Greek Crossword 31-32-33

The proverbs for today come from back in Groups 31, 32, and 33; you can visit those blog posts for the translations and more information. 

• Ἀνὴρ ὁ φεύγων καὶ πάλιν μαχήσεται.
  
• Δρυὸς πεσούσης πᾶς ἀνὴρ ξυλεύεται.
  
• Εἰς ἀρχαίας φάτνας.
  
• Ἰδοὺ Ῥόδος, ἰδοὺ καὶ πήδημα.
  
• Λαγὼν κατὰ πόδας χρὴ διώκειν.
  
• Μητὲ μέλι, μητὲ μελίσσας.
  
• Ναρθηκοφόροι μὲν πολλοί, βάκχοι δέ τε παῦροι.
  
• Νῦν θεοὶ μάκαρες.
  
• Ὅμοια πόρνη δάκρυα καὶ ῥήτωρ ἔχει.
  
• Ὄντες οἴκοι μὲν λέοντες, ἐν μάχῃ δ᾿ ἀλώπεκες.
  
• Πόλεμος πάντων μὲν πατήρ ἐστι, πάντων δὲ βασιλεύς.
  
• Πρίν κεν λύκος οἶν ὑμεναιοῖ.
  
• Ῥαδαμάνθυος ὅρκος.
  
• Σοφία δὲ πλούτου κτῆμα τιμιώτερον.
  
• Χρόνος τὰ κρυπτὰ πάντα ἐς φάος ἄγει.
  

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

ν υ ν θ ε ο ι μ α κ α ρ ε ς.

ρ α δ α μ α ν θ υ ο ς ο ρ κ ο ς.

ε ι ς α ρ χ α ι α ς φ α τ ν α ς.

μ η τ ε μ ε λ ι μ τ ε μ ε λ ι ς ς α ς.

ι δ ο υ ρ ο δ ο ς ι δ ο υ κ α ι π η δ η μ α.

π ρ ι ν κ ε ν λ υ κ ο ς ο ι ν υ μ ε ν α ι ο ι.

λ α γ ω ν κ α τ α π ο δ α ς χ ρ η δ ι ω κ ε ι ν.

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: 65

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.

Λέων καὶ ἄρκτος 

(another version)

Λέων καὶ ἄρκτος βρῶμά τι εὑρόντες ἐν ἕλει, περὶ τούτου ἐμάχοντο. Δεινῶς οὖν ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων κατακοπέντες ἐσκοτίσθησαν ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς μάχης, καὶ ἔκειντο ἡμιθανεῖς. Ἀλώπηξ δὲ περιιοῦσα καὶ θεασαμένη πεπτωκότας, ἰδοῦσα καὶ τὸ βρῶμα κείμενον ἐν μέσῳ, ἄρασα τοῦτο δρομαίως ᾦχετο. Οἱ δὲ ἰδόντες αὐτὴν καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι ἀναστῆναι, εἶπον· ἄθλιοι ὄντως ἡμεῖς, ὅτι δι’ ἀλώπεκα ἐμαχόμεθα.

Λέων καὶ ἄρκτος 

βρῶμά τι εὑρόντες ἐν ἕλει, 

περὶ τούτου ἐμάχοντο. 

Δεινῶς οὖν 

ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων κατακοπέντες 

ἐσκοτίσθησαν 

ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς μάχης, 

καὶ ἔκειντο ἡμιθανεῖς. 

Ἀλώπηξ δὲ 

περιιοῦσα 

καὶ θεασαμένη πεπτωκότας, 

ἰδοῦσα καὶ τὸ βρῶμα 

κείμενον ἐν μέσῳ, 

ἄρασα τοῦτο 

δρομαίως ᾦχετο. 

Οἱ δὲ ἰδόντες αὐτὴν 

καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι ἀναστῆναι, 

εἶπον· 

ἄθλιοι ὄντως ἡμεῖς, 

ὅτι δι’ ἀλώπεκα ἐμαχόμεθα.

Λέων καὶ ἄρκτος  ... A lion and a bear

βρῶμά τι εὑρόντες  ... found some food

ἐν ἕλει  ... in a meadow, 

περὶ τούτου ἐμάχοντο  ... and fought over it. 

Δεινῶς οὖν  ... and terribly 

ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων κατακοπέντες  ... they beat one another 

ἐσκοτίσθησαν  ... and grew dizzy 

ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς μάχης  ... from the long fight, 

καὶ ἔκειντο ἡμιθανεῖς  ... and lay down half-dead. 

Ἀλώπηξ δὲ  ... Then a fox 

περιιοῦσα  ... passing by 

καὶ θεασαμένη πεπτωκότας  ... saw them collapsed there, 

ἰδοῦσα καὶ τὸ βρῶμα  ... and seeing the food 

κείμενον ἐν μέσῳ  ... lying in between them

ἄρασα τοῦτο  ... picked it up

δρομαίως ᾦχετο  ... and took off at a run. 

Οἱ δὲ ἰδόντες αὐτὴν  ... The fox and bear saw her 

καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι ἀναστῆναι  ... but were unable to get up, 

εἶπον  ... and they said, 

ἄθλιοι ὄντως ἡμεῖς  ... We are truly wretched, 

ὅτι ἐμαχόμεθα  ... because we fought.

δι’ ἀλώπεκα  ...  for the fox.

17th-century Aesop illustration

Ὄνος καὶ ἔλαιον

Εν Ἀβδήροις ὄνος λαθὼν εἰς τὸ γυμνάσιον εἰσῆλθε καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐξέχεεν. οἱ δὲ συνελθόντες καὶ μεταπεμψάμενοι πάντας τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει ὄνους καὶ εἰς ἕνα

συναγαγόντες τόπον, πρὸς τὸ ἀσφαλίσασθαι ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν τὸν ὄνον ἐμαστίγωσαν.

Εν Ἀβδήροις 

ὄνος λαθὼν 

εἰς τὸ γυμνάσιον εἰσῆλθε 

καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐξέχεεν. 

οἱ δὲ συνελθόντες 

καὶ μεταπεμψάμενοι 

πάντας τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει ὄνους 

καὶ εἰς ἕνα συναγαγόντες τόπον, 

πρὸς τὸ ἀσφαλίσασθαι 

ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν 

τὸν ὄνον ἐμαστίγωσαν.

Εν Ἀβδήροις  ...  In the city of dunces

ὄνος λαθὼν  ...  a donkey escaped,

εἰσῆλθε εἰς τὸ γυμνάσιον  ...  entered the gym 

καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐξέχεεν  ...  and spilled the oil. 

οἱ δὲ συνελθόντες  ...  The people assembled 

καὶ μεταπεμψάμενοι  ...  and sent for 

πάντας ὄνους  ...  all the donkeys

τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει  ...  in the city

καὶ συναγαγόντες  ...  and drove them together

εἰς ἕνα τόπον  ...  into one place. 

πρὸς τὸ ἀσφαλίσασθαι  ...  To prevent this in the future 

ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν  ...  in the sight of the others

τὸν ὄνον ἐμαστίγωσαν  ...  they whipped the donkey.

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: May 29

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 170. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

κοινόν ~ κοινοῦ (adj. neut.): common, shared 

κακόν ~ κακοῦ (adj. neut.): bad, evil (thing) 

ὀλίγον ~ ὀλίγου  (adj. neut.): little; few 

οἰκεῖον ~ οἰκείου (adj. neut.): household, family, one's ow 

δεινόν  ~ δεινοῦ (adj. neut.): fearful, terrible 

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

Ἕρμαιον κοινόν.

Κακὸν ἄγγος οὐ κλᾶται.

Ὀλίγον τὸ χρηστόν ἐστιν.

Πᾶς γὰρ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἔργον ἀγαπᾷ.

Δεινότερον οὐδὲν ἄλλο μητρυιᾶς κακόν.

And now, some commentary:

Ἕρμαιον κοινόν.

A "gift of Hermes" is public property.

This "gift of Hermes" is what we call in English a "godsend" or "windfall," and the idea is that a godsend or windfall belongs to anyone at all: it is common property. You can also find the phrase invoking the name of the god himself: Ἑρμῆς κοινός, which you saw in an earlier post.

Κακὸν ἄγγος οὐ κλᾶται.

A bad pitcher doesn't break.

The idea is that goodness is fragile, while something bad might turn out to be more durable: it is the bad pitcher that doesn't break, while the good one shatters. It's a very pessimistic proverb! Compare the English saying "Ill weeds grow apace."

Ὀλίγον τὸ χρηστόν ἐστιν.

That which is worthy is in limited supply.

The phrase is used in Aristophanes's Frogs, and the whole line is: ὀλίγον τὸ χρηστόν ἐστιν ὥσπερ ἐνθάδε, "that which is worthy is in limited supply, just like here," a meta-theatrical moment where the speaker, the janitor of Hades, compares his fictional Hades with the actual Greek theater. 

Πᾶς γὰρ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἔργον ἀγαπᾷ.

Each person loves the work of their own workshop.

The saying is used by Aristotle to refer specifically to artisans and the way they prefer their own works to the work of other artists, but the idea then came to refer more generally to the way people prefer what is theirs to what is foreign or strange or different.

Δεινότερον οὐδὲν ἄλλο μητρυιᾶς κακόν.

There is no other evil more terrible than a stepmother.

The wicked stepmother has a bad reputation in a lot of cultures, including ancient Greece and Rome. There's even a book all about them: Ancient Stepmothers : Myth, Misogyny, and Reality by Patricia Watson. This is one of those monostichs (one-liners) of Menander; here is the meter marked:

Δεινότε|ρον οὐ||δὲν ἄλ|λο μη||τρυιᾶς | κακόν. 

As for mythological stepmothers, here's one of the most notorious, Phaedra, stepmother to Hippolytus:

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

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Greek Reading: 64

The fable today is on the long side (over 100 words), so it's just that one item today; it comes from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader, which is available at the Internet Archive. So, here is the story in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English. The title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Γυνὴ καὶ θυγατέρες 

(compare the version about the father and his daughters)

Γυνή τις, θυγατέρων οὖσα δυοῖν μήτηρ, ἀνδράσι συνῆψε ταύτας, τὴν μὲν κηπωρῷ, θἀτέραν δὲ κεραμεῖ. Ἐλθοῦσα τοίνυν ποτὲ πρὸς τὴν τῷ κηπωρῷ γεγαμημένην, τά τε ἄλλα ὡμίλει, καὶ πῶς ἔχοι διηρώτα. Ἡ δέ· τὰ μὲν ἄλλα, μῆτερ, ἔφη, καλῶς· εὔχου δ᾿ ὄμβρων φοράν, ὡς τοῖς λαχάνοις αὔξησις ἡ κατὰ νόμους προσγένοιτο. Ἐκεῖθεν δ᾿ ἐξελθοῦσα καὶ πρὸς τὴν συνοικοῦσαν τῷ κεραμεῖ ἀφικνεῖται. Τοῖς δ᾿ αὐτοῖς χρησαμένη καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνην ἤκουσεν ὡς· τὰ μὲν ἄλλα καλῶς ἡμῖν, ὦ μῆτερ, ἔχει· εὔχου δ᾿ αἰθρίαν ἡμῖν καὶ ἡλίους γίνεσθαι θερμοτέρους τε καὶ καθαρωτέρους, ὡς ἂν θᾶττον οἱ κέραμοι ψύχοιντο. Καὶ ἡ μήτηρ πρὸς ταῦτα ἔφη· σοὶ μὲν αἰθρίαν, τῇ δὲ τῷ κηπωρῷ συνοικούσῃ παμπόλλους ὑετοὺς δοῖεν οἱ θεοί.

Γυνή τις, 

θυγατέρων οὖσα δυοῖν μήτηρ, 

ἀνδράσι συνῆψε ταύτας, 

τὴν μὲν κηπωρῷ, 

θἀτέραν δὲ κεραμεῖ. 

Ἐλθοῦσα τοίνυν ποτὲ 

πρὸς τὴν τῷ κηπωρῷ γεγαμημένην, 

τά τε ἄλλα ὡμίλει, 

καὶ πῶς ἔχοι διηρώτα. 

Ἡ δέ· 

τὰ μὲν ἄλλα, μῆτερ, 

ἔφη, 

καλῶς· 

εὔχου δ᾿ ὄμβρων φοράν, 

ὡς τοῖς λαχάνοις αὔξησις 

ἡ κατὰ νόμους προσγένοιτο. 

Ἐκεῖθεν δ᾿ ἐξελθοῦσα 

καὶ πρὸς τὴν συνοικοῦσαν 

τῷ κεραμεῖ ἀφικνεῖται. 

Τοῖς δ᾿ αὐτοῖς χρησαμένη 

καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνην ἤκουσεν ὡς· 

τὰ μὲν ἄλλα καλῶς ἡμῖν, 

ὦ μῆτερ, ἔχει· 

εὔχου δ᾿ αἰθρίαν ἡμῖν 

καὶ ἡλίους γίνεσθαι 

θερμοτέρους τε καὶ καθαρωτέρους, 

ὡς ἂν θᾶττον οἱ κέραμοι ψύχοιντο. 

Καὶ ἡ μήτηρ πρὸς ταῦτα ἔφη· 

σοὶ μὲν αἰθρίαν, 

τῇ δὲ τῷ κηπωρῷ συνοικούσῃ 

παμπόλλους ὑετοὺς 

δοῖεν οἱ θεοί.

Γυνή τις  ... There was a woman, 

θυγατέρων οὖσα δυοῖν μήτηρ  ... a mother with two daughters,

ἀνδράσι συνῆψε ταύτας  ... and she married them to husbands:

τὴν μὲν κηπωρῷ  ... one to a gardener,

θἀτέραν δὲ κεραμεῖ  ... and the other to a potter.

Ἐλθοῦσα τοίνυν ποτὲ  ... Once she went to visit 

πρὸς τὴν γεγαμημένην  ...  the one who was married

τῷ κηπωρῷ   ... to the gardener, 

τά τε ἄλλα ὡμίλει  ... and talking about this-and-that, 

καὶ πῶς ἔχοι διηρώτα  ... she asked her how she was doing. 

Ἡ δέ ἔφη ... And the daughter said

τὰ μὲν ἄλλα, μῆτερ, καλῶς  ... Everything is good, mother,

εὔχου δ᾿ ὄμβρων φοράν  ... but pray for oncoming storms, 

ὡς τοῖς λαχάνοις αὔξησις  ... for the flourishing of the vegetables 

ἡ κατὰ νόμους προσγένοιτο  ... to be as it should.

Ἐκεῖθεν δ᾿ ἐξελθοῦσα  ... The mother departed 

καὶ ἀφικνεῖται  ... and went

πρὸς τὴν συνοικοῦσαν  ... to the daughter who was married

τῷ κεραμεῖ  ... to the potter. 

Τοῖς δ᾿ αὐτοῖς χρησαμένη  ...  Asking the same questions 

καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνην  ...  of this daughter too,

ἤκουσεν ὡς  ... she heard (that), 

τὰ μὲν ἄλλα καλῶς ἡμῖν ἔχει ... All is going well for us,

ὦ μῆτερ,  ... mother, 

εὔχου δ᾿ αἰθρίαν ἡμῖν  ... but pray clear weather for us

καὶ ἡλίους γίνεσθαι  ... and that the sunshine be 

θερμοτέρους τε καὶ καθαρωτέρους  ... be very hot and bright

ὡς ἂν θᾶττον οἱ κέραμοι ψύχοιντο  ... so that the pots dry faster. 

Καὶ ἡ μήτηρ πρὸς ταῦτα ἔφη  ... And the mother said to this, 

δοῖεν οἱ θεοί  ... May the gods give

σοὶ μὲν αἰθρίαν  ... you clear weather, 

τῇ δὲ τῷ κηπωρῷ συνοικούσῃ  ... and to the wife of potter 

παμπόλλους ὑετοὺς  ... may they give abundant rains. 

Helios the Sun-God

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: May 27

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 169. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

θεός ~ θεοῦ (noun m.): god

βασιλεύς ~ βασιλέως (noun m.): king, chief 

λίθος ~ λίθου (noun m.): stone 

λέων ~ λέοντος (noun m.): lion 

χρυσός ~ χρυσοῦ (noun m.): gold 

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

Θεοὺς σέβου.

Μωρῷ καὶ βασιλεῖ νόμος ἄγραφος.

Λίθος κυλιόμενος φῦκος οὐ ποιεῖ.

Ἐκ τῶν ὀνύχων τὸν λέοντα γινώσκειν.

Κρίνει φίλους ὁ καιρός, ὡς χρυσὸν τὸ πῦρ.

And now, some commentary:

Θεοὺς σέβου.

Revere the gods.

This is one of so-called Delphic maxims, the sayings recorded by Stobaeus. They take the form of imperatives, which means they provide lots of opportunities to practice those middle imperative forms, like this one: σέβου.

Μωρῷ καὶ βασιλεῖ νόμος ἄγραφος.

For the fool and for the king there is no law written.

In other words, for the extremes of the behavior hierarchy — the king at the top and the fool at the bottom — the usual rules do not apply as they do us. We obey the rules as written, but fools and kings do not: for them, the law is ἄγραφος, not-written. Sometime it has the king only, βασιλεῖ νόμος ἄγραφος, but I definitely prefer this version with the king and the fool.

Λίθος κυλιόμενος φῦκος οὐ ποιεῖ.

The stone that rolls does not make weed.

Compare the English saying, "A rolling stone gathers no moss." The idea is that if you are constantly having to go from one place to another, you do not have a chance to accumulate wealth, comfort, etc. Over time, however, this saying (which is found in all the European languages) has come to also include a more positive interpretation of restlessness and rootlessness as a kind of growth or freedom: you should keep on moving so that you don't become stale or stagnant. For more about the history of this saying, see Wikipedia: Rolling Stone.

Ἐκ τῶν ὀνύχων τὸν λέοντα γινώσκειν.

To know the lion by its claws.

You've seen a version of this saying in a shorter form: Ἐξ ὄνυχος τὸν λέοντα. In that short version, the verb was implied by the use of the accusative case; in this version, the verb is included: γινώσκειν.

Κρίνει φίλους ὁ καιρός, ὡς χρυσὸν τὸ πῦρ.

A crisis passes judgment on friends, as fire does gold.

The idea is that whether a friend is true or false is revealed in a crisis, just as gold can be tested in a fire. For the process of testing gold with fire, see Wikipedia: Cupellation.

cupellation furnaces

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 63

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.

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ πίθηκος

(another version)

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ πίθηξ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ὡδοιπόρουν. Παρερχόμενοι δὲ διὰ τινῶν μνημείων, ἔφη ὁ πίθηξ τῇ ἀλώπεκι, ὡς πάντες οἱ νεκροὶ οὗτοι ἀπελεύθεροι τῶν ἐμῶν γεννητόρων ὑπάρχουσιν. Ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ λέγει τῷ πίθηκι· εὐκαίρως ἐψεύσω· οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν ἐνταῦθα ταφέντων ἀπελέγξαι σε δύναται. 

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ πίθηξ 

ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ὡδοιπόρουν. 

Παρερχόμενοι δὲ 

διὰ τινῶν μνημείων, 

ἔφη ὁ πίθηξ τῇ ἀλώπεκι, 

ὡς πάντες οἱ νεκροὶ οὗτοι 

ἀπελεύθεροι 

τῶν ἐμῶν γεννητόρων 

ὑπάρχουσιν. 

Ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ 

λέγει τῷ πίθηκι· 

εὐκαίρως ἐψεύσω· 

οὐδεὶς γὰρ 

τῶν ἐνταῦθα ταφέντων 

ἀπελέγξαι σε δύναται. 

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ πίθηξ  ... A fox and an ape 

ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ὡδοιπόρουν  ... were walking along the same road. 

Παρερχόμενοι δὲ  ... Going along

διὰ τινῶν μνημείων  ... through some funeral monuments,

ἔφη ὁ πίθηξ τῇ ἀλώπεκι ὡς   ... the ape said to the fox that 

πάντες οἱ νεκροὶ οὗτοι  ... "All these dead people here 

ἀπελεύθεροι ὑπάρχουσιν  ... were the freedmen 

τῶν ἐμῶν γεννητόρων  ... of my ancestors." 

Ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ  ... So the fox 

λέγει τῷ πίθηκι  ... said to the ape, 

εὐκαίρως ἐψεύσω  ... "You've lied at just the right time

οὐδεὶς γὰρ  ... for not one 

τῶν ἐνταῦθα ταφέντων  ... of those entombed here 

ἀπελέγξαι σε δύναται  ... is able to refute you." 

illustration by Conde

Αἱ πύλαι τῶν Ἀβδήρων

Εν Ἀβδήροις διῃρεῖτο ἡ πόλις εἰς δύο μέρη, οἵ τε πρὸς ἀνατολὰς οἰκοῦντες καὶ οἱ πρὸς δύσιν. πολεμίων οὖν ἄφνω τὴν πόλιν ἐφορμησάντων καὶ πάντων θορυβουμένων οἱ πρὸς τὸ ἀνατολικὸν οἰκοῦντες μέρος πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔλεγον· Ἡμεῖς μὴ θορυβηθῶμεν· οἱ γὰρ πολέμιοι ἐπὶ τὰς δυσικὰς εἰσέρχονται πύλας.

Εν Ἀβδήροις 

διῃρεῖτο ἡ πόλις 

εἰς δύο μέρη, 

οἵ τε πρὸς ἀνατολὰς οἰκοῦντες 

καὶ οἱ πρὸς δύσιν. 

πολεμίων οὖν ἄφνω 

τὴν πόλιν ἐφορμησάντων 

καὶ πάντων θορυβουμένων 

οἱ πρὸς τὸ ἀνατολικὸν οἰκοῦντες μέρος 

πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔλεγον· 

Ἡμεῖς μὴ θορυβηθῶμεν· 

οἱ γὰρ πολέμιοι 

ἐπὶ τὰς δυσικὰς εἰσέρχονται πύλας.

Εν Ἀβδήροις  ...  In Abdera (the home of dunces)

διῃρεῖτο ἡ πόλις  ...  the city was divided

εἰς δύο μέρη  ...  into two halves:

οἵ τε οἰκοῦντες  ...  those who lived

πρὸς ἀνατολὰς  ...  on the eastern side

καὶ οἱ πρὸς δύσιν  ...  and those on the western side.

πολεμίων οὖν ἄφνω  ...  All of a sudden, enemies 

τὴν πόλιν ἐφορμησάντων  ...  attacked the city, 

καὶ πάντων θορυβουμένων  ...  and everyone was frantic.

οἱ οἰκοῦντες μέρος  ...  the people inhabiting the half 

πρὸς τὸ ἀνατολικὸν  ...  on the eastern side 

πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔλεγον  ...  said to one another,

Ἡμεῖς μὴ θορυβηθῶμεν  ...  "No need for us to be frantic

οἱ γὰρ πολέμιοι ...  since the enemy 

εἰσέρχονται  ...  are moving against

ἐπὶ τὰς δυσικὰς πύλας  ...  the western gate."

ruins of the western gate of Abdera

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

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Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword: May 24

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 158, 159 and 160. 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. Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.
   
2. Ἄκουε πάντα.
   
3. Ἀκούσας νόει.
   
4. Βασίλεια δ' εἰκών ἐστιν ἔμψυχος θεοῦ.
   
5. Βοῦς ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ κονιεῖται.
   
6. Γέρων δὲ καὶ μῦς οὐχ ἁλισκεται πάγῃ.
   
7. Εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ κάπνου.
   
8. Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις.
   
9. Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.
   
10. Ἡ γλωσσ' ὀμωμοχ' ἡ δὲ φρὴν ανώμοτος.
    
11. Ἡ σοφία υἱοὺς αὐτῆς ἀνύψωσεν.
    
12. Οὐδεὶς μετ' ὀργῆς ἀσφαλῶς βουλεύεται.
    
13. Τίς ἐστιν ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί;
    
14. Ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας καὶ λάλει καὶ μάνθανε.
    
15. Ὥρα τὰ πάντα τοῦ βίου κρίνει καλῶς.
    

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 62

This fable is on the long side, so there's just the one story today; it comes from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader, which is available at the Internet Archive. The story is segmented, and then interwoven with English. The title is linked to the Internet Archive page:

βάτραχοι καὶ Ζεύς

(here's another version)

βάτραχοι λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ αὑτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ, πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν, ἱκετεύοντες τὸν Δία, ὅπως αὐτοῖς βασιλέα παρασχῃ. Ὁ δὲ συνιδὼν αὐτῶν τὴν εὐήθειαν, ξύλον ἔπηξε μέσον τῆς λίμνης. Συστελλόμενοι δὲ τῷ φόβῳ οἱ βάτραχοι, εἰς τὰ βάθη ἑαυτοὺς κατέδυον. Χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ παρῳχηκότος, ὡς ἑώρων τὸ ξύλον ἀκίνητον, ἀπεβάλοντο τὸν φόβον, καὶ τοσοῦτον κατεφρόνησον αὐτοῦ, ὥστε ἐπιβαίνειν καὶ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι τούτῳ. Μὴ ἀξιοῦντες δὲ αὐτὸν ἔχειν βασιλέα, ἐκ δευτέρου ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Δία, καὶ παρεκάλουν ἀλλάξαι αὐτόν. Τότε δ᾿ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς βασιλέα ἔγχελυν. Ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐήθειαν, οὐκ ἀπεδέξαντο αὐτόν. Ἦλθον οὖν ἐκ τρίτου πρὸς τὸν Δία, ὅπως καὶ τοῦτον ἀλλάξῃ. Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς ἀγανακτήσας κατ᾿ αὐτῶν, ὕδραν ἔπεμψεν, ἥτις ἕνα καθ᾿ ἕνα τῶν βατράχων ἤσθιεν.

βάτραχοι 

λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ αὑτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ, 

πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν, 

ἱκετεύοντες τὸν Δία, 

ὅπως αὐτοῖς βασιλέα παρασχῃ. 

Ὁ δὲ συνιδὼν 

αὐτῶν τὴν εὐήθειαν, 

ξύλον ἔπηξε 

μέσον τῆς λίμνης. 

Συστελλόμενοι δὲ τῷ φόβῳ 

οἱ βάτραχοι, 

εἰς τὰ βάθη ἑαυτοὺς κατέδυον. 

Χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ 

παρῳχηκότος, 

ὡς ἑώρων 

τὸ ξύλον ἀκίνητον, 

ἀπεβάλοντο τὸν φόβον, 

καὶ τοσοῦτον 

κατεφρόνησον αὐτοῦ, 

ὥστε ἐπιβαίνειν 

καὶ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι τούτῳ. 

Μὴ ἀξιοῦντες δὲ 

αὐτὸν ἔχειν βασιλέα, 

ἐκ δευτέρου 

ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Δία, 

καὶ παρεκάλουν 

ἀλλάξαι αὐτόν. 

Τότε δ᾿ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς 

βασιλέα ἔγχελυν. 

Ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐήθειαν, 

οὐκ ἀπεδέξαντο αὐτόν. 

Ἦλθον οὖν 

ἐκ τρίτου πρὸς τὸν Δία, 

ὅπως καὶ τοῦτον ἀλλάξῃ. 

Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς 

ἀγανακτήσας κατ᾿ αὐτῶν, 

ὕδραν ἔπεμψεν, 

ἥτις 

ἕνα καθ᾿ ἕνα 

τῶν βατράχων ἤσθιεν.

βάτραχοι  ...  The frogs

λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ αὑτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ  ...  lamenting their disorder, 

πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν  ...  sent their elders, 

ἱκετεύοντες τὸν Δία  ...  petitioning Zeus, 

ὅπως αὐτοῖς βασιλέα παρασχῃ  ...  to supply them with a king. 

Ὁ δὲ συνιδὼν  ...  And he, recognizing

αὐτῶν τὴν εὐήθειαν  ...  their foolishness, 

ξύλον ἔπηξε  ...  he stuck a log 

μέσον τῆς λίμνης  ...  in the middle of the swamp. 

Συστελλόμενοι δὲ τῷ φόβῳ  ...  Cowering together in fear,  

οἱ βάτραχοι  ...  the frogs, 

εἰς τὰ βάθη ἑαυτοὺς κατέδυον  ...  plunged down deep. 

Χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ παρῳχηκότος  ...  A long time passed, 

ὡς ἑώρων  ...  and when they saw 

τὸ ξύλον ἀκίνητον  ...  that the log was motionless, 

ἀπεβάλοντο τὸν φόβον  ...  they put aside their fear

καὶ τοσοῦτον  ...  so much so

κατεφρόνησον αὐτοῦ  ...  that they scorned him, 

ὥστε ἐπιβαίνειν  ...  and walked up on him 

καὶ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι τούτῳ  ...  and sat down. 

Μὴ ἀξιοῦντες δὲ  ...  They did not think it was right 

αὐτὸν ἔχειν βασιλέα  ...  to have such a king, 

ἐκ δευτέρου  ...  and a second time 

ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Δία  ...  they went to Zeus, 

καὶ παρεκάλουν  ...  and urged him 

ἀλλάξαι αὐτόν  ...  to exchange him for another. 

Τότε δ᾿ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς  ...  Then he gave them 

βασιλέα ἔγχελυν  ...  an eel for their king. 

Ἰδόντες δὲ  ... But they saw

αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐήθειαν  ...  the eel's foolishness,

οὐκ ἀπεδέξαντο αὐτόν  ...  they wouldn't accept him either. 

Ἦλθον οὖν  ...  So they went 

ἐκ τρίτου πρὸς τὸν Δία  ...  a third time to Zeus, 

ὅπως καὶ τοῦτον ἀλλάξῃ  ...  to exchange this one also. 

Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς  ...  And Zeus 

ἀγανακτήσας κατ᾿ αὐτῶν  ...  getting irritated at them, 

ὕδραν ἔπεμψεν  ...  sent them a water-snake, 

ἥτις ἕνα καθ᾿ ἕνα  ...  who, one by one, 

τῶν βατράχων ἤσθιεν  ...  ate up the frogs.

illustration by R. S. Praeger

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: May 22

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 168. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἥδομαι ~ ἡσθήσομαι ~ ἡσάμην: enjoy, delight in 

φεύγω ~ φεύξομαι ~ ἔφυγον: flee, escape 

ποιέω ~ ποιήσω ~ ἐποίησα: make, do 

ζήω ~ ζήσω ~ ἔζησα: be alive, live 

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

Κτώμενος ἥδου.

Λύκος ἀετὸν φεύγει.

Ἡ φύσις οὐδὲν ποιεῖ ἅλματα.

Ἀπὸ λεπτοῦ μίτου τὸ ζῆν ἠρτῆσθαι.

Ὁ χοῖρος ἥδεται κόπροις καὶ βορβόρῳ.

And now, some commentary:

Κτώμενος ἥδου.

Enjoy what you have acquired.

This is another one of those Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus, and it also fits very nicely with the Buddhist idea of "want what you have" instead of wanting what you don't have. The form here, ἥδου, is a middle imperative; you'll see another form of this verb below.

Λύκος ἀετὸν φεύγει.

The wolf flees the eagle.

The idea is that because an eagle has wings, even the wolf, fierce though he is, struggles to escape the eagle's pursuit. Metaphorically, then, the situation replies to someone formidable having to run away from someone even more formidable. When Erasmus comments on this saying, he observes: "This Greek saying is found in Diogenianus, and also Zenodotus, but they do not indicate the origin of the proverb, and I've never heard about eagles actually harassing wolves."

Ἡ φύσις οὐδὲν ποιεῖ ἅλματα.

Nature makes no leaps.

This ancient Greek philosophical notion is best known in its Latin form, Natura non facit saltus (saltus is accusative plural here: Nature doesn't make leaps), and as such it was an important notion in the early development of both modern mathematics (infinitesimal calculus) and the biological sciences (biological gradualism and, later, evolution); you can find out more at Wikipedia: Natura non facit saltus.

Ἀπὸ λεπτοῦ μίτου τὸ ζῆν ἠρτῆσθαι.

Life hangs by a slender thread.

Here the articular infinitive, τὸ ζῆν, is the subject of the verb: "to live" = "living, life." The saying may allude to the famous sword that Damocles suspended by a thread. You can read that story at Wikipedia: Sword of Damocles.

Ὁ χοῖρος ἥδεται κόπροις καὶ βορβόρῳ.

The pig delights in filth and mud.

Of course, this does not speak well of the pig. The saying comes from Clement of Alexandria, echoing a similar characterization of the pig in the New Testament letter of 2 Peter: κύων ἐπιστρέψας ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἐξέραμα, καί, ὖς λουσαμένη εἰς κυλισμὸν βορβόρου — in King James: The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Sword of Damocles

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 61

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.

Χήν καὶ ὠὰ χρύσεα 

(another version)

Ἑρμῆς θρησκευόμενος ὑπό τινος περιττῶς χῆνα αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο ὠὰ χρύσεα τίκτουσαν· ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀναμείνας τὴν κατὰ μικρὸν ὠφέλειαν, ὑπολαβὼν δὲ, ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἐντὸς χρύσεα ἔχει ὁ χὴν, οὐδὲν μελλήσας ἔθυσεν αὐτήν. Συνέβη δ᾿ αὐτὸν μὴ μόνον ὃ προσεδόκησε σφαλῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ὠὰ ἀποβαλεῖν· τὰ γὰρ ἐντὸς πάντα σαρκώδη εὗρεν.

Ἑρμῆς 

θρησκευόμενος ὑπό τινος περιττῶς 

χῆνα αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο 

ὠὰ χρύσεα τίκτουσαν· 

ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀναμείνας 

τὴν κατὰ μικρὸν ὠφέλειαν, 

ὑπολαβὼν δὲ

ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἐντὸς χρύσεα 

ἔχει ὁ χὴν, 

οὐδὲν μελλήσας 

ἔθυσεν αὐτήν. 

Συνέβη δ᾿ αὐτὸν 

μὴ μόνον 

ὃ προσεδόκησε σφαλῆναι, 

ἀλλὰ καὶ 

τὰ ὠὰ ἀποβαλεῖν· 

τὰ γὰρ ἐντὸς 

πάντα σαρκώδη εὗρεν.

Ἑρμῆς  ...  Hermes

θρησκευόμενος περιττῶς  ...  was worshipped devoutly 

ὑπό τινος  ...  by a certain man 

χῆνα αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο  ...  so he thanked him with a goose 

ὠὰ χρύσεα τίκτουσαν  ...  that laid golden eggs. 

ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀναμείνας  ...  But the man wouldn't wait 

τὴν κατὰ μικρὸν ὠφέλειαν  ...  for the profit bit bit bit, 

ὑπολαβὼν δὲ  ...  and, supposing

ὅτι ἔχει ὁ χὴν  ...  that the goose

πάντα τὰ ἐντὸς χρύσεα  ...  was all golden inside,

οὐδὲν μελλήσας  ...  he didn't hesitate 

ἔθυσεν αὐτήν  ...  to butcher her. 

Συνέβη δ᾿  ...  As a result  

αὐτὸν μὴ μόνον σφαλῆναι  ...  not only did he fail to get

ὃ προσεδόκησε  ...  what he expected 

ἀλλὰ καὶ  ...  but he also 

τὰ ὠὰ ἀποβαλεῖν  ...  lost the eggs, 

τὰ γὰρ ἐντὸς  ...  for inside the goose

πάντα σαρκώδη εὗρεν  ...  he found only flesh.

illustration by Richard Heighway

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ βότρυς 

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

Κερδὼ βότρυν βλέπουσα μακρᾶς ἀμπέλου,

πρὸς ὕψος ἦρτο, καὶ καμοῦσα πολλάκις

ἑλεῖν ἀπεῖτε· πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ταῦτ' ἔφη·

μὴ κάμνε· ῥᾶγες ὀμφακίζουσιν μάλα.

The meter is iambic; here is the meter marked:

Κερδὼ | βότρυν || βλέπου|σα μα||κρᾶς ἀμ|πέλου,

πρὸς ὕ|ψος ἦρ||το, καὶ | καμοῦ||σα πολ|λάκις

ἑλεῖν | ἀπεῖ||τε· πρὸς | ἑαυ||τὴν ταῦτ' | ἔφη·

μὴ κάμ|νε· ῥᾶ||γες ὀμ|φακί||ζουσιν | μάλα.

Κερδὼ 

βότρυν βλέπουσα 

μακρᾶς ἀμπέλου,

πρὸς ὕψος ἦρτο, 

καὶ καμοῦσα πολλάκις

ἑλεῖν ἀπεῖτε· 

πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ταῦτ' 

ἔφη·

μὴ κάμνε· 

ῥᾶγες ὀμφακίζουσιν μάλα.

Κερδὼ  ...  The sly (fox)

βότρυν βλέπουσα  ...  saw a bunch of grapes 

μακρᾶς ἀμπέλου  ...  on a high vine,

πρὸς ὕψος ἦρτο  ...  so she jumped up, 

καὶ καμοῦσα  ...  and wore herself out

πολλάκις ἑλεῖν  ...  grabbing again and again.

ἀπεῖτε  ...  Then she walked away

πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ταῦτ' ἔφη  ...  saying to herself,

μὴ κάμνε  ...  Stop making such an effort!

ῥᾶγες ὀμφακίζουσιν μάλα  ...  The grapes are all sour.

illustration by Walter Crane

Σχολαστικὸς πεπαιδευμένος

Σχολαστικὸς γράφων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἀπὸ τῶν ᾿Αθηνῶν, καὶ ἐναβρυνόμενος, ὅτι πεπαίδευται, προσέθηκεν· Εὔχομαι δέ σε εὑρεῖν κεφαλικὴν φεύγοντα δίκην, ἵνα σοι δείξω τὸν ῥήτορα.

Σχολαστικὸς 

γράφων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα 

ἀπὸ τῶν ᾿Αθηνῶν, 

καὶ ἐναβρυνόμενος

ὅτι πεπαίδευται

προσέθηκεν· 

Εὔχομαι δέ 

σε εὑρεῖν 

κεφαλικὴν φεύγοντα δίκην, 

ἵνα σοι δείξω 

τὸν ῥήτορα.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  A dunce

γράφων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα  ...  wrote to his father 

ἀπὸ τῶν ᾿Αθηνῶν  ...  from Athens, 

καὶ ἐναβρυνόμενος  ...  bragging

ὅτι πεπαίδευται  ...  how he had gotten educated.

προσέθηκεν  ...  Then he added,

Εὔχομαι δέ σε εὑρεῖν  ...  And I hope to find you 

φεύγοντα  ...  trying to escape

κεφαλικὴν δίκην  ...  a death sentence

ἵνα σοι δείξω  ...  so that I can show you

τὸν ῥήτορα  ...  what an orator I've become!

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

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Crossword Puzzle 28-29-30

The proverbs for today come from back in Groups 28, 29 and 30; you can visit those blog posts for the translations and more information. 

• Ἀγαθὴ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.
  
• Αἱ Χάριτες γυμναί.
  
• Ἀλωπεκίζειν πρὸς ἑτέραν ἀλώπεκα.
  
• Ἀρετὴν εἰ μὲν ἔχοις πάνθ᾽ ἕξεις.
  
• Γαλῇ χιτών.
  
• Ἐξ ἡδονῆς γὰρ φύεται τὸ δυστυχεῖν.
  
• Μέγα στόμα τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ.
  
• Μικρὸν κακὸν μέγα ἀγαθόν.
  
• Ὄρνιθας ζητεῖς, ἀνέμους θηρεύσεις.
  
• Ὀφθαλμοὶ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.
  
• Πῦρ σιδήρῳ μὴ σκαλεύειν.
  
• Σαρδώνιος γέλως.
  
• Τὴν ὀρθὴν βαδίζειν ὁδόν.
  
• Τὸ φῶς ἡλίῳ δανείζεις.
  
• Τυφλὸν ὄνειρον.
  

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

γ α λ ῃ χ ι τ ω ν.

τ υ φ λ ο ν ο ν ε ι ρ ο ν.

ς α ρ δ ω ν ι ο ς γ ε λ ω ς.

α ι χ α ρ ι τ ε ς γ υ μ ν α ι.

τ ο φ ω ς η λ ι ῳ δ α ν ε ι ζ ε ι ς.

μ ε γ α ς τ ο μ α τ ο υ ε ν ι α υ τ ο υ.

π υ ρ ς ι δ η ρ ῳ μ η ς κ α λ ε υ ε ι ν.

τ η ν ο ρ θ η ν β α δ ι ζ ε ι ν ο δ ο ν.

μ ι κ ρ ο ν κ α κ ο ν μ ε γ α α γ α θ ο ν.

α γ α θ η κ α ι μ α ζ α μ ε τ α ρ τ ο ν.

ο φ θ α λ μ ο ι ω τ ι ω ν π ι ς τ ο τ ε ρ ο ι.

α ρ ε τ η ν ε ι μ ε ν ε χ ο ι ς π α ν θ ε ξ ε ι 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 60

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.

Ἄνθρωπος καὶ Σάτυρος 

(another version of this fable)

Ἄνθρωπόν ποτε λέγεται πρὸς Σάτυρον φιλίαν σπείσασθαι. Καὶ δὴ χειμῶνος καταλαβόντος καὶ ψύχους γενομένου ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὰς χεῖρας τῷ στόματι ἐπέπνει. Τοῦ δὲ Σατύρου τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρομένου, δι' ἣν τοῦτο πράττει, ἔλεγεν, ὅτι θερμαίνει τὰς χεῖρας διὰ τὸ κρύος. Ὕστερον δὲ παρατεθείσης αὐτοῖς τραπέζης καὶ προσφαγήματος θερμοῦ σφόδρα ὄντος, ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀναιρούμενος κατὰ μικρὸν τῷ στόματι προσέφερε καὶ ἐφύσα· πυνθανομένου δὲ πάλιν τοῦ Σατύρου, τί τοῦτο ποιεῖ; ἔφασκε καταψύχειν τὸ ἔδεσμα, ἐπεὶ λίαν θερμόν ἐστι. Κἀκεῖνος ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· ἀλλ' ἀποτάσσομαί σου τῇ φιλίᾳ, ὦ οὗτος, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν ἐξιεῖς.

Ἄνθρωπόν ποτε λέγεται 

πρὸς Σάτυρον φιλίαν σπείσασθαι. 

Καὶ δὴ χειμῶνος καταλαβόντος 

καὶ ψύχους γενομένου 

ὁ ἄνθρωπος 

τὰς χεῖρας τῷ στόματι ἐπέπνει. 

Τοῦ δὲ Σατύρου 

τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρομένου, 

δι' ἣν τοῦτο πράττει, 

ἔλεγεν, ὅτι 

θερμαίνει τὰς χεῖρας 

διὰ τὸ κρύος. 

Ὕστερον δὲ 

παρατεθείσης αὐτοῖς τραπέζης 

καὶ προσφαγήματος 

θερμοῦ σφόδρα ὄντος, 

ὁ ἄνθρωπος 

ἀναιρούμενος κατὰ μικρὸν τῷ στόματι 

προσέφερε καὶ ἐφύσα· 

πυνθανομένου δὲ πάλιν 

τοῦ Σατύρου, 

τί τοῦτο ποιεῖ; 

ἔφασκε 

καταψύχειν τὸ ἔδεσμα, 

ἐπεὶ λίαν θερμόν ἐστι. 

Κἀκεῖνος ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· 

ἀλλ' ἀποτάσσομαί 

σου τῇ φιλίᾳ, 

ὦ οὗτος, 

ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος 

τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν 

ἐξιεῖς.

Ἄνθρωπόν ποτε λέγεται  ...  A man is once said

φιλίαν σπείσασθαι  ...  to have pledged friendship 

πρὸς Σάτυρον  ...  with a Satyr.

Καὶ δὴ χειμῶνος καταλαβόντος  ...  And when winter came on

καὶ ψύχους γενομένου  ...  and it became cold

ὁ ἄνθρωπος  ...  the man 

τῷ στόματι ἐπέπνει  ...  blew with his mouth

τὰς χεῖρας  ...  on his hands.

Τοῦ δὲ Σατύρου  ...  When the Satyr 

τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρομένου  ...  asked the reason, 

δι' ἣν τοῦτο πράττει  ...  that he did that, 

ἔλεγεν, ὅτι  ...  the man said that 

θερμαίνει τὰς χεῖρας  ...  he was warming his hands 

διὰ τὸ κρύος  ...  through the frost. 

Ὕστερον δὲ  ...  Later 

παρατεθείσης αὐτοῖς τραπέζης  ...  when their table was set 

καὶ προσφαγήματος  ...  and the food 

θερμοῦ σφόδρα ὄντος  ...  was very hot, 

ὁ ἄνθρωπος  ...  the man 

ἀναιρούμενος κατὰ μικρὸν  ...  taking up a little 

τῷ στόματι προσέφερε  ...  put it to his mouth 

καὶ ἐφύσα  ...  blew blew on it.

πυνθανομένου δὲ πάλιν  ...  Asked again 

τοῦ Σατύρου  ...  by the Satyr, 

τί τοῦτο ποιεῖ  ...  why he did that,

ἔφασκε  ...  the man said that 

καταψύχειν τὸ ἔδεσμα  ...  it warmed the meat 

ἐπεὶ λίαν θερμόν ἐστι  ...  since it was very hot. 

Κἀκεῖνος ἔφη  ...  Then the Satyr said 

πρὸς αὐτόν  ...  to him,

ἀλλ' ἀποτάσσομαί  ...  Well then, I renounce

σου τῇ φιλίᾳ  ...  your friendship,

ὦ οὗτος  ...  you so-and-so,

ὅτι ἐξιεῖς  ...  because you're blowing out

τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν  ...  both hot and cold

ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος  ...  from the same mouth.

illustration by Richard Heighway

Ἡ λεκάνη μὴ ἔχουσα ὠτία

Αβδηρίτης λεκάνην ἐπώλει μὴ ἔχουσαν ὠτία. ἐρωτήσαντος δὲ τινὸς διὰ τί αὐτῆς ἦρε τὰ ὠτία, ἀπεκρίνατο· ῞Ινα μὴ ἀκούσασα, ὅτι πωλεῖται, φύγῃ.

Αβδηρίτης 

λεκάνην ἐπώλει 

μὴ ἔχουσαν ὠτία. 

ἐρωτήσαντος δὲ τινὸς 

διὰ τί 

αὐτῆς ἦρε τὰ ὠτία, 

ἀπεκρίνατο· 

Ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσασα, 

ὅτι πωλεῖται, 

φύγῃ.

As you read this one, think about the very elegant English saying, "Little pitchers have big ears." This is about the ears/handles of a Greek basin:

Αβδηρίτης  ...  A dunce

λεκάνην ἐπώλει  ...  sold a basin 

μὴ ἔχουσαν ὠτία  ...  without ears (handles). 

ἐρωτήσαντος δὲ τινὸς διὰ τί  ...  Asked by someone why

αὐτῆς ἦρε τὰ ὠτία  ...  he took off the basin's ears

ἀπεκρίνατο  ...  he replied, 

Ἵνα μὴ φύγῃ  ...  So that the basin wouldn't run away 

ἀκούσασα ...  when it heard

ὅτι πωλεῖται  ...  that it was going to be sold.

ancient Greek wash basin

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: May 17

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 167. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

χαρίζω ~ χαριέω ~ ἐχάρισα: do a favor, give happily 

εἰμί ~ ἔσομαι (no aorist): be, exist 

ζητέω ~ ζητήσω ~ ἐζήτησα: seek, desire 

ᾄδω ~ ἀείσομαι ~ ᾖσα: sing 

ἐράω (no future) (no aorist): be in love, desire 

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

Φίλῳ χαρίζου.

Ἐν τριόδῳ εἰμί.

Λύκου πτερὰ ζητεῖς.

Τὴν ἀηδόνα ἐν οἰκίσκῳ μὴ ᾄδειν.

Μόνος θεῶν γὰρ θάνατος οὐ δώρων ἐρᾷ.

And now, some commentary:

Φίλῳ χαρίζου.

Do a favor for your friend.

This is one of those Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus.

The verb χαρίζου (from the root  χάρις) is a middle imperative.

Ἐν τριόδῳ εἰμί.

I'm at a crossroads.

This metaphor works in English as it does in Greek: it means you have to decide which way to go or, more generally, you have to decide what you are going to do. The Greek compound of three-roads intersecting (τρί-οδος) is reflected in the Latin trivium (tri-vium), which gives us English "trivial." 

Λύκου πτερὰ ζητεῖς.

You're looking for wings on a wolf.

This is one of those proverbial fool's errands: you will not find any wings on a wolf... and it's a dangerous place to look!

Τὴν ἀηδόνα ἐν οἰκίσκῳ μὴ ᾄδειν.

(They say) a nightingale won't sing in a cage.

This proverb uses an infinitive construction with an accusative subject, with an implied "they say that" or "the saying goes that" to introduce the infinitive construction.

Μόνος θεῶν γὰρ θάνατος οὐ δώρων ἐρᾷ.

Alone among the gods Death does not desire gifts.

Notice that the verb ἐράω takes a genitive complement: δώρων ἐρᾷ. This is a fragment from Aeschylus's lost play, Niobe; about 40 lines survive. Sophocles also wrote a play about Niobe, and in this fascinating project, some people tried to create a Greek tragedy inspired by those existing fragments. You can find out more here: Niobe Project.

The Death of Niobe's Children

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: May 16

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 166. These are words you've seen before but with a different vocabulary focus. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἀπιστέω ~ ἀπιστήσω ~ ἠπίστησα: distrust, don't believe 

κτίζω κτίσω ἔκτισσα: build, create 

σιωπάω ~ ἐσιώπων ~ ἐσιώπησα: be silent 

πειράω ~ πειράσω ~ ἐπείρησα: try, test, experience 

ἀπάγω ~ ἀπάξω ~ ἀπήγαγον: lead away, take 

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

Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει.

Προτέρα πάντων ἔκτισται σοφία.

Κρεῖττον σιωπᾶν ἐστιν ἢ λαλεῖν μάτην.

Μηδέποτε πειρῶ δύο φίλων εἶναι κριτής.

Οἱ μεγάλοι κλέπται τὸν μικρὸν ἀπάγουσι.

And now, some commentary:

Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει.

Put no faith in wealth.

This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. The verb ἀπίστει is an alpha-privative: ἀ-πίστει. The noun πλοῦτος is also the name of the god of wealth; find out more at Wikipedia: Plutus.

Προτέρα πάντων ἔκτισται σοφία.

Before all things, wisdom was created.

The words also come from the Biblical book of Sirach. The verb ἔκτισται is a perfect passive form. From Greek σοφία we get the name Sophia, and for more about the Biblical tradition of Wisdom, see Wikipedia: Holy Wisdom. You can see the neuter form of προτέρα in the phrase hysteron proteron, a rhetorical device; find out more at Wikipedia: ὕστερον πρότερον.

Κρεῖττον σιωπᾶν ἐστιν ἢ λαλεῖν μάτην.

To be silent is more powerful than to speak foolishly.

The Greek infinitive is a neuter noun, hence the neuter adjective: κρεῖττον with the infinitives σιωπᾶν and λαλεῖν. This is the Attic form of κρεῖσσον, and it is the comparative of κρατύ, powerful. The adverb μάτην is formed from the noun μάτη, which means "folly, foolishness." This is one of the monostichs (one-liners) of Menander; here is the meter marked:

Κρεῖττον | σιω||πᾶν ἐσ|τιν ἢ || λαλεῖν μάτην.

Μηδέποτε πειρῶ δύο φίλων εἶναι κριτής.

Do not ever try to play the judge between two friends.

There are two forms of his adverb: οὐδέποτε and μηδέποτε; this saying uses the μη form because it is an imperative (πειρῶ is a middle imperative of πειράω). This is another one of Menander's one-liners:

Μηδέποτ' πει||ρῶ δύο φίλων || εἶναι κριτής.

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."

mosaic of Diogenes in his tub

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 59

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.

Λύκος, ἀρνίον καὶ λέων

(another version of this story)

Λύκος δήποτε ἄρας ἀρνίον ἐκ ποίμνης ἀπεκόμιζεν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν κοίτην· λέων δὲ τούτῳ ἐξαίφνης συναντήσας, ἦρεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀρνίον. Στὰς δὲ πόῤῥωθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ταῦτα λέγει· ἵνα τί, ἄναξ, ἐξ ἐμοῦ τοῦτο ἦρας; πῶς δὲ οὐ τηρεῖς τοὺς θεσμοὺς τοὺς ἀρχαίους, τοῦ μὴ τυραννεῖν χειρὶ δυνατωτάτῃ, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε ἐκδικεῖν τοῖς ἀπόροις; Ὁ δὲ γελάσας πρὸς αὐτὸν ταῦτα λέγει· σὺ δὲ, ὦ λύκε, δικαίως τοῦτʼ ἂν ἔσχες, εἴ τις τῶν φίλων αὐτὸ κεχάρικέ σοι.

Λύκος δήποτε 

ἄρας ἀρνίον ἐκ ποίμνης 

ἀπεκόμιζεν 

εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν κοίτην· 

λέων δὲ 

τούτῳ ἐξαίφνης συναντήσας, 

ἦρεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀρνίον. 

Στὰς δὲ πόῤῥωθεν 

πρὸς αὐτὸν ταῦτα λέγει· 

ἵνα τί, ἄναξ, 

ἐξ ἐμοῦ τοῦτο ἦρας; 

πῶς δὲ 

οὐ τηρεῖς 

τοὺς θεσμοὺς τοὺς ἀρχαίους, 

τοῦ μὴ τυραννεῖν χειρὶ δυνατωτάτῃ, 

ἀλλὰ πάντοτε 

ἐκδικεῖν τοῖς ἀπόροις; 

Ὁ δὲ γελάσας 

πρὸς αὐτὸν ταῦτα λέγει· 

σὺ δὲ, ὦ λύκε, 

δικαίως τοῦτʼ ἂν ἔσχες, 

εἴ τις τῶν φίλων 

αὐτὸ κεχάρικέ σοι.

Λύκος δήποτε  ...  There was once a wolf 

ἄρας ἀρνίον  ...  who seized a lamb

ἐκ ποίμνης  ...  from the flock, 

ἀπεκόμιζεν  ...  and carried it away 

εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν κοίτην  ...  to his lair. 

λέων δὲ ἐξαίφνης  ...  All of a sudden, a lion 

τούτῳ συναντήσας  ...  ran into him, 

ἦρεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀρνίον  ...  and took the lamb. 

Στὰς δὲ πόῤῥωθεν  ...  Standing at a distance 

πρὸς αὐτὸν ταῦτα λέγει  ...  the wolf said to him, 

ἵνα τί, ἄναξ  ...  Why, my lord, 

ἐξ ἐμοῦ τοῦτο ἦρας  ...  did you take that from me? 

πῶς δὲ οὐ τηρεῖς  ...  How can you not heed 

τοὺς θεσμοὺς τοὺς ἀρχαίους  ...  the ancient laws 

τοῦ μὴ τυραννεῖν  ...   against ruling absolutely

χειρὶ δυνατωτάτῃ  ...  by the most powerful hand, 

ἀλλὰ πάντοτε  ...  but rather always 

ἐκδικεῖν τοῖς ἀπόροις  ...  showing justice to the helpless? 

Ὁ δὲ γελάσας  ...  And the lion laughed 

πρὸς αὐτὸν ταῦτα λέγει  ...  and said to him, 

σὺ δὲ, ὦ λύκε  ...  And you, wolf:

τοῦτʼ ἂν ἔσχες  ...  I suppose you got the lamb

δικαίως  ...  lawfully,

εἴ τις τῶν φίλων  ...  some friend of yours 

αὐτὸ κεχάρικέ σοι  ...  having given it to you as a gift.

The Wolf and the Lion

Ὑὸς κεφαλή

Σχολαστικὸς συμφοιτητὰς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον καλέσας, ἐπαινεσάντων αὐτῶν ὑὸς κεφαλὴν καὶ ἀξιωσάντων καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ παρ’ αὐτῷ ἑστιαθῆναι, ἀπελθὼν πρὸς τὸν μάγειρον· Δός μοι, ἔφη, ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ χοίρου κεφαλὴν ἑτέραν· ἡ γὰρ χθὲς ἡμῖν πάνυ ἤρεσεν.

Σχολαστικὸς 

συμφοιτητὰς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον καλέσας, 

ἐπαινεσάντων αὐτῶν 

ὑὸς κεφαλὴν 

καὶ ἀξιωσάντων 

καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ 

παρ’ αὐτῷ ἑστιαθῆναι, 

ἀπελθὼν πρὸς τὸν μάγειρον· 

Δός μοι, ἔφη, 

ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ χοίρου 

κεφαλὴν ἑτέραν· 

ἡ γὰρ χθὲς 

ἡμῖν πάνυ ἤρεσεν.

Σχολαστικὸς 

συμφοιτητὰς ἐπὶ δεῖπνον καλέσας, 

ἐπαινεσάντων αὐτῶν 

ὑὸς κεφαλὴν 

καὶ ἀξιωσάντων 

καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ 

παρ’ αὐτῷ ἑστιαθῆναι, 

ἀπελθὼν πρὸς τὸν μάγειρον· 

Δός μοι, ἔφη, 

ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ χοίρου 

κεφαλὴν ἑτέραν· 

ἡ γὰρ χθὲς 

ἡμῖν πάνυ ἤρεσεν.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  A dunce

συμφοιτητὰς καλέσας  ...  invited his schoolfellows

ἐπὶ δεῖπνον  ...  to dinner.

ἐπαινεσάντων αὐτῶν  ...  When they praised 

ὑὸς κεφαλὴν  ...  the pig's head,

καὶ ἀξιωσάντων  ...  and encouraged him 

παρ’ αὐτῷ ἑστιαθῆναι  ...  to serve it at dinner

καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ  ...  again the next day.

ἀπελθὼν πρὸς τὸν μάγειρον  ...  He went to the butcher, 

Δός μοι, ἔφη  ...  and said, "Give me 

κεφαλὴν ἑτέραν  ...  another head

ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ χοίρου  ...  from that same pig.

ἡμῖν πάνυ ἤρεσεν  ...  We really enjoyed

ἡ γὰρ χθὲς  ...  the one yesterday.

Greek terracotta pig vase

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

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