§23.35Διὰ τί ἡ θάλαττα ἁλμυρὰ καὶ πικρά ἐστιν;
Why is the sea salty and bitter?
ἢ ὅτι ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ πλείους εἰσὶν οἱ χυμοί;
Or is it because there are more juices in the sea?
καὶ γὰρ τὸ ἁλμυρὸν καὶ τὸ πικρὸν ἅμα φαίνεται.
For indeed both the salty and the bitter appear together.
§23.36Διὰ τί τὰ ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ ὄστρακα καὶ λίθοι στρογγύλα γίνεται;
Why do shells and stones in the sea become round?
ἢ ὅτι ὁμοίως περιθραυόμενα τὰ ἔσχατα εἰς τὸ στρογγύλον σχῆμα ἔρχεται;
Or is it because their extremities, being broken off all around in a similar way, come into the round shape?
τούτου γὰρ τὸ ἔσχατον ὅμοιον, ἡ δὲ θάλαττα πάντη κινοῦσα ὁμοίως περιθραύει.
For the extremity of this shape is uniform, and the sea, moving in every direction, breaks them off all around in a similar way.
§23.37Διὰ τί ἐνιαχοῦ, ἐάν τις ὀρύξῃ παρὰ τὴν θάλατταν, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον πότιμόν ἐστιν ὕδωρ, εἶθ’ ἁλμυρὸν γίνεται;
Why is it that in some places, if one digs near the sea, the water is at first drinkable, and then becomes salty?
ἢ ὅτι αὐτῆς ἐστὶν τῆς θαλάττης τῆς διηθούσης ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν τὸ ὕδωρ;
Or is it because the water is of the sea itself filtering under the earth?
εἰκότως οὖν τὸ πρῶτόν ἐστι γλυκύ· ἐλαφρότερον γάρ ἐστι τὸ γλυκὺ τοῦ ἁλυκοῦ, καὶ ἡ θάλαττα ἔχει τι τοῦ γλυκέος, ὃ μιχθὲν τῇ γῇ μᾶλλον ἐπιπολάζει.
Naturally, then, the first water is sweet; for the sweet is lighter than the salty, and the sea contains something of the sweet, which, when mixed with the earth, floats more to the surface.
τὸ δὲ ἁλυκὸν διὰ τὸ βάρος καὶ διὰ τὸ τμητικὸν εἶναι κάτω φέρεται.
While the salty, because of its weight and its penetrative power, is carried downward.
εἴτε οὖν οὕτως εἴτε κατὰ τὰς φλέβας ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου ῥεῖ ἐπὶ τὴν θάλατταν τὸ γλυκὺ ὕδωρ, εἰκότως ἂν ἐπιπολῆς εἴη τῆς θαλάττης, ἣ μίγνυται αὐτῇ.
Whether, then, it is in this way, or the sweet water flows from the mainland toward the sea through veins, it would naturally be on the surface of the sea, which mixes with it.
ἀνοιχθέντων δὲ τῶν πόρων, ὕστερον διὰ πλῆθος τὸ ἁλυκὸν κρατοῦν τοιοῦτο πᾶν ποιεῖ.
But when the passages are opened, afterward, the salty water, prevailing due to its quantity, makes the whole like itself.
συμβαίνει γὰρ πεφραγμένων τῶν ἄνω πόρων ἄλλην ὁδὸν ζητεῖν τὸ ἐπιρρέον, ἀνοιχθέντων δὲ ἐνταῦθα πᾶν φέρεσθαι, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν τοῦ σώματος φλεβῶν.
For it happens that when the upper passages are blocked, the inflowing water seeks another way, but when they are opened, everything is carried there, just as in the case of the veins of the body.
§23.38Διὰ τί ἡ θάλαττα οὖσα βαρυτέρα τοῦ ποτίμου ὕδατος μᾶλλόν ἐστιν εὐδίοπτος;
Why is the sea, though heavier than drinkable water, more transparent?
πότερον ὅτι λιπαρωτέρα;
Is it because it is oilier?
τὸ δὲ ἔλαιον ἐπιχυθὲν ποιεῖ μᾶλλον εὐδίοπτον.
Indeed, oil when poured over makes things more transparent.
ἔχουσα δὲ ἐν αὑτῇ λίπος εἰκότως μᾶλλον εὐδίοπτός ἐστιν.
And since it contains fat in itself, it is naturally more transparent.
ἢ οὐχ ἅπαν τὸ ἐλαφρότερον καὶ εὐδιοπτότερον;
Or is it not the case that everything lighter is also more transparent?
αὐτὸ γὰρ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐλαφρότερον τοῦ ὕδατος, εὐδιοπτότερον δὲ οὔ.
For oil itself is lighter than water, but not more transparent.
ἢ οὐκ εὐδιοπτότερόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ φαίνεται;
Or is it not more transparent, but only appears so?
τὸ γὰρ πότιμον ὕδωρ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἢ ἀπὸ ῥευμάτων ἐστίν, ἡ δὲ πηγὴ συναφίησι μετὰ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ γῆν, ὥστε τῷ μὴ καθαρὰ εἶναι τὰ ῥεύματα συγκατάγει τὴν γῆν καὶ ἰλύν.
For drinkable water is from the earth or from streams, and the spring releases earth along with the water, so that because the streams are not pure, it carries down earth and mud.
αὕτη οὖν ἐστὶν ἡ αἰτία τοῦ ἧττον εἶναι εὐδίοπτον.
This, then, is the cause of its being less transparent.
§23.39Διὰ τί οἱ νέοντες ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ λαπαροὶ γίνονται;
Why is it that those who swim in the sea become shrunken in the belly?
εἰ γὰρ ὅτι πονοῦσι, καὶ οἱ τροχιζόμενοι ἰσχυρὸν πονοῦσι πόνον καὶ οὐ λαπάττονται.
For if it is because they labor, those who turn the wheel also undergo intense labor and yet their bellies do not become shrunken.
ἢ ὅτι οὐ πᾶς πόνος ποιεῖ λάπαξιν, ἀλλ’ ὁ μὴ ποιῶν σύντηξιν;
Or is it because not every labor causes shrinkage, but only that which does not cause wasting away?
ἡ δὲ ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ διατριβὴ καὶ ὅλως δοκεῖ βρωτικωτέρους ποιεῖν καὶ λαπαρούς·
And spending time in the sea seems in general to make people more voracious and shrunken.
θερμή τε γάρ ἐστι καὶ ξηρὰ ἡ ἀπ’ αὐτῆς ἀτμίς.
For the vapor from it is both warm and dry.
§23.40Διὰ τί πᾶσα λίμνη πότιμος οὖσα πλύνει καὶ ῥύπτει τὰ ἱμάτια;
Why is it that every lake, though being drinkable, washes and cleanses clothes?
πλύνει μὲν γὰρ τὸ γλυκύ, ῥύπτει δὲ τὸ πικρόν, ἄμα δὲ οὐχ οἷόν τε ἔχειν ταῦτα.
For sweet water washes, while bitter cleanses, and it is impossible to have these together.
ἢ οὐ τῷ πικρὸν εἶναι οὐθὲν ῥύπτει, ἀλλ’ ἡ γλισχρότης ῥυπτικόν;
Or is it not by being bitter that anything cleanses, but stickiness is what is cleansing?
διὸ καὶ τὰ ἀκροκώλια καὶ ὅσα μυξώδη τοιαῦτα, ὥστε καὶ τῶν πικρῶν ὅσα τούτου μετέχει.
Wherefore also extremities and all such mucous things cleanse, so that also of bitter things, those which share in this cleanse.
ἐν δὲ τῇ λίμνῃ ταύτῃ συμβέβηκεν τοῦτο, ὥστε τῆς νιτρώδους δυνάμεως τὸ μὲν πικρὸν ἐκκεκαῦσθαι, ἐμμένειν δὲ τὸ λιπαρὸν καὶ γλίσχρον.
And in this lake this is what has happened: of the nitrous power, the bitter part has been burnt out, but the oily and sticky part remains.
τούτῳ μὲν οὖν ῥύπτει, πλύνει δὲ τῷ ποτίμῳ αὐτῆς.
By this, then, it cleanses, and it washes by its drinkable part.
§23.41Διὰ τί τὸ γαληνίζον τῆς θαλάττης λευκὸν φαίνεται, τὸ δὲ κατάφορον μέλαν;
Why does the calm part of the sea appear white, but the rough part black?
ἢ ὅτι τὸ ἧττον ὁρώμενον μελάντερον μᾶλλον φαίνεται;
Or is it because that which is less seen appears more black?
ἧττον δὲ φαίνεται τὸ κινούμενον τοῦ ἠρεμοῦντος.
And that which is in motion is less seen than that which is at rest.
ἢ διότι τὸ μὲν διαφαινόμενον λευκόν, τὸ δὲ μὴ διαφαινόμενον μέλαν;
Or is it because that which is transparent is white, but that which is not transparent is black?
ἧττον δὲ διαφαίνεται τὸ κινούμενον.
And that which is in motion is less transparent.