- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.50.1-4.50.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The author explains that while the Ister becomes the largest river due to its many tributaries, the Nile remains larger as a single stream. He also details how the Ister maintains a constant volume year-round through the balance between solar evaporation and the seasonal patterns of snow and rain.
τούτων ὦν τῶν καταλεχθέντων καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν συμβαλλομένων τὸ σφέτερον ὕδωρ γίνεται ὁ Ἴστρος ποταμῶν μέγιστος, ἐπεὶ ὕδωρ γε ἓν πρὸς ἓν συμβάλλειν1 ὁ Νεῖλος πλήθει ἀποκρατέει. ἐς γὰρ δὴ τοῦτον οὔτε ποταμὸς οὔτε κρήνη οὐδεμία ἐσδιδοῦσα ἐς πλῆθός οἱ συμβάλλεται.
Thus, with these rivers that have been mentioned and many others contributing their own water, the Ister becomes the greatest of all rivers, although, if comparing water to water, one against one, the Nile surpasses it in volume. For indeed, into the Nile neither river nor any spring flows to contribute to its volume.
ἴσος δὲ αἰεὶ ῥέει ἐν τε θέρει καὶ χειμῶνι ὁ Ἴστρος κατὰ τοιόνδε τι, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκέει· τοῦ μὲν χειμῶνος ἐστὶ ὅσος περ ἐστι, ὀλίγῳ τε μέζων τῆς ἑωυτοῦ φύσιος γίνεται· ὕεται2 γὰρ ἡ γῆ αὕτη τοῦ χειμῶνος πάμπαν ὀλίγῳ, νιφετῷ δὲ πάντα χρᾶται·
But the Ister always flows at the same level both in summer and winter, for some such reason as it seems to me: in the winter it is just as large as its natural self, or becomes only a little larger than its natural flow; for this land is rained upon in winter altogether little, but experiences everything as snow.
τοῦ δὲ θέρεος ἡ χιὼν ἡ ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι πεσοῦσα, ἐοῦσα ἀμφιλαφής, τηκομένη πάντοθεν ἐσδιδοῖ ἐς τὸν Ἴστρον. αὕτη τε δὴ ἡ χιὼν ἐσδιδοῦσα ἐς αὐτὸν συμπληθύει καὶ ὄμβροι πολλοί τε καὶ λάβροι σὺν αὐτῇ· ὕει γὰρ δὴ τὸ θέρος.
In the summer, the snow that fell in the winter, being abundant, melts and flows from all sides into the Ister. This melting snow flowing into it swells its volume, and many heavy rains along with it; for indeed it rains in the summer.
ὅσῳ δὲ πλέον ἐπʼ ἑωυτὸν ὕδωρ ὁ ἥλιος ἐπέλκεται ἐν τῶ θέρει ἢ ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι, τοσούτῳ3 τὰ συμμισγόμενα τῷ Ἴστρῳ πολλαπλήσια ἐστὶ τοῦ θέρεος ἤ περ τοῦ χειμῶνος· ἀντιτιθέμενα δὲ ταῦτα ἀντισήκωσις γίνεται, ὥστε ἴσον μιν αἰεὶ φαίνεσθαι ἐόντα.4
Therefore, by as much as the sun draws more water to himself in summer than in winter, by so much the waters mingling with the Ister are many times greater in summer than in winter; and these opposing factors being balanced against each other, an equalization occurs, so that the river always appears to remain equal in volume.
- 4.50.1ἓν πρὸς ἓν συμβάλλειν
An infinitive of limitation (or absolute infinitive). The phrase ἓν πρὸς ἓν is used adverbially to mean 'one against one' or 'comparing single stream to single stream', indicating a comparison of individual rivers without counting their tributaries.
- 4.50.2ὕεται
The passive voice of the impersonal verb ὕει (it rains). The subject is ἡ γῆ αὕτη (this land), resulting in the passive construction 'this land is rained upon', meaning 'it rains on this land'.
- 4.50.4ὅσῳ ... τοσούτῳ
A correlative construction using the dative of measure of difference. It expresses a proportional relationship: 'by as much as [the sun draws more water]... by so much [the waters mingling with the river are greater]'.
- 4.50.4ὥστε ἴσον μιν αἰεὶ φαίνεσθαι ἐόντα
A clause of result introduced by ὥστε with the infinitive. The infinitive φαίνεσθαι takes the participle ἐόντα as its complement, signifying 'it actually appears to be (and is) equal' rather than a mere illusion. The pronoun μιν is the Ionic third-person singular accusative (= αὐτόν), referring to the Ister.