Waltey

Prevod

A herdsman tending a herd of bulls lost a calf. After searching everywhere without finding it, he prayed to Zeus, promising to sacrifice a kid to him if he found the thief. But when he came to a thicket and saw a lion devouring the calf, he was terrified. Raising his hands to heaven, he said, “Lord Zeus, before I promised to sacrifice a kid to you if I found the thief; now I will sacrifice a bull if I escape the thief’s clutches.” This fable applies to people in distress who, not knowing what to do, pray to find something, only to seek escape from it once they have found it.

Izvirnik

Βουκόλος βόσκων ἀγέλην ταύρων ἀπώλεσε μόσχον· περιελθών δὲ καὶ μὴ εὑρὼν ηὔξατο τῷ Διὶ, ἐὰν τὸν κλέπτην εὕρῃ, ἔριφον αὐτῷ θῦσαι. Ἐλθών δὲ εἴς τινα δρυμῶνα, καὶ θεασάμενος λέοντα κατεσθίοντα τὸν μό- σχον, περίφοβος γενόμενος, ἐπάρας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν τὰς χεῖρας εἶπε· δέσποτα λεῦ, πάλαι μέν σοι ηὐξάμην ἔρι- φον θῦσαι, ἐὰν τὸν κλέπτην εὕρω· νῦν δὲ ταῦρον θύσω, ἐὰν τὰς τοῦ κλέπτου χεῖρας ἐκφύγω.“

Οὗτος ὁ λόγος λεχθείη ἂν κατʼ ἀνδρῶν δυστυχούντων, οἵτινες ἀπορούμενοι εὔχονται εὑρεῖν, εὑρόντες δὲ ζητοῦσιν ἀποφυγεῖν.

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