§1.13#2ἔτι δὲ τοῦ μὴ γιγνομένου ἀλλʼ ὑπάρχοντος ὕδατος καθʼ ἡμέραν μὴ τοιαύτην εἶναι τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν ποταμῶν, οἷον ὑπὸ γῆν λίμνας τινὰς ἀποκεκριμένας, καθάπερ ἔνιοι λέγουσιν, ἀλλʼ ὁμοίως ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ ὑπὲρ γῆς τόπῳ μικραὶ συνιστάμεναι ῥανίδες, καὶ πάλιν αὗται ἑτέραις, τέλος μετὰ πλήθους καταβαίνει τὸ ὑόμενον ὕδωρ, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐκ μικρῶν συλλείβεσθαι τὸ πρῶτον καὶ εἶναι οἷον πιδώσης εἰς ἓν τῆς γῆς τὰς ἀρχὰς τῶν ποταμῶν.
Furthermore, concerning the water that is not generated but already exists day by day, we must believe that the source of the rivers is not of such a kind as some say, namely certain separated lakes under the earth, but just as in the region above the earth small drops condense, and these again join with others, and finally the rainwater descends in a multitude, so also in the earth water trickles together from small quantities at first, and the sources of the rivers are, as it were, the earth trickling into one.
δηλοῖ δʼ αὐτὸ τὸ ἔργον· οἱ γὰρ τὰς ὑδραγωγίας ποιοῦντες ὑπονόμοις καὶ διώρυξι συνάγουσιν, ὥσπερ ἄν ἰδιούσης τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ὑψηλῶν.
And the fact itself shows this: for those who construct water-conduits collect the water by shafts and channels, as if the earth were sweating from the high places.
διὸ καὶ τὰ ῥεύματα τῶν ποταμῶν ἐκ τῶν ὁρῶν φαίνεται ῤέοντα, καὶ πλεῖστοι καὶ μέγιστοι ποταμοὶ ῥέουσιν ἐκ τῶν μεγίστων ὁρῶν.
Therefore also, the streams of the rivers are seen flowing from the mountains, and the most and greatest rivers flow from the greatest mountains.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ αἱ κρῆναι αἱ πλεῖσται ὄρεσιν καὶ τόποις ὑψηλοῖς γειτνιῶσιν· ἐν δὲ τοῖς πεδίοις ἄνευ ποταμῶν ὀλίγαι γίγνονται πάμπαν.
In like manner also, most springs are adjacent to mountains and high places, while in the plains, apart from rivers, very few arise.
οἱ γὰρ ὀρεινοὶ καὶ ὑψηλοὶ τόποι, οἷον σπόγγος πυκνὸς ἐπικρεμάμενοι, κατὰ μικρὰ μὲν πολλαχῇ δὲ διαπιδῶσι καὶ συλλείβουσι τὸ ὕδωρ· δέχονταί τε γὰρ τοῦ κατιόντος ὕδατος πολὺ πλῆθος (τὶ γὰρ διαφέρει κοίλην καὶ ὑπτίαν ἢ πρηνῆ τὴν περιφέρειαν εἶναι καὶ κυρτήν;
For mountainous and high places, hanging over like a dense sponge, trickle and collect water in small quantities but in many places; for they receive a great quantity of the falling water (for what difference does it make whether the circumference is concave and upturned or sloping and convex?
ἀμφοτέρως γὰρ τὸν ἴσον ὄγκον περιλήψεται σώματος) καὶ τὴν ἀνιοῦσαν ἀτμίδα ψύχουσι καὶ συγκρίνουσι πάλιν εἰς ὕδωρ·
For in both ways it will contain an equal volume of body) and they cool the rising vapour and condense it again into water.
διό, καθάπερ εἴπομεν, οἱ μέγιστοι τῶν ποταμῶν ἐκ τῶν μεγίστων φαίνονται ῤέοντες ὁρῶν.
Therefore, as we said, the greatest of the rivers are seen flowing from the greatest mountains.
δῆλον δʼ ἐστὶ τοῦτο θεωμένοις τὰς τῆς γῆς περιόδους· ταύτας γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ πυνθάνεσθαι παρʼ ἑκάστων οὕτως ἀνέγραψαν, ὅσων μὴ συμβέβηκεν αὐτόπτας γενέσθαι τοὺς λέγοντας.
And this is clear to those who look at the maps of the earth; for they have written them down in this way from inquiry in each case, where those who speak did not happen to have been eyewitnesses.
ἐν μὲν οὖν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ πλεῖστοι μὲν ἐκ τοῦ Παρνασσοῦ καλουμένου φαίνονται ῤέοντες ὄρους καὶ μέγιστοι ποταμοί, τοῦτο δʼ ὁμολογεῖται πάντων εἶναι μέγιστον τὸ ὄρος τῶν πρὸς τὴν ἔω τὴν χειμερινήν· ὑπερβάντι γὰρ ἤδη τοῦτο φαίνεται ἡ ἔξω θάλαττα, ἧς τὸ πέρας οὐ δῆλον τοῖς ἐντεῦθεν.
Now in Asia, the most and greatest rivers are seen flowing from the mountain called Parnassus, and this is agreed to be the greatest mountain of all towards the winter sunrise; for to one who has crossed this, the outer sea already appears, the limit of which is not clear to those here.
ἐκ μὲν οὖν τούτου ῥέουσιν ἄλλοι τε ποταμοὶ καὶ ὁ Βάκτρος καὶ ὁ Χοάσπης καὶ ὁ Ἀράξης· τούτου δʼ ὁ Τάναϊς ἀποσχίζεται μέρος ὢν εἰς τὴν Μαιῶτιν λίμνην.
From this, then, flow other rivers and the Bactrus, the Choaspes, and the Araxes; and from this last the Tanais branches off, being a part of it into Lake Maeotis.
ῥεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰνδὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ, πάντων τῶν ποταμῶν ῥεῦμα πλεῖστον.
The Indus also flows from it, the greatest stream of all the rivers.
ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Καυκάσου ἄλλοι τε ῥέουσι πολλοὶ καὶ κατὰ πλῆθος καὶ κατὰ μέγεθος ὑπερβάλλοντες, καὶ ὁ Φᾶσις· ὁ δὲ Καύκασος μέγιστον ὄρος τῶν πρὸς τὴν ἕω τὴν θερινὴν ἐστιν καὶ πλήθει καὶ ὕψει.
And from the Caucasus flow many other rivers, exceeding both in multitude and in magnitude, and also the Phasis; and the Caucasus is the greatest mountain in magnitude and height of those towards the summer sunrise.
σημεῖα δὲ τοῦ μὲν ὕψους ὅτι ὁρᾶται καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν καλουμένων βαθέων καὶ εἰς τὴν λίμνην εἰσπλεόντων, ἔτι δʼ ἡλιοῦται τῆς νυκτὸς αὐτοῦ τὰ ἄκρα μέχρι τοῦ τρίτου μέρους ἀπό τε τῆς ἕω καὶ πάλιν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐσπέρας· τοῦ δὲ πλήθους ὅτι πολλὰς ἔχον ἔδρας, ἐν αἷς ἔθνη τε κατοικεῖ πολλὰ καὶ λίμνας εἶναί φασι μεγάλας, ἀλλʼ ὅμως πάσας τὰς ἕδρας εἶναί φασι φανερὰς μέχρι τῆς ἐσχάτης κορυφῆς.
And signs of its height are that it is seen even from the so-called deeps and by those sailing into the lake, and furthermore its summits are sunlit for a third part of the night both from the dawn and again from the evening; and of its magnitude, that though having many habitations, in which many nations dwell and where they say there are great lakes, yet they say all the habitations are visible as far as the highest peak.
ἐκ δὲ τῆς Πυρήνης (τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶν ὅρος πρὸς δυσμὴν ἰσημερινὴν ἐν τῇ Κελτικῇ) ῥέουσιν ὅ τε Ἴστρος καὶ ὁ Ταρτησσός.
And from the Pyrene (this is a mountain towards the equinoctial sunset in Celtica) flow both the Ister and the Tartessus.
οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἕξω στηλῶν, ὁ δʼ Ἴστρος διʼ ὅλης τῆς Εὐρώπης εἰς τὸν Εὔξεινον πόντον.
The latter indeed flows outside the Pillars, but the Ister through all Europe into the Euxine Sea.
τῶν δʼ ἄλλων ποταμῶν οἱ πλεῖστοι πρὸς ἄρκτον ἐκ τῶν ὁρῶν τῶν Ἀρκυνίων· ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ὕψει καὶ πλήθει μέγιστα περὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτόν ἐστιν.
And of the other rivers, the most flow towards the north from the Arcynian mountains; and these are the greatest in height and magnitude in this region.