§3.4#3ἡ μὲν οὖν ἰσχυροτέρα ὄψις εἰς φοινικοῦν χρῶμα μετέβαλεν, ἡ δ᾿ ἐχομένη εἰς τὸ πράσινον, ἡ δὲ ἔτι ἀσθενεστέρα εἰς τὸ ἁλουργόν.
Thus, the stronger vision changes into a crimson color, the next into green, and the still weaker into purple.
ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ πλέον οὐκέτι φαίνεται, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τοῖς τρισίν, ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τὰ πλεῖστα, καὶ τούτων ἔσχεν τέλος· τῶν δ᾿ ἄλλων ἀναίσθητος ἡ μεταβολή.
Beyond this, it no longer appears, but among these three, just as most other things, these too have their limit; and for the others, the change is imperceptible.
διὸ καὶ ἡ ἶρις τρίχρως φαίνεται, ἐκατέρα μέν, ἐναντίως δέ.
Therefore also the rainbow appears three-colored, each of them indeed, but in opposite ways.
ἡ μὲν οὖν πρώτη τὴν ἔξω φοινικῆν ἔχει· ἀπὸ μεγίστης γὰρ περιφερείας πλείστη προσπίπτει ὄψις πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον, μεγίστη δ᾿ ἡ ἔξω· ἡ δ᾿ ἐχομένη καὶ ἡ τρίτη ἀνάλογον.
The first rainbow, then, has its outside crimson; for from the greatest circumference the most vision falls upon the sun, and the outside is the greatest; and the next and the third are analogous.
ὥστ᾿ εἰ τὰ περὶ τῶν χρωμάτων τῆς φαντασίας εἴρηται καλῶς, ἀνάγκη τρίχρων τε εἶναι αὐτὴν καὶ τούτοις τοῖς χρώμασι κεχρῶσθαι μόνοις.
So that if the things concerning the appearance of colors have been well said, it is necessary that it is both three-colored and colored with these colors alone.
τὸ δὲ ξανθὸν φαίνεται διὰ τὸ παῤ ἄλληλα φαίνεσθαι, τὸ γὰρ φοινικοῦν παρὰ τὸ πράσινον λευκὸν φαίνεται.
And yellow appears because of their appearing next to one another; for crimson next to green appears white.
σημεῖον δὲ τούτου· ἐν γὰρ τῷ μελαντάτῳ νέφει μάλιστα ἄκρατος γίγνεται ἶρις· συμβαίνει δὲ τότε ξανθότερον εἶναι δοκεῖν τὸ φοινικοῦν.
And a sign of this: for in the blackest cloud, a rainbow becomes especially pure; and it happens then that the crimson seems yellower.
ἔστι δὲ τὸ ξανθὸν ἐν τῇ ἴριδι χρῶμα μεταξὺ τοῦ τε φοινικοῦ καὶ πρασίνου χρώματος.
And yellow in the rainbow is a color between the crimson and the green colors.
διὰ τὴν μελανίαν οὖν τοῦ κύκλῳ νέφους ὅλον αὐτοῦ φαίνεται τὸ φοινικοῦν λευκόν· ἔστι γὰρ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα λευκόν.
Because of the blackness, then, of the surrounding cloud, the whole of its crimson appears white; for it is white in comparison with those.
καὶ πάλιν ἀπομαραινομένης τῆς ἴριδος ἐγγύτατα, ὅταν λύηται τὸ φοινικοῦν· ἡ γὰρ νεφέλη λευκὴ οὖσα, προσπίπτουσα παρὰ τὸ πράσινον, μεταβάλλει εἰς τὸ ξανθόν.
And again, a very similar thing happens when the rainbow is fading, when the crimson is dissolving; for the cloud, being white, falling next to the green, changes into yellow.
μέγιστον δὲ σημεῖον τούτων ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς σελήνης ἶρις· φαίνεται γὰρ λευκὴ πάμπαν.
And the greatest sign of these is the rainbow from the moon; for it appears altogether white.
γίγνεται δὲ τοῦτο ὅτι ἔν τε τῷ νέφει ζοφερῷ φαίνεται καὶ ἐν νυκτί.
And this occurs because it appears both in a dark cloud and at night.
ὥσπερ οὖν πῦρ ἐπὶ πῦρ, μέλαν παρὰ μέλαν ποιεῖ τὸ ἡρέμα λευκὸν παντελῶς φαίνεσθαι λευκόν· τοῦτο δ᾿ ἐστὶν τὸ φοινικοῦν.
Just as, then, fire upon fire, black next to black makes what is slightly white appear completely white; and this is the crimson.
γίγνεται δὲ τοῦτο τὸ πάθος καταφανὲς καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθῶν· ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ὑφάσμασιν καὶ ποικίλμασιν ἀμύθητον διαφέρει τῇ φαντασίᾳ ἄλλα παῤ ἄλλα τιθέμενα τῶν χρωμάτων, οἷον καὶ τὰ πορφυρᾶ ἐν λευκοῖς ἢ μέλασιν ἐρίοις, ἔτι δ᾿ ἐν αὐγῇ τοιᾳδὶ ἢ τοιᾳδὶ· διὸ καὶ οἱ ποικιλταί φασι διαμαρτάνειν ἐργαζόμενοι πρὸς τὸν λύχνον πολλάκις τῶν ἀνθῶν, λαμβάνοντες ἕτερα ἀνθ᾿ ἑτέρων.
And this effect becomes manifest also in flowers; for in weavings and embroideries, colors placed next to one another differ unspeakably in their appearance, as do purple dyes in white or black wool, and further in this or that light; wherefore also the embroiderers say they often make mistakes in the flowers when they work by the lamp, taking one for another.
διότι μὲν οὖν τρίχρως τε, καὶ ὅτι ἐκ τούτων φαίνεται τῶν χρωμάτων μόνων ἡ ἦρις, εἴρηται.
Why, then, the rainbow is both three-colored, and why it appears from these colors alone, has been said.
διπλῇ δὲ καὶ ἀμαυροτέρα τοῖς χρώμασιν ἡ περιέχουσα, καὶ τῇ θέσει τὰς χρόας ἐξ ἐναντίας ἔχει κειμένας διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν· μακροτέρα γὰρ ἀποτεινομένη ἡ ὄψις ὥσπερ τὸ πορρώτερον ὁρᾷ, καὶ τὸ ἐνταῦθα τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον.
But the surrounding one is double and dimmer in its colors, and in its position it has its colors lying in the opposite way for the same cause; for the vision, being stretched longer, just as it sees what is further away, so it does here in the same manner.
ἀσθενεστέρα οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἡ ἀνάκλασις γίγνεται διὰ τὸ πορρώτερον ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀνάκλασιν, ὥστ᾿ ἐλάττων προσπίπτουσα τὰ χρώματα ποιεῖ ἀμαυρότερα φαίνεσθαι.
Therefore, the reflection from the outside becomes weaker because the reflection is made from further away, so that falling less, it makes the colors appear dimmer.
καὶ ἀντεστραμμένως δὴ διὰ τὸ πλείω ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλάττονος καὶ τῆς ἐντὸς περιφερείας προσπίπτειν πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον· ἐγγυτέρω γὰρ τῆς ὄψεως οὖσα ἀνακλᾶται ἀπὸ τῆς ἐγγυτάτω περιφερείας τῆς πρώτης ἴριδος.
And indeed, in the reverse order because more vision falls from the smaller and inner circumference toward the sun; for being closer to the vision, it is reflected from the closest circumference of the first rainbow.
ἐγγυτάτω δὲ ἐν τῇ ἔξωθεν ἴριδι ἡ ἐλαχίστη περιφέρεια, ὥστε αὕτη ἕξει τὸ χρῶμα φοινικοῦν· ἡ δ᾿ ἐχομένη καὶ ἡ τρίτη κατὰ λόγον.
And the closest in the outside rainbow is the smallest circumference, so that this will have the crimson color; and the next and the third in proportion.
ἡ ἔξω ἶρις ἐφ᾿ ᾧ τὸ B· ἡ ἔσω, ἡ πρώτη, ἐφ᾿ τὸ Α· τὰ χρώματα δ᾿, ἐφ᾿ ᾧ τὸ Γ, φοινικοῦν, ἐφ᾿ ᾧ τὸ Δ, πράσινον, ἐφ᾿ ᾧ Ε, ἁλουργόν·
The outside rainbow is at B; the inner, the first, is at A; and the colors, at Γ is crimson, at Δ green, at Ε purple; and the yellow appears at Ζ.
τὸ ξανθὸν δὲ φαίνεται ἐφ᾿ οὗ τὸ Ζ. τρεῖς δ᾿ οὐκέτι γίγνονται, οὐδὲ πλείους ἴριδες, διὰ τὸ καὶ τὴν δευτέραν γίγνεσθαι ἀμαυροτέραν ὥστε καὶ τὴν τρίτην ἀνάκλασιν πάμπαν ἀσθενῆ γίγνεσθαι καὶ ἀδυνατεῖν ἀφικνεῖσθαι πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον.
But a third and more rainbows no longer occur, because the second also becomes dimmer, so that the third reflection becomes altogether weak and is unable to reach the sun.