εἰς πέλαγος σπέρµα βαλεῖν καὶ γράµµατα γράψαι ἀµφότερος µόχθος τε κενὸς καὶ πρᾶξις ἄκαρπος → throwing seeds and writing letters at sea are both a vain and fruitless endeavor
κοῖλον, κενόν Hsch.
