Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:
These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):
And now, some commentary:
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
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.
And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:
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