§26.22Διὰ τί οἱ κύνες τὰ ἴχνη ἥκιστα εὑρίσκουσιν ζεφύρου πνέοντος;
Why do dogs find tracks least of all when the west wind is blowing?
ἢ διότι μάλιστα συγχεῖ διὰ τὸ συνεχέστατος εἶναι τῶν ἀνέμων καὶ μάλιστα ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν πνεῖν;
Or is it because it confuses them most, because it is the most continuous of the winds and blows closest to the ground?
§26.23Διὰ τί, ὅταν ἀστέρες διάττωσιν, ἀνέμου σημεῖον;
Why, when stars shoot, is it a sign of wind?
ἢ ὅτι ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος φέρονται, καὶ πρότερον ἐκεῖ γίνεται πνεῦμα ἢ παρ’ ἡμῖν;
Or is it because they are carried by the wind, and wind arises there earlier than with us?
διὸ καὶ ἀφ’ οὗ ἂν τόπου φέρωνται οἱ ἀστέρες, ἐν τούτῳ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα γίνεται.
Therefore, from whichever quarter the stars are carried, from that quarter the wind also arises.
§26.24Διὰ τί μεγίστας νεφέλας τῶν ἀνέμων ὁ ζέφυρος ἄγει;
Why does the west wind bring the largest clouds of all the winds?
ἢ διότι ἐκ πελάγους πνεῖ καὶ κατὰ τὴν θάλατταν;
Or is it because it blows from the open sea and over the ocean?
ἐκ πολλοῦ οὖν καὶ συνάγει.
Therefore, it collects them from a vast expanse.
§26.25Διὰ τί οἱ ἐπὶ τέλει ἄνεμοι μέγιστοι;
Why are winds strongest at their end?
ἢ ὅτι ὅταν ἀθρόοι ἐκπνεύσωσιν, ὀλίγον τὸ θερμόν;
Or is it because when they blow themselves out all at once, the heat is little?
§26.26Διὰ τί, ἐὰν περὶ ἰσημερίαν λὶψ πνεύσῃ, ὕδωρ γίνεται;
Why, if the south-west wind blows about the equinox, does rain occur?
ἢ ὅτι καθ’ ὃν ἂν ᾖ ὁ ἥλιος τόπον τοῦ κόσμου, τὰ ἐντεῦθεν πνεύματα κινεῖ;
Or is it because, in whatever part of the universe the sun may be, it sets the winds from that quarter in motion?
διὸ καὶ ἡ τῶν πνευμάτων περίστασις κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου φορὰν γίνεται.
Therefore, the rotation of the winds also occurs according to the course of the sun.
ἐπεὶ δ’ ἡ ἰσημερία μεθόριόν ἐστι χειμῶνος καὶ θέρους, ὅταν συμβῇ τὸν ἥλιον κατὰ τὴν ἡμῖν φαινομένην ἰσημερίαν ὑπερβεβληκέναι ἢ ἐκλείπειν τοῦ ἀκριβοῦς ὅρου καὶ εἶναι μᾶλλον ἐν τοῖς χειμερίοις, συμβαίνει τοὺς ἐκ τούτου τοῦ μέρους ἀνέμους πνεῖν, ὧν ἐστὶ πρῶτος λίψ, ὢν ὑγρὸς φύσει.
And since the equinox is the boundary between winter and summer, when it happens that at the equinox as it appears to us the sun has overstepped or falls short of the exact boundary, and is rather in the winter regions, it happens that the winds from this quarter blow, of which the first is the south-west wind, which is moist by nature.
ὄντος δὲ τοῦ ἡλίου μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ χειμερίῳ μέρει τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ κινοῦντος τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ πνεύματα, τὰ χειμῶνος ἔργα συμβαίνει γίνεσθαι· τούτων δέ ἐστιν ὁ ὄμβρος.
And when the sun is rather in the winter part of the universe and sets in motion the winds in it, the effects of winter happen to occur, and of these rain is one.
ἔτι δὲ ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἰσημερία ἐστὶν καθάπερ χειμὼν καὶ θέρος ἰσοκρατές, ἐὰν ὁποτερῳοῦν αὐτῶν τι προστεθῇ, εὔσημον τὴν ῥοπὴν ποιεῖ, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἰσαζόντων ζυγῶν.
Furthermore, since the equinox is, as it were, winter and summer equally balanced, if anything is added to either of them, it makes the inclination obvious, just as on balanced scales.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ λὶψ ἔκ τε τῆς χειμερίου τάξεως ἐστιν καὶ ὑγρὸς φύσει, προστεθεὶς ἐν τῇ ἰσημερίᾳ ῥοπὴν χειμῶνος ἐποίησεν καὶ ὄμβρον· ὁ γὰρ ὄμβρος χειμών ἐστιν οἰκειότατος τῷ πνεύματι.
And since the south-west wind belongs to the winter class and is moist by nature, when added at the equinox it produces an inclination towards winter and rain; for rain is the winter effect most kindred to this wind.
§26.27Διὰ τί ὁ νότος καὶ ὁ εὖρος θερμότεροι ὄντες τῶν ἐναντίων, ὁ μὲν τοῦ βορέου, ὁ δὲ τοῦ ζεφύρου, ὑδατωδέστεροί εἰσιν;
Why are the south wind and the east wind, though warmer than their opposites—the former than the north wind and the latter than the west wind—more rainy?
καίτοι διὰ ψυχρότητα ὕδωρ ἐξ ἀέρος γίνεται.
And yet, it is through coldness that water is produced from air.
οὐ γὰρ διὰ τὸ ἀπωθεῖν τὸν βορέαν ἐντεῦθεν γίνεται τὰ νέφη· ὁ γὰρ ζέφυρος καὶ ὁ εὖρος ἀπάγουσιν ἄμφω (ὁμοίως γὰρ πλάγιοι), καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι δὲ πάντες, ὅθεν πνέουσιν.
For clouds do not arise because of pushing the north wind away from here; for both the west wind and the east wind carry them away (for they are equally lateral), and indeed so do all the other winds, from whichever direction they blow.
πότερον ὅτι ἀντιπεριίσταται τὸ ψυχρὸν εἴσω μᾶλλον, ὅταν ᾖ ἔξω τὸ θερμὸν μᾶλλον;
Is it because cold is more concentrated inside when heat is more outside?
ἢ ἔστι μέν τι καὶ διὰ τὸ ὅθεν πνέουσιν, αἰθρίους εἶναι;
Or is it also partly because of the direction from which they blow that they are clear-weather winds?
καὶ γὰρ εὖρος ἀπ’ ἠοῦς ἐστίν.
For the east wind is from the dawn.
ἥδε δὲ ἡ χώρα πρὸς ἑσπέραν κεῖται, καὶ ζέφυρος.
And this country lies towards the west, as does the west wind.
ἀλλὰ καὶ διότι πρότερον θερμαινόμενος ὁ ἀήρ, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ ὕδατα, τάχιστα καὶ μάλιστα ψύχεται.
But it is also because air that has previously been warmed, just like water, cools most rapidly and most of all.
φέρεται οὖν ὁ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ εὔρου ἀπ’ ἀνατολῆς ἀὴρ θερμός, ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ νότου ἀπὸ μεσημβρίας.
The air carried from the east wind from the east is therefore warm, and that from the south wind from the south.
ὅταν οὖν ἔλθωσιν εἰς τὸν ψυχρότερον τόπον, ταχὺ πήγνυνται καὶ συνίστανται εἰς ὕδωρ.
When, therefore, they come into the colder region, they quickly freeze and condense into water.
καὶ μᾶλλον ὁ εὖρος ποιεῖ ὕδωρ, ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου μᾶλλον φέρει τὸν ἀέρα, καὶ ὁμοίως θερμόν.
And the east wind produces rain even more, because it carries the air more from the sun, and similarly warm.
ὁ δὲ νότος λήγων ὑδατώδης, ὅτι ψυχρὸς ὁ πρῶτος φερόμενος ἀὴρ ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης, ὁ δὲ τελευταῖος διάθερμος ὢν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς κομίζει.
But the south wind is rainy at its end because the first air carried from the sea is cold, but the last air it brings is thoroughly warmed, coming from the land.
ἢ οὐ μόνον τοῦτ’ αἴτιον, ἀλλ’ ὅτι καὶ μείζων λήγων ὁ νότος γίνεται;
Or is this not the only cause, but also because the south wind becomes stronger at its end?
διὸ καὶ ἡ παροιμία εἰς αὐτὸν
ἀρχομένου τε νότου
.
Wherefore also the proverb applied to it: 'at the beginning of a south wind'.
οἱ δὲ μείζους ψυχρότεροι.
And stronger winds are colder.
ὥστε πηγνύει ὕστερον τὰ νέφη.
Consequently, it condenses the clouds later.
ἢ διὰ τοῦτο ὑδατωδέστερος ἢ ἀρχόμενος;
Or is it for this reason that it is more rainy than when it begins?
§26.28Διὰ τί οἱ ἄνεμοι ξηραίνουσι ψυχροὶ ὄντες;
Why do winds dry things, though they are cold?
ἢ διότι ἀτμίζειν ποιοῦσιν οἱ ψυχρότεροι;
Is it because colder winds cause evaporation?
διὰ τί δὲ μᾶλλον ἢ ὁ ἥλιος;
But why do they do so more than the sun?
ἢ διότι ἀπάγουσι τὴν ἀτμίδα, ὁ δὲ ἥλιος καταλείπει;
Is it because they carry away the vapor, whereas the sun leaves it behind?
ὑγραίνει μὲν οὖν μᾶλλον, ξηραίνει δὲ ἧττον.
Therefore, the sun moistens more and dries less.