Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword: May 24

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 158, 159 and 160. Here's the post with the details about how the slideshows work, and there's a random cat at the bottom of the post! Plus more cats.

The slideshow is embedded in the blog post, and you can also access today's slideshow directly, full-sized view. And remember: each time you see the English translation on a slide, you can click to access the original blog post with the notes for each proverb.

There's also a crossword puzzle PDF that you can print; here's a screenshot of the puzzle and key. :-)

These are the proverbs, linked back to their blog post:

1. Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.
   
2. Ἄκουε πάντα.
   
3. Ἀκούσας νόει.
   
4. Βασίλεια δ' εἰκών ἐστιν ἔμψυχος θεοῦ.
   
5. Βοῦς ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ κονιεῖται.
   
6. Γέρων δὲ καὶ μῦς οὐχ ἁλισκεται πάγῃ.
   
7. Εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ κάπνου.
   
8. Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις.
   
9. Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.
   
10. Ἡ γλωσσ' ὀμωμοχ' ἡ δὲ φρὴν ανώμοτος.
    
11. Ἡ σοφία υἱοὺς αὐτῆς ἀνύψωσεν.
    
12. Οὐδεὶς μετ' ὀργῆς ἀσφαλῶς βουλεύεται.
    
13. Τίς ἐστιν ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί;
    
14. Ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας καὶ λάλει καὶ μάνθανε.
    
15. Ὥρα τὰ πάντα τοῦ βίου κρίνει καλῶς.
    

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 62

This fable is on the long side, so there's just the one story today; it comes from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader, which is available at the Internet Archive. The story is segmented, and then interwoven with English. The title is linked to the Internet Archive page:

βάτραχοι καὶ Ζεύς

(here's another version)

βάτραχοι λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ αὑτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ, πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν, ἱκετεύοντες τὸν Δία, ὅπως αὐτοῖς βασιλέα παρασχῃ. Ὁ δὲ συνιδὼν αὐτῶν τὴν εὐήθειαν, ξύλον ἔπηξε μέσον τῆς λίμνης. Συστελλόμενοι δὲ τῷ φόβῳ οἱ βάτραχοι, εἰς τὰ βάθη ἑαυτοὺς κατέδυον. Χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ παρῳχηκότος, ὡς ἑώρων τὸ ξύλον ἀκίνητον, ἀπεβάλοντο τὸν φόβον, καὶ τοσοῦτον κατεφρόνησον αὐτοῦ, ὥστε ἐπιβαίνειν καὶ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι τούτῳ. Μὴ ἀξιοῦντες δὲ αὐτὸν ἔχειν βασιλέα, ἐκ δευτέρου ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Δία, καὶ παρεκάλουν ἀλλάξαι αὐτόν. Τότε δ᾿ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς βασιλέα ἔγχελυν. Ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐήθειαν, οὐκ ἀπεδέξαντο αὐτόν. Ἦλθον οὖν ἐκ τρίτου πρὸς τὸν Δία, ὅπως καὶ τοῦτον ἀλλάξῃ. Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς ἀγανακτήσας κατ᾿ αὐτῶν, ὕδραν ἔπεμψεν, ἥτις ἕνα καθ᾿ ἕνα τῶν βατράχων ἤσθιεν.

βάτραχοι 

λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ αὑτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ, 

πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν, 

ἱκετεύοντες τὸν Δία, 

ὅπως αὐτοῖς βασιλέα παρασχῃ. 

Ὁ δὲ συνιδὼν 

αὐτῶν τὴν εὐήθειαν, 

ξύλον ἔπηξε 

μέσον τῆς λίμνης. 

Συστελλόμενοι δὲ τῷ φόβῳ 

οἱ βάτραχοι, 

εἰς τὰ βάθη ἑαυτοὺς κατέδυον. 

Χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ 

παρῳχηκότος, 

ὡς ἑώρων 

τὸ ξύλον ἀκίνητον, 

ἀπεβάλοντο τὸν φόβον, 

καὶ τοσοῦτον 

κατεφρόνησον αὐτοῦ, 

ὥστε ἐπιβαίνειν 

καὶ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι τούτῳ. 

Μὴ ἀξιοῦντες δὲ 

αὐτὸν ἔχειν βασιλέα, 

ἐκ δευτέρου 

ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Δία, 

καὶ παρεκάλουν 

ἀλλάξαι αὐτόν. 

Τότε δ᾿ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς 

βασιλέα ἔγχελυν. 

Ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐήθειαν, 

οὐκ ἀπεδέξαντο αὐτόν. 

Ἦλθον οὖν 

ἐκ τρίτου πρὸς τὸν Δία, 

ὅπως καὶ τοῦτον ἀλλάξῃ. 

Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς 

ἀγανακτήσας κατ᾿ αὐτῶν, 

ὕδραν ἔπεμψεν, 

ἥτις 

ἕνα καθ᾿ ἕνα 

τῶν βατράχων ἤσθιεν.

βάτραχοι  ...  The frogs

λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ αὑτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ  ...  lamenting their disorder, 

πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν  ...  sent their elders, 

ἱκετεύοντες τὸν Δία  ...  petitioning Zeus, 

ὅπως αὐτοῖς βασιλέα παρασχῃ  ...  to supply them with a king. 

Ὁ δὲ συνιδὼν  ...  And he, recognizing

αὐτῶν τὴν εὐήθειαν  ...  their foolishness, 

ξύλον ἔπηξε  ...  he stuck a log 

μέσον τῆς λίμνης  ...  in the middle of the swamp. 

Συστελλόμενοι δὲ τῷ φόβῳ  ...  Cowering together in fear,  

οἱ βάτραχοι  ...  the frogs, 

εἰς τὰ βάθη ἑαυτοὺς κατέδυον  ...  plunged down deep. 

Χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ παρῳχηκότος  ...  A long time passed, 

ὡς ἑώρων  ...  and when they saw 

τὸ ξύλον ἀκίνητον  ...  that the log was motionless, 

ἀπεβάλοντο τὸν φόβον  ...  they put aside their fear

καὶ τοσοῦτον  ...  so much so

κατεφρόνησον αὐτοῦ  ...  that they scorned him, 

ὥστε ἐπιβαίνειν  ...  and walked up on him 

καὶ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι τούτῳ  ...  and sat down. 

Μὴ ἀξιοῦντες δὲ  ...  They did not think it was right 

αὐτὸν ἔχειν βασιλέα  ...  to have such a king, 

ἐκ δευτέρου  ...  and a second time 

ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Δία  ...  they went to Zeus, 

καὶ παρεκάλουν  ...  and urged him 

ἀλλάξαι αὐτόν  ...  to exchange him for another. 

Τότε δ᾿ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς  ...  Then he gave them 

βασιλέα ἔγχελυν  ...  an eel for their king. 

Ἰδόντες δὲ  ... But they saw

αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐήθειαν  ...  the eel's foolishness,

οὐκ ἀπεδέξαντο αὐτόν  ...  they wouldn't accept him either. 

Ἦλθον οὖν  ...  So they went 

ἐκ τρίτου πρὸς τὸν Δία  ...  a third time to Zeus, 

ὅπως καὶ τοῦτον ἀλλάξῃ  ...  to exchange this one also. 

Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς  ...  And Zeus 

ἀγανακτήσας κατ᾿ αὐτῶν  ...  getting irritated at them, 

ὕδραν ἔπεμψεν  ...  sent them a water-snake, 

ἥτις ἕνα καθ᾿ ἕνα  ...  who, one by one, 

τῶν βατράχων ἤσθιεν  ...  ate up the frogs.

illustration by R. S. Praeger

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: May 22

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 168. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ἥδομαι ~ ἡσθήσομαι ~ ἡσάμην: enjoy, delight in 

φεύγω ~ φεύξομαι ~ ἔφυγον: flee, escape 

ποιέω ~ ποιήσω ~ ἐποίησα: make, do 

ζήω ~ ζήσω ~ ἔζησα: be alive, live 

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

Κτώμενος ἥδου.

Λύκος ἀετὸν φεύγει.

Ἡ φύσις οὐδὲν ποιεῖ ἅλματα.

Ἀπὸ λεπτοῦ μίτου τὸ ζῆν ἠρτῆσθαι.

Ὁ χοῖρος ἥδεται κόπροις καὶ βορβόρῳ.

And now, some commentary:

Κτώμενος ἥδου.

Enjoy what you have acquired.

This is another one of those Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus, and it also fits very nicely with the Buddhist idea of "want what you have" instead of wanting what you don't have. The form here, ἥδου, is a middle imperative; you'll see another form of this verb below.

Λύκος ἀετὸν φεύγει.

The wolf flees the eagle.

The idea is that because an eagle has wings, even the wolf, fierce though he is, struggles to escape the eagle's pursuit. Metaphorically, then, the situation replies to someone formidable having to run away from someone even more formidable. When Erasmus comments on this saying, he observes: "This Greek saying is found in Diogenianus, and also Zenodotus, but they do not indicate the origin of the proverb, and I've never heard about eagles actually harassing wolves."

Ἡ φύσις οὐδὲν ποιεῖ ἅλματα.

Nature makes no leaps.

This ancient Greek philosophical notion is best known in its Latin form, Natura non facit saltus (saltus is accusative plural here: Nature doesn't make leaps), and as such it was an important notion in the early development of both modern mathematics (infinitesimal calculus) and the biological sciences (biological gradualism and, later, evolution); you can find out more at Wikipedia: Natura non facit saltus.

Ἀπὸ λεπτοῦ μίτου τὸ ζῆν ἠρτῆσθαι.

Life hangs by a slender thread.

Here the articular infinitive, τὸ ζῆν, is the subject of the verb: "to live" = "living, life." The saying may allude to the famous sword that Damocles suspended by a thread. You can read that story at Wikipedia: Sword of Damocles.

Ὁ χοῖρος ἥδεται κόπροις καὶ βορβόρῳ.

The pig delights in filth and mud.

Of course, this does not speak well of the pig. The saying comes from Clement of Alexandria, echoing a similar characterization of the pig in the New Testament letter of 2 Peter: κύων ἐπιστρέψας ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἐξέραμα, καί, ὖς λουσαμένη εἰς κυλισμὸν βορβόρου — in King James: The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Sword of Damocles

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 61

Both the fable and the joke below come from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader which is available at the Internet Archive. 

So, here are the stories in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Χήν καὶ ὠὰ χρύσεα 

(another version)

Ἑρμῆς θρησκευόμενος ὑπό τινος περιττῶς χῆνα αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο ὠὰ χρύσεα τίκτουσαν· ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀναμείνας τὴν κατὰ μικρὸν ὠφέλειαν, ὑπολαβὼν δὲ, ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἐντὸς χρύσεα ἔχει ὁ χὴν, οὐδὲν μελλήσας ἔθυσεν αὐτήν. Συνέβη δ᾿ αὐτὸν μὴ μόνον ὃ προσεδόκησε σφαλῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ὠὰ ἀποβαλεῖν· τὰ γὰρ ἐντὸς πάντα σαρκώδη εὗρεν.

Ἑρμῆς 

θρησκευόμενος ὑπό τινος περιττῶς 

χῆνα αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο 

ὠὰ χρύσεα τίκτουσαν· 

ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀναμείνας 

τὴν κατὰ μικρὸν ὠφέλειαν, 

ὑπολαβὼν δὲ

ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἐντὸς χρύσεα 

ἔχει ὁ χὴν, 

οὐδὲν μελλήσας 

ἔθυσεν αὐτήν. 

Συνέβη δ᾿ αὐτὸν 

μὴ μόνον 

ὃ προσεδόκησε σφαλῆναι, 

ἀλλὰ καὶ 

τὰ ὠὰ ἀποβαλεῖν· 

τὰ γὰρ ἐντὸς 

πάντα σαρκώδη εὗρεν.

Ἑρμῆς  ...  Hermes

θρησκευόμενος περιττῶς  ...  was worshipped devoutly 

ὑπό τινος  ...  by a certain man 

χῆνα αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο  ...  so he thanked him with a goose 

ὠὰ χρύσεα τίκτουσαν  ...  that laid golden eggs. 

ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀναμείνας  ...  But the man wouldn't wait 

τὴν κατὰ μικρὸν ὠφέλειαν  ...  for the profit bit bit bit, 

ὑπολαβὼν δὲ  ...  and, supposing

ὅτι ἔχει ὁ χὴν  ...  that the goose

πάντα τὰ ἐντὸς χρύσεα  ...  was all golden inside,

οὐδὲν μελλήσας  ...  he didn't hesitate 

ἔθυσεν αὐτήν  ...  to butcher her. 

Συνέβη δ᾿  ...  As a result  

αὐτὸν μὴ μόνον σφαλῆναι  ...  not only did he fail to get

ὃ προσεδόκησε  ...  what he expected 

ἀλλὰ καὶ  ...  but he also 

τὰ ὠὰ ἀποβαλεῖν  ...  lost the eggs, 

τὰ γὰρ ἐντὸς  ...  for inside the goose

πάντα σαρκώδη εὗρεν  ...  he found only flesh.

illustration by Richard Heighway

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ βότρυς 

(you've also seen another version of this story)

Κερδὼ βότρυν βλέπουσα μακρᾶς ἀμπέλου,

πρὸς ὕψος ἦρτο, καὶ καμοῦσα πολλάκις

ἑλεῖν ἀπεῖτε· πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ταῦτ' ἔφη·

μὴ κάμνε· ῥᾶγες ὀμφακίζουσιν μάλα.

The meter is iambic; here is the meter marked:

Κερδὼ | βότρυν || βλέπου|σα μα||κρᾶς ἀμ|πέλου,

πρὸς ὕ|ψος ἦρ||το, καὶ | καμοῦ||σα πολ|λάκις

ἑλεῖν | ἀπεῖ||τε· πρὸς | ἑαυ||τὴν ταῦτ' | ἔφη·

μὴ κάμ|νε· ῥᾶ||γες ὀμ|φακί||ζουσιν | μάλα.

Κερδὼ 

βότρυν βλέπουσα 

μακρᾶς ἀμπέλου,

πρὸς ὕψος ἦρτο, 

καὶ καμοῦσα πολλάκις

ἑλεῖν ἀπεῖτε· 

πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ταῦτ' 

ἔφη·

μὴ κάμνε· 

ῥᾶγες ὀμφακίζουσιν μάλα.

Κερδὼ  ...  The sly (fox)

βότρυν βλέπουσα  ...  saw a bunch of grapes 

μακρᾶς ἀμπέλου  ...  on a high vine,

πρὸς ὕψος ἦρτο  ...  so she jumped up, 

καὶ καμοῦσα  ...  and wore herself out

πολλάκις ἑλεῖν  ...  grabbing again and again.

ἀπεῖτε  ...  Then she walked away

πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ταῦτ' ἔφη  ...  saying to herself,

μὴ κάμνε  ...  Stop making such an effort!

ῥᾶγες ὀμφακίζουσιν μάλα  ...  The grapes are all sour.

illustration by Walter Crane

Σχολαστικὸς πεπαιδευμένος

Σχολαστικὸς γράφων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἀπὸ τῶν ᾿Αθηνῶν, καὶ ἐναβρυνόμενος, ὅτι πεπαίδευται, προσέθηκεν· Εὔχομαι δέ σε εὑρεῖν κεφαλικὴν φεύγοντα δίκην, ἵνα σοι δείξω τὸν ῥήτορα.

Σχολαστικὸς 

γράφων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα 

ἀπὸ τῶν ᾿Αθηνῶν, 

καὶ ἐναβρυνόμενος

ὅτι πεπαίδευται

προσέθηκεν· 

Εὔχομαι δέ 

σε εὑρεῖν 

κεφαλικὴν φεύγοντα δίκην, 

ἵνα σοι δείξω 

τὸν ῥήτορα.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  A dunce

γράφων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα  ...  wrote to his father 

ἀπὸ τῶν ᾿Αθηνῶν  ...  from Athens, 

καὶ ἐναβρυνόμενος  ...  bragging

ὅτι πεπαίδευται  ...  how he had gotten educated.

προσέθηκεν  ...  Then he added,

Εὔχομαι δέ σε εὑρεῖν  ...  And I hope to find you 

φεύγοντα  ...  trying to escape

κεφαλικὴν δίκην  ...  a death sentence

ἵνα σοι δείξω  ...  so that I can show you

τὸν ῥήτορα  ...  what an orator I've become!

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

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Crossword Puzzle 28-29-30

The proverbs for today come from back in Groups 28, 29 and 30; you can visit those blog posts for the translations and more information. 

• Ἀγαθὴ καὶ μᾶζα μετ᾽ ἄρτον.
  
• Αἱ Χάριτες γυμναί.
  
• Ἀλωπεκίζειν πρὸς ἑτέραν ἀλώπεκα.
  
• Ἀρετὴν εἰ μὲν ἔχοις πάνθ᾽ ἕξεις.
  
• Γαλῇ χιτών.
  
• Ἐξ ἡδονῆς γὰρ φύεται τὸ δυστυχεῖν.
  
• Μέγα στόμα τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ.
  
• Μικρὸν κακὸν μέγα ἀγαθόν.
  
• Ὄρνιθας ζητεῖς, ἀνέμους θηρεύσεις.
  
• Ὀφθαλμοὶ ὠτίων πιστότεροι.
  
• Πῦρ σιδήρῳ μὴ σκαλεύειν.
  
• Σαρδώνιος γέλως.
  
• Τὴν ὀρθὴν βαδίζειν ὁδόν.
  
• Τὸ φῶς ἡλίῳ δανείζεις.
  
• Τυφλὸν ὄνειρον.
  

Here are the sayings without spaces: see if you can find the word breaks!

γ α λ ῃ χ ι τ ω ν.

τ υ φ λ ο ν ο ν ε ι ρ ο ν.

ς α ρ δ ω ν ι ο ς γ ε λ ω ς.

α ι χ α ρ ι τ ε ς γ υ μ ν α ι.

τ ο φ ω ς η λ ι ῳ δ α ν ε ι ζ ε ι ς.

μ ε γ α ς τ ο μ α τ ο υ ε ν ι α υ τ ο υ.

π υ ρ ς ι δ η ρ ῳ μ η ς κ α λ ε υ ε ι ν.

τ η ν ο ρ θ η ν β α δ ι ζ ε ι ν ο δ ο ν.

μ ι κ ρ ο ν κ α κ ο ν μ ε γ α α γ α θ ο ν.

α γ α θ η κ α ι μ α ζ α μ ε τ α ρ τ ο ν.

ο φ θ α λ μ ο ι ω τ ι ω ν π ι ς τ ο τ ε ρ ο ι.

α ρ ε τ η ν ε ι μ ε ν ε χ ο ι ς π α ν θ ε ξ ε ι ς.

And here's the crossword puzzle based on a missing word from each proverb: printable Crossword PDF. I've pasted in screenshots below so you can see what the crossword looks like:

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 60

Both the fable and the joke below come from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader which is available at the Internet Archive. 

So, here are the stories in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Ἄνθρωπος καὶ Σάτυρος 

(another version of this fable)

Ἄνθρωπόν ποτε λέγεται πρὸς Σάτυρον φιλίαν σπείσασθαι. Καὶ δὴ χειμῶνος καταλαβόντος καὶ ψύχους γενομένου ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὰς χεῖρας τῷ στόματι ἐπέπνει. Τοῦ δὲ Σατύρου τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρομένου, δι' ἣν τοῦτο πράττει, ἔλεγεν, ὅτι θερμαίνει τὰς χεῖρας διὰ τὸ κρύος. Ὕστερον δὲ παρατεθείσης αὐτοῖς τραπέζης καὶ προσφαγήματος θερμοῦ σφόδρα ὄντος, ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἀναιρούμενος κατὰ μικρὸν τῷ στόματι προσέφερε καὶ ἐφύσα· πυνθανομένου δὲ πάλιν τοῦ Σατύρου, τί τοῦτο ποιεῖ; ἔφασκε καταψύχειν τὸ ἔδεσμα, ἐπεὶ λίαν θερμόν ἐστι. Κἀκεῖνος ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· ἀλλ' ἀποτάσσομαί σου τῇ φιλίᾳ, ὦ οὗτος, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν ἐξιεῖς.

Ἄνθρωπόν ποτε λέγεται 

πρὸς Σάτυρον φιλίαν σπείσασθαι. 

Καὶ δὴ χειμῶνος καταλαβόντος 

καὶ ψύχους γενομένου 

ὁ ἄνθρωπος 

τὰς χεῖρας τῷ στόματι ἐπέπνει. 

Τοῦ δὲ Σατύρου 

τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρομένου, 

δι' ἣν τοῦτο πράττει, 

ἔλεγεν, ὅτι 

θερμαίνει τὰς χεῖρας 

διὰ τὸ κρύος. 

Ὕστερον δὲ 

παρατεθείσης αὐτοῖς τραπέζης 

καὶ προσφαγήματος 

θερμοῦ σφόδρα ὄντος, 

ὁ ἄνθρωπος 

ἀναιρούμενος κατὰ μικρὸν τῷ στόματι 

προσέφερε καὶ ἐφύσα· 

πυνθανομένου δὲ πάλιν 

τοῦ Σατύρου, 

τί τοῦτο ποιεῖ; 

ἔφασκε 

καταψύχειν τὸ ἔδεσμα, 

ἐπεὶ λίαν θερμόν ἐστι. 

Κἀκεῖνος ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· 

ἀλλ' ἀποτάσσομαί 

σου τῇ φιλίᾳ, 

ὦ οὗτος, 

ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος 

τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν 

ἐξιεῖς.

Ἄνθρωπόν ποτε λέγεται  ...  A man is once said

φιλίαν σπείσασθαι  ...  to have pledged friendship 

πρὸς Σάτυρον  ...  with a Satyr.

Καὶ δὴ χειμῶνος καταλαβόντος  ...  And when winter came on

καὶ ψύχους γενομένου  ...  and it became cold

ὁ ἄνθρωπος  ...  the man 

τῷ στόματι ἐπέπνει  ...  blew with his mouth

τὰς χεῖρας  ...  on his hands.

Τοῦ δὲ Σατύρου  ...  When the Satyr 

τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρομένου  ...  asked the reason, 

δι' ἣν τοῦτο πράττει  ...  that he did that, 

ἔλεγεν, ὅτι  ...  the man said that 

θερμαίνει τὰς χεῖρας  ...  he was warming his hands 

διὰ τὸ κρύος  ...  through the frost. 

Ὕστερον δὲ  ...  Later 

παρατεθείσης αὐτοῖς τραπέζης  ...  when their table was set 

καὶ προσφαγήματος  ...  and the food 

θερμοῦ σφόδρα ὄντος  ...  was very hot, 

ὁ ἄνθρωπος  ...  the man 

ἀναιρούμενος κατὰ μικρὸν  ...  taking up a little 

τῷ στόματι προσέφερε  ...  put it to his mouth 

καὶ ἐφύσα  ...  blew blew on it.

πυνθανομένου δὲ πάλιν  ...  Asked again 

τοῦ Σατύρου  ...  by the Satyr, 

τί τοῦτο ποιεῖ  ...  why he did that,

ἔφασκε  ...  the man said that 

καταψύχειν τὸ ἔδεσμα  ...  it warmed the meat 

ἐπεὶ λίαν θερμόν ἐστι  ...  since it was very hot. 

Κἀκεῖνος ἔφη  ...  Then the Satyr said 

πρὸς αὐτόν  ...  to him,

ἀλλ' ἀποτάσσομαί  ...  Well then, I renounce

σου τῇ φιλίᾳ  ...  your friendship,

ὦ οὗτος  ...  you so-and-so,

ὅτι ἐξιεῖς  ...  because you're blowing out

τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν  ...  both hot and cold

ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος  ...  from the same mouth.

illustration by Richard Heighway

Ἡ λεκάνη μὴ ἔχουσα ὠτία

Αβδηρίτης λεκάνην ἐπώλει μὴ ἔχουσαν ὠτία. ἐρωτήσαντος δὲ τινὸς διὰ τί αὐτῆς ἦρε τὰ ὠτία, ἀπεκρίνατο· ῞Ινα μὴ ἀκούσασα, ὅτι πωλεῖται, φύγῃ.

Αβδηρίτης 

λεκάνην ἐπώλει 

μὴ ἔχουσαν ὠτία. 

ἐρωτήσαντος δὲ τινὸς 

διὰ τί 

αὐτῆς ἦρε τὰ ὠτία, 

ἀπεκρίνατο· 

Ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσασα, 

ὅτι πωλεῖται, 

φύγῃ.

As you read this one, think about the very elegant English saying, "Little pitchers have big ears." This is about the ears/handles of a Greek basin:

Αβδηρίτης  ...  A dunce

λεκάνην ἐπώλει  ...  sold a basin 

μὴ ἔχουσαν ὠτία  ...  without ears (handles). 

ἐρωτήσαντος δὲ τινὸς διὰ τί  ...  Asked by someone why

αὐτῆς ἦρε τὰ ὠτία  ...  he took off the basin's ears

ἀπεκρίνατο  ...  he replied, 

Ἵνα μὴ φύγῃ  ...  So that the basin wouldn't run away 

ἀκούσασα ...  when it heard

ὅτι πωλεῖται  ...  that it was going to be sold.

ancient Greek wash basin

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

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