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arrived even into the life of mortals from heaven; I have sworn that, thinking hostile things, I will neither cast down the great Mind with my mind, 1018 nor the Word with an alien word. If I should sunder the divinity of the bright Trinity, following the signals of opposing times; if a great throne should ever madden my mind, or I should give my hand to an alien desire; if I should place a mortal helper before God, having fastened my cables to a feeble rock; if ever, when one brings good things, I should have an arrogant spirit, or meeting with evils, on the contrary, a feeble one; if I should judge a case, deviating somewhat from justice, if a haughty brow should receive honor above holy men; if seeing the wicked faring calmly on their way I should stand on the right hand, or seeing the stumbling-blocks of the good; 1019 if envy should waste away my mind; if I should laugh at the fall even of the unholy, as one having a lame foot; if my mind should give way to swelling anger, if an unbridled tongue should run on, and the heart bear a wanton eye; if I should hate someone in vain, if I should take vengeance on my enemy deceitfully, or even openly; if I should send the hand of a poor man empty from my home, or a mind thirsting for the heavenly word; may Christ be more gracious to another, but may the breeze carry away my labors even to gray hair. By these laws have I bound my life. But if I should reach the goal of my desire, O Imperishable One, it is Your grace. 1020

3. Prayer for the Journey from Constantinople. In You we rested, O Word of God,

abiding at home; to You we devote our leisure. Yours is the sitting, Yours the rising and the standing, Yours again the journey, and by Your commands we now travel straight. But send me one of the angels as a guide, a favorable attendant, who may lead me with a pillar of fire and of cloud, part the sea, and stay the streams with a word, and feed me richly from above and from below. And may the cross, signed with my hands, restrain the enemy's audacity; may the heat not scorch me at midday, 1021 nor the night bring fear. And the rough and steep path, make smooth for me, and easy for Your servant to travel, as often before, protecting me with Your hand, You delivered me from the dangers of land and sea, and from terrible diseases, and from hostile affairs. So that, having accomplished all things favorably and according to our hopes, and having found a happy end to our journey, we may return again to friends and relatives, appearing gladly to the glad at home, and rested from our labors. We worship You, desiring to obtain a kind and very easy final journey. 1022

4. To Himself. Let the Trinity be spoken of, and let another, whoever is worthy, compose the discourse.

But I will yield the thrones. For I will not cease to speak to God. 5. To the People of Anastasia. I long, I long for you, most beloved, I will not deny it;

I long for the children born of my words, O people of my beloved Anastasia, who raised up anew the ancient Faith that long lay dead among dead words; from whence my word, going forth like a spark, took hold of all the Churches with its light. 1023 Who has your beauty, who has my thrones? How am I childless, while my children live? Father, glory to You, even if something worse than this should befall. Perhaps you are punishing my boldness. Who will genuinely cry out Your name, O Trinity?

6. To the Same. The ways of Zion mourn, longing for the people, the servant of the law,

on festive days. And I mourn for the people no longer seen flocking to my sermons, as once did Constantinople and all the resident strangers, for whom the beloved Trinity shone. And now, roaring like a lion, 1024 I groan deeply. But perhaps others lord it over my children, having snatched them away with persuasive words. For if strength might come to me, as before, O Trinity, from You, and I might roar again in You, perhaps the wild beasts would yield again.

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φθάσε καὶ μερόπων ἐς βίον οὐρανόθεν· Ὤμοσα, μήτε νόῳ γε νόον μέγαν, ἐχθρὰ νοήσας, 1018 Ῥίψειν, μήτε λόγῳ τὸν Λόγον ἀλλοτρίῳ. Εἰ Τριάδος θεότητα διατμήξαιμι φαεινῆς, Ἑσπόμενος καιρῶν νεύμασιν ἀντιπάλων· Εἰ δ' ἕδρη μεγάλη ποτ' ἐμὸν νόον οἰστρήσειεν, Ἠὲ πόθῳ δοίην ἀλλοτρίῳ παλάμην· Εἰ δὲ Θεοῦ προπάροιθε βροτὸν θείμην ἐπίκουρον. Πέτρης ἠπεδανῆς πείσματ' ἀναψάμενος· Εἰ δέ ποτ' ἐσθλὰ φέροντος ἀγήνορα θυμὸν ἔχοιμι, Ἠὲ κακοῖς κύρσας, ἔμπαλιν ἀδρανέα· Εἰ δὲ δίκην δικάσαιμι παρακλίνας τι θέμιστος, Εἰ δὲ λάβοι τιμὴν ὀφρὺς ὕπερθ' ὁσίων· Εἰ δὲ κακοὺς ὁρόων τι γαληνιόωντας ὁδοῖο Σταίην δεξιτερῆς, ἢ ἀγαθῶν σκοπέλους· 1019 Εἰ φθόνος ἐκτήξειεν ἐμὴν φρένα· εἰ γελάσαιμι Πτῶμα καὶ οὐχ ὁσίων, ὡς πόδα πηγὸν ἔχων· Εἰ δὲ χόλῳ πλήθοντι πέσοι νόος, εἰ δ' ἀχάλινος Γλῶσσα θέοι, μάχλον τ' ὄμμα φέροι κραδίη· Εἰ δέ τιν' ἐχθαίροιμι μάτην, εἰ δ' ἐχθρὸν ἐμεῖο Τισαίμην δολίως, ἠὲ καὶ ἀμφαδίην· Εἰ κενεὴν πέμψαιμι δόμων ἄπο χεῖρα πένητος, Εἰ φρένα διψαλέην οὐρανίοιο λόγου· Ἄλλῳ Χριστὸς ἔοι πλέον ἵλαος, αὐτὰρ ἐμοῖο Τοὺς ἄχρι καὶ πολιῆς αὖρα φέροι καμάτους. Τοῖσδε νόμοισιν ἔδησα ἐμὸν βίον. Εἰ δὲ πόθοιο Ἐς τέλος ἱκοίμην, Ἄφθιτε, σεῖο χάρις. 1020

Γʹ. Ἐνόδια Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. Ἐν σοὶ μὲν ἠρεμοῦμεν, ὦ Θεοῦ Λόγε,

Μένοντες οἴκοι· σοὶ δ' ἀνάπτομεν σχολήν. Σὴ μὲν καθέδρα, σὴ δ' ἔγερσις, καὶ στάσις, Σὴ δ' αὖ πορεία, σοῖς δὲ καὶ νῦν νεύμασιν Εὐθυποροῦμεν. Ἀλλά μοί τιν' ἀγγέλων Πέμποις ὁδηγὸν, δεξιὸν παραστάτην, Ὅς με στύλῳ πυρός τε καὶ νέφους ἄγοι, Τέμνοι δὲ πόντον, ῥεῖθρα δ' ἱστάῃ λόγῳ, Τρέφοι δ' ἄνωθεν καὶ κάτωθεν πλουσίως. Σταυρὸς δὲ χερσὶν ἐκτυπούμενος θράσος Ἐχθροῦ κατείργοι· μηδ' ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μέσῃ 1021 Καύσων φλέγοι με, μηδὲ νὺξ φόβον φέροι. Τὴν δὲ τραχεῖαν καὶ προσάντη μοι τρίβον Λείαν τιθείης, εὔπορόν τε σῷ λάτρῃ, Ὡς πολλάκις με καὶ τὸ πρὶν χειρὶ σκέπων Γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἐξέωσας κινδύνων, Νόσων τε δεινῶν, δυσμενῶν τε πραγμάτων. Ὡς δεξιῶς ἅπαντα, καὶ κατ' ἐλπίδας, Πράξαντες, αἴσιόν τε τῆς ὁδοῦ τέλος Εὑρόντες, αὖθις πρὸς φίλους καὶ συγγενεῖς Παλινδρομῶμεν, ἀσμένοισιν ἄσμενοι Φανέντες οἴκοι, καὶ πόνων πεπαυμένοι. Σὲ προσκυνοῦμεν, τῆς τελευταίας ὁδοῦ Χρῄζοντες εὐμενοῦς τε καὶ ῥᾴστης τυχεῖν. 1022

∆ʹ. Εἰς αὐτόν. Τριὰς λαλοῖτο, καὶ καταρτίζοι λόγον Ἄλλος τις, ὅσπερ ἄξιος.

Θρόνων δ' ἐγὼ Εἴξω. Θεῷ γὰρ προσλαλῶν οὐ παύσομαι. Εʹ. Πρὸς τὸν Ἀναστασίας λαόν. Ποθῶ, ποθῶ σε, φίλτατ', οὐκ ἀρνήσομαι·

Ποθῶ λόγων γέννημα τῶν ἐμῶν τέκων, Ἀναστασίας ὦ λαὲ τῆς ἐμοὶ φίλης, Ἣ τὴν πάλαι θανοῦσαν ἐν νεκροῖς λόγοις Πίστιν παλαιὰν ἐξανέστησεν νέοις· Ὅθεν προελθὼν οὑμὸς, ὡς σπινθὴρ, λόγος, Πάσας κατέσχε φωτὶ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας. 1023 Τίς σου τὸ κάλλος, τίς θρόνους ἐμοὺς ἔχει; Πῶς εἰμ' ἄτεκνος, ζῶσι δ' οἱ παῖδες; Πάτερ, Σοὶ δόξα, κἄν τι τοῦδε χεῖρον συμπέσοι. Ἴσως κολάζεις τὴν ἐμὴν παῤῥησίαν. Τίς ἐκβοήσει γνησίως τὸ σὸν, Τριάς;

ςʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς αὐτούς. Σιὼν ὁδοὶ πενθοῦσι, τὸν νόμου λάτρην Λαὸν ποθοῦσαι

ἡμέραις ἑορτίοις. Πενθῶ δ' ἔγωγε λαὸν οὐχ ὁρώμενον Ἐμοὺς ῥέοντα πρὸς λόγους, ὡς ἦν ποτε Κωνσταντινούπολίς τε καὶ ξένων ὅσον Ἔνδημον, οἷς ἤστραπτεν ἡ φίλη Τριάς. Καὶ νῦν ἐγὼ μὲν ὡς λέων βρυχώμενος 1024 Μακρὰ στενάζω. Τῶν δ' ἐμῶν τέκνων τυχὸν Ἄλλοι κατασκιρτῶσι, πιθανοῖς λόγοις Συναρπάσαντες. Εἰ γὰρ ἔλθοι μοι σθένος, Ὡς πρὶν, Τριὰς, σὸν, καὶ βρυχησαίμην πάλιν Ἐν σοὶ, τάχ' ἄν τι θῆρες εἴξειαν πάλιν.