Ἀλεξάνδρου ἀνάβασις 5.9

5.9.1

καὶ Ἀλέξανδρός τε κατεστρατοπέδευσεν ἐπὶ τῇ ὄχθῃ τοῦ Ὑδάσπου, καὶ Πῶρος κατὰ τὴν ἀντιπέρας ὄχθην ὤφθη ξὺν πάσῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ καὶ τῶν ἐλεφάντων τῷ στίφει. ταύτῃ μὲν δὴ ᾗ κατεστρατοπεδευκότα εἶδεν Ἀλέξανδρον αὐτὸς μένων ἐφύλαττε τὸν πόρον· ὅσα δὲ ἄλλα τοῦ ποταμοῦ εὐπορώτερα, ἐπὶ ταῦτα φρουρὰς διαπέμψας καὶ ἡγεμόνας ἐπιστήσας ἑκάστοις εἴργειν ἐπενόει [ἀπὸ] τοῦ πόρου τοὺς Μακεδόνας.

Alexander encamped on the banks of the river, and Poros was seen on the opposite side, with all his army and his array of elephants around him. Against the place where he saw Alexander had encamped, he remained himself to guard the passage, but he sent detachments of his men, each commanded by a captain, to guard all parts of the river where it could be easily forded, as he was resolved to prevent the Macedonians from effecting a landing. When Alexander saw this, he thought it expedient to move his army from place to place, so that Poros might be at a loss to discover his real intentions. For this purpose he divided his army into many parts, and some of the troops he led himself in different directions, sometimes to ravage the enemy's country, and sometimes to find out where he could most easily ford the river. He placed various commanders at various times over different divisions of his army, and despatched them also in different directions. At the same time he caused provisions to be conveyed to the camp from all parts of the country on this side of the river, to impress Poros with the conviction that he intended to remain where he was near the bank till the waters of the river subsided in winter, and afforded him a large choice of passages. As the boats were constantly plying up and down the stream, and the skins were being filled with hay, while all the bank was lined, here with horse and there with foot, all this prevented Poros from resting and concentrating his preparations at any one point selected in preference to any other as the best for defending the passage. At this time of the year besides, all the Indian rivers were swollen and flowing with turbid and rapid currents, for the sun is then wont to turn towards the summer tropic. At this season incessant rains deluge the soil of India, and the snows of the Kaukasos then melting flood the numerous rivers to which they give birth. In winter they again subside and become small and clear, and in many places fordable, with the exception of the Indus and the Ganges, and perhaps some one or two others. The Hydaspes at all events does become fordable.

5.9.2

ταῦτα δὲ ὁρῶντι Ἀλεξάνδρῳ κινητέα καὶ αὐτῷ ἐδόκει ἡ στρατιὰ πολλαχῇ, ὡς τὸν Πῶρον ἀμφίβολον γίνεσθαι. διελὼν δὴ ἐς πολλὰ τὸν στρατὸν τοὺς μὲν αὐτὸς ἄλλῃ καὶ ἄλλῃ ἦγε τῆς χώρας τὰ μὲν πορθῶν ὅσα πολέμια, τὰ δὲ σκοπῶν ὅπῃ εὐπορώτερος αὐτῷ ὁ ποταμὸς φανεῖται, τοὺς δὲ, τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἄλλοις [καὶ] ἄλλους ἐπιτάξας, καὶ αὐτοὺς πολλαχῇ διέπεμπε.

5.9.3

σῖτος δὲ αὐτῷ πάντοθεν ἐκ τῆς ἐπὶ τάδε τοῦ Ὑδάσπου χώρας ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον ξυνεκομίζετο, ὡς δῆλον εἶναι τῷ Πώρῳ ὅτι ἐγνωκὼς εἴη προσλιπαρεῖν τῇ ὄχθῃ, ἔστε τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ μεῖον γενόμενον τοῦ χειμῶνος πολλαχῇ παραδοῦναί οἱ τὸν πόρον· τά τε πλοῖα αὐτῷ ἄλλῃ καὶ ἄλλῃ παραπλέοντα καὶ αἱ διφθέραι τῆς κάρφης ἐμπιπλάμεναι καὶ ἡ ὄχθη πᾶσα πλήρης φαινομένη τῇ μὲν ἱππέων, τῇ δὲ πεζῶν, οὐκ εἴα ἠρεμεῖν τὸν Πῶρον, οὐδὲ ἕν τι ἐπιλεξάμενον ἐς φυλακὴν ξύμφορον ἐς τοῦτο ἐκ πάντων παρασκευάζεσθαι.

5.9.4

ἄλλως τε ἐν μὲν τῷ τότε οἱ ποταμοὶ πάντες οἱ Ἰνδικοὶ πολλοῦ τε ὕδατος καὶ θολεροῦ ἔρρεον καὶ ὀξέος τοῦ ῥεύματος· ἦν γὰρ ὥρα ἔτους ᾗ μετὰ τροπὰς μάλιστα τὰς ἐν θέρει τρέπεται ὁ ἥλιος· ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ ὥρᾳ ὕδατά τε ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἀθρόα τε καταφέρεται ἐς τὴν γῆν τὴν Ἰνδικὴν καὶ αἱ χιόνες αἱ τοῦ Καυκάσου, ἔνθενπερ τῶν πολλῶν ποταμῶν αἱ πηγαί εἰσι, κατατηκόμεναι αὔξουσιν αὐτοῖς τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπὶ μέγα· χειμῶνος δὲ ἔμπαλιν ἴσχουσιν ὀλίγοι τε γίγνονται καὶ καθαροὶ ἰδεῖν καὶ ἔστιν ὅπου περάσιμοι, πλήν γε δὴ τοῦ Ἰνδοῦ καὶ Γάγγου καὶ τυχὸν καὶ ἄλλου του· ἀλλʼ ὅ γε Ὑδάσπης περατὸς γίνεται.