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my great grace and it looses every bond of sins. And to you I in turn advise, hate no mortal, not even those who unlawfully hung me on the wood. {THEOTOKOS} Alas, for your ever most benevolent mind; how even while suffering you are not hostile to the race, nor are you angry at those who nailed you to the wood. For who could have endured the passion of your wrath, Child? Or who has withstood your indignation? {CHRIST} Go, go now from the midst of the hostile ones; for on account of whom you came to my words, some things have been done, and others I shall remember. Here then I release you from this account. {THEOTOKOS} It is fixed, as it seems, O wretched me; ah, ah, what is this dreadful voice you utter, you who are all sweetness and delight? Thirsting, of what bitterness did you taste? And again you cried out loudly that you were very thirsty. {CHORUS} Having heard the cry, I am utterly astounded; yet the matter for which you now lament, I do not know, but I would wish to hear it from you. Say something, look here. Woe is me for my evils; why, why have your eye and complexion now wasted away? {THEOTOKOS} Be silent, O women, we are undone; hold your speech; I wish to ask the Child; for I see him now near death. Yes, yes, I see him bowing his all-honored head, having easily left a brief discourse. Ah, what do I see? Your body dead, Child, I behold, this is worthy of the greatest wonder; who just now cried out to the Father with a mighty voice that shook the foundations of the earth, to whose voice the whole earth being filled, answered dreadfully; and to those who looked on, a sight appeared greater than their eyes could bear; whom I saw just now, who not long ago was looking upon this light. What is this you suffer? In what way are you destroyed, Child? I wish to learn from you. For the longing heart, to know all things, even in evils is found to be gluttonous. Ah, ah, ah, ah; These things are in harmony with what was foretold. Alas, alas, what shall I do? For my heart is gone. Women, I do not see a bright countenance of my Child; for he has changed his color and his strange beauty, a terrible sight; and a fear to touch the dead one. For I take as my teacher the suffering of the stars, the shaken foundations of the earth, the rent rocks. Go away, go away, I am no longer able to look upon him, but am overcome by sorrows. And I understand what things these will quickly be; but grief is stronger even than sure hope. Child of the All-King, how have you now gone to the halls of Hades on account of the fates of the first-sown? and suddenly you have flown away, as if willingly releasing your soul; for death was never stronger than you, unless you willingly yielded your spirit to the Father. I heard, I hearkened to your voice to the Father. But for what cause does the Father send you from the earth? why did he wish you to die so dishonorably? why have you made the mother who bore you an orphan of you? Alas, may I die with you, Child; Behold, you have died, what city will receive me? what stranger, offering an inviolable land and sure homes, will save this body? There is none. I will wait for you then yet a little while, if I may see the third day shining brightly, as you yourself said, indicating the resurrection of the dead, and I have faith and hold fast to my hopes. And even now, seeing your dead body hanging, I mourn myself more than you, for your absence; for you have lost me more than you have perished. If only I might become dead, Child, instead of you; I am undone, Child, and there is no grace of life for me. Alas, alas, darkness already comes over my eyes; I am undone and now I long for the homes of those below; the things beneath the earth I wish, to the darkness beneath the earth now to migrate, being deprived of the sight of you. Wretched, what a pain I just had, not to be borne nor to be spoken. But I am lost. But how from a speechless and closed eye shall I have comfort, a mother of all sorrows? Did I then raise you in vain, Child, you who dispense nourishment abundantly to all? and in vain did I toil and was worn out by labors, fleeing the hands of those who would murder you, Child, from the very beginning of your strange birth? But I do not think so, even if I lament and even if I weep. I bore you, and I know how I gave you birth; wherefore, wretched one, I once had the greatest hopes in you, that you would care for my old age and, when I died, would with your hands prepare me well for burial, an enviable thing for mortals. Nor has my sweet hope perished, with you, Child, being dead. O sweet voice, bringing me sweet joy, O dearest countenance, O longed-for unspeakable beauty beyond every race, unwritten image of an unwritten form, how are you now downcast?

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πολλήν μου χάριν καὶ πάντα λύει δεσμὸν ἀμπλακημάτων. Σοί τ' αὖ παραινῶ, μηδένα βροτῶν στύγει, μηδ' οἵ μ' ἀπῃώρησαν ἀνόμως ξύλῳ. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Ὤμοι, φρενὸς σῆς εὐμενεστάτης ἀεί· ὡς οὐδὲ πάσχων δυσμεναίνεις τῷ γένει, οὐδὲ προσηλώσασιν ὀργίζῃ ξύλῳ. Τίς γὰρ ἂν ἔτλη θυμὸν ὀργῆς σου, Τέκνον; ἢ τίς ἀγανάκτησιν ὑπέστη σέθεν; {ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ} Ἄπιθ' ἄπιθι δυσμενῶν νῦν ἐκ μέσου· ὧνπερ γὰρ οὕνεκ' εἰς ἐμοὺς ἧκες λόγους, τὰ μὲν πέπρακται, τῶν δ' ἐγὼ μνησθήσομαι. Ἐνταῦθα μέν σοι τῶνδ' ἀπαλλάσσω λόγον. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Ἄραρεν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὦ τάλαιν' ἐγώ· αἲ αἴ, τίν' ἐκφωνεῖς φρικώδη τήνδ' ὄπα, γλυκασμὸς ὢν ὅλος δὲ καὶ θυμηδία; τίνος γε διψῶν ἀπεγεύσω πικρίας; Αὖθίς τε διψᾶν κάρτα κέκραγες μέγα. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Κραυγῆς ἀκούσασ' ἐκπέπληγμαι παντλάμων ἐγώ· τὸ μέντοι πρᾶγμ', ἐφ' ᾧ τανῦν στένεις, οὐκ οἶδα, βουλοίμην δ' ἂν ἐκ σέθεν κλύειν. Φθέγξαι τι, δεῦρ' ἄθρησον. Ἰώ μοι κακῶν· τί τί σὸν ὄμμα χρώς τε συντέτηκε νῦν; {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Σιγήσατ', ὦ γυναῖκες, ἐξειργάσμεθα· ἐπίσχετ' αὐδήν· Παῖδ' ἐρωτῆσαι θέλω· ὁρῶ γὰρ ἤδη τόνδε πλησίον μόρου. Ναὶ ναὶ βλέπω κλίναντα πάντιμον κάραν, μικρὰν λιπόντα ῥᾳδίως ὁμιλίαν. Ἔα, τί λεύσσω; σὸν δέμας νεκρόν, Τέκνον, ἀθρῶ, μεγίστου θαύματος τόδ' ἄξιον· ὃς ἀρτίως κέκραγε πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα φωνῇ κραταιᾷ γεῖσσα γῆς ταραξάσῃ, οὗ πᾶσα μὲν χθὼν φθέγματος πληρουμένη φρικῶδες ἀντεφθέγξατ'· εἰσορῶσι δὲ θέαμα κρεῖσσον ὀμμάτων ἐφαίνετο· ὃν ἀρτίως ἔδρακον, ὃς φάος τόδε οὔπω χρόνον παλαιὸν εἰσεδέρκετο. Τί χρῆμα πάσχεις; τῷ τρόπῳ διόλλυσαι, Τέκνον; πυθέσθαι βούλομαι σέθεν πάρα. Ἡ γὰρ ποθοῦσα καρδία πάντ' εἰδέναι κἀν τοῖς κακοῖσι λίχνος οὖσ' ἁλίσκεται. Ἒ ἒ ἒ ἔ· Τάδε ξυνῳδὰ τοῖς προηγορευμένοις. Αἲ αἴ, τί δράσω; καρδία γὰρ οἴχεται. Γυναῖκες, ὄψιν οὐχ ὁρῶ φαιδρὰν Τέκνου· χροιὰν γὰρ ἠλλάξατο καὶ κάλλος ξένον, δεινὸν θέαμα· καὶ φόβος νεκροῦ θιγεῖν. ∆ιδάσκαλον φέρω γὰρ ἀστέρων πάθος, γῆς γεῖσσα σαλευθέντα, ῥαγείσας πέτρας. Χωρεῖτε χωρεῖτ', οὐκέτ' εἰμὶ προσβλέπειν οἵα πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ νικῶμαι πόνοις. Καὶ ξυνιῶ μὲν οἷα ταῦτ' ἔσται τάχει· λύπη δὲ κρείσσων καὶ βεβαίας ἐλπίδος. Παῖ Παντάνακτος, πῶς ἐς ᾅδου νῦν δόμους οἴχῃ μόρων ἕκητι τῶν πρωτοσπόρων; αἴφνης δ' ἀπέπτης, ὡς μεθεὶς ἑκουσίως ψυχήν· μόρος γὰρ οὔποτ' ἦν ὑπέρτερος, εἰ μὴ μεθῆκας Πατρὶ πνεῦμ' ἑκουσίως. Ἤκουσ' ἔκλυον σὴν ὄπα πρὸς Πατέρα. Τίνος δ' ἕκατι γῆς σ' ἀποστέλλει Πατήρ; τί σ' ὧδ' ἀτίμως ἠθέλησε τεθνάναι; τί τὴν τεκοῦσαν μητέρ' ὀρφανὴν σέθεν τέθεικας; Οἴμοι, συνθάνοιμί σοι, Τέκνον· Ἰδοὺ τέθνηκας, τίς με δέξεται πόλις; τίς γῆν ἄσυλον καὶ δόμους ἐχεγγύους ξένος παρασχὼν ῥύσεται δέμας τόδε; Οὐκ ἔστι. Μείνω σ' οὖν ἔτι σμικρὸν χρόνον, ἢν τριττὸν ἦμαρ λαμπροφεγγὲς εἰσίδω, ὡς αὐτὸς εἶπας νεκρέγερσιν μηνύων, κἀγὼ πέποιθα καὶ στέγω ταῖς ἐλπίσι. Κἂν νῦν νέκυν βλέπουσ' ἀπῃωρημένον, στένω 'μὲ μᾶλλον, ἢ σέ, τῆς ἀπουσίας· ἀπώλεσας γὰρ μᾶλλον ἢ κατέφθισο. Εἰ γὰρ γενοίμην, Τέκνον, ἀντὶ σοῦ νεκρός· ὄλωλα, Τέκνον, οὐδέ μοι χάρις βίου. Αἲ αἴ, κατ' ὄσσων κιχάνει μ' ἤδη σκότος· ὄλωλα καὶ δὴ νερτέρων ποθῶ δόμους· τὸ κατὰ γᾶς θέλω, τὸ κατὰ γᾶς κνέφας τανῦν μετοικεῖν, σῆς θέας στερουμένη. ∆ύστηνος, οἷον ἔσχον ἄρτ' ἄλγημ' ἐγώ, οὐ τλητὸν οὐδὲ ῥητόν. Ἀλλ' ἀπωλόμην. Πῶς δ' ἐξ ἀναύδου καὶ μύσαντος ὄμματος ἕξω παρηγόρημα, μήτηρ παντλάμων; Ἄλλως σ' ἄρ' αὐτή, Τέκνον, ἐξεθρεψάμην, ὃς τὴν τροφὴν ἅπασι δαψιλῶς νέμεις; μάτην τ' ἐμόχθουν καὶ κατεξάνθην πόνοις, φεύγουσα χεῖρας τῶν φονώντων σοί, Τέκνον, ἀρχῆς ἀπ' ἄκρης σῶν ξένων γενεθλίων; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγᾦμαι, κἂν στένω κἂν δακρύω. Ἐγώ σ' ἔτικτον, οἶδα δ' ὥς σ' ἐγεινάμην· ὅθεν ποθ' ἡ δύστηνος εἶχον ἐλπίδας ἐν σοὶ μεγίστας γηροβοσκήσειν τ' ἐμὲ καὶ κατθανοῦσαν χερσὶν εὖ περιστελεῖν, ζηλωτὸν ἀνθρώποισιν. Οὐδ' ὄλωλέ μοι ἐλπὶς γλυκεῖα, σοῦ, Τέκνον, τεθνηκότος. Ὦ φθέγμα γλυκύ, γλυκὺ χάρμα μοι φέρον, ὦ φιλτάτη πρόσοψις, ὦ ποθουμένη ὡραιότης ἄρρητος ὑπὲρ πᾶν γένος, εἰκὼν ἄγραφος ἀγράφου μορφώματος, πῶς νῦν στυγνάζεις;