Thursday, August 9, 2012

διήγημα ἀληθινόν

We were invited to prepare a Greek story for the last day of the Greek fluency workshop. Here, for what it's worth, is mine:

ἀνὴρ τις ἦν, ὅς ἐφύτευσεν δένδρα ἐν βρετανικὴ κολυμβία.
κατώ̣κησεν ἐν σκηνῆ̣, ἐνίψατο μὲν ὀλίγον καὶ ἠργάσατο δυσκόλως, ζωὴ δὲ ἦν καλή.
ἀλλὰ ἐφοβήθη ἄρκους*.

νύκτα μίαν, καθεύδοντος αὐτοῦ, φωνὴ φοβερὰ ἐγγὺς σκηνῆς διήγειρεν αὐτόν.
ἐφοβεῖτο σφόδρα λίαν μάλιστα!
καὶ εἶπεν, Ὕπαγε ἄρκε! Shoo!

πρωΐας δὲ γενομένης, ἀναστάντος αὐτοῦ, οἱ φίλοι εἶπαν, Ὕστριξ** ἦν!
*bear
**porcupine
_____________________

I didn't realize the stories were supposed to be geared for beginners or I would have written it in the present tense and simplified it considerably. Apparently, it is a lot more difficult to teach something than it is to sit and absorb it.