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Plutarch · Selection on Impossibilities §1-52

Proverbs on Impossible Tasks and Vain Labors

Passage 1 of 1 · Greek

Summary

A collection of short Greek proverbs expressing "impossible tasks" or "pointless labor" through various metaphors, along with some contrasting expressions denoting highly natural and easy actions.

§1Κατὰ πετρῶν σπείρεις.
You sow on rocks.
§2Πλίνθον πλύνεις.
You wash a brick.
§3Δικτύῳ ἄνεμον θηρᾷς.
You hunt the wind with a net.
§4Εἰς πίθον ἀντλεῖς.
You draw water into a jar.
§5Εἰς ὕδωρ γράφεις.
You write on water.
§6Εἰς οὐρανὸν τοξεύεις.
You shoot arrows at the sky.
§7Αἰθίοπα σμήχεις.
You wash an Ethiopian.
§8Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ ἀντλεῖς.
You draw water with a sieve.
§9Νεκρὸν μαστίζεις.
You flog a corpse.
§10Εἰς ψάμμον οἰκοδομεῖς.
You build on sand.
§11Εἰς ὕδωρ σπείρεις.
You sow on water.
§12Ἀκίνητα κίνεις.
You move the immovable.
§13Ἀκίχητα διώκεις.
You pursue the unattainable.
§14Σίδηρον πλεῖν διδάσκεις.
You teach iron to swim.
§15Δελφῖνα νήχεσθαι διδάσκεις.
You teach a dolphin to swim.
§16Ἡλίῳ φῶς δανείζεις.
You lend light to the sun.
§17Κύματα μετρεῖς.
You count the waves.
§18Ὑπὲρ τὰ ἐσκαμμένα πηδᾷς.
You leap beyond the boundaries.
§19Λύκου πτερὸν ζητεῖς.
You look for a wolf's wing.
§20Τράγον ἀμέλγεις.
You milk a he-goat.
§21Ἄμμον θαλάσσης κοφίνῳ ζητεῖς μετρεῖν, §22Ἐλαίῳ πῦρ σβεννύεις.
You seek to measure the sand of the sea with a basket, You extinguish fire with oil.
§23Αἰγιαλῷ λαλεῖς.
You speak to the seashore.
§24Λίθῳ διαλέγου.
Speak to a stone.
§25Ἄνεα πτερῶν ζητεῖς ἵπτασθαι.
You seek to fly without wings.
§26Φαλακρῷ κτένας δανείζεις.
You lend combs to a bald man.
§27Τυφλῷ κάτοπτρον χαρίξῃ· §28Ἠπειρώτῃ δίκτυα δίδως.
You will present a mirror to a blind man; You give nets to an inland dweller.
§29Πρὸς κωφοῖς ἀποπέρδεις.
You fart in front of the deaf.
§30Ἄνεμον διώκεις.
You chase the wind.
§31Παρὰ δικτύοις ὕδωρ κομίζεις.
You carry water in a net.
§32Ἵππος εἰς λεῖον πεδίον.
A horse onto a level plain.
§33Ἀετὸς εἰς θήραν.
An eagle to the hunt.
§34Ξυρὸς εἰς ἀκόνην.
A razor to the whetstone.
§35Σφαῖρα κατὰ πρανοῦς.
A ball down a slope.
§36Πῦρ εἰς ἀκάνθας.
Fire into thorns.
§37Σπόγγος εἰς ὕδωρ.
A sponge into water.
§38Ὄρνιθος γάλα ζητεῖς.
You look for bird's milk.
§39Φακοῦ γωνίαν κάμπτεις.
You turn the corner of a lentil.
§40Ὠὸν τίλλεις.
You pluck an egg.
§41Θάλασσαν σπείρεις, §42Πλίνθον πλύνεις.
You sow the sea, You wash a brick.
§43Κωφῷ ὁμιλεῖς.
You speak to a deaf man.
§44Τυφλῷ διανεύεις.
You beckon to a blind man.
§45Ἀνδριάντα γαργαλίζεις.
You tickle a statue.
§46Εἰς τετρημένον πίθον ἀντλεῖς.
You draw water into a leaking jar.
§47Ἄστρα τοξεύεις.
You shoot arrows at the stars.
§48Πῦρ ἀλείφεις.
You anoint fire.
§49Κατὰ μαχαιρῶν κυβιστᾷς.
You somersault over knives.
§50Κοσκίνῳ φέρεις ὕδωρ.
You carry water in a sieve.
§51Νεφέλας ξαίνεις.
You card clouds.
§52Αἰθίοπα λευκαίνεις.
You whiten an Ethiopian.

Notes

  1. §12Ἀκίνητα — Accusative neuter plural of the adjective ἀκίνητος ("immovable," "sacred"), referring to things that must not be disturbed, such as graves, ancient customs, or sacred laws.
  2. §14πλεῖν — Present infinitive of πλέω ("to sail" or "to swim"). It serves as the object of διδάσκεις ("you teach"), describing the impossible task of teaching iron (σίδηρον), which naturally sinks, how to swim.
  3. §18τὰ ἐσκαμμένα — Perfect middle-passive participle neuter accusative plural of σκάπτω ("to dig"). It refers to the "dug-up line" or "trench" marking limits in athletic jumps, thus metaphorically meaning to overstep boundaries or go to extremes.
  4. §24διαλέγου — Present imperative second-person singular of the deponent verb διαλέγομαι ("to converse," "to speak to"). Unlike most of the surrounding proverb forms which use the indicative, this is an explicit command.
  5. §25Ἄνεα — Likely a corruption or dialectal variant of the preposition ἄνευ ("without"), which governs the genitive πτερῶν ("wings").
  6. §32Ὄππος εἰς λεῖον πεδίον — From §32 to §37, these are verbless noun phrases expressing a state where something (a horse, an eagle, a razor, etc.) is in its most natural and optimal environment, signifying effortless progress or perfect suitability.

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Selection on Impossibilities §1-52. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg147.humanitext-grc1:1-52

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