Greek Proverbs

NOTE: I'll be away for next week, so the next post/email won't be until Tuesday, Oct. 5, after I get back. I'm also thinking about a new turn in the ongoing development of this project. When I started, I hadn't intended for it to be cat-based, but with this new round of cats, there are now over 365 cats. That's enough for one every day of the year. So I am thinking I will switch over to a daily post, presenting a proverb each day and glossing all the words and providing more systematic grammar notes. I'll keep making new cats too, but it's fun to think that there are enough for a year now, and having fully glossed proverbs will be better for students, right? Plus, hey, it's Greek: we can all benefit from glossing. :-)

So now: here's one more round of five new cats with previous proverbs, and with the quiz. See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email).

Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ______ ὑμῶν.

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Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν.

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______ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.

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Ὀφθαλμοὶ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.

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Ἀρχὴ τῆς ______ ἡ παιδεία.

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Ἀρχὴ τῆς σοφίας ἡ παιδεία.

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Δόσις δ᾿ ὀλίγη τε ______ τε.

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Δόσις δ᾿ ὀλίγη τε φίλη τε.

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Ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων ______ πήματα.

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Ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων τέκνα πήματα.

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Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν.

Love your enemies.

This is another Biblical saying, this time from the Gospel of Luke, specifically from the section known as the Sermon on the Plain; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Sermon on the Plain. There is also a Wikipedia article about this saying in particular: Love your enemies.

Ὀφθαλμοὶ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.

The eyes (are) more trustworthy than the ears.

The idea is that you need to see something for yourself rather than listening to someone else tell you about it. Compare the English saying, "Seeing is believing." The word πιστότεροι is a comparative form of the adjective πιστός, and as a comparative it takes a genitive complement: ὠτίων. 

Ἀρχὴ τῆς σοφίας ἡ παιδεία.

Education (is) the beginning of wisdom.

All three of the nouns in this sentence are feminine! The root of the word παιδεία is παῖς, "child," which also gives us English words like pediatric and pedagogy.

Δόσις δ᾿ ὀλίγη τε φίλη τε.

A gift, small (but) welcome.

The words appear twice in Homer's Odyssey. First, in Book 6, when Nausicaa offers hospitality to Odysseus, and again in Book 14, when Eumaeus welcomes Odysseus in Ithaca. The saying offers an apology for not having a bigger gift to offer; the idea is that a gift, although small, is given gladly and should be welcome. You can see the Greek root ὀλίγ- in oligopoly and oligarchy.

Ἄνδρῶν ἡρώων τέκνα πήματα.
The children of heroes (are) calamities.
In other words, you cannot predict the quality of a person based on who their fathers are; heroes' children do not always turn out to be heroes — sometimes just the opposite. Erasmus includes this saying in his Adagia.

Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ______ ὑμῶν.

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Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν.

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______ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.

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Ὀφθαλμοὶ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.

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Ἀρχὴ τῆς ______ ἡ παιδεία.

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Ἀρχὴ τῆς σοφίας ἡ παιδεία.

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Δόσις δ᾿ ὀλίγη τε ______ τε.

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Δόσις δ᾿ ὀλίγη τε φίλη τε.

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Ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων ______ πήματα.

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Ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων τέκνα πήματα.

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

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Greek Proverbs: Sept. 22

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... 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 (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ἐὰν μὴ πάθῃς, οὐ μὴ ______.

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Ἐὰν μὴ πάθῃς, οὐ μὴ μάθῃς.

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______, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.

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Ἀπολύετε, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.

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______ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.

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Ἀγαθὴ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.

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Οἱ διψῶντες ______ πίνουσι.

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Οἱ διψῶντες σιωπῇ πίνουσι.

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Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ ______.

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Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

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Ἐὰν μὴ πάθῃς, οὐ μὴ μάθῃς.

If you don't suffer, you won't learn.

Compare a similar saying from an earlier blog post: Τα παθήματα μαθήματα. Both πάθῃς and μάθῃς are in the subjunctive, and the use of οὐ μὴ with the subjunctive expresses an emphatic negative prediction, so the saying could even be translated as "you won't ever learn."

Ἀπολύετε, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

The words are from the Gospel of Luke.

The complete verse has three parallel statements: καὶ μὴ κρίνετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ κριθῆτε· καὶ μὴ καταδικάζετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ καταδικασθῆτε. ἀπολύετε, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε, "Do not judge, and you will not be judge; do not not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven."

Ἀγαθὴ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.

Even a barley-cake is good, after the bread (is gone).

Barley-cakes were the proverbial food of poor people and slaves. In other words, when someone's circumstances have changed for the worst, they will change their opinion about what is good. Note the adverbial use of καὶ here: instead of joining two equal things as a conjunction, it means something like "even" or "also." From Greek Ἀγαθὴ, we get the name Agatha.

Οἱ διψῶντες σιωπῇ πίνουσι.   

Those who are thirsty drink in silence.

The word διψῶντες is a participle from the verb διψάω; you can see the Greek root in the English word dipsomaniac. The idea is that when someone really needs something, they will be completely focused on that thing. Total absorption; no chit-chat.

Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

The thieves are having a holiday.

The saying refers to people who are able to steal with impunity; it's a fragment of Cratinus, a comic poet who flourished in the 5th century B.C.E. He was one of the most famous comic playwrights, but only fragments of his plays survive.

Ἐὰν μὴ πάθῃς, οὐ μὴ ______.

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Ἐὰν μὴ πάθῃς, οὐ μὴ μάθῃς.

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______, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.

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Ἀπολύετε, καὶ ἀπολυθήσεσθε.

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______ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.

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Ἀγαθὴ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.

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Οἱ διψῶντες ______ πίνουσι.

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Οἱ διψῶντες σιωπῇ πίνουσι.

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Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ ______.

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Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

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

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Greek Proverbs: Sept. 17

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... 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 (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Διώκει ______ ποτανὸν ὄρνιν.

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Διώκει παῖς ποτανὸν ὄρνιν.

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Βελλεροφόντης τὰ ______.

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Βελλεροφόντης τὰ γράμματα.

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Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα ______.

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Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα σοφός.

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______ ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.

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Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς ______.

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Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος.

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Διώκει παῖς ποτανὸν ὄρνιν.

The child is chasing a winged bird.

The saying is invoked by the chorus of Aeschylus's Agamemnon. It refers to something like what we call a "wild goose chase" in English, a futile endeavor or something even more sinister, leading to disaster. The chorus goes on to invoke Paris's theft of Helen a few lines later, so the proverb appears to be associated with a presumed fable, otherwise lost to us, about a child who, in pursuit of a bird, somehow brings destruction on a city as Paris brought destruction on Troy.

Βελλεροφόντης τὰ γράμματα.

The letter of Bellerophon.

This saying alludes to a story about the hero Bellerophon who was sent to King Iobates bearing a letter (Greek γράμματα, plural, means a "letter" in English) that said "Kill Bellerophon." You can read more at Wikipedia: Bellerophon. Another famous letter like this appears in the story of King David in the Hebrew Bible; David sends Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, on a mission carrying a letter intended to secure Uriah's death. Uriah does, in fact, die, but Bellerophon survives and goes on to other heroic adventures. More about Uriah in Wikipedia: Bathsheba. You can also read about this motif at the great TVTropes website: Kill The Messenger.

Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα σοφός.

No one is wise in all things.

The saying is adapted from the ancient Greek poet, Theognis (see below). From the Greek word σοφός we get words like philosophy and sophomore.

Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις. 

You're teaching an eagle to fly.

This is one of those proverbial fool's errands. Not only does an eagle not need you to teach it to fly, the eagle can fly far higher and faster than you can. Compare the saying that you saw in an earlier post: Ἰχθὺν νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις, "You're teaching a fish to swim."

Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος.

Nothing is sweeter than one's fatherland.

The word γλύκιον is comparative ("sweeter"), so it takes a genitive complement: πατρίδος. The words appear in Homer's Odyssey, and so echo on throughout Greek literature, quoted by later authors.

For example, here is a line from the Greek Anthology, with "said Odysseus" at the end: ὡς οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος, εἶπεν Ὀδυσσεύς. The complete line in the Odyssey includes parents also:

ὣς οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος οὐδὲ τοκήων

Here is the meter:

ὣς οὐ~δὲν γλύκι~ον ἧς ~ πατρίδος ~ οὐδὲ το~κήων

Διώκει ______ ποτανὸν ὄρνιν.

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Διώκει παῖς ποτανὸν ὄρνιν.

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Βελλεροφόντης τὰ ______.

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Βελλεροφόντης τὰ γράμματα.

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Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα ______.

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Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἅπαντα σοφός.

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______ ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.

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Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς ______.

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Οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος.

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

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Greek Proverbs: September 15

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... 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 (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

______ ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον δραμεῖται.

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Ὗς ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον δραμεῖται.

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Τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι ______.

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Τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι φίλος.

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Τὸ ______ οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.

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Τὸ μέλλον οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.

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______ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.

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Ὄφιν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.

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Σίδηρον ______ διδάσκεις.

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Σίδηρον πλεῖν διδάσκεις.

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Ὗς ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον δραμεῖται.

The pig will run to the cudgel.

The saying refers to someone who foolishly rushes headlong into their own doom instead of running away from it.

Τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι φίλος.

One grasshopper is dear to another.

The words come from one of the idylls of Theocritus: τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι φίλος, μύρμακι δὲ μύρμαξ, / ἴρηκες δ᾿ ἴρηξιν, with the τέττιξ, grasshopper or cicada, the μύρμαξ, ant, and the hawks, ἴρηκες.

Τὸ μέλλον οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.

No one can escape what is coming.

The verb ἐκφύγοι is in the optative mood, expressing potential: people might wish to escape what is coming, but nobody can escape, οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι. The participial phrase τὸ μέλλον means "that which is coming," i.e. the future, fate, destiny, etc.

Ὄφιν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.

You're nursing a snake in your bosom.

This saying appears in Erasmus's Adagia. Compare the Aesop's fable about the man who found a frozen snake in the snow and warmed it, only to be bitten by the snake when it thawed: The Man and the Snake. You can see a more poetic restatement of this proverb, emphasizing that the snake is cold, in this post: Ψυχρὸν ἐν κόλπῳ ποικίλον εἶχες ὄφιν.

Σίδηρον πλεῖν διδάσκεις.

You're teaching iron to float.

This is another kind of fool's errand, the opposite of the previous proverb: iron is never going to float. At least, that's what the Greeks thought about iron. Later on, of course, iron did learn to float! You can read about the history of iron-hulled sailing ships at Wikipedia.

______ ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον δραμεῖται.

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Ὗς ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον δραμεῖται.

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Τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι ______.

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Τέττιξ μὲν τέττιγι φίλος.

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Τὸ ______ οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.

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Τὸ μέλλον οὐδεὶς ἐκφύγοι.

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______ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.

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Ὄφιν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τρέφεις.

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Σίδηρον ______ διδάσκεις.

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Σίδηρον πλεῖν διδάσκεις.

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

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Greek Proverbs: September 10

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... 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 (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ῥεχθὲν δέ τε ______ ἔγνω.

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Ῥεχθὲν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

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______ οἰκίαι μὴ δέχου.

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Χελιδόνα οἰκίαι μὴ δέχου.

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______ καὶ παῖδες ἀληθεῖς.

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Οἶνος καὶ παῖδες ἀληθεῖς.

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Ξυρεῖν ἐπιχειρεῖν ______.

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Ξυρεῖν ἐπιχειρεῖν λέοντα.

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Μικρὸν ______ μέγα ἀγαθόν.

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Μικρὸν κακὸν μέγα ἀγαθόν.

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Ῥεχθὲν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

When something is done, even a fool knows it.

This saying appears already in Homer's Iliad: Menelaus is protecting Patroclus's fallen body, and he uses these words to rebuke the Trojan Euphorbus, but Euphorbus does not retreat, and Menelaus kills him. Plato also includes this saying in the Symposium, labeling it a παροιμία, a proverb. The idea is that a wise man can anticipate trouble in advance and avoid it, but the fool rushes in, recognizing the danger only after it has befallen him, Euphorbus being one such fool.

Χελιδόνα οἰκίαι μὴ δέχου.

Do not receive a swallow in your house.

The saying is attributed to Pythagoras, who was not alone in regarding the swallow as a bird of ill omen, but the swallow could also be a good omen. For an overview of the swallow as a bird who could be regarded as both an ill omen and a good omen, see J. G. Frazer: Swallows in the House.

Οἶνος καὶ παῖδες ἀληθεῖς.

Wine and children (are) truthful.

You can find this saying in Plato's Symposium. Compare a similar saying that you saw in an earlier blog post: Ἐν οἴνῳ ἀλήθεια. You can see Greek παῖδες in English pedagogy.

Ξυρεῖν ἐπιχειρεῖν λέοντα.

To attempt to shave a lion.

This proverbial saying appears in Plato's Republic, referring to a very hazardous and risky venture: anybody who has had to shave their pet cat's matted fur knows all about this! The verb "to attempt," ἐπιχειρεῖν, has χειρ, "hand" as its root, so it literally means to put your hand to something, ἐπι-χειρ-εῖν. You will be lucky to get that hand back intact if you really are shaving a lion! You can find additional citations and parallels in Erasmus.

Μικρὸν κακὸν μέγα ἀγαθόν.

A small evil (is) a great good.

Paradoxical but true; compare the English saying about choosing "the lesser of two evils." This saying is also a good way to remember the unexpected ending of the adjective μέγα: just like μικρόν, κακόν and ἀγαθόν, μέγα is neuter singular. From Greek μικρόν we get all the micro- words, of which there are many in English; you can use OneLook to see them all.

Ῥεχθὲν δέ τε ______ ἔγνω.

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Ῥεχθὲν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

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______ οἰκίαι μὴ δέχου.

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Χελιδόνα οἰκίαι μὴ δέχου.

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______ καὶ παῖδες ἀληθεῖς.

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Οἶνος καὶ παῖδες ἀληθεῖς.

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Ξυρεῖν ἐπιχειρεῖν ______.

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Ξυρεῖν ἐπιχειρεῖν λέοντα.

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Μικρὸν ______ μέγα ἀγαθόν.

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Μικρὸν κακὸν μέγα ἀγαθόν.

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

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Greek Proverbs: September 8

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... 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 (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ὁ _____ οὐκ ἔχει πηδάλια.

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Ὁ οἶνος οὐκ ἔχει πηδάλια.

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_____ ὁ ἀφανὴς τύραννος.

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Χρυσὸς ὁ ἀφανὴς τύραννος.

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Ἁ δὲ _____ την χεῖρα νίζει.

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Ἁ δὲ χεὶρ την χεῖρα νίζει.

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Τὴν αὑτοῦ _____ δέδοικεν.

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Τὴν αὑτοῦ σκιὰν δέδοικεν.

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Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ _____.

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Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.

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Ὁ οἶνος οὐκ ἔχει πηδάλια.

Wine has no oars.

In other words, when you drink, you lose control of yourself, just as you cannot control a ship without oars. Metaphorically, the word πηδάλια could also be used to mean the reins of a horse: ἱππικὰ πηδάλια. From Greek οἶνος we get the words oenophile and oenology.

Χρυσὸς ὁ ἀφανὴς τύραννος.

Gold is the invisible tyrant.

The adjective ἀφανὴς is an alpha-privative: ἀ-φανὴς, in-visible. From Greek τύραννος, we get English "tyrant." The etymology of the Greek word is obscure; here are some possible etymologies.

Ἁ δὲ χεὶρ την χεῖρα νίζει.

The hand washes the hand.

Compare the English saying, "One hand washes the other." The saying appears in a fragment of the comic writer Epicharmus. The complete verse line explains the meaning of the saying: Ἡ δὲ χεὶρ τὴν χεῖρα κνίζει, δός τι καὶ λάβοις τι, "give something and you'll get something." Another version of the saying in Greek cited by Erasmus is Χεὶρ χεῖρα νίπτει, δάκτυλός τε δάκτυλον, "Hand washes hand, and finger (washes) finger." From the Greek word χείρ we get the English word "chiropractor."

Τὴν αὑτοῦ σκιὰν δέδοικεν.

He fears his own shadow.

The words are from a fragment of Aristophanes, and of course we use the same phrase in English, "to be afraid of your own shadow." Erasmus cites the phrase with a different verb: Τὴν αὑτοῦ σκιὰν φοβεῖσθαι (φοβέω is also one of today's verbs). Plato uses the phrase in the Phaedo, where he labels it as a saying: τὸ λεγόμενον.

Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.

The voice of one shouting in the desert.

These words appear in all four Gospels — Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John — referring to John the Baptist, echoing the prophet Isaiah. The word φωνὴ (as in English telephone, etc.) is a feminine noun of the first declension, while the word ἔρημος (as in English hermit, etc.) is a feminine noun of the second declension.

Ὁ _____ οὐκ ἔχει πηδάλια.

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Ὁ οἶνος οὐκ ἔχει πηδάλια.

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_____ ὁ ἀφανὴς τύραννος.

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Χρυσὸς ὁ ἀφανὴς τύραννος.

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Ἁ δὲ _____ την χεῖρα νίζει.

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Ἁ δὲ χεὶρ την χεῖρα νίζει.

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Τὴν αὑτοῦ _____ δέδοικεν.

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Τὴν αὑτοῦ σκιὰν δέδοικεν.

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Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ _____.

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Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.

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

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Greek Proverbs: September 3

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... 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 (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Παθὼν δέ τε ______ ἔγνω.

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Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

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Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν ______.

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Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν λαγωῶν.

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______ θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.

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Ποταμὸς θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.

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Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ ______.

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Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ χρόνος.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ ______ ἔχεις.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις.

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Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

Even the fool learns by experience.

The words come from Hesiod's Works and Days. Compare Homer's Iliad: Ρεχθέν δε τε νήπιος έγνω. The word νήπιος can mean a child, someone young, but it can also mean childish, foolish, silly, etc., as in this saying. The idea here is that a more wise person might use reasoning instead without suffering "the school of hard knocks" as we say in English; that English saying even has its own Wikipedia article: School of Hard Knocks.

Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν λαγωῶν.

You are more cowardly than the rabbits.

There is an Aesop's fable about the proverbial cowardice of rabbits, but in the Aesop's fable, the rabbits are comforted by the fact that the frogs are even more scared than they are; here's that fable in Greek: Λαγωοὶ καὶ βάτραχοι.

Ποταμὸς θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.

A river is contending with the sea.

In other words, someone is pretending to be much greater than he is, as if any river could rival a sea. Erasmus cites a version in the second person: Ποταμὸς θαλάττῃ ἐρίζεις, "You, a river, are contending with the sea." The verb ἐρίζει is from the noun ἔρις, meaning "strife" or "contention." For the personified Goddess of Strife, see Wikipedia: Eris.

Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ χρόνος.

Time is a remedy for anger.

From Greek φάρμακον we get the English word pharmacy. This Greek word was also made famous in modern times thanks to its use by the French philosopher Derrida; see more at Wikipedia: Pharmakon.

Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις. 

You've got your feet outside of the mud.

This means you're in a good position, not likely to slip and slide into some kind of disaster. The word ἐκτός can be used as a preposition with the genitive, as here, and it can also be used as an adverb. You can see this root in English "ectoplasm." You can see Greek πούς in English "podium."

Παθὼν δέ τε ______ ἔγνω.

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Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.

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Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν ______.

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Δειλότερος εἶ τῶν λαγωῶν.

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______ θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.

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Ποταμὸς θάλασσαν ἐρίζει.

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Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ ______.

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Φάρμακον ὀργῆς ὁ χρόνος.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ ______ ἔχεις.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις.

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

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Greek Proverbs: September 1

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... 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 (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

______ δ' ἀρετῆς ἀναίτιος.

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Τύχη δ' ἀρετῆς ἀναίτιος.

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Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε ______.

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Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου.

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Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι ______ οἶδα.

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Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα.

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______ νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἰχθὺν νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἐν ______ κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.

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Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.

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Τύχη δ' ἀρετῆς ἀναίτιος.

Luck (is) not the cause of excellence.

Literally: Luck is not-cause, ἀναίτιος, of excellence. Alpha-privative adjectives like ἀναίτιος do not have a distinctive feminine form. In other words: you don't achieve excellence just by being lucky; you have to work for it. You can read about the goddess of luck at Wikipedia: Tyche. 

Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου.

Give to each person who asks you.

The words come from the Gospel of Luke, and you can find out more at Wikipedia: Sermon on the Plain (not the same as Sermon on the Mount in Matthew).

Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα.

I know one (thing)  — that I know nothing.

This is the so-called "Socratic paradox." You can find out more at Wikipedia: I know that I know nothing. Both ἕν and οὐδὲν are being used substantively: one (thing) and not one (thing).

Ἰχθὺν νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

You're teaching a fish to swim.

This is a proverbial fool's errand: fish know how to swim already; you don't have to teach them. Compare a similar saying: Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις, "You're teaching an eagle to fly." From the root in the verb διδάσκω, we get English words like didactic, autodidact, etc.

Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι. 

To fight with dogs in a well.

This is used to refer to a quarrel or disagreement (μάχεσθαι) with disreputable, quarrelsome people (κυσὶ) in a situation from which you cannot extricate yourself (ἐν φρέατι). There a variation using a less well-known verb:  Ἐν φρέατι κυνομαχεῖν (κυνο-μαχέω, "fight with dogs").

______ δ' ἀρετῆς ἀναίτιος.

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Τύχη δ' ἀρετῆς ἀναίτιος.

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Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε ______.

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Παντὶ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου.

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Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι ______ οἶδα.

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Ἓν οἶδα — ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα.

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______ νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἰχθὺν νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

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Ἐν ______ κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.

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Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.

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

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Greek Proverbs: August 27

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... 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 (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ _____ ποιεῖς.

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Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς.

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_____ ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

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Ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

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Πάταξον μέν, _____ δέ.

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Πάταξον μέν, ἄκουσον δέ.

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Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ _____.

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Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ πολέμου.

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Μητὲ _____, μητὲ μελίσσας.

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Μητὲ μέλι, μητὲ μελίσσας.

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Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς.

You're making an elephant out of a fly.

Compare the English saying: "You're making a mountain out of a molehill." This Greek saying appears in Erasmus's Adagia.

Ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

Having ears, do you not hear?

The words come from the Gospel of Mark when Jesus is rebuking his disciples for their lack of understanding. He also invokes the eyes and sight: ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντες οὐ βλέπετε; καὶ ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε; "Having eyes, do you not see?"

Πάταξον μέν, ἄκουσον δέ.

Hit me, but listen!

The words are from Plutarch's Life of Themistocles. The situation is that Eurybiades is about to hit Themistocles with his staff while they are arguing about whether the navy should retreat or stay to fight the Persians; Themistocles wins the argument. You can read about the career of Themistocles at Wikipedia, and you can also read about Eurybiades.

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.

Μητὲ μέλι, μητὲ μελίσσας.

Neither the honey, nor the bees.

From the Greek μέλισσα we get the name Melissa. The words are adapted from the poet Sappho: Μήτ᾿ ἐμοὶ μέλι, μήτε μέλιττα, "for me neither the honey, nor the bee." For Sappho, no doubt, the sweetness and sting referred to the sweetness and sting of love. You can read about her at Wikipedia: Sappho.

Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ _____ ποιεῖς.

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Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς.

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_____ ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

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Ὦτα ἔχοντες οὐκ ἀκούετε;

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Πάταξον μέν, _____ δέ.

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Πάταξον μέν, ἄκουσον δέ.

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Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ _____.

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Πολλὰ καινὰ τοῦ πολέμου.

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Μητὲ _____, μητὲ μελίσσας.

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Μητὲ μέλι, μητὲ μελίσσας.

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

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Greek Proverbs

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... 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 (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Κούφη _____ τοῦτον καλύπτοι.

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Κούφη γῆ τοῦτον καλύπτοι.

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Μία _____ ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

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Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

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Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ _____.

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Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ σκορπίος.

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Μήτε νεῖν, μήτε _____.

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Μήτε νεῖν, μήτε γράμματα.

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Κακοῦ κόρακος, _____ ᾠόν.

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Κακοῦ κόρακος, κακὸν ᾠόν.

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Κούφη γῆ τοῦτον καλύπτοι.

May the earth cover him lightly.

This is a Greek epitaph; the earth referred to here is the earth of the grave. The adjective κούφη can mean light in the sense of quick or nimble, and it can also mean light in the sense of easy, not heavy, which is the meaning here. The verb καλύπτοι is in the optative mood. You can see the Greek root καλύπτ- in the word apocalypse, which means "uncovering" in Greek, as in the title of the Book of Revelation in the Bible with its apocalyptic contents.

Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

One swallow does not make a spring.

Compare the English saying: "One swallow does not make a summer." Aristotle cites the Greek saying in his Nicomachean Ethics, and it also provides the subject of an Aesop's fable: The Young Man and the Swallow.

Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ σκορπίος.

Under every stone (there is) a scorpion.

So, you may want to "leave no stone unturned" (as the English saying advises), but this Greek proverb warns you to be careful when turning over stones: watch out for the scorpion underneath! As you can see, we get the word scorpion in English from the Greek σκορπίος.

Μήτε νεῖν μήτε γράμματα.

Not (knowing how) to swim nor (knowing) letters.

This saying refers to someone who is completely ignorant: they have no practical skills, such as swimming, and they cannot read or write. From the root of Greek γράμμα we get gram- words in English like grammar and telegram.

Κακοῦ κόρακος κακὸν ᾠόν.

Bad egg of a bad crow.

Compare the English saying, "A chip off the old block," but with negative connotations. At Wikipedia, you can read a funny anecdote about the rhetorician Corax of Syracuse, whose name Κόραξ means crow; when Corax and a student who refused to pay his tuition got involved in a lawsuit, the judge got so angry at both of them that he threw them out of court, proclaiming "Κακοῦ κόρακος κακὸν ᾠόν," with Corax being the bad crow, κακός κόραξ, and his pupil being the bad egg, κακὸν ᾠόν. In his Natural History, Aelian reports the proverb, claiming that crow-fathers were notorious for eating their offspring.

Κούφη _____ τοῦτον καλύπτοι.

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Κούφη γῆ τοῦτον καλύπτοι.

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Μία _____ ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

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Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ.

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Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ _____.

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Ὑπὸ παντὶ λίθῳ σκορπίος.

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Μήτε νεῖν, μήτε _____.

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Μήτε νεῖν, μήτε γράμματα.

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Κακοῦ κόρακος, _____ ᾠόν.

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Κακοῦ κόρακος, κακὸν ᾠόν.

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

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