§3.46.1μετὰ δὲ τούτους ὑπάρχουσιν οἱ ὀνομαζόμενοι Κάρβαι, καὶ μετὰ τούτους Σαβαῖοι, πολυανθρωπότατοι τῶν Ἀραβικῶν ἐθνῶν ὄντες.
After these exist those called Carbae, and after them the Sabaeans, who are the most populous of the Arabian tribes.
νέμονται δὲ τὴν εὐδαίμονα λεγομένην Ἀραβίαν, φέρουσαν τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν καὶ θρεμμάτων παντοδαπῶν ἐκτρέφουσαν πλῆθος ἀμύθητον.
And they occupy the Arabia called "the Happy," which produces most of the good things found among us and nourishes an unspeakable multitude of all kinds of flocks.
εὐωδία τε αὐτὴν πᾶσαν ἐπέχει φυσικὴ διὰ τὸ πάντα σχεδὸν τὰ ταῖς ὀσμαῖς πρωτεύοντα φύεσθαι κατὰ τὴν χώραν ἀνέκλειπτα.
And a natural fragrance possesses the whole of it because almost all the things holding the first place in scents grow in the country without fail.
§3.46.2κατὰ μὲν γὰρ τὴν παράλιον φύεται τὸ καλούμενον βάλσαμον καὶ κασία καὶ πόα τις ἄλλη ἰδιάζουσαν φύσιν ἔχουσα· αὕτη δὲ πρόσφατος μὲν οὖσα τοῖς ὄμμασι προσηνεστάτην παρέχεται τέρψιν, ἐγχρονισθεῖσα δὲ συντόμως γίνεται ἐξίτηλος.
For along the coast grows what is called balsam, and cassia, and a certain other grass having a peculiar nature; and this, while fresh, provides a most pleasant delight to the eyes, but when kept for a time, it quickly fades.
§3.46.3κατὰ δὲ τὴν μεσόγειον ὑπάρχουσι δρυμοὶ συνηρεφεῖς, καθʼ οὕς ἐστι δένδρα μεγάλα λιβανωτοῦ καὶ σμύρνης, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις φοίνικος καὶ καλάμου καὶ κιναμώμου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τούτοις ὁμοίαν ἐχόντων τὴν εὐωδίαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐξαριθμήσασθαι δυνατὸν τὰς ἑκάστων ἰδιότητάς τε καὶ φύσεις διὰ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἐκ πάντων ἀθροιζομένης ὀσμῆς.
And in the interior there are thick-shaded forests, in which are large trees of frankincense and myrrh, and in addition to these, of date-palm, sweet-reed, cinnamon, and the others which have a fragrance similar to these; for it is not even possible to enumerate the characteristics and natures of each, because of the multitude and the exceeding strength of the scent gathered from them all.
§3.46.4θεία γάρ τις φαίνεται καὶ λόγου κρείττων ἡ προσπίπτουσα καὶ κινοῦσα τὰς ἑκάστων αἰσθήσεις εὐωδία.
For the fragrance that meets and stirs the senses of each person appears to be something divine and beyond description.
καὶ γὰρ τοὺς παραπλέοντας, καίπερ πολὺ τῆς χέρσου κεχωρισμένους, οὐκ ἀμοίρους ποιεῖ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀπολαύσεως· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν θερινὴν ὥραν, ὅταν ἄνεμος ἀπόγειος γένηται, συμβαίνει τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν σμυρνοφόρων δένδρων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων ἀποπνεομένας εὐωδίας διικνεῖσθαι πρὸς τὰ πλησίον μέρη τῆς θαλάττης· οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ παρʼ ἡμῖν ἀποκειμένην καὶ παλαιὰν ἔχει τὴν τῶν ἀρωμάτων φύσιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀκμάζουσαν ἐν ἄνθει νεαρὰν δύναμιν καὶ διικνουμένην πρὸς τὰ λεπτομερέστατα τῆς αἰσθήσεως.
For indeed, it does not leave those sailing past, even though they are separated far from the mainland, without a share in such enjoyment; for during the summer season, when a land breeze arises, it happens that the fragrances exhaled from the myrrh-bearing trees and other such trees reach the neighboring parts of the sea; for it does not have the nature of spices that are stored away and old, as with us, but a fresh power flourishing in its bloom and penetrating to the most delicate parts of the senses.
§3.46.5κομιζούσης γὰρ τῆς αὔρας τὴν ἀπόρροιαν τῶν εὐωδεστάτων, προσπίπτει τοῖς προσπλέουσι τὴν παράλιον προσηνὲς καὶ πολύ, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὑγιεινὸν καὶ παρηλλαγμένον ἐκ τῶν ἀρίστων μῖγμα, οὔτε τετμημένου τοῦ καρποῦ καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀκμὴν ἐκπεπνευκότος, οὔτε τὴν ἀπόθεσιν ἔχοντος ἐν ἑτερογενέσιν ἀγγείοις, ἀλλʼ ἀπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς νεαρωτάτης ὥρας καὶ τὸν βλαστὸν ἀκέραιον παρεχομένης τῆς θείας φύσεως, ὥστε τοὺς μεταλαμβάνοντας τῆς ἰδιότητος δοκεῖν ἀπολαύειν τῆς μυθολογουμένης ἀμβροσίας διὰ τὸ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς εὐωδίας μηδεμίαν ἑτέραν εὑρίσκειν οἰκείαν προσηγορίαν.
For as the breeze carries the emanation of the sweetest-smelling things, there meets those sailing toward the coast a pleasant and abundant, and in addition to this, healthy and distinct mixture compounded of the best things, the fruit being neither cut and having breathed out its own prime, nor having its storage in vessels of different kinds, but the divine nature presenting the sprout intact from its very freshest season; so that those who partake of its peculiar character seem to enjoy the mythologized ambrosia, because the exceeding strength of the fragrance can find no other suitable name.