Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword: July 1

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 167, 168, and 169. Here's the post with 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. Ἀπὸ λεπτοῦ μίτου τὸ ζῆν ἠρτῆσθαι.
   
2. Ἐκ τῶν ὀνύχων τὸν λέοντα γινώσκειν.
   
3. Ἐν τριόδῳ εἰμί.
   
4. Ἡ φύσις οὐδὲν ποιεῖ ἅλματα.
   
5. Θεοὺς σέβου.
   
6. Κρίνει φίλους ὁ καιρός, ὡς χρυσὸν τὸ πῦρ.
   
7. Κτώμενος ἥδου.
   
8. Λίθος κυλιόμενος φῦκος οὐ ποιεῖ.
   
9. Λύκος ἀετὸν φεύγει.
   
10. Λύκου πτερὰ ζητεῖς.
    
11. Μόνος θεῶν γὰρ θάνατος οὐ δώρων ἐρᾷ.
    
12. Μωρῷ καὶ βασιλεῖ νόμος ἄγραφος.
    
13. Ὁ χοῖρος ἥδεται κόπροις καὶ βορβόρῳ.
    
14. Τὴν ἀηδόνα ἐν οἰκίσκῳ μὴ ᾄδειν.
    
15. Φίλῳ χαρίζου.
    

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

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Greek Reading: 78

Today's stories come from Colson's Stories and Legends: A First Greek Reader which is available at the Internet Archive. 

You'll find the stories below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Θεοί γέρεα ζῴοις διένειμαν

ποιητής τις λέγει ὅτι οἱ θεοί, ποιήσαντες τὰ ζῷα, γέρας τι ἑκάστῳ διένειμαν. καὶ τοῖς μὲν ταύροις κέρα ἔδοσαν, τοῖς δὲ ἵπποις ὁπλάς, τοῖς δὲ ὄρνισι πτέρυγας, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον. ἀνθρώποις δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔδοσαν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν ἀνδράσιν ἀρετήν, ταῖς δὲ γυναιξὶ κάλλος. καὶ τοῦτο ἔχουσα ἡ γυνὴ πάντων κρατίστη ἐστί. οἱ γὰρ ἄνδρες πάντα νικῶσι τῇ ἀρετῇ, αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες νικῶσι τοὺς ἄνδρας τῷ κάλλει.

ποιητής τις λέγει ὅτι 

οἱ θεοί, 

ποιήσαντες τὰ ζῷα, 

γέρας τι ἑκάστῳ διένειμαν. 

καὶ τοῖς μὲν ταύροις 

κέρα ἔδοσαν, 

τοῖς δὲ ἵπποις ὁπλάς, 

τοῖς δὲ ὄρνισι πτέρυγας, 

καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις 

ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον. 

ἀνθρώποις δὲ 

οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔδοσαν, 

ἀλλὰ 

τοῖς μὲν ἀνδράσιν ἀρετήν, 

ταῖς δὲ γυναιξὶ κάλλος. 

καὶ τοῦτο ἔχουσα 

ἡ γυνὴ πάντων κρατίστη ἐστί. 

οἱ γὰρ ἄνδρες 

πάντα νικῶσι τῇ ἀρετῇ, 

αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες 

νικῶσι τοὺς ἄνδρας τῷ κάλλει.

ποιητής τις λέγει ὅτι  ...  A poet says that

οἱ θεοί  ...  the gods,

ποιήσαντες τὰ ζῷα  ...  when they made the creatures, 

γέρας τι διένειμαν  ...  allocated a gift of honor

ἑκάστῳ  ...  to each one.

καὶ τοῖς μὲν ταύροις  ...  So to the bulls 

κέρα ἔδοσαν  ...  they gave horns,

τοῖς δὲ ἵπποις ὁπλάς  ...  hooves to the horses, 

τοῖς δὲ ὄρνισι πτέρυγας  ...  feathers to the birds, 

καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις  ...  and to the others 

ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον  ...  some other sort of thing. 

ἀνθρώποις δὲ  ...  And to people 

οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔδοσαν  ...  they gave nothing like this

ἀλλὰ  ...  but rather 

τοῖς μὲν ἀνδράσιν ἀρετήν  ...  to men, excellence

ταῖς δὲ γυναιξὶ κάλλος  ...  and to women, beauty. 

καὶ τοῦτο ἔχουσα  ...  and having beauty 

ἡ γυνὴ  ...  the woman

πάντων κρατίστη ἐστί  ...  is the strongest of all.

οἱ γὰρ ἄνδρες  ...  For men 

πάντα νικῶσι τῇ ἀρετῇ  ...  might conquer all things 

τῇ ἀρετῇ  ...  by means of their excellence,

αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες  ...  but the women

νικῶσι τοὺς ἄνδρας  ...  can conquer the men

τῷ κάλλει  ...  with their beauty.

(You can read the source story in Anacreon here.)

Κύων πλήρης κυνοραιστῶν

κύων πλήρης ἦν κυνοραιστῶν. ἐχῖνος δὲ ἰδὼν κατᾧκτειρεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἔφη ἀφαιρήσειν τοὺς κυνοραίστας, ἐὰν θέλῃ. ὁ δὲ κύων οὐκ εἴασε. θαυμάσας δὲ ὁ ἐχῖνος ἐρωτᾷ, διὰ τί οὐκ ἐᾷ. ὁ δὲ κύων ἔφη, “οὗτοι μὲν ἤδη μεστοί εἰσι καὶ ὀλίγον αἷμα ἕλκουσι. ἐὰν δὲ τούτους ἀφέλῃς, ἕτεροι πεινῶντες προσίασι, καὶ ἕλξουσί μου τὸ λοιπὸν αἷμα."

κύων πλήρης ἦν 

κυνοραιστῶν. 

ἐχῖνος δὲ ἰδὼν 

κατᾧκτειρεν αὐτόν, 

καὶ ἔφη 

ἀφαιρήσειν τοὺς κυνοραίστας, 

ἐὰν θέλῃ. 

ὁ δὲ κύων οὐκ εἴασε. 

θαυμάσας δὲ 

ὁ ἐχῖνος ἐρωτᾷ, 

διὰ τί οὐκ ἐᾷ. 

ὁ δὲ κύων ἔφη, 

οὗτοι μὲν ἤδη 

μεστοί εἰσι 

καὶ ὀλίγον αἷμα ἕλκουσι. 

ἐὰν δὲ τούτους ἀφέλῃς, 

ἕτεροι πεινῶντες προσίασι, 

καὶ ἕλξουσί 

μου τὸ λοιπὸν αἷμα.

κύων πλήρης ἦν  ...  A dog was full

κυνοραιστῶν  ...  of ticks.

ἐχῖνος δὲ ἰδὼν  ...  Seeing this, a hedgehog

κατᾧκτειρεν αὐτόν  ...  felt sorry for the dog

καὶ ἔφη ἀφαιρήσειν  ...  and said he could remove

τοὺς κυνοραίστας  ...  the ticks, 

ἐὰν θέλῃ  ...  if the dog wanted.

ὁ δὲ κύων οὐκ εἴασε  ...  The dog refused.

θαυμάσας δὲ  ...  Surprised,

ὁ ἐχῖνος ἐρωτᾷ  ...  the hedgehog asked

διὰ τί οὐκ ἐᾷ  ...  why he refused.

ὁ δὲ κύων ἔφη  ...  The dog said, 

οὗτοι μὲν ἤδη  ...  Right now those ticks

μεστοί εἰσι  ...  are full, 

καὶ ὀλίγον αἷμα ἕλκουσι  ...  and suck little blood. 

ἐὰν δὲ τούτους ἀφέλῃς  ...  But if you remove these, 

ἕτεροι πεινῶντες προσίασι  ...  others will come, hungry, 

καὶ ἕλξουσί  ...  and they will suck 

μου τὸ λοιπὸν αἷμα  ...  all the rest of my blood.

This fable is usually told about a fox, not a dog; here is an illustration by Grandville with a fox, blood-sucking flies, and a hedgehog (see the hungry flies just waiting for a chance):

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: June 28

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 177; these are proverbs you have seen before, but with a new vocabulary focus. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἅπας ~ ἅπαντος  (adj. masc.): all, every 

μέσον ~ μέσου (adj. neut.): middle 

κάλλιστον ~ καλλίστου (adj. neut.): most beautiful, best 

πολέμιον ~ πολεμίου (adj. neut.): hostile, related to war

ἔσχατος ~ ἐσχάτου (adj. masc.): finally, last of all 

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

Ἅπας ἐχῖνος τραχύς.

Ἀκρὸν λάβε, καὶ μέσον ἕξεις. 

Σωφροσύνα, δώρημα κάλλιστον θεῶν.

Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ πολὺ πολέμιον τῇ φύσει.

Πολλοὶ δὲ ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι καὶ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι.

And now, some commentary:

Ἅπας ἐχῖνος τραχύς.

The whole hedgehog is prickly.

As Erasmus explains, this saying refers to a person who is "prickly" by analogy to the prickly hedgehog. In the same way that there is no un-prickly part of a hedgehog that allows you to safely pick it up, so too there are some people who are impossible to deal with no matter what you try to do: they are completely prickly. The adjective ἅπας is a compound: ἁ-πᾶς, "together-all." That initial alpha is not the alpha-privative, which is very common in Greek. Instead, this is the alpha-copulative, which is much less common, and which is weirdly the opposite of the alpha-privative. You can read more at Wikipedia about both the alpha-privative and alpha-copulative.

Ἀκρὸν λάβε, καὶ μέσον ἕξεις. 

Grab the top, and you'll get the middle.

In other words: it's a good thing to plan big because, even if your plan falls short, you'll still end up with something! Some sources attribute this to the Delphic oracle; find out more at Wikipedia: Delphic maxims. This saying is a good way to remember the future stem of ἔχω: ἕξω (note the rough breathing). You can see the μέσο- root in "Mesopotamia" and "Mesoamerica." 

Σωφροσύνα δώρημα κάλλιστον θεῶν.

Self-control, the fairest gift of the gods.

The words are from Euripides' Medea. This is what the Chorus says, alarmed by the events unfolding in the the drama that result of strong passions aroused by Aphrodite; they prefer the tranquility of σωφροσύνη (σωφροσύνα): self-control, soundness of mind, etc. 

Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ πολὺ πολέμιον τῇ φύσει.

Everything in excess is inimical to nature.

This is from the "Aphorisms" which form part of the Hippocratic Corpus; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Hippocrates. When you remember that φύσει was pronounced with an aspirated p (p-husei), you can see the appeal of this saying with the p sound repeated four times! The word φύσις has an enormous range of meaning as you can see in the LSJ online. You can see the root of the adjective πολέμιον / noun πόλεμος in English "polemic."

Πολλοὶ δὲ ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι καὶ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι.

Many (who are) first will be last, and last will be first.

This paradoxical pronouncement by Jesus comes from the Gospel of Mark, and it can be found also in Luke, and in Matthew (twice in Matthew, in fact). You can see Greek ἔσχατος in English "eschatology."

oil flash in the form of a hedgehog at The Met

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

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Greek Reading: 77

Today's stories come from Colson's Stories and Legends: A First Greek Reader which is available at the Internet Archive. 

You'll find the stories below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Θαλῆς καὶ θεράπαινα

ὁ Πλάτων λέγει ὅτε Θαλῆς ὁ φιλόσοφος ἀστρονομῶν καὶ ἄνω βλέπων ἐς φρέαρ ἔπεσεν. θεράπαινα δέ τις ἰδοῦσα ἔσκωψεν αὐτόν, τοιάδε λέγουσα, “σὺ μὲν φιλόσοφος καλεῖ, ἀληθῶς δὲ μωρὸς εἶ. τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐν οὐρανῷ θέλεις εἰδέναι, τὰ δὲ παρὰ πόδας σε λανθάνει." 

ὁ Πλάτων λέγει 

ὅτε Θαλῆς ὁ φιλόσοφος 

ἀστρονομῶν καὶ ἄνω βλέπων 

ἐς φρέαρ ἔπεσεν. 

θεράπαινα δέ τις 

ἰδοῦσα ἔσκωψεν αὐτόν, 

τοιάδε λέγουσα, 

σὺ μὲν φιλόσοφος καλεῖ, 

ἀληθῶς δὲ μωρὸς εἶ. 

τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐν οὐρανῷ θέλεις εἰδέναι, 

τὰ δὲ παρὰ πόδας σε λανθάνει.

ὁ Πλάτων λέγει  ...  Plato says that

ὅτε Θαλῆς ὁ φιλόσοφος  ...  when Thales the philosopher 

ἀστρονομῶν  ...  was studying the stars

καὶ ἄνω βλέπων  ...  and looking up 

ἐς φρέαρ ἔπεσεν  ...  he fell into a well. 

θεράπαινα δέ τις ἰδοῦσα  ...  A female slave saw 

ἔσκωψεν αὐτόν  ...  and mocked him, 

τοιάδε λέγουσα  ...  saying these words: 

σὺ μὲν φιλόσοφος καλεῖ  ...  You call yourself a philosopher, 

ἀληθῶς δὲ μωρὸς εἶ  ...  but in fact you are a fool. 

τὰ μὲν γὰρ θέλεις εἰδέναι  ...  You want to know the things

ἐν οὐρανῷ  ...  in the sky,

τὰ δὲ σε λανθάνει  ...  but you don't even notice the things

παρὰ πόδας  ...  in front of your feet.

Grandville's illustration for La Fontaine

(this story appears in Aesop but without the name "Thales")

Λύκος κaὶ γέρανος

(another version)

λύκος ποτὲ ἐν τῷ λαιμῷ ὀστοῦν ἔχων ἐπνίγετο. μεταπεμψάμενος οὖν τὴν γέρανον, μακρὸν γὰρ τὸν τράχηλον ἔχει ἡ γέρανος, ᾔτησε τὸ ὀστοῦν ἐξαιρεῖν. ἔφη δέ, ἐὰν τοῦτο ποιήσῃ, μισθὸν καλὸν δώσειν. ἡ οὖν γέρανος ἐξεῖλε τὸ ὀστοῦν, εἶτα τὸν μισθὸν ᾔτησε. ὁ δὲ λύκος γελάσας εἶπεν, "ἀχάριστος εἶ, ὦ φίλη· καλὸν γὰρ μισθὸν ἤδη σοι δέδωκα. ἔχων γὰρ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐν τῷ στόματι, εἴασά σε ὅμως ζῶσαν ἀπιέναι."

λύκος ποτὲ 

ἐν τῷ λαιμῷ 

ὀστοῦν ἔχων 

ἐπνίγετο. 

μεταπεμψάμενος οὖν τὴν γέρανον, 

μακρὸν γὰρ τὸν τράχηλον 

ἔχει ἡ γέρανος, 

ᾔτησε τὸ ὀστοῦν ἐξαιρεῖν. 

ἔφη δέ, 

ἐὰν τοῦτο ποιήσῃ, 

μισθὸν καλὸν δώσειν. 

ἡ οὖν γέρανος 

ἐξεῖλε τὸ ὀστοῦν, 

εἶτα τὸν μισθὸν ᾔτησε. 

ὁ δὲ λύκος γελάσας 

εἶπεν, 

ἀχάριστος εἶ, ὦ φίλη· 

καλὸν γὰρ μισθὸν 

ἤδη σοι δέδωκα. 

ἔχων γὰρ τὴν κεφαλὴν 

ἐν τῷ στόματι, 

εἴασά σε ὅμως 

ζῶσαν ἀπιέναι."

λύκος ποτὲ  ...  A wolf once

ὀστοῦν ἔχων  ...  had a bone

ἐν τῷ λαιμῷ  ...  in his throat 

ἐπνίγετο  ...  and was choking.

μεταπεμψάμενος οὖν  ...  So he sent for 

τὴν γέρανον  ...  the crane,

ἔχει γὰρ ἡ γέρανος  ...  since the crane has 

μακρὸν τὸν τράχηλον  ...  a long neck,

ᾔτησε  ... and asked her

τὸ ὀστοῦν ἐξαιρεῖν  ...  to take out the bone. 

ἔφη δέ  ...  The wolf said, 

ἐὰν τοῦτο ποιήσῃ  ...  that if she did this, 

μισθὸν καλὸν δώσειν  ...  he would offer a fine reward. 

ἡ οὖν γέρανος  ...  So the crane 

ἐξεῖλε τὸ ὀστοῦν  ...  took out the bone, 

εἶτα τὸν μισθὸν ᾔτησε  ...  and then asked for her reward. 

ὁ δὲ λύκος γελάσας  ...  The wolf laughed 

εἶπεν  ...  and said, 

ἀχάριστος εἶ, ὦ φίλη  ...  You are ungrateful, my dear!

ἤδη γὰρ σοι δέδωκα  ...  for I already gave you 

καλὸν μισθὸν  ...  a fine reward:

ἔχων γὰρ τὴν κεφαλὴν  ...  for you had your head 

ἐν τῷ στόματι  ...  in my mouth,

εἴασά σε ὅμως  ...  and I nevertheless allowed you

ζῶσαν ἀπιέναι  ...  to depart while still alive.

Steinhowel's Aesop

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

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Greek Crossword 34-35-36

Here is the review for proverbs 34-35-36 with the crossword puzzle! You can click on those group links to review those posts and/or click on the linked sayings below for the post with that specific saying:

• Ἁλιεὺς πληγεὶς νοῦν οἴσει.
• Ἀρχὴ τῆς σοφίας ἡ παιδεία.
  
• Ἀφ᾽ ἵππων ἐπ᾽ ὄνον.
  
• Βοῦν ἐπὶ γλώττης.
  
• Γνώμη γερόντων ἀσφαλεστέρα νέων.
  
• Ἐν λιμένι ναυαγεῖν.
  
• Κοινὰ τὰ τῶν φίλων.
  
• Κρείσσων ἡ πρόνοια τῆς μεταμελείας.
  
• Πάτροκλος πρόφασις.
  
• Πενία γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τρόπων διδάσκαλος.
  
• Πηγάσου ταχύτερος.
  
• Ποταμὸς θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.
  
• Τὰ δειλὰ κέρδη πημονὰς ἐργάζεται.
  
• Τόπων μεταβολαὶ οὔτε φρόνησιν διδάσκουσιν οὔτε ἀφροσύνην ἀφαιροῦνται.
  
• Χαῖρε, φίλον φῶς.
  

Here are the sayings without spaces: see if you can find the word breaks! (I'm just doing the shorter ones because the long ones just keep running over longer than the line.)

Β ο u ν ε π ι γ λ ω τ τ η ς.

Χ α ι ρ ε φ ι λ ο ν φ ω ς.

Π η γ α σ ο υ τ α χ υ τ ε ρ ο ς.

Α φ ι π π ω ν ε π ο ν ο ν.

Ε ν λ ι μ ε ν ι ν α υ α γ ε ι ν.

Κ ο ι ν α τ α τ ω ν φ ι λ ω ν.

Π α τ ρ ο κ λ ο σ π ρ ο φ α σ ι ς.

Π ο τ α μ ο σ θ α λ α σ σ α ν ε ρ ι ζ ε ι.

Α λ ι ε υ σ π λ η γ ε ι σ ν ο υ ν ο ι σ ε ι .

Α ρ χ η τ η σ σ ο φ ι α σ η π α ι δ ε ι α.

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: 76

Today's stories come from Colson's Stories and Legends: A First Greek Reader which is available at the Internet Archive. You'll find the stories below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Ὁ Βορέας καὶ ὁ ἤλιος

Ὁ Βορέας ποτὲ καὶ ὁ ἤλιος ἤριζον, ὁπότερός ἐστι κρείσσων. Ἰδὼν δὲ ἄνθρωπον ἱμάτιον ἔχοντα, ἔφη ὁ ἤλιος. “τί μάτην διαλεγόμεθα; ὁρᾷς δήπου ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἄνδρα· ὁπότερος ἄν οὖν ὑμῶν δύνηται ἀποδῦσαι τὸ ἱμάτιον τοῦ ανθρώπου, οὗτος νικάτω.” ὁ δὲ ἕτερος ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡμολόγησε. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν πεῖραν ἐποιεῖτο ὁ Βορέας. Καὶ παντὶ μὲν τῷ σθένει ἐνέπνευσε, ὁ δὲ ἀνὴρ πολὺ μάλλον ἑαυτὸν τῷ ἱματίῳ ἐκάλυπτε. Παυσαμένου δὲ του Βορέου, ὁ ἥλιος ἐξῆλθεν. Ὁ δὲ ἀνήρ, θερμὸς γενόμενος, τὸ ἱμάτιον ἀπέρριψε.  

Ὁ Βορέας ποτὲ 

καὶ ὁ ἤλιος 

ἤριζον 

ὁπότερός ἐστι κρείσσων. 

Ἰδὼν δὲ ἄνθρωπον 

ἱμάτιον ἔχοντα, 

ἔφη ὁ ἤλιος,

τί μάτην διαλεγόμεθα; 

ὁρᾷς δήπου 

ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἄνδρα —

ὁπότερος ἄν οὖν ὑμῶν 

δύνηται ἀποδῦσαι 

τὸ ἱμάτιον τοῦ ανθρώπου, 

οὗτος νικάτω.

ὁ δὲ ἕτερος 

ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡμολόγησε. 

Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν 

πεῖραν ἐποιεῖτο ὁ Βορέας. 

Καὶ παντὶ μὲν τῷ σθένει 

ἐνέπνευσε, 

ὁ δὲ ἀνὴρ 

πολὺ μάλλον 

ἑαυτὸν τῷ ἱματίῳ ἐκάλυπτε. 

Παυσαμένου δὲ του Βορέου, 

ὁ ἥλιος ἐξῆλθεν. 

Ὁ δὲ ἀνήρ, 

θερμὸς γενόμενος, 

τὸ ἱμάτιον ἀπέρριψε.  

Ὁ Βορέας ποτὲ  ...  Once the North Wind 

καὶ ὁ ἤλιος ἤριζον  ...  and the Sun quarreled

ὁπότερός ἐστι κρείσσων  ...  about who was stronger. 

Ἰδὼν δὲ ἄνθρωπον  ...  Seeing a man 

ἱμάτιον ἔχοντα  ...  who had a cloak, 

ἔφη ὁ ἤλιος  ...  the Sun said:

τί μάτην διαλεγόμεθα  ...  Why this useless arguing? 

ὁρᾷς δήπου  ...  I suppose you see

ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἄνδρα  ...  that man —

ὁπότερος ἄν οὖν ὑμῶν  ...  whichever one of us 

δύνηται ἀποδῦσαι  ...  can strip off 

τὸ ἱμάτιον τοῦ ανθρώπου  ...  the man's cloak, 

οὗτος νικάτω  ...  let him be the winner!

ὁ δὲ ἕτερος  ...  And the other 

ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡμολόγησε  ...  agreed to this. 

Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ὁ Βορέας  ...  So first the North Wind

πεῖραν ἐποιεῖτο  ...  made his attempt. 

Καὶ παντὶ μὲν τῷ σθένει  ...  And with all his might 

ἐνέπνευσε  ...  he blew! 

ὁ δὲ ἀνὴρ  ...  But the man 

ἑαυτὸν τῷ ἱματίῳ ἐκάλυπτε  ...  wrapped himself in the cloak

πολὺ μάλλον  ...  all the more tightly.

Παυσαμένου δὲ του Βορέου  ...  When the Wind ceased, 

ὁ ἥλιος ἐξῆλθεν  ...  the Sun came out. 

Ὁ δὲ ἀνήρ  ...  The man, 

θερμὸς γενόμενος  ...  becoming warm, 

τὸ ἱμάτιον ἀπέρριψε  ...  threw off his cloak.  

illustration by Walter Crane

Συμπόσιον Αἰγύπτιον

οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἐν τοῖς συμποσίοις τόδε ποιοῦσι. ἀνὴρ νεκρὸν περιφέρει ἐκ ξύλου πεποιημένον. δεικνὺς δὲ ἑκάστῳ τῶν συμποτῶν λέγει, "ὦ φίλε, ὅρα τοῦτον, ἔπειτα πῖνε καὶ τέρπου. ἀποθανὼν γὰρ καὶ σὺ τοιοῦτος ἔσει."

οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι 

ἐν τοῖς συμποσίοις τόδε ποιοῦσι

ἀνὴρ 

νεκρὸν περιφέρει 

ἐκ ξύλου πεποιημένον. 

δεικνὺς δὲ ἑκάστῳ τῶν συμποτῶν 

λέγει, 

ὦ φίλε, ὅρα τοῦτον, 

ἔπειτα πῖνε καὶ τέρπου. 

ἀποθανὼν γὰρ καὶ σὺ τοιοῦτος ἔσει.

οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι  ...  The Egyptians

ἐν τοῖς συμποσίοις  ...  in their banquets

τόδε ποιοῦσι  ...  did this:

ἀνὴρ  ...  a man

νεκρὸν περιφέρει  ...  carried around a dead man 

ἐκ ξύλου πεποιημένον  ...  made out of wood.

δεικνὺς δὲ  ...  He showed it

ἑκάστῳ τῶν συμποτῶν  ...  to each of the banqueters 

λέγει  ...  and said, 

ὦ φίλε, ὅρα τοῦτον  ...  O friend, look at this, 

ἔπειτα πῖνε καὶ τέρπου  ...  then drink and enjoy yourself,

ἀποθανὼν γὰρ  ...  for you're going to die 

καὶ σὺ τοιοῦτος ἔσει  ...  and you too will be like this man.

(if you are curious, this anecdote comes from Plutarch's Isis and Osiris)

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: June 24

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 176. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

διώκω ~ διώξω ~ ἐδίωξα: chase, pursue 

γιγνώσκω ~ γνώσομαι ~ ἔγνων: know 

φροντίζω ~ φροντιέω ~ ἑφρόντισα: consider, regard 

ἡγέομαι ~ ἡγήσομαι ~ ἡγησάμην: lead, rule; believe 

πίπτω ~ πεσοῦμαι ~ ἔπεσον: fall, fall down 

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

Ὁμόνοιαν δίωκε.

Ῥεχθὲν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

Ξενίας ἀεὶ φρόντιζε, μὴ καθυστέρει.

Ἅπαντας ἐχθροὺς τῶν Θεῶν ἡγοῦ πλέον.

Τὸν καπνὸν φεύγων εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἔπεσον.

And now, some commentary:

Ὁμόνοιαν δίωκε.

Pursue oneness-of-mind.

You could also translate this Greek compound ὁμό-νοια as "unanimity," un-anim-ity, or "concord," con-cord. This is another one of those Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus.

Ῥεχθὲν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

When something is done, even a fool knows it.

This saying appears already in Homer's Iliad: Menelaus is protecting Patroclus's fallen body, and he uses these words to rebuke the Trojan Euphorbus, but Euphorbus does not retreat, and Menelaus kills him. Plato also includes this saying in the Symposium, labeling it a παροιμία, a proverb. The idea is that a wise man can anticipate trouble in advance and avoid it, but the fool rushes in, recognizing the danger only after it has befallen him, Euphorbus being one such fool.

Ξενίας ἀεὶ φρόντιζε, μὴ καθυστέρει.

Always have regard for hospitality; don't be slow to offer.

This is one of the monostichs of Menander, so it's in iambic meter:

Ξενίας | ἀεὶ || φρόντι|ζε, μὴ || καθυ|στέρει.

Ἅπαντας ἐχθροὺς τῶν Θεῶν ἡγοῦ πλέον.

Rather consider all men to be enemies rather than the gods.

The words come from Aeschylus's The Libation Bearers; Pylades is speaking to Orestes, trying to persuade him that divine oracles must be obeyed, no matter what, even if — as in Orestes' case — the gods demand that he murder his own mother, showing her no pity.

Τὸν καπνὸν φεύγων εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἔπεσον.

Fleeing the smoke, I fell into the fire.

You've seen a saying like this before (earlier post): Εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ κάπνου. Compare the English saying, "Out of the frying pan, into the fire."

Menelaus defends the body of Patroclus

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

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Greek Reading: 75

Today's stories come from Colson's Stories and Legends: A First Greek Reader which is available at the Internet Archive. You'll find the stories below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

They are both stories about eagles: one is from Aesop, and the other is an ancient anecdote about Aeschylus.

Τοξότης καὶ ἀετός

τοξότης ποτὲ ἀετὸν ἐτόξευσεν. ὁ δὲ ἀετός, κείμενος ἐπὶ τῇ γῇ, πολὺ ἤλγει· θεασάμενος δὲ τὸν οἰστόν, ὁρᾷ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πτερὰ ἔποντα αὐτῷ· τοῦτο δὲ ἰδὼν μᾶλλον ἤλγησεν. λυπηρὸν γάρ, ἔφη, ἀποθανεῖν, λυπηρότερον δὲ ὑπὸ ἐμαυτοῦ ἀπολέσθαι.

τοξότης ποτὲ 

ἀετὸν ἐτόξευσεν. 

ὁ δὲ ἀετός, 

κείμενος ἐπὶ τῇ γῇ, 

πολὺ ἤλγει· 

θεασάμενος δὲ 

τὸν οἰστόν, 

ὁρᾷ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πτερὰ 

ἔποντα αὐτῷ· 

τοῦτο δὲ ἰδὼν 

μᾶλλον ἤλγησεν. 

λυπηρὸν γάρ, ἔφη, 

ἀποθανεῖν, 

λυπηρότερον δὲ 

ὑπὸ ἐμαυτοῦ ἀπολέσθαι.

τοξότης ποτὲ  ...  An archer once

ἀετὸν ἐτόξευσεν  ...  shot an eagle. 

ὁ δὲ ἀετός  ...  The eagle, 

κείμενος ἐπὶ τῇ γῇ  ...  lying on the ground, 

πολὺ ἤλγει  ...  was in great pain, 

θεασάμενος δὲ  ...  and when he looked at  

τὸν οἰστόν  ...  the arrow, 

ὁρᾷ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πτερὰ  ...  he saw his own feathers 

ἔποντα αὐτῷ  ...  upon the arrow. 

τοῦτο δὲ ἰδὼν  ...  Seeing this 

μᾶλλον ἤλγησεν  ...  he felt even worse 

ἔφη  ...  and said

λυπηρὸν γάρ  ...  It is painful, 

ἀποθανεῖν  ...  to die, 

λυπηρότερον δὲ  ...  and more painful

ἀπολέσθαι  ...  to be killed

ὑπὸ ἐμαυτοῦ  ... by my own.

illustration by Weir

Αἰσχύλος κaὶ ἀετός

Αἰσχύλος ὁ ποιητὴς γέρων γενόμενος, φαλακρὸς ἦν τὴν κεφαλήν. ἐπεὶ δέ ποτε ἐν ἀγρῷ περιεπάτει, ἐπέτετετο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀετός, χελώνην ἔχων ἐν ταῖς χερσίν. καὶ ὁ ἀετός, θέλων ἐσθίειν τὴν χελώνην, οὐκ ἐδύνατο διὰ τὸ δέρμα. ἰδὼν δὲ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ Αἰσχύλου λευκὴν οὖσαν, ἐνόμιζε λίθον εἶναι. κατέβαλεν οὖν τὴν χελώμην, βουλόμενος ἐπὶ τῷ λίθῳ ῥηγνύσαι τὸ δέρμα. ἡ δὲ χελώμη ἐπιπεσοῦσα τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν.

Αἰσχύλος ὁ ποιητὴς 

γέρων γενόμενος, 

φαλακρὸς ἦν τὴν κεφαλήν. 

ἐπεὶ δέ ποτε 

ἐν ἀγρῷ περιεπάτει, 

ἐπέτετετο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀετός, 

χελώνην ἔχων 

ἐν ταῖς χερσίν. 

καὶ ὁ ἀετός, 

θέλων ἐσθίειν τὴν χελώνην, 

οὐκ ἐδύνατο 

διὰ τὸ δέρμα. 

ἰδὼν δὲ 

τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ Αἰσχύλου 

λευκὴν οὖσαν, 

ἐνόμιζε λίθον εἶναι. 

κατέβαλεν οὖν τὴν χελώμην, 

βουλόμενος 

ἐπὶ τῷ λίθῳ 

ῥηγνύσαι τὸ δέρμα. 

ἡ δὲ χελώμη 

ἐπιπεσοῦσα τῇ κεφαλῇ 

τοῦ ἀνδρὸς 

ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν.

Αἰσχύλος ὁ ποιητὴς  ...  Aeschylus the poet 

γέρων γενόμενος  ...  having grown old, 

φαλακρὸς ἦν τὴν κεφαλήν  ...  was bald-headed. 

ἐπεὶ δέ ποτε περιεπάτει  ...  Once he went walking

ἐν ἀγρῷ  ...  in a field, 

ἀετός  ...  an eagle

ἐπέτετετο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ  ...  flew over him, 

χελώνην ἔχων  ...  holding a turtle 

ἐν ταῖς χερσίν  ...  in his talons. 

καὶ ὁ ἀετός, θέλων   ...  And the eagle, wanting

ἐσθίειν τὴν χελώνην  ...  to eat the turtle, 

οὐκ ἐδύνατο  ...  was not able to do so 

διὰ τὸ δέρμα  ...  on account of the shell. 

ἰδὼν δὲ  ...  And seeing 

τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ Αἰσχύλου  ...  Aeschylus's head 

λευκὴν οὖσαν  ...  which was white, 

ἐνόμιζε λίθον εἶναι  ...  he thought it was a rock. 

κατέβαλεν οὖν  ...  So he dropped

τὴν χελώμην  ...  the turtle, 

βουλόμενος  ...  planning 

ῥηγνύσαι τὸ δέρμα  ...  to shatter the shell

ἐπὶ τῷ λίθῳ  ...  on the rock. 

ἡ δὲ χελώμη  ...  The turtle 

ἐπιπεσοῦσα τῇ κεφαλῇ  ...  fell on the head 

τοῦ ἀνδρὸς  ...  of the man

ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν  ...  and killed him.

Aeschylus and the eagle

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: June 22

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 175. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ὁ ~ τοῦ (article m.): the 

ὁμοίως (adverb): likewise, the same 

ἔνθεν (adverb): whence, from where 

καί (conj.): and, also, even 

παρά (prep.+gen.): from 

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

Βελισαρίῳ ὀβολὸν δότε τῷ στρατηλάτῃ.

Θεσμοὺς δ᾽ ὁμοίως τῷ κακῷ τε κἀγαθῷ.

Ἁλῶν δὲ φόρτος ἔνθεν ἦλθεν, ἔνθ' ἔβη.

Χρόνῳ τὰ πάντα γίγνεται καὶ κρίνεται.

Λόγον παρ' ἐχθροῦ μήποθ' ἡγήσῃ φίλον.

And now, some commentary:

Βελισαρίῳ ὀβολὸν δότε τῷ στρατηλάτῃ.

Give an obolus to General Belisarius.

This is a line from the Chiliades of the Byzantine historian Tzetzes, and Belisarius was one of the great generals during the rule of the Byzantine emperor Justinian. There is a legend, probably not historical, that when Belisarius was charged with participating in a conspiracy against the emperor, Justinian had Belisarius's eyes put out, condemning him to be a beggar; hence this saying. You can see a discussion at Wikipedia: Legend as a blind beggar.

Θεσμοὺς δ᾽ ὁμοίως τῷ κακῷ τε κἀγαθῷ.

[I wrote] laws equally for the bad and for the good.

A law, θεσμός, is that which is "laid down," from the verb τίθημι. This is a saying attributed to the Athenian lawmaker Solon; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Solon. Specifically, this is part of the Σεισάχθεια, the "debt relief laws," which also has its own Wikipedia article: Seisachtheia. The Seisachtheia is quoted in Aristotle's Athenian Constitution. (I just have to add: those of you who know me know that I am a devoted reader of David Graeber, and the best book to start with is his genius book on the history of debt and debt relief: Debt: The First 5000 Years.)

Ἁλῶν δὲ φόρτος ἔνθεν ἦλθεν, ἔνθ' ἔβη.

Whence the load of salt came, so it went.

The story goes that there was a merchant who was sailing with a load of salt. The ship filled with water, which dissolved the salt, and then the ship itself sank! So the salt came from sea water, and back into the sea it dissolved. By analogy, the saying applies to anyone who loses something that they have acquired. Compare the English saying, "Easy come, easy go." 

Χρόνῳ τὰ πάντα γίγνεται καὶ κρίνεται.

In time all things occur and are judged.

Note the characteristic use of singular verbs, γίγνεται and κρίνεται, with the neuter plural subject: τὰ πάντα. Another version of this saying reads: Νόμῳ τὰ πάντα γίγνεται καὶ κρίνεται, with νόμῳ, "according to custom, practice, law" instead of χρόνῳ. This is one of the monostichs (one-liners) of Menander in iambic meter:

Χρόνῳ | τὰ πάν||τα γίγ|νεται || καὶ κρί|νεται ||

Λόγον παρ' ἐχθροῦ μήποθ' ἡγήσῃ φίλον.

Don't ever consider the word of an enemy to be friendly.

Note the 2nd-person middle form: ἡγήσῃ, with μήποθ' alerting you to the presence of an imperative or a subjunctive, as here (jussive subjunctive, a form of command). This is another one of Menander's monostichs in iambic meter:

Λόγον | παρ' ἐχ||θροῦ μή|ποθ' ἡ||γήσῃ | φίλον ||

Belisarius the beggar

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

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Greek Reading: 74

One fable below comes from Bryce's First Greek Reader (that is the last one from Bryce), and the other comes from A Greek Reader by Peter Bullions, both of which are available at the Internet Archive.

You'll find the stories below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Λέων καὶ ὄνος 

Λέων καὶ ὄνος κοινωνίαn θέμενοι, ἐξῆλθον ἐπὶ θήραν· γενομένων δὲ αὐτῶν κατά τι σπήλαιον, ἐν ᾧ αἶγες ἄγριαι, ὁ μὲν λέων πρὸ τοῦ στoμίου στάς, ἐξιούσας τὰς αἶγας συνελάμβανεν· ὁ δὲ ὄνος ἔνδον εἰσελθὼν ἐνήλατο αὐταῖς, καὶ ὠγκᾶτο ἐκφοβεῖν βουλόμενος· τοῦ δὲ λέοντος τὰς πλείστας συλλαβόντος, ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖνος ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτοῦ εἰ γενναίως ἠγωνίσατο, καὶ τὰς αἶγας ἐξεδίωξεν· ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, Ἀλλ' εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι κἀγὼ ἄν σε ἐφοβήθην, εἰ μὴ ᾔδειν σε ὄνον ὄντα.

Λέων καὶ ὄνος

κοινωνίαn θέμενοι, 

ἐξῆλθον ἐπὶ θήραν· 

γενομένων δὲ αὐτῶν 

κατά τι σπήλαιον, 

ἐν ᾧ αἶγες ἄγριαι, 

ὁ μὲν λέων 

πρὸ τοῦ στoμίου στάς, 

ἐξιούσας τὰς αἶγας 

συνελάμβανεν· 

ὁ δὲ ὄνος 

ἔνδον εἰσελθὼν 

ἐνήλατο αὐταῖς, 

καὶ ὠγκᾶτο ἐκφοβεῖν βουλόμενος· 

τοῦ δὲ λέοντος 

τὰς πλείστας συλλαβόντος, 

ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖνος 

ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτοῦ 

εἰ γενναίως ἠγωνίσατο, 

καὶ τὰς αἶγας ἐξεδίωξεν· 

ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, 

Ἀλλ' εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι 

κἀγὼ ἄν σε ἐφοβήθην, 

εἰ μὴ ᾔδειν 

σε ὄνον ὄντα.

Λέων καὶ ὄνος  ...  A lion and a donkey

κοινωνίαn θέμενοι  ...  formed a partnership, 

ἐξῆλθον ἐπὶ θήραν  ...  and went out hunting,

γενομένων δὲ αὐτῶν  ...  and they came

κατά τι σπήλαιον  ...  upon a cave

ἐν ᾧ αἶγες ἄγριαι  ...  in which there were wild goats.

ὁ μὲν λέων  ...  The lion

πρὸ τοῦ στoμίου στάς  ...  stood at the mouth of the cave, 

συνελάμβανεν τὰς αἶγας ...  and seized the goats

ἐξιούσας  ...  as they were coming out.

ὁ δὲ ὄνος  ...  The donkey

ἔνδον εἰσελθὼν  ...  went inside 

ἐνήλατο αὐταῖς  ... and rushed upon the goats

καὶ ὠγκᾶτο  ...  and he brayed

ἐκφοβεῖν βουλόμενος  ...  wanted to scare them. 

τοῦ δὲ λέοντος  ...  When the lion

τὰς πλείστας συλλαβόντος  ...  had seized most of them,

ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖνος  ...  the donkey came out

ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτοῦ  ...  and asked the lion

εἰ γενναίως ἠγωνίσατο  ...  if he had fought nobly

καὶ τὰς αἶγας ἐξεδίωξεν  ...  persecuting the goats.

ὁ δὲ εἶπεν  ...  And the lion said,

Ἀλλ' εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι  ...  Know well that

κἀγὼ ἄν σε ἐφοβήθην  ...  I too would have been afraid, 

εἰ μὴ ᾔδειν  ...  if I didn't know

σε ὄνον ὄντα  ...  you are a donkey.

illustration by Winter

Κύνες λιμώττουσαι

Κύνες λιμώττουσαι, ὡς ἐθεάσαντο ἔν τινι ποταμῷ βύρσας βρεχομένας, μὴ δυνάμεναι αὐτῶν ἐφικέσθαι, συνέθεντο ἀλλήλαις ὅπως πρῶτον τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκπίωσιν, καὶ εἶθ’ οὕτως ἐπὶ τὰς βύρσας παραγένωνται. Συνέϐη δὲ αὐταῖς πιούσαις πριν διαρραγῆναι ἤ τῶν βυρσῶν ἐφικέσθαι.

Κύνες λιμώττουσαι, 

ὡς ἐθεάσαντο ἔν τινι ποταμῷ 

βύρσας βρεχομένας, 

μὴ δυνάμεναι αὐτῶν ἐφικέσθαι, 

συνέθεντο ἀλλήλαις 

ὅπως πρῶτον τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκπίωσιν, 

καὶ εἶθ’ οὕτως ἐπὶ τὰς βύρσας παραγένωνται. 

Συνέβη δὲ αὐταῖς πιούσαις 

πριν διαρραγῆναι 

ἤ τῶν βυρσῶν ἐφικέσθαι.

Κύνες λιμώττουσαι  ...  Some dogs were famished, 

ὡς ἐθεάσαντο ἔν τινι ποταμῷ  ...  and they saw in a river 

βύρσας βρεχομένας  ...  some hides that were soaking, 

μὴ δυνάμεναι αὐτῶν ἐφικέσθαι  ... but not being able reach them, 

συνέθεντο ἀλλήλαις  ...  they agreed 

ὅπως πρῶτον τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκπίωσιν ...  to drink up the water first, 

καὶ εἶθ’ οὕτως παραγένωνται  ... and then they'd come

ἐπὶ τὰς βύρσας   ...  to the hides. 

Συνέβη δὲ αὐταῖς  ...  What happened to them

πιούσαις  ...  was that they drank

πριν διαρραγῆναι  ...  and burst before

ἤ τῶν βυρσῶν ἐφικέσθαι  ...  they got to the hides.

illustration by Weir

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

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Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 164, 165, and 166. 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. Ἀκρὸν λάβε, καὶ μέσον ἕξεις.
   
2. Ἀνόητος νεοττὸς ἑκὼν δείκνυσι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ νοσσιάν.
   
3. Βέβαιον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐν θνητῷ βίῳ.
   
4. Κρεῖττον σιωπᾶν ἐστιν ἢ λαλεῖν μάτην.
   
5. Λέρνη κακῶν.
   
6. Μηδὲ θεοῖσιν ἶσ' ἔθελε φρονέειν.
   
7. Μηδέποτε πειρῶ δύο φίλων εἶναι κριτής.
   
8. Ὁ μηδὲν ἀδικῶν οὐδενὸς δεῖται νόμου.
   
9. Οἱ μεγάλοι κλέπται τὸν μικρὸν ἀπάγουσι.
   
10. Ὄφιν τρέφειν καὶ πονηρὸν εὐεργετεῖν ταὐτόν ἐστιν.
    
11. Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει.
    
12. Πρὸς δύο λέγεται οὐδ᾽ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς οἷός τε εἶναι.
    
13. Προτέρα πάντων ἔκτισται σοφία.
    
14. Τὰ ἀφανῆ τοῖς φανεροῖς τεκμαίρου.
    
15. Φίλοις βοήθει.
    

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

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Greek Reading: 73

The fable below comes from Bryce's First Greek Reader, which is available at the Internet Archive. I'm surprised not to have seen this fable in the other readers; this is the first time we've had this famous fable.

You'll find the story below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Κόραξ καὶ ἀλώπηξ

Κόραξ, κρέας ἁπρασας, ἐπί τινος δένδρου ἐκάθισεν· ἀλώπηξ δὲ τοῦτον ἰδοῦσα, καὶ βουληθεῖσα περιγενέσθαι τοῦ κρέατος, στᾶσα κάτωθεν ἐπῄνει αὐτόν, ὡς εὐμεγεθὲς καὶ καλὸν ὄρνεον καὶ θηρευτικὸν καὶ εὔμορφον· καὶ λέγουσα, Ὅτι ἥρμοζέ σοι βασιλέα εἶναι ὀρνέων, εἰ καὶ φωνητiκὸς ὑπῆρχες· ἀλλ' ὦ τοῖον ὄρνεον, καὶ ἄλαλον ὑπάρχεις· Ὁ δὲ κόραξ, ἀκούσας ταῦτα, καὶ χαυνωθεὶς τοῖς ἐπαίνοις, ῥίψας τὸ κρέας, μεγάλως ἐεκεκράγει· ἡ δ' ἀλώπηξ, δραμοῦσα καὶ λαβοῦσα τὸ κρέας, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἔχεις, κόραξ, ἅπαντα, νοῦς δέ τοι λείπει.

Κόραξ, κρέας ἁπρασας, 

ἐπί τινος δένδρου ἐκάθισεν· 

ἀλώπηξ δὲ τοῦτον ἰδοῦσα, 

καὶ βουληθεῖσα 

περιγενέσθαι τοῦ κρέατος, 

στᾶσα κάτωθεν 

ἐπῄνει αὐτόν, 

ὡς εὐμεγεθὲς καὶ καλὸν ὄρνεον 

καὶ θηρευτικὸν καὶ εὔμορφον· 

καὶ λέγουσα, 

Ὅτι ἥρμοζέ σοι 

βασιλέα εἶναι ὀρνέων, 

εἰ καὶ φωνητiκὸς ὑπῆρχες· 

ἀλλ' ὦ τοῖον ὄρνεον, 

καὶ ἄλαλον ὑπάρχεις· 

Ὁ δὲ κόραξ, 

ἀκούσας ταῦτα, 

καὶ χαυνωθεὶς τοῖς ἐπαίνοις, 

ῥίψας τὸ κρέας, 

μεγάλως ἐεκεκράγει· 

ἡ δ' ἀλώπηξ, 

δραμοῦσα 

καὶ λαβοῦσα τὸ κρέας, 

ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· 

Ἔχεις, κόραξ, ἅπαντα, 

νοῦς δέ τοι λείπει.

Κόραξ  ...  A crow 

κρέας ἁπρασας  ...  snatched some meat

ἐκάθισεν  ...  and settled down 

ἐπί τινος δένδρου  ...  on a tree. 

ἀλώπηξ δὲ  ...  A fox 

τοῦτον ἰδοῦσα  ...  saw the crow, 

καὶ βουληθεῖσα  ...  and wanted 

περιγενέσθαι τοῦ κρέατος  ...  obtain that meat, 

στᾶσα κάτωθεν  ...  so she stood below the crow 

ἐπῄνει αὐτόν  ...  and praised the crow

ὡς εὐμεγεθὲς καὶ καλὸν ὄρνεον  ...  as a great, beautiful bird 

καὶ θηρευτικὸν καὶ εὔμορφον  ...  and a hunter, and handsome,

καὶ λέγουσα ὅτι  ...  and she said that

ἥρμοζέ σοι  ...  "It suited you

βασιλέα εἶναι ὀρνέων  ...  to be king of the birds, 

εἰ καὶ φωνητiκὸς ὑπῆρχες  ...  if you were also able to speak.

ἀλλ' ὦ τοῖον ὄρνεον  ...  but oh, such a fine bird you are,

καὶ ἄλαλον ὑπάρχεις  ...  but you are unable to speak."

Ὁ δὲ κόραξ  ...  And the crow,

ἀκούσας ταῦτα  ...  when he heard these things 

καὶ χαυνωθεὶς  ...  and opened his mouth

τοῖς ἐπαίνοις  ...  at these flatteries,

ῥίψας τὸ κρέας  ...  he dropped the meat

μεγάλως ἐεκεκράγει  ...  squawking loudly.

ἡ δ' ἀλώπηξ  ...  And the fox

δραμοῦσα  ...  ran up

καὶ λαβοῦσα τὸ κρέας  ...  and grabbed the meat,

ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν  ...  and she said to the crow

Ἔχεις, κόραξ, ἅπαντα  ...  Crow, you have everything

νοῦς δέ τοι λείπει  ...  but your mind has forsaken you."

In another Greek prose version (recorded by Chambry), this is what the fox says to the crow in the end: it's about φρένες instead of νοῦς.

Ὦ κόραξ  ...  O crow,

καὶ φρένας εἰ εἶχες  ...  if you had wits, 

οὐδὲν ἂν ἐδέησας  ...  you'd have everything you need

εἰς τὸ πάντων σε βασιλεῦσαι  ...  to rule over everybody.

illustration by Heighway

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: June 17

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 174. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

χείρ ~ χειρὸς (noun f.): hand 

γράμμα ~ γράμματος (noun n.): letter, writing 

νεκρός ~ νεκροῦ (noun m.): corpse, dead man 

πῦρ ~ πυρός (noun n.): fire 

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

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

Λημνίᾳ χειρί

Ἐφέσια γράμματα.

Μὴ νεκρῶν θήκας κίνει.

Μαχαίρᾳ μὴ πῦρ σκαλεύειν.

Εἷς κοίρανος ἔστω, εἷς βασιλεύς.

And now, some commentary:

Λημνίᾳ χειρί

By the hand of Lemnos.

This is a mythological proverb, alluding to the outrageous crime committed by the women of Lemnos when they murdered all the men on the island of Lemnos (the one exception was Hypsipyle, who saved her father Thoas). Supposedly this was because the men were refusing to have sex with them (at least, that's what the male sources say!). So, by extension, the saying applies to any kind of extreme criminality. You can read more about the women of Lemnos at Wikipedia: The Lemnian Crime.

Ἐφέσια γράμματα.

Ephesian letters.

This refers to meaningless words with magical power that were inscribed on the famous statue of Artemis at Ephesus. The words in and of themselves were "senseless" (ἄσημα ὀνόματα), but they supposedly offered supernatural protection to the person who could pronounce them correctly. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Ephesia Grammata. Compare the English phrase "mumbo jumbo" and other "gibberish."

Μὴ νεκρῶν θήκας κίνει.

Do not disturb the graves of the dead.

This is a saying found in Theophrastus, and it can be applied metaphorically to anything that is "dead and buried" and is best left undisturbed. Don't go digging it up again! Note the accentuation on κίνει, which alerts you that it is the imperative, along with μὴ as a clue that you are not dealing with an indicative verb (κινεῖ would be the 3rd-person indicative).

Μαχαίρᾳ μὴ πῦρ σκαλεύειν.

Don't poke the fire with a knife.

This is one of the so-called Pythagorean sayings recorded by Diogenes Laertius, and it means you should not provoke (poke with a sword) a person who is already angry (fire). This time you see μὴ used with the infinitive to express a general prohibition. 

Εἷς κοίρανος ἔστω, εἷς βασιλεύς.

Let there be one leader, one king. 

The words are from Homer's Iliad. The words are spoken by Odysseus as he rebukes a common soldier's protest who is unhappy with Agamemnon: οὐκ ἀγαθὸν πολυκοιρανίη: εἷς κοίρανος ἔστω, εἷς βασιλεύς: "Rule-by-many is not a good thing: let there be one leader, one king."

Artemis of Ephesis

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

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Greek Reading: 72

The fables below come from Bryce's First Greek Reader, while the joke comes from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader, both of which are available at the Internet Archive. (This is the last of the jokes from Abbott; I hope I can find another reader that has more of these jokes!)

You'll find the fables and joke below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ κεφαλή

Ἀλώπηξ εἰς οἰκίαν ἐλθοῦσα ὑποκριτοῦ καὶ ἕκαστα τῶν αὐτοῦ σκευῶν διερευνωμένη, εὗρε καὶ κεφαλὴν μορμολυκείου εὐφυῶς κατεσκευασμένην, ἣν καὶ ἀναλαβοῦσα ταῖς χερσὶν ἔφη· Ὢ οἵα κεφαλή, καὶ ἔγκεφαλον οὐκ ἔχει.

Ἀλώπηξ εἰς οἰκίαν ἐλθοῦσα ὑποκριτοῦ 

καὶ ἕκαστα τῶν αὐτοῦ σκευῶν διερευνωμένη, 

εὗρε καὶ κεφαλὴν μορμολυκείου 

εὐφυῶς κατεσκευασμένην, 

ἣν καὶ ἀναλαβοῦσα ταῖς χερσὶν ἔφη· 

Ὢ οἵα κεφαλή, 

καὶ ἔγκεφαλον οὐκ ἔχει.

Ἀλώπηξ ἐλθοῦσα  ...  A fox went into

εἰς οἰκίαν ὑποκριτοῦ  ...  the house of an actor 

καὶ διερευνωμένη  ...  and examined

ἕκαστα τῶν αὐτοῦ σκευῶν  ...  all of his goods; 

εὗρε καὶ  ...  the fox also found

κεφαλὴν μορμολυκείου  ...  a comic mask, 

εὐφυῶς κατεσκευασμένην  ...  beautifully crafted,

ἣν καὶ ἀναλαβοῦσα  ...  which she picked up 

ταῖς χερσὶν  ...  in her paws 

ἔφη  ...  and said, 

Ὢ οἵα κεφαλή  ...  Oh, such a head! 

καὶ ἔγκεφαλον οὐκ ἔχει  ...  Yet it has no brains.

illustration by Tenniel

Λύκος καὶ γέρανος 

Λύκου λαιμῷ ὀστέον ἐπεπήγει· ὁ δὲ γεράνῳ μισθὸν παρέξειν εἶπεν, εἰ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὑτῆς ἐπιβαλοῦσα τὸ ὀστοῦν ἐκ τοῦ λαιμοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκβάλοι· ἡ δ’ τοῦτ' ἐκβαλοῦσα, δολιχόδειρος οὖσα, τὸν μισθὸν ἐπεζήτει ὅστις γελάσας, καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας θήξας, Ἀρκεῖ σοι μισθός, ἔφη, τοῦτο καὶ μόνον ὅτι ἐκ λύκου στόματος καὶ ὀδόντων ἐξεῖλες κάρα σῶον μηδὲν παθοῦσα.

Λύκου λαιμῷ 

ὀστέον ἐπεπήγει· 

ὁ δὲ 

γεράνῳ μισθὸν παρέξειν εἶπεν, 

εἰ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὑτῆς ἐπιβαλοῦσα 

τὸ ὀστοῦν ἐκ τοῦ λαιμοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκβάλοι· 

ἡ δ’ τοῦτ' ἐκβαλοῦσα, 

δολιχόδειρος οὖσα, 

τὸν μισθὸν ἐπεζήτει 

ὅστις γελάσας, 

καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας θήξας, 

Ἀρκεῖ σοι μισθός, ἔφη, 

τοῦτο καὶ μόνον 

ὅτι ἐκ λύκου στόματος καὶ ὀδόντων 

ἐξεῖλες κάρα σῶον 

μηδὲν παθοῦσα.

ὀστέον ἐπεπήγει  ...  A bone had gotten stuck

λύκου λαιμῷ  ...  in the throat of a wolf,

ὁ δὲ γεράνῳ εἶπεν  ...  and he told a crane

μισθὸν παρέξειν  ...  that he would pay a reward, 

εἰ ἐπιβαλοῦσα  ...  if she would insert

τὴν κεφαλὴν αὑτῆς  ...  her head 

τὸ ὀστοῦν ἐκβάλοι  ...  and dislodge the bone

ἐκ τοῦ λαιμοῦ αὐτοῦ  ...  from his throat.

ἡ δ’ τοῦτ' ἐκβαλοῦσα  ...  She dislodged it,

δολιχόδειρος οὖσα  ...  being long-necked,

τὸν μισθὸν ἐπεζήτει  ...  and requested her reward

ὅστις γελάσας  ...  but the wolf laughed,

καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας θήξας  ...  grinding his teeth,

ἔφη  ... and said,

μισθός τοῦτο  ... This reward

καὶ μόνον   ...  and this alone

ἀρκεῖ σοι  ....  is enough for you:

ὅτι ἐκ λύκου στόματος  ...  that from the wolf's mouth 

καὶ ὀδόντων  ...  and teeth

ἐξεῖλες κάρα  ...  you pulled out your head 

σῶον  ...  safe and sound, 

μηδὲν παθοῦσα  ...  not having suffered harm.

illustration from 1485

Ὀκνηρὸς υἱός 

Ὀκνηρῷ υἱῷ ἐκέλευσεν ὃ πατὴρ εἰς τὸν γείτονα ἀπελθεῖν καὶ χρήσασθαι ἀξίνην. ὁ δὲ ἔφη, οὐ δίδωσι. τοῦ δὲ πατρὸς ἐπιμένοντος, ἀπεκρίνατο, ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ γείτων, καὶ ἀξίνην οὐκ ἔχω.

Ὀκνηρῷ υἱῷ 

ἐκέλευσεν ὃ πατὴρ 

εἰς τὸν γείτονα ἀπελθεῖν 

καὶ χρήσασθαι ἀξίνην. 

ὁ δὲ ἔφη, 

οὐ δίδωσι. 

τοῦ δὲ πατρὸς ἐπιμένοντος, 

ἀπεκρίνατο, 

ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ γείτων, 

καὶ ἀξίνην οὐκ ἔχω.

ἐκέλευσεν ὃ πατὴρ  ...  A father ordered 

ὀκνηρῷ υἱῷ  ...  his lazy son

εἰς τὸν γείτονα ἀπελθεῖν  ...  to go to the neighbor 

καὶ χρήσασθαι ἀξίνην  ...  and borrow an axe.

ὁ δὲ ἔφη  ...  The son said,

οὐ δίδωσι  ...  "No axe to give."

τοῦ δὲ πατρὸς ἐπιμένοντος  ...  The father persisted, 

ἀπεκρίνατο  ...  and the son replied,

ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ γείτων  ...  I am your neighbor,

καὶ ἀξίνην οὐκ ἔχω  ...  And I've got not axe.

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

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Greek Crossword 134-135-136

I had a mix-up today: I was supposed to do groups 34-35-36, and I accidentally did groups 134-135-136 instead. No worries, though: any and all review is a good review! I hope you will enjoy. You can click on those group links to review those posts and/or click on the linked sayings below for the post with that specific saying:

• Ἀεὶ γεωργὸς εἰς νέωτα πλούσιος.
  
• Αἰέτιον χάριν ἐκτίνειν.
  
• Γνώμη δὲ κρείσσων ἐστίν ἢ ῥώμη χερῶν.
  
• Ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ δένδρον γιγνώσκω.
  
• Ἰσχυρὸν ὄχλος ἐστίν, οὐκ ἔχει δὲ νοῦν.
  
• Μετὰ πόλεμον, ἡ συμμαχία.
  
• Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.
  
• Ξύλον ἀγκύλον ουδέποτ' ὀρθόν.
  
• Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει.
  
• Πολιτικὸν ζῷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος.
  
• Τὰ Ταντάλου τάλαντα.
  
• Ταντάλειοι τιμωρίαι.
  
• Τοῦτ' ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν μὴ σεαυτῷ ζῆν μόνῳ.
  
• Φιλόσοφος γίνου.
  
• Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν.
  

Here are the sayings without spaces: see if you can find the word breaks! (I'm just doing the shorter ones because the long ones just keep running over longer than the line.)

Π λ ο υ τ ῳ α π ι σ τ ε ι.

Φ ι λ ο σ ο φ ο σ γ ι ν ο υ.

Τ α Τ α ν τ α l ο υ τ a λ α ν τ α.

Τ α ν τ α λ ε ι ο ι τ ι μ ω ρ ι α ι.

Ω σ π ρ ο β α τ ο ν ε π ι σ φ α γ η ν.

Α ι ε τ ι o ν χ α ρ ι ν ε κ τ ι ν ε ι ν.

Μ ι α χ ε λ ι δ ω ν ε α ρ ο υ π ο ι ε ι.

Μ ε τ α π ο λ ε μ ο ν η σ υ μ μ α χ ι α.

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

Ξ υ λ ο ν α γ κ υ λ ο ν ο υ δ ε π ο τ ο ρ θ ο ν.

Α ε ι γ ε ω ρ γ ο σ ε ι σ ν ε ω τ α π λ ο υ σ i ο 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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