122
metonymic uses of cardinal terms (e.g. the adjective boreia = ‘northerly’) with
names of winds used literally:
Ἔστι δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων πνευμάτων βορέας μὲν ὅ τ᾿ ἀπαρκτίας κυριώτατα, καὶ θρασκίας
καὶ μέσης· ὁ δὲ καικίας κοινὸς ἀπηλιώτου καὶ βορέου· νότος δὲ ὅ τε ἰθαγενὴς ὁ ἀπὸ
μεσημβρίας καὶ λίψ· ἀπηλιώτης δὲ ὅ τε ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῆς ἰσημερινῆς καὶ ὁ εὖρος· ὁ δὲ
φοινικίας κοινός· ζέφυρος δὲ ὅ τε ἰθαγενὴς καὶ ὁ ἀργέστης καλούμενος.
ὅλως δὲ τὰ μὲν βόρεια τούτων καλεῖται, τὰ δὲ νότια· προστίθεται δὲ τὰ μὲν ζεφυρικὰ
τῷ βορέᾳ (ψυχρότερα γὰρ διὰ τὸ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν πνεῖν), νότῳ δὲ τὰ ἀπηλιωτικά (θερμότερα
γὰρ διὰ τὸ ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῆς πνεῖν). διωρισμένων οὖν τῷ ψυχρῷ καὶ τῷ θερμῷ καὶ ἀλεεινῷ
τῶν πνευμάτων οὕτως ἐκάλεσαν. θερμότερα μὲν τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω τῶν ἀπὸ δυσμῆς, ὅτι
πλείω χρόνον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιόν ἐστι τὰ ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῆς· τὰ δ᾿ ἀπὸ δυσμῆς ἀπολείπει τε θᾶττον
καὶ πλησιάζει τῷ τόπῳ ὀψιαίτερον.
The difficulties of doing justice to the terminology, and an unwillingness to use
wind names that might be unfamiliar to readers, caused the Loeb translator of 1952
to undergo contortions in order to convey what is admittedly an elliptical, and possibly not quite logical, passage:
Of the winds thus described the truest north winds are Aparctias, Thrascias and Meses.
Caecias is part east and part north. South are the winds that come from due south and Lips.
47
East are the winds that come from the equinoctial sunrise and Eurus. Phoenicias is part
south, part east. West is the wind from due west and also the wind called Argestes.
There is a general classification of these winds into northerly and southerly: westerly
winds are counted as northerly, being colder because they blow from the sunset; easterly
winds are counted as southerly, being warmer because they blow from the sunrise. Winds
are thus called northerly and southerly according to this division into cold and hot or warm.
Winds from the sunrise are warmer than winds from the sunset, because those from the
sunrise are exposed to the sun for longer; while those from the sunset are reached by the sun
later and it soon leaves them.
An alternative rendering will stay closer to the Greek:
Among the said winds, Boreas (i.e. the set of northerly winds) is chiefly Aparktias, but also
Thraskias and Mesēs; but the Kaikias is shared between Apeliotes and Boreas. Notos is both
the direct wind from the south (mesēmbria), and also the Lips. Apeliotes is that from the
equinoctial sunrise, and also the Euros; Phoinikias is shared. Zephyros is both the direct
wind and the one called Argestes.
Overall, some of these are called northerlies (boreia), others southerlies (notia). The
westerlies (zephyrika) are assigned to Boreas, as they are colder since they blow from the
west (dysmai). To Notos are assigned the easterlies (apēliōtika), as they are warmer since
they blow from the east (anatolē). People called them by these names (i.e. grouped them in
two categories) because they were distinguished by cold, heat, and warmth. For those from
the east (ēōs) are hotter than those from west (dysmē), because they are under the sun for a
longer time than are those from the east (anatolē); but it leaves those from the west (dysmē)
more swiftly and approaches that location later.
48
The Loeb translator seems unsure whether certain terms are meaningful or purely
metonymic (directional). Now substituting cardinal terms for wind names (e.g.,
‘part east and part north’ rather than ‘shared between Apeliotes and Boreas’), now
47 This makes it appear that Lips is a directional term.
48 The Loeb translator has reversed the order of this last phrase to improve the logic.
D. G. J. Shipley
metonymic uses of cardinal terms (e.g. the adjective boreia = ‘northerly’) with
names of winds used literally:
Ἔστι δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων πνευμάτων βορέας μὲν ὅ τ᾿ ἀπαρκτίας κυριώτατα, καὶ θρασκίας
καὶ μέσης· ὁ δὲ καικίας κοινὸς ἀπηλιώτου καὶ βορέου· νότος δὲ ὅ τε ἰθαγενὴς ὁ ἀπὸ
μεσημβρίας καὶ λίψ· ἀπηλιώτης δὲ ὅ τε ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῆς ἰσημερινῆς καὶ ὁ εὖρος· ὁ δὲ
φοινικίας κοινός· ζέφυρος δὲ ὅ τε ἰθαγενὴς καὶ ὁ ἀργέστης καλούμενος.
ὅλως δὲ τὰ μὲν βόρεια τούτων καλεῖται, τὰ δὲ νότια· προστίθεται δὲ τὰ μὲν ζεφυρικὰ
τῷ βορέᾳ (ψυχρότερα γὰρ διὰ τὸ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν πνεῖν), νότῳ δὲ τὰ ἀπηλιωτικά (θερμότερα
γὰρ διὰ τὸ ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῆς πνεῖν). διωρισμένων οὖν τῷ ψυχρῷ καὶ τῷ θερμῷ καὶ ἀλεεινῷ
τῶν πνευμάτων οὕτως ἐκάλεσαν. θερμότερα μὲν τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω τῶν ἀπὸ δυσμῆς, ὅτι
πλείω χρόνον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιόν ἐστι τὰ ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῆς· τὰ δ᾿ ἀπὸ δυσμῆς ἀπολείπει τε θᾶττον
καὶ πλησιάζει τῷ τόπῳ ὀψιαίτερον.
The difficulties of doing justice to the terminology, and an unwillingness to use
wind names that might be unfamiliar to readers, caused the Loeb translator of 1952
to undergo contortions in order to convey what is admittedly an elliptical, and possibly not quite logical, passage:
Of the winds thus described the truest north winds are Aparctias, Thrascias and Meses.
Caecias is part east and part north. South are the winds that come from due south and Lips.
47
East are the winds that come from the equinoctial sunrise and Eurus. Phoenicias is part
south, part east. West is the wind from due west and also the wind called Argestes.
There is a general classification of these winds into northerly and southerly: westerly
winds are counted as northerly, being colder because they blow from the sunset; easterly
winds are counted as southerly, being warmer because they blow from the sunrise. Winds
are thus called northerly and southerly according to this division into cold and hot or warm.
Winds from the sunrise are warmer than winds from the sunset, because those from the
sunrise are exposed to the sun for longer; while those from the sunset are reached by the sun
later and it soon leaves them.
An alternative rendering will stay closer to the Greek:
Among the said winds, Boreas (i.e. the set of northerly winds) is chiefly Aparktias, but also
Thraskias and Mesēs; but the Kaikias is shared between Apeliotes and Boreas. Notos is both
the direct wind from the south (mesēmbria), and also the Lips. Apeliotes is that from the
equinoctial sunrise, and also the Euros; Phoinikias is shared. Zephyros is both the direct
wind and the one called Argestes.
Overall, some of these are called northerlies (boreia), others southerlies (notia). The
westerlies (zephyrika) are assigned to Boreas, as they are colder since they blow from the
west (dysmai). To Notos are assigned the easterlies (apēliōtika), as they are warmer since
they blow from the east (anatolē). People called them by these names (i.e. grouped them in
two categories) because they were distinguished by cold, heat, and warmth. For those from
the east (ēōs) are hotter than those from west (dysmē), because they are under the sun for a
longer time than are those from the east (anatolē); but it leaves those from the west (dysmē)
more swiftly and approaches that location later.
48
The Loeb translator seems unsure whether certain terms are meaningful or purely
metonymic (directional). Now substituting cardinal terms for wind names (e.g.,
‘part east and part north’ rather than ‘shared between Apeliotes and Boreas’), now
47 This makes it appear that Lips is a directional term.
48 The Loeb translator has reversed the order of this last phrase to improve the logic.
D. G. J. Shipley