9

And behold for you, initiate, a virgin mother. Why then, woman, why do you wet your eyes with tears? Why again are you downcast in your eyes and shedding tears and stand confused, when you are fortunate, and do not gladly receive this turn of events from me? These things are in harmony with what has been foretold, which I myself said and the mouth of prophets. Now is the time for the earth-born enemy to pay the penalty. Why then do you still grieve for your Child? {THEOTOKOS} Nothing; thinking about this people, I came to these words with myself and I lament them, overcome by calamity, and I groaned at what a deed must be done from now on by them, who have hung you up, Child, and I am watching to see how all this will turn out. But grief is stronger even than firm hope. For you will more easily kill our natural enemy and cast down death, and rising up sooner you will punish the avengers; but a woman is female and born for tears. Whence I too, groaning and struck by the goads of sorrow, wretched I, am wailing. I am glorious, yes, but yet I am destroyed, being deprived of the divine sight of you. For this drama, falling upon me unexpectedly, has destroyed my soul; I am undone, then, having let go of the grace of life, I wish to die, Child. For I am worn out, being desolate, without a city, having no mother, no brother, no kinsman to whom I can turn from this calamity; and if I do not see you very soon, how shall I bear it, Child? But, O dear Son, do not leave me bereft of you. {CHRIST} Take heart; for I will arrange these things well, and your part is more secure; declare God; but you do not know what a discovery you have made in this. For I will in turn give you gifts which are prized as fairest in heaven and on earth and in all creation. And for many reasons I will give you this grace. {THEOTOKOS} I trust and in no way do I disbelieve your words. And for me these things are best, I know well; I gave you birth, and I know how I bore you; but the pain surpasses what is known. But I beseech you by this saving passion, which brings impassibility to our race, and in a motherly way I touch your feet, pity, pity me, the wretched one, and do not leave me desolate, cast out from you, but receive me to your land and home as a suppliant, if you do not wish to execute your judgment more quickly; so may your desire from the Father be fulfilled towards its goal, and may I see you, having died willingly, raised from the dead on the third day, as you yourself have often said to your friends; for so the whole matter will be more secure for me, and you yourself, being the blessed one of a blessed Father, being known, will be praised by all creation. May I not then live a long and sorrowful life, and may the crowd of avengers pay the penalty, having killed you, the Master of earth and heaven. For may they, as they have done, find evils, which befall impious mortals; but I do not have concern for them as for children, that their relatives might suffer, exacting punishment for the impious murder of their kinsman; but you yourself, O beloved, God-born light, restrain, stop, deliver from slaughter the remnant of the beloved seed. {CHRIST} I praise these things, woman, nor do I blame those others, and for many reasons I am eager to grant you this favor, and you shall not fail. For I will assist you completely in this purpose, and you yourself may know the reversal of loss, being freed from this despondency. {THEOTOKOS} Alas, for your noble and good mind; O Child, with what a calamity you have been yoked; but the nobility of your mind remains safe; how much forethought you always show for me; thinking on these things, I perceived that I had much foolishness and was grieving in vain, and in vain I came to these words with myself. {CHORUS} Ah, ah! I heard the shout of many-groaned wailings, a voice I heard, I heard a cry of groans. And one cries to God as if suffering terribly. {THEOTOKOS} And indeed, the renowned Peter is approaching from afar, sullen, pitiable, and conscience-stricken; and one cries to God as if having done a great evil. Why, Peter, do you lament? You have done terrible things, but yet it is still possible for you to find pardon for them. O Child, O most beloved, O Word of God, forgive; for it is natural for a man to sin, Child, and Peter sinned, fearing the crowds. {CHRIST} Enduring now, depart, virgin mother; and I absolve Peter of his fault, as you wish; for even before I obeyed your words for the sake of your piety and good mind. And let your part be out of the question for me; and it also draws tears

9

Ἰδοὺ δὲ καὶ σοί, μύστα, μήτηρ παρθένος. Τί γοῦν τί, γύναι, δακρύοις τέγγεις κόρας; τί δ' αὖ κατηφεῖς ὄμμα καὶ δακρυρροεῖς καὶ συγχυθεῖσ' ἕστηκας, ἡνίκ' εὐτυχεῖς, κοὐκ ἀσμένη τόνδ' ἐξ ἐμοῦ δέχῃ τρόπον; Ταῦτα ξυνῳδὰ τοῖς προηγορευμένοις οἷς αὐτὸς εἶπον καὶ θεοπρόπων στόμα. Νῦν καιρὸς ἐχθρὸν γηγενῶν τίσειν δίκην. Τί δῆτα λοιπὸν σῷ γ' ἐπιστένεις Τέκνῳ; {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Οὐδέν· λαοῦ τοῦδ' ἐννοουμένη πέρι ἔγωγ' ἐμαυτῇ πρὸς λόγους ἀφικόμην καὶ τούσδε θρηνῶ συμφορᾷ νικωμένη, ᾤμωξά θ' οἷον ἔργον ἔστ' ἐργαστέον τοὐντεῦθεν αὐτοῖς, οἵ σ' ἀνήρτησαν, Τέκνον, καραδοκῶ τε πάνθ' ὅπῃ προβήσεται. Λύπη δὲ κρείσσων καὶ βεβαίας ἐλπίδος. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἡμῶν δυσμενῆ πεφυκότα ῥᾷον κτενεῖς σὺ καὶ καταβαλεῖς μόρον, θᾶττόν τ' ἀνιὼν τοὺς ἀλάστορας τίσεις· γυνὴ δὲ θῆλυ κἀπὶ δακρύοις ἔφυ. Ὅθεν κἀγὼ στένουσα καὶ πεπληγμένη κέντροις ἀνίας, ἡ τλάμων ὀδύρομαι. Εἴμ' εὐκλεὴς μέν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἀπόλλυμαι, στερουμένη σῆς θεσπεσίας μοι θέας. Ὡς γὰρ ἄελπτον δρᾶμα προσπεσὸν τόδε ψυχὴν διέφθαρκ'· οἴχομαι γοῦν, τοῦ βίου χάριν μεθεῖσα, κατθανεῖν χρῄζω, Τέκνον. Καὶ γὰρ ἔρημος, ἄπολις οὖσα τρύχομαι, οὐ μητέρ' οὐκ ἀδελφὸν οὐχὶ συγγενῆ μεθορμίσασθαι τῆσδ' ἔχουσα συμφορᾶς· κἂν μὴ τάχιστ' ἴδω σε, πῶς οἴσω, Τέκνον; Ἀλλ', ὦ φίλ' Υἱέ, μή μ' ἔρημόν σου λίπῃς. {ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ} Θάρσησον· εὖ γὰρ τῶνδ' ἐγὼ θήσω πέρι, τὸ σὸν δ' ἄραρε μᾶλλον· ἐξηγοῦ Θεόν· εὕρημα δ' οὐκ οἶσθ' οἷον εὕρηκας τόδε. Θήσω γὰρ αὖ σοι δῶρ' ἃ καλλιστεύεται ἐν οὐρανῷ γαίῃ τε καὶ πάσῃ κτίσει. Πολλῶν δ' ἕκατι τήνδε σοι δώσω χάριν. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Πέποιθα κοὔτι σοῖς ἀπιστῶ που λόγοις. Κἀμοὶ τάδ' ἐστὶ λῷστα, γινώσκω καλῶς· ἐγώ σ' ἔτικτον, οἶδα δ' ὥς σ' ἐγεινάμην· ὑπερτερεῖ δ' ἄλγημα τῶν ἐγνωσμένων. Ἀλλ' ἄντομαί σε τοῦδε πρὸς σωτηρίου πάθους, φέροντος ἀπάθειαν τῷ γένει, μητροπρεπῶς τε σῶν ποδῶν ἐφάπτομαι, οἴκτειρον οἴκτειρόν με τὴν δυστλήμονα καὶ μή μ' ἔρημον ἐκπεσοῦσαν σοῦ λίπῃς, δέξαι δὲ χώρᾳ καὶ δόμοις ἐφέστιον, ἢν θᾶσσον οὐ βούλοιο σὴν δίκην κρίναι· οὕτως ἔρως σοι πρὸς Πατρὸς τελεσφόρος σκοποῦ γένοιτο, καὶ θανόνθ' ἑκουσίως ἴδοιμι νεκρέγερτον ἤματι τρίτῳ, ὡς αὐτὸς εἶπας πολλάκις πρὸς σοὺς φίλους· τὸ πᾶν γὰρ οὕτως ἀσφαλέστερόν τ' ἐμοί, σύ τ' αὐτὸς ὢν ὄλβιος ὀλβίου Πατρὸς γνωσθεὶς ἀνυμνηθῇς γε πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει. Μὴ γοῦν διάξω λυπρὸν ἐς μακρὸν βίον, ὄχλος δ' ἀλαστόρων γε τίσει τὴν δίκην, τὸν ∆εσπότην κτείνας σε γῆς τε καὶ πόλου. Οὗτοι γάρ, ὡς ἔδρασαν, εὕρωσιν κακά, ἃ τοῖσι δυσσεβοῦσι γίνεται βροτοῖς· ἀλλ' οὐ γὰρ αὐτῶν φροντίδ' ὡς τέκνων ἔχω μή πως πάθωσιν οἱ προσήκοντες σφίσι, πατρῷον ἐκπράσσοντες ἀσεβῆ φόνον· ἀλλ' αὐτός, ὦ σπλάγχνον, θεηγενὲς φάος, κάτειργε, κατάπαυσον, ἔξελ' ἐκ φόνου ἐγκατάλειμμα σπέρματος πεφιλμένου. {ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ} Αἰνῶ, γύναι, τάδ', οὐδ' ἐκεῖνα μέμφομαι, πολλῶν δ' ἕκητι τήνδε σοι δοῦναι χάριν ἐγὼ πρόθυμός εἰμι κοὐκ ἂν ἐκπέσῃς. Συλλήψομαι γὰρ τοῦδέ σοι πάμπαν σκοποῦ, αὐτή τε γνοίης ζημίας ἀντιστροφήν, ἀπαλλαγεῖσα τῆσδε τῆς ἀθυμίας. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Ὤμοι, φρενὸς σῆς εὐγενοῦς τε κἀγαθῆς· Ὦ Τέκνον, οἵᾳ συμφορᾷ συνεζύγης· τὸ δ' εὐγενές σου τῶν φρενῶν σῶον μένει· ὅσην ἀεί μοι τὴν προμήθειαν φέρεις· ταῦτ' ἐννοηθεῖσ' ᾐσθόμην ἀβουλίαν πολλὴν ἔχουσα καὶ μάτην λυπουμένη, μάτην θ' ἑαυτῇ πρὸς λόγους ἀφικόμην. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Ἂ ἄ· Πολυστόνων ἄϊον ἰαχὰν γόων, φωνὰν ἔκλυον, ἔκλυον βοὰν στόνων. Θεοκλυτεῖ δ' ὡς ἄρα δεινά τις παθών. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Καὶ μὴν ὁ κλεινὸς ἄπο δὴ στείχει Πέτρος σκυθρωπός, οἰκτρὸς καὶ κατανενυγμένος· θεοκλυτεῖ τις δ' ὡς κακὸν ῥέξας μέγα. Τί, Πέτρε, θρηνεῖς; δείν' ἔπραξας, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔτ' ἔστι καὶ σοὶ τῶνδε συγγνώμης τυχεῖν. Ὦ Τέκνον, ὦ φίλτατον, ὦ Θεοῦ Λόγε, σύγγνωθ'· ἁμαρτεῖν δ' εἰκὸς ἄνθρωπον, Τέκνον, καὶ Πέτρος ἐξήμαρτε τοὺς ὄχλους τρέσας. {ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ} Στέγουσα νῦν ἄπιθι, μῆτερ παρθένε· λύω δὲ Πέτρῳ σφάλμα, χρῃζούσης σέθεν· καὶ γὰρ πάροιθεν σοῖς ἐπειθόμην λόγοις σῆς εὐσεβείας κἀγαθῆς φρενὸς χάριν. Καί μοι τὸ μὲν σὸν ἐκποδὼν ἔστω λόγου· ἕλκει δὲ καὶ δάκρυα