Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 11

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 134. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

πλοῦτος ~ πλούτου (noun m.): wealth, riches 

τάλαντον ~ ταλάντου (noun n.): scales, balance 

τιμωρία ~ τιμωρίας (noun f.): retribution, punishment 

χάρις ~ χάριτος (noun f.): favor, goodwill 

σφαγή ~ σφαγῆς (noun f.): slaughter, butchery 

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

Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει.

Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν.

Τὰ Ταντάλου τάλαντα.

Ταντάλειοι τιμωρίαι.

Αἰέτιον χάριν ἐκτίνειν.

And now, some commentary:

Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει.

Put no faith in wealth.

This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. The verb ἀπίστει is an alpha-privative: ἀ-πίστει. The noun πλοῦτος is also the name of the god of wealth; find out more at Wikipedia: Plutus.

Τὰ Ταντάλου τάλαντα.

The talents of Tantalus.

Speaking of wealth, this saying is about the fabulously wealthy King Tantalus, and the τάλαντα here, or "talents" in English, referred originally to weighing scales, and then came to mean the money that was weighed in the scales. You can find out more about King Tantalus at Wikipedia. In addition to the proverbial talents of Tantalus, there are the famous τάλαντα of the Gospels: Parable of the Talents. This parable is what gave rise to the modern meaning of "talent" in English; you can find out more at the wiktionary: talent. Despite his proverbial wealth, things did not turn out well for Tantalus; see the next saying.

Ταντάλειοι τιμωρίαι.

Tantalean punishments.

This proverbial phrase refers to the punishments that Tantalus suffered for the various crimes he committed against the gods, including an attempt to feed them the flesh of his son, Pelops. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Tantalus' Savage Banquet. Tantalus was then punished in the underworld by seeing fruit that he could never eat and water that he could never drink, which is the origin of the English word "tantalize."

Αἰέτιον χάριν ἐκτίνειν.

To repay a favor like the eagle (did).

This proverbial phrase invokes the fable of a man who rescued an eagle from a snake and who was in turn rescued by that eagle from drinking water that had been poisoned by the snake (Perry #395 for those of you interested in Aesopic fables). The adjective αἰέτιον is from ἀετός, "eagle," and like many derived adjectives, it does not have a distinct feminine form: αἰέτιος (also spelled ἀέτειος) is both masculine and feminine.

Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν.

Like a sheep to the slaughter.

The words come from the Biblical Book of Acts, quoting the Book of Isaiah. Here is the passage: ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος, οὕτως οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, and the King James version: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth." For the controversial history of this Biblical phrase in reference to the Holocaust, see Wikipedia: Like sheep to the slaughter.

Tantalus (Alciato)

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 6

Today's stories are from Smith's Initia Graeca, available at the Internet Archive. You can use the linked titles to access the book, and it has a dictionary in the back.

Here are the stories, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English.

16 Κάμηλος 

Κάμηλος ἀναγκαζομένη ὑπὸ ἰδίου δεσπότου ὀρχεῖσθαι εἶπεν· ἀλλ' οὐ μόνον ὀρχουμένη εἰμὶ ἄσχημος, ἀλλὰ καὶ περιπατοῦσα.

Κάμηλος 

ἀναγκαζομένη 

ὑπὸ ἰδίου δεσπότου 

ὀρχεῖσθαι 

εἶπεν· 

ἀλλ' οὐ μόνον 

ὀρχουμένη εἰμὶ ἄσχημος, 

ἀλλὰ καὶ περιπατοῦσα.

Κάμηλος  ...  A camel,

ἀναγκαζομένη ὀρχεῖσθαι  ...  compelled to dance

ὑπὸ ἰδίου δεσπότου  ...  by her owner,

εἶπεν  ...  said,

"ἀλλ' οὐ μόνον εἰμὶ   ...  But not only am I

ἄσχημος ὀρχουμένη  ...  ungainly when dancing,

ἀλλὰ καὶ περιπατοῦσα  ...  but even when walking."

The Camel (from a different fable than this one)

17 Πάρδαλις καὶ ἀλώπηξ

Στικτή ποτε πάρδαλις ἐκαυχᾶτο φορεῖν ἁπάντων ζῴων ποικιλωτέραν δέρριν. Πρὸς ἣν ἀλώπηξ εἶπεν· Ἐγώ σου τῆς δορᾶς κρείττονα καὶ ποικιλωτέραν γνώμην ἔχω.

Στικτή ποτε πάρδαλις 

ἐκαυχᾶτο φορεῖν 

ἁπάντων ζῴων 

ποικιλωτέραν δέρριν. 

Πρὸς ἣν ἀλώπηξ εἶπεν· 

Ἐγώ 

σου τῆς δορᾶς 

κρείττονα καὶ ποικιλωτέραν γνώμην 

ἔχω.

Στικτή ποτε πάρδαλις  ...  The spotted leopard once

ἐκαυχᾶτο φορεῖν  ...  was boasting that she had

ποικιλωτέραν δέρριν  ...  a more colorful skin

ἁπάντων ζῴων  ...  than all the animals.

Πρὸς ἣν ἀλώπηξ εἶπεν  ...  The fox said to her,

"Ἐγώ ἔχω γνώμην  ...  I have a brain

κρείττονα καὶ ποικιλωτέραν  ...  more powerful and colorful

σου τῆς δορᾶς  ...  than your pelt." 

Fox and Leopard

18 Ῥοιὰ, μηλέα καὶ βάτος

Ῥοιὰ καὶ μηλέα περὶ εὐκαρπίας ἤριζον. Πολλοῦ δὲ τοῦ νείκους ἀναφθέντος, βάτος ἐκ τοῦ πλησίον φραγμοῦ ἀκούσασα εἶπεν· ἀλλ', ὠ φίλαι, παυσώμεθά ποτε μαχόμεναι.

Ῥοιὰ καὶ μηλέα 

περὶ εὐκαρπίας ἤριζον. 

Πολλοῦ δὲ τοῦ νείκους 

ἀναφθέντος, 

βάτος 

ἐκ τοῦ πλησίον φραγμοῦ 

ἀκούσασα εἶπεν· 

ἀλλ', ὠ φίλαι, 

παυσώμεθά ποτε μαχόμεναι.

Ῥοιὰ καὶ μηλέα  ...  A pomegranate tree and an apple tree

περὶ εὐκαρπίας ἤριζον  ...  were disputing about fruitfulness.

Πολλοῦ δὲ τοῦ νείκους ἀναφθέντος  ...  A big dispute erupting,

βάτος, ἀκούσασα  ...  a bramble bush, listening 

ἐκ τοῦ πλησίον φραγμοῦ  ...  from a nearby hedge,

εἶπεν·  ...  said,

ἀλλ', ὠ φίλαι  ...  But, my dear ladies,

παυσώμεθά ποτε μαχόμεναι  ...  let's just stop this quarreling."

(No doubt if there was anything the fruit trees could agree about, it would be that the foolish bramble had no business butting in with her useless opinion, being fruitless!)

The Debate among the Trees

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

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 9

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 133. These are proverbs you saw last year, but this time they have been chosen to feature these feminine adjectives. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

μακρά ~ μακρᾶς (adj. fem.): long 

ἀσθενής ~ ἀσθενής (adj. fem.): weak, without strength 

πολλή ~ πολλῆς (adj. fem.): many 

πᾶσα ~ πάσης (adj. fem.): all, every 

κοινή ~ κοινῆς (adj. fem.): common, shared 

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

Μακραὶ τυράννων χεῖρες.

Μιᾶς γὰρ χειρὸς ἀσθενὴς μάχη.

Πολλαῖς πληγαῖς δρῦς δαμάζεται.

Ὕπνος δὲ πάσης ἐστὶν ὑγιεία νόσου.

Μήτηρ ἁπάντων γαῖα καὶ κοινὴ τροφός.

And now, some commentary:

Μακραὶ τυράννων χεῖρες.

Long (are) the hands of tyrants.

Compare the English proverb, "Kings have long arms." In other words, kings, tyrants, etc. can exert their dangerous power at a distance. And yes, the English word "tyrant" comes from the Greek. Compare an expanded version in Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac: "Kings have long Arms, but Misfortune longer: Let none think themselves out of her Reach."

Μιᾶς γὰρ χειρὸς ἀσθενὴς μάχη.

The combat of one hand (is) weak.

If you are in a fight, you don't want to fight single-handedly; metaphorically, you don't want to fight alone. The saying appears in the play Children of Heracles by Euripides. The word ἀσθενὴς is an alpha-privative: ἀ-σθενὴς, not-strong (the noun σθένος means "strength").

Πολλαῖς πληγαῖς δρῦς δαμάζεται.

By many blows (of the axe), the oak tree is toppled.

In other words: if you have a big task in front of you, be persistent! You are not going to get the job done all at once. This is a good saying for language learners too: Greek is learned one word at a time. :-)

Ὕπνος δὲ πάσης ἐστὶν ὑγιεία νόσου. 
Sleep is a cure for every illness.
Literally: Sleep is the health of every illness. This is one of the monostichs of Menander. You can read about the god of sleep at Wikipedia: Hypnos.

Μήτηρ ἁπάντων γαῖα καὶ κοινὴ τροφός.

Earth is the mother of all and (our) common nurturer.

This is another of the iambic monostichs of Menander; here's the meter marked:

Μήτηρ ἁπάν|των γαῖ-α καὶ | κοινὴ τροφός.
The word γαῖα is also the name of the Earth Goddess, Gaia: Wikipedia. The root gives us all the geo- words in English, like geology and geography, etc.

Coptic Gaia-Isis

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 5

Today's stories are from Rushbrooke's First Greek Reader and from Smith's Initia Graeca, both available at the Internet Archive. You can use the linked titles to access the book, and it has a dictionary in the back.

Here are the stories, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English.

13. Δύο πῆραι

Αἴσωπος ἔφη δύο πήρας ἕκαστον ἡμῶν φέρειν, τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν, τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν. Καὶ εἰς μὲν τὴν ἔμπροσθεν ἀποτιθέναι ἡμᾶς τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτήματα, εἰς δὲ τὴν ὄπισθεν τὰ ἡμέτερα, διὸ οὐδὲ καθορῶμεν αὐτά.

Αἴσωπος ἔφη 

δύο πήρας 

ἕκαστον ἡμῶν φέρειν, 

τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν, 

τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν. 

Καὶ εἰς μὲν τὴν ἔμπροσθεν 

ἀποτιθέναι ἡμᾶς 

τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτήματα, 

εἰς δὲ τὴν ὄπισθεν 

τὰ ἡμέτερα, 

διὸ οὐδὲ καθορῶμεν αὐτά.

Αἴσωπος ἔφη  ...  Aesop said that 

ἕκαστον ἡμῶν φέρειν  ...  each of us carries 

δύο πήρας  ...  two sacks, 

τὴν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν  ...  one in front, 

τὴν δὲ ὄπισθεν  ...  and one behind. 

Καὶ εἰς μὲν τὴν ἔμπροσθεν  ...  And in the front sack 

ἀποτιθέναι ἡμᾶς  ...  we put 

τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτήματα  ...  other people's faults, 

εἰς δὲ τὴν ὄπισθεν  ...  and behind 

τὰ ἡμέτερα  ...  (we put) our ownn (faults); 

διὸ  ...  that's why 

οὐδὲ καθορῶμεν αὐτά  ...  we don't see them (our faults).

Our Faults and Others'

14 Κύων καὶ λαγωὸς

Κύων λαγωὸν διώξας ἐκράτησε· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἔδακνε, ποτὲ δὲ σαίνων προσέχαιρε καὶ ἐφίλει. Καὶ ὁ λαγωὸς εἶπεν· εἰ μὲν φίλοω εἶ, τί δάκνεις; εἰ δὲ ἐχθρός, τί σαίνεις οὐράν;

Κύων 

λαγωὸν διώξας 

ἐκράτησε· 

καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἔδακνε, 

ποτὲ δὲ σαίνων 

προσέχαιρε καὶ ἐφίλει. 

Καὶ ὁ λαγωὸς εἶπεν· 

εἰ μὲν φίλος εἶ, 

τί δάκνεις; 

εἰ δὲ ἐχθρός, 

τί σαίνεις οὐράν;

Λαγωὸν διώξας  ...  having pursued a hare

κύων ἐκράτησε  ...  a dog caught (him)

καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἔδακνε  ...  and sometimes (the dog) bit,

ποτὲ δὲ σαίνων  ...  and sometimes wagging (his) tail

προσέχαιρεκαὶ ἐφίλει   ...  (the dog) saluted and kissed (the hare).

Καὶ ὁ λαγωὸς εἶπεν  ...  And the hare said,

εἰ μὲν φίλος εἶ  ...  "If you are a friend,

τί δάκνεις  ...  why do you bite?

εἰ δὲ ἐχθρός  ...  If you are an enemy,

τί σαίνεις οὐράν  ...  why do you wag your tail?

The Dog and the Hare

15 Ἔχις καὶ ἀλώπηξ

Ἔχις ἐπὶ δέσμῃ ἀκανθῶν εἴς τινα ποταμὸν ἐφέρετο· ἀλώπηξ δὲ ὡς ἐθεάσατο αὐτόν, εἶπεν· ἄξιος τῆς νεὼς ὁ ναύκληρος.

Ἔχις 

ἐπὶ δέσμῃ ἀκανθῶν 

εἰς τινα ποταμὸν 

ἐφέρετο· 

ἀλώπηξ δὲ 

ὡς ἐθεάσατο αὐτόν, 

εἶπεν· 

ἄξιος τῆς νεὼς 

ὁ ναύκληρος.

Ἔχις ἐφέρετο  ...  A viper was being carried

ἐπὶ δέσμῃ ἀκανθῶν  ...  on a bundle of thornbushes

εἰς τινα ποταμὸν  ...  towards some river

ἀλώπηξ δὲ εἶπεν  ...  and a fox said

ὡς ἐθεάσατο αὐτόν  ...  when she saw him,

"ὁ ναύκληρος  ...  the skipper

ἄξιος τῆς νεὼς  ...  is worthy of his ship."

I don't have an illustration for this fable, but there is a viper called "spiny bush viper," shown here:

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

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Greek Proverb Review: Jan. 7

For today, it's a new review slideshow for Groups 119, 120, and 121. 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.

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

• Ἀτρέως ὄμματα.
  
• Διὸς ἐγκέφαλος.
  
• Καὶ ἐγὼ αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπός εἰμι.
  
• Κακίας ἀπέχου.
  
• Κινδύνευε φρονίμως.
  
• Νόμος καὶ χώρα.
  
• Νῦν αὖτέ με μοῖρα κιχάνει.
  
• Ὃ ποιεῖς ποίησον τάχιον.
  
• Οὐδεὶς φίλος ᾧ πολλοὶ φίλοι.
  
• Παρ᾿ ὄνῳ λυρίζεις.
  
• Πολλοὶ στρατηγοὶ Καρίαν ἀπώλεσαν.
  
• Πρόνοιαν τίμα.
  
• Πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζεις.
  
• Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ σώματος.
  
• Τῷ μὲν κλέος, ἄμμι δὲ πένθος.
  

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

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Greek Reading: Fables 4

Today's stories are from Anthon's Greek Reader, available at the Internet Archive. There are notes at the bottom of the pages, so use the story links to access those notes.

Here are the stories, presented in Greek, segmented, and then interwoven with English.

10. Ὄνος καὶ δορὰ λέοντος

Ὄνος, δορὰν λέοντος ἐπενδυθεὶς, λέων ἐνομίζετο πᾶσι, καὶ φυγὴ μὲν ἦν ἀνθρώπων, φυγὴ δὲ ποιμνίων. Ὡς δὲ ἄνεμος, βιαιότερον πνεύσας, ἐγύμνου αὐτὸν τοῦ προκαλύμματος, τότε πάντες ἐπιδραμόντες ξύλοις καὶ ῥοπάλοις αὐτὸν ἔπαιον.

Ὄνος, 

δορὰν λέοντος 

ἐπενδυθεὶς, 

λέων 

ἐνομίζετο πᾶσι, 

καὶ φυγὴ μὲν 

ἦν ἀνθρώπων, 

φυγὴ δὲ 

ποιμνίων. 

Ὡς δὲ ἄνεμος, 

βιαιότερον πνεύσας, 

ἐγύμνου αὐτὸν 

τοῦ προκαλύμματος, 

τότε πάντες,

ἐπιδραμόντες, 

ξύλοις καὶ ῥοπάλοις 

αὐτὸν ἔπαιον.

Ὄνος  ...  a donkey, 

ἐπενδυθεὶς  ...  clothed 

δορὰν λέοντος  ...  in a lion skin, 

ἐνομίζετο λέων  ...  was thought a lion 

πᾶσι  ...  by everyone, 

καὶ ἦν  ...  and there was 

φυγὴ μὲν ἀνθρώπων  ...  a running away of people, 

φυγὴ δὲ ποιμνίων  ...  and a running away of flocks.

 Ὡς δὲ ἄνεμος  ...  But as the wind, 

πνεύσας βιαιότερον  ...  having gusted very strongly, 

ἐγύμνου αὐτὸν  ...  stripped him 

τοῦ προκαλύμματος  ...  of his covering; 

τότε πάντες  ...  then everybody, 

ἐπιδραμόντες  ...  attacking, 

ἔπαιον αὐτὸν  ...  struck him 

ξύλοις καὶ ῥοπάλοις  ...  with cudgels and clubs.

Donkey and the Lion Skin

11. Γυνὴ καὶ ὄρνις

Γυνή τις χήρα ὄρνιν εἶχε καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ὠὸν αὐτῇ τίκτουσαν. Νομίσασα δὲ, ὡς, εἰ πλείους τῇ ὄρνιθι κριθὰς παραβάλοι, δὶς τέξεται τῆς ἡμέρας, τοῦτο πεποίηκεν. Ἡ δʼ ὄρνις, πιμελὴς γενομένη, οὐδʼ ἅπαξ τῆς ἡμέρας τεκεῖν ἡδύνατο.

Γυνή τις 

χήρα 

ὄρνιν εἶχε

καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν 

ὠὸν 

αὐτῇ τίκτουσαν. 

Νομίσασα δὲ, 

ὡς, 

εἰ πλείους κριθὰς 

τῇ ὄρνιθι παραβάλοι, 

δὶς τέξεται τῆς ἡμέρας, 

τοῦτο πεποίηκεν. 

Ἡ δʼ ὄρνις, 

πιμελὴς γενομένη, 

οὐδʼ ἅπαξ τῆς ἡμέρας 

τεκεῖν ἡδύνατο.

Γυνή τις χήρα  ...  a certain woman, a widow, 

ὄρνιν εἶχε  ...  had a hen 

τίκτουσαν ὠὸν αὐτῇ  ...  who laid an egg for her 

καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν  ...  every day. 

Νομίσασα δὲ  ...  and having gotten the idea 

ὡς τέξεται  ...  that she would lay 

δὶς τῆς ἡμέρας  ...  twice each day 

εἰ παραβάλοι τῇ ὄρνιθι  ...  if she gave the hen 

πλείους κριθὰς  ...  more barley, 

πεποίηκεν τοῦτο  ...  she did [just] that. 

Ἡ δʼ ὄρνις  ...  but the hen, 

πιμελὴς γενομένη  ...  having grown fat,

οὐδʼ ἡδύνατο τεκεῖν  ...  was not able to lay [an egg] 

ἅπαξ τῆς ἡμέρας  ...  once each day.

The Woman and the Hen

12. Ταὼς καὶ ὄρνιθες

Τῶν ὀρνίθων βουλομένων ποιῆσαι βασιλέα, ταὼς ἑαυτὸν ἠξίου διὰ τὸ κάλλος χειροτονεῖν. Αἱρουμένων δὲ τοῦτον τῶν ἄλλων, ὁ κολοιὸς ὑπολαβὼν ἔφη· ἀλλ' εἰ, σοῦ βασιλεύοντος, ὁ ἀετὸς ἡμᾶς καταδιώκειν ἐπιχειρήσει, πῶς ἡμῖν ἐπαρκέσεις; 

Τῶν ὀρνίθων 

βουλομένων 

ποιῆσαι βασιλέα, 

ταὼς ἠξίου 

ἑαυτὸν

διὰ τὸ κάλλος 

χειροτονεῖν. 

Αἱρουμένων δὲ τοῦτον 

τῶν ἄλλων, 

ὁ κολοιὸς 

ὑπολαβὼν 

ἔφη· 

ἀλλ' εἰ, 

σοῦ βασιλεύοντος, 

ὁ ἀετὸς 

ἡμᾶς καταδιώκειν 

ἐπιχειρήσει, 

πῶς ἡμῖν ἐπαρκέσεις; 

Τῶν ὀρνίθων βουλομένων  ...  the birds wanting 

ποιῆσαι βασιλέα  ...  to make a king, 

ταὼς ἠξίου  ...  the peacock expected [them] 

χειροτονεῖν ἑαυτὸν  ...  to elect him 

διὰ τὸ κάλλος  ...  on account of his beauty. 

Τῶν ἄλλων δὲ  ...  but the other [birds] 

αἱρουμένων τοῦτον  ...  having selected him, 

ὁ κολοιὸς ὑπολαβὼν ἔφη  ...  the jackdaw, interrupting said, 

"ἀλλ' εἰ   ...  but if, 

σοῦ βασιλεύοντος  ...  while you rule as king, 

ὁ ἀετὸς ἐπιχειρήσει  ...  the eagle attempts 

ἡμᾶς καταδιώκειν  ...  to persecute us, 

πῶς ἡμῖν ἐπαρκέσεις  ...  how will you defend us?"

The Peacock

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

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Daily Greek Vocabulary Challenge: Jan. 4

Here are today's vocabulary words; it's Group 132. Click on the word to learn more at Logeion:

μέλλω ~ μελλήσω ~ ἐμέλλησα: be about to, be fated 

θαυμάζω ~ θαυμάσω ~ ἐθαύμασα: wonder at, admire 

τίκτω ~ τέξω ~ ἔτεκον: bear, breed 

ἄρχω ~ ἄρξω ~ ἦρξα: begin; rule 

τεύχω ~ τεύξω ~ ἔτευξα: make, build 

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

Ὅρα τὸ μέλλον.

Χρησμοὺς θαύμαζε.

῾Ηδονὴν φεῦγε, ἥτις λύπην τίκτει. 

Ἄρχεσθαι μαθὼν ἄρχειν ἐπιστήσῃ.

Διὸς ἵμερος οὐκ εὐθήρατος ἐτύχθη.

And now, some commentary:

Ὅρα τὸ μέλλον.

See the future.

The verb μέλλω means "about to happen," so the participle, τὸ μέλλον, means that which is about to happen, the future, or destiny. This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus.

Χρησμοὺς θαύμαζε.

Be amazed at oracles.

Greek χρησμός refers to the oracle itself and also to the response provided by the oracle. It is from the verb χράω, which originally referred to the consultation of oracles and which later came to have the more general meaning of "use, have, possess." The noun χρησμός can remind you of the verb's original menaing. From the root in Greek θαύμ- we get English "thaumaturgy." For more about Greek oracles, see Wikipedia: Oracle.

῾Ηδονὴν φεῦγε, ἥτις λύπην τίκτει. 

Flee any pleasure which produces grief.

This is another saying attributed to Solon.

The pronoun ἥτις gives the sense of "whichever, whoever," so that's why I said "any pleasure" in the translation, shifting that sense of "whatever" to the noun instead of the pronoun. From Greek ἡδονή we get English "hedonism."

Ἄρχεσθαι μαθὼν ἄρχειν ἐπιστήσῃ.

Having learned to obey, you will know how to command.

This is a sentence attributed to Solon. You can see the active infinitive, ἄρχειν, "to rule, command," along with the passive ἄρχεσθαι, "to be ruled, commanded" that is "to obey." The basic meaning of ἄρχ- is to be first, both in the sense of "original" (as in English "archaic"), but also first in the sense of "superior," which is how the verb comes to refer to being in command over others, as in "archangel" or "archbishop."

Διὸς ἵμερος οὐκ εὐθήρατος ἐτύχθη.

The desire of Zeus is not easy to catch.

The line is from Aeschylus's Suppliant Women. The verb τεύχω means "make, build," but in the passive, as here, it is another verb of being, in the sense of something that is created, brought into being. The adjective εὐθήρατος is a compound: εὐ-θήρατος, from the root θήρ, meaning a wild beast, a beast of prey, which you can see in English "theriomorphic." The sense of "catch" here is metaphorical, like English "grasp," as when you can grasp a concept or idea, when you "get it."

ruins at oracle of Delphi

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

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