Greek Reading: Fables 45

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.

Μύρμηξ καὶ κάνθαρος 

Θέρους ὥρᾳ μύρμηξ, περιπατῶν κατὰ τὴν ἄρουραν, πυροὺς καὶ κριθὰς συνέλεγεν, ἀποθησαυριζόμενος ἑαυτῷ τροφὴν εἰς τὸν χειμῶνα. Κάνθρος δὲ τοῦτον θεασάμενος ἐθαύμασεν ὡς ἐπιπονώτατον, εἴγε παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν μοχθεῖ, παρ' ὃν τὰ ἄλλα ζῶα πόνων ἀφέμενα ἐν ῥᾳστώνῃ διάγουσιν. Ὁ δὲ τότε μὲν ἡσύχασεν. Ὕστερον δὲ, ὡς χειμὼν ἀνέστη, καὶ ἡ κόπρος ὕετο τῷ ὅμβρῳ κλυσθεῖσα, ἧκεν ὁ κάνθαρος πρὸς αὐτὸν λιμώττων, καὶ τροφῆς μεταλαβεῖν ἐδέετο. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη· Ὦ κάνθαρε, ἀλλ' εἰ τότε ἐπόνεις, ὅτε με μοχθοῦντα ὠνείδιζες, οὐκ ἂν νῦν τροφῆς ἐπεδέου.

Θέρους ὥρᾳ μύρμηξ, 

περιπατῶν κατὰ τὴν ἄρουραν, 

πυροὺς καὶ κριθὰς συνέλεγεν, 

ἀποθησαυριζόμενος ἑαυτῷ τροφὴν 

εἰς τὸν χειμῶνα. 

Κάνθρος δὲ 

τοῦτον θεασάμενος 

ἐθαύμασεν 

ὡς ἐπιπονώτατον, 

εἴγε παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν 

μοχθεῖ, 

παρ' ὃν 

τὰ ἄλλα ζῶα 

πόνων ἀφέμενα 

ἐν ῥᾳστώνῃ διάγουσιν. 

Ὁ δὲ τότε μὲν ἡσύχασεν. 

Ὕστερον δὲ, 

ὡς χειμὼν ἀνέστη, 

καὶ ἡ κόπρος ὕετο 

τῷ ὅμβρῳ κλυσθεῖσα, 

ἧκεν ὁ κάνθαρος 

πρὸς αὐτὸν λιμώττων, 

καὶ τροφῆς μεταλαβεῖν ἐδέετο. 

Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη· 

Ὦ κάνθαρε, 

ἀλλ' εἰ τότε ἐπόνεις, 

ὅτε με μοχθοῦντα ὠνείδιζες, 

οὐκ ἂν νῦν τροφῆς ἐπεδέου.

Θέρους ὥρᾳ μύρμηξ  ...  During summertime, the ant

περιπατῶν κατὰ τὴν ἄρουραν  ...  going around the farm fields

πυροὺς καὶ κριθὰς συνέλεγεν  ...  gathered wheat and barley

ἀποθησαυριζόμενος ἑαυτῷ τροφὴν  ...  stored away food for himself 

εἰς τὸν χειμῶνα  ...  for winter. 

Κάνθρος δὲ  ...  But the beetle, 

τοῦτον θεασάμενος  ...  seeing the ant, 

ἐθαύμασεν  ...  was baffled

ὡς ἐπιπονώτατον  ...  at how incredibly hard-working he was, 

εἴγε παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν  ...  since during that time 

μοχθεῖ  ...  the ant toiled away,

παρ' ὃν  ...  while 

τὰ ἄλλα ζῶα  ...  the other animals 

πόνων ἀφέμενα  ...  set aside their work  

ἐν ῥᾳστώνῃ διάγουσιν  ...  passed the time in leisure. 

Ὁ δὲ τότε μὲν ἡσύχασεν  ...  So the beetle rested at that time, 

Ὕστερον δὲ  ...  but later,

ὡς χειμὼν ἀνέστη  ...  when winter came, 

καὶ ἡ κόπρος ὕετο  ...  and the dung washed away,

τῷ ὅμβρῳ κλυσθεῖσα  ...  drenched by the rain, 

ἧκεν ὁ κάνθαρος  ...  and the beetle came, 

λιμώττων  ... starving,

πρὸς αὐτὸν  ...  to the ant 

καὶ ἐδέετο  ...  and begged him

τροφῆς μεταλαβεῖν  ...  to share his food. 

Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη  ...  But he said to him, 

Ὦ κάνθαρε  ...  O Beetle, 

ἀλλ' εἰ τότε ἐπόνεις  ...  if you had labored back then, 

ὅτε με ὠνείδιζες  ...  when you reproached me

μοχθοῦντα  ...  while I was toiling away,

οὐκ ἂν νῦν τροφῆς ἐπεδέου  ...  you wouldn't lack food now.

Greco-Phoenician ring with scarab

Σχολαστικὸς καὶ τὰ βιβλία αὑτοῦ

Σχολαστικὸς ἀπορῶν δαπανημάτων τὰ βιβλία αὑτοῦ ἐπίπρασκε, καὶ γράφων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἔλεγε· Σύγχαιρε ἡμῖν, πάτερ· ἤδη γὰρ ἡμᾶς τὰ βιβλία τρέφει.

Σχολαστικὸς 

ἀπορῶν δαπανημάτων 

τὰ βιβλία αὑτοῦ ἐπίπρασκε, 

καὶ γράφων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα 

ἔλεγε· 

Σύγχαιρε ἡμῖν, πάτερ· 

ἤδη γὰρ ἡμᾶς τὰ βιβλία τρέφει.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  The dunce,

ἀπορῶν δαπανημάτων  ...  being short of money, 

τὰ βιβλία αὑτοῦ ἐπίπρασκε  ...  sold his books, 

καὶ γράφων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα  ...  and wrote to his father, 

ἔλεγε  ...  saying, 

Σύγχαιρε ἡμῖν, πάτερ  ...  Congratulate us, Dad! 

ἤδη γὰρ τὰ βιβλία  ... Those books are finally

ἡμᾶς τρέφει  ... doing us some good!

(Greek τρέφει means nourish, sustain, educate)

teacher and student

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

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