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touching the holy tablets with her hands? who broke the mold of the praying Nonna? how she wished to remain there for a long time, even as a corpse among the pious. 8.47 There once, to the praying Nonna, God spoke from on high: "Come." And she was gladly released from her body, with one of her two hands holding the table, and with the other still praying: "Be merciful, Christ the King." 8.48 I was born of a pious root and was the flesh and mother of a priest; To Christ I brought and emptied out my body, life, tears, everything; and at the last, I, Nonna, was lifted up from here, leaving my aged body in the temple. 8.49 Faith translated Enoch and Elijah, and among women, my mother first; the table knows this, from where dear Nonna was lifted up with the bloodless sacrifices, still praying in her body. 8.50 Neither sickness nor a like old age, nor grief subdued you, my mother, although you were aged; but unwounded, unbent, at the holy feet of the table, praying to Christ, Nonna, you gave up your voice. 8.51 Abraham gave his son as a sacrifice to God, and likewise renowned Jephthah his daughter, both a great one. But you, my mother, gave a pure life, and at the last your soul, a dear victim, Nonna, of prayer. 8.52 Dear Sarah, how did you leave your Isaac, you who desired to meet the bosom of Abraham as quickly as possible, Nonna of the God-minded Gregory? Truly a great wonder, not even to have died outside the temples and sacrifices. Be gracious, O Martyrs; for dear Nonna was in no way inferior in her labors, in hidden and open warfare. For this reason also she met with such an end to her life, finding one end for her prayer and her life. 8.53 The Trinity, which you longed for, a single light and one object of worship, snatched you, Nonna, from the great temple to heaven as you prayed; and you found a purer end to life. You never joined your pure lips to impure lips, nor your pure hand to a godless palm, even for food, my mother; and your reward was to leave this life amidst the sacrifices. 8.54 A dazzling, most radiant angel snatched you, Nonna, there where you were once praying, pure in limbs and mind; and one part of you he snatched away, but the other he left here in the temple. 8.55 This temple—for it was not right to restrain all of Nonna—held only her body when her soul had departed, so that rising again she might be lifted up from here more purely, clothing her weary body with glory. 8.56 With other excellent virtues of the pure Nonna one might contend, but it is not right to contend with the measure of her prayer; the proof is also the end of her life, released in supplications. 8.57 O groans and tears and nightly cares! O limbs of the most holy Nonna, worn out with toils, where were they? The temple released her unbent old age from its labors. 8.58 Nonna, daughter of Philtatius. -"And where did she die?" -In this temple. -"And how?" -Praying. -"When?" -In old age. -"O beautiful life and holy death." 8.59 Elijah went to heaven in a fiery chariot; but the great Spirit received Nonna as she prayed. 8.60 Here dear Nonna slept the deep sleep, graciously following her husband Gregory. 8.61 Awe and joy together; from here Nonna was lifted to heaven, leaving her life in the midst of prayer. 8.62 The end of prayer and of life for Nonna; and the table is witness, from which she was suddenly taken up breathless. 8.63 I am the tomb of prudent Nonna, who indeed drew near to the heavenly gates before she was released from life. 8.64 Weep for mortals, O race of mortals; but if anyone died thus, praying like Nonna, I do not weep. 8.65 Reverencing the pure life of Nonna, reverence still more her end; she died in the temple, praying. 8.66 There once, praying prostrate, radiant Nonna died; but now she supplicates standing among the pious. 8.67 This table is a monument to your honey-sweet death, Nonna, beside which you were released praying for the last time. A small breath of life still remained; but even this Nonna gave back to God there where she was once praying. 8.68 Send forth from the temple the godlike Nonna, all of you, send forth the great intercessor as she is lifted up. 8.69 God snatched me from the pure temple to heaven, Nonna, as I was hastening to approach the heavenly realms. 8.70 Nonna, rising up from the great temple, said this: "For my many labors I have a greater reward." 8.71 Nonna, a victim of her dear prayer, lies here; Nonna was once released from life here while praying. 8.72 There the soul of Nonna once left her body while praying; from there Nonna was lifted up, leaving her body. 8.73 A great sacrifice, Nonna rose up from the great temple; Nonna was released in the temple; rejoice, O pious ones. 8.74 This

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ἱερῶν σανίδων χερσὶν ἐφαπτομένη; τίς λύσεν εὐχομένης Νόννης τύπον; ὡς ἐπὶ δηρὸν ἤθελεν ἔνθα μένειν καὶ νέκυς εὐσεβέων. 8.47 Ἔνθα ποτ' εὐχομένῃ Νόννῃ Θεὸς εἶπεν ἄνωθεν· «Ἔρχεο.» ἡ δ' ἐλύθη σώματος ἀσπασίως, χειρῶν ἀμφοτέρων τῇ μὲν κατέχουσα τράπεζαν, τῇ δ' ἔτι λισσομένη· «Ἵλαθι, Χριστὲ ἄναξ.» 8.48 Ῥίζης εὐσεβέος γενόμην καὶ σὰρξ ἱερῆος καὶ μήτηρ· Χριστῷ σῶμα, βίον, δάκρυα, πάντ' ἐκένωσα φέρουσα· τὸ δ' ἔσχατον, ἔνθεν ἀέρθην νηῷ γηραλέον Νόννα λιποῦσα δέμας. 8.49 Πίστις Ἐνὼχ μετέθηκε καὶ Ἠλίαν, ἐν δὲ γυναιξὶ μητέρ' ἐμὴν πρώτην· οἶδε τράπεζα τόδε, ἔνθεν ἀναιμάκτοισιν ὁμοῦ θυέεσσιν ἀέρθη εἰσέτι λισσομένη σώματι Νόννα φίλη. 8.50 Οὐ νόσος οὐδέ σε γῆρας ὁμοίιον, οὔ σέ γ' ἀνίη, καίπερ γηραλέην, μῆτερ ἐμή, δάμασεν· ἀλλ' ἄτρωτος, ἄκαμπτος ἁγνοῖς ὑπὸ ποσσὶ τραπέζης εὐχομένη Χριστῷ, Νόνν', ἀπέδωκας ὄπα. 8.51 ∆ῶκε Θεῷ θυσίην Ἀβραὰμ πάιν, ὣς δὲ θύγατρα κλεινὸς Ἰεφθάε, ἀμφότεροι μεγάλην. μῆτερ ἐμή, σὺ δ' ἔδωκας ἁγνὸν βίον, ὑστάτιον δὲ ψυχήν, εὐχωλῆς, Νόννα, φίλον σφάγιον. 8.52 Σάρρα φίλη, πῶς τὸν σὸν Ἰσαὰκ λίπες, ἡ ποθέουσα τῶν Ἀβραὰμ κόλπων ὡς τάχος ἀντιάσαι, Νόννα Γρηγορίοιο θεόφρονος; ἦ μέγα θαῦμα μηδὲ θανεῖν νηῶν ἔκτοθι καὶ θυέων. Μάρτυρες, ἱλήκοιτε· μόγοις γε μὲν οὔτι χερείων Νόννα φίλη, κρυπτῷ κἀμφαδίῳ πολέμῳ. τοὔνεκα καὶ τοίης κύρσεν βιότοιο τελευτῆς, εὐχῆς καὶ ζωῆς ἓν τέλος εὑραμένη. 8.53 Ἡ Τριάς, ἣν ποθέεσκες, ὁμὸν σέλας ἕν τε σέβασμα ἐκ νηοῦ μεγάλου σε πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἥρπασε, Νόννα, εὐχομένην· ζωῆς δὲ τέλος καθαρώτερον εὗρες. οὔποτε χείλεα μίξας ἀνάγνοις χείλεσιν ἁγνὰ οὐδ' ἀθέῳ παλάμῃ καθαρὰν χέρα μέχρις ἐδωδῆς, μῆτερ ἐμή· μισθὸς δὲ λιπεῖν βίον ἐν θυέεσσιν. 8.54 Ἄγγελος αἰγλήεις σὲ φαάντατος ἥρπασε, Νόννα, ἔνθα ποτ' εὐχομένην, καθαρὴν μελέεσσι νόῳ τε· καὶ τὸ μὲν ἥρπασε σεῖο, τὸ δ' ἐνθάδε κάλλιπε νηῷ. 8.55 Νηὸς ὅδ'-οὐ γὰρ ὅλην Νόνναν θέμις ἦεν ἐρύξαι- ψυχῆς οἰχομένης μοῦνον ἐπέσχε δέμας, ὡς πάλιν ἐγρομένη καθαρώτερον ἔνθεν ἀερθῇ, σώματι τῷ μογερῷ δόξαν ἐφεσσομένη. 8.56 Ἄλλοις μὲν Νόννης τις ἁγνῶν ἐσθλοῖσιν ἐρίζοι, εὐχωλῆς δὲ μέτροισιν ἐριζέμεν οὐ θέμις ἐστίν· τέκμαρ καὶ βιότοιο τέλος λιτῇσι λυθέντος. 8.57 Ὢ στοναχῶν δακρύων τε καὶ ἐννυχίων μελεδώνων· ὢ Νόννης ζαθέης τετρυμένα γυῖα πόνοισι, ποῦ ποτ' ἔην; νηὸς μόχθων λύσε γῆρας ἄκαμπτον. 8.58 Νόννα Φιλτατίου. -«Καὶ ποῦ θάνε;» -Τῷδ' ἐνὶ νηῷ. - «Καὶ πῶς;» -Εὐχομένη. - «Πηνίκα;» -Γηραλέη. - «Ὢ καλοῦ βιότοιο καὶ εὐαγέος θανάτοιο.» 8.59 Ἅρματι μὲν πυρόεντι πρὸς οὐρανὸν Ἠλίας ἦλθεν· Νόνναν δ' εὐχομένην Πνεῦμ' ὑπέδεκτο μέγα. 8.60 Ἐνθάδε Νόννα φίλη κοιμήσατο τὸν βαθὺν ὕπνον, ἵλαος ἑσπομένη ᾧ πόσι Γρηγορίῳ. 8.61 Τάρβος ὁμοῦ καὶ χάρμα· πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἔνθεν ἀέρθη εὐχῆς ἐκ μεσάτης Νόννα λιποῦσα βίον. 8.62 Εὐχῆς καὶ βιότου Νόννῃ τέλος· ἡ δὲ τράπεζα μάρτυς, ἀφ' ἧς ἤρθη ἄπνοος ἐξαπίνης. 8.63 Νόννης ἠρίον εἰμὶ σαόφρονος, ἥ ῥα πύλῃσιν ἔχριμψ' οὐρανίαις, πρὶν βιότοιο λυθῇ. 8.64 ∆ακρύετε θνητούς, θνητῶν γένος· εἰ δέ τις οὕτως ὡς Νόνν' εὐχομένη κάτθανεν, οὐ δακρύω. 8.65 Νόννης ἁζόμενος ἁγνὸν βίον, ἅζεο μᾶλλον καὶ τέλος· ἐν νηῷ κάτθανεν εὐχομένη. 8.66 Ἔνθα ποτ' εὐχομένη πρηνὴς θάνε Νόννα φαεινή νῦν δ' ἄρ' ἐν εὐσεβέων λίσσεται ἱσταμένη. 8.67 Στήλη σοι θανάτου μελιηδέος ἥδε τράπεζα, Νόννα, παρ' ᾗ λύθης εὐχομένη πύματα. Μικρὸν ἔτι ψυχῆς ἦν τὸ πνέον· ἀλλ' ἄρα καὶ τὸ Νόνν' ἀπέδωκε Θεῷ ἔνθα ποτ' εὐχομένη. 8.68 Πέμψατε ἐκ νηοῦ θεοειδέα Νόνναν ἅπαντες, πρέσβειραν μεγάλην πέμψατ' ἀειρομένην. 8.69 Ἔκ με Θεὸς καθαροῖο πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἥρπασε νηοῦ Νόνναν ἐπειγομένην οὐρανίοις πελάσαι. 8.70 Νόνν' ἀπανισταμένη νηοῦ μεγάλου τόδ' ἔειπε· «Τῶν πολλῶν καμάτων μείζονα μισθὸν ἔχω.» 8.71 Νόννα φίλης εὐχῆς ἱερήιον ἐνθάδε κεῖται· Νόννα ποτ' εὐχομένη τῇδ' ἐλύθη βιότου. 8.72 Ἔνθα ποτ' εὐχομένης ψυχὴ δέμας ἔλλιπε Νόννης· ἔνθεν ἀνηέρθη Νόννα λιποῦσα δέμας. 8.73 Ἐκ νηοῦ μεγάλοιο θύος μέγα Νόνν' ἀπανέστη· νηῷ Νόνν' ἐλύθη· χαίρετε, εὐσεβέες. 8.74 Ἥδε