς ο φ ος.

Α ν δ ρ ω ν η ρ ω ω ν τ ε κ ν α π η μ α τ α.

Ι α τ ρ ε θ ε ρ α π ε υ ς ο ν ς ε α υ τ ο ν.

Π ο λ ι τ ι κ ο ν ζ ῳ ο ν ο α ν θ ρ ω π ο ς.

Β ε λ λ ε ρ ο φ ο ν τ η ς τ α γ ρ α μ μ α τ α.

Μ η μ ο υ τ ο υ ς κ υ κ λ ο υ ς τ α ρ α τ τ ε.

And here's the crossword puzzled 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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