§11.42Διὰ τί θᾶττον μὲν ψοφοῦσι καὶ πηδῶσιν οἱ μικροὶ ἅλες, μείζω δὲ ψοφοῦσι καὶ πηδῶσιν οἱ μεγάλοι;
Why do small grains of salt crackle and leap more quickly, but large ones crackle and leap louder?
ἢ διότι οἱ μὲν ταχὺ σχίζονται (οὐ γὰρ πολὺ ὃ δεῖ διελθεῖν τῷ πυρί) διὰ τὴν μικρότητα, οἱ δὲ βραδέως·
Is it because the former split quickly (for there is not much for the fire to pass through) owing to their smallness, but the latter slowly?
μεῖζον γὰρ ἔργον τὸ μεῖζον διασχίσαι ἢ τὸ μικρόν.
For to split the larger is a greater task than to split the smaller.
ψοφεῖ δὲ ὁ μὲν μικρὸς μικρόν, ἡ γὰρ πληγὴ μικρά, ὁ δὲ μείζων μεγάλα, μεγάλη γὰρ ἡ πληγή· ὁ δὲ ψόφος πληγή ἐστιν.
And a small grain makes a small sound, for the blow is small; but the larger makes a loud sound, for the blow is large; and sound is a blow.
καὶ πηδᾷ δὲ μᾶλλον τὸ ἰσχυρότερον, ἂν πληγείη· ἧττον γὰρ ἐνδίδωσιν.
And that which is stronger also leaps more, if it should be struck; for it yields less.
§11.43Διὰ τί, ἐὰν εἰς πολὺ πῦρ ἐμβάλῃ τις τὸ αὐτὸ μέγεθος ἁλός, ἧττον ψοφεῖ ἢ οὐ ψοφεῖ;
Why is it that, if one throws the same size of salt into a large fire, it crackles less or not at all?
ἢ ὅτι φθάνει κατακαυθεὶς πρὶν σχισθῆναι;
Is it because it is burned up before it can split?
καίεται μὲν γὰρ τῷ τὸ ὑγρὸν ἀναλωθῆναι, ψοφεῖ δὲ τῷ σχισθῆναι.
For it is burned by the moisture being consumed, but it crackles by being split.
§11.44Διὰ τί οἱ χασμώμενοι ἧττον ἀκούουσιν;
Why do those who yawn hear less?
ἢ ὅτι τὸ πνεῦμα ἐναπολαμβάνουσιν, τὸ δὲ ἀπολαμβανόμενον πνεῦμα περὶ τὰ ὦτα ἀθροίζεται.
Is it because they shut in the breath, and the breath thus shut in collects around the ears?
σημεῖον δέ· ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ὠσὶ ψόφος γίνεται ὅταν χασμησώμεθα.
And a sign of this is: for a noise occurs in the ears when we yawn.
τὸ δὲ ἀπολαμβανόμενον πνεῦμα κωλύει ἀκούειν.
And the breath thus shut in prevents hearing.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ φωνή τις γίνεται τῶν χασμωμένων· τοῦτο δὲ κωλυτικὸν τοῦ ἀκούειν.
Moreover, a certain sound is also made by those who yawn; and this is preventive of hearing.
καὶ συμπιέζεσθαι ἀναγκαῖον τὰς ἀκοὰς διασπωμένου τοῦ στόματος.
And it is necessary that the organs of hearing are compressed when the mouth is wide open.
§11.45Διὰ τί τῆς φωνῆς, ἐπειδὴ ῥύσις τίς ἐστι, φύσιν ἐχούσης ἄνω φέρεσθαι, μᾶλλόν ἐστιν εὐήκοος ἄνωθεν κάτω ἢ κάτωθεν ἄνω;
Why is the voice—since it is a kind of flow and has a natural tendency to be carried upward—heard better from above downward than from below upward?
ἢ ὅτι ἡ φωνὴ ἀήρ τίς ἐστι μεθ’ ὑγροῦ·
Is it because the voice is a kind of air accompanied by moisture?
βαρυνόμενος οὖν οὗτος ὑπὸ τοῦ ὑγροῦ φέρεται κάτω καὶ οὐκ ἄνω· τοῦ γὰρ ὑγροῦ κατὰ φύσιν ἡ κάτω φορά.
Therefore, being weighted down by the moisture, this air is carried downward and not upward; for the natural movement of moisture is downward.
διὸ τοῖς κάτω μᾶλλον ἀκούεται.
Therefore it is heard better by those below.
ἢ τοῦτο μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ ζῴου φωνῆς μόνον γίνεται (αὕτη γὰρ μεθ’ ὑγροῦ), τὸ δὲ συμβαῖνόν ἐστι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ψόφων;
Or does this indeed happen only in the case of the voice of a living creature (for this is accompanied by moisture), while the phenomenon also occurs in the case of other sounds?
καθάπερ οὖν ἡ ὄψις, ἐὰν μὲν ἄνωθεν κάτω προσπέσῃ, τὴν ἀνάκλασιν ἄνω ποιεῖται, κάτωθεν δὲ ἄνω προσπεσοῦσα ἀνεκλάσθη κάτω, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἡ φωνὴ ἡ φύσιν ἔχουσα ἄνω φέρεσθαι, προσκόψασα τῷ ἐξ ἐναντίας ἀέρι, βιάζεσθαι μὲν οὐ δύναται πλείονα ὄντα καὶ βαρύτερον, ἀνακλασθεὶς δὲ ὁ κινηθεὶς ἀὴρ ἐπὶ τοὐναντίον ἠνέχθη κάτω, διὸ καταχεόμενος ἀκούεται κάτω μᾶλλον.
Just as vision, then, if it strikes from above downward, makes its reflection upward, but striking from below upward, is reflected downward, in the same way the voice, which has a natural tendency to be carried upward, when it strikes against the opposing air, is unable to force its way through it, since the latter is greater and heavier, and the moved air, being reflected, is carried downward in the opposite direction. Therefore, pouring down, it is heard better below.
τοιοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὸ περὶ τὴν ἠχὼ συμβαῖνόν ἐστιν, ἀνάκλασις τῆς φωνῆς ἐπὶ τοὐναντίον.
And the phenomenon concerning echo is also of this kind, being a reflection of the voice in the opposite direction.
§11.46Διὰ τί μεθυόντων μᾶλλον ἀπορρήγνυται ἡ φωνὴ ἢ νηφόντων;
Why does the voice of those who are drunk break more than that of those who are sober?
ἢ διὰ τὸ πεπληρῶσθαι ταχέως ἀπορρηγνύασι τὴν φωνήν;
Is it because, owing to being full, they quickly break their voice?
σημεῖον δὲ τούτου· οὔτε γὰρ οἱ χοροὶ μελετῶσιν ἐξ ἀρίστου οὔτε οἱ ὑποκριταί, ἀλλὰ νήστεις ὄντες.
And a sign of this is: for neither do choruses practice after breakfast nor actors, but when they are fasting.
ἐν δὲ τῇ μέθῃ πληρέστεροι ὄντες εὐλόγως μᾶλλον ἀπορρήγνυνται τὰς φωνάς.
And during drunkenness, being fuller, they reasonably break their voices more.
§11.47Διὰ τί ποτε τῶν ὀξυτέρων φωνῶν πορρώτερον ἀκούουσιν;
Why is it that people hear higher voices from further away?
ἢ διότι τὸ ὀξὺ ἐν φωνῇ ταχύ ἐστι, θᾶττον δὲ κινεῖται τὰ βίᾳ μᾶλλον φερόμενα, τὰ δὲ σφοδρότερον φερόμενα ἐπὶ πλέον φέρεται.
Is it because pitch in voice is speed, and things carried with greater force move faster, and things carried more violently travel further?
§11.48Διὰ τί κατέχοντες τὸ πνεῦμα μᾶλλον ἀκούομεν;
Why do we hear better when holding our breath?
ἢ ὅτι ἡ ἀνάπνευσις ψόφον τινὰ παρέχει.
Is it because respiration produces a certain noise?
εἰκότως οὖν τότε μᾶλλον ἀκούομεν, ὅταν ἥττων ὁ ψόφος ᾖ ἥττων γὰρ ὁ ψόφος, ὅταν κατέχωμεν τὸ πνεῦμα.
Reasonably, then, we hear better when the noise is less; and the noise is less when we hold our breath.
§11.49Διὰ τί τὸ μὲν φῶς οὐ διέρχεται διὰ τῶν πυκνῶν, λεπτότερον ὂν καὶ πόρρω ὂν καὶ θᾶττον, ὁ δὲ ψόφος διέρχεται;
Why does light not pass through dense things, although it is finer, travels further, and is faster, whereas sound does pass through?
ἢ διότι τὸ μὲν φῶς κατ’ εὐθεῖαν φέρεται, ὥστε ἂν ἀντιφράξῃ τι τὴν εὐθυωρίαν, ὅλως ἀποκέκλειται, ὁ δὲ ψόφος φέρεται καὶ οὐκ εὐθὺ διὰ τὸ πνεῦμα εἶναι;
Is it because light travels in a straight line, so that if anything blocks the straight path, it is completely shut out, whereas sound is carried also not in a straight line because it is breath?
διὸ πανταχόθεν ψοφοῦντος ἀκούομεν, καὶ οὐ μόνον τῶν κατ’ εὐθυωρίαν τοῖς ὠσίν.
Therefore, we hear a sound from all sides, and not only when it is in a straight line with our ears.