Gregory of Nazianzus, Epigrams

The Table sent godlike Nonna to God. 8.75 May your life be good with all blessings as many as parents have from sons who care for their old age and may you find a light life and a holy end, such as the Lord gave to our old age, the great strength of learned youths and of priests and a staff for our grey hairs, Gregory. 8.76 Gladly this earth in the dear hands of our son we clothed ourselves, the parents of pious Gregory, who even made our old age light with his own toils and now tends to it with sacrifices. Breathe again from the labors of caring for the aged, O much best of sons Gregory, having laid your holy parents beside the Martyrs; your reward is that the great Father be gracious and that you have spiritual and pious children. 8.77 I, the stone, on the one hand, a father and glorious sons I hide, Gregorys, one stone, equal lights, both priests. - But I received the well-fathered Nonna with her great son Caesarius. Thus they divided the tombs and the sons; but the journey, is all upward; one desire for heavenly life. 8.78 First Caesarius, a common grief; but then Gorgonia; after that, my dear father; not long after, my mother. O sorrowful hand and bitter writings. Of Gregory I will write, and my own fate, though I am last. 8.79 First, God granted me to my radiant mother who prayed; second, from my mother he received a dear gift; third again, when I was dying the holy table saved me; fourth, the Word gave me a double-edged speech; fifth, virginity embraced me with dear dreams; sixth, I brought harmonious pleasure to Basil; seventh, the Life-bringer snatched me from the deep gulfs; eighth again, I cleansed my hands for holy things; ninth, to the younger Rome I brought the Trinity, O Lord; tenth, I have been cast down by stones and by friends. 8.80 Greece, my youth, and dear, and all I possessed and body, how you yielded willingly to Christ. If my mother's prayer made me a priest dear to God and my father's hand, what envy is there? But, O blessed One, receive me, Christ, into Your choirs and grant glory to the son of Gregory, Your servant Gregory. 8.81 The dear child of Gregory and Nonna lies here, Gregory, servant of the holy Trinity, and in wisdom having grasped Wisdom, and as a youth having as his only wealth heavenly hope. 8.82 For a little while you were still living on earth, but everything to Christ you willingly gave, and with them your winged word; and now as a great priest and of the heavenly choir heaven holds you within, glorious Gregory. 8.83 From infancy God called me in nightly dreams; I came to the ends of wisdom; my flesh to the Word I purified and my heart; having escaped naked the flame of the world I stood with Aaron, my father Gregory. 8.84 From my divine father I received both name and throne and tomb; but, friend, remember Gregory, Gregory, whom Christ granted, god-given, to his mother in nightly visions, and gave him a love of wisdom. 8.85 Cruel is the tomb. I for my part never expected that it would hide the last before the first; but it received Caesarius, the very glorious son, before his elder parents. What kind of justice is this? The tomb is not to blame; do not revile it. This is the work of Envy. For how could it have borne to see a young man wiser than the old? 8.86 Gregory, you were allotted a son preeminent among mortals in beauty and wisdom and dear to the emperor, but no longer at all stronger than unsparing death. Indeed I thought so. But what does the tomb say? «Endure; Caesarius has perished, but the greatest boast of a son you have instead of a dear son.» 8.87 We were of age for the tomb, when they placed this stone here for our old age, the stonecutters; but they placed it for us, and Caesarius holds it, not in proper order, Caesarius, the last of our children. We have endured all-unfortunate things, child, child; but very quickly receive us as we hasten to our tomb. 8.88 This stone the parents set up as their own tomb, hoping to have a small portion of life; but to their son Caesarius an unwilling, bitter favor they gave, since he was released from this life first. 8.89 My old age lingered upon the earth; and instead of your father you have a stone, dearest of children, Caesarius. What law is this? What kind of justice? Lord of mortals, how did you assent to this? O long life, O swift death. 8.90 I do not admire, I do not admire this gift; you received a tomb only, Caesarius, from our possessions, a bitter stone from aged parents; so Envy willed it. O with the woes of life

τράπεζα Θεῷ θεοειδέα Νόνναν ἔπεμψεν. 8.75 Εἴη σοι βίος ἐσθλὸς ἐπ' εὐλογίῃσιν ἁπάσαις 8.75 ὁσσάτιαι τοκέων υἱέσι γηροκόμοις καὶ κούφης βιότοιο τυχεῖν ὁσίης τε τελευτῆς, οἵην ἡμετέρῳ γήραϊ δῶκεν Ἄναξ, ἠιθέων λογίων τὸ μέγα κράτος ἠδ' ἱερήων καὶ πολιῆς σκίπων, Γρηγόρι', ἡμετέρης. 8.76 Ἀσπάσιοι χθόνα τήνδε φίλαις ὑπὸ χείρεσι παιδὸς ἑσσάμεθ' εὐσεβέος Γρηγορίου τοκέες, ὃς καὶ γῆρας ἔθηκεν ἑοῖς μόχθοισιν ἐλαφρὸν ἡμέτερον καὶ νῦν ἀμφιέπει θυσίαις. ἄμπνεε γηροκόμων καμάτων, μέγα φέρτατε παίδων Γρηγόρι', εὐαγέας Μάρτυσι παρθέμενος σοὺς τοκέας· μισθὸς δὲ μέγαν Πατέρ' ἵλαον εἶναι πνευματικῶν τε τυχεῖν εὐσεβέων τεκέων. 8.77 Λᾶας ὁ μὲν γενέτην τε καὶ υἱέα κυδήεντας κεύθω Γρηγορίους, εἷς λίθος ἶσα φάη, ἀμφοτέρους ἱερῆας. -Ὁ δ' εὐπατέρειαν ἐδέγμην Νόνναν σὺν μεγάλῳ υἱέι Καισαρίῳ. τὼς ἐδάσαντο τάφους τε καὶ υἱέας· ἡ δὲ πορείη, πάντες ἄνω· ζωῆς εἷς πόθος οὐρανίης. 8.78 Πρῶτος Καισάριος ξυνὸν ἄχος· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα Γοργόνιον· μετέπειτα πατὴρ φίλος· οὐ μετὰ δηρὸν μήτηρ. ὦ λυπρὴ παλάμη καὶ γράμματα πικρά. Γρηγορίου γράψω καὶ ἐμὸν μόρον ὑστατίου περ. 8.79 Πρῶτα μὲν εὐξαμένῃ με Θεὸς πόρε μητρὶ φαεινῇ· δεύτερον, ἐκ μητρὸς δῶρον ἔδεκτο φίλον· τὸ τρίτον αὖ, θνῄσκοντά μ' ἁγνὴ ἐσάωσε τράπεζα· τέτρατον, ἀμφήκη μῦθον ἔδωκε Λόγος· πέμπτον, παρθενίη με φίλοις προσπτύξατ' ὀνείροις· ἕκτον, Βασιλίῳ σύμπνοα ἦρα φέρον· ἕβδομον, ἐκ βυθίων με Φερέσβιος ἥρπασε κόλπων· ὄγδοον αὖ, ὁσίοις ἐξεκάθηρα χέρας· εἴνατον, ὁπλοτέρῃ Τριάδ' ἤγαγον, ὦ Ἄνα, Ῥώμῃ· βέβλημαι δέκατον λάεσιν ἠδὲ φίλοις. 8.80 Ἑλλὰς ἐμὴ νεότης τε φίλη καὶ ὅσσα πεπάμην καὶ δέμας, ὡς Χριστῷ εἴξατε προφρονέως. εἰ δ' ἱερῆα φίλον με Θεῷ θέτο μητέρος εὐχὴ καὶ πατρὸς παλάμη, τίς φθόνος; ἀλλά, μάκαρ, σοῖς με, Χριστέ, χοροῖσι δέχου καὶ κῦδος ὀπάζοις υἱέι Γρηγορίου, σῷ λάτρι Γρηγορίῳ. 8.81 Γρηγορίου Νόννης τε φίλον τέκος ἐνθάδε κεῖται τῆς ἱερῆς Τριάδος Γρηγόριος θεράπων καὶ σοφίῃ Σοφίης δεδραγμένος ἠίθεός τε οἶον πλοῦτον ἔχων ἐλπίδ' ἐπουρανίην. 8.82 Τυτθὸν ἔτι ζώεσκες ἐπὶ χθονί, πάντα δὲ Χριστῷ δῶκας ἑκών, σὺν τοῖς καὶ πτερόεντα λόγον· νῦν δ' ἱερῆα μέγαν σε καὶ οὐρανίοιο χορείης οὐρανὸς ἐντὸς ἔχει, κύδιμε Γρηγόριε. 8.83 Ἔκ με βρέφους ἐκάλεσσε Θεὸς νυχίοισιν ὀνείροις· ἤλυθον ἐς σοφίης πείρατα· σάρκα Λόγῳ ἥγνισα καὶ κραδίην· κόσμου φλόγα γυμνὸς ἀλύξας ἔστην σὺν Ἀαρών, Γρηγορίῳ γενέτῃ. 8.84 Πατρὸς ἐγὼ ζαθέοιο καὶ οὔνομα καὶ θρόνον ἔσχον καὶ τάφον· ἀλλά, φίλος, μνώεο Γρηγορίου, Γρηγορίου, τὸν μητρὶ θεόσδοτον ὤπασε Χριστὸς φάσμασιν ἐννυχίοις, δῶκε δ' ἔρον σοφίης. 8.85 Σχέτλιός ἐστιν ὁ τύμβος. ἔγωγε μὲν οὔποτ' ἐώλπειν, ὥς ῥα κατακρύψει τοὺς πυμάτους προτέρους· αὐτὰρ ὃ Καισάριον, ἐρικυδέα υἷα, τοκήων τῶν προτέρων πρότερον δέξατο. ποῖα δίκη; Οὐκ ἔσθ' ὁ τύμβος αἴτιος· μὴ λοιδόρει. Φθόνου τόδ' ἐστὶν ἔργον. πῶς δ' ἤνεγκεν ἂν νέον γερόντων εἰσορῶν σοφώτερον; 8.86 Γρηγόριε, θνητῶν μὲν ὑπείροχον ἔλλαχες υἷα κάλλεϊ καὶ σοφίῃ καὶ βασιλῆι φίλον, κρείσσονα δ' οὐκέτι πάμπαν ἀπηλεγέος θανάτοιο. ἦ μὴν ὠιόμην. ἀλλὰ τί φησὶ τάφος; «Τέτλαθι· Καισάριος μὲν ἀπέφθιτο, ἀλλὰ μέγιστον υἱέος εὖχος ἔχεις υἱέος ἀντὶ φίλου.» 8.87 Ὥριοι εἰς τάφον ἦμεν, ὅτ' ἐνθάδε τοῦτον ἔθηκαν λᾶαν ἐφ' ἡμετέρῳ γήραϊ λαοτόμοι· ἀλλ' ἡμῖν μὲν ἔθηκαν, ἔχει δέ μιν οὐ κατὰ κόσμον Καισάριος, τεκέων ἡμετέρων πύματος. ἔτλημεν πανάποτμα, τέκος, τέκος· ἀλλὰ τάχιστα δέξαι ἐς ἡμέτερον τύμβον ἐπειγομένους. 8.88 Τόνδε λίθον τοκέες μὲν ἑὸν τάφον ἐστήσαντο ἐλπόμενοι ζωῆς μοῖραν ἔχειν ὀλίγην· Καισαρίῳ δ' υἱῆι πικρὴν χάριν οὐκ ἐθέλοντες δῶκαν, ἐπεὶ πρότερος τοῦδε λύθη βιότου. 8.89 Γῆρας ἐμὸν δήθυνεν ἐπὶ χθονί· ἀντὶ δὲ πατρὸς λᾶαν ἔχεις, τεκέων φίλτατε, Καισάριε. τίς νόμος; οἷα δίκη; θνητῶν ἄνα, πῶς τόδ' ἔνευσας; ὢ μακροῦ βιότου, ὢ ταχέος θανάτου. 8.90 Οὐκ ἄγαμ', οὐκ ἄγαμαι δῶρον τόδε· τύμβον ἐδέξω μοῦνον ἀφ' ἡμετέρων, Καισάριε, κτεάνων, γηραλέων τοκέων πικρὸν λίθον· ὁ Φθόνος οὕτως ἤθελεν. ὢ ζωῆς πήμασι