§1.32.1ὁ γὰρ Νεῖλος φέρεται μὲν ἀπὸ μεσημβρίας ἐπὶ τὴν ἄρκτον, τὰς πηγὰς ἔχων ἐκ τόπων ἀοράτων, οἳ κεῖνται τῆς ἐσχάτης Αἰθιοπίας κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον, ἀπροσίτου τῆς χώρας οὔσης διὰ τὴν τοῦ καύματος ὑπερβολήν. §1.32.2μέγιστος δʼ ὢν τῶν ἁπάντων ποταμῶν καὶ πλείστην γῆν διεξιὼν καμπὰς ποιεῖται μεγάλας, ποτὲ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνατολὴν καὶ τὴν Ἀραβίαν ἐπιστρέφων, ποτὲ δʼ ἐπὶ τὴν δύσιν καὶ τὴν Λιβύην ἐκκλίνων% φέρεται γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν Αἰθιοπικῶν ὀρῶν μέχρι τῆς εἰς θάλατταν ἐκβολῆς στάδια μάλιστά πως μύρια καὶ δισχίλια σὺν αἷς ποιεῖται καμπαῖς. §1.32.3κατὰ δὲ τοὺς ὑποκάτω τόπους συστέλλεται τοῖς ὄγκοις ἀεὶ μᾶλλον, ἀποσπωμένου τοῦ ῥεύματος ἐπʼ ἀμφοτέρας τὰς ἠπείρους. §1.32.4τῶν δʼ ἀποσχιζομένων μερῶν τὸ μὲν εἰς τὴν Λιβύην ἐκκλῖνον ὑφʼ ἅμμου καταπίνεται τὸ βάθος ἐχούσης ἄπιστον, τὸ δʼ εἰς τὴν Ἀραβίαν ἐναντίως εἰσχεόμενον εἰς τέλματα παμμεγέθη καὶ λίμνας ἐκτρέπεται μεγάλας καὶ περιοικουμένας γένεσι πολλοῖς. §1.32.5εἰς δὲ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐμβάλλει τῇ μὲν δέκα σταδίων, τῇ δʼ ἔλαττον τούτων, οὐκ ἐπʼ εὐθείας φερόμενος, ἀλλὰ καμπὰς παντοίας ποιούμενος· ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ ἑλίττεται πρὸς τὴν ἕω, ποτὲ δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἑσπέραν, ἔστι δʼ ὅτε πρὸς τὴν μεσημβρίαν, §1.32.6εἰς τοὐπίσω λαμβάνων τὴν παλίρροιαν.
For the Nile flows from south to north, having its sources from unseen places which lie in the desert of furthest Ethiopia, the region being inaccessible because of the excessive heat. Being the greatest of all rivers and traversing the most land, it makes great bends, sometimes turning toward the east and Arabia, and sometimes inclining toward the west and Libya; for it flows from the Ethiopian mountains as far as its outlet into the sea, almost twelve thousand stades including the bends which it makes. In the regions below, it is contracted more and more in its volume, because its stream is drawn off toward both continents. Of the parts that branch off, the one inclining toward Libya is swallowed up by sand of unbelievable depth, while the other flowing conversely into Arabia is diverted into immense marshes and large lakes inhabited around by many tribes. And it empties into Egypt in some places at a width of ten stades, and in others less than this, flowing not in a straight line but making all kinds of bends; for sometimes it winds toward the east, sometimes toward the west, and sometimes toward the south, taking its backward flow to the rear.
ὄρη γὰρ ἐξ ἑκατέρου μέρους τοῦ ποταμοῦ παρήκει, πολλὴν μὲν τῆς παραποταμίας ἐπέχοντα, διειλημμένα δὲ φάραγξι καὶ κρημνοῖς στενοπόροις, οἷς ἐμπῖπτον τὸ ῥεῦμα παλισσυτεῖ διὰ τῆς πεδιάδος, καὶ πρὸς τὴν μεσημβρίαν ἐφʼ ἱκανὸν τόπον ἐνεχθὲν πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν κατὰ φύσιν φορὰν ἀποκαθίσταται. §1.32.7τηλικαύτην δʼ ἔχων ὑπεροχὴν ἐν πᾶσιν ὁ ποταμὸς οὗτος μόνος τῶν ἄλλων ἄνευ βίας καὶ κυματώδους ὁρμῆς τὴν ῥύσιν ποιεῖται, πλὴν ἐν τοῖς καλουμένοις καταράκταις. §1.32.8τόπος γάρ τίς ἐστι μήκει μὲν ὡς δέκα σταδίων, κατάντης δὲ καὶ κρημνοῖς συγκλειόμενος εἰς στενὴν ἐντομήν, ἅπας δὲ τραχὺς καὶ φαραγγώδης, ἔτι δὲ πέτρους ἔχων πυκνοὺς καὶ μεγάλους ἐοικότας σκοπέλοις· τοῦ δὲ ῥεύματος περὶ τούτους σχιζομένου βιαιότερον καὶ πολλάκις διὰ τὰς ἐγκοπὰς ἀνακλωμένου πρὸς ἐναντίαν τὴν καταφορὰν συνίστανται δῖναι θαυμασταί· §1.32.9πᾶς δʼ ὁ μεσάζων τόπος ὑπὸ τῆς παλιρροίας ἀφροῦ τε πληροῦται καὶ τοῖς προσιοῦσι μεγάλην παρέχεται κατάπληξιν· καὶ γὰρ ἡ καταφορὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ οὕτως ἐστὶν ὀξεῖα καὶ βίαιος ὥστε δοκεῖν μηδὲν βέλους διαφέρειν. §1.32.10κατὰ δὲ τὴν πλήρωσιν τοῦ Νείλου, τῶν σκοπέλων κατακλυζομένων καὶ παντὸς τοῦ τραχύνοντος τόπου τῷ πλήθει τοῦ ῥεύματος καλυπτομένου, καταπλέουσι μέν τινες κατὰ τοῦ καταράκτου λαμβάνοντες ἐναντίους τοὺς ἀνέμους, ἀναπλεῦσαι δὲ οὐδεὶς δύναται, νικώσης τῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ βίας πᾶσαν ἐπίνοιαν ἀνθρωπίνην. §1.32.11καταράκται μὲν οὖν εἰσι τοιοῦτοι πλείους, μέγιστος δʼ ὁ πρὸς τοῖς μεθορίοις τῆς Αἰθιοπίας τε καὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου.
For mountains extend along on each side of the river, occupying much of the riverbank, and divided by ravines and narrow cliffs; the stream, dashing against these, flows backward through the plain, and having been carried toward the south for a considerable distance, is restored again to its natural course. Although this river has such great preeminence in all things, it alone of all others makes its flow without violence and wavy force, except at the so-called cataracts. For there is a certain place, in length about ten stades, steep and enclosed by cliffs into a narrow passage, and all of it rough and full of ravines, and moreover having dense and large rocks resembling reefs; and since the stream is split more violently around these and is often bent back against its downward course because of the obstructions, wonderful whirlpools are formed. And the entire intermediate place is filled with foam by the backward surge and causes great terror to those who approach; for the downward course of the river is so swift and violent that it seems to differ in no way from an arrow. But at the flooding of the Nile, when the reefs are submerged and the whole rough place is covered by the abundance of the stream, some sail down the cataract taking opposing winds, but no one is able to sail up, since the violence of the river overcomes all human ingenuity. There are indeed several such cataracts, but the greatest is that at the border of Ethiopia and Egypt.