Paul the Silentiary, Description of Saint Sophia

Descriptio Sanctae Sophiae

We have come to you, men, from the hearth of the emperor to the hearth of the all-great Emperor, the maker of the universe, through whom victory is in

with fastenings of robes. Wiping the five-year tear from our sight, we will sing with auspicious lips hymns of happy feet. The scepter-bearer of the A

Having spoken he hastened to the sacred precincts, and soon the deed was swifter than the neighbouring word for rousing himself, as is right, he did

He was assembled, and every ruler of the seats, serving the commands of the mighty emperor and bringing pleasing gifts to Christ the King, with suppli

For in it a curved rim did not run around the middle space, like that on the eastern limits, where priests skilled in sacrifice set up thrones gleamin

they met upon a very golden h[ea]d but in the middle like a crown above [ ] the rim of the unhewn space, which art did not [make]. ]the form of the c

having gone up for the one rising towards the west is no longer equal to the other two, going beyond the narthex. But also at the western foot of the

A gold-flowing ray, unbearable to human faces, leaped upon them. One might say he was looking at Phaethon at midday in the season of spring, when he g

Where am I carried? Where does my unbridled story travel? Hold back, bold voice, with closed lip, and no longer lay bare what is not lawful for eyes t

but along the columns of the portico, here and there, they set up in a row a single-wicked lamp, one after another distinctly and it travels the whol

circles to the evening and morning light for to you, much-hymned one, dawn and evening know how to cease from cares. for you the harbors separate a g

of wrath, sitting unshaken upon a waveless calm. You have shaken off all the barking pains of troubles, and opening your kind heart as a channel of pi

Where am I carried? Where does my unbridled story travel? Hold back, bold voice, with closed lip, and no longer lay bare what is not lawful for eyes to see. But you mystagogues, under your hands, for whom this rite commands, spreading out a cloth dyed with the crimson flower of the Sidonian purple-shell, cover the back of the table, and on the four silver sides, spreading the coverings straight, show to the countless people gold in abundance and the bright marvels of skilled art. Of these, one embroidered the revered face of Christ; this the hands of finely-working art produced, not a chisel, not any needle driven through robes, but the loom changing its many-hued threads, many-formed threads, which the barbarian ant harvested. A gold-shining gleam like the rays of the rosy-armed dawn flashed back from the simple, divinely-wrought limbs, and the tunic was purple with Tyrian sea-flower purple, covering the right shoulder with well-wrought threads; for there the covering of the garment had slipped away, and creeping beautifully across the side over the shoulder it is draped on the left; and the forearm and the palm of the hand are bare of covering. And he seems to extend the fingers of his right hand, as if proclaiming the ever-living word, holding in his left a book, witness of sacred words, a book announcing all that the Lord himself, with helpful counsel, accomplished, planting his foot upon the earth. And the whole robe glitters with gold; for in it, finely drawn-out gold, wound about the threads, in shapes like a channel or some pipe, is fixed as a band high on the lovely robe, bound with sharpest needles and with threads of the Seres. And standing on either side are two heralds of God, Paul, a man filled with all God-receiving wisdom, and the mighty key-holder of the heavenly gates, commanding with heavenly and earthly bonds; the one holds up a book, pregnant with pure speech, the other, the symbol of the cross on a golden staff. The variegated loom clothes both in silver-white robes; and over their immortal heads the gold of the nave swelled, raising the triple-coiled splendor of the apse; and it sits firmly upon four golden columns. And on the outermost borders of the gold-bound cloth, art depicted the unspeakable, helpful works of the all-ruling city-guarding emperors; here one will see houses for the healing of the sick, there, sacred buildings. Elsewhere shine the miracles of the heavenly Christ; and grace is poured over the works. And in other cloths you might find the emperors being joined, in one place by the palms of Mary, the God-bearer, in another by the hand of Christ the God; and everything is variegated by the gleam of the loom's threads and gold-bearing filaments. All things are clothed in splendor, all you will perceive bringing wonder to your eyes; but no story is sufficient to describe the evening light-bringing. Truly you might say that a nocturnal Phaethon illuminates the sanctuary of the house. For indeed the resourceful wisdom of my emperors stretched out long, woven, bronze-wrought chains, bound with opposing, many-curved links from the rim of the stone projection, on whose back the high-headed nave set the foundations of its roof. And these, descending from some very long track, rush down together towards the earth; but before reaching the ground, they checked their high-coursing journey. And they complete a harmonious chorus. And from the chain, indeed, he fastened silver discs, hanging from the air like a crown, circling about the limits of the middle of the hall. And these, creeping down from the high-coursing path, hang in a circle above the heads of men. A most skillful man pierced them all through with iron, so that they might receive funnels stretched out from fire-wrought glass, and there might be for men a hanging receptacle of nocturnal light. Nor did the night-loving light shine in the discs alone; but in a circle you will also perceive the much-seen symbol of the great cross, a neighbor to the disc, and holding up a light-bearing vessel with its much-pierced back. And a circular chorus of beautifully-shining lights is established. Truly you might say you are seeing close by the brilliant stars of Arcturus and the Dragon's jaws and the heavenly Crown. Thus the evening flame winds through the nave, flashing brightly; and in the middle, in a smaller circle, you will find the light-bearing rim of a second crown. And fixed in the middle at the center, another good disc, leaping from the air, was gleaming; and darkness is driven into exile. Near

φέρομαι; πῆι μῦθος ἰὼν ἀχάλινος ὁδεύει; ἴσχεο τολμήεσσα μεμυκότι χείλεϊ φωνή, μηδ' ἔτι γυμνώσειας ἃ μὴ θέμις ὄμμασι λεύσσειν. μυστιπόλοι δ' ὑπὸ χερσίν, ὅσοις τόδε θεσμὰ κελεύει, Σιδονίης φοίνικι βεβαμμένον ἄνθεϊ κόχλου φᾶρος ἐφαπλώσαντες ἐρέψατε νῶτα τραπέζης, τέτρασι δ' ἀργυρέηισιν ἐπὶ πλευρῆισι καλύπτρας ὀρθοτενεῖς πετάσαντες ἀπείρονι δείξατε δήμωι χρυσὸν ἅλις καὶ φαιδρὰ σοφῆς δαιδάλματα τέχνης. ὧν μία μὲν ποίκιλλε σέβας Χριστοῖο προσώπου· τοῦτο δὲ καλλιπόνοιο φυτεύσατο χείρεσι τέχνης οὐ γλυφίς, οὐ ῥαφίδων τις ἐλαυνομένης διὰ πέπλων, ἀλλὰ μεταλλάσσουσα πολύχροα νήματα πήνη, νήματα ποικιλόμορφα, τὰ βάρβαρος ἤροσε μύρμηξ. χρυσοφαὲς δ' ἀμάρυγμα βολαῖς ῥοδοπήχεος ἠοῦς ἁπλοῒς ἀντήστραψε θεοκράντων ἐπὶ γυίων, καὶ Τυρίηι πόρφυρε χιτὼν ἁλιανθέϊ κόχλωι, δεξιὸν εὐτύκτοις ὑπὸ νήμασιν ὦμον ἐρέπτων· κεῖθι γὰρ ἀμπεχόνης μὲν ἀπωλίσθησε καλύπτρη, καλὰ δ' ἀνερπύζουσα διὰ πλευρῆς ὑπὲρ ὤμου ἀγκέχυται λαιοῖο· γεγύμνωται δὲ καλύπτρης πῆχυς καὶ θέναρ ἄκρον. ἔοικε δὲ δάκτυλα τείνειν δεξιτερῆς, ἅτε μῦθον ἀειζώοντα πιφαύσκων, λαιῆι βίβλον ἔχων ζαθέων ἐπιίστορα μύθων, βίβλον ἀπαγγέλλουσαν, ὅσα χραισμήτορι βουλῆι αὐτὸς ἄναξ ἐτέλεσσεν ἐπὶ χθονὶ ταρσὸν ἐρείδων. πᾶσα δ' ἀπαστράπτει χρυσέη στολίς· ἐν γὰρ ἐκείνηι τρητὸς λεπταλέος περὶ νήματα χρυσὸς ἑλιχθείς, σχήμασιν ἢ σωλῆνος ὁμοίιος ἤ τινος αὐλοῦ, δέσμιος ἱμερόεντος ἐρείδεται ὑψόθι πέπλου, ὀξυτέραις ῥαφίδεσσι δεθεὶς καὶ νήμασι Σηρῶν. ἱστάμενοι δ' ἑκάτερθε δύω κήρυκε θεοῖο, Παῦλος, ὅλης σοφίης θεοδέγμονος ἔμπλεος ἀνήρ, καὶ σθεναρὸς κληιδοῦχος ἐπουρανίων πυλεώνων, αἰθερίοις δεσμοῖσιν ἐπιχθονίοις τε κελεύων· ὃς μὲν ἐλαφρίζει καθαρῆς ἐγκύμονα ῥήτρης βίβλον, ὁ δὲ σταυροῖο τύπον χρυσέης ἐπὶ ῥάβδου. ἄμφω δὲ στολίδεσσιν ὑπ' ἀργυφέηισι πυκάζει πήνη ποικιλόεργος· ἐπ' ἀμβροσίων δὲ καρήνων νηὸς ἐκολπώθη χρύσεος, τριέλικτον ἐγείρων ἀγλαΐην ἁψῖδος· ἐφεδρήσσει δὲ βεβηκὼς τέτρασι χρυσείοις ἐπὶ κίοσι. χείλεσι δ' ἄκροις χρυσοδέτου πέπλοιο κατέγραφεν ἄσπετα τέχνη ἔργα πολισσούχων ἐριούνια παμβασιλήων· πῆι μὲν νουσαλέων τις ἀκέστορας ὄψεται οἴκους, πῆι δὲ δόμους ἱερούς. ἑτέρωθι δὲ θαύματα λάμπει οὐρανίου Χριστοῖο· χάρις δ' ἐπιλείβεται ἔργοις. ἐν δ' ἑτέροις πέπλοισι συναπτομένους βασιλῆας ἄλλοθι μὲν παλάμαις Μαρίης θεοκύμονος εὕροις, ἄλλοθι δὲ Χριστοῖο θεοῦ χερί· πάντα δὲ πήνης νήμασι χρυσοπόρων τε μίτων ποικίλλεται αἴγληι. Πάντα μὲν ἀγλαΐηι καταειμένα, πάντα νοήσεις ὄμμασι θάμβος ἄγοντα· φαεσφορίην δὲ λιγαίνειν ἑσπερίην οὐ μῦθος ἐπάρκιος. ἦ τάχα φαίης ἐννύχιον Φαέθοντα καταυγάζειν σέβας οἴκου. καὶ γὰρ ἐμῶν πολύμητις ἐπιφροσύνη βασιλήων ἀντιπόροις ἑλίκεσσι πολυγνάμπτοισι δεθείσας πλεκτὰς χαλκελάτους δολιχὰς ἐτανύσσατο σειρὰς λαϊνέης προβλῆτος ἀπ' ἄντυγος, ἧς ἐπὶ νώτωι νηὸς ἀερσικάρηνος ἐρείσατο ταρσὰ καλύπτρης. αἱ δὲ κατειβόμεναι περιμήκεος ἔκποθεν οἴμου ἀθρόαι ἀΐσσουσι κατὰ χθόνα· πρὶν δ' ἀφικέσθαι ἐς πέδον, ὑψικέλευθον ἀνεκρούσαντο πορείην. καὶ χορὸν ἐκτελέουσιν ὁμόγνιον. ἐκ δέ νυ σειρῆς ἀργυρέους στεφανηδὸν ἀπ' ἠέρος ἥψατο δίσκους ἐκκρεμέας περὶ τέλσα μέσου τροχάοντα μελάθρου. οἱ δὲ καθερπύζοντες ἀφ' ὑψιπόροιο κελεύθου ἀνδρομέων κυκληδὸν ὑπερτέλλουσι καρήνων. τοὺς μὲν ἀνὴρ πολύϊδρις ὅλους ἐτόρησε σιδήρωι, ὄφρα κεν ἐξ ὑάλοιο πυρικμήτοιο ταθέντας οὐριάχους δέξαιντο καὶ ἐκκρεμὲς ἀνδράσιν εἴη φέγγεος ἐννυχίοιο δοχήϊον. οὐδ' ἐνὶ δίσκοις μούνοις φέγγος ἔλαμπε φιλέννυχον· ἀλλ' ἐνὶ κύκλωι καὶ μεγάλου σταυροῖο τύπον πολύωπα νοήσεις, γείτονα μὲν δίσκοιο, πολυτρήτοισι δὲ νώτοις ἄγγος ἐλαφρίζοντα σελασφόρον. εὐσελάων δὲ κύκλιος ἐκ φαέων χορὸς ἵσταται. ἦ τάχα φαίης ἐγγύθεν ἀρκτούροιο δρακοντείων τε γενείων οὐρανίου στεφάνοιο λελαμπότα τείρεα λεύσσειν. Οὕτω μὲν κατὰ νηὸν ἑλίσσεται ἑσπερίη φλόξ, φαιδρὸν ἀπαστράπτουσα· μέσωι δ' ἐνὶ μείονι κύκλωι δευτατίου στεφάνοιο σελασφόρον ἄντυγα δήεις. μεσσοπαγὲς δ' ἐπὶ κέντρον ἀπ' ἠέρος ἄλλος ὀρούσας δίσκος ἐὺς σελάγιζε· φυγὰς δ' ἀπελαύνεται ὄρφνη. Ἐγγύθι