Greek Reading: 68

The fable below comes from Arnold's Greek Reading Book (this is the final fable from Arnold), while the joke comes from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader, both of which are available at the Internet Archive. 

You'll find the fable and joke below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Ἀηδὼν καὶ ἱέραξ

(another version here)

Ἀηδὼν ἐπὶ δένδρου καθεζομένη κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς ᾖδεν. Ἱέραξ δὲ θεασάμενος καὶ τροφῆς ἀπορῶν συνείληφεν ἐπιπτάς. Ἡ δ’ ἀναιρεῖσθαι μέλλουσα ἐδεῖτο τοῦ ἱέρακος μὴ βρωθῆναι· μηδὲ γὰρ ἱκανὴ εἶναι ἱέρακος γαστέρα πληροῦν, δεῖν δὲ αὐτὸν τροφῆς προσδεόμενον ἐπὶ τὰ μείζω τῶν ὀρνέων τραπέσθαι. Καὶ ὁ ἱέραξ ὑπολαϐὼν εἶπεν· Ἀλλ’ ἔγωγε ἄφρων ἂν εἴην, εἰ τὴν ἐν χερσὶν ἑτοίμην τροφὴν ἀφεὶς τὰ μὴ φαινόμενά πω διώκοιμι.

Ἀηδὼν 

ἐπὶ δένδρου καθεζομένη 

κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς ᾖδεν. 

Ἱέραξ δὲ θεασάμενος 

καὶ τροφῆς ἀπορῶν 

συνείληφεν ἐπιπτάς. 

Ἡ δ’ 

ἀναιρεῖσθαι μέλλουσα 

ἐδεῖτο τοῦ ἱέρακος 

μὴ βρωθῆναι· 

μηδὲ γὰρ ἱκανὴ εἶναι 

ἱέρακος γαστέρα πληροῦν, 

δεῖν δὲ 

αὐτὸν τροφῆς προσδεόμενον 

ἐπὶ τὰ μείζω τῶν ὀρνέων τραπέσθαι. 

Καὶ ὁ ἱέραξ 

ὑπολαϐὼν εἶπεν· 

Ἀλλ’ ἔγωγε ἄφρων ἂν εἴην, 

εἰ τὴν ἐν χερσὶν ἑτοίμην τροφὴν 

ἀφεὶς 

τὰ μὴ φαινόμενά πω διώκοιμι.

Ἀηδὼν  ...  A nightingale

ἐπὶ δένδρου καθεζομένη  ...  seated in a tree 

κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς ᾖδεν  ...  was singing as usual. 

Ἱέραξ δὲ θεασάμενος  ...  A hawk noticed her 

καὶ τροφῆς ἀπορῶν  ...  and, lacking food, 

ἐπιπτάς  ...  swooped down

συνείληφεν  ...  and grabbed her.

Ἡ δ’ ἀναιρεῖσθαι μέλλουσα  ...  About to be killed 

ἐδεῖτο τοῦ ἱέρακος  ...  she begged the hawk 

μὴ βρωθῆναι  ...  not to eat her, 

μηδὲ γὰρ ἱκανὴ εἶναι  ...  for she was not enough 

ἱέρακος γαστέρα πληροῦν  ...  to fill a hawk's stomach, 

δεῖν δὲ αὐτὸν  ...  and he should

τροφῆς προσδεόμενον  ...  since he needed more food 

τραπέσθαι  ...  to direct his attention

ἐπὶ τὰ μείζω τῶν ὀρνέων  ...  to bigger birds. 

Καὶ ὁ ἱέραξ  ...  And the hawk 

ὑπολαϐὼν εἶπεν  ...  interrupted and said, 

Ἀλλ’ ἔγωγε ἄφρων ἂν εἴην  ...  But i would indeed be a fool, 

εἰ ἀφεὶς  ...  if I let go  

τὴν ἐν χερσὶν ἑτοίμην τροφὴν  ...  ready food in my hands 

διώκοιμι  ... to chase

τὰ μὴ φαινόμενά πω  ...  things that are not yet visible.

illustration by Grandville

Ἀβδηρίτης καὶ ἰατρός 

Ἀβδηρίτης ἀπαγξασθαι βουλόμενος καὶ τοῦ σχοινίου διαρραγέντος, τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐπλήγη. λαβὼν οὖν ἔμπλαστρον παρὰ τοῦ ἰατροῦ καὶ θεὶς κατὰ τοῦ τραύματος, ἐπελθὼν πάλιν ἀπήγξατο.

Ἀβδηρίτης 

ἀπαγξασθαι βουλόμενος 

καὶ τοῦ σχοινίου διαρραγέντος, 

τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐπλήγη. 

λαβὼν οὖν ἔμπλαστρον 

παρὰ τοῦ ἰατροῦ 

καὶ θεὶς 

κατὰ τοῦ τραύματος, 

ἐπελθὼν 

πάλιν ἀπήγξατο.

Ἀβδηρίτης  ...  A dunce

ἀπαγξασθαι βουλόμενος  ...  wanted to hang himself 

καὶ τοῦ σχοινίου διαρραγέντος  ...  and the rope snapped

τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐπλήγη  ...  and he hit his head. 

λαβὼν οὖν ἔμπλαστρον  ...  He got a bandage 

παρὰ τοῦ ἰατροῦ  ...  from his doctor

καὶ θεὶς  ...  and applied it 

κατὰ τοῦ τραύματος  ...  to the wound, 

ἐπελθὼν  ...  and then he went off 

πάλιν ἀπήγξατο  ...  to hang himself again.

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

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Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword: June 5

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 161, 162 and 163. 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. Ἀεὶ κολοιὸς παρὰ κολοιῷ ἰζάνει.
   
2. Γλῶσσα ποῖ πορεύῃ;
   
3. Δελφῖνα νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.
   
4. Ἐν ἅλῳ κρύπτῃ.
   
5. Ἔχει καὶ χολὴν ὁ μύρμηξ.
   
6. Ἔχεται δ' ὥσπερ πολύπους πέτρας.
   
7. Ἔχων χαρίζου.
   
8. Μέγα στόμα τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ.
   
9. Ὁ δὲ ὄφις ἦν φρονιμώτατος πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
   
10. Ὃς ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.
    
11. Πίθηκος ἐν πορφύραι.
    
12. Τὸν ὑψόθεν σκοπὸν ἐπισκόπει, φύλακα πολυπόνων.
    
13. Ὕπνος πέφυκε σωμάτων σωτηρία.
    
14. Φιλήκοον εἶναι μᾶλλον ἢ πολύλαλον.
    
15. Χρησμοὺς θαύμαζε.
    

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

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Greek Reading: 67

The fable below comes from Arnold's Greek Reading Book, while the joke comes from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader, both of which are available at the Internet Archive. 

You'll find the fable and joke below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English. The titles are linked to the Internet Archive page.

Ἔριφος καὶ λύκος 

Ἔριφος ὑστερήσασα τῆς ποίμνης ὑπὸ λύκου κατεδιώκετο· ἐπιστραφεῖσα δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπεν· Ὦ λύκε, ἐπεὶ πέπεισμαι ὅτι σὸν βρῶμα γενήσομαι, ἵνα μὴ ἀηδῶς ἀποθάνω, αὔλησον πρῶτον, ὅπως ὀρχήσωμαι. Τοῦ δὲ λύκου αὐλοῦντος καὶ τῆς ἐρίφου ὀρχουμένης, οἱ κύνες ἀκούσαντες τὸν λύκον ἐδίωκον. Ὁ δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς τῇ ἐρίφῳ φησί· Δικαίως ταῦτά μοι γίνεται· ἔδει γάρ με μάγειρον ὄντα αὐλητὴν μὴ μιμεῖσθαι.

Ἔριφος 

ὑστερήσασα τῆς ποίμνης 

ὑπὸ λύκου κατεδιώκετο· 

ἐπιστραφεῖσα δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν 

εἶπεν· 

Ὦ λύκε, 

ἐπεὶ πέπεισμαι 

ὅτι σὸν βρῶμα γενήσομαι, 

ἵνα μὴ ἀηδῶς ἀποθάνω, 

αὔλησον πρῶτον, 

ὅπως ὀρχήσωμαι. 

Τοῦ δὲ λύκου αὐλοῦντος 

καὶ τῆς ἐρίφου ὀρχουμένης, 

οἱ κύνες ἀκούσαντες 

τὸν λύκον ἐδίωκον. 

Ὁ δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς 

τῇ ἐρίφῳ φησί· 

Δικαίως ταῦτά μοι γίνεται· 

ἔδει γάρ 

με μάγειρον ὄντα 

αὐλητὴν μὴ μιμεῖσθαι.

Ἔριφος  ...  A kid

ὑστερήσασα τῆς ποίμνης  ...  lagging behind the flock 

ὑπὸ λύκου κατεδιώκετο  ...  was chased by a wolf. 

ἐπιστραφεῖσα δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν  ...  Facing the wolf 

εἶπεν  ...  the kid said, 

Ὦ λύκε  ...  O wolf! 

ἐπεὶ πέπεισμαι  ...  Since I'm sure  

ὅτι σὸν βρῶμα γενήσομαι  ...  that I'll be your food, 

ἵνα μὴ ἀηδῶς ἀποθάνω  ...  I don't want a brutal death: 

αὔλησον πρῶτον  ...  play on your pipe first, 

ὅπως ὀρχήσωμαι  ...  so that I can dance. 

Τοῦ δὲ λύκου αὐλοῦντος  ...  So the wolf piped, 

καὶ τῆς ἐρίφου ὀρχουμένης  ...  and the kid danced, 

οἱ κύνες ἀκούσαντες  ...  which the dogs heard 

τὸν λύκον ἐδίωκον  ...  and they pursued the wolf. 

Ὁ δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς τῇ ἐρίφῳ   ...  Facing the kid

φησί  ...  the wolf said, 

Δικαίως ...  It's right

ταῦτά μοι γίνεται  ...  that this happened to me

ἔδει γάρ  ...  for I was supposed 

με μάγειρον ὄντα  ...  to be a butcher, 

αὐλητὴν μὴ μιμεῖσθαι  ...  not to pretend to be a piper.

the wolf pipes while the kid dances

Σχολαστικὸς καὶ θρέμματα

Σχολαστικὸς διὰ χρόνου εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν παραγενόμενος ἐθεάσατο τὰ θρέμματα ἐξιόντα ἐπὶ βόσκησιν. καὶ ὡς εἴωθε βληχόμενα ἰδὼν, ἠρώτα τὴν αἰτίαν. τοῦ δὲ οἰκονόμου προσπαίξαντος καὶ εἰπόντος, Ἀσπάζονταί σε, Τὴν ἐμήν σοι σωτηρίαν, φησίν, ἐμοῦ ἕνεκα ἀργίαν αὐτοῖς δὸς καὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας μὴ ἐξαγάγῃς αὐτὰ εἰς νομήν.

Σχολαστικὸς 

διὰ χρόνου 

εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν παραγενόμενος 

ἐθεάσατο τὰ θρέμματα 

ἐξιόντα ἐπὶ βόσκησιν. 

καὶ ὡς εἴωθε βληχόμενα ἰδὼν, 

ἠρώτα τὴν αἰτίαν. 

τοῦ δὲ οἰκονόμου 

προσπαίξαντος καὶ εἰπόντος, 

Ἀσπάζονταί σε, 

Τὴν ἐμήν σοι σωτηρίαν, 

φησίν, 

ἐμοῦ ἕνεκα 

ἀργίαν αὐτοῖς δὸς 

καὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας 

μὴ ἐξαγάγῃς αὐτὰ εἰς νομήν.

Σχολαστικὸς  ...  The dunce

διὰ χρόνου  ...   at a certain time

παραγενόμενος  ...  went

εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν  ...  to his country estate

ἐθεάσατο τὰ θρέμματα  ...  Observing the flocks 

ἐξιόντα ἐπὶ βόσκησιν  ...  going out to pasture 

καὶ ἰδὼν  ...  and seeing them

ὡς εἴωθε βληχόμενα ...  bleating as usual,

ἠρώτα τὴν αἰτίαν  ...  he asked the reason why. 

τοῦ δὲ οἰκονόμου  ...  The steward, 

προσπαίξαντος  ...  joking with him,

καὶ εἰπόντος  ...  said, 

Ἀσπάζονταί σε  ...  They are saluting you! 

φησίν  ...  So he said,

Τὴν ἐμήν σοι σωτηρίαν  ...  Bless my soul! 

ἐμοῦ ἕνεκα  ...  On my behalf 

ἀργίαν αὐτοῖς δὸς  ...  give them a holiday 

καὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας  ...  and for three days 

μὴ ἐξαγάγῃς αὐτὰ  ...  don't lead them out 

εἰς νομήν  ...  to the pasture.

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: June 3

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 171. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

θεός ~ θεοῦ (noun c.): god, goddess 

νεκρός ~ νεκροῦ (noun m.): corpse, dead man 

οὐρανός ~ οὐρανοῦ (noun m.): sky, heaven 

εὔνοια ~ εὐνοίας (noun f.): good will, gift 

δαίμων ~ δαίμονος (noun m.): divine being 

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

Χυτρεοῦς θεός.

Νεκρὸν ἰατρεύειν.

Εἰς οὐρανὸν τοξεύεις.

Ἄκαιρος εὔνοι' οὐδὲν ἔχθρας διαφέρει.

Πόλις γὰρ εὖ πράσσουσα δαίμονας τίει.

And now, some commentary:

Χυτρεοῦς θεός.

A clay god.

This proverbial phrase refers to a god who is useless, not worthy of worship and unable to come to your aid. The adjective χυτρεοῦς is from the noun, χύτρα, a clay pot used for cooking. 

Νεκρὸν ἰατρεύειν.

To doctor a dead man.

This is one of those proverbial fool's errands: doctoring is not going to do any good for someone who is already dead. There's also this compound saying: νεκρὸν ἰατρεύειν καὶ γέροντα νουθετεῖν ταὐτόν, "to doctor the dead and to chastise an old man is the same thing," i.e. both are hopeless causes.

Εἰς οὐρανὸν τοξεύεις.

You're shooting an arrow at the sky.

This Greek saying appears as part of a delightful list of ἀδύνατα, "impossibilities," sometimes included as part of Plutarch's Moralia, and it also appears in the ancient Greek proverb collections. Of course, there is no way you can hit the sky with an arrow, so this is a fool's errand. Even worse, the arrow can fall back down and hit you. Compare the saying in the Biblical book of Ecclesiasticus: 

"If one cast a stone on high, it will fall upon his own head." Compare also a saying you saw in an earlier blog post: Εἰς οὐρανὸν πτύεις.

Ἄκαιρος εὔνοι' οὐδὲν ἔχθρας διαφέρει.

Affection at the wrong time is no different from hatred.

The saying is cited in Zenobius, who explains that these are the words Hippolytus speaks to Phaedra, rebuking his stepmother's unnatural affection towards him, although there is no extant Greek play about Hippolytus in which this expression is found. Note that the adjective ἄκαιρος, like other alpha-privative and many other compound adjectives, is both masculine and feminine in gender; in this saying, it is feminine: ἄκαιρος εὔνοια.

Πόλις γὰρ εὖ πράσσουσα δαίμονας τίει.

A city that is flourishing honors its divinities.

The words are spoken by Eteocles in Aeschylus's Seven Against Thebes. He is begging the gods to spare his city, including the divine curse, Ἐρινύς, pronounced by his father Oedipus. A city that is destroyed, Eteocles argues, cannot honor its gods, but a city that is flourishing can indeed honor its gods, which means it is in the gods' interests for the city to flourish.

ruins of ancient Thebes

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

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Greek Reading: 66

The fable below comes from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader, which is available at the Internet Archive. This is the last of the fables from Abbott, and it's a long one, so there is just the one story today: first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English. The title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Μύες δύο 

(another version here)

Μύες δύο, ὁ μὲν ἀρουραῖος, ὁ δὲ οἰκόσιτος κοινὸν εἶχον τὸν βίον. Ὁ δὲ οἰκόσιτος ἦλθε πρῶτος δειπνήσων ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρούρης ἔτι ἀνθούσης. Τρώγων δὲ σῖτον καὶ ῥίζας σὺν τοῖς βώλοις εἶπεν· Μύρμηκος ζῇς βίον ταλαιπώρου· ἐμοὶ δὲ πολλὰ ἔνεστιν ἀγαθά· τὸ κέρας οἰκῶ τῆς Ἀμαλθείας ὡς πρὸς σέ. Ἐὰν ἔλθῃς μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, ὡς θέλεις ἀσωτεύσῃ. Ἀπῆγε πείσας τὸν μῦν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ. Ἔδειξε δὲ αὐτῷ σῖτον καὶ ἄλευρα καὶ ὄσπρια καὶ σῦκα καὶ μέλι καὶ φοίνικας. Οὗτος δὲ ἐτέρφθη καὶ διεχύθη. Ὁ δὲ ἤγαγε καὶ τυρὸν ἐκ κανισκίου σύρων. Ἤνοιξέ τις τὴν θύραν· οἱ δὲ ἔφυγον εἰς στενὴν τρώγλην, ἔτριζον δὲ ὑπ᾿ ἀλλήλων στενούμενοι. Ὡς δὲ πάλιν ἤμελλον ἐκκύψαι καὶ μικρὰν ἰσχάδα σῦραι, ἕτερος ἦλθεν ἄλλο τι ἆραι· οἱ δὲ ἔνδον ἐκρύπτοντο. Ὁ δὲ ἀρουραῖος μῦς, καίπερ τοσαῦτα πεινῶν, εἶπε· Χαῖρε καὶ πλούτει καὶ τρύφα, ἔχων τὰ πάντα μετὰ κινδύνων· ἐγὼ δὲ βοτάνας καὶ ῥίζας τρώγων ἀφόβως καὶ λιτῶς ζήσω.

Μύες δύο, 

ὁ μὲν ἀρουραῖος, 

ὁ δὲ οἰκόσιτος 

κοινὸν εἶχον τὸν βίον. 

Ὁ δὲ οἰκόσιτος ἦλθε πρῶτος 

δειπνήσων ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρούρης 

ἔτι ἀνθούσης. 

Τρώγων δὲ σῖτον καὶ ῥίζας 

σὺν τοῖς βώλοις 

εἶπεν· 

Μύρμηκος ζῇς βίον ταλαιπώρου· 

ἐμοὶ δὲ πολλὰ ἔνεστιν ἀγαθά· 

τὸ κέρας οἰκῶ τῆς Ἀμαλθείας 

ὡς πρὸς σέ. 

Ἐὰν ἔλθῃς μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, 

ὡς θέλεις ἀσωτεύσῃ. 

Ἀπῆγε 

πείσας τὸν μῦν 

ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ.

Ἔδειξε δὲ αὐτῷ 

σῖτον καὶ ἄλευρα καὶ ὄσπρια 

καὶ σῦκα καὶ μέλι καὶ φοίνικας. 

Οὗτος δὲ ἐτέρφθη καὶ διεχύθη. 

Ὁ δὲ ἤγαγε 

καὶ τυρὸν ἐκ κανισκίου σύρων. 

Ἤνοιξέ τις τὴν θύραν· 

οἱ δὲ ἔφυγον 

εἰς στενὴν τρώγλην, 

ἔτριζον δὲ 

ὑπ᾿ ἀλλήλων στενούμενοι. 

Ὡς δὲ πάλιν ἤμελλον ἐκκύψαι 

καὶ μικρὰν ἰσχάδα σῦραι, 

ἕτερος ἦλθεν 

ἄλλο τι ἆραι· 

οἱ δὲ ἔνδον ἐκρύπτοντο. 

Ὁ δὲ ἀρουραῖος μῦς, 

καίπερ τοσαῦτα πεινῶν, 

εἶπε· 

Χαῖρε καὶ πλούτει 

καὶ τρύφα, 

ἔχων τὰ πάντα μετὰ κινδύνων· 

ἐγὼ δὲ 

βοτάνας καὶ ῥίζας 

τρώγων ἀφόβως 

καὶ λιτῶς ζήσω.

Μύες δύο  ...  There were two mice, 

ὁ μὲν ἀρουραῖος  ...  one a field mouse

ὁ δὲ οἰκόσιτος  ...  one a house mouse

εἶχον τὸν βίον  ...  and they shared their life

κοινὸν  ...  in common.

Ὁ δὲ οἰκόσιτος  ...  The house-mouse 

ἦλθε πρῶτος δειπνήσων  ...  came first to dine

ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρούρης  ...  in the field 

ἔτι ἀνθούσης  ...  while it was still blooming. 

Τρώγων δὲ σῖτον  ...  Eating the grain

καὶ ῥίζας  ...  and roots 

σὺν τοῖς βώλοις  ...  with clods of dirt, 

εἶπεν  ...  he said:

ζῇς βίον  ...  You're living the life

μύρμηκος ταλαιπώρου  ...  of a wretched ant.

ἐμοὶ δὲ ἔνεστιν  ...  But I have

πολλὰ ἀγαθά  ...  lots of good things —

οἰκῶ  ...  Where I live

ὡς πρὸς σέ  ...  you have before you

τὸ κέρας τῆς Ἀμαλθείας  ...  the horn of Amaltheia.

Ἐὰν ἔλθῃς μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ  ...  If you come with me, 

ἀσωτεύσῃ  ...  you will live in luxury

ὡς θέλεις  ...  as you wish.

πείσας  ...  Having persuaded him

ἀπῆγε τὸν μῦν  ...  he led the mouse

ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ  ...  to his house.

Ἔδειξε δὲ αὐτῷ  ...  And he showed him 

σῖτον καὶ ἄλευρα  ...  grain and flour

καὶ ὄσπρια καὶ σῦκα  ...  and pulses and figs

καὶ μέλι καὶ φοίνικας  ...  and honey and cabbage. 

Οὗτος δὲ ἐτέρφθη  ... The field mouse enjoyed himself

καὶ διεχύθη  ...  and relaxed. 

Ὁ δὲ ἤγαγε καὶ τυρὸν   ...  His host also brought cheese

ἐκ κανισκίου σύρων  ...  dragging it out from its container. 

Ἤνοιξέ τις τὴν θύραν  ...  But someone opened the door 

οἱ δὲ ἔφυγον  ...  and the mice fled

εἰς στενὴν τρώγλην  ...  into a narrow hole

ἔτριζον δὲ  ...  and they squealed 

ὑπ᾿ ἀλλήλων στενούμενοι  ...  as they pressed one another.

Ὡς δὲ ἤμελλον ἐκκύψαι  ...  As they were about to creep out 

πάλιν  ... once again

καὶ μικρὰν ἰσχάδα σῦραι  ...  and to grab a little dried fig, 

ἕτερος ἦλθεν  ...  someone else came in 

ἄλλο τι ἆραι  ...  to get something or other 

οἱ δὲ ἔνδον ἐκρύπτοντο  ...  and they hid themselves inside. 

Ὁ δὲ ἀρουραῖος μῦς  ...  And the field mouse, 

καίπερ τοσαῦτα πεινῶν  ...  although hungry for such goods, 

εἶπε  ...  said: 

Χαῖρε καὶ πλούτει καὶ τρύφα  ...  Rejoice, be rich, and feast,

ἔχων τὰ πάντα μετὰ κινδύνων  ...  having all that with dangers. 

ἐγὼ δὲ  ...  Meanwhile I 

τρώγων ἀφόβως  ...  will eat without fear

βοτάνας καὶ ῥίζας  ...  grass and roots 

καὶ λιτῶς ζήσω  ...  and will live frugally.

illustration by Arthur Rackham

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

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