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