§4.25Διὰ τί ἐν τῷ θέρει οἱ μὲν ἄνδρες ἧττον δύνανται ἀφροδισιάζειν, αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες μᾶλλον, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ ποιητὴς λέγει ἐπὶ τῷ σκολύμῳ
μαχλόταται δὲ γυναῖκες, ἀφαυρότατοι δέ τοι ἄνδρες
.
Why is it that in summer men are less able to perform sexual intercourse, whereas women are more so, just as the poet says in reference to the artichoke: "Women are most lustful, but men are most feeble"?
πότερον ὅτι οἱ ὄρχεις καθίενται μᾶλλον ἢ ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι;
Is it because the testicles hang down more than in winter?
ἀνάγκη δέ, εἰ μέλλει ἀφροδισιάζειν, ἀνασπάσαι.
And it is necessary, if one is to perform sexual intercourse, to draw them up.
ἢ ὅτι αἱ θερμαὶ φύσεις ἐν τῷ θέρει συμπίπτουσιν ὑπερβάλλοντος τοῦ θερμοῦ, αἱ δὲ ψυχραὶ θάλπουσιν;
Or is it because hot natures collapse in summer when the heat is excessive, whereas cold ones are warmed?
ἔστι δὲ ὁ μὲν ἀνὴρ ξηρὸς καὶ θερμός, ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ψυχρὰ καὶ ὑγρά.
For man is dry and hot, whereas woman is cold and moist.
τοῦ μὲν ἀνδρὸς οὖν ἠμαύρωται ἡ δύναμις, τῶν δὲ θάλλει ἐπανισουμένη τῷ ἐναντίῳ.
Therefore, the power of the man is weakened, while that of women flourishes, being equalized by the opposite.
§4.26Διὰ τί ἔνιοι ἀφροδισιαζόμενοι χαίρουσι, καὶ οἱ μὲν ἅμα δρῶντες, οἱ δ’ οὔ;
Why is it that some people enjoy being passive in sexual intercourse, and some do so while at the same time being active, while others do not?
ἢ ὅτι ἔστιν ἑκάστῃ περιττώσει τόπος εἰς ὃν πέφυκεν ἀποκρίνεσθαι κατὰ φύσιν, καὶ πόνου ἐγγινομένου τὸ πνεῦμα ἐξιὸν ἀνοιδεῖν ποιεῖ, καὶ συνεκκρίνει αὐτήν, οἷον τὸ μὲν οὖρον εἰς κύστιν, ἡ δ’ ἐξικμασμένη τροφὴ εἰς κοιλίαν, τὸ δὲ δάκρυον εἰς ὄμματα, μύξαι δ’ εἰς μυκτῆρας, αἷμα δὲ εἰς φλέβας.
Is it because for each residue there is a place into which it is naturally secreted according to nature, and when tension arises, the exiting breath (pneuma) causes swelling and excretes it along with it? For example, urine into the bladder, digested food into the belly, tears into the eyes, mucus into the nostrils, and blood into the veins.
ὁμοίως δὴ τούτοις καὶ ἡ γονὴ εἰς ὄρχεις καὶ αἰδοῖα.
Likewise, indeed, the semen into the testicles and privy parts.
οἷς δὴ οἱ πόροι μὴ κατὰ φύσιν ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ’ ἢ διὰ τὸ ἐπιτυφλωθῆναι τοὺς εἰς τὸ αἰδοῖον, οἷον συμβαίνει τοῖς εὐνούχοις καὶ εὐνουχίαις, ἢ καὶ ἄλλως, εἰς τὴν ἕδραν συρρεῖ ἡ τοιαύτη ἰκμάς· καὶ γὰρ διεξέρχεται ταύτῃ.
Now, in those whose passages are not in a natural state, but either because those leading to the privy part have been blocked (as happens to eunuchs and castrated persons), or in some other way, this kind of moisture flows together into the seat; for indeed it passes through in this way.
σημεῖον δ’ ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ ἡ συναγωγὴ τοῦ τοιούτου τόπου καὶ ἡ σύντηξις τῶν περὶ τὴν ἕδραν.
A proof of this is the contraction of this region during intercourse and the dissolution of the parts around the seat.
ἐὰν οὖν ὑπερβάλλῃ τις τῇ λαγνείᾳ, τούτοις ἐνταῦθα συνέρχεται, ὥστε ὅταν ἡ ἐπιθυμία γένηται, τοῦτ’ ἐπιθυμεῖ τῆς τρίψεως εἰς ὃ συλλέγεται.
If, therefore, anyone exceeds in lust, it flows together for them in this place, so that when desire arises, they desire friction for that part into which it collects.
ἡ δ’ ἐπιθυμία καὶ ἀπὸ σιτίων καὶ ἀπὸ διανοίας γίνεται.
And desire arises both from food and from thought.
ὅταν γὰρ κινηθῇ ὑφ’ ὁτουοῦν, ἐνταῦθα τὸ πνεῦμα συντρέχει, καὶ τὸ τοιοῦτο περίττωμα συρρεῖ οὗ πέφυκεν.
For whenever it is moved by anything whatsoever, the breath (pneuma) rushes there, and this kind of residue flows where it is natural.
κἂν μὲν λεπτὸν ᾖ ἢ πνευματῶδες, τούτου ἐξελθόντος, ὥσπερ αἱ συντάσεις τοῖς παισὶ καὶ τοῖς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ, ἐνίοτε οὐθενὸς ὑγροῦ ἐκκριθέντος, παύονται.
And if it is thin or windy, when this has exited, they cease, just as erections happen to children and those in their prime, sometimes without any moisture being excreted.
ὅταν δὲ κατασβεσθῇ τὸ ὑγρόν. . . ἐὰν δὲ μηδέτερον τούτων πάθῃ, ἐπιθυμεῖ ἕως ἄν τι τούτων συμβῇ.
But when the moisture is quenched... and if they suffer neither of these, they desire until one of these happens.
οἱ δὲ φύσει θηλυδρίαι οὕτω συνεστᾶσιν ὥστ’ ἐκεῖ μὲν μὴ ἐκκρίνεσθαι ἢ ὀλίγην, οὗπερ τοῖς ἔχουσι κατὰ φύσιν ἐκκρίνεται, εἰς δὲ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον.
But natural effeminates are so constituted that either no excretion takes place there, or only a little, where it is excreted in those who are in a natural state, but rather into this place.
αἴτιον δέ, ὅτι παρὰ φύσιν συνεστᾶσιν· ἄρσενες γὰρ ὄντες οὕτω διάκεινται ὥστε ἀνάγκη τὸν τόπον τοῦτον πεπηρῶσθαι αὐτῶν.
And the cause is that they are constituted contrary to nature; for being males, they are so disposed that this part of them must be deformed.
πήρωσις δὲ ἡ μὲν ὅλως ποιεῖ φθόρον, ἡ δὲ διαστροφήν.
Now deformation either causes complete destruction or distortion.
ἐκείνη μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν· γυνὴ γὰρ ἂν ἐγένετο.
That former one indeed does not exist; for then they would have become women.
ἀνάγκη ἄρα παρεστράφθαι καὶ ἄλλοθί που ὁρμᾶν τῆς γονικῆς ἐκκρίσεως.
Therefore, they must have been distorted, and the impulse of the seminal excretion must go elsewhere.
διὸ καὶ ἄπληστοι, ὥσπερ αἱ γυναῖκες· ὀλίγη γὰρ ἡ ἰκμάς, καὶ οὐ βιάζεται ἐξιέναι, καὶ καταψύχεται ταχύ.
For this reason they are insatiable, just like women; for the moisture is little, and does not force its way out, and is quickly cooled.
καὶ ὅσοις μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν ἕδραν, οὗτοι πάσχειν ἐπιθυμοῦσιν, ὅσοις δ’ ἐπ’ ἀμφότερα, οὗτοι καὶ δρᾶν καὶ πάσχειν· ἐφ’ ὁπότερα δὲ πλεῖον, τούτου μᾶλλον ἐπιθυμοῦσιν.
And those in whom it flows to the seat desire to be passive, while those in whom it flows to both desire both to be active and passive; and whichever way it flows more, they desire that more.
ἐνίοις δὲ γίνεται καὶ ἐξ ἔθους τὸ πάθος τοῦτο.
And in some, this condition arises also from habit.
ὅσα γὰρ ἂν ποιῶσιν συμβαίνει αὐτοῖς χαίρειν καὶ προΐεσθαι τὴν γονὴν οὕτως.
For whatever they do, they happen to enjoy it and emit semen in this way.
ἐπιθυμοῦσιν οὖν ποιεῖν οἷς ἂν ταῦτα γίνηται, καὶ μᾶλλον τὸ ἔθος ὥσπερ φύσις γίνεται.
They desire, therefore, to do that in which this happens, and habit becomes like nature.
διὰ τοῦτο ὅσοι ἄν μὴ πρὸ ἥβης, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἥβην ἐθισθῶσιν ἀφροδισιάζεσθαι, διὰ τὸ γίνεσθαι αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ χρείᾳ τὴν μνήμην, ἅμα δὲ τῇ μνήμῃ τὴν ἡδονήν, διὰ δὲ τὸ ἔθος ὥσπερ πεφυκότες ἐπιθυμοῦσι πάσχειν, τὰ μέντοι πολλὰ καὶ τὸ ἔθος ὥσπερ πεφυκόσι γίνεται.
For this reason, those who are accustomed to perform sexual intercourse not before puberty, but around puberty, because memory arises in them during the act, and pleasure along with the memory, they desire to be passive because of habit, just as if they were so by nature. However, for the most part, habit also becomes like a natural state.
ἐὰν δὲ τύχῃ λάγνος ὢν καὶ μαλακός, καὶ θᾶττον ἕκαστα τούτων συμβαίνει.
And if the person happens to be lustful and soft, each of these happens even more quickly.