§26.1Διὰ τί ὁ καικίας μόνος τῶν ἀνέμων ἐφ’ ἑαυτὸν ἄγει τὰ νέφη;
Why does Kaikias alone of the winds draw the clouds toward itself?
ἢ ὅτι ἀφ’ ὑψηλοτέρων τόπων πνεῖ;
Or is it because it blows from higher places?
ἔστι γὰρ τὰ πρὸς ἕω ὑψηλότερα τῶν πρὸς ἑσπέραν.
For the regions toward the east are higher than those toward the west.
σημεῖον δὲ τὸ τῆς πρὸς ἑσπέραν θαλάττης μέγεθος καὶ βάθος.
A sign of this is the size and depth of the sea toward the west.
πνέων δὲ ἄνωθεν εἰς τοὐναντίον γραμμὴν ποιεῖ τῇ φορᾷ τὰ κοῖλα πρὸς τὴν γῆν ἔχουσαν.
And blowing from above toward the opposite, it makes by its motion a line having its concave side toward the earth.
προσπίπτων δέ, ὡς εἴρηται, τοῖς πρὸς ἑσπέραν τῆς γῆς τόποις, καὶ συστέλλων τὰ νέφη διὰ τὸ τῆς γραμμῆς σχῆμα, τῇ ἐκεῖθεν ἀνακλάσει ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ὠθεῖ αὐτά.
And striking, as has been said, against the places of the earth toward the west, and compressing the clouds because of the shape of the line, it pushes them toward itself by the rebound from there.
ποιεῖ δὲ μόνος τοῦτο τῶν λοιπῶν τῷ τοὺς μὲν ὑψηλοτέρους, τοὺς δ’ ἐναντίους εἶναι τόπους, πρὸς οὓς τοῦ κάτωθεν ἢ ἐπ’ εὐθείας τὴν φορὰν γίνεσθαι συμβαίνει, τὰ κυρτὰ πρὸς τὴν γῆν ἐχούσης, ὥστε ἀνάκλασιν μὴ γίνεσθαι τοῦ πνεύματος τῷ μὴ πρὸς τὴν γῆν ἐχούσης ἀέρα ἔχειν τὴν τελευτὴν τῆς φορᾶς, ἐν ᾧ οὐδὲ νέφη ἐστὶ περὶ τὴν γῆν· τοῖς δὲ ἧττον κοίλοις καὶ τῷ ἀπηλιώτῃ τῷ μὴ εἶναι ὑγρόν.
And it alone of the other winds does this, because while some of them blow from higher places and others from the opposite places, towards which their motion happens to occur from below or in a straight line, with the line of motion having its convex side toward the earth, so that no rebound of the wind occurs, because the line of motion does not head toward the earth, but the end of its motion terminates in the air, in which there are not even clouds around the earth; and in the case of those winds that are less concave, and in the case of Apeliotes, because it is not wet.
ὥστε οὐ συνιστὰς ἧττον καταφανής ἐστιν αὐτοῦ ποιῶν τοῦτο ὃ ποιεῖ
Consequently, since it does not collect clouds, it is less obvious in doing this very thing which it does.
§26.2Διὰ τί βορέαι μὲν ἐτήσιοι γίνονται, νότοι δὲ οὔ;
Why do Etesian winds blow as northerly winds, but not as southerly winds?
ἢ γίνονται μὲν καὶ νότοι, ἀλλ’ οὐ συνεχεῖς, ὅτι πόρρω ἡμῶν ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῦ νότου ἐστίν, ὑπὸ δὲ τῷ βορέᾳ οἰκοῦμεν;
Or do southerly winds also blow, but not continuously, because the origin of the south wind is far from us, whereas we dwell under the north wind?
ἔτι οἱ μὲν ἐτησίαι βορέαι καθεστηκότος τοῦ ἀέρος πνέουσιν (θέρους γὰρ πνέουσιν), οἱ δὲ νότοι ἦρος, ὅθ’ ἧττον ἕστηκεν τὰ περὶ τὸν ἀέρα.
Moreover, the Etesian northerlies blow when the air is settled (for they blow in summer), whereas the southerly winds blow in spring, when the state of the air is less settled.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὁ μὲν νότος ὑγρός, τῷ δ’ ὑγρῷ ὁ ἄνω τόπος ἀλλότριός ἐστι· διὸ ταχὺ διαλύεται τὰ ἐν αὑτῷ συνιστάμενα ὑγρά.
In addition to this, the south wind is wet, and to what is wet, the upper region is alien; therefore, the moisture collecting in it is quickly dissolved.
καὶ τὰ ὑγρὰ πλανητικά ἐστιν, ὥστε οὐ μένων ἐν ταὐτῷ τόπῳ συμμεθίστησι καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος κίνησιν.
And wet things are wandering, so that, not remaining in the same place, it changes along with itself the movement of the air too.
κινουμένου δὲ μὴ ἐν ταὐτῷ πνεύματα ἄλλα συμβαίνει γίνεσθαι· ἔστι γὰρ πνεῦμα ἀέρος κίνησις.
And when it does not move in the same place, other winds happen to occur; for wind is a movement of air.
§26.3Διὰ τί νότος πνεῖ μετὰ πάχνην;
Why does a south wind blow after hoarfrost?
ἢ διότι ἡ μὲν πάχνη γίνεται πέψεως γινομένης, μετὰ δὲ τὴν πέψιν καὶ τὴν ἀποκάθαρσιν ἡ μεταβολὴ εἰς τοὐναντίον γίνεται;
Or is it because hoarfrost occurs when coction takes place, and after the coction and purification, the change to the opposite occurs?
ἐναντίον δὲ τῷ βορρᾷ νότος ἐστίν.
And the south wind is the opposite of the north wind.
διὰ ταὐτὸ δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὴν χιόνα πνεῖ νότος.
And for the same reason, the south wind blows after snow.
ὅλως δὲ καὶ ἡ χιὼν καὶ ἡ χάλαζα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ τοιαύτη ἀποκάθαρσις πέψεως σημεῖόν ἐστιν.
And in general, snow, hail, water, and all such purification is a sign of coction.
διὸ καὶ μετὰ τὸν ὑετὸν καὶ τὰς τοιαύτας χειμασίας πίπτει τὰ πνεύματα.
Therefore, also after rain and such stormy weather, the winds subside.
§26.4Διὰ τί αἱ τροπαὶ πνέουσιν;
Why do alternating winds blow?
ἢ διὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ὃ καὶ οἱ εὔριποι ῥέουσιν;
Or is it for the same reason that straits flow?
μέχρι γὰρ τοῦ ῥεῖν καὶ ἡ θάλαττα φέρεται καὶ ὁ ἀήρ· εἶθ’ ὅταν ἀντιπέσῃ καὶ μηκέτι δύνηται τὰ ἀπόγεια προάγειν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἰσχυρὰν ἔχειν τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς κινήσεως καὶ φορᾶς, πάλιν ἀνταποδίδωσιν.
For both the sea and the air are carried up to the point of flowing; then, when it strikes against something and the land-breezes can no longer push forward because they do not have a strong origin of movement and motion, it gives back again.
§26.5Διὰ τί αἱ τροπαὶ ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης εἰσίν;
Why do the return-breezes blow from the sea?
ἢ ὅτι ἡ θάλαττα πλησίον;
Is it because the sea is near?
ἢ ὅτι ἐναντίον ἐστὶ τῇ ἀπογείᾳ ἡ τροπαία, καὶ ἔστιν ἡ τροπαία οἷον ἀναστροφὴ ἀπογείας.
Or is it because the sea-breeze is opposite to the land-breeze, and the sea-breeze is, as it were, a reversal of the land-breeze?
ἡ δὲ ἀπογεία τὸ ἐκ τῆς γῆς πρὸς τὴν θάλατταν πνεῦμα γινόμενον, ἡ δὲ τροπαία ἡ τούτου παλίρροια.
And the land-breeze is the wind that occurs from the land toward the sea, while the sea-breeze is the reflux of this.
ὥστε ἀνάγκη ἐκ θάλαττης εἶναι. [ἢ ἡ θάλαττά ἐστι] διὰ τὸ εἰς τὴν θάλατταν ἀθροισθῆναι τὸν ῥυέντα ἀέρα;
Consequently, it must be from the sea. [Or is the sea the cause] because the flowing air is collected into the sea?
τοῦ δὲ μὴ εἰς τὴν γῆν τοῦτο συνίστασθαι καὶ τοῦ ἀνακάμπτειν ἀπιὸν αἴτιον ὅτι ἡ θάλαττα ἐν κοίλῳ ἐστίν· ὁ δὲ ἀήρ, ὥσπερ τὸ ὕδωρ, ῥεῖ ἀεὶ εἰς τὸ κοιλότατον.
And the cause of this not being formed on the land, and of its turning back as it goes away, is that the sea is in a hollow; and air, like water, always flows into the lowest hollow.
§26.6Διὰ τί οἱ ἐκνεφίαι ὕδατος γενομένου θᾶττον παύονται;
Why do storm-winds from clouds cease more quickly when rain occurs?
ἢ ὅτι αἱ κοιλίαι συμπίπτουσιν τοῦ νέφους, ὕδατος γενομένου, ἐν αἷς ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῦ πνεύματος συνίσταται;
Or is it because the hollows of the cloud, in which the origin of the wind is formed, collapse when rain occurs?
§26.7Διὰ τί οὐχ οἱ αὐτοὶ ἄνεμοι πανταχοῦ ὑέτιοί εἰσιν;
Why are not the same winds rainy everywhere?
ἢ ὅτι οὐχ οἱ αὐτοὶ πανταχοῦ πρὸς ὄρη ἀντιπνέουσιν, ἀλλ’ ἕτεροι κεῖνται πρὸς ἕτερα ὄρη;
Or because the same winds do not blow against mountains everywhere, but different mountains lie in different directions?
οἷον γὰρ πρὸς ἀνάντη μόλις ῥεόντων, ἐνταῦθα ὑφίσταται μᾶλλον τὰ νέφη, οὗ ἀδυνατεῖ ἔτι προωθεῖν αὐτὰ ἄνεμος.
For when they flow with difficulty, as it were, against an upward slope, there the clouds rather collect, where the wind is no longer able to push them forward.
ὑφιστάμενα δὲ καὶ πιεζόμενα ῥήγνυται.
And collecting and being compressed, they burst.