Greek Reading: 88

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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.

Δύο πήραι

(another version)

ἕκαστος ἄνθρωπος δύο πήρας φέρει, τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν, τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν. καὶ ἑκατέρα κακῶν μεστή ἐστι. ἡ δὲ ἔμπροσθεν τὰ ἀλλότρια κακὰ φέρει, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα τὰ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς. διὰ τοῦτο οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὰ ἑαυτῶν κακὰ οὐχ ὁρῶσι, τὰ δὲ ἀλλότρια πάνυ ἀκριβῶς θεῶνται.

ἕκαστος ἄνθρωπος 

δύο πήρας φέρει, 

τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν, 

τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν. 

καὶ ἑκατέρα κακῶν μεστή ἐστι. 

ἡ δὲ ἔμπροσθεν 

τὰ ἀλλότρια κακὰ φέρει, 

ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα 

τὰ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς. 

διὰ τοῦτο 

οἱ ἄνθρωποι 

τὰ ἑαυτῶν κακὰ οὐχ ὁρῶσι, 

τὰ δὲ ἀλλότρια 

πάνυ ἀκριβῶς θεῶνται.

ἕκαστος ἄνθρωπος  ...  Each person 

δύο πήρας φέρει  ...  carries two pouches, 

τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν  ...  one in front, 

τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν  ...  and one behind. 

καὶ ἑκατέρα   ...  And each pouch

κακῶν μεστή ἐστι  ...  is full of vices. 

ἡ δὲ ἔμπροσθεν  ...  The pouch in front 

τὰ ἀλλότρια κακὰ φέρει  ...  holds others' vices, 

ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα  ...  and the other pouch 

τὰ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς  ...  the vices of that person. 

διὰ τοῦτο  ...  That is why 

οἱ ἄνθρωποι  ...  people

οὐχ ὁρῶσι  ...  do not see

τὰ ἑαυτῶν κακὰ  ...  their own vices,

πάνυ ἀκριβῶς θεῶνται  ... but discern in all accuracy

τὰ δὲ ἀλλότρια  ...  the vices of others.

17th-century Phaedrus

Λέων καὶ μῦς

ὁ λέων ποτὲ μῦν ἐπιτρέχοντα ἔλαβε. ὁ δὲ μῦς μέλλων ἀποθνήσκειν, τοιάδε εἶπε, “ὦ λέον, μὴ με ἀπόκτεινε. ἐὰν γὰρ νῦν ἐμὲ σώσῃς, ἴσως καί σε ἐγώ ποτε σώσω. τῷ δὲ λέοντι οἱ λόγοι γέλοιοι ἔδοξαν· πῶς γὰρ ἂν λέων ὑπὸ μυὸς σωθείη; ἐλεήσας δὲ ὅμως ἀπέλυσεν. ὕστερον δὲ ὁ λέων ὑπὸ τῶν κυναγῶν ληφθείς, ἐδέθη ἐπὶ δένδρῳ. ὁ δὲ μῦς τρώξας τοὺς δεσμοὺς ἠλευθέρωσεν αὐτόν.

ὁ λέων ποτὲ 

μῦν ἐπιτρέχοντα ἔλαβε. 

ὁ δὲ μῦς 

μέλλων ἀποθνήσκειν, 

τοιάδε εἶπε, 

ὦ λέον, 

μὴ με ἀπόκτεινε. 

ἐὰν γὰρ νῦν ἐμὲ σώσῃς, 

ἴσως καί σε ἐγώ ποτε σώσω. 

τῷ δὲ λέοντι 

οἱ λόγοι γέλοιοι ἔδοξαν· 

πῶς γὰρ ἂν λέων 

ὑπὸ μυὸς σωθείη; 

ἐλεήσας δὲ ὅμως ἀπέλυσεν. 

ὕστερον δὲ 

ὁ λέων 

ὑπὸ τῶν κυναγῶν ληφθείς, 

ἐδέθη ἐπὶ δένδρῳ. 

ὁ δὲ μῦς 

τρώξας τοὺς δεσμοὺς 

ἠλευθέρωσεν αὐτόν.

ὁ λέων ποτὲ  ...  A lion once

ἔλαβε μῦν  ...  seized a mouse

ἐπιτρέχοντα  ...  who scampered over him.

ὁ δὲ μῦς  ...  And the mouse, 

μέλλων ἀποθνήσκειν  ...  about to die, 

τοιάδε εἶπε  ...  spoke as follows, 

ὦ λέον  ...  O lion, 

μὴ με ἀπόκτεινε  ...  don't kill me! 

ἐὰν γὰρ νῦν ἐμὲ σώσῃς  ...  If you save me now, 

ἴσως καί  ...  likewise

σε ἐγώ ποτε σώσω  ...  I will save you someday. 

τῷ δὲ λέοντι  ...  To the lion 

οἱ λόγοι γέλοιοι ἔδοξαν  ...  these words seemed laughable, 

πῶς γὰρ ἂν λέων  ...  for how could a lion 

ὑπὸ μυὸς σωθείη  ...  be saved by a mouse? 

ἐλεήσας δὲ ὅμως  ...  Pitying the mouse all the same

ἀπέλυσεν  ...  he let him go. 

ὕστερον δὲ ὁ λέων  ...  Later the lion 

ὑπὸ τῶν κυναγῶν ληφθείς  ...  was caught by hunters 

ἐδέθη ἐπὶ δένδρῳ  ...  and tied to a tree. 

ὁ δὲ μῦς  ...  The mouse 

τρώξας τοὺς δεσμοὺς  ...  nibbled the ropes binding the lion 

ἠλευθέρωσεν αὐτόν  ...  and freed him.

illustration by Conde

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

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Greek Animal Vocabulary: July 24

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 185. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

λύκος ~ λύκου (noun m.): wolf 

κορώνη ~ κορώνης (noun f.): crow 

λέων ~ λέοντος (noun m.): lion 

αἴξ ~ αἰγός (noun c.): goat 

ἔλαφος ~ ἐλάφου (noun c.): deer 

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

Λύκος μάτην χάνων.

Κορώνη τὸν σκορπίον ἥρπασεν.

Οὐ χρὴ λέοντος σκύμνον ἐν πόλει τρέφειν.

Αἲξ οὔπω τέτοκεν, ἔριφος δ᾿ ἐπὶ δώματι παίζει.

Φοβερώτερόν ἐστι στρατόπεδον ἐλάφων ἡγουμένου λέοντος ἢ λεόντων ἐλάφου.

And now, some commentary:

Λύκος μάτην χάνων.

The wolf, gaping like a fool.

This proverb refers to someone whose hopes are disappointed: he is gaping, empty-mouthed, not having gotten what he wanted. The proverb takes on narrative form in an Aesop's fable about a foolish wolf who heard a mother threatening her baby: "If you don't stop crying, I'll throw you to the wolf." Since the baby kept on crying, the wolf stood there outside the window, hoping that the woman would soon throw the baby to him, but he stood there gaping like a fool — the woman was never really going to throw the baby to the wolf.

Κορώνη τὸν σκορπίον ἥρπασεν.

The crow seized the scorpion.

As you can guess, things did not turn out well for the scorpion! There is a similar Aesop's fable with a snake instead of a scorpion: The Crow and the Snake.

Οὐ χρὴ λέοντος σκύμνον ἐν πόλει τρέφειν.

It is not right to raise a lion's cub in the city.

The saying appears in Aristophanes's Frogs, where it is attributed to Aeschylus in reference to Alcibiades, and as such it appears in Plutarch's Life of Alcibiades as well (but not in exactly this form).

Αἲξ οὔπω τέτοκεν, ἔριφος δ᾿ ἐπὶ δώματι παίζει.

The goat has not yet given birth, and the kid is playing on the rooftop.

This is like the English saying, "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. " In other words: don't start imagining the playful kid before the goat has actually given birth.

Φοβερώτερόν ἐστι στρατόπεδον ἐλάφων ἡγουμένου λέοντος ἢ λεόντων ἐλάφου.

An army of deer with the lion as leader is more frightening than an army of lions led by a deer.

This saying plays with the stereotypical cowardice of the deer as opposed to the bellicose lion. The image of an army of lions led by a deer is a nice bit of satire!

illustration by Weir

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

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Greek Reading: 87

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.

Δρῦς καὶ κάλαμοι

δρῦς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνέμου ἐς ποταμὸν ἐρρίφθη. φερομένη δὲ κατὰ τὸν ποταμόν, εἶπε τοῖς καλάμοις, πῶς ὑμεῖς λεπτοὶ ὄντες καὶ ἀσθενεῖς οὐκ ἀπολλυσθε; οἱ δὲ κάλαμοι ἔφασαν, σὺ μὲν τοῖς ἀνέμοις μαχεῖ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καταβάλλει. ἡμεῖς δὲ εἴκομεν αὐτοῖς, ὥστε οὐδὲ κακὸν πάσχομεν.

δρῦς 

ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνέμου 

ἐς ποταμὸν 

ἐρρίφθη. 

φερομένη δὲ κατὰ τὸν ποταμόν, 

εἶπε τοῖς καλάμοις, 

πῶς ὑμεῖς 

λεπτοὶ ὄντες καὶ ἀσθενεῖς 

οὐκ ἀπολλυσθε; 

οἱ δὲ κάλαμοι ἔφασαν, 

σὺ μὲν τοῖς ἀνέμοις μαχεῖ, 

καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καταβάλλει. 

ἡμεῖς δὲ εἴκομεν αὐτοῖς, 

ὥστε οὐδὲ κακὸν πάσχομεν.

δρῦς  ...  An oak tree

ἐρρίφθη  ...  was hurled

ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνέμου  ...  by the wind 

ἐς ποταμὸν  ...  into the river.

φερομένη δὲ  ... Being carried

κατὰ τὸν ποταμόν  ...  down the river,

εἶπε τοῖς καλάμοις  ...  the oak said to the reeds:

πῶς ὑμεῖς  ...  How is that you

λεπτοὶ ὄντες καὶ ἀσθενεῖς  ...  slender and weak as you are

οὐκ ἀπολλυσθε  ...  are not laid low? 

οἱ δὲ κάλαμοι ἔφασαν  ...  And the reeds said:

σὺ μὲν τοῖς ἀνέμοις μαχεῖ  ...  You fight the winds

καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καταβάλλει  ...  and thus you are cast down,

ἡμεῖς δὲ εἴκομεν αὐτοῖς  ...  but we yield to them, 

ὥστε οὐδὲ κακὸν πάσχομεν  ...  and so we suffer no harm.

Medici Aesop

Παῖδες γεωργοῦ 

οἱ παῖδες γεωργοῦ τινος ἐστασίαζον. ὁ δέ, καίπερ πολλὰ παραινῶν, οὐ κατήλλαξεν. μεταπεμψάμενος οὖν φάκελον, ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοὺς κατακλᾷν. οἱ δέ, καίπερ παντὶ τῷ σθένει χρώμενοι, οὐκ ἐδύναντο. τότε δὴ λύσας τὸν δεσμὸν τοῦ φακέλου, τὰς ῥάβδους, ἑκάστην ἀνὰ μίαν, αὐτοῖς ἔδωκεν. οἱ δὲ ῥᾳδίως κατέκλασαν. ἔπειτα ἔφη· ὦ παῖδες, ὡσαύτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἐὰν μὲν τὰ αὐτὰ φρονῆτε, ἀνίκητοι ἔσεσθε· ἐὰν δὲ στασιάξητε, ῥᾳδίως ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν νικηθήσεσθε.

οἱ παῖδες γεωργοῦ τινος 

ἐστασίαζον. 

ὁ δέ, 

καίπερ πολλὰ παραινῶν, 

οὐ κατήλλαξεν. 

μεταπεμψάμενος οὖν φάκελον, 

ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοὺς κατακλᾷν. 

οἱ δέ, 

καίπερ παντὶ τῷ σθένει χρώμενοι, 

οὐκ ἐδύναντο. 

τότε δὴ λύσας 

τὸν δεσμὸν τοῦ φακέλου, 

τὰς ῥάβδους, 

ἑκάστην ἀνὰ μίαν, 

αὐτοῖς ἔδωκεν. 

οἱ δὲ ῥᾳδίως κατέκλασαν. 

ἔπειτα ἔφη· 

ὦ παῖδες, 

ὡσαύτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, 

ἐὰν μὲν τὰ αὐτὰ φρονῆτε, 

ἀνίκητοι ἔσεσθε· 

ἐὰν δὲ στασιάξητε, 

ῥᾳδίως ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν νικηθήσεσθε.

οἱ παῖδες γεωργοῦ τινος  ...  A farmer's sons 

ἐστασίαζον  ...  were quarreling,

ὁ δέ  ...  and the farmer

καίπερ πολλὰ παραινῶν  ...  kept urging (reconciliation)

οὐ κατήλλαξεν  ...  but they wouldn't reconcile.

μεταπεμψάμενος οὖν  ...  so he sent for

φάκελον  ...  a bundle (of sticks)

ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοὺς  ...  and ordered them 

κατακλᾷν  ...  to break it.

οἱ δέ  ...  But they

καίπερ χρώμενοι  ...  despite using

παντὶ τῷ σθένει  ...  all their strength

οὐκ ἐδύναντο  ...  couldn't do it.

τότε δὴ λύσας  ...  Then he untied

τὸν δεσμὸν τοῦ φακέλου  ...  the binding of the bundle, 

αὐτοῖς ἔδωκεν  ...  and gave to his sons

τὰς ῥάβδους  ...  the sticks,

ἑκάστην ἀνὰ μίαν  ...  one each.

οἱ δὲ ῥᾳδίως κατέκλασαν  ...  They easily broke them.

ἔπειτα ἔφη  ...  Then the father said, 

ὦ παῖδες  ...  O my sons,

ὡσαύτως καὶ ὑμεῖς  ...  it is the same with you: 

ἐὰν μὲν τὰ αὐτὰ φρονῆτε  ...  if you are of one mind, 

ἀνίκητοι ἔσεσθε  ...  you will be unconquerable,

ἐὰν δὲ στασιάξητε  ...  but if you quarrel,

ῥᾳδίως νικηθήσεσθε  ...  you will easily be conquered

ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν  ...  by your enemies.

Walter Crane

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

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Greek Animal Vocabulary: July 22

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 184. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ὄνος ~ ὄνου (noun m.): donkey 

κύκνειος ~ κυκνείου (adj. masc.): swan, swan's

μυῖα ~ μυίας (noun f.): fly 

αἴξ ~ αἰγός (noun c.): goat 

πάρδαλις ~ παρδάλεως (noun f.): leopard, panther 

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

Ὄνου πόκαι.

Κύκνειον μέλος.

Ἔχει καὶ ἡ μυῖα σπλῆνα.

Κἂν αἴξ δάκῃ ἄνδρα πονηρόν.

Θάνατον παρδάλεως ὑποκρίνεται.

And now, some commentary:

Ὄνου πόκαι.

Wool from a donkey.

This is another one of those proverbial fool's errands: you get wool from a sheep, not from a donkey. The word "wool" is usually masculine, πόκος, but the feminine appears persists in this saying. You've seen a variation on this saying in an earlier post with the masculine form: Ὄνου πόκους ζητεῖς.

Κύκνειον μέλος.

Swan song.

The legend of the song that the swan (supposedly) sings just before it dies, having spent the rest of its life in silence, has its own article at Wikipedia: Swan song. (I'll just mention here in passing a wonderful community organization here in Austin where I live: Swan Song: Musical Last Wishes brings musicians to the homes of hospice patients in order to perform for them; I learned about it because a jazz trio came and did a performance for my father.)

Ἔχει καὶ ἡ μυῖα σπλῆνα.

Even the fly has its spleen.

The idea is that even though it is little, the fly can have a big temper. The spleen was the home of angry emotions; compare English "splenetic," meaning irritable, peevish, spiteful, habitually angry. Compare a similar saying about the tiny ant that you saw in a previous post: Ἔχει καὶ χολὴν ὁ μύρμηξ.

Κἂν αἴξ δάκῃ ἄνδρα πονηρόν.

Even a goat will bite a wicked man.

Normally, you don't have to worry about goats, but if you are an evil person: watch out! Even a goat might decide to bite you, sensing your wickedness.

Θάνατον παρδάλεως ὑποκρίνεται.

He's feigning the leopard's death.

In other words, someone is "playing dead" like a leopard. I know a lot of folktales from Africa where the leopard pretends to be dead, and Apostolius, who reports this Greek proverb, also tells a story about leopards using this technique to catch monkeys... in Mauritania, northwest Africa! See Erasmus for details.

leopard mosaic in Palermo

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

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Greek Reading: 86

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.

Ὄνος καὶ τέττιξ

ὁ ὄνος ἀκούσας τῶν τεττίγων ἀδόντων πολὺ ἐτέρπετο. βουλόμενος δὲ αὐτὸς τοιαύτην φωνὴν ἔχειν, τί σιτούμενοι, ἔφη, οὕτω καλῶς ᾄδετε; οἱ δὲ δροσον εἶπον. ὁ οὖν ὄνος αὐτὸς δρόσον ἐσιτεῖτο. καὶ τοῦτο ποιῶν οὔτε ᾄδειν ἔμαθε, μετά τε οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας λιμῷ ἀπέθανε.

ὁ ὄνος ἀκούσας 

τῶν τεττίγων ἀδόντων 

πολὺ ἐτέρπετο. 

βουλόμενος δὲ αὐτὸς 

τοιαύτην φωνὴν ἔχειν, 

ἔφη, 

τί σιτούμενοι

οὕτω καλῶς ᾄδετε; 

οἱ δὲ δροσον εἶπον. 

ὁ οὖν ὄνος αὐτὸς 

δρόσον ἐσιτεῖτο. 

καὶ τοῦτο ποιῶν 

οὔτε ᾄδειν ἔμαθε, 

μετά τε οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας 

λιμῷ ἀπέθανε.

ὁ ὄνος ἀκούσας  ...  A donkey heard 

τῶν τεττίγων ἀδόντων  ...  the cicadas singing 

πολὺ ἐτέρπετο  ...  and enjoyed it very much.

βουλόμενος δὲ αὐτὸς  ...  He wanted 

τοιαύτην φωνὴν ἔχειν  ...  to have the same voice

ἔφη  ...  and asked,

τί σιτούμενοι  ...  What do you eat 

οὕτω καλῶς ᾄδετε  ...  that you sing so beautifully?

οἱ δὲ δροσον εἶπον  ...  They said: dew.

ὁ οὖν ὄνος αὐτὸς  ...  And so the donkey likewise

δρόσον ἐσιτεῖτο  ...  fed on dew, 

καὶ τοῦτο ποιῶν  ...  and when he did this

οὔτε ᾄδειν ἔμαθε  ...  he both failed to learn to sing,

μετά τε οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας  ...  and after a few days

λιμῷ ἀπέθανε  ...  he died of hunger.

Λύκος καὶ ἀρνίον

ΛΥΚ. ἀδικεῖς, ὦ ἀρνίον: ταράσσεις γὰρ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷς ἐμὲ πίνειν.

ΑΡΝ. πῶς ταῦτα λέγεις, ὦ λύκε; κάτω γάρ σου ἕστηκα, ὥστε οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπως τὸ σὸν ὕδωρ ταράσσω.

ΛΥΚ. οὐ μέντοι ἀναίτιος εἶ: πέρυσι γὰρ ἐμὲ ἐλοιδόρησας.

ΑΡΝ. ἀλλ᾽ οὔπω τότε ἐγεγενήμην.

ΛΥΚ. ὁ γοῦν ἀδελφός σου τοῦτο ἐποίησε.

ΑΡΝ. οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀληθές ἐστι· οὐ γάρ ἐστί μοι ἀδελφός.

ΛΥΚ. πολλὰς προφάσεις ἔχεις. ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ πεινῶ, σὺ δὲ καλόν μοι δεῖπνον ἔσει.

ΛΥΚ. ἀδικεῖς, ὦ ἀρνίον: 

ταράσσεις γὰρ τὸ ὕδωρ, 

καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷς ἐμὲ πίνειν.

ΑΡΝ. πῶς ταῦτα λέγεις, 

ὦ λύκε; 

κάτω γάρ σου ἕστηκα, 

ὥστε οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπως 

τὸ σὸν ὕδωρ ταράσσω.

ΛΥΚ. οὐ μέντοι ἀναίτιος εἶ: 

πέρυσι γὰρ ἐμὲ ἐλοιδόρησας.

ΑΡΝ. ἀλλ᾽ οὔπω τότε ἐγεγενήμην.

ΛΥΚ. ὁ γοῦν ἀδελφός σου 

τοῦτο ἐποίησε.

ΑΡΝ. οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀληθές ἐστι· 

οὐ γάρ ἐστί μοι ἀδελφός.

ΛΥΚ. πολλὰς προφάσεις ἔχεις. 

ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ πεινῶ, 

σὺ δὲ καλόν μοι δεῖπνον ἔσει.

ΛΥΚ. ἀδικεῖς, ὦ ἀρνίον  ...  You do me wrong, lamb!

ταράσσεις γὰρ τὸ ὕδωρ  ...  For you are muddying the water

καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷς ἐμὲ πίνειν  ...  and not allowing me to drink.

ΑΡΝ. ὦ λύκε  ...  O wolf,

πῶς ταῦτα λέγεις  ...   how can you say these things?

κάτω γάρ σου ἕστηκα  ...  I'm standing downstream from you 

ὥστε οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπως  ...  so there is no way 

τὸ σὸν ὕδωρ ταράσσω  ...  that I can muddy your water.

ΛΥΚ. οὐ μέντοι ἀναίτιος εἶ  ...  But you cannot be blameless!

πέρυσι γὰρ  ...  For last year 

ἐμὲ ἐλοιδόρησας  ...  you insulted me.

ΑΡΝ. ἀλλ᾽ οὔπω τότε ἐγεγενήμην  ...  But I wasn't born yet!

ΛΥΚ. ὁ γοῦν ἀδελφός σου  ...  Well then, it was your brother 

τοῦτο ἐποίησε  ...  who did it.

ΑΡΝ. οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀληθές ἐστι  ...  But this cannot be true 

οὐ γάρ ἐστί μοι ἀδελφός  ...  for I don't have a brother.

ΛΥΚ. πολλὰς προφάσεις ἔχεις  ...  You have lots of excuses 

ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ πεινῶ  ...  but I am hungry,

σὺ δὲ ἔσει  ...  and you will be

καλόν μοι δεῖπνον  ...  a nice supper for me!

illustration by Grandville

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

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Greek Crossword 40-41-42

Here is the review for proverbs in groups 40-41-42 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:

• Ἀγαθὸν μέγιστον ἡ φρόνησίς ἐστ' ἀεί.
  
• Ἀλκήστιδος ἀνδρεία.
  
• Ἀνὴρ ἀτεχνὴς τοῖς πᾶσίν ἐστι δοῦλος.
  
• Ἅπας ἐχῖνος τραχύς.
  
• Αὐτὸς αὑτὸν αὐλεῖ.
  
• Βέβαιον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐν θνητῷ βίῳ.
  
• Δὶς πρὸς τὸν αυτὸν αἰσχρὸν προσκρούειν λίθον.
  
• Ἡ δὲ κακὴ βουλὴ τῷ βουλεύσαντι κακίστη.
  
• Θεοῦ δ᾿ ὄνειδος τοὺς κακοὺς εὐδαιμονεῖν.
  
• Ὁ δ' ὄλβος οὐ βέβαιος, ἀλλ' ἐφήμερος.
  
• Ὁ κύων ὁ ζῶν αὐτὸς ἀγαθὸς ὑπὲρ τὸν λέοντα τὸν νεκρόν.
  
• Πρεσβύτερος Κόδρου.
  
• Σιγή ποτ' ἐστὶν αἱρετωτέρα λόγου.
  
• Τύχη τέχνην ὀρθοῖ, οὐ τέχνη τύχην.
  
• Τῶν γὰρ πενήτων εἰσὶν οἱ λόγοι κενοί.
  

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.)

α υ τ ο σ α υ τ ο ν α υ λ ε ι.

α λ κ η σ τ ι δ ο σ α ν δ ρ ε ι α.

α π α σ ε χ ι ν ο σ τ ρ α χ υ ς.

π ρ ε σ β υ τ ε ρ ο σ κ ο δ ρ ο υ.

β ε β α ι ο ν ο υ δ ε ν ε σ τ ι ν ε ν θ ν η τ ῳ β ι ῳ.

σ ι γ η π ο τ ε σ τ ι ν α ι ρ ε τ ω τ ε ρ α λ ο γ ο υ.

τ υ χ η τ ε χ ν η ν ο ρ θ ο ι ο υ τ ε χ ν η τ υ χ η 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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Philogelos compendium

Today's post is a bit different: it's a review of the Philogelos jokes that I shared in previous posts drawn from various Greek readers. I'm about to start on a Philogelos project with Hector Tapia (grad student at UC Davis working on Aesopic humor and other jokes), and it may result in a reader for students, so I wanted to see what stories I had found in the old textbooks thus far.

Below you will find a list of titles linked to their blog posts, and you can also find all that content copied-and-pasted into this document: Philogelos jokes from old Greek textbooks. There are 58 of these little jokes, so that is already a good start! Having them all in one place lets you search the document for a keyword, for example, if you want to find all the donkeys or doctors, all the references to slaves, etc.

For more Philogelos jokes in Greek (there are over 250 total!), see You've Got to Be Joking: An English Translation of the Philogelos by Annie McCabe, an undergraduate (!) thesis available for download at New College of Florida.

I also found some Philogelos cartoons online at the Language Museum. This one Τίς ὁ τεθνηκώς; (the cartoon is in English, but it includes the Greek text below).

These are links to past blog posts:

1. Ἀβδηρίτης καὶ ἰατρός
2. Ἀβδηρίτης καὶ χοιρίδιον
3. Ἀβδηρίτης τις κολυμβῶν
4. Ἀβδηρίτου στρουθίον
5. Αἱ πύλαι τῶν Ἀβδήρων
6. Δειλὸς κυνηγὸς
7. Δίδυμοι ἀδελφοί
8. Δικαίως μωροὶ καλούμεθα
9. Δύσκολος ἰατρός
10. Δύσκολὸς καὶ δοῦλος
11. Ἔμαθον ὅτι ἀπέθανες
12. Ἐπὶ δεῖπνον κληθείς
13. Ἡ λεκάνη μὴ ἔχουσα ὠτία
14. Ἡ λήκυθος
15. Ἡ μήτηρ Πριάμου
16. Ἡ περὶ τῶν βιβλίων ἐπιστολή
17. Καθ' ὕπνους ἰδὼν
18. Κριτήρια ἐν ᾍδου
19. Κυμαῖος ἰατρὸς
20. Κυμαῖος καὶ συκῆ
21. Κυμαῖός τις ἐν τῷ κολυμβᾶν
22. Κυμαῖός τις μέλι ἐπώλει
23. Ὀκνηρὸς υἱός
24. Ὃν ἐπώλησάς μοι δοῦλον
25. Ὄνος καὶ ἔλαιον
26. Πλοῖα ἀσφαλέστερα
27. Προσκεφάλαιον
28. Σιδώνιος σχολαστικός
29. Σχολαστικοὶ δύο καὶ μέλαινα ὄρνις
30. Σχολαστικὸς ἰατρῷ συναντήσας
31. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ ἀδελφοὶ δύο
32. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ διδάσκαλος
33. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ θρέμματα
34. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ ἰατρός
35. Σχολαστικός καὶ κλῖμαξ
36. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ κόραξ
37. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ κουρεύς
38. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ οἰκία
39. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ οἶνος
40. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ ὄνος
41. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ πώγων
42. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ σελήνη
43. Σχολαστικός καὶ στρουθοί
44. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ τὰ βιβλία αὑτοῦ
45. Σχολαστικὸς καὶ φρέαρ
46. Σχολαστικὸς μαχόμενος τῷ πατρὶ
47. Σχολαστικὸς ναυαγεῖν μέλλων
48. Σχολαστικὸς ναυαγῶν
49. Σχολαστικὸς νοσοῦντα ἐπισκεπτόμενος
50. Σχολαστικὸς νοσῶν καὶ γυνὴ
51. Σχολαστικὸς οἰκίαν πωλῶν
52. Σχολαστικὸς πεπαιδευμένος
53. Σχολαστικός τις ἐνοπτρίζεται
54. Σχολαστικός τις καὶ ποταμός
55. Σχολαστικοῦ υἱὸς
56. Τίς ὁ τεθνηκώς;
57. Ὑὸς κεφαλή
58. Φιλάργυρος

So, enjoy the jokes, and I'll be back next week with more stories from the old readers.

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

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Greek Animal Vocabulary: July 17

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 183. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ὗς ~ ὑός (noun c.): pig 

γαλέη ~ γαλέης (noun f.): weasel 

λύκος ~ λύκου (noun m.): wolf 

λαγώς ~ λαγώ (noun m.): hare 

μύρμηξ ~ μύρμηκος (noun m.): ant 

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

Βοιωτία ὗς.

Γαλῆν ἔχεις.

Λύκος καλεῖ τὰς αἶγας.

Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν λαγωῶν.

Οὐαὶ μύρμηκι πτεροῖς ἀρθέντι.

And now, some commentary:

Βοιωτία ὗς.

A Boeotian pig.

This saying brings together two proverbially ignorant creatures: someone from Boeotia, and a pig. Combine the two, and you've got someone who is totally ignorant. You've already seen a proverb mocking the people of Boeotia in a previous post: Βοιώτιος νοῦς. You've also seen a saying mocking the ignorance of the foolish pig who dares to rival the goddess of wisdom in this post from last week: Ὗς πότ᾽ Ἀθηναίαν ἔριν ἤρισεν.

Γαλῆν ἔχεις.

You've got the weasel.

The weasel was a very bad omen, so telling someone that they have a weasel means that they are unlucky and going to get into trouble as a result. Compare the evil omen of a black cat crossing your path in English; there is a lot of folkloric overlap between weasels and cats (the ancient Greeks kept weasels in their houses to control mice; later, they adopted the Egyptian practice of keeping cats as pets).

Λύκος καλεῖ τὰς αἶγας.

The wolf is calling the goats.

The goats would be very foolish indeed if they came to the wolf when he called to them. Of course the wolf is going to try to trick the goats; it's up to the goats to know better and watch out. So, if you're a metaphorical goat, beware!

Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν λαγωῶν.

You are more cowardly than the rabbits.

There is an Aesop's fable about the proverbial cowardice of rabbits, but in the Aesop's fable, the rabbits are comforted by the fact that the frogs are even more scared than they are; here's that fable in Greek: Λαγωοὶ καὶ βάτραχοι.

Οὐαὶ μύρμηκι πτεροῖς ἀρθέντι.

Woe to the ant equipped with wings.

This proverb suggests a lost Aesop's fable; there are often connections between the plots of Aesop's fables and ancient Greek proverbs featuring animals, like this one. Inspired by this proverb, the neo-Latin poet Desbillons wrote a story about foolish ants who asked Zeus to give them wings, but then they became food for birds. Here's the story in Latin (I don't think Desbillons has been translated into English...?): Formica et Jupiter.

"hare" vase, circa 600 BCE

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

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Greek Reading: 85

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.

Ἀνὴρ καὶ ὄφις

(another version)

ἀνὴρ ἐθεάσατο ὄφιν ὑπὸ τοῦ χειμῶνος ἀπολλύμενον. ἐλεήσας δὲ ἐς τὸν κόλπον ἔθηκε. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἡσύχαζεν: ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῦ κρύους ἐνάρκα. ἔπειτα θερμὸς γενόμενος δάκνει τὴν γαστέρα τοῦ ἀνδρός. ὁ δὲ μέλλων ἀποθνήσκειν ἔφη, δίκαια μέντοι πάσχω, ὃς τὸν πονηρὸν ᾦκτειρα.

ἀνὴρ ἐθεάσατο ὄφιν 

ὑπὸ τοῦ χειμῶνος ἀπολλύμενον. 

ἐλεήσας δὲ 

ἐς τὸν κόλπον ἔθηκε. 

καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἡσύχαζεν: 

ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῦ κρύους ἐνάρκα. 

ἔπειτα θερμὸς γενόμενος 

δάκνει τὴν γαστέρα τοῦ ἀνδρός. 

ὁ δὲ μέλλων ἀποθνήσκειν ἔφη, 

δίκαια μέντοι πάσχω, 

ὃς τὸν πονηρὸν ᾦκτειρα.

ἀνὴρ ἐθεάσατο ὄφιν  ...  A man saw a snake 

ἀπολλύμενον  ...  perishing

ὑπὸ τοῦ χειμῶνος  ...  in the winter cold.

ἐλεήσας δὲ  ...  Feeling sorry for the snake 

ἐς τὸν κόλπον ἔθηκε  ...  he put it in his cloak. 

καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἡσύχαζεν  ...  At first it was quiet,  

ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῦ κρύους ἐνάρκα  ...  being stiff with cold. 

ἔπειτα θερμὸς γενόμενος  ...  But when it warms up,

δάκνει τοῦ ἀνδρός  ...  it bites the man

τὴν γαστέρα  ...  in the belly.

ὁ δὲ ἔφη  ...  And the man said

μέλλων ἀποθνήσκειν  ...  as he was about to die, 

δίκαια μέντοι πάσχω  ...  I suffer what is just

ὃς ᾦκτειρα  ...  since I pitied 

τὸν πονηρὸν  ...  someone wicked.

1701 edition of Phaedrus's fables

Τυφλός καὶ κύων

τυφλῷ τινι γέροντι μικρὸς κύων ἦν. οὗτος δὲ κανοῦν περιφέρων, συνέλεγε σιτία καὶ ἄργυρον. ἀπὸ δὲ τούτων ἐτρέφετο ὁ γέρων. καὶ ἧκεν ποτε ὁ κύων ἐς τὴν οἰκίαν τινὸς ἀρτάμου. ὁ δὲ ἄρταμος, ὠμὸς γὰρ ἀνὴρ ἦν, εἶπε τῷ κυνί, σὺ δὴ δοκεῖς κρέας αἰτεῖν· ἔσται σοι ὃ βούλει. ἀποκόψας οὖν τὴν οὐρὰν τοῦ κυνός, ἐνέθηκε τῷ κανῷ. καὶ ὁ κύων φέρει μὲν οἴκαδε τὸ κανοῦν, ἔπειτα δὲ ἀποθνήσκει.

τυφλῷ τινι γέροντι 

μικρὸς κύων ἦν. 

οὗτος δὲ κανοῦν περιφέρων, 

συνέλεγε σιτία καὶ ἄργυρον. 

ἀπὸ δὲ τούτων ἐτρέφετο ὁ γέρων. 

καὶ ἧκεν ποτε ὁ κύων 

ἐς τὴν οἰκίαν τινὸς ἀρτάμου. 

ὁ δὲ ἄρταμος, 

ὠμὸς γὰρ ἀνὴρ ἦν, 

εἶπε τῷ κυνί, 

σὺ δὴ δοκεῖς κρέας αἰτεῖν· 

ἔσται σοι ὃ βούλει. 

ἀποκόψας οὖν 

τὴν οὐρὰν τοῦ κυνός, 

ἐνέθηκε τῷ κανῷ. 

καὶ ὁ κύων 

φέρει μὲν οἴκαδε τὸ κανοῦν, 

ἔπειτα δὲ ἀποθνήσκει.

τυφλῷ τινι γέροντι  ...  A blind old man

μικρὸς κύων ἦν  ...  had a little dog. 

οὗτος δὲ  ...  The dog

κανοῦν περιφέρων  ...  carried around a basket, 

συνέλεγε  ... and collected

σιτία καὶ ἄργυρον  ...  food and money. 

ἀπὸ δὲ τούτων  ... That is what

ἐτρέφετο ὁ γέρων  ...  the old man lived on.

καὶ ἧκεν ποτε ὁ κύων  ...  Once the dog came 

ἐς τὴν οἰκίαν  ...  to the house

τινὸς ἀρτάμου  ...  of a butcher.

ὁ δὲ ἄρταμος  ...  The butcher, 

ὠμὸς γὰρ ἀνὴρ ἦν  ...  because he was a cruel man, 

εἶπε τῷ κυνί  ...  said to the dog, 

σὺ δὴ δοκεῖς αἰτεῖν  ...  You seem to be asking me 

κρέας  ...  for meat.

ἔσται σοι ὃ βούλει  ...  This will give you what you want. 

ἀποκόψας οὖν  ...  And so he cut off 

τὴν οὐρὰν τοῦ κυνός  ...  the dog's tail

ἐνέθηκε τῷ κανῷ  ...  and put it in the basket. 

καὶ ὁ κύων  ...  And the dog 

φέρει μὲν τὸ κανοῦν  ...  carries the basket

οἴκαδε  ...  home, 

ἔπειτα δὲ ἀποθνήσκει  ...  and then dies.

(This one comes from Germany, and this "Dog of Bretten" story appears in quite different versions; here's just one of them: The Tailless Dog.)

Dog of Bretten merch!

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

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Greek Animal Vocabulary: July 15

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 182. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

κόραξ ~ κόρακος (noun m.): crow 

λέων ~ λέοντος (noun m.): lion 

πέρδιξ ~ πέρδικος (noun c.): partridge 

βοῦς ~ βοός (noun c.): ox, cow 

δασύπους ~ δασύποδος (noun m.): rabbit, hare

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

Ἐς κόρακας.

Λέοντα νύσσεις.

Ἀφωνότερος πέρδικος.

Τὸν θέλοντα βοῦν ἔλαυνε.

Καρκίνον δασύποδι συγκρίνεις.

And now, some commentary:

Ἐς κόρακας.

To the crows.

This is an insult: the crows are the crows who feed on the corpses at public executions. So, the idea is to "go hang yourself" — and then the crows will come feast. You can see the phrase used in Aristophanes' Peace.

Λέοντα νύσσεις.

You're poking the lion.

More specifically, the verb means to poke something with a sharp stick. Obviously this is NOT something you want to do to a lion. Compare the English saying, "Poke the bear."

Ἀφωνότερος πέρδικος.

More speechless than a partridge.

You can see that the adjective is an alpha-privative: ἄ-φωνος, comparative ἀφωνότερος. The saying appears in an essay in Plutarch's Moralia.

Τὸν θέλοντα βοῦν ἔλαυνε.

Lead the ox that is willing.

In other words: don't lead the ox who is not willing! You can see that idea in a fuller form of the saying which is included in the proverb collection attributed to Aesop: Τὸν θέλοντα βοῦν ἔλαυνε, τὸν μὴ θέλοντα ἔα, "Lead the ox that is willing, leave the unwilling one alone."

Καρκίνον δασύποδι συγκρίνεις.

You're comparing a crab to a rabbit.

Crabs were notorious for their slow and ungainly walk, utterly unlike the fast-running hare or rabbit. So, this saying means you're making a ridiculous comparison, like "apples to oranges" in English. The word δασύπους, "shaggy-foot," was a popular nickname for the hare or rabbit.

Greek statue of a lion, circa 400 BCE

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

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Greek Reading: 84

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.

Ἀνὴρ αὐλητής κaὶ ἰχθῦς

ἀνὴρ αὐλητής, ἰδὼν ἰχθῦς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, ηὔλει νομίζων αὐτοὺς ἀποβήσεσθαι ἐς τὴν γῆν· ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐξέβησαν, λαβὼν δίκτυον, πολλοὺς ἤγρευσεν· ἰδὼν δὲ παλλομένους, ἔφη, ὦ κάκιστοι ἰχθῦς, ὅτε μὲν ηὔλουν, οὐκ ὠρχεῖσθε, νῦν δέ, ὅτε πέπαυμαι, τοῦτο πράσσετε.

ἀνὴρ αὐλητής, 

ἰδὼν ἰχθῦς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, 

ηὔλει 

νομίζων 

αὐτοὺς ἀποβήσεσθαι 

ἐς τὴν γῆν· 

ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐξέβησαν, 

λαβὼν δίκτυον, 

πολλοὺς ἤγρευσεν· 

ἰδὼν δὲ παλλομένους, 

ἔφη, 

ὦ κάκιστοι ἰχθῦς, 

ὅτε μὲν ηὔλουν, 

οὐκ ὠρχεῖσθε, 

νῦν δέ, 

ὅτε πέπαυμαι, 

τοῦτο πράσσετε.

ἀνὴρ αὐλητής  ...  A flute-player 

ἰδὼν ἰχθῦς  ...  saw some fish

ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ  ...  in the sea 

ηὔλει  ...  and played his flute,

νομίζων  ...  thinking

αὐτοὺς ἀποβήσεσθαι  ...  the fish would come out 

ἐς τὴν γῆν  ...  onto the land.

ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐξέβησαν  ...  But when they didn't come out, 

λαβὼν δίκτυον  ...  he took a net, 

πολλοὺς ἤγρευσεν  ...  and caught many fish. 

ἰδὼν δὲ παλλομένους  ...  And when he saw them wriggling 

ἔφη  ...  he said, 

ὦ κάκιστοι ἰχθῦς  ...  O you wretched fish!

ὅτε μὲν ηὔλουν  ...  When I played the flute, 

οὐκ ὠρχεῖσθε  ...  you did not dance, 

νῦν δέ  ...  but now,

ὅτε πέπαυμαι  ...  when I've stopped playing, 

τοῦτο πράσσετε  ...  you're doing the dance.

Steinhowel's Aesop

Κόραξ καὶ ἀλώπηξ

(another version)

ὁ κόραξ, κρέας ἔχων, ἐπὶ δένδρῳ ἐκάθιζξεν. ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ ὑπελθοῦσα τὸ δένδρον, ἐπἤνει αὐτὸν ὡς κάλλιστον ὄντα τῶν ὀρνίθων. ἔδει σε γάρ, ἔφη, πάντων βασιλεύειν, καὶ τοῦτο πάντως σοι ἂν ἐγίγνετο εἰ φωνὴν εἶχες." ὁ δὲ κόραξ, “πῶς λέγεις,᾽ ἔφη, “ὅτι φωνὴν οὐκ ἔχω; καὶ ταῦτα λέγων καταβάλλει τὸ κρέας ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος. ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ ἁρπάσασα τὸ κρέας, εἴπεν “ ὦ κόραξ, ἔχεις μὲν ἄρα τὴν φωνήν, τὸν δὲ νοῦν οὐκ ἔχεις."

ὁ κόραξ, 

κρέας ἔχων, 

ἐπὶ δένδρῳ ἐκάθιζξεν. 

ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ 

ὑπελθοῦσα τὸ δένδρον, 

ἐπἤνει αὐτὸν 

ὡς κάλλιστον ὄντα 

τῶν ὀρνίθων. 

ἔδει σε γάρ, 

ἔφη, 

πάντων βασιλεύειν, 

καὶ τοῦτο 

πάντως σοι ἂν ἐγίγνετο 

εἰ φωνὴν εἶχες." 

ὁ δὲ κόραξ, 

“πῶς λέγεις,᾽ 

ἔφη, 

“ὅτι φωνὴν οὐκ ἔχω; 

καὶ ταῦτα λέγων 

καταβάλλει τὸ κρέας 

ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος. 

ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ 

ἁρπάσασα τὸ κρέας, 

εἴπεν 

“ὦ κόραξ, 

ἔχεις μὲν ἄρα τὴν φωνήν, 

τὸν δὲ νοῦν οὐκ ἔχεις."

ὁ κόραξ  ...  The crow, 

κρέας ἔχων  ...  had gotten some meat

ἐπὶ δένδρῳ ἐκάθιζξεν  ...  and sat upon a tree.

ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ  ...  The fox

ὑπελθοῦσα τὸ δένδρον  ...  came to the tree 

ἐπἤνει αὐτὸν  ...  and praised the crow 

ὡς κάλλιστον ὄντα  ...  for being the most beautiful 

τῶν ὀρνίθων  ...  among the birds.

ἔφη  ...  The fox said, 

ἔδει σε γάρ  ...  You should have been

πάντων βασιλεύειν  ...  the one to rule over all, 

καὶ τοῦτο πάντως  ...  and this for sure

σοι ἂν ἐγίγνετο  ...  would have happened to you 

εἰ φωνὴν εἶχες  ...  if you had a voice. 

ὁ δὲ κόραξ ἔφη  ...  And the crow said, 

πῶς λέγεις,  ...  How can you say 

ὅτι φωνὴν οὐκ ἔχω  ...  that I don't have a voice? 

καὶ ταῦτα λέγων  ...  And saying this, 

καταβάλλει τὸ κρέας  ...  the crow dropped the meat 

ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος  ...  from his mouth. 

ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ  ...  And the fox 

ἁρπάσασα τὸ κρέας  ...  seized the meat 

εἴπεν  ...  and said, 

ὦ κόραξ  ...  O crow, 

ἔχεις μὲν ἄρα  ...  you do indeed have

τὴν φωνήν  ...  a voice, 

τὸν δὲ νοῦν οὐκ ἔχεις  ...  but you don't have a brain.

illustration by S. R. Praeger

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

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Greek Crossword 37-38-39

Here is the review for proverbs 37-38-39 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:

• Ἀετὸς θρίπας ὁρῶν.
  
• Αὐλητοῦ βίον ζῇς.
  
• Βέλτιόν ἐστι σῶμά γ' ἢ ψυχὴν νοσεῖν.
  
• Ἐὰν ᾖς φιλομαθής, ἔσει πολυμαθής.
  
• Εἰπὼν ἃ θέλεις, ἀντάκουε ἃ μὴ θέλεις.
  
• Εἰς θεῶν ὦτα ἦλθεν.
  
• Εἰς τέφραν γράφειν.
  
• Ἐν παντὶ σκορπίος φρουρεῖ λίθῳ.
  
• Ἡ γὰρ σιωπὴ μαρτυρεῖ τὸ μὴ θέλειν.
  
• Κατὰ θεὸν ἥκεις.
  
• Μὴ καταφρόνει θανάτου, ἀλλὰ εὐαρέστει αὐτῷ.
  
• Μία λόχμη δύο ἐριθακοὺς οὐ τρέφει.
  
• Πεινῶσαν ἀλώπεκα ὕπνος ἐπέρχεται.
  
• Πολλῶν ἰατρῶν εἰσοδός μ' ἀπώλεσεν.
  
• Σκορπίον ὀκτώπουν ἐγείρεις.
  

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.)

κ α τ α θ ε ο ν η κ ε ι ς.

α υ λ η τ ο υ β ι ο ν ζ ῃ ς.

α ε τ ο σ θ ρ ι π π α σ ο ρ ω ν.

ε ι σ τ ε φ ρ α ν γ ρ α φ ε ι ν.

ε ι σ θ ε ω ν ω τ α η λ θ ε ν.

σ κ ο π ι ο ν ο κ τ ω π ο υ ν ε γ ε ι ρ ε ι ς.

ε ν π α ν τ ι σ κ ο ρ π ι ο σ φ ρ ο υ ρ ε ι λ ι θ ῳ.

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: 83

Today's stories come from Colson's Stories and Legends: A First Greek Reader which is available at the Internet Archive. Both of today's stories take the form of tiny plays!

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.

Ταῦρος καὶ κώνωψ

(another version)

ΚΩΝΩΨ. ἀλλ' ὦ ταῦρε, εἴ σοι βαρὺς γίγνομαι, ἐπι τῷ κέρατι ὦν, λέγε. ἀπιέναι γὰρ ἕτοιμός εἶμι, εἴ σοι ἥδιον ἐστι.

ΤΑΥΡΟΞ οὐδὲν μοι μέλει, εἴτε ἀπεῖ εἴτε μή. οὔτε γὰρ ἠσθόμην σε ἥκοντα, οὔτε ἀπερχόμενον αἰσθήσομαι.

ΚΩΝΩΨ. 

ἀλλ' ὦ ταῦρε, 

εἴ σοι βαρὺς γίγνομαι, 

ἐπι τῷ κέρατι ὦν, 

λέγε. 

ἀπιέναι γὰρ ἕτοιμός εἶμι, 

εἴ σοι ἥδιον ἐστι.

ΤΑΥΡΟΞ. 

οὐδὲν μοι μέλει, 

εἴτε ἀπεῖ εἴτε μή. 

οὔτε γὰρ ἠσθόμην σε ἥκοντα, 

οὔτε ἀπερχόμενον αἰσθήσομαι.

ΚΩΝΩΨ  ...  GNAT

ἀλλ' ὦ ταῦρε  ...  Well then, O bull, 

εἴ σοι βαρὺς γίγνομαι  ...  if I am a burden to you, 

ἐπι τῷ κέρατι ὦν  ...  being on your horn, 

λέγε  ...  say so! 

ἀπιέναι γὰρ ἕτοιμός εἶμι  ...  For I'm ready to go, 

εἴ σοι ἥδιον ἐστι  ...  if that would better please you.

ΤΑΥΡΟΞ  ...  BULL 

οὐδὲν μοι μέλει  ...  It doesn't matter to me, 

εἴτε ἀπεῖ εἴτε μή  ...  if you go or not. 

οὔτε γὰρ ἠσθόμην σε   ...  for I didn't notice you

ἥκοντα  ...  when you arrived, 

οὔτε αἰσθήσομαι  ...  and I won't notice you

ἀπερχόμενον  ...  when you depart.

Gnat and Bull

Βοῦς καὶ ψύλλα

ΨΥΛΛΑ. τί παθών, ὦ βοῦ, δουλεύεις τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, μέγιστος ὦν; ἐγὼ δὲ ἐλάχιστόν εἰμι τῶν ζῴων. ὅμως δὲ οὐδενὶ δουλεύω, τὴν δὲ σάρκα τῶν βροτῶν δάκνω καὶ πίνω τὸ αἷμα.

ΒΟΥΣ. ἀλλὰ πολὺ ὠφελοῦμαι ὑπὸ τῆς δουλείας. οἱ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι ἐμὲ φιλοῦσι καὶ τρέφουσι. καὶ πολλάκις τρίβουσι τὸ ἐμὸν μέτωπον καὶ ὦμους. τοῦτο δὲ ἐμὲ μάλιστα τέρπει.

ΨΥΛΛΑ. ἀνόμοιος ἔφυς ἄρα ταῖς ψύλλαις, ὦ βοῦ, εἰ τριβόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἥδει. τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμεῖς μάλιστα πάντων φεύγομεν καὶ φοβούμεθα.

ΨΥΛΛΑ. 

τί παθών, ὦ βοῦ, 

δουλεύεις τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, 

μέγιστος ὦν; 

ἐγὼ δὲ 

ἐλάχιστόν εἰμι τῶν ζῴων. 

ὅμως δὲ οὐδενὶ δουλεύω, 

τὴν δὲ σάρκα τῶν βροτῶν δάκνω 

καὶ πίνω τὸ αἷμα.

ΒΟΥΣ. 

ἀλλὰ πολὺ ὠφελοῦμαι 

ὑπὸ τῆς δουλείας. 

οἱ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι 

ἐμὲ φιλοῦσι καὶ τρέφουσι. 

καὶ πολλάκις τρίβουσι 

τὸ ἐμὸν μέτωπον καὶ ὦμους. 

τοῦτο δὲ ἐμὲ μάλιστα τέρπει.

ΨΥΛΛΑ. 

ἀνόμοιος ἔφυς ἄρα ταῖς ψύλλαις, 

ὦ βοῦ, 

εἰ τριβόμενος 

ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἥδει. 

τοῦτο γὰρ 

ἡμεῖς μάλιστα πάντων 

φεύγομεν καὶ φοβούμεθα.

ΨΥΛΛΑ  ...  FLEA.

τί παθών  ...  What's wrong with you, 

ὦ βοῦ  ...  O ox,

δουλεύεις τοῖς ἀνθρώποις  ...  that you serve humans, 

μέγιστος ὦν  ...  although you are big? 

ἐγὼ δὲ  ...  I 

ἐλάχιστόν εἰμι τῶν ζῴων  ...  am the smallest of animals. 

ὅμως δὲ οὐδενὶ δουλεύω  ...  but nevertheless I serve no one,

δάκνω δὲ  ...  and I bite

τὴν σάρκα τῶν βροτῶν  ...  the flesh of mortals

καὶ πίνω τὸ αἷμα  ...  and I drink their blood.

ΒΟΥΣ  ...  OX. 

ἀλλὰ πολὺ ὠφελοῦμαι  ...  But I benefit greatly

ὑπὸ τῆς δουλείας  ...  from my service. 

οἱ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι  ...  For the people

ἐμὲ φιλοῦσι  ...  are kind to me 

καὶ τρέφουσι  ...  and they feed me 

καὶ πολλάκις τρίβουσι  ...  and they often rub

τὸ ἐμὸν μέτωπον  ...  my forehead 

καὶ ὦμους  ...  and my shoulders.

τοῦτο δὲ  ...  This 

ἐμὲ μάλιστα τέρπει  ...  delights me the most.

ΨΥΛΛΑ  ...  FLEA. 

ἀνόμοιος ἔφυς ἄρα  ...  I see you are not at all like 

ταῖς ψύλλαις  ...  the fleas, 

ὦ βοῦ  ...  O ox, 

εἰ ἥδει τριβόμενος  ...  if you enjoy being rubbed

ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων  ...  by the people, 

τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμεῖς φεύγομεν  ...  for this thing we flee

καὶ φοβούμεθα μάλιστα πάντων ...  and fear most of all.

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

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Greek Animal Vocabulary: July 10

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 181. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ὄφις ~ ὄφεως (noun m.): snake 

κόραξ ~ κόρακος (noun m.): crow 

γλαύξ ~ γλαυκός (noun f.): owl 

ὗς ~ ὑός (noun c.): pig 

κύων ~ κυνὸς (noun c.): dog 

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

Ὄφεως ὄμμα.

Λευκὸς κόραξ.

Ἀετὸν γλαυκὶ συγκρίνεις.

Ὗς πότ᾽ Ἀθηναίαν ἔριν ἤρισεν.

Αὑτὸν οὐ τρέφων κύνας τρέφεις.

And now, some commentary:

Ὄφεως ὄμμα.

The eye of a snake.

This proverbial phrase refers to someone who has a particularly sharp and piercing gaze. 

Λευκὸς κόραξ.

A white crow.

This is a proverbial impossibility, much like we use the phrase "black swan" in English (based on Latin niger cycnus), which even has its own Wikipedia article: Black swan theory.

Ἀετὸν γλαυκὶ συγκρίνεις.

You're comparing an eagle to an owl.

Like the snake (see above), the eagle was supposed to have especially acute eyesight, while the owl was supposed to have especially poor eyesight (that is why, supposedly, owls avoid the light of day). So, this is like "mixing apples and oranges" — only a fool would compare an eagle to an owl!

Ὗς πότ᾽ Ἀθηναίαν ἔριν ἤρισεν.

The pig once challenged Athena to a contest.

Literally, "the pig challenged an Athenian challenge." This is a line from the poet Theocritus; hence the poetic phrasing.  An ancient commentator on the poem noted this variation: Ὗς ὢν πρὸς Ἀθήνην ἐρίζεις, "you, though being a pig, are contending against Athena." The idea is that the pig is, as we say in English, "swine," rude and uneducated, the opposite of Athena in every way.

Αὑτὸν οὐ τρέφων κύνας τρέφεις.

Not being able to feed yourself, you are feeding your dogs.

In other words, you are living beyond your means. The dogs in this proverb stand for hunting dogs along with all the other accoutrements of an extravagant lifestyle: horses, servants, etc., all those "extra" mouths to feed.

hunting dogs (Roman mosaic)

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

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Greek Reading: 82

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.

Χήρα καὶ πρόβατον

(another version)

χήρα τις ἔχουσα πρόβατον αὐτὴ ἔκειρεν· τὴν δὲ σάρκα, ἄπειρος γὰρ ἦν τῆς τέχνης, μετὰ τοῦ πόκου ἔτεμνεν. τὸ δὲ πρόβατον ἔφη, “ὦ δέσποινα, εἰ μὲν ἔριον ξητεῖς, ἀνωτέρω τέμνε, εἰ δὲ κρέως ἐπιθυμεῖς, ἅπαξ ἐμὲ απόκτεινε.

χήρα τις 

ἔχουσα πρόβατον 

αὐτὴ ἔκειρεν· 

τὴν δὲ σάρκα, 

ἄπειρος γὰρ ἦν 

τῆς τέχνης, 

μετὰ τοῦ πόκου ἔτεμνεν. 

τὸ δὲ πρόβατον ἔφη, 

“ὦ δέσποινα, 

εἰ μὲν ἔριον ξητεῖς, 

ἀνωτέρω τέμνε, 

εἰ δὲ κρέως ἐπιθυμεῖς, 

ἅπαξ ἐμὲ απόκτεινε.

χήρα τις  ...  A widow woman 

ἔχουσα πρόβατον  ...  who had a sheep 

αὐτὴ ἔκειρεν  ...  was doing the shearing,

μετὰ τοῦ πόκου  ...  and with the wool

τὴν δὲ σάρκα ἔτεμνεν ...  she cut the flesh, 

ἄπειρος γὰρ ἦν  ...  for she was inexperienced

τῆς τέχνης  ...  in the skill.

τὸ δὲ πρόβατον ἔφη  ...  And the sheep said, 

“ὦ δέσποινα  ...  O mistress,

εἰ μὲν ἔριον ξητεῖς  ...  if you are seeking my wool,

ἀνωτέρω τέμνε  ...  cut higher up,

εἰ δὲ κρέως ἐπιθυμεῖς  ...  and if you crave my meat,

ἅπαξ ἐμὲ απόκτεινε  ...  then just kill me at once!

Λέων καὶ ἀλώπηξ

(another version)

ὁ λέων γέρων ἤδη γενόμενος οὐκ ἐδύνατο τροφὴν ἑαυτῷ πορίζειν. κατακείμενος οὖν ἐν σπηλαίῳ ἐφασκεν ὅτι νοσεῖ. καὶ τοῦτο ἀκούσαντα πολλὰ τῶν ζῴων ἤρχετο ἐς τὸ σπήλαιον. ὁ δὲ λέων ἐλθόντα κατήσθιεν. ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ (τὸ γὰρ ἀληθὲς οὐκ ἐκείνην ἐλάνθανεν) οὐκ εἰσῆλθε τὸ σπήλαιον. ἔξω δὲ μένουσα ἠρώτησε τὸν λέοντα, ὅπως ἔχει καὶ ἐκεῖνος ἔφη, ἔγωγε δεινὰ πάσχω" σὺ δὲ τί οὐκ εἰσἔρχει; ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ ἀπεκρίνατο ὅτι ὁρῶ πολλῶν μὲν εἰσιὄντων τὰ ἴχνη, ἐξιόντος δὲ οὐδενὸς.

ὁ λέων 

γέρων ἤδη γενόμενος 

οὐκ ἐδύνατο 

τροφὴν ἑαυτῷ πορίζειν. 

κατακείμενος οὖν ἐν σπηλαίῳ 

ἐφασκεν ὅτι νοσεῖ. 

καὶ τοῦτο ἀκούσαντα 

πολλὰ τῶν ζῴων 

ἤρχετο ἐς τὸ σπήλαιον. 

ὁ δὲ λέων 

ἐλθόντα κατήσθιεν. 

ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ 

— τὸ γὰρ ἀληθὲς 

οὐκ ἐκείνην ἐλάνθανεν — 

οὐκ εἰσῆλθε τὸ σπήλαιον. 

ἔξω δὲ μένουσα 

ἠρώτησε τὸν λέοντα, 

ὅπως ἔχει

καὶ ἐκεῖνος ἔφη, 

ἔγωγε δεινὰ πάσχω

σὺ δὲ τί οὐκ εἰσἔρχει;

ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ ἀπεκρίνατο ὅτι 

ὁρῶ 

πολλῶν μὲν εἰσιὄντων τὰ ἴχνη, 

ἐξιόντος δὲ οὐδενὸς.

ὁ λέων  ...  The lion

γέρων ἤδη γενόμενος  ...  having now grown old 

οὐκ ἐδύνατο  ...  was not able 

τροφὴν ἑαυτῷ πορίζειν  ...  to procure food for himself. 

κατακείμενος οὖν ἐν σπηλαίῳ  ...  So he lay down in a cave 

ἐφασκεν ὅτι νοσεῖ  ...  saying that he was ill. 

καὶ τοῦτο ἀκούσαντα  ...  And when they heard this,

πολλὰ τῶν ζῴων  ...  many of the animals 

ἤρχετο ἐς τὸ σπήλαιον  ...  came to the cave. 

ὁ δὲ λέων  ...  And the lion 

ἐλθόντα κατήσθιεν  ...  ate them as they came. 

ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ  ...  But the fox 

— τὸ γὰρ ἀληθὲς  ...  for the truth 

οὐκ ἐκείνην ἐλάνθανεν   ...  did not escape her — 

οὐκ εἰσῆλθε τὸ σπήλαιον  ...  did not go into the cave. 

ἔξω δὲ μένουσα  ...  Remaining outside, 

ἠρώτησε τὸν λέοντα  ...  she asked the lion 

ὅπως ἔχει  ...  how he was doing,

καὶ ἐκεῖνος ἔφη  ...  and he said, 

ἔγωγε δεινὰ πάσχω  ...  I am suffering terribly.

σὺ δὲ τί οὐκ εἰσἔρχει  ...  Why don't you come in?

ἡ δὲ ἀλώπηξ ἀπεκρίνατο ὅτι  ...  And the fox replied, 

ὁρῶ τὰ ἴχνη  ...  I see the tracks

πολλῶν μὲν εἰσιὄντων  ...  of many going in, 

ἐξιόντος δὲ οὐδενὸς  ...  but not of anyone coming out.

Aesop illustration (1919)

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

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