Gregory of Nazianzus, Epigrams

I have dedicated this group of twelve epigrams, O divine one. 8.12 Here, a hundred years old, beyond mortal life, forty years in the Spirit and on the throne, gentle, sweet of speech, a brilliant interpreter of the Trinity, I, the body of Gregory, have a sweet sleep, but my winged soul has obtained God. But, O priests, revering him, tend also his tomb. 8.13 The great God called me from a bitter wild olive tree; he made a leader of the flock one who was not even the last of the sheep, and from my side he granted me the blessing of a god-minded wife. And we both came to a prosperous old age; a most gentle priest, born of my children; and if I, Gregory, endured death, it is no great thing; I was mortal. 8.14 If any was an initiate of the holy voice from above the mountain, it was Moses, and the mind of the great Gregory, whom grace, when he was far off, made a great high priest; and now he is near the holy Trinity. 8.15 I myself built a temple to God and I gave the priest Gregory, shining with the pure Trinity, a loud-voiced messenger of truth, a shepherd of peoples, a young man, a master of both kinds of wisdom. 8.16 My child, may you be even better than your father in other things, but in gentleness of spirit, his equal; it is not right to pray for more. And may you come to a deep old age, having met with such a guardian, O blessed one. 8.17 Not a sheep, then the most excellent of sheep, but then a shepherd, then a father and shepherd of shepherds, gathering mortals and the great immortal God into one, I lie here, Gregory, the father of Gregory. I died prosperous, in a good old age, with good children, Gregory, both high priest and father of a high priest. What more? 8.18 I did not come at dawn into the fruitful vineyard, but nevertheless I have a greater reward than the first ones, I, Gregory, both a good shepherd, and one who raised up a larger flock for Christ with gentle ways. 8.19 I was not a branch from a holy root, but the head of a holy union and of a triad of children; I led a like-minded flock. From there I departed, full both of earthly and heavenly years. 8.20 Gregory—and this is the marvel—the grace and splendor of the spirit, as he was being lifted up from here, cast upon his beloved son. 8.21 The pearl is small, but it rules among stones. Small too is Bethlehem, but nevertheless Christ-bearing. And so I, Gregory, received a small flock, but an excellent one, which I pray you, dear son, will lead. 8.22 I, Gregory, have placed the shepherd's pipe in your hands; and you for me, child, must give the signal skillfully. May you open the gates of life for all, and may you come in due season to your father's tomb. 8.23 It flashed, as when Christ was formerly transfigured on the mountain, and it flashed in the mind of the pure Gregory, at the time when he fled the darkness of idols. And as he was purified, with his sacrifices he still leads his people. 8.24 For you, the Lord's Day was the best for every word and deed; all grief was a grief to you, my mother, and honoring it, you yielded only to festivals. You have a temple that knows of your joy and your sorrows. Every place was sealed with your tears, mother; and your tears were fixed on the cross alone. 8.25 Your table never looked upon the backs of the poor, nor did a profane word pass through your lips, nor did laughter sit on your gentle cheeks, O initiate. I will be silent about your secret labors, O blessed one. Such were the things within, and the things without have been revealed to all; for that reason you also left your body in a divine seat. 8.26 How are Nonna's beautiful knees unbent, how are her lips closed, how do her eyes not pour forth streams? But others cry out beside her tomb. And the table no longer has the fruits of her great hand. The place is bereft of her holy foot, and the priests will no longer place a trembling hand upon a head. Widows and orphans, what will you do? And virginity and the marriage of the well-yoked, cut off your tresses, taking pride in them, bring everything from your head to the ground, at the time when in the temple she released her wrinkled body. 8.27 Wise Sarah honored her dear husband; but you, mother, made your good husband first a Christian, then a great priest, when he was far from the light. Anna, you both bore your dear son Samuel in answer to prayer and gave him to the temple as a holy servant. The other Anna received the great Christ in her arms. But Nonna obtained the glory of both, and at the last, praying in the temple, she laid down her dear body. 8.28 Empedocles, you who were puffed up with vanity and mortal, the craters of Etna's fire immediately revealed; but Nonna did not leap into craters, but once, praying at this table, from there a pure sacrifice

τήνδ' ἀνέθηκα τῶν ἐπιγραμματίων, θεῖε, δυωδεκάδα. 8.12 Ἔνθ' ἑκατονταέτης, ζωῆς βροτέης καθύπερθε, Πνεύματι καὶ θώκῳ τεσσαρακονταέτης, μείλιχος, ἡδυεπής, λαμπρὸς Τριάδος ὑποφήτης, νήδυμον ὕπνον ἔχω Γρηγορίοιο δέμας, ψυχὴ δὲ πτερόεσσα λάχεν Θεόν. ἀλλ' ἱερῆες ἁζόμενοι κείνου καὶ τάφον ἀμφέπετε. 8.13 Ἔκ με πικρῆς ἐκάλεσσε Θεὸς μέγας ἀγριελαίης· ποίμνης ἡγεμόνα θῆκε τὸν οὐδ' ὀίων ἔσχατον, ἐκ πλευρῆς δὲ θεόφρονος ὄλβον ἔνειμεν. γῆρας δ' ἐς λιπαρὸν ἱκόμεθ' ἀμφότεροι· ἱρὸς ἐμῶν τεκέων ἀγανώτατος· εἰ δὲ τελευτὴν ἔτλην Γρηγόριος, οὐ μέγα· θνητὸς ἔην. 8.14 Εἴ τις ὄρους καθύπερθεν ἁγνῆς ὀπὸς ἔπλετο μύστης Μωσῆς, καὶ μεγάλου Γρηγορίοιο νόος, ὅν ποτε τηλόθ' ἐόντα χάρις μέγαν ἀρχιερῆα θήκατο· νῦν δ' ἱερῆς ἐγγὺς ἔχει Τριάδος. 8.15 Αὐτὸς νηὸν ἔρεψα Θεῷ καὶ δῶχ' ἱερῆα Γρηγόριον καθαρῇ λαμπόμενον Τριάδι, ἄγγελον ἀτρεκίης ἐριηχέα, ποιμένα λαῶν, ἠίθεον σοφίης ἀμφοτέρης πρύτανιν. 8.16 Τέκνον ἐμόν, τὰ μὲν ἄλλα πατρὸς καὶ φέρτερος εἴης, τὴν δ' ἀγανοφροσύνην ἄξιος· οὔ τι πλέον εὔξασθαι θέμις ἐστί· καὶ ἐς βαθὺ γῆρας ἵκοιο, τοίου κηδεμόνος, ὦ μάκαρ, ἀντιάσας. 8.17 Οὐκ ὄις, εἶτ' ὀίων προφερέστατος, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα ποιμήν, εἶτα πατὴρ καὶ νομέων νομέας, θνητοὺς ἀθάνατόν τε Θεὸν μέγαν εἰς ἓν ἀγείρων, κεῖμαι Γρηγόριος, Γρηγορίου γενέτης. ὄλβιος, εὐγήρως, εὔπαις θάνον, ἀρχιερῆος ἀρχιερεύς τε πατήρ, Γρηγόριος· τί πλέον; 8.18 Οὔτι μὲν ἐς πολύκαρπον ἀλωὴν ὄρθριος ἦλθον, ἔμπα δὲ τῶν προτέρων πλείονα μισθὸν ἔχω Γρηγόριος, ποιμήν τε καλὸς καὶ πλείονα ποίμνην Χριστῷ ἀναθρέψας ἤθεσι μειλιχίοις. 8.19 Οὐχ ὁσίης ῥίζης μὲν ἐγὼ θάλος, εὐαγέος δὲ συζυγίης κεφαλὴ καὶ τεκέων τριάδος ποίμνης ἡγεμόνευσα ὁμόφρονος· ἔνθεν ἀπῆλθον πλήρης καὶ χθονίων κοὐρανίων ἐτέων. 8.20 Γρηγόριος, τὸ δὲ θαῦμα, χάριν καὶ πνεύματος αἴγλην ἔνθεν ἀειρόμενος ῥῖψ' ἐπὶ παιδὶ φίλῳ. 8.21 Τυτθὴ μάργαρός ἐστιν, ἀτὰρ λιθάκεσσιν ἀνάσσει· τυτθὴ καὶ Βηθλέμ, ἔμπα δὲ χριστοφόρος. ὣς δ' ὀλίγην μὲν ἐγὼ ποίμνην λάχον, ἀλλὰ φερίστην Γρηγόριος, τὴν σύ, παῖ φίλε, λίσσομ' ἄγοις. 8.22 Ποιμενίην σύριγγα τεαῖς ἐν χερσὶν ἔθηκα Γρηγόριος· σὺ δέ μοι, τέκνον, ἐπισταμένως σημαίνειν· ζωῆς δὲ θύρας πετάσειας ἅπασιν, ἐς δὲ τάφον πατέρος ὥριος ἀντιάσαις. 8.23 Στράψε μέν, οἷς τὸ πάροιθεν ἐν οὔρεϊ Χριστὸς ἀμείφθη, στράψε δὲ Γρηγορίου τοῦ καθαροῖο νόῳ, τῆμος ὅτ' εἰδώλων ἔφυγε ζόφον· ὡς δ' ἐκαθάρθη, ᾗσι θυηπολίαις λαὸν ὃν εἰσέτ' ἄγει. 8.24 Παντός σοι μύθοιο καὶ ἔργματος ἦεν ἄριστον ἦμαρ κυριακόν· πένθεϊ πένθος ἅπαν, μῆτερ ἐμή, τίουσα μόναις ὑπόεικες ἑορταῖς· εὐφροσύνης, ἀχέων ἵστορα νηὸν ἔχεις· χῶρος ἅπας δάκρυσι τεοῖς σφρηγίζετο, μῆτερ· μούνῳ δὲ σταυρῷ πήγνυτο καὶ δάκρυα. 8.25 Οὔποτε σεῖο τράπεζα θυηδόχος ἔδρακε νῶτα, οὐδὲ διὰ στομάτων ἦλθε βέβηλον ἔπος, οὐδὲ γέλως μαλακῇσιν ἐφίζανε, μύστι, παρειαῖς. σιγήσω κρυφίους σεῖο, μάκαιρα, πόνους. καὶ τὰ μὲν ἔνδοθι τοῖα, τὰ δ' ἔκτοθι πᾶσι πέφανται· τοὔνεκα καὶ θείῳ σῶμ' ἀπέλειπες ἕδει. 8.26 Πῶς ἐλύθη Νόννης καλὰ γούνατα, πῶς δὲ μέμυκεν χείλεα, πῶς ὄσσων οὐ προχέει λιβάδας; ἄλλοι δ' αὖ βοόωσι παρ' ἠρίον· ἡ δὲ τράπεζα οὐκέτ' ἔχει καρποὺς τῆς μεγάλης παλάμης· χῶρος δ' ἐστὶν ἔρημος ἁγνοῦ ποδός, οἱ δ' ἱερῆες οὐκέτ' ἐπὶ τρομερὴν κρατὶ βαλοῦσι χέρα. χῆραι δ' ὀρφανικοί τε, τί ῥέξετε; παρθενίη δὲ καὶ γάμος εὐζυγέων, κέρσατ' ἄπο πλοκάμους, τοῖσιν ἀγαλλομένη κρατὸς φέρε πάντα χαμᾶζε, τῆμος ὅτ' ἐν νηῷ ῥικνὸν ἀφῆκε δέμας. 8.27 Σάρρα σοφὴ τίουσα φίλον πόσιν· ἀλλὰ σύ, μῆτερ, πρῶτα Χριστιανόν, εἶθ' ἱερῆα μέγαν σὸν πόσιν ἐσθλὸν ἔθηκας ἀπόπροθι φωτὸς ἐόντα. Ἄννα, σὺ δ' υἷα φίλον καὶ τέκες εὐξαμένη καὶ νηῷ μιν ἔδωκας ἁγνὸν θεράποντα Σαμουήλ· ἡ δ' ἑτέρη κόλποις Χριστὸν ἔδεκτο μέγαν· Νόννα δ' ἀμφοτέρων ἔλαχε κλέος, ὑστάτιον δὲ νηῷ λισσομένη πάρθετο σῶμα φίλον. 8.28 Ἐμπεδόκλεις, σὲ μὲν αὐτίκ' ἐτώσια φυσιόωντα καὶ βροτὸν Αἰτναίοιο πυρὸς κρητῆρες ἔδειξαν· Νόννα δ' οὐ κρητῆρας ἐσήλατο, πρὸς δὲ τραπέζῃ τῇδέ ποτ' εὐχομένη καθαρὸν θύος ἔνθεν