{"slug":"tlg9006.tlg001","id":"greek:tlg9006.tlg001","title":"Paroemiae","author":"Gregory II, of Cyprus, Patriarch of Constantinople","genre":"other","date":"","tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation is known: a language model asked twice could name none, and the source corpus records none. That is not proof — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T04:54:12Z","cost_usd":0.025627},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:tlg9006.tlg001","work_id":"tlg9006.tlg001","edition":"first1k","language":"","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"},"stats":{"passages":50,"english_words":11424,"coptic_letters":0,"commentary_units":300,"commentary_kinds":7,"derived_notes":12,"ambiguities":83,"work_notes":5,"external_links":4,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"tlg9006.tlg001","abstract":"The Paroemiae is a collection of proverbs attributed to Gregory II of Cyprus, patriarch of Constantinople (1283–1289). The work survives in a single manuscript tradition and was used in Byzantine education, later cited in florilegia. The proverbs, each with a brief explanation, draw on classical and Byzantine imagery—fishing metaphors, the sanctuary of Aphrodite at Aphrodisias, the Cercopes, Cilician treachery, the Garden of Adonis, and the octopus as a symbol of adaptability. The edition (first1k) lacks a critical apparatus, so manuscript stemmatics and textual variants must be sought in primary sources.","historical_context":"Gregory II of Cyprus served as patriarch of Constantinople from 1283 to 1289, a period of theological and political tension following the Second Council of Lyon (1274) and the Union of Churches. The Paroemiae likely originated in the late 13th century, though it may incorporate earlier proverbial material. The work was composed in Greek, probably in Constantinople or within the Byzantine ecclesiastical milieu. It survives in a single manuscript tradition, suggesting limited but continuous use. The proverbs were employed in Byzantine education and later cited in florilegia, indicating their role in moral and rhetorical instruction. The collection reflects the Byzantine penchant for preserving and adapting classical wisdom, blending pagan and Christian elements. The lack of a critical edition means that the exact date, place, and community of origin remain uncertain, and the possibility of later interpolations cannot be ruled out.","significance":"The Paroemiae provides insight into late Byzantine educational and moral culture, demonstrating how classical proverbs were transmitted and adapted in a Christian context. Its use in florilegia and education underscores the continuity of Greek literary traditions. The work also illuminates the intellectual activity of Gregory II, a patriarch engaged in theological controversies, and offers a window into the proverbial wisdom that shaped Byzantine rhetoric and ethics.","timeline":[{"date":"1283–1289","event":"Gregory II serves as patriarch of Constantinople, the likely period of composition for the Paroemiae."},{"date":"Late 13th c.","event":"The Paroemiae is compiled, possibly incorporating earlier proverbial material."},{"date":"Byzantine period","event":"The work is used in Byzantine education and cited in florilegia."},{"date":"Post-Byzantine","event":"The proverbs continue to influence moral and rhetorical instruction in early modern Greek contexts."},{"date":"Modern","event":"The edition first1k provides the base text without critical apparatus."}],"relations":[{"work":"Florilegia (various)","relation":"The Paroemiae is cited in later florilegia, indicating its use as a source of moral and rhetorical exempla.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Byzantine educational curricula","relation":"The proverbs were employed in Byzantine education for moral and rhetorical instruction.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Classical Greek proverb collections","relation":"The Paroemiae draws on and adapts classical proverbial traditions, such as those found in the works of Zenobius or Diogenianus.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Gregory II of Cyprus, other works","relation":"The Paroemiae is part of Gregory II's literary output, which includes theological and polemical writings.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[{"key":"wikipedia:Gregory II of Constantinople","label":"Gregory II of Constantinople","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_II_of_Constantinople","reason":"Provides biographical context for the attributed author."},{"key":"wikipedia:Byzantine literature","label":"Byzantine literature","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_literature","reason":"Contextualizes the work within Byzantine literary traditions."},{"key":"wikipedia:Proverb","label":"Proverb","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proverb","reason":"Background on the genre of proverb collections."},{"key":"wikipedia:Florilegium","label":"Florilegium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florilegium","reason":"Explains the genre in which the Paroemiae was later cited."}],"cautions":["The exact date of composition is uncertain; the attribution to Gregory II is based on manuscript tradition but may be disputed.","The work survives in a single manuscript tradition, and the edition first1k lacks a critical apparatus, so textual variants and interpolations are not documented.","The Paroemiae may incorporate earlier proverbial material, making it difficult to distinguish Gregory II's original contributions from inherited content."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000455,"generated":"2026-11-15T01:12:13Z"},"checks":{"work":"tlg9006.tlg001","status":"warn","blocking":[],"warnings":[{"code":"commentary-single-kind","i":"26","kind":"background"}],"stats":{"passages":50,"translated":50,"commentary_passages":50,"commentary_units":300,"english_words":11424,"source_letters":42927,"commentary_kinds":7},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work is a collection of proverbs (paroemiae) attributed to Gregory II of Cyprus, patriarch of Constantinople (1283–1289). The source edition is first1k.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Gregory II’s floruit is the late 13th century, but the Paroemiae may incorporate earlier material. The dating rests on manuscript attribution and Gregory’s known literary activity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The text survives in a single manuscript tradition, with the source edition first1k providing the base. Variants or later interpolations are not recorded in this edition.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The Paroemiae were used in Byzantine education and later cited in florilegia. Their proverbial content influenced moral and rhetorical instruction in late Byzantine and early modern Greek contexts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"This edition does not include a critical apparatus or commentary on textual variants. Readers seeking manuscript stemmatics or detailed philological analysis must consult the primary sources directly.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation is known: a language model asked twice could name none, and the source corpus records none. That is not proof — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: other in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 50 narrative."},{"kind":"caution","severity":"caution","text":"12 passage(s) are fragmentary in the source; the English bridges each break and says so in the note."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: first1k — CC BY-SA 4.0"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":50},"term_index":[],"citations":{"ed:tlg9006.tlg001":{"label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"Αὕτη μὲν ἡ μήρινθος οὐδὲν ἔσπασεν: ἀπὸ τῶν ἁλιευτῶν τῶν μηδὲν ἑλκυσάντων εἴρηται.\n\nἈφροδίσιος ὅρκος. οὐκ ἐμποίνιμος.\n\nἈγορὰ Κερκώπων: ἐπὶ τῶν πονηρῶν καὶ κακοηθῶν. Κέρκωπες γάρ τινες ἀπατεῶνες ἐγίνοντο ἐν Ἐφέσῳ.\n\nἈετοῦ γῆρας, κορύδου νεότης.\n\nἈγαθὰ Κιλίκων: ἐπὶ τῶν οὐ καλῶς πλουτούντων· προδότης γὰρ Κίλιξ τις Μίλητον προδοὺς εὐπόρησεν.\n\nἈγροίκου μὴ καταφρόνει ῥήτορος.\n\nἈδώνιδος κῆπος: ἐπὶ τῶν ὀλιγοχρονίων καὶ ἀώρων.\n\nἌλλοτε δ’ ἀλλοῖον τελέθειν καὶ χώρᾳ ἕπεσθαι: ὅτι προςήκει ἐξομοιοῦν ἑαυτὸν τοῖς ἤθεσι τῶν πόλεων καὶ τόπων, ἐν οἷς ἂν γένοιτο· εἴρηται δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πολυπόδων.\n\nἌλλην δρῦν βαλάνιζε: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπαγορευόντων δώσειν ἔτι τὴν αἴτησιν εἰώθασι λαμβάνειν.\n\nἌιδεις ὥσπερ εἰς Δῆλον πλέων: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀφροντίστως καὶ φιληδόνως βιούντων.\n\nἍλα καὶ κύαμον: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ εἰδότων καὶ προςποιουμένων· οἱ γὰρ μάντεις ἅλα καὶ κύαμον τιθέασι.\n\nΑἴρειν μασχάλην: ἀντὶ τοῦ εὐωχεῖσθαι· εἴρηται ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγροικικῶς ὀρχουμένων.","english":"This line caught nothing: said of fishermen who have drawn up nothing.\n\nAphrodisian oath: not subject to penalty.\n\nMarket of the Cercopes: for wicked and malicious people. For there were certain swindlers called Cercopes in Ephesus.\n\nAn eagle's old age, a lark's youth.\n\nGoods of the Cilicians: for those who are not rightly wealthy; for a certain Cilician traitor who betrayed Miletus became wealthy.\n\nDo not despise a rustic orator.\n\nGarden of Adonis: for short-lived and untimely things.\n\nAt other times be otherwise and follow the place: that it is fitting to conform oneself to the customs of the cities and places in which one may be; it is said from the octopuses.\n\nShake another oak: for those who refuse to grant the request any longer, they are accustomed to take.\n\nYou sing as if sailing to Delos: for those who live carelessly and pleasure-lovingly.\n\nSalt and chickpea: for those who do not know and pretend; for the seers place salt and chickpea.\n\nTo lift the armpit: instead of to feast; said from those dancing in a rustic manner.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Αὕτη μὲν ἡ μήρινθος οὐδὲν ἔσπασεν","severity":"info","text":"The passage is a series of discrete proverbs, each with a brief explanation. The first proverb uses a fishing metaphor to denote total failure.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀφροδίσιος ὅρκος","severity":"info","text":"An 'Aphrodisian oath' refers to an oath taken at the sanctuary of Aphrodite in Aphrodisias, which was considered non-binding or without penalty.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀγορὰ Κερκώπων","severity":"info","text":"The Cercopes were legendary tricksters in Greek mythology, often associated with deception. Here they are located in Ephesus, a historical city in Asia Minor.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀγαθὰ Κιλίκων","severity":"info","text":"Cilicia was a region in southern Asia Minor. The proverb refers to ill-gotten wealth, exemplified by a Cilician traitor who betrayed Miletus.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀδώνιδος κῆπος","severity":"info","text":"The 'Garden of Adonis' refers to short-lived plants grown in pots for the Adonia festival, symbolizing ephemeral or untimely things.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄλλοτε δ’ ἀλλοῖον τελέθειν","severity":"info","text":"The advice to adapt to local customs is likened to the octopus, which changes color to match its environment, a common ancient metaphor for adaptability.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is a list of proverbs with explanations; the English draft follows the Greek closely. No textual corruption or ambiguity in the reading."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Αἲξ τὴν μάχαιραν.\n\nἌδακρυς πόλεμος, καὶ Καθεύδοντος τροπαῖον: ἐπὶ τῶν ῥᾷστα καὶ παρ’ ἐλπίδα κατορθούντων.\n\nἈεὶ κολοιὸς πρὸς κολοιόν: καὶ· Ἀεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει θεὸς πρὸς ὁμοῖον.\n\nἈμαλθείας κέρας: ὅτι τῇ τροφᾷ αὐτοῦ Ἀμαλθείᾳ ὁ Ζεὺς ἐξ αἰγὸς τρεφούσης αὐτὸν παρέσχε κέρας, δι’ οὗ ἐπέβλυζεν αὐτῇ πᾶν ὃ ἂν ἡτήσατο.\n\nἈετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.\n\nἈεὶ γὰρ εὖ πίπτουσιν οἱ Διὸς κύβοι: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀξίως τιμωμένων.\n\nἈγὼν πρόφασιν οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται οὐδὲ φιλία.\n\nἈετὸς ἐν νεφέλαις: ἐπὶ τῶν δυςαλώτων.\n\nἈληλεσμένος βίος: ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑτοίμου καὶ ἀπόνου.\n\nἈνάγυρον κινεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν προξενούντων ἑαυτοῖς κακά· Ἀνάγύρος γάρ τις ἥρως ἐκάκου τοὺς γείτονας.\n\nἈεί με τοιοῦτοι πολέμιοι διώκοιεν: ἐπὶ τῶν καταπεφρονημένων καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀξίων.\n\nἈετὸς θρίπας ὁρᾷ: ἐπὶ τῶν καταφρονούντων τινῶν.\n\nἍλμη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ: ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀηδοῦς.\n\nἈλώπηξ οὐ δωροδοκεῖται: ἐπὶ τῶν οὐ ῥᾳδίως ἁλισκομένων.\n\nἈεὶ φέρει τι Λιβύη κακόν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀεὶ ἐξευρισκόντων τε νέον κακόν.","english":"A goat and a knife.\n\nA tearless war, and a sleeping man's trophy: for those who succeed very easily and contrary to expectation.\n\nAlways a jackdaw beside a jackdaw: and, Always god brings like to like.\n\nHorn of Amaltheia: because Zeus provided to his nurse Amaltheia a horn from the goat that suckled him, through which everything she asked for gushed forth for her.\n\nYou are teaching an eagle to fly.\n\nFor the dice of Zeus always fall well: for those honored worthily.\n\nA contest admits no excuse, nor does friendship.\n\nAn eagle in the clouds: for things hard to catch.\n\nA ground life: for that which is ready and effortless.\n\nYou are stirring up Anagyros: for those who bring evils upon themselves; for a certain hero Anagyros harmed his neighbors.\n\nMay such enemies always pursue me: for those who are despised and worth nothing.\n\nAn eagle sees a woodworm: for those who despise certain things.\n\nThere is no salt in him: for the unpleasant man.\n\nA fox is not bribed: for those not easily caught.\n\nLibya always brings some evil: for those who always discover some new evil.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Αἲξ τὴν μάχαιραν","severity":"info","text":"A proverbial expression of uncertain meaning, possibly referring to a goat that has been slaughtered or to a situation where the weaker party is threatened.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀμαλθείας κέρας","severity":"info","text":"The horn of Amaltheia, the goat that nursed Zeus, became the cornucopia, a symbol of abundance. This myth is well-attested in Greek literature.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀνάγυρον κινεῖς","severity":"info","text":"Anagyros was a local hero or daimon on the Attic coast, believed to harm those who disturbed his sanctuary. The proverb warns against stirring up trouble.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀεὶ κολοιὸς πρὸς κολοιόν","severity":"info","text":"This proverb parallels the well-known saying 'Birds of a feather flock together,' found in various ancient Greek sources, e.g., Aristotle and Plato.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀληλεσμένος βίος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'ground life' (ἀληλεσμένος βίος) metaphorically describes a life that is already prepared or effortless, like ground grain ready for use.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀετὸς θρίπας ὁρᾷ","severity":"caution","text":"The term θρίπας (woodworm) is rare; the proverb's exact sense is uncertain, but it likely refers to an eagle ignoring small prey, i.e., despising trivial things.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The first proverb 'Αἲξ τὴν μάχαιραν' lacks a verb and context, leaving its precise application unclear.","The phrase 'Ἀληλεσμένος βίος' could also be interpreted as 'a life that has been ground down' rather than 'ready and effortless'."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Ἄνω ποταμῶν χωροῦσι πηγαί: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐναντίως λεγομένων.\n\nἈεὶ ὁ πόρνος λέγει τὸν σώφρονα πόρνον.\n\nἈργύρου κρῆναι λαλοῦσιν: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ πλοῦτον ἐμφανιζομένων ἢ εὐημερούντων.\n\nἌλευ’ ἀπὸ μείζονος ἀνδρός: ἤτοι φυλάττου, ἰωνικῶς.\n\nἈράβιος αὐλητής: ὃς ηὔλει μὲν δραχμῆς, ἐπαύετο δὲ τεττάρων.\n\nἌϊδος κυνῆ.\n\nἌκρῳ ἅψασθαι δακτύλῳ.\n\nΑἵματι κλαίειν: καθ’ ὑπερβολὴν ἐπὶ τῶν σφόδρα δακρυόντων.\n\nΑἱ χάριτες γυμναῖς ὅτι δεῖ [τὴν] δωρεὰν [ἀκενοδόξως] εὐεργετεῖν.\n\nἈκόνην σιτίζεις: ἐπὶ τῶν τρεφομένων καὶ οὐκ ἐπιδιδόντων.\n\nἌλλοι κάμον, ἄλλοι ὤναντο: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ἐλπίδα τὰ ἀλλότρια κληρονομούντων.\n\nἌλλο γλαὺξ ἄλλο κορώνη φθέγγεται: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ συμφωνούντων ἀλλήλοις.\n\nἈλωπεκίζειν πρὸς ἑτέραν ἀλώπεκα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξαπατᾶν βουλομένων τοὺς ὁμοίους.\n\nἌλλοισι μὲν γλῶσσα, ἄλλοισι δὲ γόμφιοι: ἐπὶ τῶν λάλων καὶ φάγων.\n\nἈνδρὸς γέροντος σταφὶς τὸ κρανίον: ἐπὶ τῶν εἰς οὐδὲν χρησιμευόντων.\n\nἌλλα μὲν Λεύκων, ἄλλα δὲ Λεύκωνος ὄνος [φέρει]: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐχόντων τοῖς λόγοις ἀσύμφωνα τὰ ἔργα.","english":"The sources of rivers flow upward: for things said contrarily.\n\nThe fornicator always calls the chaste man a fornicator.\n\nSilver fountains speak: for those who are made manifest or succeed through wealth.\n\nShun a greater man: that is, beware, in Ionic style.\n\nAn Arabian flute-player: who played for a drachma, but stopped for four.\n\nThe cap of Hades.\n\nTo touch with the tip of the finger.\n\nTo weep blood: hyperbolically, for those who weep exceedingly.\n\nThe Graces are naked because one must bestow gifts [without vainglory] freely.\n\nYou are feeding a whetstone: for those who are fed and do not improve.\n\nOthers labored, others enjoyed: for those who inherit others' property contrary to expectation.\n\nThe owl utters one thing, the crow another: for those who do not agree with each other.\n\nTo play the fox against another fox: for those who wish to deceive their equals.\n\nSome have a tongue, others have molars: for talkers and eaters.\n\nAn old man's head is a raisin: for those who are useful for nothing.\n\nLeukon carries one thing, Leukon's donkey another: for those whose deeds are inconsistent with their words.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄνω ποταμῶν χωροῦσι πηγαί","severity":"info","text":"This proverb, 'The sources of rivers flow upward,' describes things said or done contrary to expectation, often used for paradoxes or impossibilities.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ἄϊδος κυνῆ","severity":"info","text":"The 'cap of Hades' refers to the mythical helmet of invisibility, used proverbially for something that makes one unseen or hidden.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἀράβιος αὐλητής","severity":"info","text":"The 'Arabian flute-player' alludes to a story of a musician who played for a low fee but stopped for a higher one, illustrating greed or inconsistency.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀεὶ ὁ πόρνος λέγει τὸν σώφρονα πόρνον","severity":"info","text":"This proverb parallels the modern saying 'a thief thinks everyone is a thief,' expressing projection of one's own faults onto others.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage is a list of proverbs, each followed by a brief explanation introduced by 'ἐπὶ τῶν' (for those who/which), a common paroemiographic formula.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀκόνην σιτίζεις","severity":"caution","text":"The reading 'σιτίζεις' (you feed) is secure, but the sense 'for those who are fed and do not improve' may be ambiguous: a whetstone is fed with oil, not food, so the metaphor may be mixed.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ἄλευ’ ἀπὸ μείζονος ἀνδρός' is glossed as Ionic; the exact dialect form and meaning of 'ἄλευ’' (shun) are clear, but the Ionic context is not further explained.","The proverb 'Ἄλλοι κάμον, ἄλλοι ὤναντο' could also be interpreted as a comment on labor and reward, not exclusively inheritance."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Ἄλλην μὲν ἐξηντλοῦμεν, ἣ δ’ ἐπειςρέει: ἐπὶ τῶν μάτην πονούντων.\n\nἌμας ἀπῄτουν, οἱ δ’ ἀπηρνοῦντο σκάφας.\n\nἍμ’ ἠλέηται καὶ τέθνηκεν ἡ χάρις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχαρίστων.\n\nἊν μὴ παρῇ κρέας, ταρίχῳ στερκτέον: ὅτι δεῖ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀρκεῖσθαι.\n\nἌμμες ποτ’ ἦμεν· ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι βελτίω.\n\nἈνὴρ ὁ φεύγων οὐ μένει κτύπον λύρας: ἐπὶ τῶν ταχέως ὀφειλόντων ἕκαστα πράττειν.\n\nἈνδρὶ Λυδῷ πράγματα οὐκ ἦν, ἀλλ’ αὐτὸς ἐλθὼν ἐπρίατο: ἐπὶ τῶν κακὰ ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισπωμένων.\n\nἌπληστος πίθος.\n\nἈνέμους γεωργεῖν: ἐπὶ τῶν πονούντων καὶ μηδενὸς μεταλαγχανόντων.\n\nἈνάγκῃ οὐδὲ θεοὶ μάχονται.\n\nἈντὶ πέρκης σκορπίον: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ χείρω αἱρουμένων.\n\nἉλιεὺς πληγεὶς νοῦν οἴσει: Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.\n\nἌλλοι σπείρουσι, ἄλλοι δὲ ἀμήσονται.\n\nἌρκτου παρούσης ἴχνη ζητεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν προδήλων.\n\nἈετὸν κάνθαρος μαιεύεται: ἐπὶ τῶν ὑπό τινων εὐτελῶν πασχόντων· ὁ γὰρ κάνθαρος τὰ τοῦ ἀετοῦ ὠὰ ἀφανίζει κυλίων.\n\nἈνδρὸς γέροντος αἱ γνάθοι βακτηρία.\n\nἈνδρὸς καλῶς πράσσοντος ἔγγιστα φίλοι.","english":"We were draining one source, but another flows in: for those who labor in vain.\n\nThey asked for the bucket, but they denied the troughs.\n\nPity has been used up and grace has died: for the ungrateful.\n\nIf meat is not available, one must be content with salt fish: that one must be content with what is at hand.\n\nWe once were something; last year's things are always better.\n\nA man who flees does not wait for the sound of the lyre: for those who must do each thing quickly.\n\nA Lydian man had no troubles, but he came and bought them himself: for those who bring evils upon themselves.\n\nA bottomless jar.\n\nTo farm the winds: for those who labor and obtain nothing.\n\nNot even the gods fight against necessity.\n\nInstead of a perch, a scorpion: for those who choose the worse things.\n\nA fisherman who is struck will be sensible: The one who suffers, even a child, learns.\n\nSome sow, but others will reap.\n\nYou seek tracks when the bear is present: for obvious things.\n\nA beetle delivers an eagle: for those who suffer at the hands of worthless creatures; for the beetle destroys the eagle's eggs by rolling them.\n\nAn old man's jaws are his staff.\n\nWhen a man does well, his friends are nearest.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄλλην μὲν ἐξηντλοῦμεν, ἣ δ’ ἐπειςρέει","severity":"info","text":"The proverb describes futile labor: as one task is completed, another immediately arises, preventing any sense of accomplishment.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄμας","severity":"info","text":"The word 'ἄμας' (bucket) is a rare term, possibly a hapax legomenon in this context, referring to a vessel for drawing water.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀετὸν κάνθαρος μαιεύεται","severity":"info","text":"The beetle (κάνθαρος) was believed to destroy eagle eggs by rolling them, symbolizing how the lowly can harm the mighty.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀνάγκῃ οὐδὲ θεοὶ μάχονται","severity":"info","text":"This proverb parallels a well-known saying attributed to Simonides, emphasizing the invincibility of necessity, even against divine will.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀνδρὸς γέροντος αἱ γνάθοι βακτηρία","severity":"info","text":"This proverb uses a metaphor comparing an old man's jaws to a staff, indicating that chewing serves as support, a common theme in wisdom literature.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄμμες ποτ’ ἦμεν· ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι βελτίω","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'Ἄμμες ποτ’ ἦμεν' is a Doric or archaic form, possibly corrupt; the sense is nostalgic, but the exact reading is uncertain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ἄμμες ποτ’ ἦμεν' may be a textual corruption or dialectal variant; the intended meaning is likely 'We once were something,' but the grammar is irregular.","The proverb 'Ἀντὶ πέρκης σκορπίον' could be interpreted as a choice between a lesser evil and a greater harm, but the exact nuance is ambiguous."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Ἀνδρὸς κακῶς πράσσοντος ἐκποδὼν φίλοι.\n\nἈλώπηξ τὸν βοῦν ἐλαύνει: ἐπὶ τῶν δολερῶν καὶ μικρῶν, ὅμως δὲ μεγάλους καταγωνιζομένων ἄφρονας.\n\nἌλλοτε μητρυιὴ πέλει ἡμέρη, ἄλλοτε μήτηρ: ἐπὶ τῶν ποτὲ μὲν εὐημερούντων, ἄλλοτε δε δυςημερούντων.\n\nἍμα δίδου καὶ λάμβανε: ὅταν πρὸς ἄπιστον συναλλάσσωμεν.\n\nἌνθρακες ὁ θησαυρὸς γέγονεν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐφ’ οἷς ἤλπισαν διαψευσθέντων.\n\nἈπὸ, τῶν βραδυσκελῶν ὄνων ἵππος ὤρουσεν.\n\nἍπαντα τοῖς σοφοῖς εὔκολα: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ φρόνησιν καὶ τῶν δυςκόλων περιγινομένων.\n\nἈργυρέαις λόγχαισι μάχου καὶ πάντα κρατήσεις.\n\nἍπας ἐχῖνος τραχύς.\n\nἈσκὸν δέρεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνοήτως τι πραττόντων.\n\nΑὐλητοῦ βίον ζῇς: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων βιούντων.\n\nἈποτίσεις χοῖρε γίγαρτα: ἤτοι ἃ ἔφαγες ἀποδώσεις.\n\nἈπήντησε κακοῦ βουλὴ πρὸς ὑπερτάτην ἄτην: ἐπὶ τῶν πασχόντων ἄξια ὧν ἔδρασαν.\n\nἌθως καλύπτει πλευρὰ Λημνίας βοός.\n\nἈπὸ κώπης ἐπὶ βῆμα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀθρόως μεγίστοις ἐγχειρούντων.\n\nΑὑτὸν οὐ τρέφων κύνας τρέφεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπορούντων μὲν ἑαυτοὺς τρέφειν, ἄλλους δὲ ἐπαγγελλομένων.","english":"When a man fares badly, his friends stand aside.\n\nThe fox drives the ox: for those who are deceitful and small, yet overcome great fools.\n\nOne day is a stepmother, another a mother: for those who sometimes prosper and at other times fare badly.\n\nGive and take at the same time: when we deal with an untrustworthy person.\n\nThe treasure has turned to coals: for those who are disappointed in what they hoped for.\n\nFrom slow-legged donkeys a horse has sprung.\n\nAll things are easy for the wise: for those who through prudence overcome even difficulties.\n\nFight with silver spears, and you will prevail over all.\n\nEvery hedgehog is rough.\n\nYou are flaying a wineskin: for those who act foolishly.\n\nYou live the life of a flute-player: for those who live off others.\n\nYou will pay back, pig, the grape seeds: that is, you will repay what you have eaten.\n\nThe counsel of evil has met with utter ruin: for those who suffer what they deserve for their deeds.\n\nAthos covers the side of the Lemnian cow.\n\nFrom the oar to the platform: for those who suddenly attempt the greatest things.\n\nYou do not feed yourself, but you feed dogs: for those who are at a loss to feed themselves yet promise to feed others.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀνδρὸς κακῶς πράσσοντος ἐκποδὼν φίλοι","severity":"info","text":"The proverb states that when a man fares badly, his friends withdraw, reflecting a common theme of fair-weather friendship in Greek gnomic literature.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἀθως καλύπτει πλευρὰ Λημνίας βοός","severity":"info","text":"This obscure proverb likely alludes to a geographical or mythological reference: Mount Athos and the Lemnian cow (perhaps the ox of Hephaestus or a landmark). The sense is lost, but it may denote something vast covering something specific.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀργυρέαις λόγχαισι μάχου","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'silver spears' metaphorically denotes bribery or wealth as a means of victory, a common trope in Greek proverbs about the power of money.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀπὸ κώπης ἐπὶ βῆμα","severity":"info","text":"This proverb contrasts the oar (lowly rowing) with the platform (public speaking or high office), illustrating a sudden rise in status, typical of the collection's pattern of antithetical pairs.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἀποτίσεις χοῖρε γίγαρτα","severity":"info","text":"This proverb, with its vivid image of a pig repaying grape seeds, appears in later Greek paroemiographic collections (e.g., Zenobius) as a warning of inevitable retribution.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀπὸ, τῶν βραδυσκελῶν ὄνων ἵππος ὤρουσεν","severity":"caution","text":"The text has a comma after 'Ἀπὸ' in the edition, which may be a scribal or editorial insertion; the sense is clear: a horse sprang from slow-legged donkeys, implying an unexpected outcome.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The proverb 'Ἄθως καλύπτει πλευρὰ Λημνίας βοός' is obscure; the referent of the Lemnian cow is uncertain, possibly a mythological or local landmark.","The comma in 'Ἀπὸ, τῶν βραδυσκελῶν' may be a textual corruption or a deliberate pause; the reading adopted treats it as a scribal artifact."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"Ἁλῶν μέδιμνον ἀποφαγών: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχαρίστων.\n\nἍμαξα τὸν βοῦν ἕλκει: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀντιστρόφως τι ποιούντων.\n\nἉμαξιαῖα ῥήματα: ἐπὶ τῶν μεγάλων λόγων.\n\nἌνθρωπος εὔριπος καὶ ψυχὴ καὶ διάνοια καὶ τρόπος: ἐπὶ τῶν ῥᾷστα μεταβαλλομένων.\n\nἈπόλωλεν ἡ ὗς καὶ τὸ τάλαντον καὶ ἡ γνάθος.\n\nἈκλητὶ κωμάζουσιν ἐς φίλους φίλοι: ὅμοιον καὶ τό· Αὐτόματοι δ’ ἀγαθοὶ ἀγαθῶν ἐπὶ δαῖτα ἴασι.\n\nἈνεῳγμέναι Μουσῶν θύραι.\n\nἈρχὴ ἄνδρα δείκνυσιν.\n\nἈλῶν δὲ φόρτος ἔνθεν ἦλθεν, ἔνθ’ ἔβη: ἐπὶ τῶν κακῶς κτηθέντων καὶ ἀποκτηθέντων· ἔμπορος γὰρ ἅλας ἐπιφερόμενος ἐν νηῒ κλύδωνος ἐπιγενομένου τοὺς ἅλας ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ ἀπέβαλεν.\n\n[Ἀρίγνωτος σμάραγδος] ἐν μὲν τῷ φάει σκοτεινός, ἐν δὲ τῷ σκότει φωτεινός.\n\nἈργαλέον φρονέοντα παρ’ ἄφροσι πόλλ’ ἀγορεύειν.\n\nἊν ἡ λεοντῇ μὴ ἐξίκηται, τὴν ἀλωπεκῆν πρόςαψον: ἐπὶ τῶν φανερῶς μὲν βλάπτειν μὴ δυναμένων, πανουργίᾳ δὲ χρωμένων.\n\nἈρότρῳ ἀκοντίζεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσκέπτως τι ποιούντων.\n\nΑὐτὰρ ἡ πάγη ἔοικε λήψεσθαι πάγην.","english":"Having eaten a bushel of salt: for the ungrateful.\n\nThe wagon drags the ox: for those who do things in reverse.\n\nWagon-sized words: for grand speeches.\n\nA man is a precipice—both soul and mind and character: for those who change most readily.\n\nThe pig, the talent, and the jaw are lost.\n\nUninvited, friends revel at friends' houses: similar also to: \"Good men go unbidden to the feast of the good.\"\n\nThe doors of the Muses are open.\n\nThe beginning reveals the man.\n\nThe cargo of salt came from here and went there: for things badly acquired and then lost; for a merchant carrying salt in a ship, when a storm arose, lost the salt in the sea.\n\n[A night-seen emerald] dark in the light, bright in the dark.\n\nIt is hard to speak much among fools when one is wise.\n\nIf the lion's skin does not suffice, sew on the fox's: for those who cannot harm openly but use cunning.\n\nYou throw a javelin with a plow: for those who act without forethought.\n\nThe trap itself seems about to catch a trap.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἁλῶν μέδιμνον ἀποφαγών","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'having eaten a bushel of salt' implies a long acquaintance, as salt was a staple; the ungrateful are those who despite such familiarity show no gratitude.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ἁμαξιαῖα ῥήματα","severity":"info","text":"Literally 'wagon-sized words', this proverbial expression denotes grand or boastful speech, likely derived from the size of a wagon as a measure of magnitude.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἀπόλωλεν ἡ ὗς καὶ τὸ τάλαντον καὶ ἡ γνάθος","severity":"info","text":"This obscure proverb lists three lost items: a pig, a talent (a unit of weight or money), and a jaw. The combination may reflect a folk saying about total loss, though the specific imagery is unclear.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀκλητὶ κωμάζουσιν ἐς φίλους φίλοι","severity":"info","text":"The proverb is compared to a line from Homer (Odyssey 17.386-387) about good men going unbidden to feasts, indicating a shared motif of spontaneous hospitality among friends.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀλῶν δὲ φόρτος","severity":"info","text":"This entry includes a narrative explanation: a merchant lost his salt cargo at sea, illustrating the moral that ill-gotten gains are easily lost. The structure combines proverb with anecdote.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀρίγνωτος σμάραγδος","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text is bracketed in the edition, suggesting textual uncertainty. The emerald that is dark in light and bright in dark is a paradoxical image, possibly a later addition or variant.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The proverb 'Ἀπόλωλεν ἡ ὗς καὶ τὸ τάλαντον καὶ ἡ γνάθος' lacks a clear explanation in the text; its meaning is ambiguous.","The bracketed lemma 'Ἀρίγνωτος σμάραγδος' may be a later interpolation or a textual crux."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"Αὐτοῦ Ῥόδος, αὐτοῦ πήδημα.\n\nΒοιώτιος νοῦς: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων· εἰς τοῦτο ἀεὶ ὠνειδίζοντο οἱ Βοιωτοί.\n\nΒοιώτιος νόμος: ἐπὶ τῶν κατ’ ἀρχὰς ἠρεμούνὕστερον δὲ ταρασσόντων.\n\nΒάσανος λίθος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξεταζομένων ἐν λόγοις, παρόσον ἡ Λυδία λίθος τὸν χρυσὸν δοκιμάζει.\n\nΒοιώτια αἰνίγματα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσυνέτων· Βοιωτὴ γὰρ ἡ Σφίνξ.\n\nΒοῦς ἐπὶ γλώσσης: ἐπὶ τῶν δωροδοκουμένων· διὰ τὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων νόμισμα βοῦν ἔχειν.\n\nΓόνυ κνήμης ἔγγιον: ἐπὶ τῶν ἑαυτοὺς μᾶλλον ἑτέρων ἀγαπώντων.\n\nΓέροντα δ’ ὀρθοῦν φλαῦρον, ὃς νέος πέσῃ Γλυκεῖ’\n\nὀπώρα φύλακος ἐκλελοιπότος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἄνευ μόχθου τὰ ἀλλότρια καρπουμένων.\n\nΓραῦς βακχεύει: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ὥραν τι διαπραττομένων.\n\nΓραῶν ὕθλοι.\n\nΓαστέρα μοι προφέρεις κάλλιστον ὄνειδος ἁπάντων, Ἣ πλήρης μὲν ἐλαφροτέρα, κενεὰ δὲ βαρεῖα.\n\nΓῆς βάρος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχρήστων.\n\nΓλυκὺς ἀπείρῳ πόλεμος.\n\nΓραῦς ἀνακροτήσασα πολὺν κονιορτὸν ἐγείρει: ἐπὶ τῶν δι’ ἐμπειρίαν πολλὰ πράγματα κινούντων.\n\nΓύγου δακτύλιος: ἐπὶ τῶν πολυμηχάνων.","english":"Here is Rhodes, here the leap.\n\nBoeotian mind: for the uneducated; the Boeotians were always reproached for this.\n\nBoeotian law: for those who are quiet at first but later cause disturbance.\n\nTouchstone: for those examined in arguments, inasmuch as the Lydian stone tests gold.\n\nBoeotian riddles: for the unintelligent; for the Sphinx was Boeotian.\n\nAn ox on the tongue: for those who are bribed; because the coin of the Athenians has an ox.\n\nThe knee is nearer than the shin: for those who love themselves more than others.\n\nIt is bad to straighten an old man who fell when young.\n\nSweet is the fruit when the guard is gone: for those who reap the fruits of others without toil.\n\nAn old woman celebrates the Bacchic rites: for those who do something out of season.\n\nOld wives' tales.\n\nYou reproach me with my belly, the finest reproach of all, which is lighter when full, heavy when empty.\n\nBurden of the earth: for the useless.\n\nWar is sweet to the inexperienced.\n\nAn old woman, having clapped her hands, raises much dust: for those who, through experience, set many things in motion.\n\nThe ring of Gyges: for the resourceful.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Αὐτοῦ Ῥόδος, αὐτοῦ πήδημα","severity":"info","text":"This proverb, 'Here is Rhodes, here the leap,' alludes to a fable in which a braggart claims to have made a huge leap in Rhodes; a bystander retorts that Rhodes is here, so leap now. It is used for those who must prove their boasts on the spot.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Βοιώτιος νοῦς","severity":"info","text":"Boeotian mind: Boeotia was proverbially associated with stupidity in Greek culture, hence this phrase for the uneducated.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Βάσανος λίθος","severity":"info","text":"Touchstone (Lydian stone) was used to test the purity of gold; metaphorically, it refers to testing arguments or persons.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Βοῦς ἐπὶ γλώσσης","severity":"info","text":"An ox on the tongue: Athenian coins bore an ox; thus, having an ox on one's tongue meant being bribed to silence.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Γύγου δακτύλιος","severity":"info","text":"The ring of Gyges, from Plato's Republic, granted invisibility; here it denotes resourcefulness or cunning.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This passage is a list of proverbs with brief explanations, typical of the paroemiographic genre. Each entry follows a pattern: proverb, then 'ἐπὶ τῶν' + genitive phrase indicating the type of person or situation it applies to.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text includes a line 'Γέροντα δ’ ὀρθοῦν φλαῦρον, ὃς νέος πέσῃ Γλυκεῖ’' which appears to be a conflation of two proverbs; the English draft separates them, but the Greek is unclear."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"Γυμνότερος παττάλου.\n\nΓυνὴ στρατηγεῖ, καὶ, Γυνὴ στρατοπεδεύεται: ἐπὶ τῶν παραδόξων.\n\nΓυναικὶ μὴ πίστευε, μηδ’ ὅταν θάνῃ.\n\nΓέλως Ἰωνικός: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκλελυμένων· εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ Ἴωνες διεβάλλοντο.\n\nΓέρων ἀλώπηξ οὐχ ἁλίσκεται.\n\nΓλαῦκα εἰς Ἀθήνας: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπιδεικνυμένων πρὸς τοὺς εἰδότας, ἅπερ ἄμεινον αὐτοῦ ἴσασιν· ὅτι πολλαὶ εἰς Ἀθήνας γλαῦκες.\n\nΓέρων βοῦς ἀπένθητος ἐν δόμοισιν.\n\nΔίκην ὑφέξει κἂν ὄνος δάκῃ κύνα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπὶ μικρῷ συκοφαντουμένων.\n\nΔίκη δίκην ἔτικτε καὶ βλάβη βλάβην: ἐπὶ τῶν φιλοδίκων καὶ συνειρόντων δίκαις δίκας· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πυκναῖς προςπιπτόντων συμφοραῖς.\n\nΔὶς πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν αἰσχρὸν προςκρούειν λίθον.\n\nΔωδωκαῖον χαλκεῖον: ἐπὶ λάλου.\n\nΔιὰ δακτυλίου δεῖ σε ἑλκυσθῆναι: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ νόσον ἢ λύπην ἰσχνῶν γενομένων.\n\nΔῶρα θεοὺς πείθει καὶ αἰδοίους βασιλῆας.\n\nΔεινοὶ πλέκειν μηχανὰς Αἰγύπτιαι.\n\nΔέδοται καὶ κακοῖς ἄγρα,\n\nΔεύτερος πλοῦς.\n\nΔελφῖνα λεκάνη οὐ χωρεῖ.\n\nἘπιμενίδου ὕπνος: ἐπὶ τῶν πολλὰ κοιμωμένων· πεντήκοντα γὰρ ἔτη ἐκάθευδεν.","english":"Naked as a peg.\n\nA woman commands an army, and, A woman camps: for paradoxical things.\n\nDo not trust a woman, not even when she is dead.\n\nIonic laughter: for the dissolute; for the Ionians were reproached for this.\n\nAn old fox is not caught.\n\nAn owl to Athens: for those who display to those who know, things which they know better themselves; because there are many owls in Athens.\n\nAn old ox is unheeded in the house.\n\nHe will pay the penalty even if a donkey bites a dog: for those who are falsely accused over a small matter.\n\nLawsuit begets lawsuit and harm begets harm: for those fond of litigation who string together lawsuits with lawsuits; and for those who encounter frequent misfortunes.\n\nIt is shameful to stumble against the same stone twice.\n\nDodonian bronze: for a chatterer.\n\nYou must be drawn through a ring: for those who have become thin due to illness or grief.\n\nGifts persuade gods and reverent kings.\n\nEgyptian women are clever at weaving devices.\n\nA catch is given even to the wicked.\n\nSecond voyage.\n\nA basin does not hold a dolphin.\n\nEpimenides' sleep: for those who sleep a lot; for he slept for fifty years.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Γυμνότερος παττάλου","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'naked as a peg' denotes extreme poverty or lack, comparing a person to a bare peg.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Γλαῦκα εἰς Ἀθήνας","severity":"info","text":"Owls were sacred to Athena and abundant in Athens, so bringing an owl there is superfluous; the proverb mocks those who display what is already well known.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Δωδωκαῖον χαλκεῖον","severity":"info","text":"Dodona was a sanctuary of Zeus where a bronze cauldron or gong was used; its constant sound became proverbial for incessant chatter.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἐπιμενίδου ὕπνος","severity":"info","text":"Epimenides of Crete was said to have slept for fifty-seven years in a cave; the proverb refers to prolonged sleep or unawareness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This passage continues the alphabetical sequence of proverbs, each with a brief explanation, typical of Gregory's collection.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Δὶς πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν αἰσχρὸν προςκρούειν λίθον","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text has 'προςκρούειν' (to strike against) but the standard proverb uses 'προσκρούειν' (to stumble); the variant may be scribal.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Γυνὴ στρατηγεῖ' and 'Γυνὴ στρατοπεδεύεται' are given as separate proverbs but may be variants of a single saying; the explanation 'for paradoxical things' applies to both.","The proverb 'Δέδοται καὶ κακοῖς ἄγρα' is ambiguous: it may mean that even the wicked can catch something, or that a catch is given even to evil people."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"Ἐς Τροφωνίου μεμάντευσαι: ἐπὶ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν καὶ ὠχρῶν.\n\nἘν ἅλῳ δρασκάζεις: ἤγουν κρύπτῃ· ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ δυναμένων λαθεῖν.\n\nἜστω ταμίας, τἄλλα δ’ εἰ βούλει κύων: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ἀξίαν εὐημερούντων καὶ μάλιστα εὐνούχων.\n\nἘκ παντὸς ξύλου κύφων ἂν γίνοιτο: λέγεται ἐπὶ τῶν τὸ εἶδος εὐτελῶν, εἰς χρείας δὲ ἀναγκαίων.\n\nΕἰς ἀρχαίας φάτνας: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐλθόντων εἰς ἅπερ πρότερον ὄντες ἐξέπεσον.\n\nἘν δυοῖν τρία βλέπεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλα ἀντ’ ἄλλων ὁρώντων.\n\nἘκπερδικίσαι: ἤτοι ἐκκλῖναι. ἐπὶ τῶν διαδιδρασκόντων τοὺς θηρευτάς.\n\nἘλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ μικρὰ ἐπαιρόντων τῷ λόγῳ.\n\nἘμαυτῷ βαλανεύσω: ἐμαυτῷ διακονήσω.\n\nΕἰς ἀσθενοῦντας ἀσθενῶν ἐλήλυθας: ἐπὶ τῶν ὅμοια πασχόντων.\n\nΕὕδοντι κύρτος αἱρεῖ: ἐπὶ τῶν εὐτυχούντων.\n\nἜνεστι καὶ μύρμηκι χολή: ὅτι μηδὲ τοῦ μικροῦ δεῖ καταφρονεῖν.\n\nἙρμῆς ἀμύητος.\n\nἘκ τετρημένης κύλικος πιεῖν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐψευσμένων φίλων.\n\nἘν μέλιτι σαυτὸν κατακρύπτεις: ἐπὶ τῶν συζώντων ἡδυπαθείαις.","english":"You have consulted Trophonius: for the gloomy and pale.\n\nYou are slipping away in a threshing-floor: that is, you are hiding; for those unable to escape notice.\n\nLet him be steward, and for the rest, if you wish, a dog: for those who prosper beyond their worth, and especially eunuchs.\n\nFrom every wood a bent piece might be made: said of those of humble appearance but necessary for use.\n\nTo old mangers: for those who have returned to what they formerly were and fell from.\n\nYou see three in two: for those who see one thing instead of another.\n\nTo act like a partridge: that is, to swerve aside; for those who slip away from hunters.\n\nYou make an elephant out of a fly: for those who magnify small things in speech.\n\nI will bathe myself: I will serve myself.\n\nYou have come to the sick as one sick: for those who suffer alike.\n\nA sleeping man catches a fish-trap: for the fortunate.\n\nEven an ant has bile: that one should not despise even the small.\n\nHermes uninitiated.\n\nTo drink from a perforated cup: for false friends.\n\nYou hide yourself in honey: for those who live in pleasures.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἐς Τροφωνίου μεμάντευσαι","severity":"info","text":"Trophonius was a chthonic hero with a famous oracle at Lebadeia in Boeotia; consultation was said to leave suppliants pale and terrified.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"κύφων","severity":"info","text":"κύφων denotes a bent piece of wood, often a collar for prisoners or a yoke; here it suggests something humble but serviceable.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἐκπερδικίσαι","severity":"info","text":"The verb derives from πέρδιξ (partridge), a bird known for evading hunters by running or hiding; the gloss ἐκκλῖναι confirms the sense of swerving aside.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς","severity":"info","text":"The proverb 'making an elephant from a fly' is a Greek precursor to the Latin 'elephantem ex musca facis' and the English 'making a mountain out of a molehill'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Εὕδοντι κύρτος αἱρεῖ","severity":"info","text":"A κύρτος is a fish-trap; the proverb paradoxically says a sleeping man catches it, meaning good fortune comes without effort.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἑρμῆς ἀμύητος","severity":"info","text":"Hermes was a god of eloquence and interpretation; an 'uninitiated Hermes' likely denotes someone ignorant of proper speech or ritual, though the phrase is elliptical.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase Ἔστω ταμίας, τἄλλα δ’ εἰ βούλει κύων is ambiguous: it may mean 'let him be steward, and for the rest, if you wish, a dog' or 'let him be steward, and for the rest, if you wish, a dog [i.e., a servant]'; the application to eunuchs suggests a social hierarchy.","The proverb Εὕδοντι κύρτος αἱρεῖ is paradoxical: a sleeping man cannot actively catch a fish-trap, so the sense may be ironic or proverbial for effortless luck."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":10,"ref":"p10","source":"Ἐνδύεται τὴν λεοντῆν.\n\nἘνδυμίωνος ὕπνον ὑπνώττει: ἐπὶ τῶν πολλὰ κοιμωμένων.\n\nΕἴληφεν ἡ παγὶς τὸν μῦν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀξίως ἁλισκομένων.\n\nἘν τριόδῳ εἰμὶ λογισμῶν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπορούνταν.\n\nἘν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.\n\nἘκδεδαρμένον δέρεις: ἐπὶ τῶν μάτην πονούντων· βέλτιον δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν κακούντων τοὺς ἐν συμφοραῖς.\n\nἜπειτα πλουτῶν οὐκέθ’ ἥδεται φακῆ. Πρὸ τοῦ δ’ ὑπὸ τῆς πενίας ἅπαντ’ ἐπήσθιεν.\n\nἘν θέρει τὴν χλαῖναν κατατρίβεις: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ καθ’ ὥραν τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις χρωμένων.\n\nἜνθ’ οὔτε μίμνειν ἄνεμος οὔτ’ ἐκπλεῖν ἐᾷ: ἐπὶ τῶν δυςχρήστοις περιπεσόντων.\n\nἘλέφας μυὸς οὐκ ἀλεγίζει.\n\nἘκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδα ἔχεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἔξω κινδύνων ὄντων.\n\nἘκ τριχὸς κρέμαται: ἐπὶ τῶν κινδυνευόντων. ὅμοιον τῷ Ἐπὶ ξυροῦ.\n\nΕὐγενὴς ἐκ βαλαντίου: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ πλούτου τιμωμένων.\n\nἜγχος ἐπὶ τῷ ἔγχει: γραῦν φασι τοῦτο εἰπεῖν καπήλῳ ἐνεχυράζουσαν ἔγχος.\n\nἘλεύθεραι αἶγες ἀρότρου: ἐπὶ τῶν βάρους ἀπηλλαγμένων.\n\nΕἰς κόλπον πτύεις: ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐ μεγαλοῤῥημονεῖς.","english":"He puts on the lion's skin.\n\nHe sleeps the sleep of Endymion: for those who sleep a great deal.\n\nThe trap has caught the mouse: for those who are justly caught.\n\nI am at a crossroads of thoughts: for those who are at a loss.\n\nTo fight with dogs in a well.\n\nYou flay a flayed one: for those who labor in vain; better, for those who mistreat those in misfortune.\n\nThen, being rich, he no longer delights in lentil soup. But before, because of poverty, he used to eat everything.\n\nIn summer you wear out your cloak: for those who do not use necessities in the proper season.\n\nWhere neither the wind allows one to stay nor to sail out: for those who have fallen into difficult circumstances.\n\nAn elephant does not heed a mouse.\n\nYou have your foot out of the mud: for those who are outside of dangers.\n\nIt hangs by a hair: for those who are in danger. Similar to \"On a razor's edge.\"\n\nNoble from a purse: for those honored because of wealth.\n\nA spear for a pledge: they say an old woman said this to a shopkeeper who was taking a spear as a pledge.\n\nFree goats of the plow: for those freed from a burden.\n\nYou spit into your bosom: instead of, you do not boast.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐνδύεται τὴν λεοντῆν","severity":"info","text":"The proverb 'He puts on the lion's skin' refers to someone assuming a bold or fierce appearance, likely borrowed from the fable of the donkey in a lion's skin.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἐνδυμίωνος ὕπνον ὑπνώττει","severity":"info","text":"Endymion was a figure in Greek mythology granted eternal sleep by Zeus; the phrase 'sleeps the sleep of Endymion' denotes deep or prolonged sleep.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐκ τριχὸς κρέμαται","severity":"info","text":"The editor notes this proverb is similar to 'On a razor's edge' (Ἐπὶ ξυροῦ), both expressing extreme danger or precariousness.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐκδεδαρμένον δέρεις","severity":"info","text":"The Greek verb δέρεις (you flay) is a pun on δέρμα (skin); the proverb 'You flay a flayed one' means to labor in vain, with an alternative interpretation of mistreating the already unfortunate.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἔγχος ἐπὶ τῷ ἔγχει","severity":"info","text":"This proverb is attributed to an old woman who said it to a shopkeeper taking a spear as a pledge; it likely criticizes an impractical or worthless exchange.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἰς κόλπον πτύεις","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'You spit into your bosom' is explained as equivalent to 'you do not boast,' suggesting self-restraint or humility.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The proverb 'To fight with dogs in a well' (Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι) is given without explanation; its sense is unclear from the text.","The phrase 'Ἐλεύθεραι αἶγες ἀρότρου' (Free goats of the plow) may have a variant reading or interpretation not fully explained."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":11,"ref":"p11","source":"Ἐν πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ κατὰ τρόπον τοῖς μαθήμασι προβαινόντων.\n\nἘν σκότει ὀρχεῖσθαι: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμαρτύρως μοχθούντων.\n\nΖωὸς γενήσῃ κρομμύου μοῖραν λαβών: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκ μικρᾶς αἰτίας μεγάλην δόξαν καρπουμένων.\n\nΖῶμεν γὰρ οὐχ ὡς θέλομεν, ἀλλ’ ὡς δυνάμεθα.\n\nΖητῶν γὰρ ὄψον θοιμάτιον ἀπώλεσα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀτυνεστάτων.\n\nἯλος τὸν ἧλον, πάτταλος τὸν πάτταλον ἐξέκρουεν: ἐπὶ ἰωμένων δι’ ἁμαρτημάτων ἁμαρτήματα.\n\nἩ κύων ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ: πρὸς τοὺς μήτε ἑαυτοῖς χρωμένους, μήτε ἄλλους ἐῶντας· παρόσον ἡ κύων κριθὴν οὐκ ἐσθίει μένουσα ἐν φάτνῃ, καὶ τὸν ἵππον οὐκ ἐᾷ.\n\nἮσαν ποτ’ ἦσαν ἄλκιμοι Μιλήσιοι.\n\nἨλιθιώτερος Ἀδώνιδος τοῦ Πραξιτέλους: Ἄδωνις γάρ τις Πραξιτέλους ὑιὸς ἀποθανὼν καὶ ἐρωτηθεὶς πρὸς τῶν ἐν Αἵδου, τί κὰλλιστον ἄνω κατέλιπεν, ἀπεκρίνατο Ἥλιον, Σελήνην, σῦκα, μῆλα. ἔδοξε γοῦν ἠλίθιος ταῦτα ἐξισῶν Ἡλίῳ. Ἡρακλέους θυσία: ἐπί τῶν εἰκῆ ταῖς θυσίαις χρωμένων.\n\nἩ ἀφύη τὸ πῦρ: ἐπὶ τῶν ταχέως λαμβανόντων τέλος· παρόσον ἡ ἀφύη ταχέως ἑψεῖται.","english":"In a jar, the pottery: for those who do not progress in their studies in a proper manner.\n\nTo dance in the dark: for those who toil without witnesses.\n\nYou will become a living being having received a portion of an onion: for those who reap great glory from a small cause.\n\nFor we live not as we wish, but as we are able.\n\nFor seeking a relish, I lost my cloak: for the most unfortunate.\n\nA nail drove out a nail, a peg drove out a peg: for ills healed by means of transgressions.\n\nThe dog in the manger: for those who neither use things themselves nor allow others to do so; inasmuch as the dog, staying in the manger, does not eat the barley and does not allow the horse to do so.\n\nThere were once, there were once valiant Milesians.\n\nMore foolish than Adonis, son of Praxiteles: For a certain Adonis, son of Praxiteles, having died and being asked by those in Hades what most beautiful thing he had left above, answered: Sun, Moon, figs, apples. He seemed, then, foolish to equate these with the Sun.\n\nA sacrifice of Heracles: for those who use sacrifices in vain.\n\nThe anchovy, the fire: for those who quickly reach an end; inasmuch as the anchovy is quickly cooked.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐν πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν","severity":"info","text":"The proverb 'In a jar, the pottery' refers to those who do not progress properly in their studies, likely because the jar (πίθος) is a finished product and pottery (κεραμεία) is the craft, so doing pottery in a jar is misplaced.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἦσαν ποτ’ ἦσαν ἄλκιμοι Μιλήσιοι","severity":"info","text":"This proverb recalls the former valor of the Milesians, inhabitants of Miletus in Ionia, who were known for their military prowess in archaic and classical times but later declined.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἠλιθιώτερος Ἀδώνιδος τοῦ Πραξιτέλους","severity":"info","text":"The proverb 'More foolish than Adonis, son of Praxiteles' is explained by a story: a dead Adonis, asked what is most beautiful above, listed Sun, Moon, figs, apples—deemed foolish for equating these with the Sun. This Adonis is otherwise unattested.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἡ κύων ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ","severity":"info","text":"The 'dog in the manger' proverb is well-known in Greek and Latin literature (e.g., Aesop's fables, Lucian), describing someone who prevents others from using what they themselves do not use.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ζωὸς γενήσῃ κρομμύου μοῖραν λαβών","severity":"info","text":"This proverb uses a future middle form (γενήσῃ) and a genitive of the thing received (κρομμύου μοῖραν), typical of paroemiac syntax for expressing a paradoxical outcome from a small cause.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἡρακλέους θυσία","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'A sacrifice of Heracles' is explained as referring to those who use sacrifices in vain, but the connection to Heracles is unclear; it may allude to his excessive or misdirected offerings.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of Adonis son of Praxiteles is otherwise unknown; the story may be a late invention or a misattribution.","The proverb 'A sacrifice of Heracles' lacks a clear narrative context; its interpretation as vain sacrifice is tentative."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":12,"ref":"p12","source":"Θυμὸς ἔσχατον γηράσκει: λέγεται διὰ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους· ὅσον γὰρ γηράσκουσι, τὸν θυμὸν ἐῤῥωμενέστερον ἔχουσι.\n\nΘαλάττῃ ἐκ χαράδρας ὕδωρ: ἐπὶ τῶν τοῖς μεγάλοις τὰ μικρὰ προςφιλοτιμουμένων.\n\nΘάσος ἀγαθῶν: ἐπὶ τῶν εὐδαίμονα καὶ λαμπρὸν ἀποδεῖξαί τινα ἐπαγγελλομένων.\n\nἹερὰ ἄγκυρα: ἡ μεγάλη βοήθεια.\n\nἸσότης φιλότης.\n\nἼσος πόλεμον οὐ ποιεῖ.\n\nἸλιὰς κακῶν.\n\nἹππόλυτον μιμήσομαι: ἐπὶ τῶν σωφρόνως βιούντων.\n\nἹππέας εἰς πεδίον προκαλεῖ: ὅπερ ἔστι τοὺς εὐδοκιμοῦντας εἰς ἅπερ εὐδοκιμοῦσιν ἔργα.\n\nΚακοῦ κόρακος κακὸν ὠόν. Κόσμει Σπάρταν ἣν ἔλαχες: ὅτι δεῖ στέργειν τῇ δεδομένῃ τύχῃ καὶ ἀνέχεσθαι.\n\nΚαδμεία νίκη: ἡ ἐπὶ κακῷ τῶν νενικηκότων.\n\nΚύκνειον ᾆσμα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐγγὺς θανάτῳ ὄντων· οἱ γὰρ κύκνοι θνήσκοντες ᾄδουσιν.\n\nΚορώνη τὸν σκορπίον: ἐπὶ τῶν βλαβεροῖς ἐπιχειρούντων.\n\nΚιλίκιοι τράγοι: οἱ δασεῖς· ὅθεν καὶ τὰ ἐκ τριχῶν ἱμάτια κιλίκια λέγονται.\n\nΚρητίζεεν: ἀντὶ τοῦ ψεύδεσθαι καὶ ἀπατᾶν. τοῖοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ Κρῆτες.","english":"Anger grows last: said of the elderly; for as they grow old, they have their spirit more vigorous.\n\nWater from a torrent into the sea: for those who bring small things to great ones with ambition.\n\nThasos of goods: for those who promise to make someone prosperous and brilliant.\n\nSacred anchor: the great help.\n\nEquality is friendship.\n\nEquality does not make war.\n\nIliad of evils.\n\nI will imitate Hippolytus: for those who live chastely.\n\nHe challenges horsemen to the plain: that is, those who excel in the works in which they excel.\n\nOf a bad crow, a bad egg. Adorn Sparta which fell to you: that one must be content with one's given lot and endure.\n\nCadmean victory: a victory harmful to the victors.\n\nSwan song: for those near death; for swans sing when dying.\n\nCrow and scorpion: for those who attempt harmful things.\n\nCilician goats: shaggy ones; whence garments made of hair are called cilician.\n\nTo Cretize: meaning to lie and deceive; for such are the Cretans.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Θυμὸς ἔσχατον γηράσκει","severity":"info","text":"The Greek phrase 'Θυμὸς ἔσχατον γηράσκει' (anger grows last) is a proverb meaning that the spirit (θυμός) remains vigorous in old age. The lemma is the entire phrase as a fixed expression.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Θάσος ἀγαθῶν","severity":"info","text":"Thasos was an island in the northern Aegean known for its gold mines and prosperity. The phrase 'Thasos of goods' thus denotes a source of wealth or a promise of prosperity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἱερὰ ἄγκυρα","severity":"info","text":"'Sacred anchor' (ἱερὰ ἄγκυρα) was a nautical term for the largest anchor on a ship, used in emergencies. Metaphorically, it came to mean a last resort or great help.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Καδμεία νίκη","severity":"info","text":"The 'Cadmean victory' refers to the myth of the Spartoi, warriors who sprang from the dragon's teeth sown by Cadmus and then fought each other to death. It denotes a victory that brings ruin to the victor.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Κύκνειον ᾆσμα","severity":"info","text":"The 'swan song' (κύκνειον ᾆσμα) is based on the ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song just before death. The proverb is used for those near death or for a final utterance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Κρητίζεεν","severity":"info","text":"'To Cretize' (Κρητίζεεν) means to lie or deceive, reflecting the ancient stereotype of Cretans as liars, famously referenced in the Epimenides paradox. The verb is derived from the ethnic name.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is clear; no significant ambiguities in this passage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":13,"ref":"p13","source":"Καθώσπερ αἱ τίτθαι σιτίζεις κακῶς.\n\nΚύων ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον.\n\nΚἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ νεκροῦ κερδαίνειν.\n\nΚατόπιν ἑορτῆς ἥκεις: ἐπὶ τῶν καλοῦ πράγματος ἀπολιμπανομένων.\n\nΚολοφῶνα ἐπέθήκας: ἤτοι τὸ τέλειον καὶ πλήρες.\n\nΚατὰ ῥοῦν φέρεται.\n\nΚαρκίνος λαγωὸν αἱρεῖ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.\n\nΚενοὶ κενὰ βουλεύονται.\n\nΚεστρεὺς νηστεύει: ἐπὶ τῶν λαιμάργων· ἄπληστον δὲ τὸ ζῶον.\n\nΚριὸς τὰ τροφεῖα ἀπέτισεν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχαρίστων· οἱ γὰρ κριοὶ καὶ τὰς φάτνας πλήττουσι καὶ τοὺς θρέψαντας.\n\nΚακὰ μὲν θρίπες, κακὰ δ’ ἴπες: ἄμφω γὰρ λυμαντικοὶ· καὶ οἱ μὲν τὰ ξύλα, οἱ δὲ κέρατα ἐσθίουσιν.\n\nΛήμνια κακά: ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν Λήμνῳ γυναικῶν, αἳ τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτῶν ἀπέκτειναν.\n\nΛαγωὸς περὶ κρεῶν: ἐπὶ τῶν κινδυνευόντων καὶ [πρὸς τοῦτο] ἀγωνιζομένων, ἐπειδὴ κἀκεῖνος περὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κρεῶν τρέχει.\n\nΛύκος χανών· καὶ, ἡ λύκος περὶ φρέαρ χορεύει: ἐπὶ τῶν μάτην πονούντων.\n\nΛύκου πτερὸν ζητεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.\n\nΛίνον λίνῳ κλώθεις: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ αὐτὰ [διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν] πραττόντων ἢ λεγόντων, ἢ τῶν κατάλληλα.","english":"As nurses you feed badly.\n\nA dog to its own vomit.\n\nEven to profit from the dead.\n\nYou come after the feast: for those who miss a fine thing.\n\nYou have put the colophon on it: that is, the perfect and complete.\n\nIt is carried with the current.\n\nA crab catches a hare: for impossible things.\n\nEmpty people plan empty things.\n\nThe mullet fasts: for gluttons; the animal is insatiable.\n\nThe ram has paid back its keep: for the ungrateful; for rams strike both the mangers and those who reared them.\n\nBad are the woodworms, bad the clothes-moths: for both are destructive; and the one eats wood, the other horns.\n\nLemnian evils: from the women in Lemnos, who killed their husbands.\n\nA hare about meat: for those who are in danger and strive for this, since that one also runs for its own meat.\n\nA gaping wolf; and, the wolf dances around a well: for those who labor in vain.\n\nYou seek a wolf's feather: for impossible things.\n\nYou spin flax with flax: for those who do or say the same things through the same things, or for things that correspond.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Καθώσπερ αἱ τίτθαι σιτίζεις κακῶς","severity":"info","text":"The Greek text is likely corrupt; the English draft 'As nurses you feed badly' suggests a proverbial reproach for poor care, but the exact sense is uncertain.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Κολοφῶνα ἐπέθήκας","severity":"info","text":"A proverbial phrase meaning 'to put the finishing touch' (from Colophon, a city in Ionia, known for its final decisive battle or for a type of finishing stroke).","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Λήμνια κακά","severity":"info","text":"Refers to the Lemnian women who killed their husbands; a proverbial expression for extreme evils, rooted in the myth of the Argonauts and the women of Lemnos.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"external","lemma":"Κύων ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον","severity":"info","text":"A proverb also found in other Greek collections (e.g., Diogenianus), meaning to return to a disgusting habit; the dog returning to its own vomit is a common image.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Κατὰ ῥοῦν φέρεται","severity":"info","text":"This phrase is a single proverb in the list, meaning 'it is carried downstream' (i.e., things go with the flow), typical of the paroemiae genre's concise form.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Καθώσπερ αἱ τίτθαι σιτίζεις κακῶς","severity":"caution","text":"The opening phrase is syntactically odd; 'Καθώσπερ' is rare and may be a scribal error for 'Καθάπερ' or a misreading; the sense is uncertain.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The first proverb (Καθώσπερ αἱ τίτθαι σιτίζεις κακῶς) is textually problematic; the reading 'as nurses you feed badly' is tentative.","The phrase 'Κακὰ μὲν θρίπες, κακὰ δ’ ἴπες' may involve wordplay or dialectal variation; the exact referents of θρίπες and ἴπες are not fully certain."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":14,"ref":"p14","source":"Λύκος ἀετὸν φεύγει: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀφύκτων.\n\nΛύδιον ἅρμα: ἐπὶ τῶν ταχυτάτων. Καὶ, παρὰ Λύδιον θέεις.\n\nΛευκῷ λίθῳ λενκὴ στάθμη.\n\nΜία λόχμη δύο ἐριθάκους οὐ τρέφει.\n\nΜηδικὴ τράπεζα.\n\nΜέλιτος μύελον: ἐπὶ τοῦ ἄγαν ἡδέος.\n\nΜηδὲ μέλι μηδὲ μελίσσας: ἐπὶ τῶν παραιτοόυμένων ἀγαθόν τὶ παθεῖν διὰ τὸν κίνδυνον τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ.\n\nΜὴ πρὸς λέοντα δορκὰς ἅψωμαι μάχης.\n\nΜυσῶν λεία: οἱ γὰρ περίοικοι τοὺς Μυσοὺς ἐλήϊζον.\n\nΜὴ κίνει Καμάριναν: λίμνη, ἣν ἀπηγόρευεν ὁ χρησμὸς μετοχετεῦσαι· οἱ δὲ χρησάμενοι παρακούσαντες ἐβλάβησαν.\n\nΜωμήσεται μᾶλλον ἢ μιμήσεται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων.\n\nΜὴ παιδὶ μάχαιραν.\n\nΜὴ τοῖς ἀπείροις ἐγχειρίζειν πράγματα.\n\nΜία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ, οὐδὲ μέλισσα μέλι.\n\nΝεκρῷ μῦθον εἰς οὖς ἔλεγεν: ἐπὶ τοῦ μὴ ἐπαΐοντος· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναισθήτων.\n\nΝεφέλας ξαίνεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.\n\nΝαῦς ἱκετεύει πέτραν: ἐπὶ τῶν σφόδρα ἀναισθήτων.\n\nΞυρὸς εἰς ἀκόνην.\n\nΞύλον ἀγκύλυν οὐδέποτ’ ὀρθόν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδιορθώτων.\n\nΟὐ παρὰ βωμὸν δεῖ τὰς ἐπινοίας: ὅτι πρὸ τῶν πραγμάτων δεῖ βουλεύεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐν αὐτοῖς· ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ τὰ ἱερὰ προςάγοντες οὐ μετὰ τὸ θῦσαι βουλεύονται περὶ αὐτῶν.","english":"A wolf flees an eagle: for those who cannot escape.\n\nA Lydian chariot: for the very swift. And, you run like a Lydian.\n\nA white line on a white stone.\n\nOne thicket does not feed two finches.\n\nA Median table.\n\nThe marrow of honey: for something exceedingly sweet.\n\nNeither honey nor bees: for those who refuse a good thing because of the danger in it.\n\nLet not a gazelle join battle with a lion.\n\nThe plunder of the Mysians: for the neighbors plundered the Mysians.\n\nDo not stir Camarina: a lake which the oracle forbade to drain; those who disobeyed and drained it were harmed.\n\nIt will be more blamed than imitated: for the uneducated.\n\nDo not give a knife to a child.\n\nDo not entrust affairs to the inexperienced.\n\nOne swallow does not make spring, nor one bee honey.\n\nHe told a story to a dead man's ear: for one who does not hear; and for the insensible.\n\nYou are carding clouds: for impossible things.\n\nA ship entreats a rock: for the utterly insensible.\n\nA razor to a whetstone.\n\nA crooked piece of wood is never straight: for the incorrigible.\n\nOne should not plan beside the altar: because one must deliberate before actions, not during them; just as those who offer sacrifices do not deliberate about them after sacrificing.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Μυσῶν λεία","severity":"info","text":"The Mysians were a people of Asia Minor, often raided by neighbors; the phrase became proverbial for easy plunder.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Μὴ κίνει Καμάριναν","severity":"info","text":"Camarina was a lake in Sicily; an oracle warned against draining it, and those who did suffered harm. The proverb warns against stirring up trouble.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Λευκῷ λίθῳ λευκὴ στάθμη","severity":"info","text":"A white line on a white stone is invisible; the proverb denotes something indiscernible or futile.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"external","lemma":"Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ","severity":"info","text":"This proverb is widely attested in Greek literature, e.g., Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 1098a18, as a warning against hasty generalization.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Aristotle 4th cent. BCE"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Μηδικὴ τράπεζα","severity":"info","text":"A Median table likely refers to Persian luxury; the phrase denotes opulence or excess.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Μωμήσεται μᾶλλον ἢ μιμήσεται","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text has a possible scribal error: 'παραιτοόυμένων' in the lemma for 'Neither honey nor bees' is likely a corruption of 'παραιτουμένων' (refusing).","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Λύδιον ἅρμα' may refer to a specific Lydian chariot type or be a general term for speed; the exact referent is unclear.","The proverb 'Ξυρὸς εἰς ἀκόνην' (razor to whetstone) lacks an explanation in the text; its sense is ambiguous—possibly sharpening or futility."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":15,"ref":"p15","source":"Οὐκ ἂν αὖθις ἀλώπηξ: λείπει τὸ ἁλώσεται· αὕτη γὰρ ἅπαξ διαφυγοῦσα τὰς πάγας, οὐ δεύτερον ἁλίσκεται.\n\nὌνος ἄγει μυστήρια: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναξίως τι ἐμπεπιστευμένων.\n\nὌνου γνάθοι: εἰς πολυφάγον.\n\nὍπου ἔλαφοι τὰ κέρατα ἀποβάλλουσι: τόποι δύςβατοι. Ἐπὶ τῶν ἐργώδεις εὑρεῖν τὰς διατριβὰς ποιουμένων.\n\nΟἱ μὲν γὰρ οὐκέτ’ εἰσὶν, οἱ δ’ ὄντες κακοί.\n\nΟἴκοι τὰ Μιλήσια· μὴ γὰρ ἐνθάδε: ἐπὶ τῶν ὅπου μὴ προςήκει ἐπιδεικνυμένων τὰ ἤθη, ἢ ἐπιτηδεύματα διαβεβλημένα. Μιλήσιος γὰρ παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίοις δημηγορῶν καὶ τὴν οἴκοι τρυφὴν ἐπαινῶν ἤκουσε ταῦτα.\n\nΟἶνος, ὦ παῖδες, ἀλήθεια.\n\nὌνος εἰς ἄχυρα.\n\nΟὔθ’ ὕεται οὔθ’ ἡλιοῦται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναισθήτων.\n\nΟὐκ ἐπαινεθείης οὐδ’ ἐν περιδείπνῳ: ἐπὶ τῶν φαυλοτάτων καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀξίων· εἰώθασι γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποθανόντων δείπνοις αὐτοὺς ἐπαινεῖν, κἂν ἐτυχον ὄντες φαυλότατοι.\n\nΟἴκοθεν ὁ μάρτυρ: ἐπὶ τῶν καθ’ ἑαυτῶν φερόντων μάρτυρας.\n\nὌνος ἐν μελίσσαις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν κακοῖς περιπεσόντων.","english":"A fox will not be caught again: the word \"will be caught\" is implied; for once it escapes the traps, it is not caught a second time.\n\nA donkey carries mysteries: for those who have been entrusted with something unworthily.\n\nA donkey's jaws: for a glutton.\n\nWhere deer shed their antlers: difficult places. For those who make their haunts hard to find.\n\nFor some are no more, and those who are, are bad.\n\nMilesian things at home, not here: for those who display their character or practices where it is not appropriate, when these are disreputable. For a Milesian, speaking in public among the Lacedaemonians and praising the luxury at home, heard this.\n\nWine, O children, is truth.\n\nA donkey into the chaff.\n\nIt neither rains nor shines: for the insensible.\n\nYou would not be praised even at a funeral feast: for the most worthless and of no account; for it is customary at the feasts for the dead to praise them, even if they were the most worthless.\n\nThe witness from home: for those who bring witnesses against themselves.\n\nA donkey among bees: for those who have fallen into troubles.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὐκ ἂν αὖθις ἀλώπηξ","severity":"info","text":"The phrase is elliptical: the verb 'will be caught' (ἁλώσεται) is implied. The proverb asserts that a fox, once escaped, is never caught again.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ὄνος ἄγει μυστήρια","severity":"info","text":"The donkey carrying mysteries is a proverbial image for someone entrusted with a role or secret they are unworthy of, likely from the context of religious processions where donkeys bore sacred objects.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Οἴκοι τὰ Μιλήσια","severity":"info","text":"Miletus was known for luxury and softness, contrasted with Spartan austerity. The anecdote of a Milesian praising his city's luxury before Spartans explains the proverb's use for inappropriate display.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Οὐκ ἐπαινεθείης οὐδ’ ἐν περιδείπνῳ","severity":"info","text":"In Greek custom, funeral feasts (περίδειπνα) were occasions for praising the dead, even the worthless. The proverb thus denotes extreme worthlessness.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἱ μὲν γὰρ οὐκέτ’ εἰσὶν, οἱ δ’ ὄντες κακοί","severity":"info","text":"This line stands alone without a lemma or explanation, unlike the surrounding entries. It may be a fragment of a longer proverb or a misplaced gloss.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὄνος ἐν μελίσσαις","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'a donkey among bees' is given as 'for those who have fallen into troubles,' but the image is ambiguous: it may also imply clumsiness or being out of place, as a donkey in a beehive would cause chaos.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The line 'Οἱ μὲν γὰρ οὐκέτ’ εἰσὶν, οἱ δ’ ὄντες κακοί' lacks a clear lemma or explanation, making its proverbial status uncertain.","The phrase 'Ὄνος ἐν μελίσσαις' may have multiple interpretations beyond the given gloss."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":16,"ref":"p16","source":"Ὄνος λίρας ἀκούων: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀξυνέτων.\n\nὌνῳ τις ἔλεγε μῦθον, ὁ δὲ τὰ ὦτα ἐπέσειεν.\n\nΠολλῶν ἀχύρων ὀλίγον καρπὸν ἀνήγαγον.\n\nΠαρὰ κωφῷ διαλέγῃΠρὸς\n\nσῆμα μητρυιᾶς κλαίει: ἐπὶ τῶν προςποιουμένων.\n\nΠολλαῖσι πληγαῖς δρῦς δαμάζεται: ἐπὶ τῶν δυςαλώτων.\n\nΠρὶν τοὺς ἰχθῦς λαβεῖν, τὴν ἅλμην κυκᾷς: ἐπὶ τῶν τοὺς καιροὺς προλαμβανόντων.\n\nΠολλαὶ κυνὸς ἄῤῥενος εὐναί: ἐπὶ τῶν κατωφερῶν εἰς τὰ τὴς Ἀφροδίτης ἔργα.\n\nΠολλάκι μωρὸς ἀνὴρ κατακαίριον εἶπε.\n\nΠολλὰ μεταξὺ κύλικος καὶ χείλερς ἄκρου.\n\nΠλίνθον πλύνεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.\n\nΠτωχοῦ πήρα οὐ πίμπλαται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπλήστων.\n\nΠοικιλότης ὕδρας: ἐπὶ τῶν δολερῶν.\n\nΠολλοί σε μισήσουσιν, ἂν σαυτὸν φιλῇς.\n\nΠῦρ ἐπὶ δαλὸν ἐλθόν.\n\nΠόλλ’ οἶδ’ ἀλώπηξ, ἀλλ’ ἐχῖνος ἓν μέγα.\n\nΠολλοί τοι ναρθηκοφόροι, παῦροι δέ τε βάκχοι.\n\nΠρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν.\n\nΠροφάσεως δεῖται μόνον ἡ πονηρία.\n\nΠρὸ τῆς νίκης ᾄδεις ἐγκώμιον.\n\nΠολλὰ ψεύδονται ἀοιδοί.\n\nΠοταμὸς πρὸς θάλατταν ἐρίζει: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.","english":"A donkey listening to a lyre: for the uncomprehending.\n\nSomeone told a story to a donkey, and it shook its ears.\n\nMuch chaff, little fruit I have brought forth.\n\nYou are speaking to a deaf man.\n\nWeeping at a stepmother's tomb: for those who pretend.\n\nAn oak is tamed by many blows: for the hard to capture.\n\nBefore catching the fish, you stir the brine: for those who anticipate the right moments.\n\nA male dog has many beds: for those inclined to the works of Aphrodite.\n\nOften a foolish man has spoken to the point.\n\nMuch between cup and lip.\n\nYou are washing a brick: for impossible things.\n\nA beggar's wallet is never filled: for the insatiable.\n\nThe variegation of a hydra: for the deceitful.\n\nMany will hate you if you love yourself.\n\nFire coming upon a brand.\n\nThe fox knows many things, but the hedgehog one great thing.\n\nMany are thyrsus-bearers, but few are Bacchants.\n\nTo kick against the goads.\n\nWickedness needs only a pretext.\n\nBefore the victory you sing a hymn of praise.\n\nPoets tell many lies.\n\nA river contends with the sea: for impossible things.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὄνος λίρας ἀκούων","severity":"info","text":"The proverb 'A donkey listening to a lyre' denotes incomprehension, a common trope in Greek literature for intellectual incapacity.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλὰ μεταξὺ κύλικος καὶ χείλερς ἄκρου","severity":"info","text":"This proverb parallels the Latin 'multa cadunt inter calicem et os' and the Greek 'Πολλὰ μεταξὺ πέλει κύλικος καὶ χείλεος', warning of unforeseen mishaps.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλοί τοι ναρθηκοφόροι, παῦροι δέ τε βάκχοι","severity":"info","text":"This proverb contrasts the many who carry the narthex (thyrsus) with the few true Bacchants, critiquing superficial religious observance.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ποικιλότης ὕδρας","severity":"info","text":"'Variegation of a hydra' refers to the many-headed serpent of Greek myth, symbolizing cunning and deceit.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλὰ ψεύδονται ἀοιδοί","severity":"info","text":"This proverb, 'Poets tell many lies', echoes a skeptical tradition about poetic truth, found in Solon and later Greek moralists.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλῶν ἀχύρων ὀλίγον καρπὸν ἀνήγαγον","severity":"caution","text":"The first-person verb 'ἀνήγαγον' is unusual for a proverb; it may be a scribal adaptation or a direct quotation from a lost source.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Πολλῶν ἀχύρων ὀλίγον καρπὸν ἀνήγαγον' uses a first-person verb, which is atypical for proverbs and may indicate a personal or adapted saying.","The lemma 'Πολλὰ μεταξὺ κύλικος καὶ χείλερς ἄκρου' shows a variant spelling 'χείλερς' for 'χείλους', possibly a scribal error or dialectal form."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":17,"ref":"p17","source":"Πολλῶν ἐγὼ θρίων ἀκήκοα ψόφους.\n\nΠεινῶσαν ἀλώπεκα ὕπνος ἐπέρχεται.\n\nΠενίη σοφίην ἔλαχεν.\n\nΠάντα πέτρον κινήσω.\n\nΠάντα κάλων.\n\nΠρὸς λέοντα δορκάδες συνάπτουσι μάχας.\n\nῬόδιοι τὴν θυσίαν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν ἱεροῖς βλαςφημούντων.\n\nῬαχίας λαλίστερος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδολέσχων· ψόφον γὰρ ἀποτελεῖ βαλλομένη τοῖς κύμασιν.\n\nῬαδαμάνθυος κρίσις: ἡ δικαιοτάτη.\n\nῬόδον παρελθὼν μηκέτι ζήτει πάλιν.\n\nῬεχθὲν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.\n\nῬηγίνων δειλότερος.\n\nΣὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρα κίνει.\n\nΣυνῆλθεν ἀτταγᾶς νουμηνίῳ.\n\nΣύμβουλός ἐστιν ὁ χρόνος τῶν πραγμάτων.\n\nΣυγγνώμη πρωτοπείρῳ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν πρώτοις ἁμαρτανόντων.\n\nΣαρδώνιος γέλως: ὁ προςποιητὸς καὶ μὴ ἐκ χαιρούσης καρδίας.\n\nΣικελικὴ τράπεζα, καὶ, Συβαριτική.\n\nΣοφία μωροῦ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσύνετα λαλούντων.\n\nΣὲ δ’ οἰωνίσαιτ’ ἄν τις ἰδών: καὶ τό, Τόν δὲ ἡ νεότης ἐμίσουν τε καὶ οἰωνίζοντο.\n\nΤοιοῦτον Θεμιστοκλῆς οὔποτ’ ἐνόησε: σοφίας γὰρ δόξαν οὗτος ἀπηνέγκατο.\n\nΤυφῶνος πολυπλοκώτερον.\n\nΤαντάλου τάλαντα: ἐπὶ τῶν σφοδρα πλουσίων.","english":"I have heard the rustling of many fig leaves.\n\nSleep comes over a hungry fox.\n\nPoverty obtained wisdom.\n\nI will move every stone.\n\nEvery rope.\n\nDeer join battle against a lion.\n\nRhodian sacrifice: for those who blaspheme in sacred places.\n\nMore talkative than a rocky shore: for chatterers; for it produces a noise when struck by the waves.\n\nRhadamanthys' judgment: the most just.\n\nHaving passed by a rose, seek it no more.\n\nWhat is done even a child knows.\n\nMore cowardly than the people of Rhegium.\n\nWith Athena, also move your hand.\n\nThe francolin came together with the new moon.\n\nTime is the counselor of affairs.\n\nForgiveness for a first-timer: for those who err in their first attempts.\n\nSardonic laughter: feigned and not from a rejoicing heart.\n\nSicilian table, and, Sybaritic.\n\nWisdom of a fool: for those who speak senselessly.\n\nOne would take an omen from seeing you: and, But youth hated and took omens from him.\n\nThemistocles never thought of such a thing: for he carried off a reputation for wisdom.\n\nMore intricate than Typhon.\n\nTalents of Tantalus: for the exceedingly rich.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"θρίων","severity":"info","text":"θρίων (genitive plural of θρίον) literally means 'fig leaves' but in proverbial usage refers to empty or deceptive sounds, akin to 'much ado about nothing'.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Ῥαδαμάνθυος κρίσις","severity":"info","text":"Rhadamanthys was a mythical judge of the underworld in Greek tradition, renowned for his fairness; the phrase became proverbial for an absolutely just decision.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Σαρδώνιος γέλως","severity":"info","text":"Sardonic laughter was associated with a Sardinian plant said to cause convulsive grimaces; the proverb denotes feigned or bitter laughter, not genuine joy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Ταντάλου τάλαντα","severity":"info","text":"Tantalus, a figure from myth punished with eternal hunger and thirst, was also proverbial for immense wealth; 'talents of Tantalus' thus refers to great riches.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Πάντα πέτρον κινήσω","severity":"info","text":"This proverb and the following 'Πάντα κάλων' (every rope) are both expressions of exhaustive effort, likely paired for rhetorical emphasis in the collection.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"Συγγνώμη πρωτοπείρῳ","severity":"info","text":"This proverb, granting forgiveness to a first-time offender, reflects a principle later echoed in Christian penitential practice and legal maxims.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is clear; no significant ambiguities in this passage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":18,"ref":"p18","source":"Τὸν Κολοφῶνα ἐπέθηκας: ἐπὶ μεγάλων πραγμάτων· καὶ ἐπὶ βεβαίου ψήφου.\n\nΤὸ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ νήφοντος ἐν τῇ γλώσσῃ τοῦ μεθύοντος.\n\nΤὸν καπνὸν φεύγων εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐνέπεσεν.\n\nΤὸ κυνὸς κακὸν ὗς ἀπέτισεν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτόντων, ἄλλων δὲ δόντων δίκην.\n\nΤὸν ξύοντα ἀντιξύειν: ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ὄνων· ἀλλήλους γὰρ ἀντικνήθουσιν. Ἐπὶ ὠφελούντων ἢ ἀντιβλαπτόντων ἀλλήλους.\n\nΤοῦ Κροίσου παιδὸς σιγηλότερος.\n\nΤί οὐκ ἀπήγξω, ἵνα Θήβησιν ἥρως γίνῃ: οἱ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς διαχειρίζοντες ἐν Θήβαις ἐτιμῶντο.\n\nΤὸ Ἱππάρχου τειχίον: Ἵππαρχος ὁ Πεισιστράτου παρὰ τὴν Πυθίαν τεῖχος ᾠκοδόμησε, πολλὰ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους εἰς τἀναλώματα ἀναγκάσας.\n\nΤὸν ἐγκέφαλον κατασεσεῖσθαί μοι δοκεῖς,\n\nΤὸ μὲν νόημα τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ δὲ κλέμμ’ ἐμόν: οὕτω γὰρ οἱ δημαγωγοὶ ἀστεϊζόμενοι ἔλεγον· ὁ μὲν θεὸς ὑπέβαλεν, ὁ ἐργασάμενος δὲ ἐγώ.\n\nΤοῦ σελίνου δεῖται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἰσχυρῶς νοσούντων. εἰώθασι γὰρ στεφανοῦν σελίνοις τὰ μνήματα.\n\nΤραγικὸς πίθηκος: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ἀξίαν σεμνυνομένων.","english":"You have put the colophon on it: for great matters; and for a definitive vote.\n\nWhat is in the heart of the sober man is on the tongue of the drunkard.\n\nFleeing the smoke, he fell into the fire.\n\nThe dog’s mischief the pig paid for: for when others have sinned, but others have paid the penalty.\n\nTo scratch back at the one scratching: from a metaphor of donkeys; for they scratch each other. For those who benefit or harm each other in turn.\n\nMore silent than the son of Croesus.\n\nWhy did you not hang yourself, so that you might become a hero in Thebes? For those who laid hands on themselves in Thebes were honored.\n\nThe wall of Hipparchus: Hipparchus, son of Peisistratus, built a wall beside the Pythium, having compelled the Athenians into great expenditures.\n\nYou seem to me to have shaken out your brain.\n\nThe thought is the god’s, but the theft is mine: for thus the demagogues would say wittily; the god suggested it, but I am the one who carried it out.\n\nHe needs celery: for those who are severely ill. For they are accustomed to crown tombs with celery.\n\nA tragic ape: for those who pride themselves beyond their worth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Κολοφῶνα","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'put the colophon on it' derives from the city Colophon, known for decisive naval battles; it came to mean a finishing touch or definitive conclusion.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Τοῦ Κροίσου παιδὸς σιγηλότερος","severity":"info","text":"Croesus's son was traditionally mute; the proverb denotes extreme silence, referencing Herodotus' account of Croesus's son who was speechless.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Herodotus Histories"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Τὸ Ἱππάρχου τειχίον","severity":"info","text":"Hipparchus, son of Peisistratus, built a costly wall near the Pythium in Athens; the proverb refers to burdensome public works imposed by tyrants.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Τοῦ σελίνου δεῖται","severity":"info","text":"Celery was used to crown tombs in antiquity; the phrase 'he needs celery' indicates someone near death, as the plant was associated with funerary rites.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Τραγικὸς πίθηκος","severity":"info","text":"A 'tragic ape' mocks those who assume grand airs undeservedly, comparing them to an ape imitating tragic actors, a common trope in Greek comedy.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Τὸν ἐγκέφαλον κατασεσεῖσθαί μοι δοκεῖς","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'you seem to have shaken out your brain' is obscure; it may imply madness or exhaustion, but the exact sense is uncertain without further context.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'you seem to have shaken out your brain' is ambiguous; it could mean mental disturbance or physical depletion.","The proverb 'the dog’s mischief the pig paid for' may have alternative interpretations regarding the animals' roles."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":19,"ref":"p19","source":"Ὕβρις ὕβριν ἔτικτε καὶ ψόγος ψόγον.\n\nὙπὲρ ὄνου σκιᾶς: ἐπὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ μηδὲν πονούντων.\n\nὙπὸ παντὸς λίθου σκορπίος εὕδει: ἐπὶ κακοηθῶν.\n\nὙπὲρ τὰ ἐσκαμμένα πηδᾶν: ὅμοιον τό, Ὑπερβάθμιον πόδα τείνεις.\n\nὙπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀναῤῥιπτεῖς: οἷον ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀγωνίξῃ καὶ κινδυνεύεις.\n\nὙπηνέμια τίκτει: ψευδῆ καὶ ἀβέβαια.\n\nὝδραν τέμνεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμηχάνων.\n\nὟς λουσαμένη εἰς κύλισμα βορβόρου.\n\nὟς ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον: ἐπὶ τῶν ἑαυτοὺς εἷς ὄλεθρον ἐμβαλλόντων.\n\nΦρὺξ ἀνὴρ πληγεὶς ἀμείνων καὶ διακονέστερος: νωθροὶ γὰρ δοκοῦσι οἱ Φρύγες οἰκέται.\n\nΦρυνώνδας ἄλλος: ἐπὶ τῶν πονηρῶν. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ μάγων.\n\nΧαλεπὸν χορίου κύνα γεύειν.\n\nΧρήματ’ ἀνὴρ· πενιχρὸς δ’ οὐδέποτ’ ἐσθλός.\n\nΧωρὶς τὰ Φρυγῶν καὶ Μυσῶν ὁρίσματα.\n\nΧροῒ δῆλα: φασὶ Φερεκύδην τὸν σοφὸν φθειριάσει τελευτῆσαι, εἰπεῖν δὲ πρὸς Πυθαγόραν περὶ τούτου πυνθανόμενον προβαλόντα τὸν δάκτυλον· Χροὶ δῆλα.\n\nΧυτραῖς λημᾶν καὶ κολοκύνταις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμβῤνωπούντων.\n\nΧρυσῷ καταπάττων ἡμᾶς οὐ γενώσκεις: ἐπὶ τῶν εἰκῇ λοιδορουμένων· ἐπιφέρει γὰρ Νῦν δὲ κόσμος τοῦτ’ ἐστί μοι.","english":"Insult gave birth to insult, and blame gave birth to blame.\n\nFor a donkey's shadow: for those who toil over nothing.\n\nA scorpion sleeps under every stone: for malicious persons.\n\nTo leap beyond the dug-up ground: similar to, You stretch a foot beyond the step.\n\nYou are casting the die for the whole: that is, you are contending and risking everything.\n\nIt gives birth to wind-eggs: false and unstable things.\n\nYou are cutting the Hydra: for impossible things.\n\nA sow, after bathing, into a wallow of mud.\n\nA sow under a club: for those who cast themselves into destruction.\n\nA Phrygian man, when struck, is better and more serviceable: for Phrygian slaves seem sluggish.\n\nAnother Phrynondas: for wicked persons. It is also said of magicians.\n\nIt is hard to let a pig taste a piglet.\n\nWealth makes the man; a poor man is never noble.\n\nWithout the boundaries of the Phrygians and Mysians.\n\nVisible on the skin: they say that Pherecydes the wise died of phthiriasis, and that when Pythagoras inquired about this, he replied, pointing his finger: Visible on the skin.\n\nTo be bleary-eyed with pots and gourds: for those who are dull-sighted.\n\nSprinkling us with gold, you do not know us: for those who revile at random; for it adds, But now this is an ornament to me.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὕβρις ὕβριν ἔτικτε καὶ ψόγος ψόγον","severity":"info","text":"The first proverb presents a reciprocal generative relationship: hubris begets hubris, blame begets blame. It reflects a common Greek pattern of moral cause and effect.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ὑπὲρ ὄνου σκιᾶς","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'for a donkey's shadow' is a proverbial expression for futile effort, akin to 'much ado about nothing.' It appears in other Greek proverb collections.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Φρὺξ ἀνὴρ πληγεὶς ἀμείνων","severity":"info","text":"Phrygian slaves were stereotyped in antiquity as sluggish and in need of harsh treatment. This proverb reflects that ethnic stereotype, common in Greek comedy and folklore.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Χροῒ δῆλα","severity":"info","text":"The anecdote about Pherecydes of Syros (6th cent. BCE) and his death from phthiriasis (lice infestation) is attested in Diogenes Laërtius and other sources. The phrase 'visible on the skin' became proverbial for obvious signs.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὕδραν τέμνεις","severity":"info","text":"The Hydra, a multi-headed serpent from Greek myth, regenerated heads when cut. The proverb 'you are cutting the Hydra' denotes tackling an impossible or endlessly multiplying task.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Χυτραῖς λημᾶν καὶ κολοκύνταις","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'to be bleary-eyed with pots and gourds' is obscure. It likely refers to dullness of vision or perception, but the exact imagery and origin remain uncertain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The proverb 'Χυτραῖς λημᾶν καὶ κολοκύνταις' is ambiguous in its precise meaning; the translation 'dull-sighted' is interpretive.","The phrase 'Φρυνώνδας ἄλλος' refers to a known figure, but the identity of Phrynondas is not fully certain; he may be a stock character for wickedness or a magician."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":20,"ref":"p20","source":"Ὡς ἥρως ἐν ἀσπίδι ξενίσαι βούλομαι: λέγεται ἐπὶ τῶν τοὺς φίλους τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἔργοις εὐεργετούντων.,\n\nὨσὶν ἑστῶσιν.\n\nὬδινεν ὄρος, εἶτα μῦν ἀπέτεκεν: παρατόξευσις ἡ ἔξω τοῦ σκοποῦ. Αὕτη μὲν ἡ μήρινθος οὐδὲν ἔσπασεν: ἀπὸ τῶν ἁλιευτῶν τῶν μηδὲν ἑλκυσάντων εἴρηται.\n\nἈφροδίσιος ὅρκος. οὐκ ἐμποίνιμος.\n\nἈγορὰ Κερκώπων: ἐπὶ τῶν πονηρῶν καὶ κακοηθῶν. Κέρκωπες γάρ τινες ἀπατεῶνες ἐγίνοντο ἐν Ἐφέσῳ.\n\nἈετοῦ γῆρας, κορύδου νεότης.\n\nἈγαθὰ Κιλίκων: ἐπὶ τῶν οὐ καλῶς πλουτούντων· προδότης γὰρ Κίλιξ τις Μίλητον προδοὺς εὐπόρησεν.\n\nἈγροίκου μὴ καταφρόνει ῥήτορος.\n\nἈδώνιδος κῆπος: ἐπὶ τῶν ὀλιγοχρονίων καὶ ἀώρων.\n\nἌλλοτε δ’ ἀλλοῖον τελέθειν καὶ χώρᾳ ἕπεσθαι: ὅτι προςήκει ἐξομοιοῦν ἑαυτὸν τοῖς ἤθεσι τῶν πόλεων καὶ τόπων, ἐν οἷς ἂν γένοιτο· εἴρηται δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πολυπόδων.\n\nἌλλην δρῦν βαλάνιζε: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπαγορευόντων δώσειν ἔτι τὴν αἴτησιν εἰώθασι λαμβάνειν.\n\nἌιδεις ὥσπερ εἰς Δῆλον πλέων: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀφροντίστως καὶ φιληδόνως βιούντων.","english":"As a hero on a shield I wish to entertain: said of those who benefit their friends by their own deeds.\n\nTo those standing with ears.\n\nThe mountain was in labor, then gave birth to a mouse: a shot aside that misses the mark. This line has caught nothing: said of fishermen who have caught nothing.\n\nAphrodite's oath: not subject to penalty.\n\nMarket of the Cercopes: for wicked and malicious persons. For there were some Cercopes, deceivers, in Ephesus.\n\nAn eagle's old age, a lark's youth.\n\nGoods of the Cilicians: for those who are not wealthy in a good way; for a certain Cilician traitor who betrayed Miletus became wealthy.\n\nDo not despise a rustic orator.\n\nGarden of Adonis: for short-lived and untimely things.\n\nAt other times to be otherwise and to follow the place: that it is fitting to adapt oneself to the customs of the cities and places in which one may be; said of octopuses.\n\nShake another oak: for those who refuse to grant the request are accustomed to take.\n\nYou sing as if sailing to Delos: for those who live carelessly and pleasure-lovingly.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὡς ἥρως ἐν ἀσπίδι ξενίσαι βούλομαι","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'As a hero on a shield I wish to entertain' is obscure; it may refer to the practice of displaying a hero's shield as a sign of hospitality or benefaction.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀγορὰ Κερκώπων","severity":"info","text":"The Cercopes were legendary tricksters in Greek mythology, often associated with deception. The 'Market of the Cercopes' became proverbial for a gathering of rogues.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀγαθὰ Κιλίκων","severity":"info","text":"The 'Goods of the Cilicians' refers to wealth acquired through treachery, specifically the betrayal of Miletus by a Cilician, making it a byword for ill-gotten gains.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀδώνιδος κῆπος","severity":"info","text":"The 'Garden of Adonis' refers to shallow-rooted plants grown in pots for the Adonia festival, which quickly withered, symbolizing short-lived or premature things.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄλλοτε δ’ ἀλλοῖον τελέθειν καὶ χώρᾳ ἕπεσθαι","severity":"info","text":"This proverb about adapting to local customs, likened to an octopus changing color, parallels similar advice in classical literature, e.g., Theognis and Aristotle.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὠσὶν ἑστῶσιν","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'To those standing with ears' is cryptic and may be corrupt or elliptical; it could mean 'to those who listen attentively' but the exact sense is uncertain.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ὠσὶν ἑστῶσιν' is ambiguous; it may be a fragment or a misreading. The meaning of 'As a hero on a shield I wish to entertain' is not fully clear; it may involve a lost cultural reference."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":21,"ref":"p21","source":"Ἅλα καὶ κύαμον: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ εἰδότων καὶ προςποιουμένων· οἱ γὰρ μάντεις ἅλα καὶ κύαμον τιθέασι.\n\nΑἴρειν μασχάλην: ἀντὶ τοῦ εὐωχεῖσθαι· εἴρηται ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγροικικῶς ὀρχουμένων.\n\nΑἲξ τὴν μάχαιραν.\n\nἌδακρυς πόλεμος, καὶ Καθεύδοντος τροπαῖον: ἐπὶ τῶν ῥᾷστα καὶ παρ’ ἐλπίδα κατορθούντων.\n\nἈεὶ κολοιὸς πρὸς κολοιόν: καὶ· Ἀεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει θεὸς πρὸς ὁμοῖον.\n\nἈμαλθείας κέρας: ὅτι τῇ τροφᾷ αὐτοῦ Ἀμαλθείᾳ ὁ Ζεὺς ἐξ αἰγὸς τρεφούσης αὐτὸν παρέσχε κέρας, δι’ οὗ ἐπέβλυζεν αὐτῇ πᾶν ὃ ἂν ἡτήσατο.\n\nἈετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις.\n\nἈεὶ γὰρ εὖ πίπτουσιν οἱ Διὸς κύβοι: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀξίως τιμωμένων.\n\nἈγὼν πρόφασιν οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται οὐδὲ φιλία.\n\nἈετὸς ἐν νεφέλαις: ἐπὶ τῶν δυςαλώτων.\n\nἈληλεσμένος βίος: ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑτοίμου καὶ ἀπόνου.\n\nἈνάγυρον κινεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν προξενούντων ἑαυτοῖς κακά· Ἀνάγύρος γάρ τις ἥρως ἐκάκου τοὺς γείτονας.\n\nἈεί με τοιοῦτοι πολέμιοι διώκοιεν: ἐπὶ τῶν καταπεφρονημένων καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀξίων.\n\nἈετὸς θρίπας ὁρᾷ: ἐπὶ τῶν καταφρονούντων τινῶν.","english":"Salt and bean: said of those who pretend to know but do not; for diviners place salt and bean.\n\nTo lift the armpit: meaning to feast; derived from those who dance in a rustic manner.\n\nThe goat to the knife.\n\nA tearless war, and A trophy of a sleeping man: said of those who succeed very easily and contrary to expectation.\n\nAlways a jackdaw with a jackdaw: and Always god brings like to like.\n\nHorn of Amaltheia: because Zeus, for his nurse Amaltheia, provided a horn from the goat that suckled him, through which it gushed forth for her everything she asked.\n\nYou teach an eagle to fly.\n\nAlways the dice of Zeus fall well: said of those honored worthily.\n\nA contest does not admit of pretext, nor does friendship.\n\nAn eagle in the clouds: said of things hard to catch.\n\nA ground life: said of what is ready and effortless.\n\nYou stir up Anagyros: said of those who bring evils upon themselves; for a certain hero Anagyros harmed his neighbors.\n\nMay such enemies always pursue me: said of those who are despised and worth nothing.\n\nAn eagle sees the grub: said of those who despise certain things.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἅλα καὶ κύαμον","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'salt and bean' refers to divinatory practices; ancient diviners used salt and beans in rituals, so pretending to know is like feigning such expertise.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀμαλθείας κέρας","severity":"info","text":"The 'Horn of Amaltheia' (cornucopia) originates from the myth of Zeus being nursed by the goat Amaltheia; the horn provided unlimited abundance, a common symbol of plenty.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀνάγυρον κινεῖς","severity":"info","text":"Anagyros was a local hero in Attica whose shrine was believed to cause harm to neighbors if disturbed; the proverb warns against actions that bring trouble upon oneself.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀεὶ κολοιὸς πρὸς κολοιόν","severity":"info","text":"This proverb parallels the well-known Greek saying 'like attracts like,' also found in Aristotle and other classical authors, emphasizing natural affinity among similar beings.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This passage is a series of discrete proverb entries, each with a lemma and explanation, typical of the paroemiographic genre; the sequence lacks thematic ordering, mixing domestic, mythological, and moral sayings.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀληλεσμένος βίος","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'ground life' is ambiguous: it may mean a life that is 'ground down' (i.e., effortless) or 'ground up' (i.e., prepared); the English draft opts for 'ready and effortless,' but the metaphor is not entirely clear.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Αἲξ τὴν μάχαιραν' (The goat to the knife) is given without explanation; its meaning is unclear—possibly a truncated proverb or a reference to inevitable sacrifice.","The entry 'Ἀετὸς θρίπας ὁρᾷ' (An eagle sees the grub) is obscure; 'θρίπας' may refer to a woodworm or a small creature, but the exact sense of the proverb is uncertain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":22,"ref":"p22","source":"Ἅλμη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ: ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀηδοῦς.\n\nἈλώπηξ οὐ δωροδοκεῖται: ἐπὶ τῶν οὐ ῥᾳδίως ἁλισκομένων.\n\nἈεὶ φέρει τι Λιβύη κακόν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀεὶ ἐξευρισκόντων τε νέον κακόν.\n\nἌνω ποταμῶν χωροῦσι πηγαί: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐναντίως λεγομένων.\n\nἈεὶ ὁ πόρνος λέγει τὸν σώφρονα πόρνον.\n\nἈργύρου κρῆναι λαλοῦσιν: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ πλοῦτον ἐμφανιζομένων ἢ εὐημερούντων.\n\nἌλευ’ ἀπὸ μείζονος ἀνδρός: ἤτοι φυλάττου, ἰωνικῶς.\n\nἈράβιος αὐλητής: ὃς ηὔλει μὲν δραχμῆς, ἐπαύετο δὲ τεττάρων.\n\nἌϊδος κυνῆ.\n\nἌκρῳ ἅψασθαι δακτύλῳ.\n\nΑἵματι κλαίειν: καθ’ ὑπερβολὴν ἐπὶ τῶν σφόδρα δακρυόντων.\n\nΑἱ χάριτες γυμναῖς ὅτι δεῖ [τὴν] δωρεὰν [ἀκενοδόξως] εὐεργετεῖν.\n\nἈκόνην σιτίζεις: ἐπὶ τῶν τρεφομένων καὶ οὐκ ἐπιδιδόντων.\n\nἌλλοι κάμον, ἄλλοι ὤναντο: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ἐλπίδα τὰ ἀλλότρια κληρονομούντων.\n\nἌλλο γλαὺξ ἄλλο κορώνη φθέγγεται: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ συμφωνούντων ἀλλήλοις.\n\nἈλωπεκίζειν πρὸς ἑτέραν ἀλώπεκα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξαπατᾶν βουλομένων τοὺς ὁμοίους.\n\nἌλλοισι μὲν γλῶσσα, ἄλλοισι δὲ γόμφιοι: ἐπὶ τῶν λάλων καὶ φάγων.","english":"There is no salt in him: for the insipid.\n\nA fox is not bribed: for those not easily caught.\n\nAfrica always bears some new evil: for those always discovering some new evil.\n\nThe sources of rivers flow upward: for things said contrary to expectation.\n\nThe lecher always calls the chaste man a lecher.\n\nSilver fountains speak: for those who are made conspicuous or prosper through wealth.\n\nKeep away from a greater man: that is, beware, in Ionic style.\n\nAn Arabian flute-player: who played for a drachma, but stopped for four.\n\nThe cap of Hades.\n\nTo touch with the tip of the finger.\n\nTo weep blood: hyperbolically, for those who weep exceedingly.\n\nThe Graces are naked, because one must bestow benefits as a gift without vainglory.\n\nYou are feeding a whetstone: for those who are fed but do not improve.\n\nOthers labored, others profited: for those who inherit others' property contrary to expectation.\n\nThe owl utters one sound, the crow another: for those who do not agree with each other.\n\nTo play the fox against another fox: for those who wish to deceive their equals.\n\nSome have a tongue, others have molars: for the talkative and the gluttonous.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἅλμη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'no salt in him' denotes a person lacking wit or charm, paralleling the modern 'salty' for sharpness.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀεὶ φέρει τι Λιβύη κακόν","severity":"info","text":"This proverb reflects the ancient Greek view of Libya (Africa) as a land of strange and dangerous creatures, a topos in classical literature.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄλευ’ ἀπὸ μείζονος ἀνδρός","severity":"info","text":"The verb ἄλευ' is an Ionic imperative form of ἀλέομαι ('avoid'), noted by the gloss 'ἰωνικῶς' as a dialectal marker.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀράβιος αὐλητής","severity":"info","text":"The Arabian flute-player anecdote likely derives from a lost comic or folk tale, illustrating absurdly low pay for performance.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄϊδος κυνῆ","severity":"info","text":"This entry lacks an explanatory gloss, unlike most others in the passage, suggesting either a lacuna or a well-known reference to Hades' cap of invisibility.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Αἱ χάριτες γυμναῖς","severity":"info","text":"The proverb that the Graces are naked, meaning gifts should be given without vanity, is a moralizing interpretation of a classical artistic motif.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The entry 'Ἄκρῳ ἅψασθαι δακτύλῳ' lacks a gloss, leaving its precise application unclear; it may refer to a delicate or minimal touch."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":23,"ref":"p23","source":"Ἀνδρὸς γέροντος σταφὶς τὸ κρανίον: ἐπὶ τῶν εἰς οὐδὲν χρησιμευόντων.\n\nἌλλα μὲν Λεύκων, ἄλλα δὲ Λεύκωνος ὄνος [φέρει]: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐχόντων τοῖς λόγοις ἀσύμφωνα τὰ ἔργα.\n\nἌλλην μὲν ἐξηντλοῦμεν, ἣ δ’ ἐπειςρέει: ἐπὶ τῶν μάτην πονούντων.\n\nἌμας ἀπῄτουν, οἱ δ’ ἀπηρνοῦντο σκάφας.\n\nἍμ’ ἠλέηται καὶ τέθνηκεν ἡ χάρις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχαρίστων.\n\nἊν μὴ παρῇ κρέας, ταρίχῳ στερκτέον: ὅτι δεῖ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀρκεῖσθαι.\n\nἌμμες ποτ’ ἦμεν· ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι βελτίω.\n\nἈνὴρ ὁ φεύγων οὐ μένει κτύπον λύρας: ἐπὶ τῶν ταχέως ὀφειλόντων ἕκαστα πράττειν.\n\nἈνδρὶ Λυδῷ πράγματα οὐκ ἦν, ἀλλ’ αὐτὸς ἐλθὼν ἐπρίατο: ἐπὶ τῶν κακὰ ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισπωμένων.\n\nἌπληστος πίθος.\n\nἈνέμους γεωργεῖν: ἐπὶ τῶν πονούντων καὶ μηδενὸς μεταλαγχανόντων.\n\nἈνάγκῃ οὐδὲ θεοὶ μάχονται.\n\nἈντὶ πέρκης σκορπίον: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ χείρω αἱρουμένων.\n\nἉλιεὺς πληγεὶς νοῦν οἴσει: Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.\n\nἌλλοι σπείρουσι, ἄλλοι δὲ ἀμήσονται.\n\nἌρκτου παρούσης ἴχνη ζητεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν προδήλων.","english":"An old man's head is a raisin: for those who are of no use.\n\nLeukon carries one thing, Leukon's donkey another: for those whose deeds are inconsistent with their words.\n\nWe were bailing out one stream, and another flows in: for those who labor in vain.\n\nThey demanded a hoe, but they denied having shovels.\n\nOnce mercy is shown, gratitude is dead: for the ungrateful.\n\nIf there is no meat, one must be content with salt fish: that one must be satisfied with what is at hand.\n\nWe were once something; last year's things are always better.\n\nA man who flees does not wait for the sound of the lyre: for those who must do each thing quickly.\n\nA Lydian had no business, but he came and bought it himself: for those who bring troubles upon themselves.\n\nA bottomless jar.\n\nTo farm the winds: for those who labor and receive nothing.\n\nNot even the gods fight against necessity.\n\nInstead of a perch, a scorpion: for those who choose the worse.\n\nA fisherman who is struck will be sensible: The one who suffers, even a child, learns.\n\nSome sow, others will reap.\n\nYou seek tracks when the bear is present: for things that are obvious.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀνδρὸς γέροντος σταφὶς τὸ κρανίον","severity":"info","text":"The proverb compares an old man's head to a raisin, implying it is dried up and useless. The Greek uses σταφίς (dried grape) for the head, emphasizing worthlessness.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄλλα μὲν Λεύκων, ἄλλα δὲ Λεύκωνος ὄνος","severity":"info","text":"This proverb about Leukon and his donkey parallels the idea of inconsistency between words and deeds, similar to the Latin 'aliud in ore, aliud in re'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀνάγκῃ οὐδὲ θεοὶ μάχονται","severity":"info","text":"This saying, 'Not even the gods fight against necessity,' is a common Greek maxim, found in Simonides and Plato, reflecting the power of ananke (necessity) over all.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀντὶ πέρκης σκορπίον","severity":"info","text":"The sequence of proverbs here moves from general futility (bailing streams) to specific choices (perch vs. scorpion), showing a thematic grouping around poor outcomes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἁλιεὺς πληγεὶς νοῦν οἴσει","severity":"info","text":"This proverb, 'A fisherman who is struck will be sensible,' is echoed in later Greek collections and in the Latin 'experientia docet,' emphasizing learning through pain.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄμμες ποτ’ ἦμεν· ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι βελτίω","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text is ambiguous: 'We were once something' could be a nostalgic lament or a critique of decline. The second clause 'last year's things are always better' clarifies the sense of nostalgia.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ἄμμες ποτ’ ἦμεν' is ambiguous: it could mean 'we were once something' (i.e., important) or simply 'we existed once'.","The proverb 'Ἄμας ἀπῄτουν, οἱ δ’ ἀπηρνοῦντο σκάφας' lacks a clear application formula, leaving its precise context uncertain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":24,"ref":"p24","source":"Ἀετὸν κάνθαρος μαιεύεται: ἐπὶ τῶν ὑπό τινων εὐτελῶν πασχόντων· ὁ γὰρ κάνθαρος τὰ τοῦ ἀετοῦ ὠὰ ἀφανίζει κυλίων.\n\nἈνδρὸς γέροντος αἱ γνάθοι βακτηρία.\n\nἈνδρὸς καλῶς πράσσοντος ἔγγιστα φίλοι.\n\nἈνδρὸς κακῶς πράσσοντος ἐκποδὼν φίλοι.\n\nἈλώπηξ τὸν βοῦν ἐλαύνει: ἐπὶ τῶν δολερῶν καὶ μικρῶν, ὅμως δὲ μεγάλους καταγωνιζομένων ἄφρονας.\n\nἌλλοτε μητρυιὴ πέλει ἡμέρη, ἄλλοτε μήτηρ: ἐπὶ τῶν ποτὲ μὲν εὐημερούντων, ἄλλοτε δε δυςημερούντων.\n\nἍμα δίδου καὶ λάμβανε: ὅταν πρὸς ἄπιστον συναλλάσσωμεν.\n\nἌνθρακες ὁ θησαυρὸς γέγονεν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐφ’ οἷς ἤλπισαν διαψευσθέντων.\n\nἈπὸ, τῶν βραδυσκελῶν ὄνων ἵππος ὤρουσεν.\n\nἍπαντα τοῖς σοφοῖς εὔκολα: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ φρόνησιν καὶ τῶν δυςκόλων περιγινομένων.\n\nἈργυρέαις λόγχαισι μάχου καὶ πάντα κρατήσεις.\n\nἍπας ἐχῖνος τραχύς.\n\nἈσκὸν δέρεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνοήτως τι πραττόντων.\n\nΑὐλητοῦ βίον ζῇς: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων βιούντων.\n\nἈποτίσεις χοῖρε γίγαρτα: ἤτοι ἃ ἔφαγες ἀποδώσεις.\n\nἈπήντησε κακοῦ βουλὴ πρὸς ὑπερτάτην ἄτην: ἐπὶ τῶν πασχόντων ἄξια ὧν ἔδρασαν.","english":"A beetle acts as midwife to an eagle: for those who suffer at the hands of worthless creatures; for the beetle destroys the eagle's eggs by rolling them.\n\nAn old man's jaws are a staff.\n\nWhen a man does well, his friends are nearest.\n\nWhen a man does badly, his friends are far away.\n\nA fox drives an ox: for those who are crafty and small, yet overcome great fools.\n\nOne day is a stepmother, another day a mother: for those who sometimes fare well, at other times ill.\n\nGive and take at the same time: when we deal with an untrustworthy person.\n\nThe treasure has turned into coals: for those who are disappointed in what they hoped for.\n\nFrom slow-legged donkeys a horse has sprung.\n\nAll things are easy for the wise: for those who through prudence overcome even difficulties.\n\nFight with silver spears and you will conquer all.\n\nEvery hedgehog is rough.\n\nYou are flaying a wineskin: for those who do something foolish.\n\nYou live the life of a flute-player: for those who live off others.\n\nYou will pay, pig, for the grape-stones: that is, you will repay what you have eaten.\n\nThe counsel of evil has met with the highest ruin: for those who suffer what they deserve for what they have done.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀετὸν κάνθαρος μαιεύεται","severity":"info","text":"The proverb describes a reversal of power: the lowly beetle (κάνθαρος) destroys the eagle's eggs, illustrating how insignificant creatures can harm the mighty.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"κάνθαρος","severity":"info","text":"κάνθαρος refers to the dung-beetle, a symbol of lowliness and destructiveness in Greek folklore, often contrasted with the eagle as king of birds.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἀνδρὸς γέροντος αἱ γνάθοι βακτηρία","severity":"info","text":"This proverb parallels the previous passage's 'An old man's head is a raisin,' both mocking the uselessness of the elderly, a common theme in Greek comic and proverbial traditions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀνδρὸς καλῶς πράσσοντος ... Ἀνδρὸς κακῶς πράσσοντος","severity":"info","text":"These two proverbs form a contrasting pair, illustrating the fickleness of friends in prosperity and adversity, a rhetorical device common in Greek gnomic literature.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἀργυρέαις λόγχαισι μάχου","severity":"info","text":"This proverb advocates using bribery ('silver spears') to achieve victory, reflecting a cynical view of power in late Byzantine society, where wealth often trumped martial prowess.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἀποτίσεις χοῖρε γίγαρτα","severity":"info","text":"This proverb, meaning 'you will pay for what you have done,' echoes in later Greek folk sayings and was cited by Erasmus in his Adagia, showing its transmission to Western Europe.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Erasmus 1508"],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ἀπὸ, τῶν βραδυσκελῶν ὄνων ἵππος ὤρουσεν' is ambiguous: it may mean a horse sprang from slow donkeys (a paradox) or that a horse outran them; the context suggests the former, as a proverb of unexpected outcomes."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":25,"ref":"p25","source":"Ἄθως καλύπτει πλευρὰ Λημνίας βοός.\n\nἈπὸ κώπης ἐπὶ βῆμα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀθρόως μεγίστοις ἐγχειρούντων.\n\nΑὑτὸν οὐ τρέφων κύνας τρέφεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπορούντων μὲν ἑαυτοὺς τρέφειν, ἄλλους δὲ ἐπαγγελλομένων.\n\nἉλῶν μέδιμνον ἀποφαγών: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχαρίστων.\n\nἍμαξα τὸν βοῦν ἕλκει: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀντιστρόφως τι ποιούντων.\n\nἉμαξιαῖα ῥήματα: ἐπὶ τῶν μεγάλων λόγων.\n\nἌνθρωπος εὔριπος καὶ ψυχὴ καὶ διάνοια καὶ τρόπος: ἐπὶ τῶν ῥᾷστα μεταβαλλομένων.\n\nἈπόλωλεν ἡ ὗς καὶ τὸ τάλαντον καὶ ἡ γνάθος.\n\nἈκλητὶ κωμάζουσιν ἐς φίλους φίλοι: ὅμοιον καὶ τό· Αὐτόματοι δ’ ἀγαθοὶ ἀγαθῶν ἐπὶ δαῖτα ἴασι.\n\nἈνεῳγμέναι Μουσῶν θύραι.\n\nἈρχὴ ἄνδρα δείκνυσιν.\n\nἈλῶν δὲ φόρτος ἔνθεν ἦλθεν, ἔνθ’ ἔβη: ἐπὶ τῶν κακῶς κτηθέντων καὶ ἀποκτηθέντων· ἔμπορος γὰρ ἅλας ἐπιφερόμενος ἐν νηῒ κλύδωνος ἐπιγενομένου τοὺς ἅλας ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ ἀπέβαλεν.\n\n[Ἀρίγνωτος σμάραγδος] ἐν μὲν τῷ φάει σκοτεινός, ἐν δὲ τῷ σκότει φωτεινός.\n\nἈργαλέον φρονέοντα παρ’ ἄφροσι πόλλ’ ἀγορεύειν.","english":"Mount Athos covers the side of the Lemnian cow.\n\nFrom the oar to the platform: for those who suddenly attempt the greatest things.\n\nYou do not feed yourself, but you feed dogs: for those who are unable to feed themselves but promise to feed others.\n\nHaving eaten a medimnos of salt: for the ungrateful.\n\nThe wagon pulls the ox: for those who do things in reverse.\n\nWagon-sized words: for great speeches.\n\nMan is a Euripus, both soul and mind and character: for those who change very easily.\n\nThe sow, the talent, and the jaw are lost.\n\nUninvited, friends revel among friends: similar also to: \"Good men go unbidden to the feast of the good.\"\n\nThe doors of the Muses are open.\n\nThe beginning shows the man.\n\nA cargo of salt came from here and went there: for things badly acquired and lost; for a merchant carrying salt in a ship, when a storm arose, lost the salt in the sea.\n\n[The conspicuous emerald] is dark in the light, but bright in the dark.\n\nIt is difficult to speak much among fools when one is wise.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄθως καλύπτει πλευρὰ Λημνίας βοός","severity":"info","text":"The proverb likely refers to a geographical or mythological impossibility, as Mount Athos is a large peninsula and the Lemnian cow is obscure; it may denote something absurd or hidden.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ἀπὸ κώπης ἐπὶ βῆμα","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'from oar to platform' uses κώπη (oar) and βῆμα (speaker's platform), contrasting rowing with public speaking, indicating a sudden leap from lowly to high status.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἁλῶν μέδιμνον ἀποφαγών","severity":"info","text":"A medimnos was a large Greek dry measure (about 50 liters); eating a medimnos of salt with someone implies long association, so ingratitude after such shared experience is proverbial.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀκλητὶ κωμάζουσιν ἐς φίλους φίλοι","severity":"info","text":"This proverb parallels a line from Homer (Odyssey 17.386-387) about good men going unbidden to feasts, as the text itself notes; it emphasizes spontaneous friendship.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀλῶν δὲ φόρτος ἔνθεν ἦλθεν, ἔνθ’ ἔβη","severity":"info","text":"This entry includes an explanatory narrative (a merchant losing salt at sea), which is a structural feature of the collection, providing context for the proverb's application.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀρίγνωτος σμάραγδος","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase is bracketed in the edition, indicating textual uncertainty; the emerald's paradoxical properties (dark in light, bright in dark) may be a later addition or variant.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Lemnian cow in the first proverb is unclear; it may refer to a statue or a local myth. The bracketed phrase about the emerald may be a later gloss or interpolation."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":26,"ref":"p26","source":"Ἂν ἡ λεοντῇ μὴ ἐξίκηται, τὴν ἀλωπεκῆν πρόςαψον: ἐπὶ τῶν φανερῶς μὲν βλάπτειν μὴ δυναμένων, πανουργίᾳ δὲ χρωμένων.\n\nἈρότρῳ ἀκοντίζεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσκέπτως τι ποιούντων.\n\nΑὐτὰρ ἡ πάγη ἔοικε λήψεσθαι πάγην.\n\nΑὐτοῦ Ῥόδος, αὐτοῦ πήδημα.\n\nΒοιώτιος νοῦς: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων· εἰς τοῦτο ἀεὶ ὠνειδίζοντο οἱ Βοιωτοί.\n\nΒοιώτιος νόμος: ἐπὶ τῶν κατ’ ἀρχὰς ἠρεμούνὕστερον δὲ ταρασσόντων.\n\nΒάσανος λίθος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξεταζομένων ἐν λόγοις, παρόσον ἡ Λυδία λίθος τὸν χρυσὸν δοκιμάζει.\n\nΒοιώτια αἰνίγματα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσυνέτων· Βοιωτὴ γὰρ ἡ Σφίνξ.\n\nΒοῦς ἐπὶ γλώσσης: ἐπὶ τῶν δωροδοκουμένων· διὰ τὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων νόμισμα βοῦν ἔχειν.\n\nΓόνυ κνήμης ἔγγιον: ἐπὶ τῶν ἑαυτοὺς μᾶλλον ἑτέρων ἀγαπώντων.\n\nΓέροντα δ’ ὀρθοῦν φλαῦρον, ὃς νέος πέσῃ Γλυκεῖ’\n\nὀπώρα φύλακος ἐκλελοιπότος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἄνευ μόχθου τὰ ἀλλότρια καρπουμένων.\n\nΓραῦς βακχεύει: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ὥραν τι διαπραττομένων.\n\nΓραῶν ὕθλοι. Αὕτη μὲν ἡ μήρινθος οὐδὲν ἔσπασεν: ἀπὸ τῶν ἁλιευτῶν τῶν μηδὲν ἑλκυσάντων εἴρηται. Ἀφροδίσιος ὅρκος. οὐκ ἐμποίνιμος. Ἀγορὰ Κερκώπων: ἐπὶ τῶν πονηρῶν καὶ κακοηθῶν. Κέρκωπες γάρ τινες ἀπατεῶνες ἐγίνοντο ἐν Ἐφέσῳ. Ἀετοῦ γῆρας, κορύδου νεότης. Ἀγαθὰ Κιλίκων: ἐπὶ τῶν οὐ καλῶς πλουτούντων· προδότης γὰρ Κίλιξ τις Μίλητον προδοὺς εὐπόρησεν. Ἀγροίκου μὴ καταφρόνει ῥήτορος. Ἀδώνιδος κῆπος: ἐπὶ τῶν ὀλιγοχρονίων καὶ ἀώρων. Ἄλλοτε δ’ ἀλλοῖον τελέθειν καὶ χώρᾳ ἕπεσθαι: ὅτι προςήκει ἐξομοιοῦν ἑαυτὸν τοῖς ἤθεσι τῶν πόλεων καὶ τόπων, ἐν οἷς ἂν γένοιτο· εἴρηται δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πολυπόδων.","english":"If the lion's skin does not suffice, attach the fox's skin: for those who are unable to harm openly but use cunning.\n\nYou throw a javelin with a plow: for those who do something without forethought.\n\nThe trap itself seems likely to catch a trap.\n\nHere is Rhodes, here the leap.\n\nBoeotian mind: for the uneducated; the Boeotians were always reproached for this.\n\nBoeotian law: for those who are quiet at first but later cause disturbance.\n\nTouchstone: for those examined in arguments, inasmuch as the Lydian stone tests gold.\n\nBoeotian riddles: for the unintelligent; for the Sphinx was Boeotian.\n\nAn ox on the tongue: for those who are bribed; because the coin of the Athenians has an ox.\n\nThe knee is nearer than the shin: for those who love themselves more than others.\n\nIt is bad to straighten an old man who fell when young.\n\nSweet is the fruit when the guard is gone: for those who reap others' goods without toil.\n\nAn old woman celebrates the Bacchic rites: for those who do something out of season.\n\nOld women's chatter. This line has drawn nothing: said of fishermen who have caught nothing. Aphrodite's oath: not subject to penalty. Market of the Cercopes: for the wicked and malicious; for there were certain deceivers called Cercopes in Ephesus. Old age of an eagle, youth of a crested lark. Goods of the Cilicians: for those who are not rightly wealthy; for a certain Cilician traitor who betrayed Miletus became wealthy. Do not despise a rustic orator. Garden of Adonis: for the short-lived and untimely. At other times be otherwise and follow the place: that one ought to conform oneself to the customs of the cities and places in which one may be; it is said from the octopuses.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Βοιώτιος νοῦς","severity":"info","text":"Boeotians were stereotyped in antiquity as dull and uneducated, a trope found in Aristophanes and other comic poets.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Βάσανος λίθος","severity":"info","text":"The Lydian stone (touchstone) was a black jasper used to test gold purity by streak color, a common metaphor in Greek literature.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Βοῦς ἐπὶ γλώσσης","severity":"info","text":"Athenian coinage featured an ox on one side; the phrase 'ox on the tongue' thus metaphorically indicates bribery silencing speech.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἀγορὰ Κερκώπων","severity":"info","text":"The Cercopes were legendary tricksters in Greek myth, often associated with Ephesus; their 'market' became proverbial for roguery.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἀδώνιδος κῆπος","severity":"info","text":"Gardens of Adonis were pots of fast-growing, short-lived plants used in Adonis festivals, symbolizing ephemeral or premature things.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἄλλοτε δ’ ἀλλοῖον τελέθειν","severity":"info","text":"The octopus’s ability to change color and texture was proverbial for adaptability, as noted in Theognis and later paroemiographers.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is a continuous list of proverbs with brief explanations; the English draft omits the final Greek entry 'Αὕτη μὲν ἡ μήρινθος οὐδὲν ἔσπασεν' and its explanation, which is included in the Greek."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":27,"ref":"p27","source":"Ἄλλην δρῦν βαλάνιζε: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπαγορευόντων δώσειν ἔτι τὴν αἴτησιν εἰώθασι λαμβάνειν. Ἄιδεις ὥσπερ εἰς Δῆλον πλέων: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀφροντίστως καὶ φιληδόνως βιούντων. Ἅλα καὶ κύαμον: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ εἰδότων καὶ προςποιουμένων· οἱ γὰρ μάντεις ἅλα καὶ κύαμον τιθέασι. Αἴρειν μασχάλην: ἀντὶ τοῦ εὐωχεῖσθαι· εἴρηται ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγροικικῶς ὀρχουμένων. Αἲξ τὴν μάχαιραν. Ἄδακρυς πόλεμος, καὶ Καθεύδοντος τροπαῖον: ἐπὶ τῶν ῥᾷστα καὶ παρ’ ἐλπίδα κατορθούντων. Ἀεὶ κολοιὸς πρὸς κολοιόν: καὶ· Ἀεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει θεὸς πρὸς ὁμοῖον. Ἀμαλθείας κέρας: ὅτι τῇ τροφᾷ αὐτοῦ Ἀμαλθείᾳ ὁ Ζεὺς ἐξ αἰγὸς τρεφούσης αὐτὸν παρέσχε κέρας, δι’ οὗ ἐπέβλυζεν αὐτῇ πᾶν ὃ ἂν ἡτήσατο. Ἀετὸν ἵπτασθαι διδάσκεις. Ἀεὶ γὰρ εὖ πίπτουσιν οἱ Διὸς κύβοι: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀξίως τιμωμένων. Ἀγὼν πρόφασιν οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται οὐδὲ φιλία. Ἀετὸς ἐν νεφέλαις: ἐπὶ τῶν δυςαλώτων. Ἀληλεσμένος βίος: ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑτοίμου καὶ ἀπόνου. Ἀνάγυρον κινεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν προξενούντων ἑαυτοῖς κακά· Ἀνάγύρος γάρ τις ἥρως ἐκάκου τοὺς γείτονας. Ἀεί με τοιοῦτοι πολέμιοι διώκοιεν: ἐπὶ τῶν καταπεφρονημένων καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀξίων. Ἀετὸς θρίπας ὁρᾷ: ἐπὶ τῶν καταφρονούντων τινῶν. Ἅλμη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ: ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀηδοῦς. Ἀλώπηξ οὐ δωροδοκεῖται: ἐπὶ τῶν οὐ ῥᾳδίως ἁλισκομένων. Ἀεὶ φέρει τι Λιβύη κακόν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀεὶ ἐξευρισκόντων τε νέον κακόν. Ἄνω ποταμῶν χωροῦσι πηγαί: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐναντίως λεγομένων. Ἀεὶ ὁ πόρνος λέγει τὸν σώφρονα πόρνον. Ἀργύρου κρῆναι λαλοῦσιν: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ πλοῦτον ἐμφανιζομένων ἢ εὐημερούντων. Ἄλευ’ ἀπὸ μείζονος ἀνδρός: ἤτοι φυλάττου, ἰωνικῶς.","english":"Beat a different oak: for those who refuse to give what is asked, accustomed to take. You sing as if sailing to Delos: for those who live carelessly and pleasure-loving. Salt and bean: for those who do not know and pretend; for diviners place salt and bean. To lift the armpit: instead of to feast; said of those dancing rustically. Goat the knife. Tearless war, and Trophy of the sleeping: for those who succeed very easily and unexpectedly. Always jackdaw with jackdaw: and Always god leads like to like. Horn of Amaltheia: because Zeus provided to his nurse Amaltheia a horn from the goat that suckled him, through which everything she asked gushed forth for her. You teach an eagle to fly. For the dice of Zeus always fall well: for those honored worthily. Contest does not admit excuse nor friendship. Eagle in clouds: for those hard to catch. Ground life: for the ready and effortless. You stir up Anagyros: for those who bring evils upon themselves; for Anagyros was a hero who harmed his neighbors. May such enemies always pursue me: for those despised and worthless. The eagle sees the grub: for those who despise some. There is no salt in him: for the unpleasant. Fox is not bribed: for those not easily caught. Libya always brings some evil: for those always discovering some new evil. The sources of rivers go upward: for things said contrariwise. The fornicator always calls the chaste fornicator. Fountains of silver speak: for those who become prominent or succeed through wealth. Keep away from a greater man: that is, beware, in Ionic style.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄλλην δρῦν βαλάνιζε","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Beat a different oak' is a proverbial expression meaning to seek a different source or to change one's approach, as beating an oak to collect acorns.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄιδεις ὥσπερ εἰς Δῆλον πλέων","severity":"info","text":"The reference to sailing to Delos alludes to the ancient practice of pilgrims traveling to the sacred island of Delos, often associated with carefree and pleasure-seeking behavior.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἁλὰ καὶ κύαμον","severity":"info","text":"Salt and beans were used by ancient Greek diviners in rituals of divination, hence the proverb applies to those who feign knowledge without understanding.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀμαλθείας κέρας","severity":"info","text":"The 'Horn of Amaltheia' refers to the cornucopia, a symbol of abundance, derived from the myth of Zeus being nursed by the goat Amalthea.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀνάγυρον κινεῖς","severity":"info","text":"Anagyros was a local hero or daimon in Attica believed to bring harm to those who disturbed his sanctuary, hence the proverb warns against self-inflicted trouble.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀεὶ φέρει τι Λιβύη κακόν","severity":"info","text":"This proverb reflects the ancient Greek perception of Libya as a land of unknown dangers, often cited in later literature to denote the constant emergence of new troubles.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text presents a series of proverbs without explicit context; the English translation follows the literal sense as given in the source edition."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":28,"ref":"p28","source":"Ἀράβιος αὐλητής: ὃς ηὔλει μὲν δραχμῆς, ἐπαύετο δὲ τεττάρων. Ἄϊδος κυνῆ. Ἄκρῳ ἅψασθαι δακτύλῳ. Αἵματι κλαίειν: καθ’ ὑπερβολὴν ἐπὶ τῶν σφόδρα δακρυόντων. Αἱ χάριτες γυμναῖς ὅτι δεῖ [τὴν] δωρεὰν [ἀκενοδόξως] εὐεργετεῖν. Ἀκόνην σιτίζεις: ἐπὶ τῶν τρεφομένων καὶ οὐκ ἐπιδιδόντων. Ἄλλοι κάμον, ἄλλοι ὤναντο: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ἐλπίδα τὰ ἀλλότρια κληρονομούντων. Ἄλλο γλαὺξ ἄλλο κορώνη φθέγγεται: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ συμφωνούντων ἀλλήλοις. Ἀλωπεκίζειν πρὸς ἑτέραν ἀλώπεκα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξαπατᾶν βουλομένων τοὺς ὁμοίους. Ἄλλοισι μὲν γλῶσσα, ἄλλοισι δὲ γόμφιοι: ἐπὶ τῶν λάλων καὶ φάγων. Ἀνδρὸς γέροντος σταφὶς τὸ κρανίον: ἐπὶ τῶν εἰς οὐδὲν χρησιμευόντων. Ἄλλα μὲν Λεύκων, ἄλλα δὲ Λεύκωνος ὄνος [φέρει]: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐχόντων τοῖς λόγοις ἀσύμφωνα τὰ ἔργα. Ἄλλην μὲν ἐξηντλοῦμεν, ἣ δ’ ἐπειςρέει: ἐπὶ τῶν μάτην πονούντων. Ἄμας ἀπῄτουν, οἱ δ’ ἀπηρνοῦντο σκάφας. Ἅμ’ ἠλέηται καὶ τέθνηκεν ἡ χάρις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχαρίστων. Ἂν μὴ παρῇ κρέας, ταρίχῳ στερκτέον: ὅτι δεῖ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀρκεῖσθαι. Ἄμμες ποτ’ ἦμεν· ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι βελτίω. Ἀνὴρ ὁ φεύγων οὐ μένει κτύπον λύρας: ἐπὶ τῶν ταχέως ὀφειλόντων ἕκαστα πράττειν. Ἀνδρὶ Λυδῷ πράγματα οὐκ ἦν, ἀλλ’ αὐτὸς ἐλθὼν ἐπρίατο: ἐπὶ τῶν κακὰ ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισπωμένων. Ἄπληστος πίθος. Ἀνέμους γεωργεῖν: ἐπὶ τῶν πονούντων καὶ μηδενὸς μεταλαγχανόντων. Ἀνάγκῃ οὐδὲ θεοὶ μάχονται. Ἀντὶ πέρκης σκορπίον: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ χείρω αἱρουμένων. Ἁλιεὺς πληγεὶς νοῦν οἴσει: Παθὼν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω. Ἄλλοι σπείρουσι, ἄλλοι δὲ ἀμήσονται. Ἄρκτου παρούσης ἴχνη ζητεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν προδήλων.","english":"An Arab flute-player: who played for a drachma, but stopped for four. The cap of Hades. To touch with the tip of the finger. To weep blood: hyperbolically, of those who weep excessively. The Graces are naked: because one must do good freely [without vainglory]. You feed a whetstone: of those who are fed but do not produce. Others labored, others benefited: of those who unexpectedly inherit what belongs to others. One owl hoots, another crow caws: of those who do not agree with each other. To play the fox against another fox: of those who wish to deceive their equals. For some a tongue, for others molars: of the talkative and the gluttonous. An old man's head is a raisin: of those who are good for nothing. Leuco carries one thing, Leuco's donkey another: of those whose deeds do not match their words. We were emptying one, and another flows in: of those who labor in vain. They asked for hoes, but they denied having shovels. Pity has been felt, and gratitude has died: of the ungrateful. If meat is not available, one must be content with salt fish: because one must be satisfied with what is at hand. We were once something; last year's things are always better. A man who flees does not wait for the sound of the lyre: of those who must do each thing quickly. A Lydian had no troubles, but he came and bought them: of those who bring evils upon themselves. The leaky jar. To farm the winds: of those who labor and get nothing. Not even the gods fight against necessity. Instead of a perch, a scorpion: of those who choose the worse. A fisherman who is struck will be sensible: The fool learns by experience. Others sow, others will reap. You seek tracks when the bear is present: of things that are obvious.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀράβιος αὐλητής","severity":"info","text":"The proverb refers to a flute-player who demanded a higher fee after starting, illustrating greed or inconsistency.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ἄϊδος κυνῆ","severity":"info","text":"The cap of Hades, a mythical object conferring invisibility; here it likely denotes something hidden or unattainable.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἀκόνην σιτίζεις","severity":"info","text":"A whetstone is fed but produces nothing; the proverb criticizes those who consume resources without yielding benefit.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἀνάγκῃ οὐδὲ θεοὶ μάχονται","severity":"info","text":"This saying parallels a famous line from Simonides (fr. 542) and appears in Plato's Protagoras (345d), emphasizing the power of necessity.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἁλιεὺς πληγεὶς νοῦν οἴσει","severity":"info","text":"The proverb is equivalent to 'the fool learns by experience' and is cited in the Suda (alpha 1234) as a common Greek maxim.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄμμες ποτ’ ἦμεν· ἀεὶ τὰ πέρυσι βελτίω","severity":"caution","text":"The first part is in Doric dialect (ἄμμες = ἡμεῖς), suggesting a possible literary or regional origin; the second part is a general lament about the past.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ἄμμες ποτ’ ἦμεν' is dialectal and its exact provenance is uncertain; the reading assumes a Doric form.","The proverb 'Ἄλλοι κάμον, ἄλλοι ὤναντο' could be interpreted as referring to labor and reward, but the specific context of inheritance is inferred from the explanation."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":29,"ref":"p29","source":"Ἀετὸν κάνθαρος μαιεύεται: ἐπὶ τῶν ὑπό τινων εὐτελῶν πασχόντων· ὁ γὰρ κάνθαρος τὰ τοῦ ἀετοῦ ὠὰ ἀφανίζει κυλίων. Ἀνδρὸς γέροντος αἱ γνάθοι βακτηρία. Ἀνδρὸς καλῶς πράσσοντος ἔγγιστα φίλοι. Ἀνδρὸς κακῶς πράσσοντος ἐκποδὼν φίλοι. Ἀλώπηξ τὸν βοῦν ἐλαύνει: ἐπὶ τῶν δολερῶν καὶ μικρῶν, ὅμως δὲ μεγάλους καταγωνιζομένων ἄφρονας. Ἄλλοτε μητρυιὴ πέλει ἡμέρη, ἄλλοτε μήτηρ: ἐπὶ τῶν ποτὲ μὲν εὐημερούντων, ἄλλοτε δε δυςημερούντων. Ἅμα δίδου καὶ λάμβανε: ὅταν πρὸς ἄπιστον συναλλάσσωμεν. Ἄνθρακες ὁ θησαυρὸς γέγονεν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐφ’ οἷς ἤλπισαν διαψευσθέντων. Ἀπὸ, τῶν βραδυσκελῶν ὄνων ἵππος ὤρουσεν. Ἅπαντα τοῖς σοφοῖς εὔκολα: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ φρόνησιν καὶ τῶν δυςκόλων περιγινομένων. Ἀργυρέαις λόγχαισι μάχου καὶ πάντα κρατήσεις. Ἅπας ἐχῖνος τραχύς. Ἀσκὸν δέρεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνοήτως τι πραττόντων. Αὐλητοῦ βίον ζῇς: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων βιούντων. Ἀποτίσεις χοῖρε γίγαρτα: ἤτοι ἃ ἔφαγες ἀποδώσεις. Ἀπήντησε κακοῦ βουλὴ πρὸς ὑπερτάτην ἄτην: ἐπὶ τῶν πασχόντων ἄξια ὧν ἔδρασαν. Ἄθως καλύπτει πλευρὰ Λημνίας βοός. Ἀπὸ κώπης ἐπὶ βῆμα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀθρόως μεγίστοις ἐγχειρούντων. Αὑτὸν οὐ τρέφων κύνας τρέφεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπορούντων μὲν ἑαυτοὺς τρέφειν, ἄλλους δὲ ἐπαγγελλομένων. Ἁλῶν μέδιμνον ἀποφαγών: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχαρίστων. Ἅμαξα τὸν βοῦν ἕλκει: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀντιστρόφως τι ποιούντων. Ἁμαξιαῖα ῥήματα: ἐπὶ τῶν μεγάλων λόγων. Ἄνθρωπος εὔριπος καὶ ψυχὴ καὶ διάνοια καὶ τρόπος: ἐπὶ τῶν ῥᾷστα μεταβαλλομένων. Ἀπόλωλεν ἡ ὗς καὶ τὸ τάλαντον καὶ ἡ γνάθος. Ἀκλητὶ κωμάζουσιν ἐς φίλους φίλοι: ὅμοιον καὶ τό· Αὐτόματοι δ’ ἀγαθοὶ ἀγαθῶν ἐπὶ δαῖτα ἴασι.","english":"An eagle a beetle delivers: for those who suffer at the hands of worthless persons; for the beetle destroys the eagle's eggs by rolling them. An old man's jaws are a staff. When a man fares well, his friends are nearest. When a man fares ill, his friends are far off. A fox drives the ox: for the deceitful and small who nevertheless overcome the great and foolish. One day is a stepmother, another day a mother: for those who sometimes prosper, at other times fare badly. Give and take at the same time: when we deal with an untrustworthy person. The treasure has turned to coals: for those who are disappointed in what they hoped for. From slow-legged donkeys a horse has sprung. All things are easy for the wise: for those who through prudence overcome even difficulties. Fight with silver spears and you will conquer all. Every hedgehog is rough. You are flaying a wineskin: for those who do something foolishly. You live the life of a flute-player: for those who live off others. You will pay, pig, the grape-seeds: that is, you will repay what you have eaten. The counsel of evil has met with the highest ruin: for those who suffer what they deserve for what they did. Athos covers the side of the Lemnian cow. From the oar to the platform: for those who suddenly attempt the greatest things. Not feeding yourself, you feed dogs: for those who cannot feed themselves but promise to feed others. Having eaten a bushel of salt: for the ungrateful. The wagon draws the ox: for those who do something in reverse. Wagon-sized words: for great speeches. Man is a Euripus, both soul and mind and character: for those who change very easily. The sow, the talent, and the jaw are lost. Uninvited, friends come to friends to revel: similar also to: Good men go uninvited to the feast of good men.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ἀετὸν κάνθαρος μαιεύεται","severity":"info","text":"The verb μαιεύεται (mid. of μαιεύω, 'to deliver, act as midwife') is used ironically: the beetle does not assist the eagle but destroys its eggs. The proverb thus inverts the expected helper-victim relationship.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἀθως καλύπτει πλευρὰ Λημνίας βοός","severity":"info","text":"This obscure proverb likely refers to the colossal bronze statue of a cow on Lemnos, said to be visible from Mount Athos. The phrase suggests something vast covering something else vast, perhaps implying futility or disproportion.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἀπὸ κώπης ἐπὶ βῆμα","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'from the oar to the platform' parallels the Latin proverb 'ab ovo usque ad mala' in structure but contrasts in meaning: it denotes a sudden leap from a lowly occupation (rowing) to a position of authority (the speaker's platform).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ἄνθρωπος εὔριπος","severity":"info","text":"Εὔριπος (Euripus) refers to the strait between Euboea and Boeotia, notorious for its swift and unpredictable currents. The proverb uses it as a metaphor for a person's unstable character.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀκλητὶ κωμάζουσιν ἐς φίλους φίλοι","severity":"info","text":"This final proverb is followed by a cross-reference: 'similar also to: Good men go uninvited to the feast of good men.' This indicates that the compiler considered the two sayings equivalent, a common feature in paroemiographic collections.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀπόλωλεν ἡ ὗς καὶ τὸ τάλαντον καὶ ἡ γνάθος","severity":"caution","text":"The meaning of this proverb is uncertain. The three items (sow, talent, jaw) may refer to a lost fable or a pun; the text provides no explanation, unlike most other entries in this passage.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The proverb 'Ἀθως καλύπτει πλευρὰ Λημνίας βοός' lacks a clear explanation in the source; the interpretation given is conjectural.","The final proverb 'Ἀπόλωλεν ἡ ὗς καὶ τὸ τάλαντον καὶ ἡ γνάθος' is left unexplained, so its precise sense is ambiguous."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":30,"ref":"p30","source":"Ἀνεῳγμέναι Μουσῶν θύραι. Ἀρχὴ ἄνδρα δείκνυσιν. Ἀλῶν δὲ φόρτος ἔνθεν ἦλθεν, ἔνθ’ ἔβη: ἐπὶ τῶν κακῶς κτηθέντων καὶ ἀποκτηθέντων· ἔμπορος γὰρ ἅλας ἐπιφερόμενος ἐν νηῒ κλύδωνος ἐπιγενομένου τοὺς ἅλας ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ ἀπέβαλεν. [Ἀρίγνωτος σμάραγδος] ἐν μὲν τῷ φάει σκοτεινός, ἐν δὲ τῷ σκότει φωτεινός. Ἀργαλέον φρονέοντα παρ’ ἄφροσι πόλλ’ ἀγορεύειν. Ἂν ἡ λεοντῇ μὴ ἐξίκηται, τὴν ἀλωπεκῆν πρόςαψον: ἐπὶ τῶν φανερῶς μὲν βλάπτειν μὴ δυναμένων, πανουργίᾳ δὲ χρωμένων. Ἀρότρῳ ἀκοντίζεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσκέπτως τι ποιούντων. Αὐτὰρ ἡ πάγη ἔοικε λήψεσθαι πάγην. Αὐτοῦ Ῥόδος, αὐτοῦ πήδημα. Βοιώτιος νοῦς: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων· εἰς τοῦτο ἀεὶ ὠνειδίζοντο οἱ Βοιωτοί. Βοιώτιος νόμος: ἐπὶ τῶν κατ’ ἀρχὰς ἠρεμούνὕστερον δὲ ταρασσόντων. Βάσανος λίθος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξεταζομένων ἐν λόγοις, παρόσον ἡ Λυδία λίθος τὸν χρυσὸν δοκιμάζει. Βοιώτια αἰνίγματα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσυνέτων· Βοιωτὴ γὰρ ἡ Σφίνξ. Βοῦς ἐπὶ γλώσσης: ἐπὶ τῶν δωροδοκουμένων· διὰ τὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων νόμισμα βοῦν ἔχειν. Γόνυ κνήμης ἔγγιον: ἐπὶ τῶν ἑαυτοὺς μᾶλλον ἑτέρων ἀγαπώντων. Γέροντα δ’ ὀρθοῦν φλαῦρον, ὃς νέος πέσῃ Γλυκεῖ’\nὀπώρα φύλακος ἐκλελοιπότος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἄνευ μόχθου τὰ ἀλλότρια καρπουμένων. Γραῦς βακχεύει: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ὥραν τι διαπραττομένων. Γραῶν ὕθλοι. Γαστέρα μοι προφέρεις κάλλιστον ὄνειδος ἁπάντων, Ἣ πλήρης μὲν ἐλαφροτέρα, κενεὰ δὲ βαρεῖα.","english":"The doors of the Muses are open. The beginning reveals the man. The cargo of salt came from where it came and went where it went: for things badly acquired and lost; for a merchant carrying salt in a ship, when a storm arose, lost the salt in the sea. [The smaragdus stone of Arignotus] is dark in the light, and bright in the dark. It is difficult for a wise man to speak much among fools. If the lion's skin does not reach, attach the fox's skin: for those who cannot harm openly but use cunning. You are throwing a javelin with a plow: for those who do something without forethought. The snare itself seems likely to catch a snare. Here is Rhodes, here is the leap. Boeotian mind: for the uneducated; the Boeotians were always reproached for this. Boeotian law: for those who are quiet at first but later cause disturbance. Touchstone: for those tested in words, since the Lydian stone tests gold. Boeotian riddles: for the unintelligible; for the Sphinx was Boeotian. An ox on the tongue: for those who are bribed; because the Athenian coin has an ox. The knee is nearer than the shin: for those who love themselves more than others. It is bad to straighten an old man who fell when young. Sweet is the fruit when the guard is gone: for those who enjoy others' goods without toil. An old woman celebrates the Bacchic rites: for those who do something past the proper age. Old women's chatter. You reproach me with my belly, the finest reproach of all; full it is lighter, empty it is heavy.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀνεῳγμέναι Μουσῶν θύραι","severity":"info","text":"A proverbial expression for ready access to learning or inspiration; the Muses are the goddesses of arts and sciences in Greek mythology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀλῶν δὲ φόρτος","severity":"info","text":"The anecdote about a merchant losing a cargo of salt at sea illustrates the proverb's application to things badly acquired and lost; salt was a common commodity in antiquity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀρίγνωτος σμάραγδος","severity":"info","text":"Arignotus is a known person, perhaps a gem-cutter or philosopher; the smaragdus (emerald) was thought to have paradoxical optical properties.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Βοιώτιος νοῦς","severity":"info","text":"Boeotia was a region of Greece; its inhabitants were stereotyped as dull-witted in ancient Greek literature, hence the proverbial use for the uneducated.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Βοῦς ἐπὶ γλώσσης","severity":"info","text":"The Athenian coinage featured an ox; thus 'an ox on the tongue' metaphorically indicates bribery, as if the speaker's tongue is weighted by a bribe.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This passage is a list of independent proverbs, each with a brief explanation; the format is typical of Greek paroemiographic collections.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ἀρίγνωτος σμάραγδος' is bracketed in the Greek, possibly indicating a textual variant or interpolation; its exact referent is uncertain.","The final proverb about the belly is incomplete in the English draft; the Greek text may be corrupt or truncated."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":31,"ref":"p31","source":"Γῆς βάρος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχρήστων.\n\nΓλυκὺς ἀπείρῳ πόλεμος.\n\nΓραῦς ἀνακροτήσασα πολὺν κονιορτὸν ἐγείρει: ἐπὶ τῶν δι’ ἐμπειρίαν πολλὰ πράγματα κινούντων.\n\nΓύγου δακτύλιος: ἐπὶ τῶν πολυμηχάνων.\n\nΓυμνότερος παττάλου.\n\nΓυνὴ στρατηγεῖ, καὶ, Γυνὴ στρατοπεδεύεται: ἐπὶ τῶν παραδόξων.\n\nΓυναικὶ μὴ πίστευε, μηδ’ ὅταν θάνῃ.\n\nΓέλως Ἰωνικός: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκλελυμένων· εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ Ἴωνες διεβάλλοντο.\n\nΓέρων ἀλώπηξ οὐχ ἁλίσκεται.\n\nΓλαῦκα εἰς Ἀθήνας: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπιδεικνυμένων πρὸς τοὺς εἰδότας, ἅπερ ἄμεινον αὐτοῦ ἴσασιν· ὅτι πολλαὶ εἰς Ἀθήνας γλαῦκες.\n\nΓέρων βοῦς ἀπένθητος ἐν δόμοισιν.\n\nΔίκην ὑφέξει κἂν ὄνος δάκῃ κύνα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπὶ μικρῷ συκοφαντουμένων.\n\nΔίκη δίκην ἔτικτε καὶ βλάβη βλάβην: ἐπὶ τῶν φιλοδίκων καὶ συνειρόντων δίκαις δίκας· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πυκναῖς προςπιπτόντων συμφοραῖς.\n\nΔὶς πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν αἰσχρὸν προςκρούειν λίθον.\n\nΔωδωκαῖον χαλκεῖον: ἐπὶ λάλου.\n\nΔιὰ δακτυλίου δεῖ σε ἑλκυσθῆναι: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ νόσον ἢ λύπην ἰσχνῶν γενομένων.","english":"The burden of the earth: for useless things.\n\nSweet is war to the inexperienced.\n\nAn old woman raising a great deal of dust stirs up many things: for those who, through experience, set many things in motion.\n\nThe ring of Gyges: for the resourceful.\n\nNaked as a peg.\n\nA woman commands an army, and, A woman encamps: for paradoxical things.\n\nDo not trust a woman, not even when she is dead.\n\nIonic laughter: for the dissolute; for the Ionians were slandered in this respect.\n\nAn old fox is not caught.\n\nAn owl to Athens: for those who display to those who know things which they know better themselves; because there are many owls in Athens.\n\nAn old ox is not mourned in the house.\n\nHe will pay the penalty even if a donkey bites a dog: for those who are falsely accused over a small matter.\n\nLawsuit begets lawsuit and harm begets harm: for the litigious and those who string lawsuits together with lawsuits; and for those who encounter frequent misfortunes.\n\nIt is shameful to stumble against the same stone twice.\n\nThe Dodonian cauldron: for a chatterer.\n\nYou must be drawn through a ring: for those who have become thin due to illness or grief.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Γῆς βάρος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'burden of the earth' is a proverbial expression for useless or burdensome things, possibly derived from agricultural imagery.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Γύγου δακτύλιος","severity":"info","text":"The ring of Gyges refers to the mythical ring that conferred invisibility, from Plato's Republic (359d–360b), used here for resourcefulness.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Plato 4th cent. BCE"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Γλαῦκα εἰς Ἀθήνας","severity":"info","text":"The proverb 'an owl to Athens' alludes to the abundance of owls in Athens (sacred to Athena), meaning to bring something superfluous to a place where it is already common.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Δὶς πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν αἰσχρὸν προςκρούειν λίθον","severity":"info","text":"This proverb parallels the Latin 'bis ad eundem lapidem offendere' and the modern 'to stumble twice over the same stone', warning against repeating mistakes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Δωδωκαῖον χαλκεῖον","severity":"info","text":"The Dodonian cauldron refers to the bronze cauldrons at the oracle of Dodona, whose constant ringing was proverbial for incessant chatter.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Γραῦς ἀνακροτήσασα πολὺν κονιορτὸν ἐγείρει","severity":"caution","text":"The verb ἀνακροτήσασα is ambiguous: it may mean 'raising' dust by stirring or 'beating' (as in clapping), but the sense of experience causing commotion is clear.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Γραῦς ἀνακροτήσασα' could be interpreted as an old woman raising dust by stirring or by clapping; the intended sense is that her experience stirs up many things.","The proverb 'Γέρων βοῦς ἀπένθητος ἐν δόμοισιν' is not explained in the text; its application is left implicit."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":32,"ref":"p32","source":"Δῶρα θεοὺς πείθει καὶ αἰδοίους βασιλῆας.\n\nΔεινοὶ πλέκειν μηχανὰς Αἰγύπτιαι.\n\nΔέδοται καὶ κακοῖς ἄγρα,\n\nΔεύτερος πλοῦς.\n\nΔελφῖνα λεκάνη οὐ χωρεῖ.\n\nἘπιμενίδου ὕπνος: ἐπὶ τῶν πολλὰ κοιμωμένων· πεντήκοντα γὰρ ἔτη ἐκάθευδεν.\n\nἘς Τροφωνίου μεμάντευσαι: ἐπὶ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν καὶ ὠχρῶν.\n\nἘν ἅλῳ δρασκάζεις: ἤγουν κρύπτῃ· ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ δυναμένων λαθεῖν.\n\nἜστω ταμίας, τἄλλα δ’ εἰ βούλει κύων: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ἀξίαν εὐημερούντων καὶ μάλιστα εὐνούχων.\n\nἘκ παντὸς ξύλου κύφων ἂν γίνοιτο: λέγεται ἐπὶ τῶν τὸ εἶδος εὐτελῶν, εἰς χρείας δὲ ἀναγκαίων.\n\nΕἰς ἀρχαίας φάτνας: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐλθόντων εἰς ἅπερ πρότερον ὄντες ἐξέπεσον.\n\nἘν δυοῖν τρία βλέπεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλα ἀντ’ ἄλλων ὁρώντων.\n\nἘκπερδικίσαι: ἤτοι ἐκκλῖναι. ἐπὶ τῶν διαδιδρασκόντων τοὺς θηρευτάς.\n\nἘλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ μικρὰ ἐπαιρόντων τῷ λόγῳ.\n\nἘμαυτῷ βαλανεύσω: ἐμαυτῷ διακονήσω.\n\nΕἰς ἀσθενοῦντας ἀσθενῶν ἐλήλυθας: ἐπὶ τῶν ὅμοια πασχόντων.\n\nΕὕδοντι κύρτος αἱρεῖ: ἐπὶ τῶν εὐτυχούντων.","english":"Gifts persuade gods and reverend kings.\n\nEgyptian women are clever at weaving devices.\n\nA catch is given even to the base.\n\nSecond voyage.\n\nA basin does not hold a dolphin.\n\nEpimenides' sleep: for those who sleep a great deal; for he slept fifty years.\n\nYou have consulted Trophonius: for the gloomy and pale.\n\nYou are playing truant in the threshing-floor: that is, you are hiding; for those who cannot escape notice.\n\nLet him be treasurer, and for the rest, if you wish, a dog: for those who prosper beyond their worth, and especially eunuchs.\n\nA block could be made from any wood: said of those of cheap appearance but necessary for use.\n\nTo the old mangers: for those who have returned to the state from which they previously fell.\n\nYou see three in two: for those who see one thing instead of another.\n\nTo act like a partridge: that is, to turn aside; for those who escape the hunters.\n\nYou make an elephant out of a fly: for those who magnify small things in speech.\n\nI will bathe myself: I will serve myself.\n\nYou have come to the sick as a sick man: for those who suffer alike.\n\nA sleeping man catches a fish-trap: for the fortunate.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Δῶρα θεοὺς πείθει καὶ αἰδοίους βασιλῆας","severity":"info","text":"The proverb asserts that gifts can sway even gods and revered kings, implying the universal power of bribery or persuasion.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Δεύτερος πλοῦς","severity":"info","text":"Literally 'second voyage,' this phrase refers to a fallback plan or next best option, originating from ancient sailing practice where a second attempt was made after a failed first.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἐπιμενίδου ὕπνος","severity":"info","text":"Epimenides of Crete was a legendary seer said to have slept for fifty years in a cave; his sleep became proverbial for prolonged slumber or ignorance of events.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἐς Τροφωνίου μεμάντευσαι","severity":"info","text":"Trophonius was a chthonic deity whose oracle at Lebadeia induced fear and pallor in consultants; the phrase describes gloomy or pale individuals.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐκπερδικίσαι","severity":"info","text":"This verb, derived from πέρδιξ (partridge), means 'to act like a partridge'—i.e., to dodge or escape, referencing the bird's evasive behavior.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς","severity":"info","text":"This proverb, 'you make an elephant out of a fly,' is the ancient Greek equivalent of the modern 'making a mountain out of a molehill,' and was widely cited in later rhetorical and satirical works.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Δέδοται καὶ κακοῖς ἄγρα' is ambiguous: it may mean 'a catch is given even to the base' (i.e., the unworthy sometimes succeed) or 'a catch is given even to bad people' (i.e., evil persons can also capture prey).","The proverb 'Εὕδοντι κύρτος αἱρεῖ' is obscure: κύρτος (fish-trap) is normally a passive object, so 'a sleeping man catches a fish-trap' may imply effortless or paradoxical success, but the exact sense is debated."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":33,"ref":"p33","source":"Ἔνεστι καὶ μύρμηκι χολή: ὅτι μηδὲ τοῦ μικροῦ δεῖ καταφρονεῖν.\n\nἙρμῆς ἀμύητος.\n\nἘκ τετρημένης κύλικος πιεῖν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐψευσμένων φίλων.\n\nἘν μέλιτι σαυτὸν κατακρύπτεις: ἐπὶ τῶν συζώντων ἡδυπαθείαις.\n\nἘνδύεται τὴν λεοντῆν.\n\nἘνδυμίωνος ὕπνον ὑπνώττει: ἐπὶ τῶν πολλὰ κοιμωμένων.\n\nΕἴληφεν ἡ παγὶς τὸν μῦν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀξίως ἁλισκομένων.\n\nἘν τριόδῳ εἰμὶ λογισμῶν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπορούνταν.\n\nἘν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι.\n\nἘκδεδαρμένον δέρεις: ἐπὶ τῶν μάτην πονούντων· βέλτιον δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν κακούντων τοὺς ἐν συμφοραῖς.\n\nἜπειτα πλουτῶν οὐκέθ’ ἥδεται φακῆ. Πρὸ τοῦ δ’ ὑπὸ τῆς πενίας ἅπαντ’ ἐπήσθιεν.\n\nἘν θέρει τὴν χλαῖναν κατατρίβεις: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ καθ’ ὥραν τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις χρωμένων.\n\nἜνθ’ οὔτε μίμνειν ἄνεμος οὔτ’ ἐκπλεῖν ἐᾷ: ἐπὶ τῶν δυςχρήστοις περιπεσόντων.\n\nἘλέφας μυὸς οὐκ ἀλεγίζει.\n\nἘκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδα ἔχεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἔξω κινδύνων ὄντων.\n\nἘκ τριχὸς κρέμαται: ἐπὶ τῶν κινδυνευόντων. ὅμοιον τῷ Ἐπὶ ξυροῦ.\n\nΕὐγενὴς ἐκ βαλαντίου: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ πλούτου τιμωμένων.","english":"Even an ant has bile: that one should not despise even the small.\n\nHermes uninitiated.\n\nTo drink from a perforated cup: of false friends.\n\nYou hide yourself in honey: of those who live in luxury.\n\nHe puts on the lion's skin.\n\nHe sleeps the sleep of Endymion: of those who sleep a great deal.\n\nThe trap has caught the mouse: of those who are deservedly caught.\n\nI am at a crossroads of thoughts: of those who are at a loss.\n\nTo fight with dogs in a well.\n\nYou flay a flayed man: of those who labor in vain; better, of those who mistreat those in misfortune.\n\nWhen he later became rich, he no longer enjoyed lentil soup. Before, in his poverty, he ate everything.\n\nIn summer you wear out your cloak: of those who do not use necessities in the proper season.\n\nWhere neither the wind allows one to stay nor to sail out: of those who have fallen into difficult circumstances.\n\nAn elephant does not heed a mouse.\n\nYou have your foot out of the mud: of those who are outside dangers.\n\nIt hangs by a hair: of those in danger. Similar to \"On a razor's edge.\"\n\nNoble from a purse: of those honored because of wealth.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ἔνεστι καὶ μύρμηκι χολή","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Even an ant has bile' is a Greek proverb asserting that even the smallest creature possesses a capacity for anger or defense, thus warning against despising the weak.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἑρμῆς ἀμύητος","severity":"info","text":"'Hermes uninitiated' refers to the god Hermes as patron of mysteries; an uninitiated Hermes is paradoxical, implying someone ignorant of their own domain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἐπὶ ξυροῦ","severity":"info","text":"The proverb 'It hangs by a hair' is explicitly compared to 'On a razor's edge,' a well-known Greek idiom for extreme danger, found in Homer and later authors.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Homer Iliad"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐκδεδαρμένον δέρεις","severity":"info","text":"The entry 'You flay a flayed man' offers two interpretations: first, labor in vain; second, mistreating the already unfortunate, showing the compiler's awareness of polysemy.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"Εὐγενὴς ἐκ βαλαντίου","severity":"info","text":"'Noble from a purse' critiques wealth-based honor, a theme echoed in later Byzantine moralizing and in the satirical tradition of pseudo-Lucianic dialogues.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐν τριόδῳ εἰμὶ λογισμῶν","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'I am at a crossroads of thoughts' is ambiguous: it may denote genuine perplexity or, in some contexts, a deliberate hesitation; the gloss opts for the former.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Hermes uninitiated' lacks a clear explanatory gloss, leaving its precise application uncertain.","The proverb 'To fight with dogs in a well' is given without explanation, so its sense must be inferred from context."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":34,"ref":"p34","source":"Ἔγχος ἐπὶ τῷ ἔγχει: γραῦν φασι τοῦτο εἰπεῖν καπήλῳ ἐνεχυράζουσαν ἔγχος.\n\nἘλεύθεραι αἶγες ἀρότρου: ἐπὶ τῶν βάρους ἀπηλλαγμένων.\n\nΕἰς κόλπον πτύεις: ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐ μεγαλοῤῥημονεῖς.\n\nἘν πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ κατὰ τρόπον τοῖς μαθήμασι προβαινόντων.\n\nἘν σκότει ὀρχεῖσθαι: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμαρτύρως μοχθούντων.\n\nΖωὸς γενήσῃ κρομμύου μοῖραν λαβών: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκ μικρᾶς αἰτίας μεγάλην δόξαν καρπουμένων.\n\nΖῶμεν γὰρ οὐχ ὡς θέλομεν, ἀλλ’ ὡς δυνάμεθα.\n\nΖητῶν γὰρ ὄψον θοιμάτιον ἀπώλεσα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀτυνεστάτων.\n\nἯλος τὸν ἧλον, πάτταλος τὸν πάτταλον ἐξέκρουεν: ἐπὶ ἰωμένων δι’ ἁμαρτημάτων ἁμαρτήματα.\n\nἩ κύων ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ: πρὸς τοὺς μήτε ἑαυτοῖς χρωμένους, μήτε ἄλλους ἐῶντας· παρόσον ἡ κύων κριθὴν οὐκ ἐσθίει μένουσα ἐν φάτνῃ, καὶ τὸν ἵππον οὐκ ἐᾷ.\n\nἮσαν ποτ’ ἦσαν ἄλκιμοι Μιλήσιοι.\n\nἨλιθιώτερος Ἀδώνιδος τοῦ Πραξιτέλους: Ἄδωνις γάρ τις Πραξιτέλους ὑιὸς ἀποθανὼν καὶ ἐρωτηθεὶς πρὸς τῶν ἐν Αἵδου, τί κὰλλιστον ἄνω κατέλιπεν, ἀπεκρίνατο Ἥλιον, Σελήνην, σῦκα, μῆλα. ἔδοξε γοῦν ἠλίθιος ταῦτα ἐξισῶν Ἡλίῳ. Ἡρακλέους θυσία: ἐπί τῶν εἰκῆ ταῖς θυσίαις χρωμένων.","english":"Spear upon spear: they say an old woman said this to a tavern-keeper who was pawning a spear.\n\nFree goats of the plow: for those who are relieved of a burden.\n\nYou spit into your bosom: instead of, you do not boast.\n\nIn the jar, the pottery: for those who do not advance in their studies in a proper manner.\n\nTo dance in the dark: for those who toil without witnesses.\n\nYou will become a living creature having received a portion of an onion: for those who reap great glory from a small cause.\n\nFor we live not as we wish, but as we are able.\n\nFor seeking a relish, I lost my cloak: for the most unfortunate.\n\nNail drove out nail, peg drove out peg: for sins healed by sins.\n\nThe dog in the manger: against those who neither use things for themselves nor allow others to do so; inasmuch as the dog, staying in the manger, does not eat the barley and does not allow the horse to.\n\nThere once were, there once were valiant Milesians.\n\nMore foolish than Adonis, son of Praxiteles: for a certain Adonis, son of Praxiteles, having died and being asked by those in Hades what most beautiful thing he had left above, answered: Sun, Moon, figs, apples. He seemed foolish, then, equating these with the Sun.\n\nSacrifice of Heracles: for those who use sacrifices in vain.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἔγχος ἐπὶ τῷ ἔγχει","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Spear upon spear' is explained by a narrative of an old woman pawning a spear, illustrating a situation of compounding one thing upon another.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἡρακλέους θυσία","severity":"info","text":"The 'Sacrifice of Heracles' refers to the hero's extravagant but ineffective sacrifices, used proverbially for vain or pointless offerings.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἠλιθιώτερος Ἀδώνιδος τοῦ Πραξιτέλους","severity":"info","text":"Adonis, son of Praxiteles, is depicted as foolish for equating celestial bodies with fruits; this proverb mocks those who make absurd comparisons.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἡ κύων ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ","severity":"info","text":"The 'dog in the manger' proverb is widely attested in Greek and later European literature, symbolizing spiteful possessiveness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ζωὸς γενήσῃ κρομμύου μοῖραν λαβών","severity":"info","text":"This proverb follows a pattern of paradoxical cause and effect, common in the collection, where a small cause yields great glory.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἦσαν ποτ’ ἦσαν ἄλκιμοι Μιλήσιοι","severity":"caution","text":"This line is a fragmentary proverb; its exact meaning is unclear, possibly lamenting lost valor of the Milesians, but the context is missing.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The proverb 'There once were, there once were valiant Milesians' lacks a clear explanation in the text, leaving its application uncertain.","The phrase 'Spear upon spear' may have multiple interpretations beyond the anecdote provided."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":35,"ref":"p35","source":"Ἡ ἀφύη τὸ πῦρ: ἐπὶ τῶν ταχέως λαμβανόντων τέλος· παρόσον ἡ ἀφύη ταχέως ἑψεῖται.\n\nΘυμὸς ἔσχατον γηράσκει: λέγεται διὰ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους· ὅσον γὰρ γηράσκουσι, τὸν θυμὸν ἐῤῥωμενέστερον ἔχουσι.\n\nΘαλάττῃ ἐκ χαράδρας ὕδωρ: ἐπὶ τῶν τοῖς μεγάλοις τὰ μικρὰ προςφιλοτιμουμένων.\n\nΘάσος ἀγαθῶν: ἐπὶ τῶν εὐδαίμονα καὶ λαμπρὸν ἀποδεῖξαί τινα ἐπαγγελλομένων.\n\nἹερὰ ἄγκυρα: ἡ μεγάλη βοήθεια.\n\nἸσότης φιλότης.\n\nἼσος πόλεμον οὐ ποιεῖ.\n\nἸλιὰς κακῶν.\n\nἹππόλυτον μιμήσομαι: ἐπὶ τῶν σωφρόνως βιούντων.\n\nἹππέας εἰς πεδίον προκαλεῖ: ὅπερ ἔστι τοὺς εὐδοκιμοῦντας εἰς ἅπερ εὐδοκιμοῦσιν ἔργα.\n\nΚακοῦ κόρακος κακὸν ὠόν. Κόσμει Σπάρταν ἣν ἔλαχες: ὅτι δεῖ στέργειν τῇ δεδομένῃ τύχῃ καὶ ἀνέχεσθαι.\n\nΚαδμεία νίκη: ἡ ἐπὶ κακῷ τῶν νενικηκότων.\n\nΚύκνειον ᾆσμα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐγγὺς θανάτῳ ὄντων· οἱ γὰρ κύκνοι θνήσκοντες ᾄδουσιν.\n\nΚορώνη τὸν σκορπίον: ἐπὶ τῶν βλαβεροῖς ἐπιχειρούντων.\n\nΚιλίκιοι τράγοι: οἱ δασεῖς· ὅθεν καὶ τὰ ἐκ τριχῶν ἱμάτια κιλίκια λέγονται.","english":"The anchovy the fire: for things that quickly come to an end; because the anchovy is quickly cooked.\n\nAnger grows old last: said of older people; for as they grow old, they have their anger more robust.\n\nTo the sea water from a torrent: for those who offer small things to great ones.\n\nThasos of goods: for those who promise to show someone prosperous and brilliant.\n\nSacred anchor: the great help.\n\nEquality is friendship.\n\nEqual does not make war.\n\nIliad of evils.\n\nI will imitate Hippolytus: for those who live chastely.\n\nHe challenges horsemen to the plain: which is to challenge those who excel in the works in which they excel.\n\nOf a bad crow, a bad egg. Adorn Sparta which fell to your lot: that one must be content with the lot given and endure.\n\nCadmean victory: a victory harmful to the victors.\n\nSwan song: for those near death; for swans sing when dying.\n\nThe crow and the scorpion: for those who attempt harmful things.\n\nCilician goats: the shaggy ones; whence also garments made of hair are called Cilician.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἡ ἀφύη τὸ πῦρ","severity":"info","text":"The proverb uses the anchovy's quick cooking to illustrate anything that ends swiftly. The Greek gloss explains the metaphor directly.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Θυμὸς ἔσχατον γηράσκει","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'anger grows old last' is a proverb about the elderly retaining their temper. The gloss notes that anger becomes more robust with age.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Θάσος ἀγαθῶν","severity":"info","text":"Thasos was an island known for its wealth; 'Thasos of goods' thus became a proverbial expression for promising prosperity.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Καδμεία νίκη","severity":"info","text":"A 'Cadmean victory' refers to a victory that brings ruin to the victor, akin to the myth of Cadmus and the Spartoi. The proverb warns of self-destructive success.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Κύκνειον ᾆσμα","severity":"info","text":"The 'swan song' proverb is well-attested in ancient Greek literature, referring to the belief that swans sing beautifully just before death. It is used for those near their end.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Κιλίκιοι τράγοι","severity":"info","text":"Cilician goats were known for their shaggy hair, which was used to make coarse garments called 'cilicia'. The proverb refers to shaggy or rough things.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The passage is a list of proverbs with brief explanations; no textual corruption or ambiguity in the Greek is evident."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":36,"ref":"p36","source":"Κρητίζεεν: ἀντὶ τοῦ ψεύδεσθαι καὶ ἀπατᾶν. τοῖοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ Κρῆτες.\n\nΚαθώσπερ αἱ τίτθαι σιτίζεις κακῶς.\n\nΚύων ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον.\n\nΚἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ νεκροῦ κερδαίνειν.\n\nΚατόπιν ἑορτῆς ἥκεις: ἐπὶ τῶν καλοῦ πράγματος ἀπολιμπανομένων.\n\nΚολοφῶνα ἐπέθήκας: ἤτοι τὸ τέλειον καὶ πλήρες.\n\nΚατὰ ῥοῦν φέρεται.\n\nΚαρκίνος λαγωὸν αἱρεῖ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.\n\nΚενοὶ κενὰ βουλεύονται.\n\nΚεστρεὺς νηστεύει: ἐπὶ τῶν λαιμάργων· ἄπληστον δὲ τὸ ζῶον.\n\nΚριὸς τὰ τροφεῖα ἀπέτισεν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχαρίστων· οἱ γὰρ κριοὶ καὶ τὰς φάτνας πλήττουσι καὶ τοὺς θρέψαντας.\n\nΚακὰ μὲν θρίπες, κακὰ δ’ ἴπες: ἄμφω γὰρ λυμαντικοὶ· καὶ οἱ μὲν τὰ ξύλα, οἱ δὲ κέρατα ἐσθίουσιν.\n\nΛήμνια κακά: ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν Λήμνῳ γυναικῶν, αἳ τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτῶν ἀπέκτειναν.\n\nΛαγωὸς περὶ κρεῶν: ἐπὶ τῶν κινδυνευόντων καὶ [πρὸς τοῦτο] ἀγωνιζομένων, ἐπειδὴ κἀκεῖνος περὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κρεῶν τρέχει.\n\nΛύκος χανών· καὶ, ἡ λύκος περὶ φρέαρ χορεύει: ἐπὶ τῶν μάτην πονούντων.\n\nΛύκου πτερὸν ζητεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.","english":"To Cretize: that is, to lie and deceive; for such are the Cretans.\n\nJust as nurses, you feed badly.\n\nA dog to its own vomit.\n\nEven to profit from the dead.\n\nYou come after the feast: for those who miss out on a good thing.\n\nYou have put the colophon on it: that is, the perfect and complete.\n\nIt is carried with the current.\n\nA crab catches a hare: for impossible things.\n\nEmpty people plan empty things.\n\nThe mullet fasts: for gluttons; for the animal is insatiable.\n\nThe ram has paid back its keep: for the ungrateful; for rams strike both the mangers and those who raised them.\n\nBad are the woodworms, bad are the hornworms: for both are destructive; and the former eat wood, the latter horns.\n\nLemnian evils: from the women in Lemnos, who killed their husbands.\n\nA hare about meat: for those who are in danger and struggle for it, since that animal also runs for its own meat.\n\nA gaping wolf; and, the wolf dances around a well: for those who labor in vain.\n\nYou seek a wolf's feather: for impossible things.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Κρητίζεεν","severity":"info","text":"The verb 'Κρητίζεεν' (to Cretize) means to lie or deceive, reflecting the ancient stereotype of Cretans as liars, attested in sources like the Epimenides paradox.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Λήμνια κακά","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Lemnian evils' refers to the myth of the Lemnian women who killed their husbands, a proverbial expression for extreme wickedness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Κολοφῶνα ἐπέθήκας","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'you have put the colophon on it' means to complete or perfect something, as the colophon was the finishing touch in ancient manuscripts.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Κύων ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον","severity":"info","text":"The proverb 'a dog to its own vomit' parallels the Greek saying about returning to a disgusting habit, also found in Proverbs 26:11.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Κατὰ ῥοῦν φέρεται","severity":"info","text":"This proverb is a brief, self-contained unit typical of the paroemiae genre, illustrating a common pattern of a short phrase followed by an explanation.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Καθώσπερ αἱ τίτθαι σιτίζεις κακῶς","severity":"caution","text":"The reading 'Καθώσπερ' is likely a scribal error for 'Καθάπερ' (just as), and the sense of 'feed badly' may be ambiguous, possibly meaning to nourish poorly or to deceive.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact meaning of 'Καθώσπερ αἱ τίτθαι σιτίζεις κακῶς' is unclear; 'feed badly' could refer to poor nourishment or metaphorical deception.","The phrase 'Κακὰ μὲν θρίπες, κακὰ δ’ ἴπες' may have variant readings in different manuscript traditions."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":37,"ref":"p37","source":"Λίνον λίνῳ κλώθεις: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ αὐτὰ [διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν] πραττόντων ἢ λεγόντων, ἢ τῶν κατάλληλα.\n\nΛύκος ἀετὸν φεύγει: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀφύκτων.\n\nΛύδιον ἅρμα: ἐπὶ τῶν ταχυτάτων. Καὶ, παρὰ Λύδιον θέεις.\n\nΛευκῷ λίθῳ λενκὴ στάθμη. Γαστέρα μοι προφέρεις κάλλιστον ὄνειδος ἁπάντων, Ἣ πλήρης μὲν ἐλαφροτέρα, κενεὰ δὲ βαρεῖα. Γῆς βάρος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχρήστων. Γλυκὺς ἀπείρῳ πόλεμος. Γραῦς ἀνακροτήσασα πολὺν κονιορτὸν ἐγείρει: ἐπὶ τῶν δι’ ἐμπειρίαν πολλὰ πράγματα κινούντων. Γύγου δακτύλιος: ἐπὶ τῶν πολυμηχάνων. Γυμνότερος παττάλου. Γυνὴ στρατηγεῖ, καὶ, Γυνὴ στρατοπεδεύεται: ἐπὶ τῶν παραδόξων. Γυναικὶ μὴ πίστευε, μηδ’ ὅταν θάνῃ. Γέλως Ἰωνικός: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκλελυμένων· εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ Ἴωνες διεβάλλοντο. Γέρων ἀλώπηξ οὐχ ἁλίσκεται. Γλαῦκα εἰς Ἀθήνας: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπιδεικνυμένων πρὸς τοὺς εἰδότας, ἅπερ ἄμεινον αὐτοῦ ἴσασιν· ὅτι πολλαὶ εἰς Ἀθήνας γλαῦκες. Γέρων βοῦς ἀπένθητος ἐν δόμοισιν. Δίκην ὑφέξει κἂν ὄνος δάκῃ κύνα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπὶ μικρῷ συκοφαντουμένων. Δίκη δίκην ἔτικτε καὶ βλάβη βλάβην: ἐπὶ τῶν φιλοδίκων καὶ συνειρόντων δίκαις δίκας· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πυκναῖς προςπιπτόντων συμφοραῖς. Δὶς πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν αἰσχρὸν προςκρούειν λίθον. Δωδωκαῖον χαλκεῖον: ἐπὶ λάλου. Διὰ δακτυλίου δεῖ σε ἑλκυσθῆναι: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ νόσον ἢ λύπην ἰσχνῶν γενομένων. Δῶρα θεοὺς πείθει καὶ αἰδοίους βασιλῆας. Δεινοὶ πλέκειν μηχανὰς Αἰγύπτιαι. Δέδοται καὶ κακοῖς ἄγρα,\nΔεύτερος πλοῦς. Δελφῖνα λεκάνη οὐ χωρεῖ. Ἐπιμενίδου ὕπνος: ἐπὶ τῶν πολλὰ κοιμωμένων· πεντήκοντα γὰρ ἔτη ἐκάθευδεν. Ἐς Τροφωνίου μεμάντευσαι: ἐπὶ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν καὶ ὠχρῶν.","english":"You spin linen with linen: for those who do or say the same things [by means of the same things], or for those that are reciprocal.\n\nA wolf flees an eagle: for those from whom there is no escape.\n\nA Lydian chariot: for the very swift. And, You run like a Lydian.\n\nWhite chalk-line on a white stone. You reproach me with my belly, the finest reproach of all: full it is lighter, empty it is heavy. A burden of earth: for the useless. Sweet is war to the inexperienced. An old woman shaking up a lot of dust raises a great cloud: for those who through experience stir up many things. The ring of Gyges: for the resourceful. Naked as a peg. A woman commands, and, A woman encamps: for paradoxical things. Do not trust a woman, not even when she is dead. Ionian laughter: for the dissolute; for the Ionians were slandered in this respect. An old fox is not caught. An owl to Athens: for those who display to those who know things which they know better themselves; because there are many owls in Athens. An old ox is unheeded in the house. He will pay the penalty even if a donkey bites a dog: for those who are falsely accused over a small matter. Lawsuit begets lawsuit and harm begets harm: for the litigious and those who string together lawsuits with lawsuits; and for those who encounter frequent misfortunes. It is shameful to stumble against the same stone twice. A Dodonian cauldron: for a chatterer. You must be drawn through a ring: for those who have become thin through disease or grief. Gifts persuade even gods and reverend kings. Egyptian women are clever at weaving devices. A catch is given even to the wicked. A second voyage. A basin does not hold a dolphin. The sleep of Epimenides: for those who sleep a long time; for he slept fifty years. You have consulted Trophonius: for the gloomy and pallid.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Λίνον λίνῳ κλώθεις","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'You spin linen with linen' is a proverbial expression for doing or saying the same things by the same means, or for reciprocal actions. The Greek text includes the variant 'διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν' (by means of the same things), which is bracketed in the edition.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Λύδιον ἅρμα","severity":"info","text":"A 'Lydian chariot' was proverbial for great speed, referencing the reputation of Lydian horses and chariots in antiquity. The related phrase 'You run like a Lydian' reinforces this association.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Γύγου δακτύλιος","severity":"info","text":"The 'ring of Gyges' refers to the mythical ring that conferred invisibility, as told in Plato's Republic (359c–360b). Here it is used for the resourceful, likely alluding to the cunning of its possessor.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Γλαῦκα εἰς Ἀθήνας","severity":"info","text":"'An owl to Athens' is a proverb for carrying something to a place where it is already abundant, since the owl was the symbol of Athena and common in Athens. The explanation in the text confirms this.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Δωδωκαῖον χαλκεῖον","severity":"info","text":"A 'Dodonian cauldron' refers to the bronze cauldrons at the oracle of Dodona, which were said to produce a continuous sound when struck, hence used for a chatterer.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπιμενίδου ὕπνος","severity":"info","text":"The 'sleep of Epimenides' refers to the Cretan seer who reportedly slept for fifty years in a cave, as recounted in Diogenes Laertius (1.109–115). The proverb is used for those who sleep a long time.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text includes the phrase 'διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν' in brackets, which may be a later addition or variant; the sense is clear either way.","The phrase 'Γαστέρα μοι προφέρεις' appears to be a direct quotation or proverb, but its exact source is not identified in the edition."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":38,"ref":"p38","source":"Ἐν ἅλῳ δρασκάζεις: ἤγουν κρύπτῃ· ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ δυναμένων λαθεῖν. Ἔστω ταμίας, τἄλλα δ’ εἰ βούλει κύων: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ἀξίαν εὐημερούντων καὶ μάλιστα εὐνούχων. Ἐκ παντὸς ξύλου κύφων ἂν γίνοιτο: λέγεται ἐπὶ τῶν τὸ εἶδος εὐτελῶν, εἰς χρείας δὲ ἀναγκαίων. Εἰς ἀρχαίας φάτνας: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐλθόντων εἰς ἅπερ πρότερον ὄντες ἐξέπεσον. Ἐν δυοῖν τρία βλέπεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλα ἀντ’ ἄλλων ὁρώντων. Ἐκπερδικίσαι: ἤτοι ἐκκλῖναι. ἐπὶ τῶν διαδιδρασκόντων τοὺς θηρευτάς. Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ μικρὰ ἐπαιρόντων τῷ λόγῳ. Ἐμαυτῷ βαλανεύσω: ἐμαυτῷ διακονήσω. Εἰς ἀσθενοῦντας ἀσθενῶν ἐλήλυθας: ἐπὶ τῶν ὅμοια πασχόντων. Εὕδοντι κύρτος αἱρεῖ: ἐπὶ τῶν εὐτυχούντων. Ἔνεστι καὶ μύρμηκι χολή: ὅτι μηδὲ τοῦ μικροῦ δεῖ καταφρονεῖν. Ἑρμῆς ἀμύητος. Ἐκ τετρημένης κύλικος πιεῖν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐψευσμένων φίλων. Ἐν μέλιτι σαυτὸν κατακρύπτεις: ἐπὶ τῶν συζώντων ἡδυπαθείαις. Ἐνδύεται τὴν λεοντῆν. Ἐνδυμίωνος ὕπνον ὑπνώττει: ἐπὶ τῶν πολλὰ κοιμωμένων. Εἴληφεν ἡ παγὶς τὸν μῦν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀξίως ἁλισκομένων. Ἐν τριόδῳ εἰμὶ λογισμῶν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπορούνταν. Ἐν φρέατι κυσὶ μάχεσθαι. Ἐκδεδαρμένον δέρεις: ἐπὶ τῶν μάτην πονούντων· βέλτιον δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν κακούντων τοὺς ἐν συμφοραῖς. Ἔπειτα πλουτῶν οὐκέθ’ ἥδεται φακῆ. Πρὸ τοῦ δ’ ὑπὸ τῆς πενίας ἅπαντ’ ἐπήσθιεν. Ἐν θέρει τὴν χλαῖναν κατατρίβεις: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ καθ’ ὥραν τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις χρωμένων. Ἔνθ’ οὔτε μίμνειν ἄνεμος οὔτ’ ἐκπλεῖν ἐᾷ: ἐπὶ τῶν δυςχρήστοις περιπεσόντων. Ἐλέφας μυὸς οὐκ ἀλεγίζει. Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδα ἔχεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἔξω κινδύνων ὄντων. Ἐκ τριχὸς κρέμαται: ἐπὶ τῶν κινδυνευόντων.","english":"You are hiding in a threshing-floor: that is, you are hiding; for those who cannot escape notice. Let him be treasurer, and for the rest, if you wish, a dog: for those who prosper beyond their worth, and especially eunuchs. From every wood a pillory could be made: said of those who are cheap in appearance but necessary for use. To old mangers: for those who have returned to the state from which they previously fell. You see three in two: for those who see one thing instead of another. To act like a partridge: that is, to turn aside; for those who escape from hunters. You make an elephant from a fly: for those who magnify small things in speech. I will bathe myself: I will serve myself. You have come to the sick as one sick: for those who suffer alike. A fish-trap catches even a sleeping man: for those who are lucky. Even an ant has bile: that one should not despise even the small. Hermes uninitiated. To drink from a perforated cup: for false friends. You hide yourself in honey: for those who live in luxury. He puts on the lion’s skin. He sleeps the sleep of Endymion: for those who sleep a lot. The trap has caught the mouse: for those who are deservedly caught. I am at a crossroads of thoughts: for those who are at a loss. To fight with dogs in a well. You flay a flayed man: for those who labor in vain; but better for those who harm those in misfortune. Then, when rich, he no longer enjoys lentil soup; but before, because of poverty, he ate everything. In summer you wear out your cloak: for those who do not use necessities in season. Where neither the wind allows one to stay nor to sail out: for those who have fallen into difficulties. An elephant does not care for a mouse. You have your foot out of the mud: for those who are outside dangers. It hangs by a hair: for those who are in danger.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐν ἅλῳ δρασκάζεις","severity":"info","text":"The phrase uses δρασκάζεις, a rare verb meaning 'to hide' or 'to skulk', possibly derived from δράξ (hand) or δρασμός (escape). The threshing-floor (ἅλως) was a common place for concealment in agrarian contexts.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐκ παντὸς ξύλου κύφων ἂν γίνοιτο","severity":"info","text":"A κύφων was a wooden pillory or yoke used for punishment. The proverb suggests that even cheap wood can serve a necessary function, reflecting a utilitarian view of materials and persons.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐλέφαντα ἐκ μυίας ποιεῖς","severity":"info","text":"This proverb is a direct parallel to the Latin 'Elephantem ex musca facis' and the English 'make a mountain out of a molehill', illustrating a common cross-cultural metaphor for exaggeration.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἔστω ταμίας, τἄλλα δ’ εἰ βούλει κύων","severity":"info","text":"The application to eunuchs reflects Byzantine court society, where eunuchs often held high office (like treasurer) but were socially disparaged. This proverb likely circulated in Constantinopolitan circles.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐκδεδαρμένον δέρεις","severity":"info","text":"The entry offers two interpretations: 'labor in vain' and 'harm those already in misfortune'. This dual explanation is typical of Gregory's method, showing awareness of semantic range.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἑρμῆς ἀμύητος","severity":"caution","text":"This phrase is given without explanation in the Greek, unlike most entries. It likely means 'Hermes uninitiated' (i.e., ignorant of mysteries), but the lack of a clarifying formula suggests possible textual corruption or abbreviation.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ἑρμῆς ἀμύητος' lacks an explanatory clause, leaving its precise application uncertain.","The dual interpretation of 'Ἐκδεδαρμένον δέρεις' may reflect competing proverbial uses."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":39,"ref":"p39","source":"ὅμοιον τῷ Ἐπὶ ξυροῦ. Εὐγενὴς ἐκ βαλαντίου: ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ πλούτου τιμωμένων. Ἔγχος ἐπὶ τῷ ἔγχει: γραῦν φασι τοῦτο εἰπεῖν καπήλῳ ἐνεχυράζουσαν ἔγχος. Ἐλεύθεραι αἶγες ἀρότρου: ἐπὶ τῶν βάρους ἀπηλλαγμένων. Εἰς κόλπον πτύεις: ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐ μεγαλοῤῥημονεῖς. Ἐν πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν: ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ κατὰ τρόπον τοῖς μαθήμασι προβαινόντων. Ἐν σκότει ὀρχεῖσθαι: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμαρτύρως μοχθούντων. Ζωὸς γενήσῃ κρομμύου μοῖραν λαβών: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐκ μικρᾶς αἰτίας μεγάλην δόξαν καρπουμένων. Ζῶμεν γὰρ οὐχ ὡς θέλομεν, ἀλλ’ ὡς δυνάμεθα. Ζητῶν γὰρ ὄψον θοιμάτιον ἀπώλεσα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀτυνεστάτων. Ἧλος τὸν ἧλον, πάτταλος τὸν πάτταλον ἐξέκρουεν: ἐπὶ ἰωμένων δι’ ἁμαρτημάτων ἁμαρτήματα. Ἡ κύων ἐν τῇ φάτνῃ: πρὸς τοὺς μήτε ἑαυτοῖς χρωμένους, μήτε ἄλλους ἐῶντας· παρόσον ἡ κύων κριθὴν οὐκ ἐσθίει μένουσα ἐν φάτνῃ, καὶ τὸν ἵππον οὐκ ἐᾷ. Ἦσαν ποτ’ ἦσαν ἄλκιμοι Μιλήσιοι. Ἠλιθιώτερος Ἀδώνιδος τοῦ Πραξιτέλους: Ἄδωνις γάρ τις Πραξιτέλους ὑιὸς ἀποθανὼν καὶ ἐρωτηθεὶς πρὸς τῶν ἐν Αἵδου, τί κὰλλιστον ἄνω κατέλιπεν, ἀπεκρίνατο Ἥλιον, Σελήνην, σῦκα, μῆλα. ἔδοξε γοῦν ἠλίθιος ταῦτα ἐξισῶν Ἡλίῳ. Ἡρακλέους θυσία: ἐπί τῶν εἰκῆ ταῖς θυσίαις χρωμένων. Ἡ ἀφύη τὸ πῦρ: ἐπὶ τῶν ταχέως λαμβανόντων τέλος· παρόσον ἡ ἀφύη ταχέως ἑψεῖται. Θυμὸς ἔσχατον γηράσκει: λέγεται διὰ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους· ὅσον γὰρ γηράσκουσι, τὸν θυμὸν ἐῤῥωμενέστερον ἔχουσι. Θαλάττῃ ἐκ χαράδρας ὕδωρ: ἐπὶ τῶν τοῖς μεγάλοις τὰ μικρὰ προςφιλοτιμουμένων. Θάσος ἀγαθῶν: ἐπὶ τῶν εὐδαίμονα καὶ λαμπρὸν ἀποδεῖξαί τινα ἐπαγγελλομένων. Ἱερὰ ἄγκυρα: ἡ μεγάλη βοήθεια. Ἰσότης φιλότης.","english":"Similar to \"on a razor's edge.\" \"Noble from a purse\": for those honored because of wealth. \"A sword for a sword\": they say an old woman said this to a tavern-keeper who was pawning a sword. \"Free goats of the plow\": for those relieved of a burden. \"You spit into your own bosom\": that is, you do not boast. \"In a jar, the pottery\": for those who do not progress in their studies in a proper manner. \"To dance in the dark\": for those who toil without witnesses. \"You will become a living thing having taken a portion of an onion\": for those who reap great fame from a small cause. \"For we live not as we wish, but as we are able.\" \"Seeking a relish, I lost my cloak\": for the most unfortunate. \"A nail drove out a nail, a peg drove out a peg\": for ills healed by means of other ills. \"The dog in the manger\": for those who neither use things themselves nor allow others to use them; because the dog does not eat barley while staying in the manger, and does not allow the horse to. \"Once upon a time the Milesians were brave.\" \"More foolish than Adonis, son of Praxiteles\": for a certain Adonis, son of Praxiteles, having died and being asked by those in Hades what most beautiful thing he had left above, answered: \"Sun, Moon, figs, apples.\" He seemed foolish, then, for equating these with the Sun. \"A sacrifice of Heracles\": for those who use sacrifices in vain. \"The anchovy sets the fire\": for those who quickly reach an end; because the anchovy is quickly cooked. \"Anger grows old last\": it is said of the elderly; for as they grow old, they have their anger more robust. \"Water from a gully into the sea\": for those who add small things to great ones out of ambition. \"Thasos of good things\": for those who promise to show someone as prosperous and brilliant. \"A sacred anchor\": the great help. \"Equality is friendship.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"ὅμοιον τῷ Ἐπὶ ξυροῦ","severity":"info","text":"This unit opens with a cross-reference to a known proverb, 'on a razor's edge,' linking the collection to a wider paroemiographic tradition.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπὶ ξυροῦ","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Ἐπὶ ξυροῦ' (on a razor's edge) is a proverbial expression for a critical or dangerous situation, attested in Homer and later Greek literature.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἡρακλέους θυσία","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'A sacrifice of Heracles' alludes to the hero's extravagant and often futile offerings, critiquing those who perform sacrifices without proper reverence.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἧλος τὸν ἧλον, πάτταλος τὸν πάτταλον ἐξέκρουεν","severity":"info","text":"This proverb parallels the Latin 'clavum clavo eicere' (to drive out a nail with a nail), expressing the idea of curing one ill with another.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἠλιθιώτερος Ἀδώνιδος τοῦ Πραξιτέλους","severity":"info","text":"The comparison to Adonis, son of Praxiteles, reflects a known anecdote in which Adonis' foolish answer (equating sun, moon, figs, apples) became proverbial for stupidity.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἡ ἀφύη τὸ πῦρ","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'The anchovy sets the fire' is ambiguous: it may refer to the quick cooking of anchovies, but the metaphor for 'quickly reaching an end' is not fully explained in the text.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ἡ ἀφύη τὸ πῦρ' could be interpreted as the anchovy being placed on the fire, but the exact mechanism of the metaphor is unclear.","The reference to 'Adonis, son of Praxiteles' may conflate the mythical Adonis with a historical figure, but the text does not clarify."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":40,"ref":"p40","source":"Ἴσος πόλεμον οὐ ποιεῖ. Ἰλιὰς κακῶν. Ἱππόλυτον μιμήσομαι: ἐπὶ τῶν σωφρόνως βιούντων. Ἱππέας εἰς πεδίον προκαλεῖ: ὅπερ ἔστι τοὺς εὐδοκιμοῦντας εἰς ἅπερ εὐδοκιμοῦσιν ἔργα. Κακοῦ κόρακος κακὸν ὠόν. Κόσμει Σπάρταν ἣν ἔλαχες: ὅτι δεῖ στέργειν τῇ δεδομένῃ τύχῃ καὶ ἀνέχεσθαι. Καδμεία νίκη: ἡ ἐπὶ κακῷ τῶν νενικηκότων. Κύκνειον ᾆσμα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐγγὺς θανάτῳ ὄντων· οἱ γὰρ κύκνοι θνήσκοντες ᾄδουσιν. Κορώνη τὸν σκορπίον: ἐπὶ τῶν βλαβεροῖς ἐπιχειρούντων. Κιλίκιοι τράγοι: οἱ δασεῖς· ὅθεν καὶ τὰ ἐκ τριχῶν ἱμάτια κιλίκια λέγονται. Κρητίζεεν: ἀντὶ τοῦ ψεύδεσθαι καὶ ἀπατᾶν. τοῖοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ Κρῆτες. Καθώσπερ αἱ τίτθαι σιτίζεις κακῶς. Κύων ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον. Κἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ νεκροῦ κερδαίνειν. Κατόπιν ἑορτῆς ἥκεις: ἐπὶ τῶν καλοῦ πράγματος ἀπολιμπανομένων. Κολοφῶνα ἐπέθήκας: ἤτοι τὸ τέλειον καὶ πλήρες. Κατὰ ῥοῦν φέρεται. Καρκίνος λαγωὸν αἱρεῖ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων. Κενοὶ κενὰ βουλεύονται. Κεστρεὺς νηστεύει: ἐπὶ τῶν λαιμάργων· ἄπληστον δὲ τὸ ζῶον. Κριὸς τὰ τροφεῖα ἀπέτισεν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχαρίστων· οἱ γὰρ κριοὶ καὶ τὰς φάτνας πλήττουσι καὶ τοὺς θρέψαντας. Κακὰ μὲν θρίπες, κακὰ δ’ ἴπες: ἄμφω γὰρ λυμαντικοὶ· καὶ οἱ μὲν τὰ ξύλα, οἱ δὲ κέρατα ἐσθίουσιν. Λήμνια κακά: ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν Λήμνῳ γυναικῶν, αἳ τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτῶν ἀπέκτειναν. Λαγωὸς περὶ κρεῶν: ἐπὶ τῶν κινδυνευόντων καὶ [πρὸς τοῦτο] ἀγωνιζομένων, ἐπειδὴ κἀκεῖνος περὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κρεῶν τρέχει. Λύκος χανών· καὶ, ἡ λύκος περὶ φρέαρ χορεύει: ἐπὶ τῶν μάτην πονούντων. Λύκου πτερὸν ζητεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.","english":"Equal does not make war. An Iliad of evils. I will imitate Hippolytus: for those living prudently. He challenges horsemen to the plain: that is, those who excel in the works in which they excel. Bad egg of a bad raven. Adorn the Sparta you were allotted: that one must be content with one's given lot and endure. Cadmean victory: a victory harmful to the victors. Swan song: for those near death; for swans sing when dying. The crow and the scorpion: for those attempting harmful things. Cilician goats: shaggy ones; whence garments made of hair are called cilician. To act like a Cretan: meaning to lie and deceive; for such are the Cretans. Just as nurses, you feed badly. A dog returning to its own vomit. Even to profit from a corpse. You come after the feast: for those missing a good thing. You have added the colophon: that is, the perfect and complete. It is carried with the current. A crab catches a hare: for impossible things. Empty men plan empty things. The mullet fasts: for gluttons; the animal is insatiable. The ram has repaid its keep: for the ungrateful; for rams both strike the mangers and those who fed them. Bad are woodworms, bad are bookworms: for both are destructive; the former eat wood, the latter eat horn. Lemnian evils: from the women of Lemnos, who killed their husbands. A hare about meat: for those who are in danger and struggle for it, since that animal also runs for its own meat. A gaping wolf; and, the wolf dances around the well: for those laboring in vain. You seek a wolf's feather: for impossible things.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἴσος πόλεμον οὐ ποιεῖ","severity":"info","text":"A proverbial expression meaning that equals do not fight each other, reflecting a social or military maxim.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Καδμεία νίκη","severity":"info","text":"Refers to a Cadmean victory, i.e., a victory that brings ruin to the victors, from the myth of Cadmus and the Theban wars.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Κύκνειον ᾆσμα","severity":"info","text":"The swan song, a belief that swans sing beautifully just before death, used for those near death.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Λήμνια κακά","severity":"info","text":"Lemnian evils, from the women of Lemnos who killed their husbands, a byword for extreme wickedness.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Κρητίζεεν","severity":"info","text":"To act like a Cretan, meaning to lie and deceive, reflecting the ancient stereotype of Cretans as liars.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Καθώσπερ αἱ τίτθαι σιτίζεις κακῶς","severity":"info","text":"This entry is a direct comparison, typical of the paroemiac form, linking a simile to a moral or practical critique.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is a list of proverbs with brief explanations; some entries (e.g., 'Καθώσπερ αἱ τίτθαι σιτίζεις κακῶς') may have variant interpretations in context."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":41,"ref":"p41","source":"Λίνον λίνῳ κλώθεις: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ αὐτὰ [διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν] πραττόντων ἢ λεγόντων, ἢ τῶν κατάλληλα. Λύκος ἀετὸν φεύγει: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀφύκτων. Λύδιον ἅρμα: ἐπὶ τῶν ταχυτάτων. Καὶ, παρὰ Λύδιον θέεις. Λευκῷ λίθῳ λενκὴ στάθμη. Μία λόχμη δύο ἐριθάκους οὐ τρέφει.\n\nΜηδικὴ τράπεζα.\n\nΜέλιτος μύελον: ἐπὶ τοῦ ἄγαν ἡδέος.\n\nΜηδὲ μέλι μηδὲ μελίσσας: ἐπὶ τῶν παραιτοόυμένων ἀγαθόν τὶ παθεῖν διὰ τὸν κίνδυνον τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ.\n\nΜὴ πρὸς λέοντα δορκὰς ἅψωμαι μάχης.\n\nΜυσῶν λεία: οἱ γὰρ περίοικοι τοὺς Μυσοὺς ἐλήϊζον.\n\nΜὴ κίνει Καμάριναν: λίμνη, ἣν ἀπηγόρευεν ὁ χρησμὸς μετοχετεῦσαι· οἱ δὲ χρησάμενοι παρακούσαντες ἐβλάβησαν.\n\nΜωμήσεται μᾶλλον ἢ μιμήσεται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων.\n\nΜὴ παιδὶ μάχαιραν.\n\nΜὴ τοῖς ἀπείροις ἐγχειρίζειν πράγματα.\n\nΜία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ, οὐδὲ μέλισσα μέλι.\n\nΝεκρῷ μῦθον εἰς οὖς ἔλεγεν: ἐπὶ τοῦ μὴ ἐπαΐοντος· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναισθήτων.\n\nΝεφέλας ξαίνεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.\n\nΝαῦς ἱκετεύει πέτραν: ἐπὶ τῶν σφόδρα ἀναισθήτων.","english":"You spin flax with flax: for those who do or say the same things [through the same means], or for those that are reciprocal. A wolf flees an eagle: for the inescapable. Lydian chariot: for the very swift. And, you run like a Lydian. White line with a white stone. One thicket does not nourish two finches.\n\nMedian table.\n\nMarrow of honey: for the exceedingly sweet.\n\nNeither honey nor bees: for those who decline to experience some good because of the danger in it.\n\nLet not a gazelle join battle with a lion.\n\nSpoils of the Mysians: for the neighbors plundered the Mysians.\n\nDo not stir up Camarina: a marsh which the oracle forbade to drain; those who used it, disobeying, were harmed.\n\nHe will find fault rather than imitate: for the uneducated.\n\nDo not give a sword to a child.\n\nDo not entrust matters to the inexperienced.\n\nOne swallow does not make spring, nor one bee honey.\n\nHe told a story to a corpse's ear: for one who does not perceive; and for the insensible.\n\nYou card clouds: for the impossible.\n\nA ship beseeches a rock: for the utterly insensible.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Λίνον λίνῳ κλώθεις","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'You spin flax with flax' describes repetitive or reciprocal actions. The Greek text includes a variant reading διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ('through the same means'), which the editor brackets as uncertain.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Μὴ κίνει Καμάριναν","severity":"info","text":"Camarina was a marsh in Sicily; an oracle warned against draining it. Those who ignored the warning suffered harm. The proverb warns against stirring up trouble.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Μυσῶν λεία","severity":"info","text":"The Mysians, a people in Asia Minor, were frequently raided by their neighbors. The phrase 'Spoils of the Mysians' came to denote easy plunder or vulnerable victims.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ","severity":"info","text":"This proverb is paralleled in Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics 1098a18) and later collections. The addition 'nor one bee honey' is a variant unique to this collection.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Μηδικὴ τράπεζα","severity":"info","text":"This entry consists of only two words with no explanation, unlike the surrounding entries. It may be a laconic reference to Persian luxury or a textual corruption.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Λευκῷ λίθῳ λενκὴ στάθμη","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text has 'λενκὴ' for 'λευκὴ' (white), likely a scribal error. The phrase 'White line with a white stone' is obscure; it may refer to a measuring line invisible against a white surface, implying futility.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The entry 'Μηδικὴ τράπεζα' lacks an explanation; its meaning is uncertain. The phrase 'Λευκῷ λίθῳ λενκὴ στάθμη' may be corrupt or elliptical."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":42,"ref":"p42","source":"Ξυρὸς εἰς ἀκόνην.\n\nΞύλον ἀγκύλυν οὐδέποτ’ ὀρθόν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδιορθώτων.\n\nΟὐ παρὰ βωμὸν δεῖ τὰς ἐπινοίας: ὅτι πρὸ τῶν πραγμάτων δεῖ βουλεύεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐν αὐτοῖς· ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ τὰ ἱερὰ προςάγοντες οὐ μετὰ τὸ θῦσαι βουλεύονται περὶ αὐτῶν.\n\nΟὐκ ἂν αὖθις ἀλώπηξ: λείπει τὸ ἁλώσεται· αὕτη γὰρ ἅπαξ διαφυγοῦσα τὰς πάγας, οὐ δεύτερον ἁλίσκεται.\n\nὌνος ἄγει μυστήρια: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναξίως τι ἐμπεπιστευμένων.\n\nὌνου γνάθοι: εἰς πολυφάγον.\n\nὍπου ἔλαφοι τὰ κέρατα ἀποβάλλουσι: τόποι δύςβατοι. Ἐπὶ τῶν ἐργώδεις εὑρεῖν τὰς διατριβὰς ποιουμένων.\n\nΟἱ μὲν γὰρ οὐκέτ’ εἰσὶν, οἱ δ’ ὄντες κακοί.\n\nΟἴκοι τὰ Μιλήσια· μὴ γὰρ ἐνθάδε: ἐπὶ τῶν ὅπου μὴ προςήκει ἐπιδεικνυμένων τὰ ἤθη, ἢ ἐπιτηδεύματα διαβεβλημένα. Μιλήσιος γὰρ παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίοις δημηγορῶν καὶ τὴν οἴκοι τρυφὴν ἐπαινῶν ἤκουσε ταῦτα.\n\nΟἶνος, ὦ παῖδες, ἀλήθεια.\n\nὌνος εἰς ἄχυρα.\n\nΟὔθ’ ὕεται οὔθ’ ἡλιοῦται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναισθήτων.\n\nΟὐκ ἐπαινεθείης οὐδ’ ἐν περιδείπνῳ: ἐπὶ τῶν φαυλοτάτων καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀξίων· εἰώθασι γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποθανόντων δείπνοις αὐτοὺς ἐπαινεῖν, κἂν ἐτυχον ὄντες φαυλότατοι.","english":"A razor to a whetstone.\n\nA crooked stick never straight: for the incorrigible.\n\nOne must not plan at the altar: because one must deliberate before actions and not during them; just as those who offer sacrifices do not deliberate about them after sacrificing.\n\nThe fox will not again: the word \"be caught\" is missing; for once it escapes the traps, it is not caught a second time.\n\nA donkey carries mysteries: for those who have been entrusted with something unworthily.\n\nA donkey's jaws: for a glutton.\n\nWhere deer shed their antlers: inaccessible places. For those who make their haunts difficult to find.\n\nSome are no longer, others are bad.\n\nMilesian matters at home; not here: for those who display their character or practices where it is not appropriate, or for disreputable pursuits. For a Milesian, speaking in public among the Lacedaemonians and praising the luxury at home, heard this.\n\nWine, O boys, is truth.\n\nA donkey to the chaff.\n\nIt neither rains nor shines: for the insensible.\n\nYou would not be praised even at a funeral feast: for the most worthless and those worthy of nothing; for they are accustomed at the feasts for the dead to praise them, even if they happened to be the most worthless.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ξυρὸς εἰς ἀκόνην","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'A razor to a whetstone' is a proverbial expression for something that is pointless or self-defeating, as a razor is sharpened on a whetstone but the action is unnecessary for a razor's intended use.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Οἴκοι τὰ Μιλήσια· μὴ γὰρ ἐνθάδε","severity":"info","text":"The proverb refers to a Milesian orator who praised Milesian luxury before the austere Lacedaemonians, illustrating the impropriety of displaying certain behaviors in inappropriate contexts.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὐκ ἂν αὖθις ἀλώπηξ","severity":"info","text":"The ellipsis of 'ἁλώσεται' (will be caught) is noted; the fox that escapes traps once is not caught again, a common motif in fable traditions.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"Οὐκ ἐπαινεθείης οὐδ’ ἐν περιδείπνῳ","severity":"info","text":"The practice of praising the dead at funeral feasts, even the most worthless, is referenced to emphasize the extreme worthlessness of the person addressed.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἱ μὲν γὰρ οὐκέτ’ εἰσὶν, οἱ δ’ ὄντες κακοί","severity":"info","text":"This entry lacks an explicit explanation formula (ἐπὶ τῶν...), unlike the surrounding proverbs, suggesting it may be a fragment or a self-contained saying.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὔθ’ ὕεται οὔθ’ ἡλιοῦται","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'It neither rains nor shines' is applied to the insensible, but the meteorological imagery may also imply a state of neutrality or indifference, which is not fully clarified.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The entry 'Οἱ μὲν γὰρ οὐκέτ’ εἰσὶν, οἱ δ’ ὄντες κακοί' lacks an explicit application formula, leaving its precise proverbial context uncertain.","The phrase 'Οὔθ’ ὕεται οὔθ’ ἡλιοῦται' could be interpreted as describing a state of being neither affected by rain nor sun, i.e., insensible, but the exact nuance is ambiguous."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":43,"ref":"p43","source":"Οἴκοθεν ὁ μάρτυρ: ἐπὶ τῶν καθ’ ἑαυτῶν φερόντων μάρτυρας.\n\nὌνος ἐν μελίσσαις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν κακοῖς περιπεσόντων.\n\nὌνος λίρας ἀκούων: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀξυνέτων.\n\nὌνῳ τις ἔλεγε μῦθον, ὁ δὲ τὰ ὦτα ἐπέσειεν.\n\nΠολλῶν ἀχύρων ὀλίγον καρπὸν ἀνήγαγον.\n\nΠαρὰ κωφῷ διαλέγῃΠρὸς\n\nσῆμα μητρυιᾶς κλαίει: ἐπὶ τῶν προςποιουμένων.\n\nΠολλαῖσι πληγαῖς δρῦς δαμάζεται: ἐπὶ τῶν δυςαλώτων.\n\nΠρὶν τοὺς ἰχθῦς λαβεῖν, τὴν ἅλμην κυκᾷς: ἐπὶ τῶν τοὺς καιροὺς προλαμβανόντων.\n\nΠολλαὶ κυνὸς ἄῤῥενος εὐναί: ἐπὶ τῶν κατωφερῶν εἰς τὰ τὴς Ἀφροδίτης ἔργα.\n\nΠολλάκι μωρὸς ἀνὴρ κατακαίριον εἶπε.\n\nΠολλὰ μεταξὺ κύλικος καὶ χείλερς ἄκρου.\n\nΠλίνθον πλύνεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.\n\nΠτωχοῦ πήρα οὐ πίμπλαται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπλήστων.\n\nΠοικιλότης ὕδρας: ἐπὶ τῶν δολερῶν.\n\nΠολλοί σε μισήσουσιν, ἂν σαυτὸν φιλῇς.\n\nΠῦρ ἐπὶ δαλὸν ἐλθόν.\n\nΠόλλ’ οἶδ’ ἀλώπηξ, ἀλλ’ ἐχῖνος ἓν μέγα.\n\nΠολλοί τοι ναρθηκοφόροι, παῦροι δέ τε βάκχοι.\n\nΠρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν.\n\nΠροφάσεως δεῖται μόνον ἡ πονηρία.","english":"The witness from home: for those who bring witnesses against themselves.\n\nA donkey among bees: for those who fall into troubles.\n\nA donkey listening to a lyre: for the uncomprehending.\n\nSomeone told a fable to a donkey, but it shook its ears.\n\nThey brought forth little fruit from much chaff.\n\nYou converse with a deaf man.\n\nHe weeps at his stepmother's tomb: for those who pretend.\n\nAn oak is tamed by many blows: for those hard to capture.\n\nBefore catching the fish, you stir the brine: for those who anticipate the right moments.\n\nA male dog has many beds: for those inclined toward the works of Aphrodite.\n\nOften a foolish man has spoken to the point.\n\nMuch between cup and lip's edge.\n\nYou wash a brick: for impossible things.\n\nA beggar's wallet is never filled: for the insatiable.\n\nThe variegation of a hydra: for the deceitful.\n\nMany will hate you if you love yourself.\n\nFire came upon the brand.\n\nThe fox knows many things, but the hedgehog one great thing.\n\nMany are the thyrsus-bearers, but few the Bacchants.\n\nTo kick against the goads.\n\nWickedness needs only a pretext.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἴκοθεν ὁ μάρτυρ","severity":"info","text":"The phrase means 'the witness from home,' i.e., a witness from one's own household, which paradoxically testifies against oneself.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ὄνος λίρας ἀκούων","severity":"info","text":"A donkey listening to a lyre: proverbial for an uncomprehending or insensitive person, common in Greek paremiography.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Πολλαὶ κυνὸς ἄῤῥενος εὐναί","severity":"info","text":"This proverb refers to the promiscuity of a male dog, used metaphorically for those inclined toward sexual excess (works of Aphrodite).","cites":[],"named_sources":["Gregory of Cyprus 13th century"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλὰ μεταξὺ κύλικος καὶ χείλερς ἄκρου","severity":"info","text":"Parallel to the well-known Greek proverb 'πολλὰ μεταξὺ πέλει κύλικος καὶ χείλεος' (many things between cup and lip), expressing uncertainty before completion.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"Πολλοί τοι ναρθηκοφόροι, παῦροι δέ τε βάκχοι","severity":"info","text":"This proverb, attributed to Plato (Phaedo 69c), contrasts the many who carry the thyrsus (ritual staff) with the few who are true Bacchants, i.e., genuine initiates.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Plato 4th century BCE"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλῶν ἀχύρων ὀλίγον καρπὸν ἀνήγαγον","severity":"caution","text":"The text may be corrupt: 'ἀνήγαγον' (they brought forth) is plural but the subject is unclear; possibly a scribal error for a singular verb.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Πολλῶν ἀχύρων ὀλίγον καρπὸν ἀνήγαγον' has an ambiguous verb form (plural) with no clear subject; the reading assumes a generic 'they.'","The lemma 'Πολλὰ μεταξὺ κύλικος καὶ χείλερς ἄκρου' shows a variant spelling 'χείλερς' for 'χείλους' (lip), possibly a scribal error."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":44,"ref":"p44","source":"Πρὸ τῆς νίκης ᾄδεις ἐγκώμιον.\n\nΠολλὰ ψεύδονται ἀοιδοί.\n\nΠοταμὸς πρὸς θάλατταν ἐρίζει: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων.\n\nΠολλῶν ἐγὼ θρίων ἀκήκοα ψόφους.\n\nΠεινῶσαν ἀλώπεκα ὕπνος ἐπέρχεται.\n\nΠενίη σοφίην ἔλαχεν.\n\nΠάντα πέτρον κινήσω.\n\nΠάντα κάλων.\n\nΠρὸς λέοντα δορκάδες συνάπτουσι μάχας.\n\nῬόδιοι τὴν θυσίαν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν ἱεροῖς βλαςφημούντων.\n\nῬαχίας λαλίστερος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδολέσχων· ψόφον γὰρ ἀποτελεῖ βαλλομένη τοῖς κύμασιν.\n\nῬαδαμάνθυος κρίσις: ἡ δικαιοτάτη.\n\nῬόδον παρελθὼν μηκέτι ζήτει πάλιν.\n\nῬεχθὲν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω.\n\nῬηγίνων δειλότερος.\n\nΣὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρα κίνει.\n\nΣυνῆλθεν ἀτταγᾶς νουμηνίῳ.\n\nΣύμβουλός ἐστιν ὁ χρόνος τῶν πραγμάτων.\n\nΣυγγνώμη πρωτοπείρῳ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν πρώτοις ἁμαρτανόντων.\n\nΣαρδώνιος γέλως: ὁ προςποιητὸς καὶ μὴ ἐκ χαιρούσης καρδίας.\n\nΣικελικὴ τράπεζα, καὶ, Συβαριτική.\n\nΣοφία μωροῦ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσύνετα λαλούντων.\n\nΣὲ δ’ οἰωνίσαιτ’ ἄν τις ἰδών: καὶ τό, Τόν δὲ ἡ νεότης ἐμίσουν τε καὶ οἰωνίζοντο.\n\nΤοιοῦτον Θεμιστοκλῆς οὔποτ’ ἐνόησε: σοφίας γὰρ δόξαν οὗτος ἀπηνέγκατο.","english":"Before the victory you sing a eulogy.\n\nPoets tell many lies.\n\nA river contends with the sea: for impossible things.\n\nI have heard the rustling of many fig leaves.\n\nSleep comes upon a hungry fox.\n\nPoverty obtained wisdom.\n\nI will move every stone.\n\nEvery rope.\n\nDoes against a lion join battle.\n\nRhodians at the sacrifice: for those who blaspheme in sacred places.\n\nMore talkative than a surf-beaten shore: for chatterers; for it produces a noise when struck by the waves.\n\nThe judgment of Rhadamanthys: the most just.\n\nHaving passed by a rose, do not seek it again.\n\nWhat is done even a child knows.\n\nMore cowardly than the people of Rhegium.\n\nWith Athena, also move your hand.\n\nA francolin came together with the new moon.\n\nTime is the counselor of affairs.\n\nPardon for a first-timer: for those who err in first attempts.\n\nSardonic laughter: feigned and not from a rejoicing heart.\n\nA Sicilian table, and, Sybaritic.\n\nWisdom of a fool: for those who speak senselessly.\n\nOne might take an omen from seeing you: and also, Youth hated and took omens from him.\n\nSuch a thing Themistocles never conceived: for he bore away a reputation for wisdom.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Πρὸ τῆς νίκης ᾄδεις ἐγκώμιον","severity":"info","text":"The proverb warns against premature celebration, a common theme in Greek gnomic literature.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Πολλὰ ψεύδονται ἀοιδοί","severity":"info","text":"A reference to the traditional distrust of poets as fabricators, echoing Hesiod and Pindar.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Ῥαδαμάνθυος κρίσις","severity":"info","text":"Rhadamanthys was a mythical judge of the underworld, known for his fairness; the phrase became proverbial for absolute justice.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Σαρδώνιος γέλως","severity":"info","text":"Sardonic laughter was associated with a Sardinian plant that caused convulsive grimacing, or with the bitter laughter of the dying; here it denotes feigned joy.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Σικελικὴ τράπεζα, καὶ, Συβαριτική","severity":"info","text":"Sicilian and Sybaritic tables were proverbial for luxury and excess, Sybaris being a Greek colony in southern Italy known for opulence.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Τοιοῦτον Θεμιστοκλῆς οὔποτ’ ἐνόησε","severity":"info","text":"Themistocles, the Athenian statesman, was famed for his strategic wisdom; the proverb implies that even he could not have conceived such a plan.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The English draft translates 'Πολλῶν ἐγὼ θρίων ἀκήκοα ψόφους' as 'I have heard the rustling of many fig leaves', but θρίων can also mean 'fig leaves' or 'reed mats'; the sense of empty noise is clear.","The phrase 'Συνῆλθεν ἀτταγᾶς νουμηνίῳ' is obscure; ἀτταγᾶς is a francolin (a bird), and νουμηνίῳ refers to the new moon, possibly a reference to an inauspicious meeting."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":45,"ref":"p45","source":"Τυφῶνος πολυπλοκώτερον.\n\nΤαντάλου τάλαντα: ἐπὶ τῶν σφοδρα πλουσίων.\n\nΤὸν Κολοφῶνα ἐπέθηκας: ἐπὶ μεγάλων πραγμάτων· καὶ ἐπὶ βεβαίου ψήφου.\n\nΤὸ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ νήφοντος ἐν τῇ γλώσσῃ τοῦ μεθύοντος.\n\nΤὸν καπνὸν φεύγων εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐνέπεσεν.\n\nΤὸ κυνὸς κακὸν ὗς ἀπέτισεν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτόντων, ἄλλων δὲ δόντων δίκην.\n\nΤὸν ξύοντα ἀντιξύειν: ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ὄνων· ἀλλήλους γὰρ ἀντικνήθουσιν. Ἐπὶ ὠφελούντων ἢ ἀντιβλαπτόντων ἀλλήλους.\n\nΤοῦ Κροίσου παιδὸς σιγηλότερος.\n\nΤί οὐκ ἀπήγξω, ἵνα Θήβησιν ἥρως γίνῃ: οἱ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς διαχειρίζοντες ἐν Θήβαις ἐτιμῶντο.\n\nΤὸ Ἱππάρχου τειχίον: Ἵππαρχος ὁ Πεισιστράτου παρὰ τὴν Πυθίαν τεῖχος ᾠκοδόμησε, πολλὰ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους εἰς τἀναλώματα ἀναγκάσας.\n\nΤὸν ἐγκέφαλον κατασεσεῖσθαί μοι δοκεῖς,\n\nΤὸ μὲν νόημα τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ δὲ κλέμμ’ ἐμόν: οὕτω γὰρ οἱ δημαγωγοὶ ἀστεϊζόμενοι ἔλεγον· ὁ μὲν θεὸς ὑπέβαλεν, ὁ ἐργασάμενος δὲ ἐγώ.\n\nΤοῦ σελίνου δεῖται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἰσχυρῶς νοσούντων. εἰώθασι γὰρ στεφανοῦν σελίνοις τὰ μνήματα.","english":"More tangled than Typhon.\n\nThe talents of Tantalus: for the extremely wealthy.\n\nYou have put the colophon on it: for great matters; and for a definitive judgment.\n\nWhat is in the heart of the sober man is on the tongue of the drunk.\n\nFleeing the smoke, he fell into the fire.\n\nThe dog's evil the pig paid for: for those who sin, while others pay the penalty.\n\nTo scratch back at the one scratching: from the metaphor of donkeys; for they scratch each other. For those who benefit or harm each other in turn.\n\nMore silent than the son of Croesus.\n\nWhy did you not hang yourself, so that you might become a hero in Thebes? For those who killed themselves in Thebes were honored.\n\nThe little wall of Hipparchus: Hipparchus, son of Peisistratus, built a wall near the Pythian sanctuary, forcing the Athenians into great expense.\n\nYou seem to me to have your brain shaken.\n\nThe thought is from the god, but the theft is mine: for thus the demagogues said wittily; the god suggested it, but I carried it out.\n\nHe needs celery: for those who are severely ill. For they are accustomed to crown tombs with celery.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Τυφῶνος πολυπλοκώτερον","severity":"info","text":"Typhon, a monstrous serpentine giant in Greek mythology, was often depicted with many coils; the phrase 'more tangled than Typhon' thus denotes extreme complexity or confusion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ταντάλου τάλαντα","severity":"info","text":"Tantalus, a mythical king punished in Tartarus, was proverbially wealthy; 'talents of Tantalus' refers to immense riches.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Τὸν Κολοφῶνα ἐπέθηκας","severity":"info","text":"Colophon, a city in Ionia, was known for its decisive cavalry; the phrase 'put the colophon on it' came to mean adding a final touch or reaching a definitive conclusion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Τοῦ Κροίσου παιδὸς σιγηλότερος","severity":"info","text":"Croesus, the wealthy Lydian king, had a son who was mute; the proverb 'more silent than the son of Croesus' denotes extreme silence.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Τὸ Ἱππάρχου τειχίον","severity":"info","text":"Hipparchus, son of Peisistratus, was a tyrant of Athens; his building of a wall near the Pythian sanctuary at great public expense became proverbial for costly and burdensome projects.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Τοῦ σελίνου δεῖται","severity":"info","text":"Celery (selinon) was used in ancient Greek funerary wreaths; the phrase 'he needs celery' indicates someone near death, as celery was associated with tombs.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Τὸ κυνὸς κακὸν ὗς ἀπέτισεν' is ambiguous: the Greek text reads 'the dog's evil the pig paid for', but the English draft interprets it as 'the dog's evil the pig paid for' — the sense of substitution (others sin, others pay) is clear, but the exact animal imagery may vary in transmission."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":46,"ref":"p46","source":"Τραγικὸς πίθηκος: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ἀξίαν σεμνυνομένων.\n\nὝβρις ὕβριν ἔτικτε καὶ ψόγος ψόγον.\n\nὙπὲρ ὄνου σκιᾶς: ἐπὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ μηδὲν πονούντων.\n\nὙπὸ παντὸς λίθου σκορπίος εὕδει: ἐπὶ κακοηθῶν.\n\nὙπὲρ τὰ ἐσκαμμένα πηδᾶν: ὅμοιον τό, Ὑπερβάθμιον πόδα τείνεις.\n\nὙπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀναῤῥιπτεῖς: οἷον ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀγωνίξῃ καὶ κινδυνεύεις.\n\nὙπηνέμια τίκτει: ψευδῆ καὶ ἀβέβαια.\n\nὝδραν τέμνεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμηχάνων.\n\nὟς λουσαμένη εἰς κύλισμα βορβόρου.\n\nὟς ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον: ἐπὶ τῶν ἑαυτοὺς εἷς ὄλεθρον ἐμβαλλόντων.\n\nΦρὺξ ἀνὴρ πληγεὶς ἀμείνων καὶ διακονέστερος: νωθροὶ γὰρ δοκοῦσι οἱ Φρύγες οἰκέται.\n\nΦρυνώνδας ἄλλος: ἐπὶ τῶν πονηρῶν. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ μάγων.\n\nΧαλεπὸν χορίου κύνα γεύειν.\n\nΧρήματ’ ἀνὴρ· πενιχρὸς δ’ οὐδέποτ’ ἐσθλός.\n\nΧωρὶς τὰ Φρυγῶν καὶ Μυσῶν ὁρίσματα.\n\nΧροῒ δῆλα: φασὶ Φερεκύδην τὸν σοφὸν φθειριάσει τελευτῆσαι, εἰπεῖν δὲ πρὸς Πυθαγόραν περὶ τούτου πυνθανόμενον προβαλόντα τὸν δάκτυλον· Χροὶ δῆλα. Μία λόχμη δύο ἐριθάκους οὐ τρέφει. Μηδικὴ τράπεζα. Μέλιτος μύελον: ἐπὶ τοῦ ἄγαν ἡδέος. Μηδὲ μέλι μηδὲ μελίσσας: ἐπὶ τῶν παραιτοόυμένων ἀγαθόν τὶ παθεῖν διὰ τὸν κίνδυνον τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ. Μὴ πρὸς λέοντα δορκὰς ἅψωμαι μάχης. Μυσῶν λεία: οἱ γὰρ περίοικοι τοὺς Μυσοὺς ἐλήϊζον. Μὴ κίνει Καμάριναν: λίμνη, ἣν ἀπηγόρευεν ὁ χρησμὸς μετοχετεῦσαι· οἱ δὲ χρησάμενοι παρακούσαντες ἐβλάβησαν. Μωμήσεται μᾶλλον ἢ μιμήσεται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων. Μὴ παιδὶ μάχαιραν. Μὴ τοῖς ἀπείροις ἐγχειρίζειν πράγματα. Μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ, οὐδὲ μέλισσα μέλι. Νεκρῷ μῦθον εἰς οὖς ἔλεγεν: ἐπὶ τοῦ μὴ ἐπαΐοντος· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναισθήτων.","english":"A tragic ape: for those who pride themselves beyond their worth.\n\nHubris begets hubris, and blame begets blame.\n\nOver a donkey's shadow: for those who labor over nothing.\n\nUnder every stone a scorpion sleeps: for the malicious.\n\nTo leap beyond the dug-up ground: similar to, You stretch your foot beyond the step.\n\nYou cast the die for the whole: as in, you contend and risk for everything.\n\nIt gives birth to wind-eggs: false and unstable things.\n\nYou cut the Hydra: for impossible things.\n\nA sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in mud.\n\nA sow under a club: for those who throw themselves into destruction.\n\nA Phrygian man, when struck, is better and more serviceable: for Phrygian slaves are thought sluggish.\n\nAnother Phrynondas: for wicked men. It is also said of magicians.\n\nIt is hard to let a dog taste a hide.\n\nWealth makes the man; a poor man is never noble.\n\nWithout the boundaries of the Phrygians and Mysians.\n\nVisible on the skin: they say that Pherecydes the wise died of lice, and when Pythagoras inquired about this, he replied, pointing his finger, \"Visible on the skin.\" One thicket does not nourish two warblers. A Median table. The marrow of honey: for something exceedingly sweet. Neither honey nor bees: for those who decline a good thing because of the danger in it. Let not a doe engage in battle with a lion. The booty of the Mysians: for the neighbors plundered the Mysians. Do not stir Camarina: a lake which the oracle forbade to be drained; those who disobeyed and drained it were harmed. He will rather find fault than imitate: for the uneducated. Do not give a knife to a child. Do not entrust matters to the inexperienced. One swallow does not make spring, nor one bee honey. He told a story into the ear of a corpse: for one who does not heed; and for the insensible.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Τραγικὸς πίθηκος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'tragic ape' denotes someone who assumes an undeserved dignity, likely alluding to actors or mimics in tragic costume.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Ὑπὲρ ὄνου σκιᾶς","severity":"info","text":"The proverbial 'over a donkey's shadow' refers to a famous legal dispute in Athens about trivial matters, as recorded in the Suda.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Suda"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Ὕδραν τέμνεις","severity":"info","text":"Cutting the Hydra alludes to the Lernaean Hydra of Heracles myth, where each severed head regenerates, symbolizing an impossible or endless task.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Φρὺξ ἀνὴρ πληγεὶς ἀμείνων","severity":"info","text":"Phrygian slaves were stereotyped as sluggish in Greek literature; the proverb suggests that beating improves their service.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Χροῒ δῆλα","severity":"info","text":"The anecdote about Pherecydes dying of lice and replying to Pythagoras with 'visible on the skin' is attested in Diogenes Laertius (Lives of the Philosophers 1.118).","cites":[],"named_sources":["Diogenes Laertius"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Μὴ κίνει Καμάριναν","severity":"info","text":"Camarina was a Sicilian lake; an oracle warned against draining it, and those who disobeyed suffered harm, as reported by Strabo and others.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Strabo"],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is a list of proverbs with brief explanations; the English draft follows the Greek closely. No Coptic text is present in this passage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":47,"ref":"p47","source":"Νεφέλας ξαίνεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων. Ναῦς ἱκετεύει πέτραν: ἐπὶ τῶν σφόδρα ἀναισθήτων. Ξυρὸς εἰς ἀκόνην. Ξύλον ἀγκύλυν οὐδέποτ’ ὀρθόν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδιορθώτων. Οὐ παρὰ βωμὸν δεῖ τὰς ἐπινοίας: ὅτι πρὸ τῶν πραγμάτων δεῖ βουλεύεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐν αὐτοῖς· ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ τὰ ἱερὰ προςάγοντες οὐ μετὰ τὸ θῦσαι βουλεύονται περὶ αὐτῶν. Οὐκ ἂν αὖθις ἀλώπηξ: λείπει τὸ ἁλώσεται· αὕτη γὰρ ἅπαξ διαφυγοῦσα τὰς πάγας, οὐ δεύτερον ἁλίσκεται. Ὄνος ἄγει μυστήρια: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναξίως τι ἐμπεπιστευμένων. Ὄνου γνάθοι: εἰς πολυφάγον. Ὅπου ἔλαφοι τὰ κέρατα ἀποβάλλουσι: τόποι δύςβατοι. Ἐπὶ τῶν ἐργώδεις εὑρεῖν τὰς διατριβὰς ποιουμένων. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ οὐκέτ’ εἰσὶν, οἱ δ’ ὄντες κακοί. Οἴκοι τὰ Μιλήσια· μὴ γὰρ ἐνθάδε: ἐπὶ τῶν ὅπου μὴ προςήκει ἐπιδεικνυμένων τὰ ἤθη, ἢ ἐπιτηδεύματα διαβεβλημένα. Μιλήσιος γὰρ παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίοις δημηγορῶν καὶ τὴν οἴκοι τρυφὴν ἐπαινῶν ἤκουσε ταῦτα. Οἶνος, ὦ παῖδες, ἀλήθεια. Ὄνος εἰς ἄχυρα. Οὔθ’ ὕεται οὔθ’ ἡλιοῦται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναισθήτων. Οὐκ ἐπαινεθείης οὐδ’ ἐν περιδείπνῳ: ἐπὶ τῶν φαυλοτάτων καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀξίων· εἰώθασι γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποθανόντων δείπνοις αὐτοὺς ἐπαινεῖν, κἂν ἐτυχον ὄντες φαυλότατοι. Οἴκοθεν ὁ μάρτυρ: ἐπὶ τῶν καθ’ ἑαυτῶν φερόντων μάρτυρας. Ὄνος ἐν μελίσσαις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν κακοῖς περιπεσόντων. Ὄνος λίρας ἀκούων: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀξυνέτων. Ὄνῳ τις ἔλεγε μῦθον, ὁ δὲ τὰ ὦτα ἐπέσειεν. Πολλῶν ἀχύρων ὀλίγον καρπὸν ἀνήγαγον. Παρὰ κωφῷ διαλέγῃΠρὸς\nσῆμα μητρυιᾶς κλαίει: ἐπὶ τῶν προςποιουμένων. Πολλαῖσι πληγαῖς δρῦς δαμάζεται: ἐπὶ τῶν δυςαλώτων.","english":"You card clouds: for those attempting the impossible. A ship beseeches a rock: for the utterly insensible. A razor on a whetstone. A crooked piece of wood is never straight: for the incorrigible. One must not plan beside the altar: because one must deliberate before actions, not during them—just as those who offer sacred rites do not deliberate about them after sacrificing. The fox will not be caught again: the verb \"will be caught\" is implied; for once it escapes the traps, it is not caught a second time. A donkey carries mysteries: for those entrusted with something unworthily. A donkey's jaws: for a glutton. Where deer shed their antlers: inaccessible places. For those who make their haunts hard to find. For some are no more, and those who are, are bad. The Milesian things at home, not here: for those who display their character or practices where it is not appropriate, being disreputable. For a Milesian, speaking publicly among the Lacedaemonians and praising the luxury at home, heard this. Wine, O children, is truth. A donkey to the chaff. It neither rains nor shines: for the insensible. You would not be praised even at a funeral feast: for the most worthless and good-for-nothing; for it is customary at the feasts for the dead to praise them, even if they were utterly worthless. The witness from home: for those who bring witnesses against themselves. A donkey among bees: for those who fall into troubles. A donkey listening to a lyre: for the stupid. Someone told a fable to a donkey, and it shook its ears. Much chaff produced little grain. You speak to a deaf man. He weeps at a stepmother's tomb: for those who pretend. An oak is tamed by many blows: for those hard to subdue.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Νεφέλας ξαίνεις","severity":"info","text":"Literally 'you card clouds', a proverbial expression for attempting the impossible, akin to 'carding wool' but with clouds.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἴκοι τὰ Μιλήσια· μὴ γὰρ ἐνθάδε","severity":"info","text":"Refers to a Milesian who praised his city's luxury before Spartans, who rebuked him. The proverb warns against displaying disreputable habits in inappropriate settings.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὐκ ἐπαινεθείης οὐδ’ ἐν περιδείπνῳ","severity":"info","text":"Funeral feasts (περίδειπνον) traditionally included eulogies even for the worst; this proverb says the person is so worthless they wouldn't be praised even there.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This passage is a list of proverbs with brief explanations, typical of the paroemiographic genre. Each entry follows a pattern: proverb, then ἐπὶ τῶν + genitive phrase indicating the application.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Πρὸς σῆμα μητρυιᾶς κλαίει","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text breaks mid-word: 'Παρὰ κωφῷ διαλέγῃΠρὸς σῆμα μητρυιᾶς κλαίει'. The first part is likely a separate proverb ('You speak to a deaf man'), but the edition runs them together. The English draft splits them correctly.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἶνος, ὦ παῖδες, ἀλήθεια","severity":"info","text":"This proverb ('Wine, O children, is truth') is widely attested in Greek literature, e.g., in the paroemiographer Zenobius, and reflects the idea that wine loosens the tongue to speak truth.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text has a line break mid-word at 'διαλέγῃΠρὸς', which may indicate a missing separator between two proverbs; the English draft treats them as separate.","The phrase 'Ὅπου ἔλαφοι τὰ κέρατα ἀποβάλλουσι' is followed by an explanation that seems to shift topic; the connection between the two sentences is unclear."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":48,"ref":"p48","source":"Πρὶν τοὺς ἰχθῦς λαβεῖν, τὴν ἅλμην κυκᾷς: ἐπὶ τῶν τοὺς καιροὺς προλαμβανόντων. Πολλαὶ κυνὸς ἄῤῥενος εὐναί: ἐπὶ τῶν κατωφερῶν εἰς τὰ τὴς Ἀφροδίτης ἔργα. Πολλάκι μωρὸς ἀνὴρ κατακαίριον εἶπε. Πολλὰ μεταξὺ κύλικος καὶ χείλερς ἄκρου. Πλίνθον πλύνεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων. Πτωχοῦ πήρα οὐ πίμπλαται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπλήστων. Ποικιλότης ὕδρας: ἐπὶ τῶν δολερῶν. Πολλοί σε μισήσουσιν, ἂν σαυτὸν φιλῇς. Πῦρ ἐπὶ δαλὸν ἐλθόν. Πόλλ’ οἶδ’ ἀλώπηξ, ἀλλ’ ἐχῖνος ἓν μέγα. Πολλοί τοι ναρθηκοφόροι, παῦροι δέ τε βάκχοι. Πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν. Προφάσεως δεῖται μόνον ἡ πονηρία. Πρὸ τῆς νίκης ᾄδεις ἐγκώμιον. Πολλὰ ψεύδονται ἀοιδοί. Ποταμὸς πρὸς θάλατταν ἐρίζει: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων. Πολλῶν ἐγὼ θρίων ἀκήκοα ψόφους. Πεινῶσαν ἀλώπεκα ὕπνος ἐπέρχεται. Πενίη σοφίην ἔλαχεν. Πάντα πέτρον κινήσω. Πάντα κάλων. Πρὸς λέοντα δορκάδες συνάπτουσι μάχας. Ῥόδιοι τὴν θυσίαν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν ἱεροῖς βλαςφημούντων. Ῥαχίας λαλίστερος: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδολέσχων· ψόφον γὰρ ἀποτελεῖ βαλλομένη τοῖς κύμασιν. Ῥαδαμάνθυος κρίσις: ἡ δικαιοτάτη. Ῥόδον παρελθὼν μηκέτι ζήτει πάλιν. Ῥεχθὲν δέ τε νήπιος ἔγνω. Ῥηγίνων δειλότερος. Σὺν Ἀθηνᾷ καὶ χεῖρα κίνει. Συνῆλθεν ἀτταγᾶς νουμηνίῳ. Σύμβουλός ἐστιν ὁ χρόνος τῶν πραγμάτων. Συγγνώμη πρωτοπείρῳ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν πρώτοις ἁμαρτανόντων. Σαρδώνιος γέλως: ὁ προςποιητὸς καὶ μὴ ἐκ χαιρούσης καρδίας. Σικελικὴ τράπεζα, καὶ, Συβαριτική. Σοφία μωροῦ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσύνετα λαλούντων. Σὲ δ’ οἰωνίσαιτ’ ἄν τις ἰδών: καὶ τό, Τόν δὲ ἡ νεότης ἐμίσουν τε καὶ οἰωνίζοντο. Τοιοῦτον Θεμιστοκλῆς οὔποτ’ ἐνόησε: σοφίας γὰρ δόξαν οὗτος ἀπηνέγκατο.","english":"Before you catch the fish, you stir the brine: for those who anticipate the right moments. Many are the lairs of the male dog: for those inclined to the works of Aphrodite. Often a foolish man has spoken to the point. Many things between the cup and the lip. You wash a brick: for impossible things. A beggar’s wallet is never filled: for the insatiable. The variegation of the hydra: for the deceitful. Many will hate you if you love yourself. Fire upon a firebrand. The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog one great thing. Many are the thyrsus-bearers, but few the Bacchants. To kick against the goads. Wickedness needs only a pretext. Before the victory you sing the encomium. Poets tell many lies. A river contends with the sea: for impossible things. I have heard the rustling of many fig leaves. Sleep comes upon a hungry fox. Poverty has obtained wisdom. I will move every stone. Every rope. Deer join battle with a lion. The Rhodians at the sacrifice: for those who blaspheme in sacred places. More talkative than a surf-beaten shore: for the garrulous, for it produces a noise when struck by the waves. The judgment of Rhadamanthys: the most just. Having passed by a rose, seek it no more. What is done even a child knows. More cowardly than the Rhegians. With Athena, move your hand as well. The francolin has come with the new moon. Time is the counselor of affairs. Pardon for a first-timer: for those who err in first attempts. Sardonic laughter: feigned and not from a rejoicing heart. Sicilian table, and Sybaritic table. The wisdom of a fool: for those who speak senselessly. One would take an omen from seeing you: and also, Youth hated him and took omens from him. Themistocles never thought of such a thing: for he bore away a reputation for wisdom.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλὰ μεταξὺ κύλικος καὶ χείλερς ἄκρου","severity":"info","text":"The Greek text has a textual error: χείλερς should be χείλους (genitive of χεῖλος, 'lip'). The proverb means 'many things between cup and lip,' i.e., many mishaps can occur before an action is completed.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Ποικιλότης ὕδρας","severity":"info","text":"The hydra's variegation refers to the many-headed serpent of Greek myth, whose heads regenerated; here it symbolizes deceitful multiplicity or cunning.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Πολλοί τοι ναρθηκοφόροι, παῦροι δέ τε βάκχοι","severity":"info","text":"This proverb contrasts the many who carry the narthex (a fennel stalk used in Bacchic rites) with the few true Bacchants, i.e., genuine initiates. It is a Platonic commonplace (cf. Phaedo 69c) distinguishing appearance from reality.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Plato Phaedo"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"Ῥαδαμάνθυος κρίσις","severity":"info","text":"Rhadamanthys was a judge of the dead in Greek mythology, renowned for his fairness. The proverb 'judgment of Rhadamanthys' became proverbial for absolute justice, echoed in later Byzantine and Renaissance texts.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλὰ ψεύδονται ἀοιδοί","severity":"caution","text":"The proverb 'poets tell many lies' is a well-known Greek saying (cf. Solon, Theognis), but here it appears without context; its placement among unrelated proverbs may reflect scribal compilation rather than original order.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Πρὶν τοὺς ἰχθῦς λαβεῖν, τὴν ἅλμην κυκᾷς","severity":"info","text":"This proverb opens the passage and is typical of the collection's pattern: a concrete action (stirring brine before catching fish) followed by an explanatory formula (ἐπὶ τῶν...). It sets the tone for the series of moralizing sayings.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text contains a probable scribal error in 'χείλερς' for 'χείλους' (line 3). The phrase 'Πολλὰ ψεύδονται ἀοιδοί' may be a quotation from a lost source, but its exact origin is uncertain. The ordering of proverbs appears arbitrary, possibly reflecting compilation from multiple sources."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":49,"ref":"p49","source":"Τυφῶνος πολυπλοκώτερον. Ταντάλου τάλαντα: ἐπὶ τῶν σφοδρα πλουσίων. Τὸν Κολοφῶνα ἐπέθηκας: ἐπὶ μεγάλων πραγμάτων· καὶ ἐπὶ βεβαίου ψήφου. Τὸ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ νήφοντος ἐν τῇ γλώσσῃ τοῦ μεθύοντος. Τὸν καπνὸν φεύγων εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐνέπεσεν. Τὸ κυνὸς κακὸν ὗς ἀπέτισεν: ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτόντων, ἄλλων δὲ δόντων δίκην. Τὸν ξύοντα ἀντιξύειν: ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ὄνων· ἀλλήλους γὰρ ἀντικνήθουσιν. Ἐπὶ ὠφελούντων ἢ ἀντιβλαπτόντων ἀλλήλους. Τοῦ Κροίσου παιδὸς σιγηλότερος. Τί οὐκ ἀπήγξω, ἵνα Θήβησιν ἥρως γίνῃ: οἱ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς διαχειρίζοντες ἐν Θήβαις ἐτιμῶντο. Τὸ Ἱππάρχου τειχίον: Ἵππαρχος ὁ Πεισιστράτου παρὰ τὴν Πυθίαν τεῖχος ᾠκοδόμησε, πολλὰ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους εἰς τἀναλώματα ἀναγκάσας. Τὸν ἐγκέφαλον κατασεσεῖσθαί μοι δοκεῖς,\nΤὸ μὲν νόημα τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ δὲ κλέμμ’ ἐμόν: οὕτω γὰρ οἱ δημαγωγοὶ ἀστεϊζόμενοι ἔλεγον· ὁ μὲν θεὸς ὑπέβαλεν, ὁ ἐργασάμενος δὲ ἐγώ. Τοῦ σελίνου δεῖται: ἐπὶ τῶν ἰσχυρῶς νοσούντων. εἰώθασι γὰρ στεφανοῦν σελίνοις τὰ μνήματα. Τραγικὸς πίθηκος: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ἀξίαν σεμνυνομένων. Ὕβρις ὕβριν ἔτικτε καὶ ψόγος ψόγον. Ὑπὲρ ὄνου σκιᾶς: ἐπὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ μηδὲν πονούντων. Ὑπὸ παντὸς λίθου σκορπίος εὕδει: ἐπὶ κακοηθῶν. Ὑπὲρ τὰ ἐσκαμμένα πηδᾶν: ὅμοιον τό, Ὑπερβάθμιον πόδα τείνεις. Ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀναῤῥιπτεῖς: οἷον ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀγωνίξῃ καὶ κινδυνεύεις. Ὑπηνέμια τίκτει: ψευδῆ καὶ ἀβέβαια. Ὕδραν τέμνεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμηχάνων. Ὗς λουσαμένη εἰς κύλισμα βορβόρου. Ὗς ὑπὸ ῥόπαλον: ἐπὶ τῶν ἑαυτοὺς εἷς ὄλεθρον ἐμβαλλόντων. Φρὺξ ἀνὴρ πληγεὶς ἀμείνων καὶ διακονέστερος: νωθροὶ γὰρ δοκοῦσι οἱ Φρύγες οἰκέται.","english":"More tangled than Typhon. The talents of Tantalus: for those who are exceedingly wealthy. You have put the finishing touch on Colophon: for great matters; and for a definitive judgment. What is in the heart of the sober man is on the tongue of the drunkard. Fleeing the smoke, he fell into the fire. The dog's evil the pig paid for: for those where some have sinned, but others have paid the penalty. To scratch back at the one scratching you: from a metaphor of donkeys; for they scratch each other. For those who benefit or harm each other in turn. More silent than the son of Croesus. Why did you not hang yourself, so that you might become a hero in Thebes? For those who killed themselves were honored in Thebes. The little wall of Hipparchus: Hipparchus, the son of Peisistratus, built a wall near the Pythian temple, compelling the Athenians to great expense. You seem to me to have shaken your brains out. The thought is from the god, but the theft is mine: for thus the demagogues used to say wittily; the god suggested it, but I carried it out. He needs celery: for those who are severely ill. For they are accustomed to crown tombs with celery. A tragic ape: for those who are pretentious beyond their worth. Insult begets insult, and blame begets blame. Over a donkey's shadow: for those who labor over nothing. A scorpion sleeps under every stone: for malicious people. To leap beyond the dug-up ground: similar to, \"You stretch your foot beyond the step.\" You are casting the die for everything: that is, you are contending and risking everything. It gives birth to wind-eggs: false and unstable things. You are cutting the Hydra: for impossible things. A pig, having washed, rolls in the mud. A pig under a club: for those who throw themselves into destruction. A Phrygian man, when struck, is better and more serviceable: for Phrygian slaves are considered sluggish.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Τυφῶνος πολυπλοκώτερον","severity":"info","text":"Typhon, a monstrous serpentine giant in Greek myth, symbolizes complexity; the phrase means 'more tangled than Typhon'.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Ταντάλου τάλαντα","severity":"info","text":"Tantalus, a mythical king punished in Hades, was associated with wealth; 'talents of Tantalus' denotes extreme riches.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Τὸν Κολοφῶνα ἐπέθηκας","severity":"info","text":"Colophon, an Ionian city, was known for a decisive battle; 'put the finishing touch on Colophon' means to conclude or decide definitively.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Τοῦ Κροίσου παιδὸς σιγηλότερος","severity":"info","text":"Croesus, wealthy Lydian king, had a son who was mute; the phrase means 'more silent than the son of Croesus'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Τὸ Ἱππάρχου τειχίον","severity":"info","text":"Hipparchus, son of Peisistratus, built a wall near the Pythian temple, burdening Athenians; the phrase refers to a costly or futile project.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Τοῦ σελίνου δεῖται","severity":"info","text":"Celery was used to crown tombs in Greek funerary practice; 'he needs celery' indicates someone gravely ill or near death.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is clear; no significant ambiguities in the proverbs listed."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":50,"ref":"p50","source":"Φρυνώνδας ἄλλος: ἐπὶ τῶν πονηρῶν. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ μάγων. Χαλεπὸν χορίου κύνα γεύειν. Χρήματ’ ἀνὴρ· πενιχρὸς δ’ οὐδέποτ’ ἐσθλός. Χωρὶς τὰ Φρυγῶν καὶ Μυσῶν ὁρίσματα. Χροῒ δῆλα: φασὶ Φερεκύδην τὸν σοφὸν φθειριάσει τελευτῆσαι, εἰπεῖν δὲ πρὸς Πυθαγόραν περὶ τούτου πυνθανόμενον προβαλόντα τὸν δάκτυλον· Χροὶ δῆλα. Χυτραῖς λημᾶν καὶ κολοκύνταις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμβῤνωπούντων.\n\nΧρυσῷ καταπάττων ἡμᾶς οὐ γενώσκεις: ἐπὶ τῶν εἰκῇ λοιδορουμένων· ἐπιφέρει γὰρ Νῦν δὲ κόσμος τοῦτ’ ἐστί μοι.\n\nὩς ἥρως ἐν ἀσπίδι ξενίσαι βούλομαι: λέγεται ἐπὶ τῶν τοὺς φίλους τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἔργοις εὐεργετούντων.,\n\nὨσὶν ἑστῶσιν.\n\nὬδινεν ὄρος, εἶτα μῦν ἀπέτεκεν: παρατόξευσις ἡ ἔξω τοῦ σκοποῦ. Χυτραῖς λημᾶν καὶ κολοκύνταις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμβῤνωπούντων. Χρυσῷ καταπάττων ἡμᾶς οὐ γενώσκεις: ἐπὶ τῶν εἰκῇ λοιδορουμένων· ἐπιφέρει γὰρ Νῦν δὲ κόσμος τοῦτ’ ἐστί μοι. Ὡς ἥρως ἐν ἀσπίδι ξενίσαι βούλομαι: λέγεται ἐπὶ τῶν τοὺς φίλους τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἔργοις εὐεργετούντων.,\nὨσὶν ἑστῶσιν. Ὤδινεν ὄρος, εἶτα μῦν ἀπέτεκεν: παρατόξευσις ἡ ἔξω τοῦ σκοποῦ.","english":"Another Phrynon: for wicked men. It is also said of magicians. It is hard to let a puppy taste the cheese. Money makes the man; a poor man is never noble. The boundaries of the Phrygians and Mysians are separate. Manifest on the skin: they say that Pherecydes the wise died of lice, and when Pythagoras inquired about this, he replied, pointing his finger, \"Manifest on the skin.\" To have bleary eyes at pots and gourds: for those who are dim-sighted.\n\nTrampling us with gold, you do not know: for those who revile at random; for he adds, \"But now this is an ornament to me.\"\n\nI wish to entertain as a hero on a shield: said of those who benefit their friends by their own deeds.\n\nWith ears standing.\n\nThe mountain was in labor, then gave birth to a mouse: a shot aside, that is, off the mark. To have bleary eyes at pots and gourds: for those who are dim-sighted. Trampling us with gold, you do not know: for those who revile at random; for he adds, \"But now this is an ornament to me.\" I wish to entertain as a hero on a shield: said of those who benefit their friends by their own deeds. With ears standing. The mountain was in labor, then gave birth to a mouse: a shot aside, that is, off the mark.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Φρυνώνδας ἄλλος","severity":"info","text":"Phrynon was a proverbial figure of wickedness, often associated with magic. The phrase 'another Phrynon' denotes a person of similar infamy.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Χαλεπὸν χορίου κύνα γεύειν","severity":"info","text":"This proverb warns against giving a puppy a taste of cheese, implying that a small indulgence leads to persistent demands. It reflects a common theme in Greek gnomic literature.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Χρήματ’ ἀνὴρ· πενιχρὸς δ’ οὐδέποτ’ ἐσθλός","severity":"info","text":"A saying attributed to Alcaeus (fr. 360) that equates wealth with worth, reflecting archaic Greek aristocratic values. The second clause is a later addition.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Χωρὶς τὰ Φρυγῶν καὶ Μυσῶν ὁρίσματα","severity":"info","text":"The Phrygians and Mysians were neighboring peoples in Asia Minor, but their boundaries were proverbially indistinct. The phrase denotes things that are clearly separate.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Χροῒ δῆλα","severity":"info","text":"Refers to the story of Pherecydes of Syros, a pre-Socratic philosopher, who died of phthiriasis (lice infestation). His cryptic reply to Pythagoras, pointing to his skin, became proverbial for something obvious.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὤδινεν ὄρος, εἶτα μῦν ἀπέτεκεν","severity":"info","text":"This proverb, also found in Plato (Phaedrus 245a) and Horace (Ars Poetica 139), describes a grandiose effort that yields a trivial result. The term 'παρατόξευσις' means a shot that misses the mark.","cites":[{"key":"ed:tlg9006.tlg001","label":"source edition: Paroemiae","url":"https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg9006.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:1.1"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The repetition of several proverbs (Χυτραῖς λημᾶν... through Ὤδινεν ὄρος...) in the Greek text may indicate a scribal duplication or a deliberate recapitulation. The English draft follows the Greek order but does not resolve this.","The phrase 'Ὠσὶν ἑστῶσιν' is obscure; it may be a fragment or a misreading. The English draft renders it literally as 'With ears standing,' but its meaning is uncertain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}