6

himself with the men before him, and with words he scorned the tax-collector; 1000 But he, shedding tears and beating his breast with his hands, Not even looking towards the wide heaven, the throne of the great God, but looking down to the ground with slavish eyes, and standing far off he prayed: "Be merciful, be merciful to your servant," he cried, "one heavy with evils. Not the law, not tithes, and good works will save me. Nor is he a liar for his boasts. And I the temple am ashamed even to touch with unholy feet. But may your grace, and your pity, drip upon me, the profane, which alone you gave, O Lord, as a hope to wretched sinners." Thus they spoke; and God heard both, and had mercy on him whom he saw travailing, but dishonored the arrogant one. As you saw, as you judged, giving courage to me, O God. I am that all-wicked tax-collector for you; 1001 And as I groan heavily, I hope for some help. I beseech you, if ever my father and my lady mother honored you with tears, and with groanings, and with prayers, Or assigned to you some small portion of their possessions, Or honored you with pure and holy sacrifices (For I never did anything worthy of you), Remember these things, and ward off evil; and send away wicked cares; And let not the thorns choke me with their shoots, Nor, as I hasten on the divine road, may they pull me back, my defense, but send me unharmed. For I am your servant, and your portion. You are my only God from above. And my mother dedicated me to you, bearing me from the womb, on that day, when desiring a child to place upon her knees, she imitated the voice of holy Hannah: 1002 "May I see a boy, and may you enclose him within your courts, O Christ the King, the flourishing fruit of my birth-pangs." She spoke; and you, God, assented, and a divine dream followed bringing a name to my mother, and afterwards you gave a boy. And she dedicated me to your temples, a new Samuel, if ever I was. But now again I am numbered with the profane with the mad sons of Eli, your glorious servant, who with a senseless spirit laid hands upon the pure sacrifices, touching the divine cauldrons with gluttonous hands; For that reason they also met a harsh end of life. But she with lesser hopes assigned a portion of her children to you, and purified my hands with the divine Books, and embracing me, she addressed me with such a speech: "Already someone led a beloved, God-given son to the altar, 1003 a noble victim hastening to the sacrifice, the best of men, the offspring of late-bearing Sarah, and the root of his race, which hope had inscribed, and the promise of God. Abraham was the priest, and the glorious Isaac the lamb; But I, as I promised, a living gift to God, offer you. And may you fulfill the desire of your mother, who bore you having prayed for you, and I pray for you to be the best. This good wealth, my child, I give to you here and hereafter. The last things are much better." This was my mother's desire. And I yielded to her desires while still a boy, and my tender soul received a new form of piety; and the seal of Christ was kept 1004 by his counsels, who openly communed with his servant, and he bound me with dear sobriety, and shackled my flesh, And breathed into me a warm love of divine wisdom, And of the monastic life, the first-fruit of the life to come, not of a rib wanting the body that embraces it, and with wheedling words leading to a bitter taste, But of one sending a pure desire to God, and not to a woman and dividing between Christ the whole man who is born of God. Who me through the narrow and difficult [path] to the small gate of the path, stretching, with a better company, not trodden by many, led a god from earth to God, a created one to the uncreated, and an immortal from death. with the image of the great God, and the body as a helper, 1005 drawing it, as a lodestone draws gleaming iron. Woe is me! O you who have suffered mournful and contrary deeds, O soul! O empty-boasting mortals! How truly we have become like thin breezes, Or even with the back-roving currents of the Euripus we are tossed upon the earth, puffed up in vain. And nothing among men is the same to the end, not evil, nor indeed good. And the ways are very near. Nor does the wicked man know this to the last, when he will cease, Nor for the good does virtue remain steadfast, but it is cut short, as fear [cuts short] wickedness, and envy virtue. And for both Christ indeed commanded the race of mortals to be bent, so that we might incline upwards to his

6

αὑτὸν Ἀνδράσι γε προτέροισι, λόγοις δ' ἀθέριζε τελώνην· 1000 Αὐτὰρ ὁ δακρυχέων καὶ στήθεα χερσὶ πατάσσων, Οὐδ' ἄντην μεγάλοιο Θεοῦ θρόνον οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν Εἰσορόων, λεύσσων δὲ κατ' οὔδεος ὄμμασι δούλοις, Τηλόθεν ἑστηκὼς δὲ λιτάζετο· «Ἵλαος εἴης, Ἵλαθι σῷ θεράποντι, βοῶν, βρίθοντι κακοῖσιν. Οὐ νόμος, οὐ δεκάται με, καὶ ἔργματα καλὰ σαώσει. Οὐδ' ὅγ' ἐπεσβολέων ψεύστης. Καὶ νηὸν ἔγωγε Αἰδέομ' οὔτι πόδεσσιν ἐπιψαύων ὁσίοισι. Σὴ δὲ χάρις, σὸς δ' οἶκτος ἐμοὶ στάξειε βεβήλῳ, Ἣν μούνην δειλοῖσιν, Ἄναξ, πόρες ἐλπίδ' ἀλιτροῖς.» Ὣς φάσαν· ἀμφοτέρων δὲ Θεὸς κλύε, καί ῥ' ἐλέηρεν Ὃν μογέοντ' ἐνόησεν, ὑπερμενέοντα δ' ἄτισεν. Ὡς ἴδες, ὡς ἐδίκασας, ἐμοὶ, Θεὲ, θάρσος ὀπάζων. Οὗτος ἐγώ σοι κεῖνος ὁ πάγκακός εἰμι τελώνης· 1001 Ὡς δὲ βαρυστενάχω, ποιὴν δ' ἐπιέλπομ' ἀρωγήν. Λίσσομαι, εἴ ποτε δή σε πατὴρ, καὶ πότνια μήτηρ ∆άκρυσι, καὶ στοναχῇσι, καὶ εὐχωλῇσιν ἔτισαν, Ἤ τινά τοι κτεάνων τυτθὴν ἀπὸ μοῖραν ἔνειμαν, Ἢ θυσίαις καθαρῇσι καὶ εὐαγέεσσι γέρηραν (Οὐ γὰρ ἐγώ ποτε σεῖο ἐπάξιον οὐδὲ ἔρεξα), Τῶν μνῆσαι, καὶ ἄλαλκε· κακὰς δ' ἀπόπεμπε μερίμνας· Μηδέ με συμπνίξειαν ἑοῖς πτόρθοισιν ἄκανθαι, Μηδ' ἄρ' ἐπειγόμενον θείην ὁδὸν ἂψ ἐρύσειαν, Ἄλκαρ ἐμὸν, πέμποις δέ μ' ἀπήμονα. Σὸς γὰρ ἔγωγε Λάτρις, σὸν δὲ λάχος. Σὺ δέ μοι Θεὸς οἶος ἄνωθεν. Σοὶ δέ μ' ἀπὸ σπλάγχνων μήτηρ ἀνέθηκε φέρουσα, Ἤματι τῷ, ὅτε κοῦρον ἑοῖς ἐπὶ γούνασι θεῖναι Παῖδα ποθεῦσ' ἱερῆς Ἄννης ἐμιμήσατο φωνήν· 1002 «Κοῦρον ἐγὼ μὲν ἴδοιμι, σὺ δ' ἕρκεος ἐντὸς ἐέργοις, Χριστὲ ἄναξ, ὠδῖνος ἐμῆς ἐριθηλέα καρπόν.» Εἶπε· Θεὸς δ' ἐπένευσας, ὁ δ' ἕσπετο θεῖος ὄνειρος Οὔνομα μητρὶ φέρων, μετέπειτα δὲ κοῦρον ἔδωκας. Ἡ δέ με σοῖς ἱεροῖσι νέον ἀνέθηκε Σαμουὴλ, Εἴ ποτ' ἔην. Νῦν δ' αὖτ' ἐναρίθμιός εἰμι βεβήλοις Ἡλεὶ σοῦ θεράποντος ἀγακλέος υἱέσι μάργοις, Οἳ θυσίαις καθαρῇσιν ἐπέχραον ἄφρονι θυμῷ, Χερσὶν ἐφαπτόμενοι θείων λίχνῃσι λεβήτων· Τοὔνεκα καὶ χαλεπῆς κύρσαν βιότοιο τελευτῆς. Ἀλλ' ἥγ' ἐλπωρῇσιν ἀμείοσι μοῖραν ἔνειμε Σοὶ τεκέων, Βίβλοισι δ' ἐμὰς χέρας ἥγνισε θείαις, Καί μ' ἀγαπαζομένη, τοίῳ προσεφώνεε μύθῳ «Ἤδη τις φίλον υἷα θεόσδοτον ἤγαγε βωμῷ, 1003 Σπεύδοντ' ἐς θυσίην ἱερήϊον, ἐσθλὸν ἄριστος, Σάῤῥας ὀψιτόκοιο γόνον, ῥίζαν τε γενέθλης, Ἣν ἐλπὶς ἐχάρασσεν, ὑποσχεσίη τε Θεοῖο. Ἀβρὰμ ἦν ἱερεὺς, ἀμνὸς δέ τε κύδιμος Ἰσάκ· Αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ ζωόν σε Θεῷ γέρας, ὥσπερ ὑπέστην, ∆ωροῦμαι. Σὺ δέ μοι μητρὸς τελέσειας ἐέλδωρ, Ἣ τέκον εὐξαμένη σε, καὶ εὔχομαι εἶναι ἄριστον. Τοῦτον ἐγώ σοι πλοῦτον, ἐμὸν τέκος, ἐσθλὸν ὀπάζω Ἐνθάδε καὶ μετέπειτα. Τὰ ὕστατα πολλὸν ἀρείω.» Μητρὸς μὲν πόθος οὗτος. Ἐγὼ δ' ὑπόειξα πόθοισι Παῖς ἔτ' ἐὼν, ἁπαλὴ δὲ νέην ὑπεδέξατο μορφὴν Εὐσεβίης ψυχή· σφρηγὶς δ' ἐφυλάσσετο Χριστοῦ 1004 Νεύμασιν, ὅς ῥ' ἀναφανδὸν ὁμίλεεν ᾧ θεράποντι, Σωφροσύνῃ δέ μ' ἔδησε φίλῃ, καὶ σάρκα πέδησε, Καὶ θερμὸν σοφίης θείης ἐπέπνευσεν ἔρωτα, Καὶ μοναχοῦ βιότοιο, βίου μέλλοντος ἀπαρχὴν, Πλευρᾶς οὐ χατέοντος ἑὸν δέμας ἀμφαγαπώσης, Ῥήμασί θ' αἰμυλίοισι πικρὴν ἐπὶ γεῦσιν ἀγούσης, Ἀλλὰ Θεῷ πέμποντος ἁγνὸν πόθον, οὐδὲ γυναικὶ Καὶ Χριστῷ τέμνοντος ὅλον Θεοῦ ἐκγεγαῶτα. Ὅς με διὰ στεινῆς τε καὶ ἀργαλέης ἐπὶ λεπτὴν Τείνων ἀτραπιτοῖο πύλην σὺν ἀρείονι πομπῇ, Οὔτι βατὴν πολλοῖσι, Θεῷ θεὸν ἦγ' ἀπὸ γαίης Τυκτὸν οὐ γεγαῶτι, καὶ ἄφθιτον ἐκ θανάτοιο. Εἰκόνι σὺν μεγάλοιο Θεοῦ, καὶ σῶμ' ἐπαρωγὸν 1005 Ἕλκων, οἷα μάγνησσα λίθος αἴθωνα σίδηρον. Ὤ μοι ἐγών! Ὦ λυγρὰ καὶ ἄντιτα ἔργα παθοῦσα Ψυχή! Ὦ θνητοὶ κενεαυχέες! ὡς ἐτεόν γε Λεπταλέαις αὔρῃσιν ἐοικότες, οἳ γενόμεσθα, Ἠὲ καὶ Εὐρίποιο παλιμπλάγκτοισιν ἐρωαῖς Στρωφώμεσθ' ἐπὶ γαῖαν ἐτώσια φυσιόωντες. Κοὐδὲν ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ὁμοίϊον ἐς τέλος ἐστὶν, Οὐ κακὸν, οὐδὲ μὲν ἐσθλόν. Ὁδοὶ δ' ἄγχισται ἔασιν. Οὐδ' ὁ κακὸς τό γε οἶδεν ἐς ὕστατον, ὁππότε λήξει, Οὔτ' ἐσθλοῖς ἀρετὴ μένει ἔμπεδον, ἀλλὰ κολούει, Ὡς τάρβος κακίην, ἀρετὴν φθόνος, Ἀμφοτέροις δὲ Κάμπτεσθ' ἡμερίων Χριστός γ' ἐκέλευσε γενέθλην, Ὥς κεν ἄνω νεύοιμεν ἑὸν