§2.9Περὶ δὲ ὀσμῆς καὶ ὀσφραντοῦ ἧττον εὐδιόριστόν ἐστι τῶν εἰρημένων· οὐ γὰρ δῆλον ποῖόν τί ἐστιν ἡ ὀσμή, οὕτως ὡς ὁ ψόφος ἢ τὸ χρῶμα.
Concerning smell and the object of smell, it is less easy to define than those already discussed; for it is not clear what sort of thing smell is, in the way that sound or color is.
αἴτιον δʼ ὅτι τὴν αἴσθησιν ταύτην οὐκ ἔχομεν ἀκριβῆ, ἀλλὰ χείρω πολλῶν ζῴων· φαύλως γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ὀσμᾶται, καὶ οὐθενὸς αἰσθάνεται τῶν ὀσφραντῶν ἄνευ τοῦ λυπηροῦ ἢ τοῦ ἡδέος, ὡς οὐκ ὄντος ἀκριβοῦς τοῦ αἰσθητηρίου.
The cause is that we do not possess this sense in an accurate way, but worse than many animals; for man smells poorly, and perceives none of the objects of smell without pain or pleasure, as though the sense organ were not accurate.
εὔλογον δʼ οὕτω καὶ τὰ σκληρόφθαλμα τῶν χρωμάτων αἰσθάνεσθαι, καὶ μὴ διαδήλους αὐτοῖς εἶναι τὰς διαφορὰς τῶν χρωμάτων πλὴν τῷ φοβερῷ καὶ ἀφόβῳ· οὕτω δὲ καὶ περὶ τὰς ὀσμὰς τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος.
And it is reasonable that hard-eyed animals perceive colors in this way, and that the differences of colors are not distinct to them except by what is fearful and not fearful; and in this way also the human race is with respect to smells.
ἔοικε μὲν γὰρ ἀνάλογον ἔχειν πρὸς τὴν γεῦσιν, καὶ ὁμοίως τὰ εἴδη τῶν χυμῶν τοῖς τῆς ὀσμῆς, ἀλλʼ ἀκριβεστέραν ἔχομεν τὴν γεῦσιν διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὴν ἁφήν τινα, ταύτην δʼ ἔχειν τὴν αἴσθησιν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀκριβεστάτην· ἐν μὲν γὰρ ταῖς ἄλλαις λείπεται πολλῶν τῶν ζῴων, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἁφὴν πολλῷ τῶν ἄλλων διαφερόντως ἀκριβοῖ.
For smell seems to have an analogy to taste, and the types of juices similarly to those of smell, but we have taste more accurately because it is a certain touch, and man has this sense most accurately; for while in the other senses he falls short of many of the animals, in touch he is far more exceptionally accurate than the others.
διὸ καὶ φρονιμώτατόν ἐστι τῶν ζῴων.
Wherefore he is also the most intelligent of animals.
σημεῖον δὲ τὸ καὶ ἐν τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων παρὰ τὸ αἰσθητήριον τοῦτο εἶναι εὐφυεῖς καὶ ἀφυεῖς, παῤ ἄλλο δὲ μηδέν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ σκληρόσαρκοι ἀφυεῖς τὴν διάνοιαν, οἱ δὲ μαλακόσαρκοι εὐφυεῖς.
And a sign of this is that also within the human race, it is in accordance with this sense organ that people are naturally gifted or ungifted, and in accordance with no other; for those with hard flesh are ungifted in intellect, while those with soft flesh are naturally gifted.
ἔστι δʼ, ὥσπερ χυμὸς μὲν γλυκὺς ὁ δὲ πικρός, οὕτω καὶ ὀσμαί.
And just as there is sweet juice and bitter, so also are there smells.
ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἔχουσι τὴν ἀνάλογον ὀσμὴν καὶ χυμόν, λέγω δὲ οἷον γλυκεῖαν ὀσμὴν καὶ γλυκὺν χυμόν, τὰ δὲ τοὐναντίον.
But while some things have the analogous smell and juice—I mean, for instance, a sweet smell and a sweet juice—others have the opposite.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ δριμεῖα καὶ αὐστηρὰ καὶ ὀξεῖα καὶ λιπαρά ἐστιν ὀσμήἀλλʼ ὥσπερ εἴπομεν, διὰ τὸ μὴ σφόδρα διαδήλους εἶναι τὰς ὀσμὰς ὥσπερ τοὺς χυμούς, ἀπὸ τούτων εἴληφε τὰ ὀνόματα καθʼ ὁμοιότητα τῶν πραγμάτων· ἡ μὲν γὰρ γλυκεῖα κρόκου καὶ μέλιτος, ἡ δὲ δριμεῖα θύμου καὶ τῶν τοιούτων· τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων.
Similarly, there is a pungent, harsh, sharp, and oily smell; but as we said, because smells are not very distinct like juices, they have received their names from these based on the similarity of the things; for the sweet smell is of saffron and honey, and the pungent of thyme and such things; and in the same way for the others.
ἔστι δʼ ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ ἀκοὴ καὶ ἑκάστη τῶν αἰσθήσεων, ἡ μὲν τοῦ ἀκουστοῦ καὶ ἀνηκούστου, ἡ δὲ τοῦ ὁρατοῦ καὶ ἀοράτου, καὶ ἡ ὄσφρησις τοῦ ὀσφραντοῦ καὶ ἀνοσφράντου.
And just as hearing and each of the senses are, the one of the audible and inaudible, the other of the visible and invisible, so also smell is of the odorous and inodorous.
ἀνόσφραντον δὲ τὸ μὲν παρὰ τὸ ἀδύνατον εἶναι μηδʼ ὅλως ἔχειν ὀσμήν, τὸ δὲ μικρὰν ἔχον καὶ φαύλην.
And the inodorous is, on the one hand, by being impossible to have smell at all, and on the other, by having a small and poor one.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ ἄγευστον λέγεται.
Similarly also the tasteless is spoken of.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἡ ὄσφρησις διὰ τοῦ μεταξύ, οἷον ἀέρος ἢ ὕδατος· καὶ γὰρ τὰ ἔνυδρα δοκοῦσιν ὀσμῆς αἰσθάνεσθαι, ὁμοίως καὶ τὰ ἔναιμα καὶ τὰ ἄναιμα, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ ἀέρι· καὶ γὰρ τούτων ἔνια πόρρωθεν ἀπαντᾷ πρὸς τὴν τροφὴν ὕποσμα γινόμενα.
And smell is also through a medium, such as air or water; for indeed aquatic animals seem to perceive smell, similarly both blooded and bloodless animals, just like those in the air; for indeed some of these, becoming aware of smell, meet their food from afar.
διὸ καὶ ἄπορον φαίνεται εἰ πάντα μὲν ὁμοίως ὀσμᾶται, ὁ δʼ ἄνθρωπος ἀναπνέων μέν, μὴ ἀναπνέων δὲ ἀλλʼ ἐκπνέων ἢ κατέχων τὸ πνεῦμα οὐκ ὀσμᾶται, οὔτε πόρρωθεν οὔτʼ ἐγγύθεν, οὐδʼ ἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ μυκτῆρος ἐντὸς τεθῇ·
Wherefore it also appears to be a puzzle if, while all animals smell in a similar way, man smells when breathing in, but when not breathing in, but breathing out or holding his breath, he does not smell, either from afar or from near, not even if the object is placed inside the nostril.
καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ τιθέμενον τῷ αἰσθητηρίῳ ἀναίσθητον εἶναι κοινὸν πάντων, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἄνευ τοῦ ἀναπνεῖν μὴ αἰσθάνεσθαι ἴδιον ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· δῆλον δὲ πειρωμένοις·
And that what is placed on the sense organ itself is unperceived is common to all, but not to perceive without breathing is peculiar to humans; and this is clear to those who try it.
ὥστε τὰ ἄναιμα, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἀναπνέουσιν, ἑτέραν ἄν τινʼ αἴσθησιν ἔχοι παρὰ τὰς λεγομένας.
So that bloodless animals, since they do not breathe, might have some other sense than those mentioned.
ἀλλʼ ἀδύνατον, εἴπερ τῆς ὀσμῆς αἰσθάνεται· ἡ γὰρ τοῦ ὀσφραντοῦ αἴσθησις καὶ δυσώδους καὶ εὐώδους ὄσφρησίς ἐστιν.
But this is impossible, if indeed they perceive smell; for the perception of the odorous, both of the ill-smelling and the sweet-smelling, is smell.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ φθειρόμενα φαίνεται ὑπὸ τῶν ἰσχυρῶν ὀσμῶν ὑφʼ ὧνπερ ἄνθρωπος, οἷον ἀσφάλτου καὶ θείου καὶ τῶν τοιούτων.
Furthermore, they also appear to be destroyed by strong smells by which man is destroyed, such as asphalt and sulfur and such things.
ὀσφραίνεσθαι μὲν οὖν ἀναγκαῖον, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀναπνέοντα.
Therefore it is necessary for them to smell, but not while breathing.
ἔοικε δὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διαφέρειν τὸ αἰσθητήριον τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων, ὥσπερ τὰ ὄμματα πρὸς τὰ τῶν σκληροφθάλμων—τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἔχει φράγμα καὶ ὥσπερ ἔλυτρον τὰ βλέφαρα, ἃ μὴ κινήσας μηδʼ ἀνασπάσας οὐχ ὁρᾷ·
And this sense organ seems to differ for humans in relation to that of the other animals, just as eyes differ in relation to those of hard-eyed animals; for the one has a barrier and a sort of sheath, the eyelids, which one cannot see without moving or drawing back, while the hard-eyed animals have nothing of the sort, but immediately see what occurs in the transparent.
τὰ δὲ σκληρόφθαλμα οὐδὲν ἔχει τοιοῦτον, ἀλλʼ εὐθέως ὁρᾷ τὰ γινόμενα ἐν τῷ διαφανεῖ—οὕτως οὖν καὶ τὸ ὀσφραντικὸν αἰσθητήριον τοῖς μὲν ἀκάλυφες εἶναι, ὥσπερ τὸ ὄμμα, τοῖς δὲ τὸν ἀέρα δεχομένοις ἔχειν ἐπικάλυμμα, ὃ ἀναπνεόντων ἀποκαλύπτεται, διευρυνομένων τῶν φλεβίων καὶ τῶν πόρων.
So then, the olfactory organ also is uncovered for some, just like the eye, but for those which receive the air, it has a cover which is uncovered when they breathe, as the small veins and pores are dilated.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὰ ἀναπνέοντα οὐκ ὀσμᾶται ἐν τῷ ὑγρῷ· ἀναγκαῖον γὰρ ὀσφρανθῆναι ἀναπνεύσαντα, τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖν ἐν τῷ ὑγρῷ ἀδύνατον.
And because of this, breathing animals do not smell in the fluid; for it is necessary to smell having breathed, but to do this in the fluid is impossible.
ἔστι δʼ ἡ ὀσμὴ τοῦ ξηροῦ, ὥσπερ ὁ χυμὸς τοῦ ὑγροῦ, τὸ δὲ ὀσφραντικὸν αἰσθητήριον δυνάμει τοιοῦτον.
Smell belongs to the dry, just as juice belongs to the wet, and the olfactory organ is potentially such.