2

to care for, they have a small pleasure, but much toil. But for me, Barley-cake is dear, and sweet relish, salt, and a makeshift table; And upon these, temperate water to drink; this is the best Wealth for me, and Christ always uplifting my mind. 976 Not acres of wheat-bearing land, and beautiful groves, Nor herds of cattle, and fat flocks of sheep, Nor dear servants, my own kin, whom tyranny of old has divided, and given a twofold name, both noblemen and slaves, though born of one earth, either of earth, or of God. But a sinful law followed. Nor do I have any need of a swift-flowing breeze, of human honor, and of perishing glory. Not to have a great prize from the king within his court, Nor did desire for thrones of justice ever seize me, on which I was destined to sit, famous, raising my height above eyebrows; Nor to have great power in wars, or over citizens, delighting in false and feeble dreams 977 that go now to one, now to another, and likewise fly away, Or like grasping rushing streams with the palms, Or holding a shadow in the hands, or touching a mist. For such is the race of mortals, and such is their fortune, a fortune like the faintest tracks of a ship, carved in front and perishing behind. The only thing dear to me was the glory of letters, which were gathered by the East and the West and Athens, the boast of Hellas. On these I toiled much for a long time, but even them I laid prostrate on the ground before Christ, yielding to the Word of the great God, which indeed covers every twisted, many-formed tale of the mortal mind. But these things I escaped, yet I did not flee the faithless hatred 978 of an enemy lurking in a friendly face. And I will openly declare my misery to all; so that someone may escape the thoughts of a crooked beast. I thought, sitting beside my parents, O Lord Christ, worn out by hateful old age and grief, for whom I alone of their children am left, a faint hope, a tiny gleam from a great lamp that is no more, to do things pleasing to you, O blessed one, and to your laws, you who granted sons to have strength as a help to mortals, and to be a staff to support their trembling limbs. For indeed, exceeding all, are those who honor you, and care for piety, and of the grievous life avoiding the woes, have fastened their stern-cables to your undefiled ordinances. For you are their end and beginning. 979 She then, drawing her God-pleasing faith from her fathers, cast a golden chain around her children, having a man's spirit in a woman's form, touching the earth and despising the world only so much as to thrust all this life towards the heavenly life, and to raise her foot lightly towards the aether. But he was formerly a wild olive tree under idols, living, but was grafted into the stock of a good olive tree, and so much did he partake of the noble root, that he covered trees, and sated many with honey-sweet fruit; both the mind of the city, and the head of the city, gentle, sweet-spoken, a new Moses, or some Aaron, standing between mortals and the heavenly God, with pure rites and sacrifices, our sacrifices, such as a pure mind within offers, 980 gathering mortals and the great immortal God into one. Of such a father and mother am I, with whom it is not right to strive, but I do not grudge them their rivalry with each other. I, tending and serving them in their toil, warmed my mind with hopes, as accomplishing something most excellent and bearing the debt of nature. But it turned out to be true, that for the wicked the road is full of pits, so then evil came to me even from a good thing. For indeed frequent and grievous cares, feeding on my soul and limbs night and day, bring me down from heaven to my mother earth. First, to be master over slaves, what a net of destruction! a net! They always hate harsh masters, and the holy ones they trample shamelessly, being neither 981 gentle to the bad, nor obedient to the good; but to both they breathe goads of anger beyond reason. But then to manage property, and upon my shoulders Caesar's burden to always have, and to bear the harsh summons of the tax-collector (for tribute dishonors the free day for mortals, following upon possessions, and a fetter lies on the lips), And about the murmur of the crowded marketplace, and the high seats of those who are concerned with mortal justice

2

μελεδαίνειν, Βαιὴν τέρψιν ἔχουσι, πολὺν πόνον. Αὐτὰρ ἔμοιγε Μάζα φίλη, γλυκὺ δ' ὄψον, ἅλες, σχεδίη δὲ τράπεζα· Νηφάλιον δ' ἐπὶ τοῖσιν ὕδωρ ποτόν· οὗτος ἄριστος Πλοῦτος ἐμοὶ, καὶ Χριστὸς ἐμὸν νόον αἰὲν ἀείρων. 976 Οὐ γῆς πυροφόρου γυῖαι, καὶ ἄλσεα καλὰ, Οὐδὲ βοῶν ἀγέλαι, καὶ πώεα πίονα μήλων, Οὐδὲ φίλοι θεράποντες, ἐμὸν γένος, οὕς ῥα τυραννὶς Ἔσχισεν ἀρχαίη, καὶ οὔνομα θήκατο δισσὸν Εὐγενέας δμῶάς τε, μιῆς χθονὸς ἐκγεγαῶτας, Ἢ χθονὸς, ἠὲ Θεοῖο. Νόμος δὲ ἐπέσπετ' ἀλιτρός. Οὐδέ τί μοι χρειὼ πνοιῆς ὤκιστα ῥεούσης, Ἀνδρομέης τιμῆς, καὶ κύδεος ὀλλυμένοιο. Οὐ μέγα πὰρ βασιλῆος ἔχειν γέρας ἔνδοθεν αὐλῆς, Οὐδὲ δίκης με θρόνων ποθ' ἕλεν πόθος, οἷσιν ἔμελλον Κλεινὸς ἐφεδρήσσων ὑπὲρ ὀφρύας ὕψος ἀείρειν· Οὐδὲ μέγ' ἐν πολέεσσιν ἔχειν σθένος, ἢ πολιήταις, Τερπόμενον ψεύστῃσι καὶ ἀδρανέεσσιν ὀνείροις 977 Ἄλλοτ' ἐπ' ἄλλον ἰοῦσιν, ἀφιπταμένοισί θ' ὁμοίως Ἢ παλάμαις μάρπτοντα παραΐσσοντα ῥέεθρα, Ἢ σκιὰν ἐν χείρεσσιν ἔχειν, ἢ ἀχλὺν ἀφάσσειν. Τοίη γὰρ μερόπων γενεὴ, τοῖος δὲ καὶ ὄλβος, Ὄλβος ἀφαυροτάτοισιν ὁμοίϊος ἴχνεσι νηὸς, Πρόσθε χαρασσομένοισι καὶ ὀλλυμένοισιν ὄπισθεν. Μοῦνον ἐμοὶ φίλον ἔσκε λόγων κλέος, οὓς συνάγειραν Ἀντολίη τε δύσις τε καὶ Ἑλλάδος εὖχος Ἀθῆναι. Τοῖς ἔπι πόλλ' ἐμόγησα πολὺν χρόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὺς Πρηνέας ἐν δαπέδῳ Χριστοῦ προπάροιθεν ἔθηκα Εἴξαντας μεγάλοιο Θεοῦ λόγῳ, ὅς ῥα καλύπτει Πάντα φρενὸς βροτέης στρεπτὸν πολυειδέα μῦθον. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ὑπάλυξα, τὸ δ' οὐ φύγον ἔχθος ἄπιστον 978 ∆υσμενέος λοχόωντος ἐν εὐμενέοντι προσώπῳ. Ἐξερέω δ' ἀναφανδὸν ἐμὴν πάντεσσιν ὀϊζύν· Ὥς κέν τις σκολιοῖο νοήματα θηρὸς ἀλύξῃ. Ὠϊόμην τοκέεσσι παρήμενος, ὦ ἄνα Χριστὲ, Γήραΐ τε στυγερῷ καὶ πένθεϊ τειρομένοισιν, Οἷς μοῦνος τεκέων περιλείπομαι, ἐλπὶς ἀμυδρὴ, Λαμπάδος ἐκ μεγάλης τυτθὸν σέλας οὐκέτ' ἐούσης, Σοὶ, μάκαρ, ἠδὲ νόμοισι τεοῖς κεχαρισμένα ῥέζειν, Ὃς θνητοῖς ἐπίκουρον ἔχειν σθένος υἷας ὄπασσας, Καὶ τρομεροῖς ἅτε βάκτρον ὑπὸ μελέεσσιν ἐρείδειν. Καὶ γὰρ δὴ πάντων περιώσιον, οἵ σε τίουσιν, Εὐσεβίῃ τε μέλουσι, καὶ ἀργαλέου βιότοιο Πήματ' ἀλευόμενοι, πρυμνήσια σοῖσιν ἀνῆψαν Ἀχράντοις θεσμοῖσι. Σὺ δέ σφισι τέρμα καὶ ἀρχή. 979 Ἡ μὲν ἄρ' ἐκ πατέρων θεοτερπέα πίστιν ἄγουσα, Σειρὴν χρυσείην περιβάλλετο παισὶν ἑοῖσιν Ἄρσενα θυμὸν ἔχουσα ἐν εἴδεϊ θηλυτεράων, Τόσσον ἐφαπτομένη γαίης, κόσμου τ' ἀλέγουσα, Ὅσσον ἐς οὐρανίην ζωὴν ὤσασθαι ἅπαντα Τόνδε βίον, κούφη δὲ πρὸς αἰθέρα ταρσὸν ἀεῖραι. Αὐτὰρ ὅγ' ἀγριέλαιος ὑπ' εἰδώλοις πάρος ἦεν Ζώων, ἀλλ' ἐπάγη καλῆς ὑπὸ πυθμέν' ἐλαίης, Καὶ τόσον εὐγενέος ῥίζης χάδεν, ὥστε καλύψαι ∆ένδρεα, καὶ πολλοὺς κορέσαι μελιηδέϊ καρπῷ· Ἀμφότερον πόλιός τε νόον, πόλιός τε κάρηνον, Μείλιχος, ἡδυεπὴς, Μωσῆς νέος, ἤ τις Ἀαρὼν, Μεσσηγὺς μερόπων τε καὶ οὐρανίοιο Θεοῖο Ἑστηκὼς, καθαροῖς τε τελέσμασι καὶ θυέεσσιν Ἡμετέροις, οἷά τε θύει νόος ἔνδοθεν ἁγνὸς, 980 Θνητοὺς, ἀθάνατόν τε Θεὸν μέγαν εἰς ἓν ἀγείρων. Τοίου πατρὸς ἐγὼ καὶ μητέρος, οἷσιν ἐρίζειν Οὐ θέμις, ἀλλήλοισι δ' ἐριζέμεν οὔ τι μεγαίρω. Τοὺς μὲν ἐγὼ κομέων τε καὶ ἀμφιέπων μογέοντας, Ἐλπωρῇσιν ἔθαλπον ἐμὸν νόον, ὥς τι φέριστον Ἐκτελέων φύσιός τε φέρων χρέος. Ἦν δ' ἄρα κεῖνο Ἀτρεκὲς, ὡς ἀλιτροῖς πλείη ὁδός ἐστι βερέθρων, Ὥς ποτε δὴ καὶ ἐμοὶ κακὸν ἤλυθεν ἐξ ἀγαθοῖο. Καὶ γὰρ δὴ πυκιναί με καὶ ἀργαλέαι μελεδῶνες Βοσκόμεναι ψυχήν τε καὶ ἅψεα νύκτα καὶ ἦμαρ, Οὐρανόθεν κατάγουσιν ἐπὶ χθόνα μητέρ' ἐμοῖο. Πρῶτον μὲν δμώεσσιν ἀνασσέμεν, οἷον ὀλέθρου ∆ίκτυον! οἳ πικροὺς μὲν ἀεὶ στυγέουσιν ἄνακτας, Τοὺς δ' ἱεροὺς πατέουσιν ἀναιδέες, οὔτε κακοῖσιν 981 Ἤπιοι, οὔτ' ἀγαθοῖς εὐπειθέες· ἀμφοτέροις δὲ Κέντρα χόλου πνείοντες ὑπὲρ νόον. Αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα Κτῆσίν τ' ἀμφιέπειν, καὶ Καίσαρος ἄχθος ἐπ' ὤμων Αἰὲν ἔχειν, κρατερήν τε φέρειν πρηκτῆρος ὁμοκλὴν (∆ασμὸς γὰρ μερόπεσσιν ἐλεύθερον ἦμαρ ἀτίζει Ἑσπόμενος κτεάτεσσι, πέδη δ' ἐπὶ χείλεσι κεῖται), Ἀμφί τε πληθούσης ἀγορῆς θρόον, ἠδὲ θοώκους Ὑψηλοὺς, θνητῇσι δικασπολίῃσι μέλοντας