Greek Reading: 103

**I'll be away for the coming week, but will be back on October 9 with more proverbs.**

Here's the conclusion of the story of Hermes and the woodcutter; the first part is here. This comes from Analecta Graeca Minora by Andrew Dalzel, which is available at the Internet Archive. You'll find the story below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English, broken up into two pieces this time; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page. 

Ξυλευόμενός καὶ Ἑρμῆς (β)

Παραγενόμενος οὖν πρὸς τοὺς ἑταίρους αὐτοῦ, διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς τὰ συμβάντα αὐτῷ. Εἷς δέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν τοῦτον ἐπιφθονήσας ἐβουλήθη καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ ἴσον παραγενόμενος ἐκεῖσε διαπράξασθαι. Διόπερ ἀναλαβὼν πέλεκυν, παρεγένετο ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν ξυλευσόμενος, καὶ ἐπιτηδείως τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀξίνην ῥίψας ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ, ἐκαθέζετο κλαίων. Αὐτίκα οὖν τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ ἐπιφανέντος καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν θρήνων πυνθανομένου, ἔφη ὅτι πέλεκυν ἀπώλεσα ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ· ὅπερ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἑρμῆς, καταβὰς χρυσοῦν πέλεκυν ἀνήγαγε. Καὶ δὴ φήσαντος αὐτοῦ εἰ τοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν, ἔφη μετὰ χαρᾶς· « Ναὶ ἀληθῶς οὗτός ἐστιν. » Ἰδὼν οὖν ἐκεῖνος τὴν ἀναίδειαν καὶ τὸ ψεῦσμα αὐτοῦ, οὐ μόνον τοῦτον οὐκ ἐδωρήσατο αὐτῷ, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ τὸν ἴδιον ἀπέδωκε πέλεκυν.

Παραγενόμενος οὖν 

πρὸς τοὺς ἑταίρους αὐτοῦ, 

διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς 

τὰ συμβάντα αὐτῷ. 

Εἷς δέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν 

τοῦτον ἐπιφθονήσας 

ἐβουλήθη καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ ἴσον 

παραγενόμενος ἐκεῖσε 

διαπράξασθαι. 

Διόπερ 

ἀναλαβὼν πέλεκυν, 

παρεγένετο ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν 

ξυλευσόμενος, 

καὶ ἐπιτηδείως 

τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀξίνην ῥίψας 

ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ, 

ἐκαθέζετο κλαίων. 

Παραγενόμενος οὖν  ...  So the woodcutter went 

πρὸς τοὺς ἑταίρους αὐτοῦ  ...  to his companions

διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς  ...  and told them

τὰ συμβάντα αὐτῷ  ...  what had happened to him.

Εἷς δέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν  ...  One of them 

τοῦτον ἐπιφθονήσας  ...  was jealous of him 

ἐβουλήθη καὶ αὐτὸς  ...  and he also wanted 

παραγενόμενος ἐκεῖσε  ...  to go there

τὸ ἴσον διαπράξασθαι ...  and do the same thing. 

Διόπερ  ...  Accordingly 

ἀναλαβὼν πέλεκυν  ...  he picked up his axe, 

παρεγένετο  ...  and went 

ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ποταμὸν  ...  to the same river, 

ξυλευσόμενος  ...  to cut wood, 

καὶ ἐπιτηδείως  ...  and on purpose

τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀξίνην ῥίψας  ...  he hurled his axe 

ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ  ...  in the river

ἐκαθέζετο κλαίων  ...  and sat down, weeping. 

Αὐτίκα οὖν 

τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ ἐπιφανέντος 

καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν θρήνων 

πυνθανομένου, 

ἔφη ὅτι 

πέλεκυν ἀπώλεσα 

ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ· 

ὅπερ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἑρμῆς, 

καταβὰς 

χρυσοῦν πέλεκυν ἀνήγαγε. 

Καὶ δὴ φήσαντος αὐτοῦ 

εἰ τοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν, 

ἔφη μετὰ χαρᾶς· 

Ναὶ ἀληθῶς οὗτός ἐστιν. 

Ἰδὼν οὖν ἐκεῖνος 

τὴν ἀναίδειαν καὶ τὸ ψεῦσμα αὐτοῦ, 

οὐ μόνον 

τοῦτον οὐκ ἐδωρήσατο αὐτῷ, 

ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ τὸν ἴδιον ἀπέδωκε πέλεκυν.

Αὐτίκα οὖν  ...  Immediately 

τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ ἐπιφανέντος  ...  Hermes appeared 

καὶ πυνθανομένου  ...  and asked

τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν θρήνων  ...  the reason for his grief,

ἔφη ὅτι  ...  and he said,

πέλεκυν ἀπώλεσα  ...  I love my axe 

ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ  ...  in the river.

ὅπερ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἑρμῆς  ...  When Hermes heard this

καταβὰς  ...  he plunged down 

χρυσοῦν πέλεκυν ἀνήγαγε  ...  and brought up a golden axe. 

Καὶ δὴ φήσαντος αὐτοῦ  ...  ANd when he asked him  

εἰ τοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν  ...  if he had lost that axe

ἔφη μετὰ χαρᾶς  ...  the man joyfully said:

Ναὶ ἀληθῶς οὗτός ἐστιν  ...  Yes, truly, that's it!

Ἰδὼν οὖν ἐκεῖνος  ...  When Hermes saw  

τὴν ἀναίδειαν  ...  the man's shamelessness 

καὶ τὸ ψεῦσμα αὐτοῦ  ...  and deceit, 

οὐ μόνον  ...  not only

οὐκ ἐδωρήσατο αὐτῷ  ...  did he not give him

τοῦτον  ...  the golden axe,

ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ ἀπέδωκε  ...  but he also refused to return

τὸν ἴδιον πέλεκυν  ...  the man's own axe.

Bewick's Aesop

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

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Greek Reading 102

Another long story — in fact, one so long that I need to break it up into two posts. It is one of my favorite stories from the Aesopic tradition (not always told at such great length), and I hope you will like it! It comes from Analecta Graeca Minora by Andrew Dalzel (Sir Walter Scott's Greek teacher!), which is available at the Internet Archive. 

You'll find the story below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English, broken up into pieces; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page. I'll be back on Monday with the conclusion.

Ξυλευόμενός καὶ Ἑρμῆς (α)

Ξυλευόμενός τις παρά τινα ποταμὸν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πέλεκυν ἀπεβάλλετο. Τοῦ δὲ ῥεύματος παρασύραντος αὐτόν, ὑπὸ πολλῆς συσχεθεὶς θλίψεως, καθήμενος παρὰ τὰς ἀκτὰς τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὠδύρετο. Ἑρμῆς δὲ ὁ τοῦ ποταμοῦ θεὸς ἐλεήσας αὐτὸν ἧκε μαθεῖν θέλων παρ’ αὐτοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν δι’ ἣν ἔκλαιε. Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος αὐτῷ, καταβὰς ὁ Ἑρμῆς χρυσοῦν πέλεκυν ἀνήνεγκεν ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, καὶ ἐπυνθάνετο εἰ τοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν. Ἀρνησαμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ, ἐκ δευτέρου καταβὰς ἀργυροῦν ἀνήνεγκεν. Ὁ δὲ πάλιν ἠρνήσατο κἀκεῖνον μὴ εἶναι αὐτοῦ. Καταβὰς δὲ ἐκ τρίτου τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίνην ἐκόμισεν· ἐπηρώτησε δὲ τοῦτον καὶ πάλιν, εἰ ταύτην ἀπώλεσεν· ὁ δὲ· « Ἀληθῶς ταύτην ἀπώλεσα, » εἶπεν. Ὁ δὲ Ἑρμῆς ἀποδεξάμενος αὐτοῦ τὴν δικαιοσύνην καὶ τὸ ἀληθὲς πάσας αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο. 

Ξυλευόμενός τις 

παρά τινα ποταμὸν τὸν 

ἑαυτοῦ πέλεκυν ἀπεβάλλετο. 

Τοῦ δὲ ῥεύματος 

παρασύραντος αὐτόν, 

ὑπὸ πολλῆς συσχεθεὶς θλίψεως, 

καθήμενος 

παρὰ τὰς ἀκτὰς τοῦ ποταμοῦ 

ὠδύρετο. 

Ξυλευόμενός τις  ...  A woodcutter

παρά τινα ποταμὸν τὸν  ...  by the riverside 

ἑαυτοῦ πέλεκυν ἀπεβάλλετο  ...  dropped his axe. 

Τοῦ δὲ ῥεύματος  ...  When the current 

παρασύραντος αὐτόν  ...  carried the axe away, 

συσχεθεὶς  ...  he was seized

ὑπὸ πολλῆς θλίψεως  ...  by great distress, 

καθήμενος  ...  and sitting down 

παρὰ τὰς ἀκτὰς τοῦ ποταμοῦ  ...  on the edge of the river 

ὠδύρετο  ...  he sobbed.

Ἑρμῆς δὲ 

ὁ τοῦ ποταμοῦ θεὸς 

ἐλεήσας αὐτὸν 

ἧκε 

μαθεῖν θέλων παρ’ αὐτοῦ 

τὴν αἰτίαν 

δι’ ἣν ἔκλαιε. 

Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος αὐτῷ, 

καταβὰς ὁ Ἑρμῆς 

χρυσοῦν πέλεκυν 

ἀνήνεγκεν ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ, 

καὶ ἐπυνθάνετο 

εἰ τοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν. 

Ἑρμῆς δὲ  ...  Hermes, 

ὁ τοῦ ποταμοῦ θεὸς  ...  the god of the river, 

ἐλεήσας αὐτὸν  ...  felt sorry for him 

ἧκε  ...  and showed up 

μαθεῖν θέλων  ...  wanting to know 

παρ’ αὐτοῦ  ... from him

τὴν αἰτίαν  ...  the reason 

δι’ ἣν ἔκλαιε  ...  why he was weeping. 

Τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος αὐτῷ  ...  When he told him, 

καταβὰς ὁ Ἑρμῆς  ...  Hermes plunged down 

ἀνήνεγκεν ...  and brought up  

χρυσοῦν πέλεκυν  ...  a golden axe 

ἐκ τοῦ ποταμοῦ  ... from out of the river,

καὶ ἐπυνθάνετο  ...  and asked

εἰ τοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν  ...  if he had lost that axe. 

Ἀρνησαμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ, 

ἐκ δευτέρου καταβὰς 

ἀργυροῦν ἀνήνεγκεν. 

Ὁ δὲ 

πάλιν ἠρνήσατο κἀκεῖνον 

μὴ εἶναι αὐτοῦ. 

Καταβὰς δὲ ἐκ τρίτου 

τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίνην ἐκόμισεν· 

ἐπηρώτησε δὲ τοῦτον 

καὶ πάλιν, 

εἰ ταύτην ἀπώλεσεν· 

ὁ δὲ· 

Ἀληθῶς ταύτην ἀπώλεσα, 

εἶπεν. 

Ὁ δὲ Ἑρμῆς 

ἀποδεξάμενος αὐτοῦ 

τὴν δικαιοσύνην καὶ τὸ ἀληθὲς 

πάσας αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο. 

Ἀρνησαμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ  ...  The man said no, 

ἐκ δευτέρου  ...  and a second time 

καταβὰς  ... Hermes plunged down

ἀνήνεγκεν  ...  and brought up

ἀργυροῦν  ...  a silver axe.

Ὁ δὲ πάλιν  ...  And the woodcutter again

ἠρνήσατο  ...  said no; 

κἀκεῖνον μὴ εἶναι αὐτοῦ  ...  it too was not his. 

Καταβὰς δὲ  ...  Hermes plunged in 

ἐκ τρίτου  ...  a third time;

ἐκόμισεν  ...  he brought back

τὴν ἰδίαν ἀξίνην  ...  the man's own axe 

ἐπηρώτησε δὲ τοῦτον ...  and asked him

καὶ πάλιν  ...  yet again

εἰ ταύτην ἀπώλεσεν  ...  if he had lost this one. 

ὁ δὲ εἶπεν  ...  And the man said

Ἀληθῶς ταύτην ἀπώλεσα  ...  Truly, I lost that one! 

Ὁ δὲ Ἑρμῆς  ...  Then Hermes, 

ἀποδεξάμενος  ...  pleased with 

αὐτοῦ τὴν δικαιοσύνην  ...  the man's righteousness

καὶ τὸ ἀληθὲς  ...  and truthfulness,

πάσας αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο  ...  gave him all the axes. 

... But that's not all there is to the story! Stay tuned for more. 

17th-century Aesop illustration

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

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Greek Animal Vocabulary: Sept. 25

Here are today's animal names; it's Group 194. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

κύων ~ κυνός (noun c.): dog 

ὄϊς ~ ὄϊος (noun c.): sheep 

ὄνος ~ ὄνου (noun m.): donkey 

λύκος ~ λύκου (noun m.): wolf 

βοῦς ~ βοός (noun c.): ox, cow 

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

Κύων εἰς τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον.

Πρίν κεν ὄϊν λύκος ποιμαίνοι.

Ὄνῳ τις ἔλεγε μῦθον, ὁ δὲ τὰ ὦτα ἐκίνει.

Λύκος ἐν αἰτίᾳ γίγνεται κἂν φέρῃ κἂν μὴ φερῃ.

Οὐ δύναμαι τὴν αἶγα φέρειν, ἐπί μοι θέτε τὸν βοῦν.

And now, some commentary:

Κύων εἰς τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον.

The dog (returns) to its own vomit.

This is a shorter version of a saying you've seen before: Κύων ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον ἐπιστρέψας. It comes from the Biblical Book of Proverbs.  Here is the verse in the King James version: As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. From Greek ἔμετος we get English "emetic."

Πρίν κεν ὄϊν λύκος ποιμαίνοι.

Sooner than the wolf shepherds the sheep.

This is an impossibility, ἀδύνατον: the wolf does not shepherd the sheep; the wolf eats the sheep. So, if something is supposed to happen sooner than this impossibility... that means it is never going to happen. Compare the English sayings, "When hell freezes over" or "When pigs fly." For more, see Wikipedia: Adynaton.

Ὄνῳ τις ἔλεγε μῦθον, ὁ δὲ τὰ ὦτα ἐκίνει.

Someone told a story to a donkey, and the donkey moved his ears.

It's foolish to try to talk to a donkey, but that foolish speaker might be encouraged by the donkey wiggling his ears... which donkeys do, of course. (Of course, now we have bots instead of donkeys, and the bots do more than wiggle their ears.) The Roman poet Horace imitates the saying in one of his Epistles: narrare asello fabellam surdo.

Λύκος ἐν αἰτίᾳ γίγνεται κἂν φέρῃ κἂν μὴ φερῃ.

The wolf is blamed whether he takes or doesn't take.

The wolf has been guilty of theft so many times that, even when he hasn't taken something, he's going to get blamed. 

Οὐ δύναμαι τὴν αἶγα φέρειν, ἐπί μοι θέτε τὸν βοῦν.

I can't carry a goat, and you've laid on ox on me.

You can find this one in Plutarch's treatise against borrowing money (English translation); he labels it a proverb, παροιμία.

medieval wolf and sheep

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

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Greek Reading: 101

Today's story (it's a long one, so just one story today) comes from the Sertum Greek Reading Book for students at Eton, which is available at the Internet Archive. 

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. I've broken it up into three parts: the Aesopic opening, the animal story, and then the Aesopic close.

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ ἐχῖνος 

Αἴσωπος ἐν Σάμῳ δημηγορῶν, κρινομένου δημαγωγοῦ περὶ θανάτου, ἔφη· Ἀλώπεκα διαβαίνουσαν ποταμὸν ἀπωσθῆναι εἰς φάραγγα· οὐ δυναμένην δʼ ἐκβῆναι πολὺν χρόνον κακοπαθεῖν, καὶ κυνοραϊστὰς πολλοὺς ἔχεσθαι αὐτῆς· ἐχῖνον δὲ πλανώμενον, ὡς εἶδεν αὐτὴν, κατοικτείραντα εἰπεῖν, εἰ ἀφέλοι αὐτῆς τοὺς κυνοραῖστάς· τὴν δὲ οὐκ ἐᾶν. Ἐρομένου δὲ, διὰ τί, ὅτι οὗτοι μὲν, φάναι, ἤδη μου πλήρεις εἰσὶ καὶ ὀλίγον ἕλκουσιν αἷμα, ἐὰν δὲ τούτους ἀφέλῃ, ἕτεροι ἐλθόντες πεινῶντες ἐκπιοῦνταί μου τὸ λοιπὸν οἷμα. Ἀτὰρ καὶ ὑμᾶς, ἔφη, ὦ ἄνδρες Σάμιοι, οὗτος μὲν οὐδὲν ἔτι βλάψει· πλούσιος γάρ ἐστιν· ἐὰν δὲ ἀποκτείνητε, ἕτεροι ἥξουσι πένητες, οἳ ὑμῖν ἀναλώσουσι τὰ κοινὰ κλέπτοντες.

Αἴσωπος 

ἐν Σάμῳ δημηγορῶν, 

κρινομένου δημαγωγοῦ 

περὶ θανάτου, 

ἔφη· 

Αἴσωπος  ...  Aesop

δημηγορῶν  ...  was addressing the people

ἐν Σάμῳ  ... on the island of Samos, 

κρινομένου δημαγωγοῦ  ...  defending a demagogue 

περὶ θανάτου  ...  on a capital charge, 

ἔφη  ...  and he said: 

(the story is told with accusative plus infinitive in indirect speech)

Ἀλώπεκα 

διαβαίνουσαν ποταμὸν 

ἀπωσθῆναι εἰς φάραγγα· 

οὐ δυναμένην δʼ ἐκβῆναι 

πολὺν χρόνον κακοπαθεῖν, 

καὶ κυνοραϊστὰς πολλοὺς 

ἔχεσθαι αὐτῆς· 

ἐχῖνον δὲ πλανώμενον, 

ὡς εἶδεν αὐτὴν, 

κατοικτείραντα εἰπεῖν, 

εἰ ἀφέλοι αὐτῆς 

τοὺς κυνοραῖστάς· 

τὴν δὲ οὐκ ἐᾶν. 

Ἐρομένου δὲ διὰ τί, 

ὅτι οὗτοι μὲν

φάναι 

ἤδη μου πλήρεις εἰσὶ 

καὶ ὀλίγον ἕλκουσιν αἷμα, 

ἐὰν δὲ τούτους ἀφέλῃ, 

ἕτεροι ἐλθόντες 

πεινῶντες ἐκπιοῦνταί 

μου τὸ λοιπὸν οἷμα.

Ἀλώπεκα  ...  A fox,

διαβαίνουσαν ποταμὸν  ...  crossing a river,

ἀπωσθῆναι εἰς φάραγγα  ...  was thrust (by the current) 

εἰς φάραγγα  ...  into a gully,

οὐ δυναμένην δʼ ἐκβῆναι  ...  and was not able to get out. 

πολὺν χρόνον κακοπαθεῖν  ...  She was badly off for a long time

καὶ κυνοραϊστὰς πολλοὺς  ...  and many dog-ticks

ἔχεσθαι αὐτῆς  ...  seized her.

ἐχῖνον δὲ πλανώμενον  ...  A hedgehog wandered by;

ὡς εἶδεν αὐτὴν  ...   when he saw her

κατοικτείραντα εἰπεῖν  ...  he felt sorry for her and asked

εἰ ἀφέλοι  ...  if he could remove 

αὐτῆς τοὺς κυνοραῖστάς  ...  the ticks from her, 

τὴν δὲ οὐκ ἐᾶν  ...  but she refused. 

Ἐρομένου δὲ διὰ τί  ...  When he asked why, 

φάναι ὅτι ...  she said that

οὗτοι μὲν  ...  "These ticks

ἤδη μου πλήρεις εἰσὶ  ...  have already had their fill of me 

καὶ ὀλίγον ἕλκουσιν αἷμα  ...  and are drawing little blood, 

ἐὰν δὲ τούτους ἀφέλῃ  ...  but if you remove these, 

ἕτεροι ἐλθόντες  ...  other will come, 

πεινῶντες ἐκπιοῦνταί  ...  hungry ones who will drink

μου τὸ λοιπὸν οἷμα  ...  what blood I have left."

Ἀτὰρ καὶ ὑμᾶς, 

ἔφη,

ὦ ἄνδρες Σάμιοι, 

οὗτος μὲν 

οὐδὲν ἔτι βλάψει· 

πλούσιος γάρ ἐστιν· 

ἐὰν δὲ ἀποκτείνητε, 

ἕτεροι ἥξουσι πένητες, 

οἳ ὑμῖν ἀναλώσουσι 

τὰ κοινὰ κλέπτοντες.

Ἀτὰρ καὶ ὑμᾶς ... And likewise you,

ἔφη  ...  said Aesop,

ὦ ἄνδρες Σάμιοι  ...  O men of Samos! 

οὗτος μὲν  ... For this man

οὐδὲν ἔτι βλάψει ... won't harm you anymore, 

πλούσιος γάρ ἐστιν ... because he is rich, 

ἐὰν δὲ ἀποκτείνητε ... but if you kill him, 

ἕτεροι ἥξουσι  ... others will come, 

πένητες  ...  poor men,

οἳ ὑμῖν ἀναλώσουσι  ... and they will use you up,

τὰ κοινὰ κλέπτοντες  ....  robbing your treasury.

illustration by Grandville

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

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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:

• Ἄλλην δρῦν βαλάνιζε.
  
• Ἄλλος οὗτος Ἡρακλῆς.
  
• Ἐλεύθεραι αἶγες ἀρότρων.
  
• Ἐν ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε μετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν.
  
• Ἐξ ἴσου δίδου πᾶσιν.
  
• Ἱππόλυτον μιμήσομαι.
  
• Κανθάρου μελάντερος.
  
• Κύκλος τὰ ἀνθρώπινα.
  
• Λάθε βιώσας.
  
• Μὴ γίνου δίκαιος πολὺ καὶ μὴ σοφίζου περισσά.
  
• Νίψον ἀνομήματα μὴ μόναν ὄψιν.
  
• Ὁ προστιθεὶς γνῶσιν προσθήσει ἄλγημα.
  
• Οὐδεὶς προφήτης δεκτός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ πατρίδι αὐτοῦ.
  
• Τὸ μὲν πνεῦμα πρόθυμον, ἡ δὲ σὰρξ ἀσθενής.
  
• Ὕπνος πέφυκε σωμάτων σωτηρία.
  

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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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

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.

donkey mosaic

Μῶμος

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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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.

Carian coin with scorpion

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

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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 καὶ ῥίνη

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.

illustration by Weir

Ἀλώπηξ κολουρός

(another version)

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.

17th-century Aesop illustration

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

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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.

Aesop's frozen snake warmed by the fire

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

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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

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.

illustration by Grandville

Κύων καὶ ἀλεκτρυὼν

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.

illustration by Weir

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

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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:

• Ἀγαμέμνονος θυσία.
  
• Ἅμ᾽ ἔπος, ἅμ᾽ ἔργον.
  
• Ἀπολύετε, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.
  
• Γενεὰ πορεύεται καὶ γενεὰ ἔρχεται.
  
• Ἔνεστι κἀν μύρμηκι χολή.
  
• Κορώνη γράμμα κομίζει.
  
• Μὴ φοβοῦ, μόνον πίστευε.
  
• Ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον ἐν αὐτῷ ἐμπεσεῖται.
  
• Οἷ γ᾽ αὐτῷ κακὰ τεύχει ἀνὴρ ἄλλῳ κακὰ τεύχων.
  
• Οἶνον νέον εἰς ἀσκοὺς καινούς.
  
• Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου.
  
• Προφάσεως δεῖται μόνον ἡ πονηρία.
  
• Τὰς δεσποίνας αἱ κύνες μιμούμεναι.
  
• Τὴν αὑτοῦ σκιὰν δέδοικεν.
  
• Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ.
  

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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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

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.

(illustration by Tenniel)

βουκόλος

(another version)

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.

(illustration by Bewick)

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

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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).

camel mosaic

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

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