Texte grec :
| [35,18] ἐκεῖ γάρ, ὥς φασι, ποταμοὶ ῥέουσιν οὐχ ὥσπερ παρ´ ὑμῖν ὕδατος,
ἀλλ´ ὁ μὲν γάλακτος, ὁ δὲ οἴνου διαυγοῦς, ἄλλος δὲ μέλιτος, ἄλλος
δὲ ἐλαίου. ῥέουσι δ´ ἐγγύθεν ἐκ λόφων, ὥσπερ ἐκ μαστῶν
τῆς γῆς. πάντα δὲ ταῦτα τῶν παρ´ ἡμῖν ἄπειρον διαφέρει πρός τε
ἡδονὴν καὶ δύναμιν. τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐνθάδε γλίσχρως καὶ μόλις ἀπὸ
ζῴων τινῶν καὶ φυτῶν συλλέγομεν, καρποὺς ξύλων βρίζοντες καὶ
τροφὴν ζῴων βδάλλοντες καὶ βλίττοντες, τὰ δὲ ἐκεῖ τῷ παντὶ καθαρώτερα,
χωρὶς οἶμαι βίας καὶ πανουργίας. οἱ δὲ ποταμοὶ ῥέουσιν
ἕνα μῆνα τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ φόρος οὗτός ἐστιν αὐτῷ, τὸν δὲ λοιπὸν
χρόνον τοῖς δημόταις.
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Traduction française :
| [35,18] For in India, according to report, there are rivers,
not of water as in your land, but one of milk, one of
translucent wine, another of honey, and another of
olive oil. And these streams spring from hills
near by, as if from the breasts of Mother Earth.
And all these products are immeasurably superior
to those we have both in flavour and in potency.
For what we have in our country we gather in scanty
measure and with difficulty from certain animals
and plants, crushing the fruits of trees and plants
and extracting the food of living creatures by
milking and by robbing the hive ; while the products
of India are altogether purer, untainted, methinks,
by violence and ruthlessness. Moreover, the rivers
flow during one month for the king, and that
constitutes his tribute, while for the rest of the
year they flow for the people.
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