§1.2.32εἰ δʼ οὖν καὶ σύρρουν ποτὲ ὑπάρξαντα τὸν ἰσθμὸν τοῦτον ὁ ποιητὴς ἱστορήκει, πόσῳ μείζονα ἂν ἔχοιμεν πίστιν τοῦ τοὺς Αἰθίοπας διχθὰ διῃρῆσθαι, πορθμῷ τηλικούτῳ διειργομένους;
Even if the poet had indeed recorded that this isthmus was once a continuous channel, how much greater belief would we have that the Ethiopians were divided in two, being separated by so great a strait?
τίς δὲ καὶ χρηματισμὸς παρὰ τῶν ἔξω καὶ κατὰ τὸν ὠκεανὸν Αἰθιόπων;
And what profit could there be from those outer Ethiopians who live along the ocean?
ἅμα μὲν γὰρ θαυμάζουσι τοῦ κόσμου τῶν βασιλείων οἱ περὶ Τηλέμαχον τὸ πλῆθος ὅ ἐστι
χρυσοῦ τʼ ἠλέκτρου τε καὶ ἀργύρου ἠδʼ ἐλέφαντος. τούτων δʼ οὐδενὸς πλὴν ἐλέφαντος εὐπορία παρʼ ἐκείνοις ἐστίν, ἀπορωτάτοις τῶν ἁπάντων οὖσι τοῖς πλείστοις καὶ νομάσι.
For on the one hand, Telemachus and his companions admire the abundance of the ornament of the palace, which consists of 'gold, amber, silver, and ivory.' But of these, except for ivory, there is no abundance among them, who are for the most part the poorest of all and nomads.
νὴ Δία, ἀλλʼ ἡ Ἀραβία προσῆν καὶ τὰ μέχρι τῆς Ἰνδικῆς·
By Zeus, but Arabia was adjacent, and the regions as far as India!
τούτων δʼ ἡ μὲν εὐδαίμων κέκληται μόνη τῶν ἁπασῶν, τὴν δέ, εἰ καὶ μὴ ὀνομαστὶ καλοῦσιν, οὕτως ὑπολαμβάνουσί γε καὶ ἱστοροῦσιν ὡς εὐδαιμονεστάτην.
But of these, the one alone of all is called 'Happy,' and the other, even if they do not call it so by name, they yet conceive and describe as most happy.
τὴν μὲν οὖν Ἰνδικὴν οὐκ οἶδεν Ὅμηρος (εἰδὼς δὲ ἐμέμνητο ἄν), τὴν δʼ Ἀραβίαν, ἣν εὐδαίμονα προσαγορεύουσιν οἱ νῦν, τότε δʼ οὐκ ἦν πλουσία, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ ἄπορος καὶ ἡ πολλὴ αὐτῆς σκηνιτῶν ἀνδρῶν· ὀλίγη δʼ ἡ ἀρωματοφόρος, διʼ ἣν καὶ τοῦτο τοὔνομα εὕρετο ἡ χώρα διὰ τὸ καὶ τὸν φόρτον εἶναι τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐν τοῖς παρʼ ἡμῖν σπάνιον καὶ τίμιον.
Now, Homer did not know India (for if he had known it, he would have mentioned it); and as for Arabia, which people now call Happy, it was not rich back then, but was itself poor, and most of it belonged to tent-dwelling men; and only a small part was spice-bearing, because of which indeed the country found this name, due to the fact that such merchandise is rare and precious among us.
νυνὶ μὲν οὖν εὐποροῦσι καὶ πλουτοῦσι διὰ τὸ καὶ τὴν ἐμπορίαν εἶναι πυκνὴν καὶ δαψιλῆ, τότε δʼ οὐκ εἰκός.
So now indeed they are wealthy and rich because their trade is frequent and abundant, but back then this was not likely.
αὐτῶν δὲ χάριν τῶν ἀρωμάτων ἐμπόρῳ μὲν καὶ καμηλίτῃ γένοιτʼ ἄν τις ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων φορτίων εὐπορία· Μενελάῳ δὲ λαφύρων ἢ δωρεῶν ἔδει παρὰ βασιλέων καὶ δυναστῶν, ἐχόντων τε ἃ δώσουσι καὶ βουλομένων διὰ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ καὶ εὔκλειαν.
And for the sake of these very spices, some wealth might come to a merchant or a camel-driver from such cargoes; but Menelaus needed spoils or gifts from kings and dynasts, who both possessed things to give and were willing to do so because of his fame and glorious reputation.
οἱ μὲν οὖν Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ οἱ πλησίον Αἰθίοπες καὶ Ἄραβες οὔθʼ οὕτω τελέως ἄβιοι οὔτʼ ἀνήκοοι τῆς τῶν Ἀτρειδῶν δόξης, καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τὴν κατόρθωσιν τοῦ Ἰλιακοῦ πολέμου, ὥστʼ ἐλπὶς ἦν τῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν ὠφελείας· καθάπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ θώρακος τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος λέγεται
τόν ποτέ οἱ Κινύρης δῶκε ξεινήιον εἶναι· πεύθετο γὰρ Κύπρονδε μέγα κλέος. καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸν πλείω χρόνον τῆς πλάνης λεκτέον μὲν ἐν τοῖς κατὰ Φοινίκην καὶ Συρίαν καὶ Αἴγυπτον καὶ Λιβύην γενέσθαι καὶ τὰ περὶ Κύπρον χωρία καὶ ὅλως τὴν καθʼ ἡμᾶς παραλίαν καὶ τὰς νήσους· καὶ γὰρ ξένια παρὰ τούτοις καὶ τὸ βίᾳ καὶ τὸ ἐκ λεηλασίας πορίσασθαι, καὶ μάλιστα παρὰ τῶν συμμαχησάντων τοῖς Τρωσίν, ἐντεῦθεν ἦν.
Thus, the Egyptians and the neighboring Ethiopians and Arabs were neither so completely destitute of livelihood nor unheard-of regarding the glory of the Atreidae—especially because of the success of the Trojan War—so that there was hope of benefit from them; just as is said concerning the breastplate of Agamemnon: 'which once Cinyras gave him to be a guest-gift; for a great fame had reached Cyprus.' And indeed, we must say that the greater part of his wandering took place in the regions around Phoenicia, Syria, Egypt, and Libya, and the places around Cyprus, and in general along our coast and the islands; for guest-gifts were to be found among these, and the opportunity to acquire things by force and by plundering—especially from those who had fought as allies of the Trojans—was from there.
οἱ δʼ ἐκτὸς καὶ πόρρω βάρβαροι οὐδεμίαν τοιαύτην ὑπηγόρευον ἐλπίδα.
But the outer and distant barbarians offered no such hope.
εἰς οὖν τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν ἀφῖχθαι λέγεται ὁ Μενέλαος, οὐχ ὅτι μέχρι τῶν ὅρων τῶν πρὸς Αἰγύπτῳ.
Therefore, Menelaus is said to have arrived in Ethiopia, not that he went deep into it, but up to the borders adjacent to Egypt.
τάχα μὲν γὰρ καὶ πλησιαίτεροι ἦσαν ταῖς Θήβαις οἱ τότε ὅροι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ νῦν πλησίον εἰσίν, οἱ κατὰ Συήνην καὶ τὰς Φίλας· ὧν ἡ μὲν τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἐστίν, αἱ δὲ Φίλαι κοινὴ κατοικία τῶν Αἰθιόπων καὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων.
For perhaps the borders back then were even closer to Thebes, but even the present ones are near, those around Syene and Philae; of which the former belongs to Egypt, while Philae is a common settlement of the Ethiopians and the Egyptians.
ὁ οὖν εἰς Θήβας ἀφιγμένος εἰ καὶ μέχρι τῶν ὅρων ἀφῖκτο ἢ καὶ περαιτέρω τῶν Αἰθιόπων, καὶ ταῦτα τῇ βασιλικῇ ξενίᾳ χρώμενος, οὐδὲν ἄλογον.
Therefore, there is nothing unreasonable if one who had arrived in Thebes reached as far as the borders, or even slightly beyond, of the Ethiopians, especially since he enjoyed royal hospitality.
οὕτω δὲ καὶ Κυκλώπων εἰς γαῖαν ἀφῖχθαί φησιν ὁ Ὀδυσσεύς, μέχρι τοῦ σπηλαίου προεληλυθὼς ἀπὸ θαλάττης· ἐπʼ ἐσχατιᾶς γὰρ ἱδρῦσθαί που λέγει.
And in this way Odysseus also says he arrived at the land of the Cyclopes, having advanced only as far as the cave from the sea; for he says somewhere that it was situated at the edge of the land.
καὶ εἰς Αἰολίαν δὲ καὶ Λαιστρυγόνας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, ὅπου ποτὲ καὶ καθωρμίσατο, ἐκεῖσέ φησιν ἀφῖχθαι.
And also to Aeolia and the Laestrygonians and the others, wherever he anchored, he says he arrived there.
καὶ ὁ Μενέλαος οὖν οὕτως εἰς Αἰθιοπίαν ἧκεν, οὕτω δὲ καὶ εἰς Λιβύην, ὅτι προσέσχε τόποις τισίν· ἀφʼ οὗ καὶ ὁ κατὰ τὴν Ἀρδανίαν λιμὴν τὴν ὑπὲρ Παραιτονίου Μενέλαος καλεῖται.
And so Menelaus also came to Ethiopia in this way, and in this way also to Libya, because he touched at certain places; from which indeed the harbor along Ardania above Paraitonion is called 'Menelaus.'