For in it a curved rim did not run around the middle space, like that on the eastern limits, where priests skilled in sacrifice set up thrones gleaming with countless silver metals. But the west holds a great, much-wrought gateway, not one; for it has three according to the end of the hall. And a long hall is spread out beside these gates, receiving those who approach under the wide-passing doors, having a length as great as the breadth of the wondrous palace of the church. This place is called the narthex by Greek men. And there, a certain sound creeping through the night, sweet-sounding, charms the ears for Christ the all-powerful, where the revered rites of god-fearing David are sung with antiphonal shouts by initiated men, of gentle-minded David, whom the divine voice praised, of a glorious man, from whom a much-hymned offshoot, received in her womb the motherless son of God, brought forth Christ in a virgin birth, and subjected the unsown son to maternal laws. And having widened, it opens seven sacred gateways, calling the people inside in a throng; but one of them turns upon the narrow face of the narthex to the south, and another to the wings of the north; and for the others, the sacristan with his hands opens the closed hinge on the western wall, which is the last of the hall.

Where am I carried? What wandering breeze has snatched my tale, as on the seas? It has run past the most glorious middle space of the church. Return, O song, to where the marvel is all-unbelievable to see, all-unbelievable to hear. For there are, after the eastern and western circles, half-circles, after the double-yoked column of Thebes, four well-built walls, bare to behold in front, but on their sides and unbroken backs bound by opposing supports; and divided into four parts they sit upon well-wrought foundations, fitted with unbreakable stones, through the midst of which a man with builder's skill mixed dust of fire-burnt stone with streams of water and joined them in harmony. Upon these, a horn of countless measure, being bent, like the well-rounded, many-colored rim of the rainbow, one turns to the wing of the west, another to the slope of the north, another to that of the south, and another is raised upright towards the fiery east. And each has joined its unshaken base with the neighboring horns on both sides, being fixed together at the common end; but rising little by little along airy, well-bent paths, it stands apart from its former sister. But also the space between the arches themselves is filled up with beautiful works. For where, inclining from one another by the custom of art, they have revealed the bare air, a wall, leaning upon them, has rushed up, triangular in shape and just sufficient, until it joins its forearms on both sides, yoked together with the rim of the circle. And creeping, it stretches up fourfold, so that it might appear one, running around on high with the crowns of the circle on its back. The middle parts of the arches, as much as makes the circular rim, art has bound, fitted with baked bricks, and the top horns it fixed with building stones. And into the joints it inserted plates of soft lead, lest the stones, bound one upon another and placing hard burdens upon hard burdens, should shatter their backs; but with lead built in between, the base of the stone, being gently compressed, was softened. And a certain stone rim has bound the whole backs, well-rounded on all sides, where also the root of the half-cut sphere creeps down and there are rims in a spiral of the lowest circle, which men have crowned upon the backs of the arches. And upon the projecting ornament, overhanging stones have carved out a narrow, bounded passage; where also a fearless light-bearing man, running around, kindles the sacred lamps. And a helmet, rising up from above into the boundless air, is curved spherically on all sides, and like a radiant heaven it has covered the roof of the house; and upon the highest summit, art has drawn a city-protecting cross. And it is a great marvel to see, how, going up little by little, it is wider below, but rises up smaller above; yet it does not rush up to a sharp point, but rather like the pole that traverses the air. And upon the well-wrought backs of the arches it has fixed a base spun around on all sides. rising ... with the hands of stone-masons he carved paths in turn. looking upon it you would say a rounded comb, on which nature carved splendor... no longer with each other in a throng into one going paths

οὐ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῆι μεσσάτιον κατὰ χῶρον ἕλιξ περιδέδρ[ομεν] ἄντυξ οἷάπερ ἀντολικοῖς ἐπὶ τέρμασιν, ἧ[χι θυ]ηλῆς ἴδμονες ἀρητῆρες ἐνιδρύσαντο θοώκους ἀργυρέοις στίλβοντας ἀπειρεσίοισι [μετάλ]λ[οι]ς. ἀλλὰ δύσις πυλεῶνα μέγαν πολυ[δαίδ]αλ[ον ἴσχ]ει, οὐχ ἕνα· τριχθαδίους γὰρ ἔχει κατὰ τέ[λσα μελ]άθρου. μηκεδανὸς δ' ἐπὶ τοῖσι πύλαις παραπέπ[ταται] αὐλών, δεχνύμενος προσιόντας ὑπ' εὐρ[υπ]όροισι θυρέτροις, μῆκος ἔχων ὅσον εὖρος ἀνάκτορα θέσκελα νηοῦ. χῶρος ὅδε Γραικοῖσι φατίζεται ἀνδράσι νάρθηξ. ἔνθα δέ τις κατὰ νύκτα διαμπερὲς ἦχος ἀνέρπων εὐκέλαδος Χριστοῖο βιαρκέος οὔατα θέλγει, ὁππόθι τιμήεντα θεουδέος ὄργια ∆αυὶδ ἀντιπόροις ἰαχῆισιν ἀείδεται ἀνδράσι μύστηις, ∆αυὶδ πρηϋνόοιο, τὸν ἤινεσε θέσκελος ὀμφή, φωτὸς ἀγακλήεντος, ὅθεν πολύυμνος ἀπορρὼξ γαστέρι δεξαμένη τὸν ἀμήτορα παῖδα θεοῖο Χριστὸν ἀνεβλάστησεν ἀπειρογάμοισι λοχείαις, μητρώιοις δ' ὑπέθηκε τὸν ἄσπορον υἱέα θεσμοῖς. ἑπτὰ δ' ἀνευρύνας ἱεροὺς πυλεῶνας ἀνοίγει, λαὸν ἔσω καλέοντας ὁμιλαδόν· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν αὐτῶν ἐνστρέφεται νάρθηκος ἐπὶ στεινοῖο μετώπου ἐς νότον, ὃς δὲ βορῆος ἐπὶ πτερά· τῶν γε μὲν ἄλλων νηοκόρος παλάμηισι μεμυκότα θαιρὸν ἀνοίγει ἑσπέριον περὶ τοῖχον, ὃς ὕστατός ἐστι μελάθρου.

Πῆι φέρομαι; τίς μῦθον ἀνήρπασε πλαγκτὸν ἀήτης οἷάπερ ἐν πελάγεσσι; μέσον παραδέδρομε νηοῦ χῶρον ὑπερκύδαντα. παλιννόστησον, ἀοιδή, θάμβος ὅπηι πανάπιστον ἰδεῖν, πανάπιστον ἀκοῦσαι. εἰσὶ γὰρ ἀντολικούς τε καὶ ἑσπερίους μετὰ κύκλους, κύκλους ἡμιτελεῖς, μετὰ κίονα δίζυγα Θήβης, εὐπαγέες τοῖχοι πίσυρες, γυμνοὶ μὲν ὁρᾶσθαι πρό[σθεν,] ἐπὶ πλευρὰς δὲ καὶ ἀρραγέας περὶ νώτους ἀντ[ιπόρο]ις σφιγχθέντες ἐρείσμασιν· εὐκαμάτοις δὲ τέτρ[αχα μο]ιρηθέντες ἐφεδρήσσουσι θεμείλοις, πέτρ[αις] ἀρραγέεσσιν ἀρηρότες, ὧν διὰ μέσσου ψῆγμα πυριφλέκτοιο λίθου προχοῆισι κεράσσας ἁρμονίην ξύνωσεν ἀνὴρ δωμήτορι τέχνηι. τοῖς ἔπι μυριόμετρος ἐπιγναμφθεῖσα κεραίη, οἷάπερ εὐκύκλοιο πολύχροος ἴριδος ἄντυξ, ἡ μὲν ἐπὶ ζεφύρου τρέπεται πτερόν, ἡ δὲ βορῆος ἐς κλίσιν, ἡ δὲ νότοιο, καὶ ὄρθιος ἔγρεται ἄλλη εὖρον ἐπὶ φλογόεντα. βάσιν δ' ἀτίνακτον ἑκάστη γείτοσιν ἀμφοτέρωθεν ὁμοῦ συνέμιξε κεραίαις, ξυνοῦ πηγνυμένην ἐπὶ τέρμονος· ὀρνυμένη δὲ ἠερίαις κατὰ βαιὸν ἐϋγνάμπτοισι κελεύθοις τῆς πρὶν ὁμογνήτοιο διίσταται. ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν ἁψίδων τὸ μεταξὺ καλοῖς ἀναπίμπλαται ἔργοις. ἔνθα γὰρ ἀλλήλων ἀπονεύμεναι ἤθεσι τέχνης ἠέρα γυμνὸν ἔδειξαν, ἀνέσσυται ἶσα τριγώνωι τοῖχος ἐπικλινθεὶς ὅσον ἄρκιον, ἄχρι συνάψηι πήχεας ἀμφοτέρωθεν ὁμόζυγος ἄντυγι κύκλου. τέτραχα δ' ἑρπύζων ἀνατείνεται, ὄφρα φανείη ἓν, στε[φάνοι]ς κύκλοιο περίδρομος ὑψόθι νώτου. μέσσα μὲν ἁψ[ίδω]ν, ὅσα κύκλιον ἄντυγα τεύχει, ὀπταλέαις πλίνθοισιν ἀρηρότα δήσατο τέχνη, ἄκρα δὲ πετραίοισι κεράατα πῆξε δομαίοις. ἁρμονίαις δ' ἐνέηκε πλάκας μαλακοῖο μολύβδου, ὄφρα κε μὴ λάιγγες ἐπ' ἀλλήληισι δεθεῖσαι καὶ στυφελὰ στυφελοῖσιν ἐπ' ἄχθεσιν ἄχθεα θεῖσαι νῶτα διαθρύψωσι· μεσοδμήτωι δὲ μολύβδωι ἠρέμα πιληθεῖσα βάσις μαλθάσσετο πέτρου. Λαϊνέη δ' ὅλα νῶτα κατεσφήκωσέ τις ἄντυξ, πάντοθεν εὐδίνητος, ὅπηι καὶ ῥίζα καθέρπει σφαίρης ἡμιτόμοιο καὶ ἄντυγές εἰσιν ἑλιγμῶι τοῦ πυμάτου κύκλοιο, τὸν ἁψίδων κατὰ νῶτα ἀνέρες ἐστεφάνωσαν. ἐπὶ προβλῆτι δὲ κόσμωι ἐκκρεμέες λάϊγγες ἐτορνώσαντο πορείην στεινήν, τερμιόεσσαν· ὅπηι καὶ φωσφόρος ἀνὴρ ἄτρομος ἀμφιθέων ἱεροὺς λαμπτῆρας ἀνάπτει. ἐγρομένη δ' ἐφύπερθεν ἐς ἄπλετον ἠέρα πήληξ πάντοθι μὲν σφαιρηδὸν ἑλίσσεται, οἷα δὲ φαιδρὸς οὐρανὸς ἀμφιβέβηκε δόμου σκέπας· ἀκροτάτης δὲ σταυρὸν ὑπὲρ κορυφῆς ἐρυσίπτολιν ἔγραφε τέχνη. ἔστι δ' ἰδεῖν μέγα θάμβος, ὅπως κατὰ βαιὸν ἰοῦσα εὐρυτέρη μὲν ἔνερθεν, ὕπερθε δὲ μεῖον ἀνέρπει· οὐ μὴν ὀξυκάρηνος ἀνέσσυται, ἀλλ' ἄρα μᾶλλον ὡς πόλος ἠερόφοιτος. ἐπ' εὐκαμάτοισι δὲ νώτοις ἁψίδων ἐπέπηξε βάσιν [ πάντοθι δινηθεῖσαν. ἀνερπ[ ]ουσ[ ]ας λαοδόμων παλάμηισιν ἀμοιβαδὸν ἔξεσεν οἴμους. εἰσορόων φαίης κτένα [γύρ]ιον, ὧι φύσις [ ἀγλαΐην ἐχάραξε[ οὐκέτι δ' ἀλλήλη[σιν ὁ]μ[ιλ]αδὸν εἰ[ς ἓν] ἰοῦσα[ι ἀτραπιτοὶ