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Better things; but for mortals, marriage and its bond are a blessing. Both a root of dear offspring and of lovely fruits, and a good support of a sweet life. First, God is the begetter of all things. (And be gracious, O Christ, to your pure laws, both now and before.) And after Him the bond of love, since both earth and ether, and sea have flourished with offspring, with the gifts of marriage. And if indeed for the high-tressed palms there is a law of desire, 541 that male and female, mingling in the season of spring by the hands of branch-tenders, should teem with clustered fruit, and if a stone is born from a pair of little stones coming into one, as men skilled in stones say, then even for soulless things there is marriage and the bond of love. But what is this strange fondness of mine for myths and desires? Behold what wise marriage has provided for mortals. Who taught beloved wisdom, and discovered the depths, all that the earth, all that the sea, all that heaven holds within? Who established laws for cities? And before these, who raised up cities, and invented arts with their counsels? Who filled the marketplaces and houses, and who the games? Who filled the army in wars, and tables at feasts? Who established a choir of singers in the fragrant temple? 542 Who ended the life of beasts, and taught to plow the earth, and plant-tending, and over the seas launched a black ship hastened by the winds? Who, apart from marriage, bound earth and sea by a wet path, and gathered into one things that were far apart? And such are the things here. But the things above are much better. We are hands and ears and feet to one another in wedlock. Marriage has made even the weak twofold, a great joy to friends, and a grief to enemies. Shared cares lighten sorrows; and shared joys are sweeter for both. More pleasant wealth is made for those of one mind; but more pleasant than wealth is oneness of mind for those who lack it. Wedlock is a key for both, of temperance and of desires, 543 and a seal of necessary love. One colt of friendship, warming the heart with its leaps. One drink from a household spring, untasted by strangers, neither flowing outwards, nor gathering another from without. Joined in flesh, of one mind, sharpening in each other a like goad of piety with desire. For marriage does not place one far from God, but rather one holds to Him more, since He also urges one more. And as a small breeze sends a small ship with unfurled sails swiftly through the swell, or hands send it hurried by oars, but a large ship not a small blast carries, but a stronger wind urges it as it comes heavily over the sea, so also the unmarried, since they live lightly, 544 need lighter help from the great God. But he who is concerned with a dear wife and property, and children, and cuts through the very great gulf of life with greater need, embraces God more. Such is marriage; but a maimed life is one without love, pitiless, unapproachable, homeless, a mountain-wanderer; no defense against passions, no remedy for feeble old age, when parents are young again in their children, no foundation of a sweet life. They take no pleasure in marketplaces, nor in feasts, unsmiling, outside the world, they who are born of life, and do not cherish the roots of life, nor have a mind at one with mortals. But if anyone, desiring virtue, dishonors love, virtue is not far from love, not only because 545 marriage was dear to all pious men of old, but because also from gentle love are born witnesses of Christ's passions, and prophets, Patriarchs, priests, prize-winners, kings, adorned with all kinds of virtues. For the Earth did not bear good men, as they say of the monstrous race of giants, but all are the offspring and glory of marriage. Who showed the great ruling God to men, though they were far off, and filled their mind with a more divine love, and from thence led them away to another life? Who purified souls for all shining mortals? Faith translated Enoch. And he who saved from the waters the whole world with a few souls and floating seeds, was 546 great Noah. And Abraham, the father of cities and of nations, who also bound his son as a sacrifice beside the altar for Christ. Moses led the people from heavy Egypt with great wonders, and received the law on tablets

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Κρείσσονες· ἡμερίοις δὲ γάμος καὶ δεσμὸς ὄνειαρ. Ἀμφότερον, πτόρθων τε φίλων, καρπῶν τ' ἐρατεινῶν Ῥίζα τε καὶ βιότοιο μελίφρονος ἐσθλὸν ἔρεισμα. Πρῶτα Θεὸς πάντων γενέτης. (Καὶ ἵλαθι, Χριστὲ, Σεῖο νόμοις καθαροῖσι παροίτερον ἢ τοπάροιθεν.) Τῷ δ' ἐπὶ δεσμὸς ἔρωτος, ἐπεὶ καὶ γαῖα καὶ αἰθὴρ, Καὶ πόντος τεκέεσσι, γάμου δώροισι, τέθηλεν. Εἰ δ' ἐτεὸν φοίνιξι πόθου νόμος ὑψικόμοισι, 541 Μιγνυμένους θῆλύν τε καὶ ἄρσενα εἴαρος ὥρῃ Ἐρνοκόμων παλάμῃσι βρύειν βοτρυώδεα καρπὸν, Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐκ δυάδος λιθάκων λίθος εἰς ἒν ἰούσης Τίκτεται, ὡς ἐνέπουσι λίθων ἐπιΐστορες ἄνδρες, Ἔστι καὶ ἀψύχοισι γάμος καὶ δεσμὸς ἔρωτος. Ἀλλὰ τί μου ξείνων φιλότης μύθων τε πόθων τε; ∆έρκεο τὰ μερόπεσσι γάμος πόρσυνεν ἐχέφρων. Τίς σοφίην ἐδίδαξε φίλην, καὶ βένθε' ἀνεῦρεν, Ὅσσα χθὼν, ὅσα πόντος, ὅσ' οὐρανὸς ἐντὸς ἐέργει; Τίς πτολίεσσιν ἔθηκε νόμους; καὶ τῶνδε πάροιθεν Τίς πτόλιας δ' ἀνέγειρε, καὶ ηὕρετο μήδεσι τέχνας; Τίς πλῆσεν ἀγορὰς καὶ δώματα, καὶ τίς ἀγῶνας; Τίς στρατὸν ἐν πολέμοισι, καὶ ἐν θαλίῃσι τραπέζας; Τίς χορὸν ὑμνητῆρα θυώδει πήξατο νηῷ; 542 Τίς θηρῶν κατέλυσε βίον, καὶ γαῖαν ἀράσσειν, Καὶ φυτοεργείην ἐδιδάξατο, καὶ πελάγεσσι Νῆ' ἐπαφῆκε μέλαιναν ἐπειγομένην ἀνέμοισι; Τίς γαῖαν καὶ πόντον ὑγρῇ συνέδησε κελεύθῳ Νόσφι γάμου, τὰ δὲ πολλὸν ἀπόπροθεν εἰς ἓν ἄγειρε; Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐνθάδε, τοῖα. Τὰ δ' ὑψόθι, πολλὸν ἀρείω. Ἀλλήλοισι χέρες τε καὶ οὔατα καὶ πόδες ἐσμὲν Συζυγίῃ. ∆ιπλοῦν δὲ γάμος καὶ ἄναλκιν ἔθηκε, Χάρμα μέγ' εὐμενέεσσιν, ἄχος δέ τε δυσμενέεσσι. Ξυναὶ καὶ μελεδῶναι ἐλαφρίζουσιν ἀνίας· Ξυναὶ δ' εὐφροσύναι γλυκερώτεραι ἀμφοτέροισι. Τερπνότερος μὲν πλοῦτος ὁμοφρονέουσι τέτυκται· Τερπνοτέρη πλούτοιο δ' ὁμοφροσύνη χατέουσι. Κληῒς δ' ἀμφοτέροισι σαοφροσύνης τε πόθων τε 543 Συζυγίη, καὶ σφρηγὶς ἀναγκαίης φιλότητος. Εἷς πῶλος φιλίης σκιρτήμασι θυμὸν ἰαίνων. Ἓν ποτὸν οἰκιδίης πηγῆς ξείνοισιν ἄγευστον, Οὔτ' ἐκτὸς προρέον, οὔτ' ἔκτοθεν ἄλλον ἀγεῖρον. Συμφυέες σάρκεσσιν, ὁμόφρονες, εὐσεβίης τε Κέντρον ἐν ἀλλήλοισι πόθῳ θήγοντες ὁμοῖον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ Θεοῖο γάμος ἀπάνευθε τίθησιν, Ἀλλ' ἔχεται μᾶλλόν τις, ἐπεὶ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπείγει. Ὡς δ' ὀλίγην μὲν νῆα μικρὸς προΐησιν ἀήτης Λαίφεσι πεπταμένοισι δι' οἴδματος ὦκα θέουσαν, Ἠὲ χέρες πέμπουσιν ἐπειγομένην ὑπ' ἐρετμοῖς, Πολλὴν δ' οὐκ ὀλίγη πνοιὴ φέρει, ἀλλὰ βαρεῖαν Πόντον ἐπερχομένην στερεώτερος οὖρος ἐπείγει, Ὥς ῥα καὶ ἀζυγέες μὲν ἐπεὶ ζώουσιν ἐλαφροὶ, 544 Κουφοτέρης μεγάλοιο Θεοῦ χατέουσιν ἀρωγῆς. Ὃς δ' ἀλόχου τε φίλης καὶ κτήσιος ἀμφιβέβηκε, Καὶ τεκέων, τέμνει δὲ πολὺ μέγα λαῖτμα βίοιο Χρειοῖ πλειοτέρῃ, πλεῖον Θεὸν ἀμφαγαπάζει. Τοῖα γάμος, πηρὸς δὲ βίος φιλότητος ἄνευθε, Νηλὴς, ἀπροτίοπτος, ἀνέστιος, οὐρεσιφοίτης· Οὐκ ἄλκαρ παθέων, οὐ γήραος ἀδρανέοντος Φάρμακον, ἡβάσκοντες ἑοῖς τεκέεσσι τοκῆες Οὐ πῆξις βιότοιο μελίφρονος. Οὐκ ἀγορῇσι Τέρποντ', οὐ θαλίῃσιν, ἀμειδέες, ἔκτοθι κόσμου, Οἳ βιότου γεγάασι, καὶ οὐ στέργουσι βίοιο Ῥίζας, οὐ μερόπεσσιν ὁμόφρονα θυμὸν ἔχουσιν. Εἰ δ' ἀρετὴν ποθέων τις ἀτιμάζει φιλότητα, Οὐδ' ἀρετὴ φιλότητος ἀπόπροθεν, οὐχ ὅτι μοῦνον 545 Πάντεσσι τοπάροιθε γάμος φίλον εὐσεβέεσσιν, Ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ φιλότητος ἐνηέος εἰσὶ γενέθλη Καὶ Χριστοῦ παθέων ἐπιΐστορες, ἠδ' ὑποφῆται, Πάτραρχοι, ἱερῆες, ἀεθλοφόροι, βασιλῆες, Παντοίαις ἀρετῇσι κεκασμένοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνέσχε Χθὼν ἀγαθοὺς, ὥς φασι πελώρια φῦλα γιγάντων, Ἀλλὰ γάμου τελέθουσι γόνος καὶ κῦδος ἅπαντες. Τίς Θεὸν ἀνθρώποισι μέγαν κρατέονθ' ὑπέδειξε, Καίπερ τηλόθ' ἐοῦσι, νόον δ' ἔπλησεν ἔρωτος Θειοτέρου, καὶ ἔνθεν ἀπήγαγεν ἐς βίον ἄλλον; Τίς ψυχὰς ἐκάθῃρεν ὅλοις μερόπεσσι φαεινοῖς; Πίστις Ἐνὼχ μετέθηκεν. Ὁ δ' ἐξ ὑδάτων ἐσάωσε Κόσμον ὅλον ψυχαῖς ὀλίγαις καὶ σπέρμασι πλωτοῖς 546 Νῶε μέγας. Ἀβραὰμ δὲ πατὴρ πτολίων τε καὶ ἐθνῶν, Καὶ θυσίην Χριστῷ παραβώμιον υἷα πεδήσας. Μωσῆς ἤγαγε λαὸν ἀπ' Αἰγύπτοιο βαρείης Θαύμασι σὺν μεγάλοισι, νόμον δ' ὑπεδέξατο πλαξὶν