Greek Proverbs: Nov. 25

Here are today's Greek proverbs; it's Group 209. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

κοινός ~ κοινοῦ (adj. neut.): common, shared, impartial 

βίος ~ βίου (noun m.): life, lifestyle 

λόγος ~ λόγου (noun m.): word, speech 

τέχνη ~ τέχνης (noun f.): art, skill, craft 

ὀπίσω (adverb): back, backwards 

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

Κοινὸς γίνου.

Ἀνέλπιστον βίον ζῇς.

Λόγος καλὸς ὀστοῦν κατεάξει.

Λιμὴν ἀτυχίας ἐστὶν ἀνθρώποις τέχνη.

Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων.

And now, some commentary:

Κοινὸς γίνου.

Be impartial.

The usual meaning of κοινός is shared or common or public, but it can also have the meaning of impartial, as here, opening yourself up to all sides of a question. This is another one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus; see them all here.

Ἀνέλπιστον βίον ζῇς.

You are living the unhoped-for life.

This is an alpha-privative: ἀν-έλπιστος. We have the word "unhoped for" in English which is always positive, but this Greek word is ambiguous: it can mean "unhoped for" but also "hopeless, desperate." The idea here, though, is positive: you are living something like "beyond your wildest dreams," and in a good way.

Λόγος καλὸς ὀστοῦν κατεάξει.

A good word can shatter bone.

The idea here is breaking bones in some aggressive sense; instead, the idea is that a good word — a gentle word, a soft word — can break something that is proverbially hard, like bone, stone, etc. You might understand it as something like "A good word can break a heart of stone" or something like that. This is one of the sayings attributed to Aesop, and the accompanying interpretation refers to softening something λιθώδης, "stony," making the connection between bone and stone.

Λιμὴν ἀτυχίας ἐστὶν ἀνθρώποις τέχνη.

Skill gives people refuge from misfortune.

The word λιμήν literally means a harbor, but it also has the metaphorical meaning of a refuge or a haven, much like "harbor" in English. Being skilled is like a safe port in the storm that is bad luck or misfortune, ἀτυχία. This is another one of the iambic monostichs of Menander:

Λιμὴν | ἀτυχί||ας ἐσ|τὶν ἀν||θρώποις | τέχνη.

Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων.

Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

This is a line from the Gospel of Mark and also in the Gospel of Matthew; the King James version reads: "Come ye after me, and I will you to become fishers of men." Jesus is speaking to Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew as they are casting a fishing net; they become his disciples: "they forsook their nets and followed him." The phrase has its own article at Wikipedia: Fishers of men.

Duccio di Buoninsegna

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

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Greek Proverbs: Nov. 20

Here are today's Greek proverbs; it's Group 208. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἐλπίς ~ ἐλπίδος (noun f.): hope, expectation 

βοῦς ~ βοός (noun c.): ox, cow 

βλέπω ~ βλέψομαι ~ ἔβλεψα (verb): look at, see 

ἀκούω ~ ἀκούσομαι ~ ἤκουσα (verb): listen, hear 

βραχύς ~ βραχέος (noun m.): short, small 

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

Ἐλπίδα αἴνει.

Ἡ ἅμαξα τὸν βοῦν πολλάκις ἕλκει.

Πάντη γάρ ἐστι πάντα τε βλέπει θεός.

Εἰπὲ ἃ θέλεις, καὶ ἄκουε ἃ μὴ θέλεις. 

Τοῖς τοι δικαίοις χὠ βραχὺς νικᾷ μέγαν. 

And now, some commentary:

Ἐλπίδα αἴνει.

Praise hope! 

This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims preserved by Stobaeus. Remember that Hope, Ἐλπίς, is a divinity, and you can find out more at Wikipedia. Praise her!

Ἡ ἅμαξα τὸν βοῦν πολλάκις ἕλκει.

Often the cart pulls the ox.

You can also find shorter versions of the saying: Ἡ ἅμαξα τὸν βοῦν and Ἡ ἅμαξα τὸν βοῦν ἕλκει. The addition of πολλάκις reminds us that the world is full of foolishness; these kinds of things happen a lot. This version comes from Lucian's dialogue between Terpsion and Pluto. Compare the English saying about "putting the cart before the horse."

Πάντη γάρ ἐστι πάντα τε βλέπει θεός.

God is everywhere and sees everything.

This is one of the monostichs (one-liners) of Menander, and it is thus in iambic meter:

Πάντη | γάρ ἐσ||τι πάν|τα τε || βλέπει | θεός.

Εἰπὲ ἃ θέλεις, καὶ ἄκουε ἃ μὴ θέλεις. 

Say what you want, and hear what you don't want.

This is one of the ancient Greek sayings attributed to Aesop. Compare a similar Latin saying: Si dices quae vis, audies quae non vis, "If you say what you want, you will hear what you don't want."

Τοῖς τοι δικαίοις χὠ βραχὺς νικᾷ μέγαν. 

In matters of justice, even a small man can overcome the big man.

The words are spoken by Creon in Sophocles's Oedipus at Colonus. The word χὠ is a contraction of καὶ ὁ, with the καὶ being used adverbially here: καὶ ὁ βραχὺς, even a small man.

illustration for Oedipus at Colonus by Henry Fuseli

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

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Greek Proverbs: Nov. 18

Here are today's Greek proverbs; it's Group 207. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἀεί (adverb): always 

γράμμα ~ γράμματος (noun n.): letter, writing 

κύων ~ κυνός (noun c.): dog 

μανθάνω ~ μαθήσομαι ~ ἔμαθον (verb): learn, understand 

ἐλέφας ~ ἐλέφαντος (noun m.): elephant 

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

Ἀεὶ Ἰλίῳ κακά.

Φοινικήϊα γράμματα.

Κύων τευτλία οὐκ ἐσθίει.

Ἐν πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν μανθάνω.

Κώνωπος ἐλέφας Ἰνδικὸς οὐ ἀλεγίζει.

And now, some commentary:

Ἀεὶ Ἰλίῳ κακά.

Troy always has troubles.

The words come from an anecdote about the musician Stratonicus of Athens in Athenaeus's Deipnosophistae, and it is one of the sayings that Erasmus wrote about in his Adagia. 

Φοινικήϊα γράμματα.

Phoenician letters.

The ancient Greeks called writing "Phoenician letters," but they did not necessarily attribute the invention of writing to the people we call Phoenicians. For example, some said the letters were invented by Phoenix, the son of Agenor; others said the alphabet was so named in honor of Phoenice, the daughter of Actaeon. You can read about the actual Phoenician and Greek alphabets at Wikipedia.

Κύων τευτλία οὐκ ἐσθίει.

A dog doesn't eat little beets.

The words are pronounced by Diogenes the Cynic, referring to himself as the dog; the story is from Diogenes Laertius: When some boys clustered round him and said, "Take care he doesn't bite us," he answered, "Never fear, boys, a dog does not eat beetroot." 

Ἐν πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν μανθάνω.

I'm learning the art of pottery with a very big pot.

The πίθος was a large storage jar. In other words, I'm trying to run before I can walk — which is a foolish thing to do. To learn the art of pottery, you need to start with a little pot and work your way up. You can also find the saying in this form: ἐν τῷ πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν ἐπιχειρεῖν μανθάνειν.

Κώνωπος ἐλέφας Ἰνδικὸς οὐ ἀλεγίζει.

An Indian elephant doesn't trouble himself with a gnat. Compare two similar sayings you saw earlier about the elephant and the mouse: Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐχ ἁλίσκει and Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

Etruscan plate

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

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Greek Proverbs: Nov. 13

Here are today's Greek proverbs; it's Group 206. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

πιστεύω ~ πιστεύσω ~ ἐπίστευσα (verb): believe, trust 

ἀνάγκη ~ ἀνάγκης (noun f.): necessity 

εὑρίσκω ~ εὑρήσω ~ ηὗρον (verb): find, discover 

συνάπτω ~ συνάψω ~ σύνηψα (verb): join, engage in 

ῥῆμα  ~ ῥήματος (noun n.): word, subject matter 

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

Τύχῃ μὴ πίστευε.

Ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης πολλὰ γίγνεται κακά.

Οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν βίον ἄλυπον οὐδενός.

Πρὸς λέοντα δορκάδες συνάπτουσι μάχας.

Οὐκ ἀδυνατήσει παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πᾶν ῥῆμα.

And now, some commentary:

Τύχῃ μὴ πίστευε.

Don't trust in luck.

This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus; you can find out more at Wikipedia.

Ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης πολλὰ γίγνεται κακά.

Many bad things happen by necessity.

You can read about the divine personification of ἀνάγκη at Wikipedia: Ananke. The words come from the comic playwright Menander and are in iambic meter:

Ὑπὸ τῆς | ἀνάγ||κης πολ|λὰ γίγ||νεται | κακά.

Οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν βίον ἄλυπον οὐδενός.

Nobody's life can be found that is without grief.

This is another one of the fragments of Menander, again in iambic meter:

Οὐκ ἔσ|τιν εὑ||ρεῖν βίον | ἄλυ||πον οὐ|δενός.

Πρὸς λέοντα δορκάδες συνάπτουσι μάχας.

The deer are massing in battle against the lion.

The deer are in the plural, δορκάδες, but even in the plural, all those deer are no match for a lion of course!

Οὐκ ἀδυνατήσει παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πᾶν ῥῆμα.

No thing will be impossible with God.

The words come from the Annunciation scene in the Gospel of Luke, where the angel is announcing to Mary that her cousin Elizabeth, though old, is about to bear a child (who will be John the Baptist).

The Annunciation

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Greek Proverbs: Nov. 11

Here are today's Greek proverbs; it's Group 205. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

βίος ~ βίου (noun m.): life 

τύραννος ~ τυράννου (noun m.): tyrant, despot 

κακή ~ κακῆς (adj. fem.): bad, evil 

γιγνώσκω ~ γνώσομαι ~ ἔγνων (verb): know 

φέρω ~ οἴσω ~ ἤνεγκον (verb): carry, bring 

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

Ἅβρωνος βίος.

Τύραννος τυράννῳ συγκατεργάζεται.

Κακῆς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς γίγνεται τέλος κακόν.

Ἔγνω δὲ φώρ τε φῶρα, καὶ λύκος λύκον.

Λύκος ἐν αἰτίᾳ γίνεται, κἂν φέφῃ κἂν μὴ φέρῃ.

And now, some commentary:

Ἅβρωνος βίος.

The life of Abron.

Abron was an extremely wealthy citizen of Argos, so much so that he became a proverbial saying for wealth, especially excessive wealth. You can read about this Abron and other ancient Greeks named Abron at Wikipedia.

Τύραννος τυράννῳ συγκατεργάζεται.

One tyrant is coming to the aid of another.

The saying is found in Herodotus, put into the mouths of Spartan envoys who are disparaging Alexander I of Macedon, an ally of Xerxes, tyrant and tyrant.

Κακῆς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς γίγνεται τέλος κακόν.

A bad ending comes from a bad beginning.

Notice how the adjectives κακῆς and κακόν wrap around the saying. The saying is a fragment from Euripides' Aeolus, and it is thus iambic:

Κακῆς | ἀπ' ἀρ||χῆς γίγ|νεται || τέλος κακόν.

Ἔγνω δὲ φώρ τε φῶρα, καὶ λύκος λύκον.

A thief knows a thief, and a wolf knows a wolf.

This is another example of the so-called "gnomic" aroist, which I've rendered here in the English saying with present tense. Aristotle cites the saying in his discussion of friends in the Eudemian Ethics.

Λύκος ἐν αἰτίᾳ γίνεται, κἂν φέφῃ κἂν μὴ φέρῃ.

The wolf is to blame whether he takes (the sheep) or not.

Of course, the reason the wolf gets blamed is because he has, on many occasions, taken the sheep!

silver coin from the reign of Alexander I, circa 450 BCE

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

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Greek Proverbs: Nov. 6

Here are today's Greek proverbs; it's Group 204. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

θάνατος ~ θανάτου (noun m.): death 

πόλεμος ~ πολέμου (noun m.): war, battle 

Ἄρτεμις ~ Ἀρτέμιδος (noun f.): Artemis 

οὐδέν ~ οὐδενός (adj. neut.): none, nothing (οὐ) 

ὅπου (adverb): where, wherever 

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

Ὄνου θανάτους.

Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ πολέμου.

Ποῦ γὰρ ἡ Ἄρτεμις οὐκ ἐχόρευσεν;

Λιμῷ γὰρ οὐδέν ἐστιν ἀντειπεῖν ἔπος.

Ὅπου βία πάρεστιν, οὐδὲν ἰσχύει νόμος.

And now, some commentary:

Ὄνου θανάτους.

(To narrate) the deaths of a donkey.

This saying is recorded in Erasmus's Adagia, where he explains that the accusative plural θανάτους is the object of an implied verb: to tell or narrate. This a mocking proverb, making fun of someone who is telling a serious story about an unworthy hero, i.e. the story of some heroic death-defying donkey, as if a donkey were the equal of a hero like Odysseus. 

Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ πολέμου.

War brings many strange things.

Bentley includes this Greek saying in his Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris, applying the saying quite wittily to the strange anachronistic contradictions he discovers in the process of debunking the letters and attributing them not to the 6th century B.C.E. but to the 2nd century C.E.

Ποῦ γὰρ ἡ Ἄρτεμις οὐκ ἐχόρευσεν;

Where indeed has Artemis not danced?

This is one of the sayings from the collection of proverbs attributed to Aesop. It is a hyperbolic phrase that refers to anything that is ubiquitous: Artemis was so famed for her dancing and her worship was so widespread that Artemis had danced... everywhere. So the proverb is a byword for something can be found everywhere. For more about the Artemis cult, see Wikipedia: Cult of Artemis at Brauron.

Λιμῷ γὰρ οὐδέν ἐστιν ἀντειπεῖν ἔπος.

There is no word that can refute hunger.

In other words, mere words will never persuade something that their empty belly is really full; instead of making things better, words will be just make things worse — the hunger remains. No argument can dismiss it. This is one of Menander's monostichs, so it is in iambic meter:

Λιμῷ | γὰρ οὐ||δέν ἐσ|τιν ἀν||τειπεῖν | ἔπος.

Ὅπου βία πάρεστιν, οὐδὲν ἰσχύει νόμος.

Wherever there is violence, law has no power.

Note that οὐδὲν here has the force of an adverb; neuter nouns and adjectives often have adverbial force in Greek. And, sad to say, this is very much a saying for our times, especially here in the United States these days. Compare the English saying, "Might prevails over right."

girls dancing to honor Artemis

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

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