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.
γυνὴ φιλεργὸς ἤγειρε τοὺς δούλους, ἐπειδὴ ᾄδοι ὁ ἀλεκτρυών. οἱ δὲ δοῦλοι χαλεπῶς φέροντες ἀπέκτειναν τὸν ἀλεκτρυόνα. τοῦτο δὲ ποιήσαντες κακίονα ἔπασχον. ἡ γὰρ δέσποινα ἐν μέσῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ἤγειρεν αὐτούς, οἰομένη ὅτι ὄρθρος ἐστί.
γυνὴ φιλεργὸς
ἤγειρε τοὺς δούλους,
ἐπειδὴ ᾄδοι ὁ ἀλεκτρυών.
οἱ δὲ δοῦλοι
χαλεπῶς φέροντες
ἀπέκτειναν τὸν ἀλεκτρυόνα.
τοῦτο δὲ ποιήσαντες
κακίονα ἔπασχον.
ἡ γὰρ δέσποινα
ἐν μέσῃ τῇ νυκτὶ
ἤγειρεν αὐτούς,
οἰομένη
ὅτι ὄρθρος ἐστί.
γυνὴ φιλεργὸς ... An industrious woman
ἤγειρε τοὺς δούλους ... waked her servants up
ἐπειδὴ ᾄδοι ὁ ἀλεκτρυών ... at cock-crow.
οἱ δὲ δοῦλοι ... The servants
χαλεπῶς φέροντες ... got angry
ἀπέκτειναν τὸν ἀλεκτρυόνα ... and killed the rooster.
τοῦτο δὲ ποιήσαντες ... After they did this,
κακίονα ἔπασχον ... they suffered worse things:
ἡ γὰρ δέσποινα ... For their mistress
ἤγειρεν αὐτούς ... woke them
ἐν μέσῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ... in the middle of the night,
οἰομένη ... thinking
ὅτι ὄρθρος ἐστί ... that it was dawn.
This next story is not the tortoise-and-hare fable from Aesop; instead, this is the trickster hedgehog story from the Brothers Grimm (and this motif of the slow-animal-as-trickster is found all over Africa and throughout the African Diaspora).
ὁ λαγώς ποτε καὶ ὁ ἐχῖνος δρόμῳ ἠγωνίζοντο. ὁ δὲ ἐχῖνος ἅμα μὲν τῷ λαγῷ ὥρμησεν, ταχὺ δέ, ὥσπερ εἰκὸς, ὑπελείπετο. ὁ δὲ λαγὼς μετρίως τρέχων ἐνομιζε ῥᾳδίως νικήσειν. ἐλθὼν δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ τέρμα ὁρᾷ τὸν ἐχῖνον ἤδη ἐκεῖ καθημένον. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἐχῖνος ἔλαβε τὸ ἄθλον. ὁ δὲ λαγὼς θαυμάσας τοῦτο, ἠρώτησεν αὐτόν, ὅτῳ τρόπῳ ἐνίκησεν. ὁ δὲ ἐχῖνος ἔφη ἔχειν γυναῖκα ἑαυτῷ ὁμοιοτάτην, καὶ τὴν μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ τέρματι τοῦ δρόμου καθίζειν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀρχῇ.
ὁ λαγώς ποτε
καὶ ὁ ἐχῖνος
δρόμῳ ἠγωνίζοντο.
ὁ δὲ ἐχῖνος
ἅμα μὲν τῷ λαγῷ ὥρμησεν,
ταχὺ δέ,
ὥσπερ εἰκὸς,
ὑπελείπετο.
ὁ δὲ λαγὼς
μετρίως τρέχων
ἐνομιζε ῥᾳδίως νικήσειν.
ἐλθὼν δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ τέρμα
ὁρᾷ τὸν ἐχῖνον
ἤδη ἐκεῖ καθημένον.
ὁ μὲν οὖν ἐχῖνος
ἔλαβε τὸ ἄθλον.
ὁ δὲ λαγὼς
θαυμάσας τοῦτο,
ἠρώτησεν αὐτόν,
ὅτῳ τρόπῳ ἐνίκησεν.
ὁ δὲ ἐχῖνος ἔφη
ἔχειν γυναῖκα
ἑαυτῷ ὁμοιοτάτην,
καὶ τὴν μὲν
ἐπὶ τῷ τέρματι τοῦ δρόμου
καθίζειν,
αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀρχῇ.
ὁ λαγώς ποτε ... The hare once
καὶ ὁ ἐχῖνος ... and the hedgehog
δρόμῳ ἠγωνίζοντο ... competed in a race.
ὁ δὲ ἐχῖνος ... And the hedgehog
ὥρμησεν ... started running
ἅμα μὲν τῷ λαγῷ ... together with the hare
ταχὺ δέ ... and quickly
ὑπελείπετο ... was left behind,
ὥσπερ εἰκὸς ... as it seemed.
ὁ δὲ λαγὼς ... And the rabbit,
μετρίως τρέχων ... running at a moderate pace
ἐνομιζε ῥᾳδίως νικήσειν ... thought he would easily win.
ἐλθὼν δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ τέρμα ... But reaching the finish-line
ὁρᾷ τὸν ἐχῖνον ... the hare sees the hedgehog
ἤδη ἐκεῖ καθημένον ... already sitting there.
ὁ μὲν οὖν ἐχῖνος ... And so the hedgehog
ἔλαβε τὸ ἄθλον ... won the prize.
ὁ δὲ λαγὼς ... And the hare
θαυμάσας τοῦτο ... was amazed at this
ἠρώτησεν αὐτόν ... and asked the hedgehog
ὅτῳ τρόπῳ ἐνίκησεν ... how he had won.
ὁ δὲ ἐχῖνος ἔφη ... And he hedgehog said
ἔχειν γυναῖκα ... he had a wife
ἑαυτῷ ὁμοιοτάτην ... identical to himself,
καὶ τὴν μὲν καθίζειν ... and he placed her
ἐπὶ τῷ τέρματι τοῦ δρόμου ... at the race finish-line,
αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀρχῇ ... while he was at the starting-line.
And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:
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