§2.42οὔπω δὲ πεντακοσίους σταδίους διελθόντες εἴδομεν ὕλην μεγίστην καὶ λάσιον πιτύων καὶ κυπαρίττων.
Before we had gone five hundred stades, we saw a very great and dense forest of pines and cypresses.
καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν εἰκάσαμεν ἤπειρον εἶναι· τὸ δʼ ἦν πέλαγος ἄβυσσον ἀρρίζοις δένδροις καταπεφυτευμένον·
And we indeed supposed it to be land; but it was a bottomless sea planted with rootless trees.
εἱστήκει δὲ τὰ δένδρα ὅμως ἀκίνητα, ὀρθὰ καθάπερ ἐπιπλέοντα.
Nevertheless, the trees stood motionless, upright as if floating.
πλησιάσαντες δ’ οὖν καὶ τὸ πᾶν κατανοήσαντες ἐν ἀπόρῳ εἰχόμεθα τί χρὴ δρᾶν· οὔτε γὰρ διὰ τῶν δένδρων πλεῖν δυνατὸν ἦν — πυκνὰ γὰρ καὶ προσεχῆ ὑπῆρχεν — οὔτε ἀναστρέφειν ἐδόκει ῥᾴδιον·
When we approached and understood the whole situation, we were at a loss as to what we ought to do; for it was not possible to sail through the trees—for they were dense and continuous—nor did it seem easy to turn back.
ἐγὼ δὲ ἀνελθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ μέγιστον δένδρον ἀπεσκόπουν τὰ ἐπέκεινα ὅπως ἔχοι, καὶ ἑώρων ἐπὶ σταδίους μὲν πεντήκοντα ἢ ὀλίγῳ πλείους τὴν ὕλην οὖσαν, ἔπειτα δὲ αὖθις ἕτερον ὠκεανὸν ἐκδεχόμενον.
But I, having climbed up onto the largest tree, looked out at what lay beyond to see how it was, and I saw that the forest extended for fifty stades or a little more, and then another ocean succeeded it.
καὶ δὴ ἐδόκει ἡμῖν ἀναθεμένους τὴν ναῦν ἐπὶ τὴν κόμην τῶν δένδρων — πυκνὴ δὲ ἦν — ὑπερβιβάσαι, εἰ δυναίμεθα, εἰς τὴν θάλατταν τὴν ἑτέραν· καὶ οὕτως ἐποιοῦμεν.
And indeed, having hoisted the ship onto the foliage of the trees—and it was dense—it seemed best to us to transport it over, if we could, into the other sea; and so we did.
ἐκδήσαντες γὰρ αὐτὴν κάλῳ μεγάλῳ καὶ ἀνελθόντες ἐπὶ τὰ δένδρα μόλις ἀνιμησάμεθα, καὶ θέντες ἐπὶ τῶν κλάδων, πετάσαντες τὰ ἱστία καθάπερ ἐν θαλάττῃ ἐπλέομεν τοῦ ἀνέμου προωθοῦντος ἐπισυρόμενοι·
For having bound her with a large rope and climbed up the trees, we with difficulty hauled her up, and having placed her upon the branches, we spread our sails and sailed just as if on the sea, being dragged along as the wind pushed us.
ἔνθα δὴ καὶ τὸ Ἀντιμάχου τοῦ ποιητοῦ ἔπος ἐπεισῆλθέ με — φησὶν γάρ που κἀκεῖνος· "τοῖσιν δʼ ὑλήεντα διὰ πλόον ἐρχομένοισιν. " §2.43βιασάμενοι δὲ ὅμως τὴν ὕλην ἀφικόμεθα ἐς τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ πάλιν ὁμοίως καθέντες τὴν ναῦν ἐπλέομεν διὰ καθαροῦ καὶ διαυγοῦς ὕδατος, ἄχρι δὴ ἐπέστημεν χάσματι μεγάλῳ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος διεστῶτος γεγενημένῳ, καθάπερ ἐν τῇ γῇ πολλάκις ὁρῶμεν ὑπὸ σεισμῶν γενόμενα διαχωρίσματα.
Then indeed the verse of the poet Antimachus also came into my mind—for he too says somewhere: "To those who were going on their wooded voyage." Nevertheless, having forced our way through the forest, we reached the water, and having let the ship down again in like manner, we sailed through clear and transparent water, until indeed we came upon a great chasm formed by the parting of the water, just as we often see rifts produced on land by earthquakes.
ἡ μὲν οὖν ναῦς καθελόντων ἡμῶν τὰ ἱστία οὐ ῥᾳδίως ἔστη παρʼ ὀλίγον ἐλθοῦσα κατενεχθῆναι.
The ship, although we had lowered the sails, did not easily stop, coming within a little of being swept down.
ὑπερκύψαντες δὲ ἡμεῖς ἑωρῶμεν βάθος ὅσον σταδίων χιλίων μάλα φοβερὸν καὶ παράδοξον· εἱστήκει γὰρ τὸ ὕδωρ ὥσπερ μεμερισμένον·
But we, leaning over, saw a depth of about a thousand stades, very fearful and extraordinary; for the water stood as if divided.
περιβλέποντες δὲ ὁρῶμεν κατὰ δεξιὰ οὐ πάνυ πόρρωθεν γέφυραν ἐπεζευγμένην ὕδατος συνάπτοντος τὰ πελάγη κατὰ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν, ἐκ τῆς ἑτέρας θαλάττης εἰς τὴν ἑτέραν διαρρέοντος.
Looking around, we saw on our right, not very far off, a bridge thrown across, made of water, which joined the seas on the surface, flowing from one sea into the other.
προσελάσαντες οὖν ταῖς κώπαις κατʼ ἐκεῖνο παρεδράμομεν καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀγωνίας ἐπεράσαμεν οὔποτε προσδοκήσαντες.
Therefore, having driven forward with our oars, we ran along that place and crossed with much anxiety, a thing we had never expected.
§2.44ἐντεῦθεν ἡμᾶς ὑπεδέχετο πέλαγος προσηνὲς καὶ νῆσος οὐ μεγάλη, εὐπρόσιτος, συνοικουμένη·
From there, a gentle sea welcomed us and a small, easily accessible, inhabited island.
ἐνέμοντο δὲ αὐτὴν ἄνθρωποι ἄγριοι, Βουκέφαλοι, κέρατα ἔχοντες, οἷον παρʼ ἡμῖν τὸν Μινώταυρον ἀναπλάττουσιν.
And it was occupied by savage men, the Bucephali, who had horns, such as they portray the Minotaur among us.
ἀποβάντες δὲ προῄειμεν ὑδρευσόμενοι καὶ σιτία ληψόμενοι, εἴ ποθεν δυνηθείημεν· οὐκέτι γὰρ εἴχομεν.
Having disembarked, we went forward to fetch water and to get provisions, if we could from anywhere; for we no longer had any.
καὶ ὕδωρ μὲν αὐτοῦ πλησίον εὕρομεν, ἄλλο δὲ οὐδὲν ἐφαίνετο, πλὴν μυκηθμὸς πολὺς οὐ πόρρωθεν ἠκούετο.
And water indeed we found near there, but nothing else appeared, except that a loud lowing was heard not far off.
δόξαντες οὖν ἀγέλην εἶναι βοῶν, κατʼ ὀλίγον προχωροῦντες ἐπέστημεν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις.
Supposing therefore that it was a herd of oxen, proceeding by degrees we came upon the men.
οἱ δὲ ἰδόντες ἡμᾶς ἐδίωκον, καὶ τρεῖς μὲν τῶν ἑταίρων λαμβάνουσιν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πρὸς τὴν θάλατταν κατεφεύγομεν.
And they, having seen us, pursued us, and they captured three of our companions, while the rest of us fled back to the sea.
εἶτα μέντοι πάντες ὁπλισάμενοι — οὐ γὰρ ἐδόκει ἡμῖν ἀτιμωρήτους περιιδεῖν τοὺς φίλους — ἐμπίπτομεν τοῖς Βουκεφάλοις τὰ κρέα τῶν ἀνῃρημένων διαιρουμένοις·
But afterwards, having all armed ourselves—for we did not think we should allow our friends to go unavenged—we fell upon the Bucephali as they were dividing the flesh of those who had been killed.
φοβήσαντες δὲ πάντας διώκομεν, καὶ κτείνομέν γε ὅσον πεντήκοντα καὶ ζῶντας αὐτῶν δύο λαμβάνομεν, καὶ αὖθις ὀπίσω ἀναστρέφομεν τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἔχοντες.
Having terrified them all, we pursued them, and we killed about fifty and took two of them alive, and we turned back again with our prisoners.
σιτίον μέντοι οὐδὲν εὕρομεν.
However, we found no provisions.
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι παρῄνουν ἀποσφάττειν τοὺς εἰλημμένους, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐδοκίμαζον, ἀλλὰ δήσας ἐφύλαττον αὐτούς, ἄχρι δὴ ἀφίκοντο παρὰ τῶν Βουκεφάλων πρέσβεις ἀπαιτοῦντες ἐπὶ λύτροις τοὺς συνειλημμένους·
The others indeed advised slaughtering the captives, but I did not approve; instead, having bound them, I guarded them, until indeed ambassadors arrived from the Bucephali demanding those who had been captured in return for ransom.
συνίεμεν γὰρ αὐτῶν διανευόντων καὶ γοερόν τι μυκωμένων ὥσπερ ἱκετευόντων.
For we understood them as they made signs and lowed mournfully as if supplicating.
τὰ λύτρα δὲ ἦν τυροὶ πολλοὶ καὶ ἰχθύες ξηροὶ καὶ κρόμμυα καὶ ἔλαφοι τέτταρες, τρεῖς ἑκάστη πόδας ἔχουσα, δύο μὲν τοὺς ὀπίσω, οἱ δὲ πρόσω συνεπεφύκεσαν.
And the ransom consisted of many cheeses, dried fish, onions, and four deer, each having three feet, two behind, while the front ones had grown together into one.
ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀποδόντες τοὺς συνειλημμένους καὶ μίαν ἡμέραν ἐπιμείναντες ἀνήχθημεν.
On these terms, having returned the captives and remained one day, we put to sea.