Greek Proverbs

Here are today's Greek proverbs; it's Group 203. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

γιγνώσκω ~ γνώσομαι ~ ἔγνων (verb): know 

ὗς ὑός (noun c.): pig 

κύων ~ κυνός (noun c.): dog 

μήτηρ ~ μητρός (noun f.): mother 

κλαίω ~ κλαιήσω ~ ἔκλαυσα (verb): weep, lament 

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

Γνοὺς πρᾶττε.

Ἀφροδίτῃ ὗν τέθυκεν.

Οἵαπερ ἡ δέσποινα τοῖα ἡ κύων.

Ἡ γῆ τῶν μὲν μήτηρ ἐστί, τῶν δὲ μητρυιά.

Οὐαί, οἱ γελῶντες νῦν, ὅτι πενθήσετε καὶ κλαύσετε.

And now, some commentary:

Γνοὺς πρᾶττε.

Act on your knowledge.

I haven't translated the aorist participle literally, replacing it instead with a prepositional phrase. It's hard to know what to do those aorist participles in English! There's also a case to be made for rendering it as a verb in the same mood as the main verb: Learn, and act! This is one of the Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. You can find out more at Wikipedia.

Ἀφροδίτῃ ὗν τέθυκεν.

He's offered a pig to Aphrodite.

Offering a pig to Aphrodite would be a very foolish thing to do because Aphrodite has no fondness for pigs or any members of the pig family, especially after her lover Adonis was slain by a wild boar. Pigs could be offered to other gods, but usually not to Aphrodite; when pigs were offered to the goddess, it was to expiate their crime in having killed Adonis. Metaphorically, then, this saying refers to someone acting inappropriately.

Οἵαπερ ἡ δέσποινα τοῖα ἡ κύων.

As the mistress, so is her dog.

You've seen a similar saying in a previous post: Τὰς δεσποίνας αἱ κύνες μιμούμεναι. And it turns out there may be something to it; here's an article in National Geographic: Dogs and their owners really do look alike—here’s why.

Ἡ γῆ τῶν μὲν μήτηρ ἐστί, τῶν δὲ μητρυιά.

The earth is a mother to some, a stepmother to others.

This saying comes from the Aesopic tradition: a gardener wants to know why weeds grow so quickly, while the herbs he has planted grow slowly or don't grow at all. Aesop explains that the earth is mother to the weeds, while only a stepmother (sometimes cruel) to herbs that the gardener planted.

Οὐαί, οἱ γελῶντες νῦν, ὅτι πενθήσετε καὶ κλαύσετε.

Alas, you who are now laughing: because you will mourn and weep.

This comes from the so-called "Sermon on the Plain" from the Gospel of Luke. The King James version reads: "Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep."

Aesop, Xanthus, and the gardener

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

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Aesopic Proverbs: Oct. 25

Here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 202. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἵστημι ~ στήσω ~ ἔστην (verb): stand 

ἄνθρωπος ~ ἀνθρώπου (noun m.): person, human being

καλέω ~ καλέσω ~ ἐκάλεσα (verb): call 

φοβέω ~ φοβήσω ~ ἐφόβησα (verb): frighten, terrify 

ἐσθίω ~ φάγομαι ~ ἔφαγον (verb): eat, devour 

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

Ὕδωρ ἱστάμενον ὄζει.

Πάντα ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐδὲν ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

βέλτιον ὁψιμαθῆ μᾶλλον ἢ ἀμαθῆ σε καλεῖσθαι.

Ὁ δηχθεὶς ὑπὸ ὄφεως καὶ τὸ σχοινίον φοβεῖται.

Κύων ἀναπεσὼν εἰς φάτνην αὐτός τε οὐκ ἐσθίει τῷ τε ὄνῳ ἐμποδίζει.

And now, some commentary:

Ὕδωρ ἱστάμενον ὄζει.

Standing water stinks.

This is literally true, and metaphorically it refers to something "stagnant" (a person, a situation) that gets worse and worse as time goes by. The English word "stagnant" can be used in the same way, literally or metaphorically.

Πάντα ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐδὲν ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

A person is everything and a person is nothing.

This is a typically paradoxical Aesopic proverb: the statements contradict one another, but they are nevertheless both true, depending on the context. For example, consider the way that people live as if they were going to live forever, but in fact at any moment they might die, bringing their life to a sudden nothing.

βέλτιον ὁψιμαθῆ μᾶλλον ἢ ἀμαθῆ σε καλεῖσθαι.

It is better for you to be called a late-learner than to be called ignorant.

I like this "better late than never" saying that is specifically about learning, especially in the Greek with the parallel words: being a late learner, ὀψι-μαθής, as opposed to ἀ-μαθής, without learning.

Ὁ δηχθεὶς ὑπὸ ὄφεως καὶ τὸ σχοινίον φοβεῖται.

Someone bitten by a snake fears even a rope.

This type of saying is found in many different cultures with many different dangerous/harmless items. An English version is "Scalded cats fear even cold water." I recently learned a Japanese one too: 呉牛月に喘ぐ, gogyū tsuki-ni aegu, "The water buffalo pants at the moon" i.e. as if it were hot as the sun. (I've been learning Japanese via haiku and proverbs; there are many fabulous Japanese proverbs of course!)

Κύων ἀναπεσὼν εἰς φάτνην αὐτός τε οὐκ ἐσθίει τῷ τε ὄνῳ ἐμποδίζει.

The dog, having settled into the manger, does not eat but blocks the donkey.

This is the famous "dog in the manger" which entered into many European languages via the Latin Aesopic tradition, so it was fun to find it attested here in this Aesopic proverb, which is itself a kind of story in miniature. I don't think I've seen a version with a donkey before; I expect cattle, as in this illustration by Barlow:

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

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Aesopic Proverbs: Oct. 23

Here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 201. (And please keep thinking more good thoughts for Hector Tapia; he has PhD comp exams, including Aesopic proverbs, all this week!)

Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

δῶρον ~ δώρου (noun n.): gift 

χρυσός ~ χρυσοῦ (noun m.): gold 

ἀνάγω ~ ἀνάξω ~ ἀνήγαγον (verb): lead up, raise 

εὐδαίμων ~ εὐδαίμονος (adj.): masc. happy, wealthy 

ἰδιώτης ~ ἰδιώτου (noun m.): private person, layman 

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

Δῶρα καὶ θεὸυς ἔπεισεν.

Χρυσὸς Δανάην ἔπεισεν ἐθέλουσαν.

Καιρὸς ἀνάγει καὶ καιρὸς αὖ κατάγει.

Ἢ Ζεὺς ἢ Χάρων· ἢ εὐδαίμονος Βίος ἢ τέλος. 

Τῷ τράγῳ ὁ ἔριφος ἔλεγεν· ὦ πατέρ μου, οἱ μάγειροι ἀπέθανον. κἀκεῖνος εἶπεν· οὐαί σοι τέκνον· ὅτι εἰς ἰδιώτου χεῖρας μέλλεις ἐμπίπτειν.

And now, some commentary:

Δῶρα καὶ θεὸυς ἔπεισεν.

Gifts have persuaded even the gods.

This use of the aorist like this is common in Greek sayings; it is sometimes called the "gnomic" aorist. A variation of this saying appears in Euripides' Medea, where it is marked as a saying, λόγος. The words are actually duplicitous when spoken by Medea, who is persuading Jason to take gifts to his new bride, Glauce, insisting that Glauce receive the (deadly) gifts with her own hands.

Χρυσὸς Δανάην ἔπεισεν ἐθέλουσαν.

Gold persuaded a willing Danae.

This saying alludes to the story of Zeus seducing Danae in the form of a stream of gold. The idea is that gold is a great persuader, although in this case, Danae hardly needed persuading, imprisoned all alone as she was, and thus ἐθέλουσα. You can read more about the story of Danae at Wikipedia.

Καιρὸς ἀνάγει καὶ καιρὸς αὖ κατάγει.

Time leads up and time leads down again.

This up-and-down saying is like the visible up-and-down of the famous "Wheel of Fortune." In the interpretation attached to the proverb in the Aesopic collection, the "up" side of καιρός is said to be wealth and other material possessions, while the "down" side is identified with poverty and illness.

Ἢ Ζεὺς ἢ Χάρων· ἢ εὐδαίμονος Βίος ἢ τέλος. 

Either Zeus or Charon: either a fortunate life or its ending.

I've never seen the mythological figures of Zeus and Charon paired up in this way. Zeus stands for the fortunate ("well-daimoned") life, while Charon stands for death as the famous ferryman of the underworld; you can read more about Charon at Wikipedia.

Τῷ τράγῳ ὁ ἔριφος ἔλεγεν· ὦ πατέρ μου, οἱ μάγειροι ἀπέθανον. κἀκεῖνος εἶπεν· οὐαί σοι τέκνον· ὅτι εἰς ἰδιώτου χεῖρας μέλλεις ἐμπίπτειν.

The kid said to the goat, "O my father, the butchers have died." And the goat said, "Woe betide you, child, for you are going to fall into the hands of amateurs."

This is really more like an Aesop's fable than a proverb, and there is indeed an Aesop's fable (preserved in Babrius) that tells a similar sort of story, although about cattle rather than goats: The Oxen and the Butchers.

Golden Zeus and Danae

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

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Aesopic Proverbs: Oct. 21

Here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 200: whoo-hoo! (Also, I started doing these Aesopic proverbs because this proverb collection is one of the items on Hector Tapia's reading list from his Ph.D. comp exams this week, so please think a good thought for Hector and his exams!). 

You can click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ὅλος ~ ὅλου (adj. masc.): whole, entire 

ἔξω (adverb): outside 

ἀριθμός ~ ἀριθμοῦ (noun m.): number 

ῥήτωρ ~ ῥήτορος (noun m.): public speaker 

ἀλλοτρία ~ ἀλλοτρίας (adj. fem.): belonging to another

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

῞Ολος ὁ βίος ἐλλύχνιον.

῎Εσω λέων καὶ ἔξω ἀλώπηξ.

Λύκος ἀπὸ ἀριθμοῦ οὐ φοβεῖται λαβεῖν.

Λόγοι μὲν ῥήτορος, ἔργα δ’ ἀλέκτορος.

Φαγέτω μ' ἡ ἰδία φθεὶρ καὶ μὴ ἡ ἀλλοτρία.

And now, some commentary:

῞Ολος ὁ βίος ἐλλύχνιον.

A whole life is a lamp wick.

In a world of candles and lamps, the action of the wick was something familiar: the wick draws up candle wax or lamp oil to the flame, much as we draw breath... so long as we are alive. But like the wick, our lives come to an end — and while an entire lifetime might seem long, this saying wants to remind us that it lasts no longer than a lamp wick. When the fuel runs out, we're done.

῎Εσω λέων καὶ ἔξω ἀλώπηξ.

Outwardly a lion and inwardly a fox.

The opposition between lion and fox is often found in Greek proverbs, and it is also a character opposition often found in Aesop's fables. The ἑρμηνεία (interpretation) that accompanies this proverb says "Mixing wickedness (fox) with audacity (lion), you seem to show what you are not and to hide what you happen to be." (The inclusion of these little interpretations is one of the distinctive features of the proverb collection attributed to Aesop.)

Λύκος ἀπὸ ἀριθμοῦ οὐ φοβεῖται λαβεῖν.

The wolf is not frightened from taking by the count.

In other words, the shepherd can count his sheep, but the counting of sheep is not going to stop the wolf from taking what he wants. Likewise, a human thief is not going to be deterred by knowing the merchandise has been inventoried. This saying also circulated in Latin, Lupus non curat numerum ovium, "The wolf doesn't care about the number of the sheep."

Λόγοι μὲν ῥήτορος, ἔργα δ’ ἀλέκτορος.

The words are those of an orator, but the deeds are those of a rooster. 

Which is to say: the rooster makes a lot of noise as if he were a great and mighty creature, but he doesn't actually get much done; so too the ineffectual orator.

Φαγέτω μ' ἡ ἰδία φθεὶρ καὶ μὴ ἡ ἀλλοτρία.

Let my own louse eat me, and not someone else's.

This is a kind of strange cuique suum: "to each his own," type of saying, where a person prefers their own lice to someone else's. Compare the Aesop's fable about the fox telling the hedgehog not to pluck the flies that are swarming in her fur; in that fable, the reason is that those flies are already full of blood and not sucking much, while newcomers would be more rapacious.

ancient Greek vase with roosters

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

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Aesopic Proverbs: Oct. 18

Here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 199. Not all the proverbs attributed to Aesop have connections to the fables attributed to Aesop, but there are some fable-proverb connections in today's sayings. For the vocabulary, click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ξίφος ~ ξίφους (noun n.):  sword 

ἄρτος ~ ἄρτου (noun m.):  bread, loaf 

στόμα ~ στόματος (noun n.):  mouth 

τρεῖς ~ τριῶν (number):  three 

τηρέω ~ τηρήσω ~ ἐτήρησα (verb): protect, guard 

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

῎Επεσε βοῦς καὶ πάντες τὰ ξίφη αὐτῶν ἦραν.

Ἄρτον τις φαφεῖν οὐκ ἔχων προσφάγιον ἐζήτει.

Καὶ τίς λέγει τῷ λέοντι ὅτι “ὄζει τὸ στόμα σου”;

Εἷς οὐδείς, δύο πολλοί, τρεῖς ὄχλος, τέσσαρες πανήγυρις.

Τήρει τὸν υἱόν σου, ἵνα μὴ πέσῃ εἰς τὸ φρέαρ καὶ εἴπῃς ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἤθελεν.

And now, some commentary:

῎Επεσε βοῦς καὶ πάντες τὰ ξίφη αὐτῶν ἦραν.

The ox fell, and everyone raised their swords.

As the accompanying gloss on the proverb explains, when the rich person experiences a downturn in their circumstances (the ox who has fallen), all the poor people will take their revenge (everybody with their swords). Compare the Aesop's fable about the old lion who is insulted by the other animals, including the donkey: The Old Lion.

Ἄρτον τις φαφεῖν οὐκ ἔχων προσφάγιον ἐζήτει.

Someone didn't have bread to eat but was looking for relish.

This is proverbial foolish foolish behavior: if you don't have any bread, the relish isn't going to do you any good. Notice the play on words in the Greek: the "relish" is something "goes-with-eating," προσφάγιον, which won't work unless you have something to eat, φαφεῖν.

Καὶ τίς λέγει τῷ λέοντι ὅτι “ὄζει τὸ στόμα σου”; 

And who says to the lion (that), "Your breath stinks."

Literally, it is the lion's "mouth," στόμα, that stinks. There is an actual Aesop's fable about the lion's stinking breath; in that fable, the lion asks the animals to tell him if his breath stinks or not, looking for an excuse to get angry and kill the animal — when the monkey instead flatters the lion by saying he has sweet breath, the lion finds another excuse to kill him.

Εἷς οὐδείς, δύο πολλοί, τρεῖς ὄχλος, τέσσαρες πανήγυρις.

One is no one, two are plenty, three is a crowd, and four is a festival.

Compare the English saying, "Two's company, three's a crowd." I like the paradoxical start to the Greek proverb: Εἷς οὐδείς... "one is no-one," οὐ(δ)-είς.

Τήρει τὸν υἱόν σου, ἵνα μὴ πέσῃ εἰς τὸ φρέαρ καὶ εἴπῃς ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἤθελεν.

Guard your son so that he does not fall into a well and you have to say that it was the god's will.

There is a similar Aesop's fable where Luck warns someone sleeping by a well not to do that, since she will take the blame: Fortune and the Boy. Here's an illustration by Walter Crane:

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

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Aesopic Proverbs: Oct. 16

Here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 198. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

προσέχω ~ προσέξω ~ προσέσχον (verb): offer, take heed 

ποία ~ ποίας (adj. fem.): of what kind? 

δέω ~ δεήσω ~ ἐδέησα (verb): need, lack 

ἐλπίζω ~ ἐλπιέω ~ ἤλπισα (verb): hope for, expect 

ὄνειρος ~ ὀνείρου (noun m.): dream 

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

Καὶ καλὸν ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

Λύκου καὶ προβάτου ποία συνοδία; 

Τὸν κλέπτην δεῖ καὶ μνήμονα εἶναι.

Πόδας ἔχων σὺ καὶ ποδάγρας ἔλπιζε.

῾Η ὗς εἰς τοὺς ὀνείρους κριθὰς βλέπει.

And now, some commentary:

Καὶ καλὸν ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

Even doing good, take care.

This saying reminds us that the outcomes of all actions are unforeseen: good deeds should lead to good outcomes, but be careful — you cannot take good outcomes for granted.

Λύκου καὶ προβάτου ποία συνοδία; 

What kind of companionship can a wolf and sheep have?

This is yet another saying based on the proverbial enmity of the wolf and the sheep, almost always to the sheep's disadvantage. Note the etymology of συνοδία: this is the companionship of fellow travelers on the road, συν-ὁδία.

Τὸν κλέπτην δεῖ καὶ μνήμονα εἶναι.

The thief must also have a good memory.

Compare the English saying about liars: "A liar needs a good memory." 

Πόδας ἔχων σὺ καὶ ποδάγρας ἔλπιζε.

Having feet, you should also expect gout.

The word ἔλπιζε can mean "hope for" but it can also mean "expect" — and with gout, nobody is hoping for gout, which can affect various joints, but especially the big toe of a foot.

῾Η ὗς εἰς τοὺς ὀνείρους κριθὰς βλέπει.

The sow sees barley in her dreams.

And pigs do dream! All mammals, with very few exceptions, are dreamers, like us. 

ancient Greek toy rattle in the shape of a pig

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

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Aesopic Proverbs: Oct. 14

Here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 197. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

κάλλος ~ κάλλους (noun n.): beauty 

ὁρίζω ~ ὁριέω ~ ὥρισα (verb): define, divide 

χείρ ~ χειρός (noun f.): hand 

ἐργάζομαι ~ ἐργάσομαι ~ εἰργασάμην (verb): work at, make 

ἰατρός ~ ἰατροῦ (noun m.): physician 

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

Κάλλος οἶκον οὐ τρέφει.

Λύκος γηράσας νόμους ὁρίζει.

Σὺν θεῷ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας κίνει.

Καλὸν ἀργεῖν ἢ κακῶς ἐργάζεσθαι.

Ἰατρῷ καὶ νομικῷ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγε.

And now, some commentary:

Κάλλος οἶκον οὐ τρέφει.

Beauty does not nourish the household.

The noun κάλλος, "beauty," stands here for the beautiful woman: someone might have married for beauty, but this proverb advocates for wives with skills needed to take care of the household.

Λύκος γηράσας νόμους ὁρίζει.

The wolf, when he grows old, lays down the lay.

In his youth, of course, the wolf was a lawbreaker, but in his old age, he hypocritically endorses laws that he himself never obeyed. Compare the medieval proverbs and sayings about the wolf who grows pious in his old age, even sometimes becoming a monk.

Σὺν θεῷ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας κίνει.

With god, move your hands too.

You've seen a different version of this saying that invokes Athena, alluding to the Aesop's fable about the drowning Athenian (details in the previous post): Σὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρας κίνει. Compare the English saying, "God helps them that help themselves."

Καλὸν ἀργεῖν ἢ κακῶς ἐργάζεσθαι.

Doing a good job of being lazy rather than doing a bad job of working.

This is a nice little paradoxical proverb, while it also resembles the principle of "First, do no harm." In other words: better to do nothing than to do something harmful. The verb ἀργεῖν has the ἐργ- root, with an alpha-privative prefix: ἀ-εργεῖν.

Ἰατρῷ καὶ νομικῷ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγε.

Tell the truth to your doctor and your lawyer.

The idea, of course, is that you can say whatever you want to everybody else! There are quite a few modern variations on this ancient saying; the most common seems to be: "You should never lie to three people: your doctor, your lawyer and your accountant." Of course, without the IRS back in the day, you didn't need an accountant as many people do today. You can find other modern variations as well, with "yourself," or "your mother," or "your therapist" in place of the accountant. Just Google and see!

3rd century BCE "wolf" coin from Argos

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

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Aesopic Proverbs: October 11

Here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 196. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἐάν (conj.):   if, if perhaps 

ἐσθίω ~ φάγομαι ~ ἔφαγον (verb): eat, devour 

Ἑρμῆς ~ Ἑρμοῦ (noun m.):  Hermes 

βάλλω ~ βαλέω ~ ἔβαλον (verb): throw, cast 

οὐδαμῶς (adverb): in no way 

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

Κοχλίας, ἐὰν ὀπτηθῇ, τρύζει.

Φαγέτω με λέων καὶ μὴ ἀλωπηξ.

Ζητῶν Ἑρμῆν γλύψαι, Κέρκωπα ἐγλυψα.

῾Ο πέπερι ἔχων καὶ εἰς φακὸν βάλλει.

῎Οφις τὸ δέρμα ἀποδύεται, τὴν γνώμην δὲ οὐδαμῶς.

And now, some commentary:

Κοχλίας, ἐὰν ὀπτηθῇ, τρύζει.

A snail, if roasted, mutters.

The idea is that snails are normally unprotesting creatures who never make a sound, but in extreme circumstances they will mutter in protest. So too with a human being who is normally unprotesting: if you push them hard enough, they will eventually complain. Compare the Aesop's fable where a boy mocks the snails as he cooks them.

Φαγέτω με λέων καὶ μὴ ἀλωπηξ.

Let a lion eat me, and not a fox.

Lions and foxes are two of the most prominent characters in Aesop's fables. The idea here is that it would be better to fall victim to a valiant opponent (the lion) as opposed to being tricked by somone sneaky (the fox). The form φαγέτω is a third-person aorist imperative.

Ζητῶν Ἑρμῆν γλύψαι, Κέρκωπα ἐγλυψα.

Seeking to carve a Hermes, I carved a Kerkops.

The Kercopes were mythological mischief-makers; you can read about their antics at Wikipedia: Cercopes. The Cercopes were also associated with monkeys (Ovid tells the story of Zeus turning the Cercopes into monkeys), which is probably the idea here: instead of a god, I ended up with a monkey.

῾Ο πέπερι ἔχων καὶ εἰς φακὸν βάλλει.

Someone who has pepper can put it on his lentils.

Pepper was a rarity, not something you would squander on a food as common as lentils. For another lentil saying in the Aesopic proverbs, see the previous post: Κἂν εὐτυχήσας τῆς φακῆς μνημόνευε.

῎Οφις τὸ δέρμα ἀποδύεται, τὴν γνώμην δὲ οὐδαμῶς.

A snake sheds its skin, but its disposition not at all.

In Greek, there is a special word for the snake's shed skin, λεβηρίς, and you saw that word in an earlier post: Κενότερος λεβηρίδος.

Tempesta's illustration of Ovid's Metamorphoses:
Zeus turning the Cercopes into monkeys

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

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Aesopic Proverbs: Oct. 9

For the next couple of weeks, I'll be blogging about the proverbs attributed to Aesop (a reader of this blog is taking Ph.D. qualifying exams later this month, and the proverbs of Aesop are on his reading list). I'm still focusing on proverbs that have at least one common vocabulary word, but I'm not trying to group the vocabulary items by type. Today, for example, you'll find a noun, a verb, an adverb, and two prepositions, all of which are in the most common 2000 Greek vocabulary words.

And now, here are today's Aesopic proverbs; it's Group 195. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἀεὶ (adverb): always 

ἐκ (prep.+ gen.): out from, out of  

ἐγγύς (prep.+ gen.): next to, near 

πηγή ~ πηγῆς (noun f.): stream, source 

μνημονεύω ~ μνημονεύσω ~ ἐμνημόνευσα (verb): remember 

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

Ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι καλά.

Ἐξ ἄμμου σχοινίον πλέκειν.

Ὁ ἐγγὺς Διός, ἐγγὺς κεραυνοῦ.

Πηγῆς ἐξ ἦς οὐ πίνω ξηρανθείη.

Κἂν εὐτυχήσας τῆς φακῆς μνημόνευε.

And now, some commentary:

Ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι καλά.

The things of the past (were) always good.

You've seen a similar saying in an earlier blog post, using the comparative form: Ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι βελτίω. Compare the English saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Their absence in time and distance from the present is what makes the things of the past good; it's nostalgic hindsight.

Ἐξ ἄμμου σχοινίον πλέκεις.

You're weaving a rope from sand.

This is a proverbial fool's errand, because of course you cannot weave a rope from sand and expect it to do what a rope is supposed to do. This same proverbial idea is found in English and in other languages too.

Ὁ ἐγγὺς Διός, ἐγγὺς κεραυνοῦ.

He who is near Zeus is near his thunderbolt.

In other words, by consorting with those who are powerful, you are exposing yourself to danger. This saying is a warning about the dangers of being close to those in power, and there is a similar saying that advocates keeping your distance: Πόρρω Διός τε καὶ κεραυνοῦ, "Far from Zeus and from his thunderbolt."

Πηγῆς ἐξ ἦς οὐ πίνω ξηρανθείη.

May the stream from which I do not drink dry up.

These are the words of someone who is resentful of others' prosperity: if wealth is not going to be shared so that I too can be wealthy (if I cannot drink from the stream myself), then I don't want anyone to enjoy that wealth (may the stream dry up!).

Κἂν εὐτυχήσας τῆς φακῆς μνημόνευε.

If you become wealthy, remember eating lentils.

Lentil stew is the proverbial food of the poor, so the idea is that if someone becomes rich, they should not forget their humble origins. As always, verbs of remembering take a genitive complement: φακῆς μνημόνευε.

Zeus and his thunderbolt

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

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