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.
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.
Ὄρνις ὄφεως ὠὰ εὑροῦσα ἐπιμελῶς ἐκθερμάνασα ἐξεκόλαψε. Χελιδὼν δὲ θεασαμένη αὐτὴν ἔφη· ὦ ματαία, τί ταῦτα τρέφεις, ἅπερ αὐξηθέντα ἀπὸ σοῦ πρώτης τοῦ ἀδικεῖν ἄρξεται;
Ὄρνις
ὄφεως ὠὰ εὑροῦσα
ἐπιμελῶς ἐκθερμάνασα
ἐξεκόλαψε.
Χελιδὼν δὲ
θεασαμένη αὐτὴν ἔφη·
ὦ ματαία,
τί ταῦτα τρέφεις,
ἅπερ αὐξηθέντα
ἀπὸ σοῦ πρώτης
τοῦ ἀδικεῖν ἄρξεται;
Ὄρνις ... A chicken
ὄφεως ὠὰ εὑροῦσα ... found some snake eggs
ἐπιμελῶς ἐκθερμάνασα ... and decided to warm them
ἐξεκόλαψε ... and hatch them.
Χελιδὼν δὲ ... A swallow
θεασαμένη αὐτὴν ἔφη ... saw her and said,
ὦ ματαία ... You fool!
τί ταῦτα τρέφεις ... Why are you nourishing creatures
ἅπερ αὐξηθέντα ... who as soon as they are grown
τοῦ ἀδικεῖν ἄρξεται ... will start doing harm
ἀπὸ σοῦ πρώτης ... beginning with you!
Γέρων ποτὲ ξύλα τεμὼν ἐξ ὄρους κἀπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἀράμενος, ἐπειδὴ πολλὴν ὁδὸν ἐπηχθισμένος ἐβάδισεν, ἀπειρηκὼς ἀπέθετό τε τὰ ξύλα, καὶ τὸν θάνατον ἐλθεῖν ἐπεκαλεῖτο. Τοῦ δὲ θανάτου εὐθὺς ἐπιστάντος, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν πυνθανομένου, δ᾿ ἣν αὐτὸν καλοίη, ὁ γέρων ἔφη· ἵνα τὸν φόρτον τοῦτον ἄρας ἐπιθῇς μοι.
Γέρων ποτὲ
ξύλα τεμὼν ἐξ ὄρους
κἀπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἀράμενος,
ἐπειδὴ πολλὴν ὁδὸν
ἐπηχθισμένος ἐβάδισεν,
ἀπειρηκὼς ἀπέθετό τε τὰ ξύλα,
καὶ τὸν θάνατον ἐλθεῖν ἐπεκαλεῖτο.
Τοῦ δὲ θανάτου εὐθὺς ἐπιστάντος,
καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν πυνθανομένου,
δ᾿ ἣν αὐτὸν καλοίη,
ὁ γέρων ἔφη·
ἵνα τὸν φόρτον τοῦτον ἄρας
ἐπιθῇς μοι.
Γέρων ποτὲ ... There was once an old man
ξύλα τεμὼν ... who had cut wood
ἐξ ὄρους ... from up on the mountain
καὶ ἀράμενος ... and was carrying the wood
ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων ... upon his shoulders
ἐπειδὴ ἐβάδισεν ... and when he'd walked
πολλὴν ὁδὸν ... a long way
ἐπηχθισμένος ... burdened with the wood,
ἀπειρηκὼς ... he gave up,
ἀπέθετό τε τὰ ξύλα ... and put the wood down,
καὶ ἐπεκαλεῖτο ... and called out,
τὸν θάνατον ἐλθεῖν ... for Death to come.
εὐθὺς ... All of a sudden
τοῦ δὲ θανάτου ἐπιστάντος ... Death stood there
καὶ πυνθανομένου ... and asked
τὴν αἰτίαν ... the reason why
δ᾿ ἣν αὐτὸν καλοίη ... he had summoned him.
ὁ γέρων ἔφη ... The old man said,
ἵνα τὸν φόρτον τοῦτον ἄρας ... To lift up this burden
ἐπιθῇς μοι ... and put it back on my shoulders.
Ἀβδηρίτου στρουθίον ἀπέθανε. μετὰ οὖν χρόνον ἰδὼν στρουθοκάμηλον, εἶπεν, εἰ ἔζη τὸ στρουθίον μου, ἤδη ἂν τηλικοῦτον ὑπῆρχεν.
Ἀβδηρίτου στρουθίον
ἀπέθανε.
μετὰ οὖν χρόνον
ἰδὼν στρουθοκάμηλον,
εἶπεν,
εἰ ἔζη τὸ στρουθίον μου,
ἤδη ἂν τηλικοῦτον ὑπῆρχεν.
Ἀβδηρίτου στρουθίον ... A dunce's pet sparrow
ἀπέθανε ... died.
μετὰ οὖν χρόνον ... After a while
ἰδὼν στρουθοκάμηλον ... he saw an ostrich,
εἶπεν ... and said:
εἰ ἔζη τὸ στρουθίον μου ... If my sparrow had lived,
ἤδη ἂν τηλικοῦτον ὑπῆρχεν ... he would be that size now!
(The word for ostrich in Greek is στρουθοκάμηλος, sparrow-camel.)
And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:
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