Works and Days

The Seven Sages:

Thales of Miletus: “Know thyself” (gnohthi seauton).
Solon of Athens: “Nothing in excess” (mehden agan).
Periander of Corinth: “Practice is everything” (meleteh to pan).
Cleoboulos of Lindos: “Moderation is best” (metron ariston).
Chilon of Sparta: “Pledge, and ruin is near at hand.” (engua, para d’ ateh).
Bias of Priene: “Too many are bad” (hoi pleistoi kakoi).
Pittakus of Mitylene: “Know the right time” (kairon gnohthi).

Honorable Mention:

Callimachus of Alexandria: “A big book is a big evil.” (mega biblion mega kakon).
Menander of Athens: “He whom the gods love dies young” (hon hoi theoi philousin, apothnehiskei neos).

τω̂ν δ’, ὥς τε νιφάδες χιόνος πίπτωσι θαμειαὶ
ἤματι χειμερίῳ, ὅτε τ’ ὤρετο μητίετα Ζεὺς
νιφέμεν ἀνθρώποισι πιφαυσκόμενος τὰ ἃ κη̂λα:
κοιμήσας δ’ ἀνέμους χέει ἔμπεδον, ὄφρα καλύψῃ
ὑψηλω̂ν ὀρέων κορυφὰς καὶ πρώονας ἄκρους
καὶ πεδία λωτου̂ντα καὶ ἀνδρω̂ν πίονα ἔργα,
καί τ’ ἐφ’ ἁλὸς πολιη̂ς κέχυται λιμέσιν τε καὶ ἀκται̂ς,
κυ̂μα δέ μιν προσπλάζον ἐρύκεται: ἄλλά τε πάντα
εἴλυται καθύπερθ’, ὅτ’ ἐπιβρίσῃ Διὸς ὄμβρος:

–Homer, Iliad XII:278-286

A few light taps upon the pane made him turn to the window. It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight. The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward. Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.

–James Joyce, The Dead

heh megaleh paideusis en anthrohpoisi siohpeh;
martyra Pythagoran ton sophon auton ekhoh,
hos, laleein eidohs, heterous edidaske siohpan,
pharmakon hehsukhiehs enkrates heuromenos.

Silence is men’s chief learning. The sage Pythagoras himself is my witness. He, knowing himself how to speak, taught others to be silent, having discovered this potent drug to ensure tranquillity.

Epigram 46 (Palladas)
from The Greek Anthology, Volume IV, trans. W. R. Paton

eis aidehn itheia katehlysis, eit’ ap’ Athehnohn
steikhois, eite nekys niseai ek Meroehs.
meh se g’ aniatoh patrehs apotehle thanonta;
pantothen eis ho pherohn eis aidehn anemos.

The way down to Hades is straight, whether you start from Athens or whether you betake yourself there, when dead, from Meroe. Let it not vex thee to die far from thy country. One fair wind to Hades blows from all lands.

Epigram 3 (Anonymous)
from The Greek Anthology, Volume IV, trans. W. R. Paton

Vowels

[α a] [ε e] [η eh] [ι i] [ο o] [υ y] [ω oh]

Diphthongs

[αι ai] [αυ au] [ει ei] [ευ eu] [ηι ehi] [οι oi] [ου ou] [υι ui] [ωι ohi]

Stops

[π p] [τ t] [κ k] [β b] [δ d] [γ g] [φ ph] [θ th] [χ kh]

Nasals

[μ m] [ν n] [γ n (before κ, γ, χ, ξ)]

Liquids, Sibilants

[λ l] [ρ rh (initial), r (medial)] [σ,ς s]

Compound Letters

[ζ sd] [ξ ks] [ψ ps]

Notes

The letter h serves three functions. Initially and after initial rho, it signifies rough breathing. After a vowel it signifies vowel lengthening (specifically to distinguish epsilon/eta and omicron/omega, but optionally to distinguish long and short alpha, iota, and upsilon). After a stop, it signifies aspiration.

Upsilon is written y when standing alone, u when part of a diphthong.

The transliteration of compound letters is consistent with the transliteration of the component letters, which are never written separately when occurring in combination.

μου̂σαι Πιερίηθεν ἀοιδῃ̂σιν κλείουσαι
δευ̂τε, Δί’ ἐννέπετε, σφέτερον πατέρ’ ὑμνείουσαι:
ὅντε διὰ βροτοὶ ἄνδρες ὁμω̂ς ἄφατοί τε φατοί τε,
ῥητοί τ’ ἄρρητοί τε Διὸς μεγάλοιο ἕκητι.
ῥέα μὲν γὰρ βριάει, ῥέα δὲ βριάοντα χαλέπτει,
ῥει̂α δ’ ἀρίζηλον μινύθει καὶ ἄδηλον ἀέξει,
ῥει̂α δέ τ’ ἰθύνει σκολιὸν καὶ ἀγήνορα κάρφει
Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης, ὃς ὑπέρτατα δώματα ναίει.
κλυ̂θι ἰδὼν ἀίων τε, δίκῃ δ’ ἴθυνε θέμιστας
τύνη: ἐγὼ δέ κε, Πέρση, ἐτήτυμα μυθησαίμην.

Come, Muses of Pieria, who glorify
in songs, and sing a hymn of praise to father Zeus:
For through him mortal men alike are given names
or go without them, spoken of or left unknown;
For easily he makes them strong, and easily
he batters down their strength, diminishing the proud
and raising up the humble; easily he makes
the crooked straight, or makes the haughty wither up–
the one who dwells above, the thunderer on high.
With eye and ear attend, and make these judgments straight
with justice, for, O Perses, I would speak things true.