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called Gelasois, and he builds there for himself a small place of dry stones, and he stands in the middle for four years, being snowed upon, rained upon, scorched, and many were coming to him; and his food was soaked lentils and his drink was water. And after these things he made for himself a pillar of four cubits and stands on it for seven years, and his fame was running everywhere; and after these things the crowds build for him two enclosures of dry stone, and they place a door on the inner enclosure and make for him a pillar of thirty cubits, and he stands on it for fifteen years, performing many healings; for many possessed by demons went there and were healed.

13 And the holy Symeon imitated his teacher Christ, by calling upon whom he made the lame to walk, cleansing lepers, making the mute to speak, the paralyzed to run, providing healing to those with long-term illnesses, admonishing and exhorting each one: If anyone says to you, ‘Who healed you?’, you say, ‘God healed me’; lest it seem right to you to say 'Symeon healed me,' since you would find yourself again in the same pains. And this I say to you: never lie and swear by God; but if a necessity arises for you to swear, swear by me, the humble one, whether with truth or with falsehood; for it is a great and terrible sin to swear by God.

14 Hear a terrible and strange wonder: after twenty years his mother learns where the holy Symeon is, and having come in haste, she wished to see him after so many years, and weeping much to see him, she was not permitted to see him; and as she greatly wished to be sanctified by his holy hands, she was compelled to climb upon the wall; and while climbing upon the wall of the enclosure she was dashed to the ground, not being able to see him. And the holy Symeon declares to her: Forgive me, mother, for now, and if we are worthy in that age, we shall see one another. And when she heard these things, she burned more to see him. And the holy Symeon declares to her: Cease, my lady mother, since you have come from afar and have toiled because of me, the humble one, but lay yourself down for a little while and, resting, gain strength, and after a little while I will see you. And she, having heard, lays herself down at his entrance and immediately gave up her spirit to God. And the attendants came to wake her; and they found her dead and announced it to the holy one concerning her. And he, having heard, commands her to be brought in and places her before his pillar, and seeing her, with tears began to say: Lord, the God of powers, the guide of light and charioteer of the Cherubim, who guided Joseph, who empowered your prophet David against Goliath, who raised Lazarus on the fourth day from the dead, raise up your right hand and receive in peace the soul of your servant. And as he was praying, her holy relic moved and she smiled in her countenance, and all who were watching were amazed and glorified God; and having prepared her for burial, they buried her in front of his pillar, so that, as he prays, he might remember her.

15 Hear another strange and extraordinary mystery: some were coming to pray from a great distance, and a grazing hind, pregnant, meets them, and one of them says to the hind: I adjure you by the power of the holy Symeon, stand still, so that I may catch you. And immediately the hind stood still, and having caught it, he slaughtered it and they ate its meat; but the skin remained; and immediately their speech was hindered, and they began to bleat like irrational animals, and they come running and fall down before his pillar, begging to receive healing, and they filled the skin of the hind with straw and for the awareness of many people the skin was placed for a time

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ρίον ἐπιλεγόμενον Γελασοῖς, καὶ οἰκοδομεῖ ἐκεῖ αὐτῷ τόπον μικρὸν ἀπὸ ξηρολίθων, καὶ στήκει μέσον χρόνους τέσσαρας νιφόμενος, βρεχόμενος, καυματούμενος, καὶ πολλοὶ ἀπήρχοντο πρὸς αὐτόν· ἡ δὲ τροφὴ αὐτοῦ ἦν φακὴ βρεκτὴ καὶ τὸ πόμα αὐτοῦ ὕδωρ. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῷ στῦλον πηχῶν τεσσάρων καὶ στήκει ἐν αὐτῷ ἔτη ἑπτά, καὶ ἦν ἡ φήμη αὐτοῦ πανταχοῦ διατρέχουσα· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα οἰκοδομοῦσιν αὐτῷ οἱ ὄχλοι μάνδρας δύο ἀπὸ ξηρολίθου, καὶ ἐπιτιθοῦσιν θύραν τῇ ἔσωθεν μάνδρᾳ καὶ ποιοῦσιν αὐτῷ στῦλον πηχῶν τριάκοντα, καὶ στήκει ἐν αὐτῷ ἔτη δεκαπέντε πολλὰς ἰάσεις ἐπιτελῶν· πολλοὶ γὰρ δαιμονιῶντες ἀπῄεσαν ἐκεῖ καὶ ἐθεραπεύοντο.

13 Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Συμεὼν ἐμιμεῖτο τὸν καθηγητὴν αὐτοῦ Χριστόν, ὃν καὶ ἐπικαλούμενος χωλοὺς ἐποίει περιπατεῖν, λεπροὺς καθαρίζων, μογγιλάλους ποιῶν λαλεῖν, παραλυτικοὺς τρέχειν, μακρονοσοῦσιν παρέχων ἴασιν, νουθετῶν καὶ παρα καλῶν ἕκαστον· Ἐάν σοι εἴπῃ τις, ὅτι τίς σε ἐθεράπευσεν, λέγε σύ, ὅτι Ὁ θεός με ἐθεράπευσεν· μή σοι δόξῃ εἰπεῖν ὅτι Συμεών με ἐθεράπευσεν, ἐπεὶ πάλιν ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς πόνοις εὑρίσκῃ. καὶ τοῦτό σοι λέγω· μηδέποτε ψεύσῃς καὶ ὀμόσῃς τὸν θεόν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀνάγκη σοι γίνεται τοῦ ὀμόσαι, κατ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ ὄμνυε, εἴτε μετ' ἀληθείας εἴτε μετὰ ψεύδους· μεγάλη γὰρ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶν καὶ φοβερὸν τὸ ὀμνύειν εἰς τὸν θεόν.

14 Ἀκούσατε φοβερὸν καὶ παράδοξον θαῦμα· ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ διὰ εἴκοσι ἐτῶν μανθάνει, ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ ἅγιος Συμεὼν καὶ δρομαίως ἐλθοῦσα ἠθέλησεν αὐτὸν θεάσασθαι διὰ τοσού των ἐτῶν καὶ πολλὰ κλαίουσα ἐπὶ τὸ ἰδέσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ οὐ συνεχωρήθη θεάσασθαι αὐτόν· ἐπὶ πολὺ δὲ αὐτῆς θελούσης ἁγιασθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ χειρῶν, ἠναγκάσθη ἐπὶ τὸν τοῖχον σκαλαβατᾶν· σκαλαβατοῦσα δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῖχον τῆς μάνδρας ἐρράγη χαμαί, μὴ δυνηθεῖσα θεάσασθαι αὐτόν. καὶ δηλοῖ αὐτῇ ὁ ἅγιος Συμεών· Συγχώρησόν μοι, μήτηρ τὰ νῦν, καὶ εἴ ἐσμεν ἄξιοι ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ αἰῶνι θεωροῦμεν ἀλλήλους. καὶ ὡς ἤκουσεν ταῦτα, πλεῖον ἐκαίετο τοῦ θεάσασθαι αὐτόν. καὶ δηλοῖ αὐτῇ ὁ ἅγιος Συμεών· Παῦσαι, κυρία μου μήτηρ, ἐπειδὴ ἐκ μήκου ἐλήλυθας καὶ ἐκοπίασας δι' ἐμὲ τὸν ταπεινόν, ἀλλὰ θὲς σεαυτὴν μικρὸν καὶ ἀναπαύουσα ἴσχυσον καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον σε ὁρῶ. ἡ δὲ ἀκούσασα τίθησιν ἑαυτὴν εἰς τὰ πρό θυρα αὐτοῦ καὶ εὐθέως ἀπέδωκεν τὸ πνεῦμα τῷ θεῷ. ἦλθον δὲ οἱ προσμονάριοι ἐπὶ τὸ ἐξυπνῆσαι αὐτήν· καὶ εὗρον αὐτὴν νεκρὰν καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν τῷ ἁγίῳ περὶ αὐτῆς. ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας κελεύει αὐτὴν εἰσενεχθῆναι καὶ τίθησιν αὐτὴν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ στύλου αὐτοῦ, καὶ θεασάμενος αὐτὴν μετὰ δακρύων ἤρξατο λέγειν· Κύριε, ὁ θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ ὁδηγὸς τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ ἡνίοχος τῶν Χερουβίμ, ὁ ὁδηγήσας τὸν Ἰωσήφ, ὁ δυναστεύσας τὸν προφήτην σου ∆αβὶδ κατὰ τοῦ Γολιάδ, ὁ τὸν Λάζαρον ἐγείρας τετραήμερον ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἐξέγειρον τὴν δεξιάν σου καὶ δέξαι ἐν εἰρήνῃ τὴν ψυχὴν τῆς δούλης σου. καὶ εὐχο μένου αὐτοῦ τὸ ἅγιον αὐτῆς λείψανον ἐκινεῖτο καὶ ἐμειδίασεν τῇ ὄψει, πάντες δὲ οἱ θεωροῦντες ἐξεπλήττοντο καὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν θεόν· καὶ κηδεύσαντες αὐτὴν ἔθαψαν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ στύλου αὐτοῦ, ἵνα, καθὼς εὔχεται, μνημονεύει αὐτήν.

15 Ἄλλο ξένον καὶ παράδοξον ἀκούσατε μυστήριον· τινὲς ἤρχοντο εἰς εὐχὴν ἀπὸ μήκου πολλοῦ, καὶ ἀπαντᾷ αὐτοῖς ἔλαφος βοσκομένη, ἔχουσα ἐν γαστρί, καὶ λέγει εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν τῇ ἐλάφῳ· Ὁρκίζω σε κατὰ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ ὁσίου Συμεών, στῆθι, ἵνα σε κρατήσω. καὶ εὐθέως ἔστη ἡ ἔλαφος, καὶ κρατήσας αὐτὴν ἔσφαξεν καὶ ἔφαγον τὰ κρέη αὐτῆς· τὸ δὲ δέρμα ἔμενεν· καὶ εὐθέως ἐκωλύθη ἡ ὁμιλία αὐτῶν, καὶ ἤρξαντο βληχᾶσθαι ὡς τὰ ἄλογα, καὶ δρομαῖοι ἔρχονται καὶ προσπίπτουσιν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ στύλου αὐτοῦ δεόμενοι τυχεῖν θεραπείας, τὸ δὲ δέρμα τῆς ἐλάφου ἐπλήρωσαν ἀχύρῳ καὶ πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐτέθη τὸ δέρμα χρόνον