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if I suffer anything. But first, however, it is necessary for me to sing forth the good things; for I will cast greater pity on the evils. I was without a husband and remained a virgin; for what things are found for a temperate woman, these things I accomplished, with God always measuring out and bestowing abundant grace. First of all, then, whether it is present or not present, a reproach for women, this very thing draws an evil report, if one does not stay indoors; having set aside the desire for this, I remained in my house inside the halls; and the clever words of women I did not let in; but having my mind as a good teacher of myself, I was sufficient for myself. Knowing how good it is to be temperate in all things and that it brings a good reputation everywhere, I offered to all both a silent tongue and a quiet eye; and I knew in what I must surpass young women and in what things I must yield the victory. And a man, having received me undefiled from God, again returned me, a virgin, still undefiled; there is no argument, for the facts themselves have acquitted me. Being thus, I am betrothed to God; and from there a Son, how will you say it? I bore, such as no woman will ever boast of having borne. {CHORUS} Most beautiful, mistress, most revered virgin, we know you are a mother without a husband and unwedded, you alone of all the mothers upon the earth. A hand that received no portion of midwifery gave faithful testimony of your divine birth-giving, and you heard, you say, from an Angel that you would bear God, and the works which he has done are not of a mortal race; and it is a wonder if he should suffer the passion of mortals. {THEOTOKOS} You have said a wondrous thing, if the Father is pleased with this, that through this mortals may have good things. For there is no other remedy among mortals for death, which will stop the destruction of the wretched from evils. And I will teach you how this is good; for the Word who teaches man knowledge has tabernacled in me and bestows grace. Since the Creator formed a mortal from the earth, and placed him in a meadow as a tiller of plants, wishing to lead him from there to Olympus; but a serpent hastened, through the deceit of a woman, to cast him out of the meadow and throw him from heaven; He, as God indeed, devised in turn to be born of a woman, and remaining God, to become a mortal, and having been slain to destroy the slayer of mortals and cast him down at his feet. Thus be persuaded and receive God who came to earth to lead the race of mortals to heaven, and pour out libations and celebrate and bless him. For you will see him again upon the earth, as from a bridal chamber leaping from the tomb, and then ascending to heaven, as he himself said, and the prophets before him. And a most sure hope is with me; for to me, above all for whom it is left, is hope present, nor am I deceived in my mind, that I will have some good thing; and it is sweet even to think so; but when hope remains more sure, what joy there is! But I am overcome by pains and I foresee that these things will happen quickly, but grief is stronger than my hopes. {CHORUS} All-glorious, all-beautiful maiden, virgin, having been enriched with God as an embryo, as you say, you have understood these things, now consider the rest. For we know that you are wiser than mortals and that, seeing these things, you understand the end; for all things are dreadful and for the mortal race hard to understand, except for her who bore him. {THEOTOKOS} Oh, wretched me, for my pains; for I know many things, but I do not know how I may speak. For it is a wonder for me to see him suspended and dead, even if voluntarily. Woe is me, woe; Ah! Ah! {CHORUS} What then will you do, O you who have suffered impossible things? {THEOTOKOS} I know nothing except one thing, to die, unless quickly I receive a cure for the present woes, as my hope is exceedingly sure; I must remain only one day, tomorrow, so that the care which now wears me out may be fulfilled. But, O dear Son, do not leave me destitute of you. {HEMI-CHORUS} Ah! Ah! Lamenting much, you show nothing clearly; on the one hand you tell me to hear dreadful things and you persuade me to be terrified by your words, on the other you give courage, and nothing, then, is clear. {THEOTOKOS} The end of what is hoped for will not be far off. {OTHER HEMI-CHORUS} I myself have not yet entered the hull of a ship, but seeing it in a picture and hearing of it, I understand; for if the storm is moderate for the sailors to bear, they have the zeal to be saved from their labors, one by the tiller, another having gone to the sails, and another keeping out the bilge-water of the ship; but if it should become excessive, the much-agitated sea, giving way to its force, they have given themselves to the running of the waves. And so I too, seeing dreadful woes,

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εἴ τι προσπάθω. Πρῶτον δ' ὅμως μοι τἀγάθ' ἐξᾷσαι δέον· τοῖς γὰρ κακοῖσι πλείον' οἶκτον ἐμβαλῶ. Ἤμην ἄνανδρος καὶ μένουσα παρθένος· ἃ γὰρ γυναικὶ σώφρον' ἔσθ' εὑρημένα, ταῦτ' ἐξεμόχθουν, τοῦ Θεοῦ πολλὴν χάριν μετροῦντος ἀεὶ καὶ νέμοντος ἀφθόνως. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν γε, κἂν προσῇ κἂν μὴ προσῇ ψόγος γυναιξίν, αὐτὸ τοῦτ' ἐφέλκεται κακῶς ἀκούειν, εἴ τις οὐκ ἔνδον μένει· οὗπερ πόθον παρεῖσ' ἔμιμνον ἐν δόμοις εἴσω μελάθρων· κομψὰ θηλειῶν δ' ἔπη οὐκ εἰσεφρούμην· τὸν δὲ νοῦν διδάσκαλον αὑτῆς ἔχουσα χρηστόν, ἐξήρκουν ἐμοί. Τὸ σωφρονεῖν ἐν πᾶσιν εἰδυῖ' ὡς καλὸν καὶ δόξαν ἐσθλὴν πανταχοῦ κομίζεται, γλώσσης τε σιγὴν πᾶσιν ὄμμα θ' ἥσυχον παρεῖχον· ᾔδειν δ' οἷς μ' ἐχρῆν νικᾶν κόρας καὶ τίσι νίκην ὧν ἐχρῆν παριέναι. Ἀκήρατον δέ μ' ἐκ Θεοῦ λαβὼν ἀνὴρ αὖθις τὸ παρθένειον ἅμμ' ἀκήρατον τηροῦσαν ἀπέδωκεν· οὐδ' ἔστιν λόγος, τὰ πράγματ' αὐτὰ καὶ γὰρ ἀπήλεγξέ με. Οὕτως δ' ἔχουσα, τῷ Θεῷ μνηστεύομαι· κἀντεῦθεν Υἱόν, πῶς ἐρεῖς; ἐγεινάμην, ὅπως γυνὴ οὔτις κομπάσει τεκεῖν ποτέ. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Καλλίστα, πότνα, σεμνοτάτα παρθένε, ἄνανδρον ἠδ' ἄνυμφον ἴδμεν μητέρα μόνην σε πασῶν τῶν κατὰ γῆν μητέρων. Μαιευσάσης χεὶρ κλῆρον οὐ δεδεγμένη κατηγόρησε πιστὰ σοῦ θείου τόκου, Θεόν τε, φῄς, ἔκλυες Ἀγγέλου τεκεῖν, ἔργα θ' ἅπερ δέδρακεν, οὐ θνητοῦ γένους· καὶ θάμβος ἐστίν, εἰ πάθῃ θνητῶν πάθος. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Θαυμαστὸν εἶπας, εἰ τόδ' εὐδοκεῖ Πατήρ, ὡς διὰ τούτου τοὺς βροτοὺς ἀγάθ' ἔχειν. Οὐκ ἄλλο γὰρ φάρμακον ἐν θνητοῖς μόρου, φθορᾶς ὃ παύσει τοὺς ταλαιπώρους κακῶν. Κἀγὼ διδάξω σ' ὡς καλῶς ἔχει τόδε· ὁ γὰρ διδάσκων γνῶσιν ἄνθρωπον Λόγος ἐμοὶ κατεσκήνωσε καὶ χάριν νέμει. Ἐπεὶ βροτὸν πέπλακεν ἐκ γῆς ὁ Πλάσας, λείμακί τ' ἐντέθεικε φυτῶν ἐργάτην, ἐντεῦθεν εἰς Ὄλυμπον ἀνάγειν θέλων· δράκων δέ νιν ἔσπευσε, γυναικὸς πλάνῃ, λειμῶνος ἐκβαλεῖν τε καὶ ῥίψαι πόλου· ὅδ' ἀντεμηχανήσαθ' οἷα δὴ Θεὸς γυναικὸς ἐκφῦναί τε καὶ Θεὸς μένων βροτὸς γενέσθαι καὶ βροτῶν ἀναιρέτην σφαγεὶς κατασκάψαι τε καὶ ῥίψαι ποσίν. Οὕτως σὺ πείθου καὶ Θεὸν πρὸς γῆν δέχου ἐλθόντ' ἀγαγεῖν πρὸς πόλον βροτῶν γένος, καὶ σπένδε καὶ κλέϊζε καὶ τόνδ' εὐλόγει. Αὖ γάρ νιν ὄψει πρὸς χθόν' ὡς ἐκ παστάδος θρῴσκοντα τύμβου, κᾆτ' ἀνιόντ' εἰς πόλον, ὡς αὐτὸς εἶπε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ θεοπρόποι. Ἐλπὶς δέ μοι ξύνεστιν ἀσφαλεστάτη· ἐμοὶ γὰρ ὑπὲρ πάντας, οἷσι λείπεται, ξύνεστιν ἐλπίς, οὐδὲ κλέπτομαι φρένας, ἕξειν τι κεδνόν· ἡδὺ δ' ἐστὶ καὶ δοκεῖν· ὅταν δὲ μᾶλλον ἐλπὶς ἀσφαλὴς μένῃ, τὸ χάρμα ποῖον. Ἀλλὰ νικῶμαι πόνοις καὶ προβλέπω μὲν ταῦθ' ὅπως ἔσται τάχει, λύπη δὲ κρείσσων τῶν ἐμῶν ἐλπισμάτων. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Πάγκλυτε, παγκαλλίστα κούρη, παρθένε, ἔμβρυον, ὡς φῄς, τὸν Θεὸν πλουτήσασα, σὺ ταῦτ' ἐπέγνως καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ νῦν σκόπει. Σοφωτέραν γὰρ ἴδμεν οὖσάν σε βροτῶν καὶ ταῦθ' ὁρῶσαν συνιέναι καὶ τέλος· ὡς φρικτὰ πάντα καὶ βροτησίῳ γένει πλὴν τῇ τεκούσῃ δυσμαθῆ συνιέναι. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Ὦ δυστάλαινα τῶν ἐμῶν ἀλγημάτων· ὡς οἶδα μὲν πόλλ', οἶδα δ' οὐχ ὅπως φράσω. Ὡς θάμβος ἐστὶ τοῦτον ᾐωρημένον ἰδεῖν με καὶ θανόντα κἂν ἑκουσίως. Ἰώ μοι, ἰώ· Αἲ αἴ. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Τί γοῦν τί δράσεις, ὦ παθοῦσ' ἀμήχανα; {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Οὐκ οἶδα πλὴν ἕν, κατθανεῖν, εἰ μὴ τάχει τῶν νῦν παρόντων πημάτων ἄκος λάβω, ὡς ἔστιν ἐλπὶς λίαν ἀσφαλεστάτη· μίαν μόνην μεῖναί με δεῖ τὴν αὔριον, ὡς ξυμπερανθῇ φροντίς, ἥ με νῦν τρύχει. Ἀλλ', ὦ φίλ' Υἱέ, μή μ' ἔρημόν σου λίπῃς. {ΗΜΙΧΟΡΙΟΝ} Αἲ αἴ· Θρηνοῦσα πολλά, τρανὸν οὐδὲν δεικνύεις· πῇ μέν μ' ἀπαγγέλλεις ἀκούειν δείματα πείθεις τε πολλὰ δειματοῦσθαι τοῖς λόγοις, πῇ δὲ θρασύνεις, κοὐδὲν ἄρα καθαρῶς. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Οὐ μακρὰν ἔσται τέρμα τῶν ἠλπισμένων. {ΕΤΕΡΟΝ ΗΜΙΧΟΡΙΟΝ} Αὐτὴ μὲν οὔπω ναὸς εἰσέβην σκάφος, γραφῇ δ' ἰδοῦσα καὶ κλύουσ' ἐπίσταμαι· ναύταις γὰρ ἢν μέτριος ᾖ χειμὼν φέρειν, προθυμίαν ἔχουσι σωθῆναι πόνων, ὃ μὲν παρ' οἴαχ', ὃ δ' ἐπὶ λαίφεσιν βεβώς, ὃ δ' ἄντλον εἴργων ναός· ἢν δ' ὑπερβάλῃ πολὺς ταραχθεὶς πόντος, ἐνδόντες φορᾷ, παρῆκαν αὑτοὺς κυμάτων δρομήμασιν. Οὕτως δὲ κἀγὼ δείν' ὁρῶσα πήματα,