Greek Vocabulary Challenge: June 22

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 175. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

ὁ ~ τοῦ (article m.): the 

ὁμοίως (adverb): likewise, the same 

ἔνθεν (adverb): whence, from where 

καί (conj.): and, also, even 

παρά (prep.+gen.): from 

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

Βελισαρίῳ ὀβολὸν δότε τῷ στρατηλάτῃ.

Θεσμοὺς δ᾽ ὁμοίως τῷ κακῷ τε κἀγαθῷ.

Ἁλῶν δὲ φόρτος ἔνθεν ἦλθεν, ἔνθ' ἔβη.

Χρόνῳ τὰ πάντα γίγνεται καὶ κρίνεται.

Λόγον παρ' ἐχθροῦ μήποθ' ἡγήσῃ φίλον.

And now, some commentary:

Βελισαρίῳ ὀβολὸν δότε τῷ στρατηλάτῃ.

Give an obolus to General Belisarius.

This is a line from the Chiliades of the Byzantine historian Tzetzes, and Belisarius was one of the great generals during the rule of the Byzantine emperor Justinian. There is a legend, probably not historical, that when Belisarius was charged with participating in a conspiracy against the emperor, Justinian had Belisarius's eyes put out, condemning him to be a beggar; hence this saying. You can see a discussion at Wikipedia: Legend as a blind beggar.

Θεσμοὺς δ᾽ ὁμοίως τῷ κακῷ τε κἀγαθῷ.

[I wrote] laws equally for the bad and for the good.

A law, θεσμός, is that which is "laid down," from the verb τίθημι. This is a saying attributed to the Athenian lawmaker Solon; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Solon. Specifically, this is part of the Σεισάχθεια, the "debt relief laws," which also has its own Wikipedia article: Seisachtheia. The Seisachtheia is quoted in Aristotle's Athenian Constitution. (I just have to add: those of you who know me know that I am a devoted reader of David Graeber, and the best book to start with is his genius book on the history of debt and debt relief: Debt: The First 5000 Years.)

Ἁλῶν δὲ φόρτος ἔνθεν ἦλθεν, ἔνθ' ἔβη.

Whence the load of salt came, so it went.

The story goes that there was a merchant who was sailing with a load of salt. The ship filled with water, which dissolved the salt, and then the ship itself sank! So the salt came from sea water, and back into the sea it dissolved. By analogy, the saying applies to anyone who loses something that they have acquired. Compare the English saying, "Easy come, easy go." 

Χρόνῳ τὰ πάντα γίγνεται καὶ κρίνεται.

In time all things occur and are judged.

Note the characteristic use of singular verbs, γίγνεται and κρίνεται, with the neuter plural subject: τὰ πάντα. Another version of this saying reads: Νόμῳ τὰ πάντα γίγνεται καὶ κρίνεται, with νόμῳ, "according to custom, practice, law" instead of χρόνῳ. This is one of the monostichs (one-liners) of Menander in iambic meter:

Χρόνῳ | τὰ πάν||τα γίγ|νεται || καὶ κρί|νεται ||

Λόγον παρ' ἐχθροῦ μήποθ' ἡγήσῃ φίλον.

Don't ever consider the word of an enemy to be friendly.

Note the 2nd-person middle form: ἡγήσῃ, with μήποθ' alerting you to the presence of an imperative or a subjunctive, as here (jussive subjunctive, a form of command). This is another one of Menander's monostichs in iambic meter:

Λόγον | παρ' ἐχ||θροῦ μή|ποθ' ἡ||γήσῃ | φίλον ||

Belisarius the beggar

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

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Greek Reading: 74

One fable below comes from Bryce's First Greek Reader (that is the last one from Bryce), and the other comes from A Greek Reader by Peter Bullions, both of which are available at the Internet Archive.

You'll find the stories below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Λέων καὶ ὄνος 

Λέων καὶ ὄνος κοινωνίαn θέμενοι, ἐξῆλθον ἐπὶ θήραν· γενομένων δὲ αὐτῶν κατά τι σπήλαιον, ἐν ᾧ αἶγες ἄγριαι, ὁ μὲν λέων πρὸ τοῦ στoμίου στάς, ἐξιούσας τὰς αἶγας συνελάμβανεν· ὁ δὲ ὄνος ἔνδον εἰσελθὼν ἐνήλατο αὐταῖς, καὶ ὠγκᾶτο ἐκφοβεῖν βουλόμενος· τοῦ δὲ λέοντος τὰς πλείστας συλλαβόντος, ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖνος ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτοῦ εἰ γενναίως ἠγωνίσατο, καὶ τὰς αἶγας ἐξεδίωξεν· ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, Ἀλλ' εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι κἀγὼ ἄν σε ἐφοβήθην, εἰ μὴ ᾔδειν σε ὄνον ὄντα.

Λέων καὶ ὄνος

κοινωνίαn θέμενοι, 

ἐξῆλθον ἐπὶ θήραν· 

γενομένων δὲ αὐτῶν 

κατά τι σπήλαιον, 

ἐν ᾧ αἶγες ἄγριαι, 

ὁ μὲν λέων 

πρὸ τοῦ στoμίου στάς, 

ἐξιούσας τὰς αἶγας 

συνελάμβανεν· 

ὁ δὲ ὄνος 

ἔνδον εἰσελθὼν 

ἐνήλατο αὐταῖς, 

καὶ ὠγκᾶτο ἐκφοβεῖν βουλόμενος· 

τοῦ δὲ λέοντος 

τὰς πλείστας συλλαβόντος, 

ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖνος 

ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτοῦ 

εἰ γενναίως ἠγωνίσατο, 

καὶ τὰς αἶγας ἐξεδίωξεν· 

ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, 

Ἀλλ' εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι 

κἀγὼ ἄν σε ἐφοβήθην, 

εἰ μὴ ᾔδειν 

σε ὄνον ὄντα.

Λέων καὶ ὄνος  ...  A lion and a donkey

κοινωνίαn θέμενοι  ...  formed a partnership, 

ἐξῆλθον ἐπὶ θήραν  ...  and went out hunting,

γενομένων δὲ αὐτῶν  ...  and they came

κατά τι σπήλαιον  ...  upon a cave

ἐν ᾧ αἶγες ἄγριαι  ...  in which there were wild goats.

ὁ μὲν λέων  ...  The lion

πρὸ τοῦ στoμίου στάς  ...  stood at the mouth of the cave, 

συνελάμβανεν τὰς αἶγας ...  and seized the goats

ἐξιούσας  ...  as they were coming out.

ὁ δὲ ὄνος  ...  The donkey

ἔνδον εἰσελθὼν  ...  went inside 

ἐνήλατο αὐταῖς  ... and rushed upon the goats

καὶ ὠγκᾶτο  ...  and he brayed

ἐκφοβεῖν βουλόμενος  ...  wanted to scare them. 

τοῦ δὲ λέοντος  ...  When the lion

τὰς πλείστας συλλαβόντος  ...  had seized most of them,

ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖνος  ...  the donkey came out

ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτοῦ  ...  and asked the lion

εἰ γενναίως ἠγωνίσατο  ...  if he had fought nobly

καὶ τὰς αἶγας ἐξεδίωξεν  ...  persecuting the goats.

ὁ δὲ εἶπεν  ...  And the lion said,

Ἀλλ' εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι  ...  Know well that

κἀγὼ ἄν σε ἐφοβήθην  ...  I too would have been afraid, 

εἰ μὴ ᾔδειν  ...  if I didn't know

σε ὄνον ὄντα  ...  you are a donkey.

illustration by Winter

Κύνες λιμώττουσαι

Κύνες λιμώττουσαι, ὡς ἐθεάσαντο ἔν τινι ποταμῷ βύρσας βρεχομένας, μὴ δυνάμεναι αὐτῶν ἐφικέσθαι, συνέθεντο ἀλλήλαις ὅπως πρῶτον τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκπίωσιν, καὶ εἶθ’ οὕτως ἐπὶ τὰς βύρσας παραγένωνται. Συνέϐη δὲ αὐταῖς πιούσαις πριν διαρραγῆναι ἤ τῶν βυρσῶν ἐφικέσθαι.

Κύνες λιμώττουσαι, 

ὡς ἐθεάσαντο ἔν τινι ποταμῷ 

βύρσας βρεχομένας, 

μὴ δυνάμεναι αὐτῶν ἐφικέσθαι, 

συνέθεντο ἀλλήλαις 

ὅπως πρῶτον τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκπίωσιν, 

καὶ εἶθ’ οὕτως ἐπὶ τὰς βύρσας παραγένωνται. 

Συνέβη δὲ αὐταῖς πιούσαις 

πριν διαρραγῆναι 

ἤ τῶν βυρσῶν ἐφικέσθαι.

Κύνες λιμώττουσαι  ...  Some dogs were famished, 

ὡς ἐθεάσαντο ἔν τινι ποταμῷ  ...  and they saw in a river 

βύρσας βρεχομένας  ...  some hides that were soaking, 

μὴ δυνάμεναι αὐτῶν ἐφικέσθαι  ... but not being able reach them, 

συνέθεντο ἀλλήλαις  ...  they agreed 

ὅπως πρῶτον τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκπίωσιν ...  to drink up the water first, 

καὶ εἶθ’ οὕτως παραγένωνται  ... and then they'd come

ἐπὶ τὰς βύρσας   ...  to the hides. 

Συνέβη δὲ αὐταῖς  ...  What happened to them

πιούσαις  ...  was that they drank

πριν διαρραγῆναι  ...  and burst before

ἤ τῶν βυρσῶν ἐφικέσθαι  ...  they got to the hides.

illustration by Weir

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

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Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 164, 165, and 166. 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. Ἀκρὸν λάβε, καὶ μέσον ἕξεις.
   
2. Ἀνόητος νεοττὸς ἑκὼν δείκνυσι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ νοσσιάν.
   
3. Βέβαιον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐν θνητῷ βίῳ.
   
4. Κρεῖττον σιωπᾶν ἐστιν ἢ λαλεῖν μάτην.
   
5. Λέρνη κακῶν.
   
6. Μηδὲ θεοῖσιν ἶσ' ἔθελε φρονέειν.
   
7. Μηδέποτε πειρῶ δύο φίλων εἶναι κριτής.
   
8. Ὁ μηδὲν ἀδικῶν οὐδενὸς δεῖται νόμου.
   
9. Οἱ μεγάλοι κλέπται τὸν μικρὸν ἀπάγουσι.
   
10. Ὄφιν τρέφειν καὶ πονηρὸν εὐεργετεῖν ταὐτόν ἐστιν.
    
11. Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει.
    
12. Πρὸς δύο λέγεται οὐδ᾽ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς οἷός τε εἶναι.
    
13. Προτέρα πάντων ἔκτισται σοφία.
    
14. Τὰ ἀφανῆ τοῖς φανεροῖς τεκμαίρου.
    
15. Φίλοις βοήθει.
    

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

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Greek Reading: 73

The fable below comes from Bryce's First Greek Reader, which is available at the Internet Archive. I'm surprised not to have seen this fable in the other readers; this is the first time we've had this famous fable.

You'll find the story below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.

Κόραξ καὶ ἀλώπηξ

Κόραξ, κρέας ἁπρασας, ἐπί τινος δένδρου ἐκάθισεν· ἀλώπηξ δὲ τοῦτον ἰδοῦσα, καὶ βουληθεῖσα περιγενέσθαι τοῦ κρέατος, στᾶσα κάτωθεν ἐπῄνει αὐτόν, ὡς εὐμεγεθὲς καὶ καλὸν ὄρνεον καὶ θηρευτικὸν καὶ εὔμορφον· καὶ λέγουσα, Ὅτι ἥρμοζέ σοι βασιλέα εἶναι ὀρνέων, εἰ καὶ φωνητiκὸς ὑπῆρχες· ἀλλ' ὦ τοῖον ὄρνεον, καὶ ἄλαλον ὑπάρχεις· Ὁ δὲ κόραξ, ἀκούσας ταῦτα, καὶ χαυνωθεὶς τοῖς ἐπαίνοις, ῥίψας τὸ κρέας, μεγάλως ἐεκεκράγει· ἡ δ' ἀλώπηξ, δραμοῦσα καὶ λαβοῦσα τὸ κρέας, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἔχεις, κόραξ, ἅπαντα, νοῦς δέ τοι λείπει.

Κόραξ, κρέας ἁπρασας, 

ἐπί τινος δένδρου ἐκάθισεν· 

ἀλώπηξ δὲ τοῦτον ἰδοῦσα, 

καὶ βουληθεῖσα 

περιγενέσθαι τοῦ κρέατος, 

στᾶσα κάτωθεν 

ἐπῄνει αὐτόν, 

ὡς εὐμεγεθὲς καὶ καλὸν ὄρνεον 

καὶ θηρευτικὸν καὶ εὔμορφον· 

καὶ λέγουσα, 

Ὅτι ἥρμοζέ σοι 

βασιλέα εἶναι ὀρνέων, 

εἰ καὶ φωνητiκὸς ὑπῆρχες· 

ἀλλ' ὦ τοῖον ὄρνεον, 

καὶ ἄλαλον ὑπάρχεις· 

Ὁ δὲ κόραξ, 

ἀκούσας ταῦτα, 

καὶ χαυνωθεὶς τοῖς ἐπαίνοις, 

ῥίψας τὸ κρέας, 

μεγάλως ἐεκεκράγει· 

ἡ δ' ἀλώπηξ, 

δραμοῦσα 

καὶ λαβοῦσα τὸ κρέας, 

ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· 

Ἔχεις, κόραξ, ἅπαντα, 

νοῦς δέ τοι λείπει.

Κόραξ  ...  A crow 

κρέας ἁπρασας  ...  snatched some meat

ἐκάθισεν  ...  and settled down 

ἐπί τινος δένδρου  ...  on a tree. 

ἀλώπηξ δὲ  ...  A fox 

τοῦτον ἰδοῦσα  ...  saw the crow, 

καὶ βουληθεῖσα  ...  and wanted 

περιγενέσθαι τοῦ κρέατος  ...  obtain that meat, 

στᾶσα κάτωθεν  ...  so she stood below the crow 

ἐπῄνει αὐτόν  ...  and praised the crow

ὡς εὐμεγεθὲς καὶ καλὸν ὄρνεον  ...  as a great, beautiful bird 

καὶ θηρευτικὸν καὶ εὔμορφον  ...  and a hunter, and handsome,

καὶ λέγουσα ὅτι  ...  and she said that

ἥρμοζέ σοι  ...  "It suited you

βασιλέα εἶναι ὀρνέων  ...  to be king of the birds, 

εἰ καὶ φωνητiκὸς ὑπῆρχες  ...  if you were also able to speak.

ἀλλ' ὦ τοῖον ὄρνεον  ...  but oh, such a fine bird you are,

καὶ ἄλαλον ὑπάρχεις  ...  but you are unable to speak."

Ὁ δὲ κόραξ  ...  And the crow,

ἀκούσας ταῦτα  ...  when he heard these things 

καὶ χαυνωθεὶς  ...  and opened his mouth

τοῖς ἐπαίνοις  ...  at these flatteries,

ῥίψας τὸ κρέας  ...  he dropped the meat

μεγάλως ἐεκεκράγει  ...  squawking loudly.

ἡ δ' ἀλώπηξ  ...  And the fox

δραμοῦσα  ...  ran up

καὶ λαβοῦσα τὸ κρέας  ...  and grabbed the meat,

ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν  ...  and she said to the crow

Ἔχεις, κόραξ, ἅπαντα  ...  Crow, you have everything

νοῦς δέ τοι λείπει  ...  but your mind has forsaken you."

In another Greek prose version (recorded by Chambry), this is what the fox says to the crow in the end: it's about φρένες instead of νοῦς.

Ὦ κόραξ  ...  O crow,

καὶ φρένας εἰ εἶχες  ...  if you had wits, 

οὐδὲν ἂν ἐδέησας  ...  you'd have everything you need

εἰς τὸ πάντων σε βασιλεῦσαι  ...  to rule over everybody.

illustration by Heighway

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: June 17

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 174. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

χείρ ~ χειρὸς (noun f.): hand 

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

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

πῦρ ~ πυρός (noun n.): fire 

βασιλεύς ~ βασιλέως (noun m.): king, chief 

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

Λημνίᾳ χειρί

Ἐφέσια γράμματα.

Μὴ νεκρῶν θήκας κίνει.

Μαχαίρᾳ μὴ πῦρ σκαλεύειν.

Εἷς κοίρανος ἔστω, εἷς βασιλεύς.

And now, some commentary:

Λημνίᾳ χειρί

By the hand of Lemnos.

This is a mythological proverb, alluding to the outrageous crime committed by the women of Lemnos when they murdered all the men on the island of Lemnos (the one exception was Hypsipyle, who saved her father Thoas). Supposedly this was because the men were refusing to have sex with them (at least, that's what the male sources say!). So, by extension, the saying applies to any kind of extreme criminality. You can read more about the women of Lemnos at Wikipedia: The Lemnian Crime.

Ἐφέσια γράμματα.

Ephesian letters.

This refers to meaningless words with magical power that were inscribed on the famous statue of Artemis at Ephesus. The words in and of themselves were "senseless" (ἄσημα ὀνόματα), but they supposedly offered supernatural protection to the person who could pronounce them correctly. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Ephesia Grammata. Compare the English phrase "mumbo jumbo" and other "gibberish."

Μὴ νεκρῶν θήκας κίνει.

Do not disturb the graves of the dead.

This is a saying found in Theophrastus, and it can be applied metaphorically to anything that is "dead and buried" and is best left undisturbed. Don't go digging it up again! Note the accentuation on κίνει, which alerts you that it is the imperative, along with μὴ as a clue that you are not dealing with an indicative verb (κινεῖ would be the 3rd-person indicative).

Μαχαίρᾳ μὴ πῦρ σκαλεύειν.

Don't poke the fire with a knife.

This is one of the so-called Pythagorean sayings recorded by Diogenes Laertius, and it means you should not provoke (poke with a sword) a person who is already angry (fire). This time you see μὴ used with the infinitive to express a general prohibition. 

Εἷς κοίρανος ἔστω, εἷς βασιλεύς.

Let there be one leader, one king. 

The words are from Homer's Iliad. The words are spoken by Odysseus as he rebukes a common soldier's protest who is unhappy with Agamemnon: οὐκ ἀγαθὸν πολυκοιρανίη: εἷς κοίρανος ἔστω, εἷς βασιλεύς: "Rule-by-many is not a good thing: let there be one leader, one king."

Artemis of Ephesis

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

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Greek Reading: 72

The fables below come from Bryce's First Greek Reader, while the joke comes from Abbott's Easy Greek Reader, both of which are available at the Internet Archive. (This is the last of the jokes from Abbott; I hope I can find another reader that has more of these jokes!)

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

Ἀλώπηξ καὶ κεφαλή

Ἀλώπηξ εἰς οἰκίαν ἐλθοῦσα ὑποκριτοῦ καὶ ἕκαστα τῶν αὐτοῦ σκευῶν διερευνωμένη, εὗρε καὶ κεφαλὴν μορμολυκείου εὐφυῶς κατεσκευασμένην, ἣν καὶ ἀναλαβοῦσα ταῖς χερσὶν ἔφη· Ὢ οἵα κεφαλή, καὶ ἔγκεφαλον οὐκ ἔχει.

Ἀλώπηξ εἰς οἰκίαν ἐλθοῦσα ὑποκριτοῦ 

καὶ ἕκαστα τῶν αὐτοῦ σκευῶν διερευνωμένη, 

εὗρε καὶ κεφαλὴν μορμολυκείου 

εὐφυῶς κατεσκευασμένην, 

ἣν καὶ ἀναλαβοῦσα ταῖς χερσὶν ἔφη· 

Ὢ οἵα κεφαλή, 

καὶ ἔγκεφαλον οὐκ ἔχει.

Ἀλώπηξ ἐλθοῦσα  ...  A fox went into

εἰς οἰκίαν ὑποκριτοῦ  ...  the house of an actor 

καὶ διερευνωμένη  ...  and examined

ἕκαστα τῶν αὐτοῦ σκευῶν  ...  all of his goods; 

εὗρε καὶ  ...  the fox also found

κεφαλὴν μορμολυκείου  ...  a comic mask, 

εὐφυῶς κατεσκευασμένην  ...  beautifully crafted,

ἣν καὶ ἀναλαβοῦσα  ...  which she picked up 

ταῖς χερσὶν  ...  in her paws 

ἔφη  ...  and said, 

Ὢ οἵα κεφαλή  ...  Oh, such a head! 

καὶ ἔγκεφαλον οὐκ ἔχει  ...  Yet it has no brains.

illustration by Tenniel

Λύκος καὶ γέρανος 

Λύκου λαιμῷ ὀστέον ἐπεπήγει· ὁ δὲ γεράνῳ μισθὸν παρέξειν εἶπεν, εἰ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὑτῆς ἐπιβαλοῦσα τὸ ὀστοῦν ἐκ τοῦ λαιμοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκβάλοι· ἡ δ’ τοῦτ' ἐκβαλοῦσα, δολιχόδειρος οὖσα, τὸν μισθὸν ἐπεζήτει ὅστις γελάσας, καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας θήξας, Ἀρκεῖ σοι μισθός, ἔφη, τοῦτο καὶ μόνον ὅτι ἐκ λύκου στόματος καὶ ὀδόντων ἐξεῖλες κάρα σῶον μηδὲν παθοῦσα.

Λύκου λαιμῷ 

ὀστέον ἐπεπήγει· 

ὁ δὲ 

γεράνῳ μισθὸν παρέξειν εἶπεν, 

εἰ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὑτῆς ἐπιβαλοῦσα 

τὸ ὀστοῦν ἐκ τοῦ λαιμοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκβάλοι· 

ἡ δ’ τοῦτ' ἐκβαλοῦσα, 

δολιχόδειρος οὖσα, 

τὸν μισθὸν ἐπεζήτει 

ὅστις γελάσας, 

καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας θήξας, 

Ἀρκεῖ σοι μισθός, ἔφη, 

τοῦτο καὶ μόνον 

ὅτι ἐκ λύκου στόματος καὶ ὀδόντων 

ἐξεῖλες κάρα σῶον 

μηδὲν παθοῦσα.

ὀστέον ἐπεπήγει  ...  A bone had gotten stuck

λύκου λαιμῷ  ...  in the throat of a wolf,

ὁ δὲ γεράνῳ εἶπεν  ...  and he told a crane

μισθὸν παρέξειν  ...  that he would pay a reward, 

εἰ ἐπιβαλοῦσα  ...  if she would insert

τὴν κεφαλὴν αὑτῆς  ...  her head 

τὸ ὀστοῦν ἐκβάλοι  ...  and dislodge the bone

ἐκ τοῦ λαιμοῦ αὐτοῦ  ...  from his throat.

ἡ δ’ τοῦτ' ἐκβαλοῦσα  ...  She dislodged it,

δολιχόδειρος οὖσα  ...  being long-necked,

τὸν μισθὸν ἐπεζήτει  ...  and requested her reward

ὅστις γελάσας  ...  but the wolf laughed,

καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας θήξας  ...  grinding his teeth,

ἔφη  ... and said,

μισθός τοῦτο  ... This reward

καὶ μόνον   ...  and this alone

ἀρκεῖ σοι  ....  is enough for you:

ὅτι ἐκ λύκου στόματος  ...  that from the wolf's mouth 

καὶ ὀδόντων  ...  and teeth

ἐξεῖλες κάρα  ...  you pulled out your head 

σῶον  ...  safe and sound, 

μηδὲν παθοῦσα  ...  not having suffered harm.

illustration from 1485

Ὀκνηρὸς υἱός 

Ὀκνηρῷ υἱῷ ἐκέλευσεν ὃ πατὴρ εἰς τὸν γείτονα ἀπελθεῖν καὶ χρήσασθαι ἀξίνην. ὁ δὲ ἔφη, οὐ δίδωσι. τοῦ δὲ πατρὸς ἐπιμένοντος, ἀπεκρίνατο, ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ γείτων, καὶ ἀξίνην οὐκ ἔχω.

Ὀκνηρῷ υἱῷ 

ἐκέλευσεν ὃ πατὴρ 

εἰς τὸν γείτονα ἀπελθεῖν 

καὶ χρήσασθαι ἀξίνην. 

ὁ δὲ ἔφη, 

οὐ δίδωσι. 

τοῦ δὲ πατρὸς ἐπιμένοντος, 

ἀπεκρίνατο, 

ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ γείτων, 

καὶ ἀξίνην οὐκ ἔχω.

ἐκέλευσεν ὃ πατὴρ  ...  A father ordered 

ὀκνηρῷ υἱῷ  ...  his lazy son

εἰς τὸν γείτονα ἀπελθεῖν  ...  to go to the neighbor 

καὶ χρήσασθαι ἀξίνην  ...  and borrow an axe.

ὁ δὲ ἔφη  ...  The son said,

οὐ δίδωσι  ...  "No axe to give."

τοῦ δὲ πατρὸς ἐπιμένοντος  ...  The father persisted, 

ἀπεκρίνατο  ...  and the son replied,

ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ γείτων  ...  I am your neighbor,

καὶ ἀξίνην οὐκ ἔχω  ...  And I've got not axe.

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

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