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