Paul the Silentiary, Description of Saint Sophia

Descriptio Sanctae Sophiae

We have come to you, men, from the hearth of the emperor to the hearth of the all-great Emperor, the maker of the universe, through whom victory is in

with fastenings of robes. Wiping the five-year tear from our sight, we will sing with auspicious lips hymns of happy feet. The scepter-bearer of the A

Having spoken he hastened to the sacred precincts, and soon the deed was swifter than the neighbouring word for rousing himself, as is right, he did

He was assembled, and every ruler of the seats, serving the commands of the mighty emperor and bringing pleasing gifts to Christ the King, with suppli

For in it a curved rim did not run around the middle space, like that on the eastern limits, where priests skilled in sacrifice set up thrones gleamin

they met upon a very golden h[ea]d but in the middle like a crown above [ ] the rim of the unhewn space, which art did not [make]. ]the form of the c

having gone up for the one rising towards the west is no longer equal to the other two, going beyond the narthex. But also at the western foot of the

A gold-flowing ray, unbearable to human faces, leaped upon them. One might say he was looking at Phaethon at midday in the season of spring, when he g

Where am I carried? Where does my unbridled story travel? Hold back, bold voice, with closed lip, and no longer lay bare what is not lawful for eyes t

but along the columns of the portico, here and there, they set up in a row a single-wicked lamp, one after another distinctly and it travels the whol

circles to the evening and morning light for to you, much-hymned one, dawn and evening know how to cease from cares. for you the harbors separate a g

of wrath, sitting unshaken upon a waveless calm. You have shaken off all the barking pains of troubles, and opening your kind heart as a channel of pi

with fastenings of robes. Wiping the five-year tear from our sight, we will sing with auspicious lips hymns of happy feet. The scepter-bearer of the Ausonians opened the bars of the celestial gates upon the earth, and commanded wide gladness for all feasts, and blunted all cares. For since the mighty work of kings resounded, there was unending sorrow throughout the city. Be gracious to my speech, be gracious to my bold words, you who have powerfully gained the earth, with propitious words, even if I stir your ear ever so little; for the coming grace of great works has covered the gloomy goads with Lethean streams. And the light of the sun is brighter to the traveler after a winter's night, and a lovely calm soothes sea-roving men more after the waves. Be gracious to my bold words, mighty one, be gracious to my speech. Already, resting upon strong foundations, the wondrous vault of the hemisphere has fallen; and it shook all the seats of the mystic hall, and all the bases of the foundations in the city leaped up, and the earth groaned for a time, and the misty dust, mingling with the airy clouds, covered the noonday sparkle of the celestial ether. O blessed Christ, you, stretching out your hand over your own domains, did not allow your land to be stained with murderous blood by the evil-working Telchines; for you did not endure to look with the all-seeing glance of your undefiled eye upon blood shed in the precincts of the bloodless sacrifice. Nor indeed did the broad-chested temple, held by the bonds of excellent craft, break down to its foundations; but the eastern horn of one arch slipped off, and a portion of the sphere was mixed with the dust. And part of it was on the ground, and part of it still (a marvel to behold) hung unsupported, as it were, in the breezes. And every man, struck with dejection, groaned. Let no one cast my Siren with reproachful speech as she travels the path of unremembered sorrow; sweeter is laughter after tears, and health after sickness. Not so did the flame poured from the ether afflict men, when it burned the pale back of the earth, when it hissed with countless streams of burning coals, nor when the burning sky over the fruitful earth, opening wide, opened the gates of destructive rain and joined the nurturing plain with the roaring of the sea.

But my scepter-bearer, hearing the dreadful sorrow, did not for long conceal the light of his mind, nor did he, dejected, endure to rest in the bonds of idle sloth, but he shook off the goad of short-lived sorrow, and rushed to the toils that restore the house. And standing beside him, shield-shaking Rome spoke: "All-powerful, blessed seat of Justice, bulwark of cities, envy has seized me, and it is some grace of Megaera that, while you live, has attacked the beauty of Rome. A festering wound rises in our breast; but, blessed one, (for you are able to apply remedies to a wound) stretch forth your hand, the nourisher of flowing wealth. Directing all things with your guiding rein, I have submitted them to your trophy-bearing triumphs. The Median king and the Celtic host are quiet, and the Indian man has given a friendly sword to your thrones, bringing elephants and pearls of the sea; Carthage has bent a servile knee to my trophies. To me every merchant vessel directs its life-bringing hope, seeing the circling course of the twin Bear, so that I may offer abundant wealth to my children; and winds blow favorably for those who set sail for trade. These things follow upon your labors; but let not this wondrous work, I pray, o scepter-bearer, ever fall into heaps of oblivion amidst all its splendor. For, o king, even if the nations of the boundless earth, subject to Ausonian laws, cower before you, even if you have built every city for me, you will never find another symbol more brilliant of your throne." So speaking, she desired to fix her graceful lips on his royal feet. But he, to his familiar Rome, extended his right hand, raising her as she stooped. And smiling gently, to drive away her immense sorrow, he uttered words full of carefree gladness: "Cast off your grief, queenly city, do not stir up your spirit; as no arrow has conquered your shield, nor has any other barbarian spear shaken your unshaken mind, so do not break down under heavy-borne cares. Endure, all-queenly city, do not tear your heart; for by my labors I will make you more celebrated, raising again the well-vaulted crown of the temple." Thus

ἅψεσι πέπλους. δάκρυ δὲ πενταέτηρον ἀποψήσαντες ὀπωπῆς μέλψομεν εὐφήμοις ὑπὸ χείλεσιν εὔποδας ὕμνους. οὐρανίων ὤϊξεν ἐπὶ χθονὶ κλῆιθρα πυλάων Αὐσονίων σκηπτοῦχος, ὅλαις δ' ἐπέτασσεν ἑορταῖς εὐφροσύνην εὐρεῖαν, ὅλας ἤμβλυνε μερίμνας. ἐξότε γὰρ δούπησεν ἐρισθενὲς ἔργον ἀνάκτων, κῆδος ἔην ἀλίαστον ἀνὰ πτόλιν. ἵλαθι μύθωι, ἵλαθι τολμήεντι, μεγασθενὲς ἤρανε γαίης, ἱλήκοις ἐπέεσσι, καὶ εἰ τεὸν οὖας ὀρίνω βαιὸν ὅσον· μεγάλων γὰρ ἐπερχομένη χάρις ἔργων Ληθαίοις ἐκάλυψε κατηφέα κέντρα ῥεέθροις. καὶ φάος ἠελίοιο φαάντερόν ἐστιν ὁδίτηι χειμερίην μετὰ νύκτα, καὶ ἱμερόεσσα γαλήνη ἄνδρας ἁλιπλάγκτους μετὰ κύματα μᾶλλον ἰαίνει. ἵλαθι τολμήεντι, μεγασθενές, ἵλαθι μύθωι. Ἤδη μὲν σθεναροῖσιν ἐπεμβεβαυῖα θεμείλοις σφαίρης ἡμιτόμοιο κατήριπε θέσκελος ἄντυξ· μυστιπόλου δ' ἐτίναξεν ἐδέθλια πάντα μελάθρου, πάντα δ' ὑπεσκίρτησεν ἐν ἄστεϊ βάθρα θεμείλων, γαῖα δ' ὑπεστενάχιζεν ἐπὶ χρόνον, ἠερίαις δὲ μισγομένη νεφέληισιν ὁμιχλήεσσα κονίη οὐρανίης ἀμάρυγμα μεσημβρινὸν ἔσκεπεν αἴθρης. Χριστὲ μάκαρ, σὺ δὲ σεῖο κατ' ἔνδια χεῖρα τανύσσας αἵμασιν οὐ μεθέηκας ὑπ' ἀνδροφόνοισι μιῆναι σὴν χθόνα Τελχῖνας κακοεργέας· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔτλης ὄμματος ἀχράντοιο βολῆι πανδερκέϊ λεύσσειν αἷμα χυθὲν τεμένεσσιν ἀναιμάκτοιο θυηλῆς. οὐδὲ μὲν εὐρύστερνος ὑπώκλασε μέχρι θεμείλων νηός, ἀριστώδινος ἐελμένος ἅμμασι τέχνης· ἀλλὰ μιῆς ἁψῖδος ἀπωλίσθησε κεραίη ἀντολική, σφαίρης τε λάχος κονίηισιν ἐμίχθη. ἦν δὲ τὸ μὲν δαπέδοισι, τὸ δ' εἰσέτι (θάμβος ἰδέσθαι) οἷάπερ ἀστήρικτον ὁμίλεεν ἐκκρεμὲς αὔραις. πᾶς δὲ κατηφείηι βεβολημένος ἔστενεν ἀνήρ. μή τις ἐμὴν σειρῆνα βάλοι νεμεσήμονι μύθωι ἀτραπὸν ἀμνήστοιο διαστείχουσαν ἀνίης· ἡδύτερος μετὰ δάκρυ γέλως, μετὰ νοῦσον ὑγείη. οὐχ οὕτως ἀκάχησεν ἀπ' αἰθέρος ἐκχυμένη φλὸξ ἀνέρας, ὁππότε νῶτα κατέφλεγεν ἄχλοα γαίης, μυρία καρφομένων ὅτε χεύματα σίζεν ἀναύρων, οὐδ' ὅτε καρποτόκοιο κατὰ χθονὸς οὐρανὸς αἴθων εὐρὺ χανὼν ὤϊξε πύλας δηλήμονος ὄμβρου καὶ τραφερὸν ξύνωσε πέδον ῥοθίοισι θαλάσσης.

Αὐτὰρ ἐμὸς σκηπτοῦχος ἀπότροπον ἄλγος ἀκούσας οὐκ ἐπὶ δὴν ἐκάλυψε νόου σέλας, οὐδὲ κατηφὴς ἠρεμέειν τέτληκεν ἀεργέος ἅμμασιν ὄκνου, ἀλλὰ μινυνθαδίης ἀπεσείσατο κέντρον ἀνίης, πρὸς δὲ πόνους ἤϊξε παλινδωμήτορας οἴκου. τῶι δὲ παρεστηκυῖα σακέσπαλος ἔννεπε Ῥώμη· "παγκρατές, ὀλβιόμοιρε ∆ίκης ἕδος, ἕρμα πολήων, ἥρπασε βασκανίη με, χάρις δέ τίς ἐστι Μεγαίρης, ὅττι σέθεν ζώοντος ἐπέχραε κάλλεϊ Ῥώμης. στήθεσιν ἡμετέροισι περιρραγὲς ἕλκος ἀνίσχει· ἀλλά, μάκαρ, (δύνασαι γὰρ ἐφ' ἕλκεϊ φάρμακα πάσσειν) χεῖρα τεὴν προτίταινε, ῥυηφενέος τροφὸν ὄλβου. πάντα κυβερνητῆρι τεῶι διέπουσα χαλινῶι ὑμετέροις ὑπέθηκα τροπαιοφόροισι θριάμβοις. ἠρεμέει καὶ Μῆδος ἄναξ καὶ Κελτὶς ὁμοκλή, καὶ ξίφος ὑμετέροις φιλοτήσιον ὤπασε θώκοις Ἰνδὸς ἀνήρ, ἐλέφαντας ἄγων καὶ μάργαρα πόντου· Καρχηδὼν γόνυ δοῦλον ἐμοῖς ἔκλινε τροπαίοις. εἰς ἐμὲ φορτὶς ἅπασα φερέσβιον ἐλπίδα τείνει, κύκλιον εἰσορόωσα δρόμον διδυμάονος ἄρκτου, ὥς κεν ἐμοῖς τεκέεσσιν ἐπίρρυτον ὄλβον ὀρέξω· ἐμπορίην δ' ἀνάγοντες ἐπιπνείουσιν ἀῆται. ταῦτα τεοῖς καμάτοισιν ἐφέσπεται· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πάσης ἀγλαΐης θημῶνι πεσεῖν ὑπὸ χεύματα Λήθης μήποτέ μοι, σκηπτοῦχε, τὸ θέσκελον ἔργον ἐάσηις. οὐ γάρ, ἄναξ, εἰ καί σε καταπτήσσουσι κλιθέντα Αὐσονίοις θεσμοῖσιν ἀπείρονος ἔθνεα γαίης, εἰ καὶ πᾶσαν ἔδειμας ἐμοὶ πόλιν, οὔποτε δήεις σύμβολον ὑμετέροιο φαάντερον ἄλλο θοώκου." ὣς φαμένη χαρίεντα λιλαίετο χείλεα πῆξαι ποσσὶν ἀνακτορέοισιν. ὁ δ' ἵλαον ἠθάδι Ῥώμηι δεξιτερὴν ὤρεξεν ὑποκλάζουσαν ἐγείρων. ἦκα δὲ μειδήσας, ἵνα μυρίον ἄλγος ἐλάσσηι, εὐφροσύνης πλήθοντας ἀκηδέος ἔκφατο μύθους· "ῥῖψον ἄχος, βασίλεια πόλις, μὴ θυμὸν ὀρίνηις· ὡς βέλος οὐ νίκησε τεὸν σάκος οὐδέ τις ἄλλη ἄκλονον ἐστυφέλιξε τεὴν φρένα βάρβαρος αἰχμή, μηδὲ βαρυτλήτοισιν ὑποκλάζοιο μερίμναις. τέτλαθι, παμβασίλεια πόλις, μὴ θυμὸν ἀμύξηις· καὶ γὰρ ἐμοῖς καμάτοισιν ἀοιδοτέρην σε τελέσσω αὖτις ἀναστήσας κορυφὴν εὐάντυγα νηοῦ." Ὣς