Gregory of Nazianzus, Epigrams

a torch for your bridal chambers, which Eros kindled. 8.128 The Graces to the Muses: “What shall we do? No longer is Euphemius, the ornament of our hands, among mortals.” And the Muses to the Graces: “Since Envy is wicked, let him have so much; but for us let this be a firm oath, never again to raise up such an ornament for mortals.” 8.129 Fountains and rivers and groves and chattering, clear-voiced birds beautifully on the branches, and breezes bringing soft slumber with their whispers, and gardens of the Graces gathered into one, weep! O graceful Euphemias, how Euphemius, though dead, made you renowned by his name. 8.130 Euphemius was the most beautiful of youths, if ever he lived; most beautiful among places is this Elysian place; for this reason they were gathered into one; since he left life, but left his name in a sacred place. 8.131 The dear body of Amphilochus came to a great tomb, but his soul flew away to the blessed. You possessed all things for your kinsmen, most blessed one; you opened every book, both of mortals and if there be any of the heavenly; in old age you entered the friendly earth; you have left children better even than their parents; more is not for mortals. 8.132 Willingly Amphilochus laid his body beside his wife and son, having attained a sleek old age, blessed, well-born, a master of words, a defense for all his kinsmen, pious, noble, and eloquent, and an extraordinary giver of speech. Behold, O friendship, the epitaph of one of your companions. 8.133 O blessed one, O common cure for poverty, O winged words and a spring from which all may draw, with your last breath you left all things; but this alone followed as you were lifted from here: ever-flourishing glory. I, Gregory, wrote these things, repaying the word with a word, which I learned from you, Amphilochus. 8.134 Amphilochus is dead; perished, if anything good was left among men, both the power of rhetoric and the Graces mingled with the Muses; but especially did your beloved fatherland of Diocæsarea weep for you. 8.135 A small town, yet I, Diocæsarea, gave a great man to the tribunals of just judgment, Amphilochus; and with him when he died there perished also his fiery rhetoric and the boast of his noble-bearing fatherland. 8.136 Him who brought fiery rhetoric against his opponents, him whose character and mind were sweeter than honey, Amphilochus, a little dust holds me, outside my fatherland, the great son of Philtatius and Gorgonia. 8.137 Orators, speak out! I, this tomb, surround the lips of great Amphilochus, closed in silence. 8.138 The tomb of honey-minded Amphilochus, who once surpassed all Cappadocians in rhetoric and in mind. 8.139 You are gone, O Nicomedes, my glory; and how will the pure pair of your children complete their life? What hand will put the finishing touch on the most beautiful temple? And what mind will send a perfect sacrifice to God for you, blessed one, so swiftly mingled with the heavenly ones? O wretched generation of mortals, what things you have suffered! 8.140 Look also upon the tomb of Nicomedes, if you hear of any, who, having built a temple to the great Christ, gave himself first, and then the renowned, pure sacrifice of his children's virginity, having nothing better to offer, a priest and most excellent father. For this reason he was also swiftly mingled with the great Trinity. 8.141 You came last into a famous life, but most swiftly were you lifted up from here. What justice ordained this? Christ the King, Nicomedes, so that from above you might guide your people with the sacred pair of your children. 8.142 Where, leaving me to toil much upon the earth, dearest of companions, did you go so suddenly, glorious Carterius? Where have you gone, who guided the helm of my youth, when in a foreign land I was composing my discourse, you who made me live by a life without flesh? Truly Christ the King was dearest of all to you, whom now you possess. 8.143 Lightning flash of the glorious Christ, finest bulwark of young men, charioteer of our life, remember Gregory, whom you formed with excellent character, while he was, O Carterius, ruler of virtue. 8.144 O fountains of tears, O knees, O hands of Carterius that pleased Christ with most pure sacrifices, how did he cease to be, like all mortals? The choir-leading there desired a hymn-writer. 8.145 You have snatched my heart, O Nicomedes; you have swiftly snatched Carterius, the partner of your piety. 8.146 O sacred plain of holy Xola, what a pillar of cross-bearers you hold in your bosom, Carterius. 8.147 Bassus, friend, cared for by Christ beyond others, far from your fatherland you were slain by a robber's hand, and no tomb holds you

σοῖς θαλάμοις πυρσός, ὃν ἧψεν Ἔρως. 8.128 Αἱ Χάριτες Μούσαισι· «Τί ῥέξομεν; οὐκέτ' ἄγαλμα χειρῶν ἡμετέρων Εὐφήμιος ἐν μερόπεσσιν.» χαἰ Μοῦσαι Χαρίτεσσιν· «Ἐπεὶ Φθόνος ἐστὶν ἀλιτρός, τόσσον ἔχοι· ἡμῖν δὲ τόδ' ὅρκιον ἔμπεδον ἔστω μηκέτ' ἀναστῆσαι τοῖον μερόπεσσιν ἄγαλμα.» 8.129 Κρῆναι καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ ἄλσεα καὶ λαλαγεῦντες ὄρνιθες λιγυροὶ καλὸν ἐπ' ἀκρεμόνων αὖραί τε μαλακὸν συρίγμασι κῶμα φέρουσαι καὶ κῆποι Χαρίτων εἰς ἓν ἀγειρομένων, κλαύσατε· ὦ χαρίεσσ' Εὐφημιάς, ὥς σε θανών περ Εὐφήμιος κλεινὴν θήκατ' ἐπωνυμίῃ. 8.130 Κάλλιμος ἠιθέων Εὐφήμιος, εἴ ποτ' ἔην γε· κάλλιμος ἐν χώροις χῶρος ὅδ' ἠλύσιος· τοὔνεκεν εἰς ἓν ἄγερθεν· ἐπεὶ ζωὴν μὲν ἔλειψε, οὔνομα δ' ἐν χώρῳ κάλλιπεν ἠγαθέῳ. 8.131 Ἤλυθε κἀμφιλόχοιο φίλον δέμας ἐς μέγα σῆμα, ψυχὴ δ' ἐς μακάρων ᾤχετ' ἀποπταμένη. πηοῖς πάντα πέπασο, μακάρτατε· βίβλον ἔῳξας πᾶσαν, ὅση θνητῶν κεἴ τις ἐπουρανίη· γηραλέος φιλίην ὑπέδυς χθόνα· τέκνα λέλοιπας κρείσσονα καὶ τοκέων· τὸ πλέον οὐ μερόπων. 8.132 Ἄσμενος ᾗ τε δάμαρτι καὶ υἱέι πάρθετο σῶμα Ἀμφίλοχος λιπαροῦ γήραος ἀντιάσας, ὄλβιος, εὐγενέτης, μύθων κράτος, ἄλκαρ ἁπάντων πηῶν, εὐσεβέων, εὐγενέων, λογίων καὶ μύθοιο δοτὴρ περιώσιος. ἠνίδ' ἑταίρων σῶν ἑνός, ὦ φιλότης, γράμμ' ἐπιτυμβίδιον. 8.133 Ὦ μάκαρ, ὦ ξυνὸν πενίης ἄκος, ὦ πτερόεντες μῦθοι καὶ πηγὴ πᾶσιν ἀρυομένη, ἄσθματι πάντα λίπες πυμάτῳ· τὸ δ' ἅμ' ἕσπετο μοῦνον ἔνθεν ἀειρομένῳ κῦδος ἀεὶ θαλέθον. Γρηγόριος τάδ' ἔγραψα, λόγῳ λόγον ὃν παρὰ σεῖο, Ἀμφίλοχ', ἐξεδάην ἀντιχαριζόμενος. 8.134 Ἀμφίλοχος τέθνηκεν· ἀπώλετο, εἴ τι λέλειπτο καλὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ῥητορικῆς τε μένος καὶ Χάριτες Μούσαισι μεμιγμέναι· ἔξοχα δ' αὖ σε ἡ ∆ιοκαισαρέων μύρατο πάτρα φίλη. 8.135 Τυτθὸν μὲν πτολίεθρον, ἀτὰρ πολὺν ἀνέρα δῶκα βήμασιν ἰθυδίκοις ἡ ∆ιοκαισαρέων, Ἀμφίλοχον· φθιμένῳ δὲ συνέφθιτο καὶ πυρόεσσα ῥήτρη καὶ πάτρης εὖχος ἀριστοτόκου. 8.136 Τὸν ῥήτρην πυρόεσσαν ἐπ' ἀντιπάλοισι φέροντα, τὸν μέλιτος γλυκίω ἤθεα καὶ πραπίδας Ἀμφίλοχον κατέχω τυτθὴ κόνις ἔκτοθι πάτρης, υἱέα Φιλτατίου Γοργονίας τε μέγαν. 8.137 Ῥητῆρες, φθέγγοισθε· μεμυκότα χείλεα σιγῇ Ἀμφιλόχου μεγάλου τύμβος ὅδ' ἀμφὶς ἔχω. 8.138 Ἠρίον Ἀμφιλόχοιο μελίφρονος, ὅς ποτε ῥήτρῃ πάντας Καππαδόκας καίνυτο καὶ πραπίσιν. 8.139 Οἴχεαι, ὦ Νικόμηδες, ἐμὸν κλέος· ἡ δὲ συνωρὶς σῶν καθαρὴ τεκέων πῶς βίον ἐξανύσει; τίς δὲ τέλος νηῷ περικαλλέι χεὶρ ἐπιθήσει; τίς δὲ Θεῷ πέμψει φρὴν τελέην θυσίην σεῖο, μάκαρ, μιχθέντος ἐπουρανίοισι τάχιστα; ὦ γενεὴ τλήμων, οἷα πάθες, μερόπων. 8.140 ∆έρκεο καὶ τύμβον Νικομήδεος, εἴ τιν' ἀκούεις, ὃς νηὸν Χριστῷ δειμάμενος μεγάλῳ αὑτὸν μὲν πρώτιστον, ἔπειτα δὲ τὴν περίβωτον δῶκεν ἁγνὴν θυσίην παρθενίην τεκέων, φέρτερον οὐδὲν ἔχων ἱερεὺς γενέτης τε φέριστος. τοὔνεκα καὶ μεγάλῃ ὦκα μίγη Τριάδι. 8.141 Ὕστατος ἐς βίον ἦλθες ἀοίδιμον, ἀλλὰ τάχιστα ἔνθεν ἀνηέρθης. τίς τάδ' ἔνευσε δίκη; Χριστὸς ἄναξ, Νικόμηδες, ὅπως σέο λαὸν ἄνωθεν ἰθύνῃς τεκέων σὺν ἱερῇ δυάδι. 8.142 Πῇ με λιπὼν πολύμοχθον ἐπὶ χθονί, φίλταθ' ἑταίρων, ἤλυθες ἁρπαλέως, κύδιμε Καρτέριε; πῇ ποτ' ἔβης νεότητος ἐμῆς οἰήια νωμῶν, ἦμος ἐπ' ἀλλοδαπῆς μῦθον ἐμετρεόμην, ὃς βιότῳ μ' ἔζησας ἀσαρκέι; ἦ ῥ' ἐτεόν σοι Χριστὸς ἄναξ πάντων φίλτερος, ὅν νυν ἔχεις. 8.143 Ἀστεροπὴ Χριστοῖο μεγακλέος, ἕρκος ἄριστον ἠιθέων, ζωῆς ἡνίοχ' ἡμετέρης, μνώεο Γρηγορίοιο, τὸν ἔπλασας ἤθεσι κεδνοῖς, ἦν ὅτε ἦν, ἀρετῆς κοίρανε Καρτέριε. 8.144 Ὦ πηγαὶ δακρύων, ὦ γούνατα, ὦ θυέεσσιν ἁγνοτάτοις παλάμαι Χριστὸν ἀρεσσάμεναι Καρτερίου, πῶς λῆξεν ὁμῶς πάντεσσι βροτοῖσιν; ἤθελεν ὑμνοπόλον κεῖθι χοροστασίη. 8.145 Ἥρπασας, ὦ Νικόμηδες, ἐμὸν κέαρ· ἥρπασας ὦκα Καρτέριον, τῆς σῆς σύζυγον εὐσεβίης. 8.146 Ὦ Ξώλων ζαθέων ἱερὸν πέδον, οἷον ἔρεισμα σταυροφόρων κόλποις Καρτέριον κατέχεις. 8.147 Βάσσε φίλος, Χριστῷ μεμελημένος ἔξοχον ἄλλων, τῆλε τεῆς πάτρης ληίστορι χειρὶ δαμάσθης, οὐδέ σε τύμβος ἔχει