Friday, September 19, 2025

Greek Crossword 55-56-57

Here is the review for proverbs in group 55-56-57 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:
Here are some of 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.)

λ α θ ε β ι ω σ α ς.

ε ξ ι σ ο υ δ ι δ ο υ π α σ ι ν.

α λ λ η ν δ ρ υ ν β α λ α ν ι ζ ε.

α λ λ ο ς ο υ τ ο ς η ρ α κ λ η ς.

κ υ κ λ ο ς τ α α ν θ ρ ω π ι ν α.

ι π π ο λ υ τ ο ν μ ι μ η σ ο μ α ι.

κ α ν θ α ρ ο υ μ ε λ α ν τ ε ρ ο ς.

ε λ ε υ θ ε ρ α ι α ι γ ε ς α ρ ο τ ρ ω 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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Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Greek Reading: 100

I can't believe this is already the 100th post with stories! That's the power of blogging: slow and steady... Today's stories come from Analecta Graeca Minora by Andrew Dalzel and the First Greek Reader for students at Eton, which are both 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 ἄγριος, ὄνον ἰδὼν ἥμερον ἔν τινι εὐηλίῳ τόπῳ, προσελθὼν αὐτὸν ἐμακάριζεν, ἐπὶ τῇ τε εὐεξίᾳ τοῦ σώματος, καὶ τῇ τῆς τροφῆς ἀπολαύσει. ὕστερον δὲ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀχθοφοροῦντα, καὶ τὸν ὀνηλάτην ὄπισθεν ἑπόμενον, καὶ ῥοπάλοις αὐτὸν παίοντα, ἔφη, ἀλλ᾽ ἔγωγε οὐκέτι σε εὐδαιμονίζω, ὁρῶ γάρ, ὧς οὐκ ἄνευ κακῶν μεγάλων τὴν εὐδαιμονιαν ἔχεις.

Ὄνος ἄγριος, 
ὄνον ἰδὼν ἥμερον 
ἔν τινι εὐηλίῳ τόπῳ, 
προσελθὼν 
αὐτὸν ἐμακάριζεν, 
ἐπὶ τῇ τε εὐεξίᾳ 
τοῦ σώματος, 
καὶ τῇ τῆς τροφῆς ἀπολαύσει. 
ὕστερον δὲ 
ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀχθοφοροῦντα, 
καὶ τὸν ὀνηλάτην 
ὄπισθεν ἑπόμενον, 
καὶ ῥοπάλοις 
αὐτὸν παίοντα, 
ἔφη,
ἀλλ᾽ ἔγωγε 
οὐκέτι σε εὐδαιμονίζω, 
ὁρῶ γάρ, 
ὧς οὐκ ἄνευ κακῶν μεγάλων 
τὴν εὐδαιμονιαν ἔχεις.

Ὄνος ἄγριος  ...  A wild donkey, 
ὄνον ἰδὼν ἥμερον  ...  seeing a tame donkey 
ἔν τινι εὐηλίῳ τόπῳ  ...  in a sunny place, 
προσελθὼν  ...  went over
αὐτὸν ἐμακάριζεν  ...  and congratulated him 
ἐπὶ τῇ τε εὐεξίᾳ  ...  for the good condition 
τοῦ σώματος  ...  of his body
καὶ τῇ ἀπολαύσει  ...  and the excellence
τῆς τροφῆς  ...  of his food. 
ὕστερον δὲ  ...  Later,
ἰδὼν αὐτὸν  ...  he saw the tame donkey 
ἀχθοφοροῦντα  ...  laden with burdens 
καὶ τὸν ὀνηλάτην  ...  and a donkey-driver 
ὄπισθεν ἑπόμενον  ...  following behind, 
καὶ αὐτὸν παίοντα  ...  beating him 
ῥοπάλοις  ...  with cudgels, 
ἔφη  ...  and he said,
ἀλλ᾽ ἔγωγε οὐκέτι   ...  Well, I won't be
σε εὐδαιμονίζω  ...  congratulating you anymore,
ὁρῶ γάρ ὧς  ...  for I see that  
τὴν εὐδαιμονιαν ἔχεις  ...  you have this happiness
οὐκ ἄνευ κακῶν μεγάλων  ...  not without great evils.



Ζεὺς, καὶ Προμηθεὺς, καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ κατασκευάσαντες, Ζεὺς μὲν ταῦρον, Προμηθεὺς ἄνθρωπον, Ἀθηνᾶ δὲ οἶκον, κριτὴν εἵλοντο τὸν Μῶμον. Ὁ δὲ φθονήσας τοῖς δημιουργήμασιν, ἀρξάμενος ἔλεγε τὸν Δία ἡμαρτηκέναι, τοῦ ταύρου τοὺς οφθαλμοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς κέρασι μὴ θέντα, ἵνα βλέπῃ, ποῦ τύπτει· τὸν δὲ Προμηθέα, διότι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὰς φρένας ἔξωθεν οὐ κατεκρέμασεν, ἵνα μὴ λανθάνωσιν οἱ πονηροὶ, φανερὸν δὲ εἴη ἕκαστον, οὗ χρείαν εἶχον. Τρίτον δὲ ἔλεγεν, ὡς ἔδει τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν τῷ οἰκῳ τροχοὺς ὑποθεῖναι, ἵνα, ἐὰν πονηρῷ τις παροικισθῇ γείτονι, ῥᾳδίως μεταβαίνῃ. Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς ἀγανακτήσας κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ βασκανίᾳ, τοῦ Ὀλύμπου αὐτὸν ἐξέβαλε.

Ζεὺς, 
καὶ Προμηθεὺς, 
καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ 
κατασκευάσαντες, 
Ζεὺς μὲν ταῦρον, 
Προμηθεὺς ἄνθρωπον, 
Ἀθηνᾶ δὲ οἶκον, 
κριτὴν εἵλοντο 
τὸν Μῶμον. 
Ὁ δὲ φθονήσας 
τοῖς δημιουργήμασιν, 
ἀρξάμενος ἔλεγε 
τὸν Δία ἡμαρτηκέναι, 
τοῦ ταύρου 
τοὺς οφθαλμοὺς 
ἐπὶ τοῖς κέρασι 
μὴ θέντα, 
ἵνα βλέπῃ, ποῦ τύπτει· 
τὸν δὲ Προμηθέα, 
διότι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου 
τὰς φρένας ἔξωθεν 
οὐ κατεκρέμασεν, 
ἵνα μὴ λανθάνωσιν 
οἱ πονηροὶ, 
φανερὸν δὲ εἴη ἕκαστον, 
οὗ χρείαν εἶχον. 
Τρίτον δὲ ἔλεγεν, 
ὡς ἔδει τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν 
τῷ οἰκῳ τροχοὺς ὑποθεῖναι, 
ἵνα, ἐὰν πονηρῷ τις 
παροικισθῇ γείτονι, 
ῥᾳδίως μεταβαίνῃ. 
Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς 
ἀγανακτήσας κατ' αὐτοῦ 
ἐπὶ τῇ βασκανίᾳ, 
τοῦ Ὀλύμπου αὐτὸν ἐξέβαλε.

Ζεὺς  ...  Zeus, 
καὶ Προμηθεὺς  ...  and Prometheus, 
καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ  ...  and Athena 
κατασκευάσαντες  ...  had made things —  
Ζεὺς μὲν ταῦρον  ...  Zeus made a bull,
Προμηθεὺς ἄνθρωπον  ...  Prometheus made a human,
Ἀθηνᾶ δὲ οἶκον  ...  and Athena made a house. 
κριτὴν εἵλοντο  ...  They chose as critic
τὸν Μῶμον  ...  Momos.
Ὁ δὲ φθονήσας  ...  But Momos was resentful 
τοῖς δημιουργήμασιν  ...  of their creations:
ἀρξάμενος ἔλεγε  ...  he began by saying 
τὸν Δία ἡμαρτηκέναι  ...  the Zeus had failed 
μὴ θέντα  ...  by not putting
τοῦ ταύρου τοὺς οφθαλμοὺς  ...  the bull's eyes 
ἐπὶ τοῖς κέρασι  ...  on the bull's horns
ἵνα βλέπῃ  ...  to that he could see
ποῦ τύπτει  ...  where he was going to attack;
τὸν δὲ Προμηθέα  ...  he (criticized) Prometheus 
διότι οὐ κατεκρέμασεν  ...  because he hadn't hung
τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὰς φρένας   ...  the human's heart
ἔξωθεν  ...  on the outside 
ἵνα οἱ πονηροὶ  ...  so that evil-doers
μὴ λανθάνωσιν  ...  couldn't escape detection,
φανερὸν δὲ εἴη   ...  and so it would be obvious
ἕκαστον οὗ χρείαν εἶχον  ...  each thing they needed.
Τρίτον δὲ  ... And thirdly
ἔλεγεν ὡς   ...  he said that 
ἔδει τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν  ...  Athena should have 
τροχοὺς ὑποθεῖναι  ...  put wheels
τῷ οἰκῳ  ...  on the house, 
ἵνα, ἐὰν παροικισθῇ  ...  so that, if someone settled
πονηρῷ τις γείτονι  ...  next to a wicked neighbor, 
ῥᾳδίως μεταβαίνῃ  ...  he could easily relocate. 
Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς  ...  And Zeus 
ἀγανακτήσας κατ' αὐτοῦ  ...  got upset with Momus 
ἐπὶ τῇ βασκανίᾳ  ...  for his spitefulness, 
αὐτὸν ἐξέβαλε  ...  and threw him out
τοῦ Ὀλύμπου  ...  of Olympus.

Momus criticizes the gods
(this version has different gods and creations)

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




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Monday, September 15, 2025

Greek Animal Vocabulary: Sept. 16

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 193. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ὄνος ~ ὄνου (noun m.): donkey 
χελώνη ~ χελώνης (noun f.): tortoise 
λαγώς ~ λαγώ (noun m.): hare 
κύων ~ κυνός (noun c.): dog 
σκορπίος ~ σκορπίου (noun m.): scorpion 

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

Ὄνου γνάθος.

Χελώνη μυιῶν.

Λαγὼν καθεύδων.

Κύων ἐν προθύρῳ.

Σκορπίους βέβρωκε.


And now, some commentary:

Ὄνου γνάθος.
A donkey's jaw.
This refers to someone with a big appetite! Plus, given the contempt shown in general for donkeys, it also implies that the person with the big appetite is a fool too. (And no, the jawbone of the ass in Samson's story uses a different phrase in the Greek Septuagint: σιαγών τοῦ ὄνου.)

Χελώνη μυιῶν.
A tortoise (doesn't mind) flies.
Presumably it's thanks to its shell that the tortoise doesn't mind the flies! This is preserved in an interesting comparison in Arsenius and Apostolius: “Agamemnon had less concern for Thersites’ freedom of speech than a tortoise does for flies."

Λαγὼν καθεύδων.
A sleeping rabbit.
According to the ancients (see Dio Chrysostom, for example), rabbits slept with their eyes open. So the idea of this proverb is that appearances can be deceiving: the rabbit is sleeping, but you don't realize it because of those wide open eyes.

Κύων ἐν προθύρῳ.
A dog in his doorway.
This is about someone who is bold, perhaps too bold, the way that a dog in the doorway of his house will bark and bark, boldly accosting any stranger who dares to approach. 

Σκορπίους βέβρωκε.
He's eaten scorpions.
This refers to someone who gets angry easily. The idea is that they've eaten scorpions and those scorpions are still in there being disagreeable, as scorpions are wont to do.


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




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Friday, September 12, 2025

Greek Reading: 99

Today's stories come from Analecta Graeca Minora by Andrew Dalzel, 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.


ἔχις εἰσελθὼν εἰς χαλκουργοῦ ἐργαστήριον παρὰ τῶν σκευῶν ἔρανον ᾔτει· λαβὼν δὲ παρ’ αὐτῶν ἧκε πρὸς τὴν ῥίνην καὶ αὐτὴν παρεκάλει δοῦναί τι αὐτῷ. ἡ δὲ ὑποτυχοῦσα εἶπεν· ἀλλ’ εὐήθης εἶ παρ’ ἐμοῦ τι ἀποίσεσθαι οἰόμενος, ἥτις οὐ διδόναι, ἀλλὰ λαμβάνειν παρὰ πάντων εἴωθα.

ἔχις εἰσελθὼν 
εἰς χαλκουργοῦ ἐργαστήριον 
παρὰ τῶν σκευῶν 
ἔρανον ᾔτει· 
λαβὼν δὲ 
παρ’ αὐτῶν 
ἧκε πρὸς τὴν ῥίνην 
καὶ αὐτὴν παρεκάλει 
δοῦναί τι αὐτῷ. 
ἡ δὲ 
ὑποτυχοῦσα εἶπεν· 
ἀλλ’ εὐήθης εἶ 
παρ’ ἐμοῦ τι ἀποίσεσθαι 
οἰόμενος, 
ἥτις οὐ διδόναι, 
ἀλλὰ 
λαμβάνειν παρὰ πάντων εἴωθα.

ἔχις εἰσελθὼν  ...  A viper went into
εἰς χαλκουργοῦ ἐργαστήριον  ...  a smith's workshop 
ἔρανον ᾔτει  ...  and demanded a meal
παρὰ τῶν σκευῶν  ...  from the tools. 
λαβὼν δὲ  ...  As he took 
παρ’ αὐτῶν  ...  from the tools 
ἧκε πρὸς τὴν ῥίνην  ...  he came to the file 
καὶ αὐτὴν παρεκάλει  ...  and ordered her 
δοῦναί τι αὐτῷ  ...  to give him something. 
ἡ δὲ  ...  And the file 
ὑποτυχοῦσα εἶπεν  ...  replied, 
ἀλλ’ εὐήθης εἶ  ...  "Well, you are being silly,
οἰόμενος  ...  thinking 
τι ἀποίσεσθαι  ...  you'd take away something
παρ’ ἐμοῦ  ...  from me,
ἥτις εἴωθα  ... who is accustomed
οὐ διδόναι  ...  not to give, 
ἀλλὰ λαμβάνειν  ...  but to take
παρὰ πάντων  ...  from everybody.




Ἀλώπηξ ἐν παγίδι ληφθεῖσα καί ἀποκοπείσης τῆς οὐρᾶς διαδρᾶσα, ἀβίωτον ὑπ' αἰσχύνης ἡγεῖτο τὸν βίον. Ἔγνω οὖν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀλώπεκας τοῦτ' αὐτὸ νουθετῆσαι ὡς ἂν τῷ κοινῷ πάθει τὸ ἴδιον συγκαλύψειεν αἶσχος. Καὶ δὴ πάσας ἀθροίσασα παρῄνει τὰς οὐρὰς ἀποκόπτειν, ὡς οὐκ ἀπρεπὲς μόνον τοῦτο τὸ μέλος ὄν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περιττὸν βάρος προσηρτημένον. Ὑπολαβοῦσα δὲ τις αὐτῶν εἶπεν· Ὠ αὕτη, ἀλλ' εἰ οὔ σοι τοῦτο συνέφερεν, οὐκ ἂν ἡμῖν αὐτὸ συνεβούλευες.

Ἀλώπηξ 
ἐν παγίδι ληφθεῖσα 
καί ἀποκοπείσης τῆς οὐρᾶς 
διαδρᾶσα, 
ἀβίωτον ὑπ' αἰσχύνης 
ἡγεῖτο τὸν βίον. 
Ἔγνω οὖν 
καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀλώπεκας 
τοῦτ' αὐτὸ νουθετῆσαι 
ὡς ἂν τῷ κοινῷ πάθει 
τὸ ἴδιον συγκαλύψειεν αἶσχος. 
Καὶ δὴ 
πάσας ἀθροίσασα 
παρῄνει τὰς οὐρὰς ἀποκόπτειν, 
ὡς οὐκ ἀπρεπὲς μόνον 
τοῦτο τὸ μέλος ὄν, 
ἀλλὰ καὶ 
περιττὸν βάρος προσηρτημένον. 
Ὑπολαβοῦσα δὲ τις αὐτῶν εἶπεν· 
Ὠ αὕτη, 
ἀλλ' εἰ οὔ σοι τοῦτο συνέφερεν, 
οὐκ ἂν ἡμῖν αὐτὸ συνεβούλευες.

Ἀλώπηξ  ...  A fox
ἐν παγίδι ληφθεῖσα  ...  got caught in a trap 
καί ἀποκοπείσης  ... and, having cut off
τῆς οὐρᾶς  ...  her tail,
διαδρᾶσα  ...  she ran off. 
ἡγεῖτο τὸν βίον  ...  She thought that life
ἀβίωτον  ...  was not worth living
ὑπ' αἰσχύνης  ...  on account of the shame.  
Ἔγνω οὖν   ...  So she decided 
καὶ τοῦτ' αὐτὸ νουθετῆσαι  ...  to persuade likewise
τὰς ἄλλας ἀλώπεκας  ...  the other foxes 
ὡς ἂν τῷ κοινῷ πάθει  ...  so that by shared trouble 
συγκαλύψειεν  ... she could cover up
τὸ ἴδιον αἶσχος  ...  her own shame. 
Καὶ δὴ  ...  And accordingly
πάσας ἀθροίσασα  ...  she assembled them all 
παρῄνει  ...  and advised them
τὰς οὐρὰς ἀποκόπτειν  ...  to cut off their tails, 
ὡς οὐκ μόνον  ...  because not only  
τοῦτο τὸ μέλος ὄν  ...  was this body part 
ἀπρεπὲς  ... unseemly
ἀλλὰ καὶ  ...  but also that
προσηρτημένον  ...  this appendage was
περιττὸν βάρος  ... an extra burden.
Ὑπολαβοῦσα δὲ  ...  In reply
τις αὐτῶν εἶπεν  ...  one of the foxes said:
Ὠ αὕτη  ...  My dear, 
ἀλλ' εἰ τοῦτο  ... if this thing
οὔ σοι συνέφερεν  ...  had not happened to you, 
οὐκ ἂν συνεβούλευες  ...  you would be advising
ἡμῖν αὐτὸ  ...  us to do the same thing.


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




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Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Greek Animal Vocabulary: Sept. 11

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 192. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ὄφις ~ ὄφεως (noun m.): snake 
κύων ~ κυνός (noun c.): dog 
λύκος ~ λύκου (noun m.): wolf 
λεβηρίς ~ λεβηρίδος (noun f.): snakeskin 
ἀλώπηξ ~ ἀλώπεκος (noun f.): fox 

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

Ὄφιν θάλπεις.

Κύων ἐν ῥόδοις.

Λύκος κρέας νέμει.

Κενότερος λεβηρίδος.

Ἀλώπηξ οὐ δωροδοκεῖται.


And now, some commentary:

Ὄφιν θάλπεις.
You're warming a snake.
In English we warn people about the threat posed by a snake or viper in one's bosom, i.e. a dangerous person to whom you are close, but this Greek proverb alludes specifically to the Aesop's fable about the foolish man who found a snake half-frozen in the snow; feeling sorry for the snake, he warmed it in his cloak (or by his fireside), but when the snake revived, it bit him!

Κύων ἐν ῥόδοις.
A dog in the roses.
The idea here is incongruity, and also disparaging the dog: not only does a dog have nothing to do with roses, but a dog supposedly has no way to appreciate the roses either. (Dogs don't get a lot of respect in Greek proverbs.)

Λύκος κρέας νέμει.
A wolf is distributing the meat.
This is something like the proverbial "lion's share." You know that the wolf is going to be constantly taking for himself even while he is "sharing" the meat with others. 

Κενότερος λεβηρίδος.
Emptier than a snakeskin.
I really like this comparison! Because once the snake has shed its skin and crawled out, that snakeskin is about as empty as something can be. So, this hyperbolic comparison is about something that, somehow, is even more empty than the skin shed by a snake.

Ἀλώπηξ οὐ δωροδοκεῖται.
A fox cannot be bribed.
The idea here is that foxes are sneaky. They would no doubt gladly accept your gifts, but that does not mean they will change their behavior. If you offer the fox a chicken to stay away from the henhouse, the fox will take the chicken... and still raid the henhouse! So, be careful if you are going to bribe someone: you don't want to bribe someone who is like the fox.



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




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Monday, September 8, 2025

Greek Reading: 98

Today's stories come from Analecta Graeca Minora by Andrew Dalzel, 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.


Ἡμίονος ἐκ κριθῆς παχυνθεὶς, ἀνεσκίρτησε βοῶν καὶ λέγων· πατήρ μου ἐστὶν ἵππος ὁ ταχυδρόμος, κἀγὼ αὐτῷ ὅλος ἀφωμοιώθην· καί ποτε ἀναγκης ἐπελθούσης τρέχειν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ δρόμου ἐπαύσατο, τοῦ πατρὸς ὄνου εὐθὺς ὑπεμνησθη.

Ἡμίονος 
ἐκ κριθῆς παχυνθεὶς, 
ἀνεσκίρτησε 
βοῶν καὶ λέγων· 
πατήρ μου ἐστὶν 
ἵππος ὁ ταχυδρόμος, 
κἀγὼ 
αὐτῷ ὅλος ἀφωμοιώθην· 
καί ποτε 
ἀναγκης ἐπελθούσης 
τρέχειν, 
ἐπειδὴ τοῦ δρόμου ἐπαύσατο, 
τοῦ πατρὸς ὄνου 
εὐθὺς ὑπεμνησθη.

Ἡμίονος  ...  A mule
ἐκ κριθῆς παχυνθεὶς  ...  fattened on barley 
ἀνεσκίρτησε  ...  frisked about 
βοῶν καὶ λέγων  ...  braying and saying: 
πατήρ μου ἐστὶν  ...  My father is
ἵππος ὁ ταχυδρόμος  ...  a swift-running horse, 
κἀγὼ  ...  and I  
αὐτῷ ὅλος ἀφωμοιώθην  ...  am exactly like him! 
καί ποτε  ...  But one time, 
ἀναγκης ἐπελθούσης  ...  when it was necessary
τρέχειν  ...  for the mule to run, 
ἐπειδὴ  ...   he then
τοῦ δρόμου ἐπαύσατο  ...  had to stop running 
εὐθὺς ὑπεμνησθη  ...  and suddenly remembered
τοῦ πατρὸς ὄνου  ...  his father the donkey.




Κύων καὶ ἀλεκτρυὼν ἑταιρείαν ποιησάμενοι ὥδευον. Ἑσπέρας δὲ καταλαβούσης, ὁ μὲν ἀλεκτρυὼν ἐπὶ δένδρου ἐκάθευδεν ἀναβάς, ὁ δὲ κύων πρὸς τῇ ῥίζῃ τοῦ δένδρου κοίλωμα ἔχοντος. Τοῦ δὲ ἀλεκτρυόνος κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς νύκτωρ φωνήσαντος, ἀλώπηξ ἀκούσασα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔδραμε καὶ στᾶσα κάτωθεν πρὸς ἑαυτὴν κατελθεῖν ἠξίου· ἐπιθυμεῖν γὰρ ἀγαθὴν οὕτω φωνὴν ζῷον ἔχον ἀσπάσασθαι. Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος τὸν θυρωρὸν πρότερον διυπνίσαι ὑπὸ τὴν ῥίζαν καθεύδοντα, ὡς, ἐκείνου ἀνοίξαντος, κατελθεῖν, κἀκείνης ζητούσης αὐτὸν φωνῆσαι, ὁ κύων αἴφνης πηδήσας αὐτὴν διεσπάραξεν.

Κύων καὶ ἀλεκτρυὼν 
ἑταιρείαν ποιησάμενοι 
ὥδευον. 
Ἑσπέρας δὲ καταλαβούσης, 
ὁ μὲν ἀλεκτρυὼν 
ἐπὶ δένδρου ἐκάθευδεν ἀναβάς, 
ὁ δὲ κύων 
πρὸς τῇ ῥίζῃ τοῦ δένδρου 
κοίλωμα ἔχοντος. 
Τοῦ δὲ ἀλεκτρυόνος 
κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς 
νύκτωρ φωνήσαντος, 
ἀλώπηξ ἀκούσασα 
πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔδραμε 
καὶ στᾶσα κάτωθεν 
πρὸς ἑαυτὴν κατελθεῖν ἠξίου· 
ἐπιθυμεῖν γὰρ 
ἀγαθὴν οὕτω φωνὴν ζῷον ἔχον 
ἀσπάσασθαι. 
Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος 
τὸν θυρωρὸν πρότερον διυπνίσαι 
ὑπὸ τὴν ῥίζαν καθεύδοντα, 
ὡς, ἐκείνου ἀνοίξαντος, κατελθεῖν, 
κἀκείνης ζητούσης αὐτὸν φωνῆσαι, 
ὁ κύων 
αἴφνης πηδήσας 
αὐτὴν διεσπάραξεν.

Κύων καὶ ἀλεκτρυὼν  ...  A dog and a rooster
ἑταιρείαν ποιησάμενοι  ...  became friends 
ὥδευον  ...  and went on a journey. 
Ἑσπέρας δὲ καταλαβούσης  ...  Evening came on, 
ὁ μὲν ἀλεκτρυὼν  ...  and the rooster 
ἀναβάς  ...  flew up
ἐπὶ δένδρου ἐκάθευδεν  ...  and slept in a tree, 
ὁ δὲ κύων  ...  and the dog (slept) 
πρὸς τῇ ῥίζῃ τοῦ δένδρου  ...  at the tree's root 
κοίλωμα ἔχοντος  ...  where there was a hollow. 
Τοῦ δὲ ἀλεκτρυόνος  ...  When the rooster, 
κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς  ...  as was his custom, 
νύκτωρ φωνήσαντος  ...  crowed by night, 
ἀλώπηξ ἀκούσασα  ...  the fox heard 
πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔδραμε  ...  and ran to the rooster 
καὶ στᾶσα κάτωθεν  ...  and stood down below,  
κατελθεῖν ἠξίου  ...  expecting him to come down
πρὸς ἑαυτὴν  ...  to her, 
ἐπιθυμεῖν γὰρ  ...  for (she said that) she yearned 
ζῷον ἀσπάσασθαι  ...  to embrace the animal
ἔχον  ...  who had
ἀγαθὴν οὕτω φωνὴν  ...  such a fine voice.
Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος  ...  When the rooster said
πρότερον  ...   that the fox should first
τὸν θυρωρὸν διυπνίσαι  ...  wake the porter
καθεύδοντα  ...  who was sleeping
ὑπὸ τὴν ῥίζαν  ...  down on the root,
ὡς  ...  so that, 
ἐκείνου ἀνοίξαντος  ...  after the porter opened the door, 
κατελθεῖν  ...  he would come down; 
κἀκείνης ζητούσης  ...  when the fox asked
αὐτὸν φωνῆσαι  ...  the porter to call (the rooster), 
ὁ κύων  ...  the dog 
αἴφνης πηδήσας  ...  suddenly sprang to his feet 
αὐτὴν διεσπάραξεν  ...  and tore the fox to pieces.


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




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Friday, September 5, 2025

Greek Crossword 52-53-54

Here is the review for proverbs in group 52-53-54 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:
Here are some of 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 μ ε π ο σ α μ ε ρ γ ο ν.

α γ α μ ε μ ν ο ν ο ς θ υ σ ι α.

π α ν τ ι α ι τ ο υ ν τ ι σ ε δ ι δ ο υ.

κ ο ρ ω ν η γ ρ α μ μ α κ ο μ ι ζ ε ι.

μ η φ ο β ο υ μ ο ν ο ν π ι σ τ ε υ ε.

υ π α γ ε ο π ι σ ω μ ο υ σ α τ α ν α.

ε ν ε σ τ ι κ α ν μ υ ρ μ η κ ι χ ο λ η.

τ η ν α υ τ ο υ σ κ ι α ν δ ε δ ο ι κ ε ν.

α π ο λ υ ε τ ε κ α ι α π ο λ υ θ η σ ε σ θ ε.

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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Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Greek Reading: 97

Today's stories come from Analecta Graeca Minora by Andrew Dalzel (Sir Walter Scott's Greek teacher!), 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.



Παῖς λουσάμενος ἐν ποτᾶμῷ ἐκινδύνευε πνιγῆναι καὶ ἰδών τινα παροδίτην, ἐπεφώνει, βοήθησον. Ὁ δὲ ἐμέμφετο τῷ παιδὶ τὸ τόλμημα. Τὸ  παιδίον εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ νῦν μοι βοήθησον, ὕστερον δὲ σωθέντι μέμφον.

Παῖς 
λουσάμενος ἐν ποτᾶμῷ 
ἐκινδύνευε πνιγῆναι 
καὶ ἰδών τινα παροδίτην, 
ἐπεφώνει, 
βοήθησον. 
Ὁ δὲ 
ἐμέμφετο τῷ παιδὶ 
τὸ τόλμημα. 
Τὸ παιδίον εἶπεν, 
ἀλλὰ νῦν μοι βοήθησον, 
ὕστερον δὲ σωθέντι μέμφον.

Παῖς  ...  A boy
λουσάμενος ἐν ποτᾶμῷ  ...  bathing in the river 
ἐκινδύνευε πνιγῆναι  ...  was in danger of drowning 
καὶ ἰδών  ...  and when he saw
τινα παροδίτην  ...  a passer-by
ἐπεφώνει  ...  he shouted to him:
βοήθησον  ...  Help!
Ὁ δὲ  ...  But the passer-by 
ἐμέμφετο τῷ παιδὶ  ...  rebuked the boy
τὸ τόλμημα  ...  for his recklessness.
Τὸ παιδίον εἶπεν  ...  And the little boy said, 
ἀλλὰ νῦν μοι βοήθησον  ...  Just help me now,
ὕστερον δὲ μέμφον  ...  and then criticize me
σωθέντι  ...  once I'm safe.



βουκόλος ἀγέλην ταύρων βόσκων ἀπώλεσε μόσχον. Περιελθὼν δὲ πᾶσαν τὴν ἔρημον διέτριβεν ἐρευνῶν. Ὡς δὲ οὐδὲν εὑρεῖν ἠδυνήθη, ηὔξατο τῷ Διί, ἂν τὸν λαβόντα μόσχον κλέπτην ὑποδείξῃ, ἔριφον εἰς θυσίαν προσάξειν. Καὶ δὴ ἐρχόμενος εἴς τινα δρυμῶνα εὑρίσκει λέοντα κατεσθίοντα τὸν μόσχον. Ἔμφοβος οὖν γενόμενος καὶ μέγα δειλιάσας, ἐπάρας τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, εἶπεν· Ὦ δέσποτα Ζεῦ, ἐπηγγειλάμην σοι ἔριφον δώσειν, ἐὰν τὸν κλέπτην εὕρω· νῦν δὲ ταῦρον σοι θύσειν ὑπισχνοῦμαι, ἐὰν τούτου τὰς χεῖρας ἐκφύγω.

βουκόλος 
ἀγέλην ταύρων βόσκων 
ἀπώλεσε μόσχον. 
Περιελθὼν δὲ 
πᾶσαν τὴν ἔρημον 
διέτριβεν ἐρευνῶν. 
Ὡς δὲ οὐδὲν εὑρεῖν ἠδυνήθη, 
ηὔξατο τῷ Διί, 
ἂν ὑποδείξῃ
τὸν λαβόντα μόσχον κλέπτην, 
ἔριφον εἰς θυσίαν προσάξειν. 
Καὶ δὴ ἐρχόμενος 
εἴς τινα δρυμῶνα 
εὑρίσκει λέοντα 
κατεσθίοντα τὸν μόσχον. 
Ἔμφοβος οὖν γενόμενος 
καὶ μέγα δειλιάσας, 
ἐπάρας τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ 
εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, 
εἶπεν· 
Ὦ δέσποτα Ζεῦ, 
ἐπηγγειλάμην σοι ἔριφον δώσειν, 
ἐὰν τὸν κλέπτην εὕρω· 
νῦν δὲ ταῦρον σοι θύσειν ὑπισχνοῦμαι, 
ἐὰν τούτου τὰς χεῖρας ἐκφύγω.

βουκόλος  ...  A cow-herd 
ἀγέλην ταύρων βόσκων  ...  tending a herd of cattle  
ἀπώλεσε μόσχον  ...  lost a calf. 
Περιελθὼν δὲ  ...  He went around
πᾶσαν τὴν ἔρημον  ...  all over the wilderness  
διέτριβεν ἐρευνῶν  ...  busying himself in the search.
Ὡς δὲ ἠδυνήθη  ...  And as he was not able 
οὐδὲν εὑρεῖν  ...  to find anything, 
ηὔξατο τῷ Διί  ...  he vowed to Zeus, 
ἂν ὑποδείξῃ  ...  that if he would show him
τὸν κλέπτην  ...  the thief
τὸν λαβόντα μόσχον  ...  who had taken the calf, 
ἔριφον προσάξειν  ...  he'd offer a kid
εἰς θυσίαν  ...  in sacrifice. 
Καὶ δὴ ἐρχόμενος  ...  And then, coming
εἴς τινα δρυμῶνα  ...  to a thicket,
εὑρίσκει λέοντα  ...  he finds a lion
κατεσθίοντα τὸν μόσχον  ...  eating the calf. 
Ἔμφοβος οὖν γενόμενος  ...  Struck by fear 
καὶ μέγα δειλιάσας  ...  and thoroughly terrified,
ἐπάρας τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ  ...  he lifted up his hands
εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν  ...  to heaven
εἶπεν  ...  and said, 
Ὦ δέσποτα Ζεῦ  ...  O Lord Zeus, 
ἐπηγγειλάμην  ...  I promised 
σοι ἔριφον δώσειν  ...  to give you a kid, 
ἐὰν τὸν κλέπτην εὕρω  ...  if I found the thief, 
νῦν δὲ ὑπισχνοῦμαι  ...  and now I swear
ταῦρον σοι θύσειν  ...  to sacrifice a bull to you
ἐὰν ἐκφύγω  ...  if I escape
τούτου τὰς χεῖρας  ...  his clutches.


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




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Monday, September 1, 2025

Greek Animal Vocabulary: Sept. 2

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 191. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

κύκνειος ~ κυκνείου (adj. masc.): of a swan 
ὄϊς ~ ὄϊος (noun c.): sheep 
κύων ~ κυνὸς (noun c.): dog 
αἴξ ~ αἰγός (noun c.): goat 
κάμηλος ~ καμήλου (noun c.): camel 

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

Κύκνειον ᾆσμα.

Τῷ λύκῳ τὴν ὄϊν.

Ἐν φρέατι κυνομαχεῖν.

Ἀτενὲς ὁρᾷς ὥσπερ ἡ αἲξ τὴν θάλασσαν.

Κάμηλος καὶ ψωριῶσα πολλῶν ὄνων ἀνατίθεται φορτία.


And now, some commentary:

Κύκνειον ᾆσμα.
A swan song.
You've seen another version of this saying in a previous post: Κύκνειον μέλος. 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. The word ᾆσμα is from the verb ἀείδω, "sing," while μέλος has a more general meaning: it is a "part" or "limb" of a larger whole, and then comes to mean specifically a "tune" or "song."

Τῷ λύκῳ τὴν ὄϊν.
(Entrusting) the sheep to the wolf.
Of course this is not a good idea! Compare the English saying, "Setting the fox to guard the henhouse." For more Greek and Latin parallels, see Erasmus.

Ἐν φρέατι κυνομαχεῖν.
To fight with dogs in a well.
This is definitely something you want to avoid! A dog-fight is bad enough, but it is even more violent and dangerous if it is happening in a confined space like a well. You can also read more about this Greek saying in Erasmus.

Ἀτενὲς ὁρᾷς ὥσπερ ἡ αἲξ τὴν θάλασσαν.
You are gazing intently like the goat at the sea.
You've seen an abbreviated version of this saying in a previous post: Αἲξ θάλασσαν. The idea is that the goat is amazed by the sea, and looks at it with fascination because it is something entirely new. Goats live in mountains and valleys; they do not often get to see the sea, so the saying is used to refer to someone who is staring in amazement at something they have not seen before.

Κάμηλος καὶ ψωριῶσα πολλῶν ὄνων ἀνατίθεται φορτία.
A camel, even a mangy one, can bear the loads of many donkeys.
The idea is that someone who is superior can still continue to excel even when they are not in top condition. Of course a camel can carry more than multiple donkeys, and that is still true even when the camel is mangy: καὶ ψωριῶσα (the καὶ is adverbial).


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




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