Greek Reading: Fables 56

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.

Μύες δύο

Μῦς ἀρουραῖος ἀστικῷ γίνεται φίλος μυὶ, καὶ τὴν φιλίαν πιστούμενος πρῶτος εἰς ἀγρὸν τὸν ἀστικὸν παρελάμιβανε, καὶ ξενίαν αὐτῷ παρετίθει καὶ τράπεζαν, ἃ φέρειν οἶδε τοῖς ἐνοικοῦσιν ἀγρόν. Ἀμειβόμενος δὲ τὴν ξενίαν ὁ ἀστικὸς εἰς ἄστυ τὸν ἀρουραῖον ἐκόμιζε, καὶ εἰς ἀνδρὸς εὐπόρου παρελάμβανε οἶκον. Ὡς δὲ τῶν ὄντων ἤδη προσάπτεσθαι ἤθελον, προσιών τις ἀνέκοπτε· καὶ τοσαυτάκις τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὄψοις ἀπηλαύνοντο πείρας, ὁσάκις ἐπειρῶντο μεταλαμβάνειν. Καὶ τελευταῖον ὁ ἀρουραῖος "ἄπειμι" ἔφη, "τὴν ἐν ἀγροῖς προτιμῶν μετριότητα τῆς ἐν ἄστει τρυφῆς."

Μῦς ἀρουραῖος 

ἀστικῷ γίνεται φίλος μυὶ, 

καὶ τὴν φιλίαν πιστούμενος 

πρῶτος εἰς ἀγρὸν 

τὸν ἀστικὸν παρελάμβανε, 

καὶ ξενίαν αὐτῷ παρετίθει 

καὶ τράπεζαν, 

ἃ φέρειν οἶδε τοῖς ἐνοικοῦσιν ἀγρόν. 

Ἀμειβόμενος δὲ τὴν ξενίαν 

ὁ ἀστικὸς 

εἰς ἄστυ τὸν ἀρουραῖον ἐκόμιζε, 

καὶ εἰς ἀνδρὸς εὐπόρου παρελάμβανεν οἶκον. 

Ὡς δὲ τῶν ὄντων ἤδη 

προσάπτεσθαι ἤθελον, 

προσιών τις ἀνέκοπτε· 

καὶ τοσαυτάκις 

τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὄψοις ἀπηλαύνοντο πείρας, 

ὁσάκις ἐπειρῶντο μεταλαμβάνειν. 

Καὶ τελευταῖον ὁ ἀρουραῖος 

"ἄπειμι" ἔφη, "τὴν ἐν ἀγροῖς 

προτιμῶν μετριότητα 

τῆς ἐν ἄστει τρυφῆς."

Μῦς ἀρουραῖος  ...  A country mouse

γίνεται φίλος ἀστικῷ μυὶ  ...  befriended a city mouse, 

καὶ τὴν φιλίαν πιστούμενος  ...  and to affirm the friendship 

πρῶτος παρελάμβανε  ...  he went first in inviting

τὸν ἀστικὸν  ...  the city mouse

εἰς ἀγρὸν  ...  to the countryside.

καὶ ξενίαν αὐτῷ παρετίθει  ...  He offered both hospitality

καὶ τράπεζαν  ...  and a dining board, 

ἃ οἶδε  ...  the things which he knew

φέρειν ἀγρόν  ...  the countryside had to offer

τοῖς ἐνοικοῦσιν  ...  to its inhabitants.

Ἀμειβόμενος δὲ τὴν ξενίαν  ...  Returning the hospitality, 

ὁ ἀστικὸς  ...  the city mouse

τὸν ἀρουραῖον ἐκόμιζε  ...  led the country mouse

εἰς ἄστυ  ...  to the city,

καὶ παρελάμβανεν  ...  and brought him to

εἰς οἶκον ἀνδρὸς εὐπόρου  ...  a wealthy man's home

Ὡς δὲ ἤδη ἤθελον  ...  But just when they wanted 

τῶν ὄντων προσάπτεσθαι  ...  to lay hold of the stuff,

προσιών τις  ...  someone came in 

ἀνέκοπτε  ...  and stopped them, 

καὶ τοσαυτάκις ἀπηλαύνοντο  ...  being driven away

τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὄψοις πείρας  ...  from trying the foodstuffs, 

ὁσάκις  ...  whenever

ἐπειρῶντο μεταλαμβάνειν  ...  they tried to partake. 

Καὶ τελευταῖον  ...  And finally

ὁ ἀρουραῖος ἔφη  ...  the country mouse said:

ἄπειμι  ...  I'm leaving!

προτιμῶν  ...  I prefer

μετριότητα τὴν ἐν ἀγροῖς  ...  modesty in the countryside 

τῆς ἐν ἄστει τρυφῆς  ...  to luxury in the city.

illustration by Conde

Σχολαστικὸς καὶ διδάσκαλος 

Σχολαστικὸς ἐκκομίσας τὸν υἱόν, ἀπαντήσας τῷ διδασκάλῳ αὐτοῦ, σύγγνωθι, ἔφη, ὅτι οὐκ ἦλθεν ὁ υἱός μου εἰς τὴν σχολήν· ἀπέθανε γάρ.

Σχολαστικὸς 

ἐκκομίσας τὸν υἱόν, 

ἀπαντήσας 

τῷ διδασκάλῳ αὐτοῦ, 

ἔφη, 

σύγγνωθι

ὅτι οὐκ ἦλθεν ὁ υἱός μου 

εἰς τὴν σχολήν,

ἀπέθανε γάρ.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  The dunce

ἐκκομίσας τὸν υἱόν  ...  had just buried his son, 

ἀπαντήσας  ...  and then ran into 

τῷ διδασκάλῳ αὐτοῦ  ...  his son's schoolteacher.

ἔφη  ...  He said: 

σύγγνωθι  ...  My apologies for

ὅτι οὐκ ἦλθεν ὁ υἱός μου  ...  my son not coming 

εἰς τὴν σχολήν  ...  to school;

ἀπέθανε γάρ  ...  it's because he died.

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

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