Greek Reading: Fables 55

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.

Λέων καὶ ἄρκτος

Λέων καὶ ἄρκτος, ὁμοῦ νεβρῷ περιτυχόντες, περὶ τούτου ἐμάχοντο. Δεινῶς οὖν ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων διατεθέντες, ὡς ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς μάχης καὶ σκοτοδινιᾶσαι, ἀπαυδήσαντες ἔκειντο. Ἀλώπηξ δὲ κύκλῳ περιιοῦσα, πεπτωκότας αὐτοὺς ἰδοῦσα καὶ τὸν νεβρὸν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ κείμενον, τοῦτον διὰ μέσου ἀμφοῖν διαδραμοῦσα καὶ ἁρπάσασα, φεύγουσα ᾤχετο. Οἱ δὲ βλέποντες μὲν αὐτήν, μὴ δυνάμενοι δὲ ἀναστῆναι· δείλαιοι ἡμεῖς, εἶπον, ὅτι δι’ ἀλώπεκα ἐμοχθοῦμεν.

Λέων καὶ ἄρκτος, 

ὁμοῦ νεβρῷ περιτυχόντες,

περὶ τούτου ἐμάχοντο. 

Δεινῶς οὖν ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων διατεθέντες, 

ὡς ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς μάχης 

καὶ σκοτοδινιᾶσαι, 

ἀπαυδήσαντες ἔκειντο. 

Ἀλώπηξ δὲ 

κύκλῳ περιιοῦσα, 

πεπτωκότας αὐτοὺς ἰδοῦσα 

καὶ τὸν νεβρὸν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ κείμενον, 

τοῦτον διὰ μέσου ἀμφοῖν 

διαδραμοῦσα καὶ ἁρπάσασα, 

φεύγουσα ᾤχετο. 

Οἱ δὲ βλέποντες μὲν αὐτήν, 

μὴ δυνάμενοι δὲ ἀναστῆναι· 

δείλαιοι ἡμεῖς, εἶπον, 

ὅτι δι’ ἀλώπεκα ἐμοχθοῦμεν.

Λέων καὶ ἄρκτος  ...  A lion and a bear,

νεβρῷ περιτυχόντες  ...  coming upon a fawn,

ὁμοῦ  ...  at the same time,

περὶ τούτου ἐμάχοντο  ...  struggled over it. 

διατεθέντες οὖν ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων  ...  Falling on each other

δεινῶς  ...  so fiercely

ὡς καὶ σκοτοδινιᾶσαι  ...  that they also grew faint

ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς μάχης  ...  from their long struggle, 

ἀπαυδήσαντες ἔκειντο  ...  they lay down, exhausted. 

Ἀλώπηξ δὲ κύκλῳ περιιοῦσα   ...  A fox circling around 

ἰδοῦσα  ... saw 

αὐτοὺς πεπτωκότας  ...  that they had collapsed, 

καὶ τὸν νεβρὸν  ...  and she also saw the fawn

ἐν τῷ μέσῳ κείμενον  ...  lying between them, 

διαδραμοῦσα καὶ ἁρπάσασα  ...  she ran thru and grabbed

τοῦτον διὰ μέσου ἀμφοῖν  ...  the fawn from their midst, 

φεύγουσα ᾤχετο  ...  and then fled, running away. 

Οἱ δὲ βλέποντες μὲν αὐτήν  ...  They saw her

μὴ δυνάμενοι δὲ ἀναστῆναι  ...  but couldn't stand up, 

εἶπον  ...  and said

δείλαιοι ἡμεῖς,  ...  What wretches we are, 

ὅτι ἐμοχθοῦμεν  ...  because we wore ourselves out

δι’ ἀλώπεκα  ...  on behalf of a fox.

illustration by Tenniel

Σχολαστικὸς νοσῶν καὶ γυνὴ

Σχολαστικὸς νοσῶν συνετάξατο τῷ ἰατρῷ, εἰ θεραπευθείη, μισθὸν δώσειν· ὡς οὖν οἶνον ἐν τῷ πυρέσσειν πίνοντι αὐτῷ ἐπετίμα ἡ γυνὴ, σὺ δὲ ὑγιάναντα βούλει με, ἔφη, ἀναγκασθῆναι τῷ ἰατρῷ τὸν μισθὸν δώσειν;

Σχολαστικὸς νοσῶν 

συνετάξατο τῷ ἰατρῷ, 

εἰ θεραπευθείη, 

μισθὸν δώσειν· 

ὡς οὖν οἶνον 

ἐν τῷ πυρέσσειν πίνοντι 

αὐτῷ ἐπετίμα ἡ γυνὴ, 

σὺ δὲ ὑγιάναντα βούλει με, 

ἔφη, 

ἀναγκασθῆναι 

τῷ ἰατρῷ τὸν μισθὸν δώσειν;

Σχολαστικὸς νοσῶν  ...  A dunce who was sick

συνετάξατο τῷ ἰατρῷ  ...  made an agreement with his doctor: 

εἰ θεραπευθείη  ...  if he was cured,

μισθὸν δώσειν  ...  he would pay the doctor's fee.

ὡς οὖν οἶνον πίνοντι  ...  So when he was drinking wine

ἐν τῷ πυρέσσειν  ...  while he had a fever,

αὐτῷ ἐπετίμα ἡ γυνὴ  ...  his wife scolded him, 

ἔφη  ...  he said, 

σὺ δὲ ὑγιάναντα βούλει με  ...  Do you want me to get well, 

ἀναγκασθῆναι  ...  so that I"ll be compelled

τῷ ἰατρῷ τὸν μισθὸν δώσειν  ...  to pay the doctor's fee?

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

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Greek Vocabulary Challenge: May 3

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 163. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

χαρίζω ~ χαριέω ~ ἐχάρισα: do a favor, give happily 

κρύπτω ~ κρύψω ~ ἔκρυψα: hide, cover, conceal 

ἔχω ~ ἕξω ~ ἔσχον: have, hold 

διδάσκω ~ διδάξω ~ ἐδίδαξα: teach, instruct 

ἀκούω ~ ἀκούσομαι ~ ἤκουσα: listen, hear 

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

Ἔχων χαρίζου.

Ἐν ἅλῳ κρύπτῃ.

Ἔχει καὶ χολὴν ὁ μύρμηξ.

Δελφῖνα νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

Ὃς ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.

And now, some commentary:

Ἔχων χαρίζου.

If you have something, give it cheerfully.

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

Ἐν ἅλῳ κρύπτῃ.

You're hiding on the threshing-floor.

The idea here is that a threshing-floor offers no place to hide! You can also find the saying in this form: Ἐν ἅλῳ δρασκάζεις, "You're making an escape on the threshing-floor."

Ἔχει καὶ χολὴν ὁ μύρμηξ.

Even the ant has its bile.

The meaning of this saying depends on the ancient idea of the bodily humors, and bile fluid was supposed to give someone an angry disposition. So, the idea here is that even someone who is tiny and weak, like a little ant, can still get angry, and perhaps even be dangerous as a result. You can find out more about the theory of the humors at Wikipedia: Four Temperaments. The English words bilious, splenetic, sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic all derive from this ancient model of embodied emotions.

Δελφῖνα νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.

You're reaching the dolphin to swim.

This is another one of those fool's errands: not only does the dolphin already know how to swim the dolphin knows how to swim far better than you do!

Ὃς ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.

Let the one who has ears to ear, hear.

The words come from the Biblical Gospel of Mark. This phrase (and variants) is found also in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Greek vase with dolphin

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 54

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.

Πατὴρ καὶ θυγατέρες 

Ἔχων τις δύο θυγατέρας τὴν μὲν κηπωρῷ ἐξέδωκε πρὸς γάμον, τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν κεραμεῖ. Χρόνου δὲ προελθόντος ἧκε πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κηπωροῦ, καὶ ταύτην ἠρώτα, πῶς ἔχοι καὶ ἐν τίνι αὐτοῖς εἴη τὰ πράγματα. Τῆς δὲ εἰπούσης, πάντα μὲν αὐτοῖς παρεῖναι, ἓν δὲ τοῦτο εὔχεσθαι τοῖς θεοῖς, ὅπως χειμών γένηται καὶ ὄμβρος, ἵνα τὰ λάχανα ἀρδευθῇ· μετ’ οὐ πολὺ παρεγένετο καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κεραμέως, καὶ ὡσαύτως ἐπυνθάνετο, πῶς ἔχοι. Τῆς δὲ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μὴ ἐνδεῖσθαι εἰπούσης, τοῦτο δὲ μόνον εὔχεσθαι, ὅπως αἰθρία τε λαμπρὰ ἐπιμείνῃ καὶ λαμπρὸς ἥλιος, ἵνα ξηρανθῇ ὁ κέραμος, εἶπε πρὸς αὐτήν· ἐὰν σὺ μὲν εὐδίαν ἐπιζητῇς, ἡ δὲ ἀδελφή σου χειμῶνα, ποτέρᾳ ὑμῶν συνεύξωμαι;

Ἔχων τις δύο θυγατέρας 

τὴν μὲν κηπωρῷ ἐξέδωκε 

πρὸς γάμον, 

τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν κεραμεῖ. 

Χρόνου δὲ προελθόντος 

ἧκε πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κηπωροῦ, 

καὶ ταύτην ἠρώτα, 

πῶς ἔχοι 

καὶ ἐν τίνι 

αὐτοῖς εἴη τὰ πράγματα. 

Τῆς δὲ εἰπούσης, 

πάντα μὲν αὐτοῖς παρεῖναι, 

ἓν δὲ τοῦτο εὔχεσθαι τοῖς θεοῖς, 

ὅπως χειμών γένηται 

καὶ ὄμβρος, 

ἵνα τὰ λάχανα ἀρδευθῇ· 

μετ’ οὐ πολὺ παρεγένετο 

καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κεραμέως, 

καὶ ὡσαύτως ἐπυνθάνετο, 

πῶς ἔχοι. 

Τῆς δὲ 

τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μὴ ἐνδεῖσθαι εἰπούσης, 

τοῦτο δὲ μόνον εὔχεσθαι, 

ὅπως αἰθρία τε λαμπρὰ ἐπιμείνῃ 

καὶ λαμπρὸς ἥλιος, 

ἵνα ξηρανθῇ ὁ κέραμος, 

εἶπε πρὸς αὐτήν· 

ἐὰν σὺ μὲν εὐδίαν ἐπιζητῇς, 

ἡ δὲ ἀδελφή σου χειμῶνα, 

ποτέρᾳ ὑμῶν συνεύξωμαι;

Ἔχων τις δύο θυγατέρας  ...  A man had two daughters.

τὴν μὲν κηπωρῷ ἐξέδωκε  ...  He gave one to a gardener

πρὸς γάμον  ...  in marriage, 

τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν κεραμεῖ  ...  and he gave he other to a potter. 

Χρόνου δὲ προελθόντος  ...  After some time had passed 

ἧκε πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κηπωροῦ  ...  he went to the gardener's wife, 

καὶ ταύτην ἠρώτα  ...  and asked her, 

πῶς ἔχοι  ...  how she was doing 

καὶ ἐν τίνι  ...  and how 

αὐτοῖς εἴη τὰ πράγματα  ...  their business was going. 

Τῆς δὲ εἰπούσης  ...  And she said 

πάντα μὲν αὐτοῖς παρεῖναι  ...  they had everything; 

ἓν δὲ τοῦτο  ...  but for this one thing

εὔχεσθαι τοῖς θεοῖς  ...  they prayed to the gods:

ὅπως χειμών γένηται  ...  that there be a storm 

καὶ ὄμβρος  ...  and heavy rain, 

ἵνα τὰ λάχανα ἀρδευθῇ  ...  so the vegetables would be watered. 

μετ’ οὐ πολὺ παρεγένετο  ...  Not only afterwards he went 

καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κεραμέως  ...  to the wife of the potter also, 

καὶ ὡσαύτως ἐπυνθάνετο  ...  and likewise asked her 

πῶς ἔχοι  ...  how she was. 

Τῆς δὲ εἰπούσης  ...  She said 

τὰ μὲν ἄλλα μὴ ἐνδεῖσθαι  ...  they had no need of anything, 

τοῦτο δὲ μόνον εὔχεσθαι  ...  but for this one thing they prayed, 

ὅπως αἰθρία τε λαμπρὰ  ...  that the bright clear weather

καὶ λαμπρὸς ἥλιος  ...  and shining sun 

ἐπιμείνῃ  ...  continue

ἵνα ξηρανθῇ ὁ κέραμος  ...  so that the pottery would dry. 

εἶπε πρὸς αὐτήν  ...  He said to her, 

ἐὰν σὺ μὲν εὐδίαν ἐπιζητῇς  ...  if you demand fair weather 

ἡ δὲ ἀδελφή σου χειμῶνα  ...  and your sister demands rain, 

ποτέρᾳ ὑμῶν συνεύξωμαι  ...  which of you will I join in prayer?

Helios (sun) coin

Ἡ λήκυθος

Σχολαστικὸς ἠρώτα τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ, ἡ πεντακότυλος λήκυθος πόσον χωρεῖ;

Σχολαστικὸς ἠρώτα τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ, 

ἡ πεντακότυλος λήκυθος 

πόσον χωρεῖ;

Σχολαστικὸς  ... A dunce

ἠρώτα τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ  ... asked his father, 

πόσον  ... How much

ἡ πεντακότυλος λήκυθος  ... does a five-cup flask

χωρεῖ  ...  hold?

ancient Greek lekythos

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

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Proverbs Slideshow/Crossword: May 1

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 152, 153, and 154. 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. Ἅπας ἐχῖνος τραχύς.
   
2. Δεινῆς ἀνάγκης οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερον.
   
3. Ἑστίαν τίμα.
   
4. Ἠδη γὰρ ὁ βίος οὑμὸς ἑσπέραν ἄγει.
   
5. Ἴδια φύλαττε.
   
6. Κύκλος τῶν ἀνθρωπηΐων πρηγμάτων.
   
7. Μὴ πρὸς λέοντα δορκὰς ἅψομαι μάχης.
   
8. Μὴ φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μού εἰμι ἐγώ.
   
9. Ὁ ἄδικος οὐ λανθάνει τοὺς θεούς.
   
10. Πενίῃ σοφίη ἔλαχεν.
    
11. Πλάνη βίον τίθησι σωφρονέστερον.
    
12. Πρᾶττε ἀμετανοήτως.
    
13. Τί με σπεύδοντα καὶ αὐτὸν ὀτρύνεις;
    
14. Φιλίαν φύλαττε.
    
15. Χρύσεα χαλκείων.
    

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

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