§26.52Διὰ τί ὁ ζέφυρος λειότατός τε τῶν ἀνέμων καὶ ψυχρός, καὶ δύο ὥρας πνεῖ μάλιστα, ἔαρ τε καὶ μετόπωρον, καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν τῆς ἡμέρας, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν μάλιστα;
Why is the west wind the smoothest of the winds and cold, and blows especially during two seasons, spring and autumn, and towards the evening of the day, and especially close to the ground?
ἢ ψυχρὸς μὲν διὰ τὸ πνεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης καὶ πεδίων ἀναπεπταμένων;
Is it cold because it blows from the sea and open plains?
ἧττον μὲν οὖν ψυχρὸς τοῦ βορέου διὰ τὸ ἀφ’ ὕδατος πνευματουμένου καὶ μὴ χιόνος πνεῖν·
It is less cold than the north wind because it blows as a wind arising from water and not from snow.
ψυχρὸς δὲ διὰ τὸ μετὰ χειμῶνα, ἄρτι τοῦ ἡλίου κρατοῦντος, πνεῖν καὶ μετοπώρου, ὅτε οὐκέτι κρατεῖ ὁ ἥλιος οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐν γῇ ὑπομένει τὴν εἵλην, ἀλλὰ πλανᾶται διὰ τὸ ἐφ’ ὑγροῦ βεβηκέναι.
But it is cold because it blows after winter, when the sun is only just mastering, and in autumn, when the sun no longer masters. For it does not retain the sun's heat as is done on land, but is dispersed because it travels over moisture.
καὶ ὁμαλὸς διὰ τὸ αὐτό· οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ ὀρέων πνεῖ, οὐδὲ βίᾳ τηκομένου, ἀλλὰ ῥᾳδίως ὥσπερ δι’ αὐλῶνος ῥέων.
And it is uniform for the same reason; for it does not blow from mountains, nor from what is violently melted, but flows easily as if through a channel.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς βορέαν καὶ νότον ὀρεινά· πρὸς ἑσπέραν δὲ οὔτε ὄρος οὔτε γῆ ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ τὸ Ἀτλαντικὸν πέλαγος, ὥστε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς φέρεται.
For the parts towards the north and south are mountainous, but towards the west there is neither mountain nor land, but the Atlantic Ocean, so that it is carried close to the ground.
καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας πνεῖ διὰ τὸν τόπον· τότε γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος πλησιάζει τῷ τόπῳ.
And it blows towards the evening of the day because of the region; for then the sun approaches that region.
καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς παύεται διὰ τὸ ἐκλείπειν τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου κίνησιν. ;
And it ceases at night because the movement of the sun fails.
§26.53Διὰ τί, ὅταν ὁ εὖρος πνεῖ, μείζω φαίνεται τὰ πάντα ἢ ὅτι ζοφωδέστατον τὸν ἀέρα ποιεῖ;
Why do all things appear larger when the southeast wind blows? Is it because it makes the air very dark?
§26.54Διὰ τί τὸν μὲν χειμῶνα πρωΐ ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω τὰ πνεύματα πνεῖ, τὸ δὲ θέρος δείλης καὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν ἡλίου;
Why do winds blow from the east in the morning in winter, but in summer in the evening and from the west?
ἢ ὅτι ἃ ἡμῖν συμβαίνει τοῦ θέρους, ταῦτα τοῦ χειμῶνος τοῖς τὸ ἐναντίον τῆς γῆς ἡμισφαίριον οἰκοῦσιν, ἡμῖν δὲ τοῦ χειμῶνος πρωΐ καὶ ἀφ’ ἕω τὰ πνεύματα πνεῖ διὰ τὸ τὸν ἀέρα κάθυγρον ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ διακρίνεσθαι καὶ κινεῖσθαι τὸ πρωΐ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου, καὶ πρῶτον τὸν ἔγγιστα τοῦ ἡλίου.
Is it because what happens to us in summer happens in winter to those who inhabit the opposite hemisphere of the earth, and with us in winter the winds blow in the morning and from the east because the very moist air is separated during the night and moved in the morning by the sun, and first of all the air nearest to the sun?
ποιεῖ δὲ τοῦτο ὁ ἥλιος καὶ πρὸ ἀνατολῆς· διὸ αὖραι οὐχ ἧττον πρὸ ἀνατολῆς πνέουσιν.
And the sun does this even before sunrise; wherefore breezes blow no less before sunrise.
ἐπειδὴ οὖν καὶ ἐφ’ ἑαυτὸν ἕλκει ὁ ἥλιος τὰ ὑγρὰ καὶ κινεῖ πρὸ ἀνατολῆς τοῦ χειμῶνος ὑγρὸν ὄντα τὸν παρ’ ἡμῖν ἀέρα, δῆλον ὡς καὶ ἐφ’ αὑτὸν ἂν ἕλκοι, ὢν ἐν τῷ κάτω ἡμισφαιρίῳ, καὶ δείλη ἐκείνοις ὃ ἡμῖν ἐστὶν ὄρθρος.
Since, therefore, the sun also draws the moisture to itself and moves our air, which is moist, before sunrise in winter, it is clear that it would also draw it to itself when it is in the lower hemisphere, and their evening is our dawn.
ὥστε συμβαίνοι ἂν τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου πρὸ ἀνατολῆς παρ’ ἡμῶν ἐφ’ αὑτὸν ἑλκόμενον ἀέρα, τοῦτον τοῖς κάτω γενέσθαι ζέφυρον καὶ δείλης πνεῖν.
So it would happen that the air drawn from us to itself by the sun before sunrise would become a west wind for those below and blow in the evening.
ὃ δὲ ἐν τῷ παρ’ ἡμῖν χειμῶνι, τῆς ἕω ἐκείνοις συμβαίνει, ὃ δὲ ἐν τῷ θέρει, τῆς δείλης ἡμῖν.
And what happens in our winter in the morning happens to them, and what happens in our summer in the evening happens to us.
ὅτε γὰρ παρ’ ἡμῖν θέρος, ἐκεῖ χειμών ἐστι, καὶ ἡ ἡμετέρα δείλη ἐκείνοις ὄρθρος. καθ’ ἥν ἐκείνοις μὲν αὔρας ἐξ ἑῴας συμβαίνει πνεῖν, ἡμῖν δὲ ζεφύρους διὰ ταὐτὰ τοῖς προειρημένοις.
For when it is summer with us, it is winter there, and our evening is their dawn, at which time it happens that breezes blow from the east for them, and west winds for us for the same reasons as those mentioned before.
τοῦ δὲ θέρους καὶ ἑῶαι μὲν οὐ πνέουσιν, ὅτι εἰς ξηρότερον ἔτι τὸν παρ’ ἡμῖν ἀέρα ὁ ἥλιος ἀνατέλλει διὰ τὸ ὀλίγον αὐτοῦ χρόνον ἀπογεγονέναι· ζέφυροι δὲ οὐ πνέουσιν δείλης τοῦ χειμῶνος, ὅτι οὐδ’ ἐν τῷ κάτω ἡμισφαιρίῳ ἑῶοι ταύτην τὴν ὥραν διὰ τὰ προειρημένα, ὅθεν ὁ ἥλιος ἐφ’ ἑαυτὸν ἕλκων τὰ ὑγρὰ τὸν παρ’ ἡμῖν ζέφυρον ποιεῖ.
But in summer, morning winds do not blow because the sun rises upon our air when it is still drier, because the sun has been absent from it for only a short time; and west winds do not blow in the evening of winter, because not even in the lower hemisphere do morning winds blow at that season for the reasons mentioned before, from which drawing of the moisture to itself by the sun produces our west wind.
§26.55Διὰ τί ὁ ζέφυρος εὐδιεινὸς καὶ ἥδιστος δοκεῖ εἶναι τῶν ἀνέμων;
Why is the west wind considered to be clear and the most pleasant of the winds?
ἢ ὅτι ἐν μεθορίῳ ἐστὶ τῶν θερμῶν καὶ ψυχρῶν πνευμάτων, γειτνιῶν δὲ ἀμφοῖν τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτῶν κοινωνεῖ·
Is it because it is on the boundary between hot and cold winds, and bordering on both, it shares in their power?
διὸ εὔκρατός ἐστιν.
Therefore it is well-tempered.
ὁ δὲ ἀπηλιώτης ἧττον κοινωνεῖ, ὢν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τῶν αὐτῶν.
But the east wind shares in them less, though being in the middle of the same.
ἀπηλιώτης μὲν γὰρ πνέων τὰ πρὸς νότον πνεύματα κινεῖ (ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἡ μετάστασις αὐτοῦ ἐστίν), κινῶν δὲ οὐ μίγνυται αὐτοῖς.
For when the east wind blows, it moves the winds towards the south (for there is its transition), but in moving them it does not mix with them.
ὁ δὲ ζέφυρος καὶ κινεῖται ὑπὸ τῶν νότων καὶ πνέων κινεῖ τὰ βόρεια· τελευτᾷ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ἡ περίοδος τῶν πνευμάτων.
But the west wind is both moved by the south winds and, when blowing, moves the north winds; for there the cycle of the winds ends.
διὸ τῶν μὲν τὴν τελευτήν, τῶν δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ δικαίως ἡδύς ἐστι καὶ δοκεῖ εἶναι.
Therefore, containing in itself the end of the one and the beginning of the other, it is naturally pleasant and is considered to be so.