§43Δῆλον δέ· τὰ γὰρ ὑπέρογκα τῶν βελῶν βιαιοτάτην φέρεται τὴν φοράν, καὶ τὰ ῥεύματα φερόμενα διὰ τῶν εὐρίπων· καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα γίγνεται σφοδρότατα περὶ αὐτὰς τὰς στενοχωρίας οὐ δυνάμενα ταχέως ὑπείκειν, ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ πολλῆς ὠθούμενα βίας.
And this is clear; for the excessively large of missiles travel with the most violent movement, and currents traveling through channels; for these too become most violent around the narrows themselves, because they are unable to yield quickly, but are pushed by great force.
Ὁμοίως δὲ τοῦτο συμβαίνει καὶ περὶ τὰς φωνὰς καὶ τοὺς ψόφους.
And in the same way this happens also in the case of voices and noises.
§44Φανερὸν δʼ ἐστίν· πάντες γὰρ οἱ βίαιοι γίγνονται σκληροί, καθάπερ καὶ τῶν κιβωτίων καὶ τῶν στροφέων, ὅταν ἀνοίγωνται βιαίως, καὶ τοῦ χαλκοῦ καὶ τοῦ σιδήρου.
And it is manifest; for all violent sounds become hard, just as also those of chests and of hinges, when they are opened violently, and of bronze and of iron.
Καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀκμόνων γίγνεται σκληρὸς καὶ μαλακός, ὅταν ἐλαύνωσι κατεψυγμένον καὶ σκληρὸν ἤδη τὸν σίδηρον.
For indeed from anvils the sound becomes hard and soft, when they strike the iron when it is already cooled down and hard.
§45Ἔτι δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ῥίνης, ὅταν ῥινῶσι καὶ χαράττωσι τὰ σιδήρια καὶ τοὺς πρίονας, ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν βροντῶν αἱ βιαιόταται γίγνονται σκληρόταται καὶ τῶν ὑδάτων τὰ καλούμενα ῥαγδαῖα τὴν βίαν.
Moreover, the sound from a file, when they file and sharpen iron tools and saws; since also of thunders the most violent become the hardest, and of waters those called torrential in their violence.
Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ταχυτὴς τοῦ πνεύματος ποιεῖ τὴν φωνὴν ὀξεῖαν, ἡ δὲ βία σκληράν.
For while the speed of the breath makes the voice high-pitched, its force makes it hard.
§46Διόπερ οὐ μόνον συμβαίνει τοὺς αὐτοὺς ὁτὲ μὲν ὀξυτέραν ὁτὲ δὲ βαρυτέραν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σκληροτέραν καὶ μαλακωτέραν.
Therefore it happens that the same people not only utter a voice now sharper and now deeper, but also harder and softer.
Καίτοι τινὲς ὑπολαμβάνουσι διὰ τὴν σκληρότητα τῶν ἀρτηριῶν τὰς φωνὰς γίγνεσθαι σκληράς, διαμαρτάνοντες· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ βραχύ τι συμβάλλεται παντελῶς, ἀλλʼ ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος γιγνομένη πληγὴ βιαίως ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύμονος.
And yet some suppose that voices become hard because of the hardness of the windpipes, but they are mistaken; for this contributes entirely little, but the blow of the breath is made violently by the lung.
§47Ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ τὰ σώματα τῶν μέν ἐστιν ὑγρὰ καὶ μαλακὰ τῶν δὲ σκληρὰ καὶ σύντονα, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ πνεύμων.
For just as the bodies of some are moist and soft, and of others hard and tense, in the same way also is the lung.
Διόπερ τῶν μὲν μαλακὸν ἐκπίπτει τὸ πνεῦμα, τῶν δὲ σκληρὸν καὶ βίαιον, ἐπεὶ διότι γε τὴν ἀρτηρίαν αὐτὴν μικράν τινα συμβαίνει παρέχεσθαι δύναμιν, ῥᾴδιον συνιδεῖν.
Therefore from some the breath emerges soft, and from others hard and violent, since that the windpipe itself happens to afford some small power, it is easy to see.
§48Οὐδεμία γάρ ἐστιν ἀρτηρία σκληρὰ τοῖς αὐλοῖς ὁροίως· ἀλλʼ οὐθὲν ἧττον δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ διὰ τούτων φερομένου τοῦ πνεύματος οἱ μὲν μαλακῶς αὐλοῦσιν οἱ δὲ σκληρῶς.
For no windpipe is hard in a way similar to auloi; but none the less, when the breath is carried through this and through these, some play the aulos softly and others harshly.
Δῆλον δὲ τοῦτʼ ἐστὶ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς αἰσθήσεως· καὶ γὰρ ἄν ἐπιτείνῃ τις τὸ πνεῦμα βιαιότερον, εὐθέως ἡ φωνὴ γίγνεται σκληροτέρα διὰ τὴν βίαν, κἂν ᾖ μαλακωτέρα.
And this is clear also from perception itself; for if one intensifies the breath more violently, straightway the voice becomes harder because of the force, even if it was softer.
§49Τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς σάλπιγγος· διὸ καὶ πάντες, ὅταν κωμάζωσιν, ἀνιᾶσιν ἐν τῇ σάλπιγγι τὴν τοῦ πνεύματσς συντονίαν, ὅπως ἂν ποιῶσι τὸν ἦχον ὡς μαλακώτατον.
And in the same way also on the trumpet; therefore also all, when they revel, slacken the tension of the breath in the trumpet, so that they may make the sound as soft as possible.
Φανερὸν δʼ ἐστὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀργάνων.
And it is manifest also in the case of instruments.
Καὶ γὰρ αἱ κατεστραμμέναι χορδαί, καθάπερ εἴρηται, τὰς φωνὰς ποιοῦσι σκληροτέρας, καὶ τὰ κατωπτημένα τῶν κεράτων.
For indeed tightly stretched strings, as has been said, make the sounds harder, as do thoroughly baked horns.
§50Κἄν τις ἅπτηται τῶν χορδῶν ταῖς χερσὶ βιαίως καὶ μὴ μαλακῶς, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν αὐτὰς οὕτω πάλιν ποιεῖσθαι βιαιοτέραν.
And if one strikes the strings with the hands violently and not softly, it is necessary that they also in turn make their response more violent in this way.
Αἱ δὲ ἧττον κατεστραμμέναι καὶ τὰ ὠμότερα τῶν κεράτων τὰς φωνὰς ποιεῖ μαλακωτέρας, καὶ τὰ μακρότερα τῶν ὀργάνων.
But those less tightly stretched and the rawer horns make the sounds softer, as do the longer instruments.
§51Αἱ γὰρ τοῦ ἀέρος πληγαὶ καὶ βραδύτεραι καὶ μαλακώτεραι γίγνονται διὰ τὰ μήκη τῶν τόπων, αἱ δ' ἐπὶ τῶν βαρυτέρων σκληρόταται διὰ τὴν κατάτασιν τῶν χορδῶν.
For the blows on the air become both slower and softer because of the lengths of the spaces, while those on the deeper notes are hardest because of the tension of the strings.
Δῆλον δʼ ἐστίν· καὶ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὀργάνου σκληροτέρας συμβαίνει γίγνεσθαι τὰς φωνάς, ὅταν μὴ κατὰ μέσον τις ἅπτηται τῶν χορδῶν, διὰ τὸ μᾶλλον αὐτῶν τὰ πρὸς αὐτῷ τῷ ζυγῷ καὶ τῷ χορδοτόνῳ κατατετάσθαι.
And this is clear; for it happens that the sounds of the instrument itself become harder, when one does not touch the strings at the middle, because their parts near the crossbar itself and the tailpiece are more tightly stretched.
§52Συμβαίνει δὲ καὶ τὰ ναρθήκινα τῶν ὀργάνων τὰς φωνὰς ἔχειν ἁπαλωτέρας· οἱ γὰρ ἦχοι πρὸς μαλακὸν προσπίπτοντες οὐχ ὁμοίως ἀποπηδῶσι μετὰ βίας.
And it happens also that instruments made of giant fennel have softer sounds; for the sounds, striking against a soft medium, do not leap back with force in the same way.
Τραχύνεσθαι δὲ συμβαίνει τὰς φωνάς, ὅταν πληγὴ μὴ μία γένηται τοῦ ἀέρος παντός, ἀλλὰ πολλαχῇ κατὰ μικρὰ διεσπασμένη.
And it happens that voices become rough when the blow is not one of the whole air, but is split up in many parts into small fragments.
§53Καθʼ αὑτὸ γὰρ ἕκαστον τῶν τοῦ ἀέρος μορίων προσπῖπτον πρὸς τὴν ἀκοήν, ὡς ἂν ἀπὸ πληγῆς ἑτέρας ὄν, διεσπασμένην ποιεῖ τὴν αἴσθησιν, ὥστε τὴν μὲν διαλείπειν τὴν φωνήν, τὴν δὲ προσπίπτειν βιαιότερον, καὶ γίγνεσθαι τὴν ἁφὴν τῆς ἀκοῆς ἀνομοίαν, ὥσπερ καὶ ὅταν τι τῶν τραχέων ἡμῖν προσπίπτῃ πρὸς τὸν χρῶτα.
For each of the particles of air, striking against the hearing individually, as if it were from a different blow, makes the perception split up, so that one part of the voice intermits, while another strikes more violently, and the touch upon the hearing becomes uneven, just as also when something rough strikes against our skin.