Greek Proverbs: April 28

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations (and there are always more proverbs at the blog)... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs:

Ξυρεῖς ______.

reveal/hide answer

λέοντα

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Κρῖνε ______.

reveal/hide answer

δίκαια

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______ βραδέως.

reveal/hide answer

Σπεῦδε

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Εὔχου ______.

reveal/hide answer

δυνατά

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______ χαρίζου.

reveal/hide answer

Ἔχων

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Ξυρεῖς λέοντα.

You are shaving the lion.

This is a proverbial expression to warn someone that they are doing something that is dangerous. In Plato's Republic it appears in this form: ξυρεῖν ἐπιχειρεῖν λέοντα, "to attempt to shave the lion," literally putting your hand (ἐπι-χειρεῖν) to the task of shaving the lion. Compare the English saying, "to beard the lion in his own den," which similarly refers to a dangerous undertaking.

Κρῖνε δίκαια.

Discern what is right.

Notice that the Greek uses the plural adjective as a noun: (the things that are) right. You can also render this as an adverb in English: Judge justly. This is one of the maxims that Stobaeus attributes to the Seven Sages; find out more at Wikipedia: Delphic maxims. You can also find out more about the goddess of justice, Wikipedia: Dike.

Σπεῦδε βραδέως.

Hurry up slowly.

In other words: don't be slow, but don't be too fast either! This phrase became popular as a Latin saying, which has its own Wikipedia article: Festina lente. Compare a similarly paradoxical English saying: "More haste, less speed."

Εὔχου δυνατά.

Pray for things that are possible.

The verb εὔχου is a middle imperative from the deponent verb εὔχομαι; like many middle verbs it can still take a direct object: δυνατά, an adjective being used here as a noun, "possible (things)." This is another of the maxims attributed by Stobaeus to the Seven Sages.

Ἔχων χαρίζου.

If you have something, give it cheerfully.

Of course, Greek has managed to say all that with a participle and a verb; these so-called Delphic maxims are always pithy! The verb χαρίζου is one of those middle imperatives.

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Ξυρεῖς ______.

reveal/hide answer

λέοντα

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Κρῖνε ______.

reveal/hide answer

δίκαια

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______ βραδέως.

reveal/hide answer

Σπεῦδε

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Εὔχου ______.

reveal/hide answer

δυνατά

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______ χαρίζου.

reveal/hide answer

Ἔχων

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And to finish up, here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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