Saturday, September 27, 2025

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. 



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.

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




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