§2.6#2ἔστι δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων πνευμάτων βορέας μὲν ὅ τ᾿ ἀπαρκτίας κυριώτατα, καὶ θρασκίας καὶ μέσης· ὁ δὲ καικίας κοινὸς ἀπηλιώτου καὶ βορέου· νότος δὲ ὅ τε ἰθαγενὴς ὁ ἀπὸ μεσημβρίας καὶ λίψ· ἀπηλιώτης δὲ ὅ τε ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῆς ἰσημερινῆς καὶ ὁ εὖρος· ὁ δὲ φοινικίας κοινός· ζέφυρος δὲ ὅ τε ἰθαγενὴς καὶ ὁ ἀργέστης καλούμενος.
Of the winds mentioned, Boreas, in the most proper sense, is Aparktias, and also Thrakias and Meses; and Kaikias is common to Apeliotes and Boreas; and Notus is both the true one from the south, and Lips; and Apeliotes is both the one from the equinoctial sunrise, and Euros; and Phoinikias is common; and Zephyrus is both the true one and the one called Argestes.
ὅλως δὲ τὰ μὲν βόρεια τούτων καλεῖται, τὰ δὲ νότια· προστίθεται δὲ τὰ μὲν ζεφυρικὰ τῷ βορέᾳ (ψυχρότερα γὰρ διὰ τὸ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν πνεῖν), νότῳ δὲ τὰ ἀπηλιωτικά (θερμότερα γὰρ διὰ τὸ ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῆς πνεῖν).
In general, some of these are called northern, and others southern; and the western winds are added to Boreas (for they are colder because they blow from the west), and the eastern to Notus (for they are warmer because they blow from the east).
διωρισμένων οὖν τῷ ψυχρῷ καὶ τῷ θερμῷ καὶ ἀλεεινῷ τῶν πνευμάτων οὕτως ἐκάλεσαν.
Since the winds are defined in this way by cold and heat or warmth, they named them thus.
θερμότερα μὲν τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω τῶν ἀπὸ δυσμῆς, ὅτι πλείω χρόνον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιόν ἐστι τὰ ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῆς· τὰ δ᾿ ἀπὸ δυσμῆς ἀπολείπει τε θᾶττον καὶ πλησιάζει τῷ τόπῳ ὀψιαίτερον.
The winds from the east are warmer than those from the west, because those from the east are under the sun for a longer time, while those from the west are left behind by it sooner and approach our region later.
οὕτω δὲ τεταγμένων τῶν ἀνέμων, δῆλον ὅτι ἅμα πνεῖν τοὺς μὲν ἐναντίους οὐχ οἷόν τε (κατὰ διάμετρον γάρ· ἅτερος οὖν παύσεται ἀποβιασθείς), τοὺς δὲ μὴ οὕτως κειμένους πρὸς ἀλλήλους οὐδὲν κωλύει, οἷον τὸν Ζ καὶ Δ. διὰ τοῦτο ἅμα πνέουσιν ἐνίοτε ἀμφότεροι οὔριοι, ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ σημεῖον, οὐκ ἐκ ταὐτοῦ οὐδὲ τῷ αὐτῷ πνεύματι.
The winds being ordered in this way, it is clear that it is impossible for contrary winds to blow at the same time (for they are diametrically opposite; therefore one of them will be forced back and cease), but nothing prevents those not so situated with respect to one another from blowing at the same time, as for instance Z and Δ. For this reason, both sometimes blow at the same time as favorable winds towards the same point, though not from the same place nor with the same wind.
κατὰ δὲ τὰς ὥρας τὰς ἐναντίας οἱ ἐναντίοι μάλιστα πνέουσιν, οἷον περὶ ἰσημερίαν τὴν μὲν ἐαρινὴν καικίας καὶ ὅλως τὰ ἐπέκεινα τροπῆς θερινῆς, περὶ δὲ τὴν μετοπωρινὴν λίβες, περὶ δὲ τροπὰς θερινὰς μὲν ζέφυρος, χειμερινὰς δὲ εὖρος.
And in contrary seasons the contrary winds blow most of all; for instance, about the equinox, Kaikias and in general the winds beyond the summer solstice blow about the spring equinox, and Lips winds about the autumn equinox; and about the solstices, Zephyrus blows at the summer solstice, and Euros at the winter solstice.
ἐπιπίπτουσι δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις μάλιστα καὶ παύουσιν ἀπαρκτίαι καὶ θρασκίαι καὶ ἀργέσται· διὰ τὸ ἐγγυτάτω γὰρ τὴν ὁρμὴν αὐτῶν εἶναι πολλοί τε καὶ ἰσχυροὶ πνέουσι μάλιστα οὗτοι.
And those which fall upon the other winds most and make them cease are Aparktias, Thrakias, and Argestes; for because their onset is from very nearby, these blow in great number and with great strength.
διὸ καὶ αἰθριώτατοί εἰσι τῶν ἀνέμων· πνέοντες γὰρ ἐγγύθεν μάλιστα ἀποβιαζόμενοί τε τἆλλα πνεύματα παύουσι, καὶ ἀποφυσῶντες τὰ συνιστάμενα νέφη ποιοῦσιν αἰθρίαν, ἂν μὴ ψυχροὶ σφόδρα τύχωσιν ἅμα ὄντες.
Therefore they are also the clearest of the winds; for blowing from very nearby, they force back the other winds and make them cease, and by blowing away the clouds that are forming, they produce clear weather, unless they happen at the same time to be extremely cold.
τότε δὲ οὐκ αἴθριοι· ἐὰν γὰρ ὦσι μᾶλλον ψυχροὶ ἢ μεγάλοι, φθάνουσι πηγνύντες ἢ προωθοῦντες.
In that case they do not bring clear weather; for if they are colder than they are strong, they freeze the clouds before they push them forward.
ὁ δὲ καικίας οὐκ αἴθριος, ὅτι ἀνακάμπτει εἰς αὑτόν· ὅθεν καὶ λέγεται ἡ παροιμία “ἕλκων ἐφ᾿ αὑτὸν ὥστε καικίας νέφος. ” αἱ δὲ περιστάσεις γίγνονται αὐτῶν καταπαυομένων εἰς τοὺς ἐχομένους κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου μετάστασιν, διὰ τὸ κινεῖσθαι μάλιστα τὸ ἐχόμενον τῆς ἀρχῆς· ἡ δὲ ἀρχὴ οὕτω κινεῖται τῶν πνευμάτων ὡς ὁ ἥλιος.
Kaikias is not a clear wind, because it turns back on itself; whence also is said the proverb, "drawing to himself as Kaikias does a cloud." And the transitions (peristaseis) of the winds as they cease occur into the adjacent ones according to the movement of the sun, because that which is adjacent to the origin is moved most; and the origin of the winds moves in the same way as the sun.
οἱ ἐναντίοι δὲ ἢ ταὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν ἢ ἐναντίον, οἷον ὑγροὶ λὶψ καὶ καικίας, ὃν ἑλλησποντίαν ἔνιοι καλοῦσιν, καὶ εὖρος, ὃν ἀπηλιώτην.
And contrary winds produce either the same effect or the contrary; for instance, Lips and Kaikias (which some call Hellespontias) and Euros (which some call Apeliotes) are wet.
ξηροὶ δὲ ἀργέστης καὶ εὖρος· ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς δὲ οὗτος ξηρός, τελευτῶν δὲ ὑδατώδης.
And Argestes and Euros are dry; though the latter is dry at the beginning, but rainy at the end.
νιφετώδης δὲ μέσης καὶ ἀπαρκτίας μάλιστα· οὗτοι γὰρ ψυχρότατοι.
And Meses and Aparktias are most snowy; for these are the coldest.
χαλαζώδεις δὲ ἀπαρκτίας καὶ θρασκίας καὶ ἀργέστης.
And Aparktias, Thrakias, and Argestes produce hail.
καυματώδης δὲ νότος καὶ ζέφυρος καὶ εὖρος.
And Notus, Zephyrus, and Euros are hot.
νέφεσι δὲ πυκνοῦσι τὸν οὐρανὸν καικίας μὲν σφόδρα, λὶψ δὲ ἀραιοτέροις, καικίας μὲν διά τε τὸ ἀνακάμπτειν πρὸς αὑτὸν καὶ διὰ τὸ κοινὸς εἶναι βορέου καὶ εὔρου, ὥστε διὰ μὲν τὸ ψυχρὸς εἶναι πηγνὺς τὸν ἀτμίζοντα ἀέρα συνίστησι, διὰ δὲ τὸ τῷ τόπῳ ἀπηλιωτικὸς εἶναι ἔχει πολλὴν ὕλην καὶ ἀτμίδα ἣν προωθεῖ.
And they condense the sky with clouds: Kaikias very heavily, and Lips with thinner ones; Kaikias because it turns back on itself and because it is common to Boreas and Euros, so that because it is cold, it condenses the vaporous air by freezing it, and because it is easterly in its position, it has much matter and vapor which it pushes forward.
αἴθριοι δὲ ἀπαρκτίας, θρασκίας, ἀργέστης· ἡ δ᾿ αἰτία εἴρηται πρότερον.
And Aparktias, Thrakias, and Argestes are clear; the cause has been stated before.
ἀστραπὰς δὲ ποιοῦσιν μάλιστα οὗτοί τε καὶ ὁ μέσης· διὰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἐγγύθεν πνεῖν ψυχροί εἰσιν, διὰ δὲ τὸ ψυχρὸν ἀστραπὴ γίγνεται· ἐκκρίνεται γὰρ συνιόντων τῶν νεφῶν.
And these and Meses produce lightning most of all; for because they blow from nearby they are cold, and because of the cold, lightning is produced; for it is squeezed out as the clouds gather together.
διὸ καὶ ἔνιοι τῶν αὐτῶν τούτων χαλαζώδεις εἰσίν· ταχὺ γὰρ πηγνύουσιν.
Therefore some of these same winds also produce hail; for they freeze things quickly.
ἐκνεφίαι δὲ γίγνονται μετοπώρου μὲν μάλιστα, εἶτα ἔαρος, καὶ μάλιστα ἀπαρκτίας καὶ θρασκίας καὶ ἀργέστης.
And squalls (eknephiai) occur most of all in autumn, and next in spring, and especially with Aparktias, Thrakias, and Argestes.
αἴτιον δ᾿ ὅτι οἱ ἐκνεφίαι γίγνονται μάλιστα ὅταν τῶν ἄλλων πνεόντων ἐμπίπτωσιν ἕτεροι, οὗτοι δὲ μάλιστα ἐμπίπτουσιν τοῖς ἄλλοις πνέουσιν· ἡ δ᾿ αἰτία εἴρηται καὶ τούτου πρότερον.
The cause is that squalls occur most when other winds are blowing and different ones fall upon them, and these are most likely to fall upon the others when they are blowing; and the cause of this also has been stated before.
οἱ δ᾿ ἐτησίαι περιίστανται τοῖς μὲν περὶ δυσμὰς οἰκοῦσιν ἐκ τῶν ἀπαρκτίων εἰς θρασκίας καὶ ἀργέστας καὶ ζεφύρους (ὁ γὰρ ἀπαρκτίας ζέφυρός ἐστιν), ἀρχόμενοι μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἄρκτου, τελευτῶντες δ᾿ εἰς τοὺς πόρρω· τοῖς δὲ πρὸς ἕω περιίστανται μέχρι τοῦ ἀπηλιώτου.
And the Etesian winds shift, for those who live towards the west, from Aparktias into Thrakias, Argestes, and Zephyrus (for Aparktias is Zephyrus), beginning from the north and ending in those further away; and for those towards the east, they shift as far as Apeliotes.
περὶ μὲν οὖν ἀνέμων, τῆς τε ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτῶν γενέσεως καὶ οὐσίας καὶ τῶν συμβαινόντων κοινῇ τε παθημάτων καὶ περὶ ἕκαστον, τοσαῦθ᾿ ἡμῖν εἰρήσθω.
Concerning the winds, then, their original generation and essence, and the properties that happen to them both in common and in each case, let this much have been said by us.