MACRINA THE ONE SUPPORT OF HER MOTHER

And now the virtue of the great Macrina was displayed. Facing the disaster in a [970A] rational spirit, she both preserved herself from collapse, and becoming the prop of her mother's weakness, raised her up from the abyss of grief, and by her own steadfastness and imperturbability taught her mother's soul to be brave. In consequence, her mother was not overwhelmed by the affliction, nor did she behave in any ignoble and womanish way, so as to cry out at the calamity, or tear her dress, or lament over the trouble, or strike up funeral chants with mournful melodies. On the contrary she resisted the impulses of nature, and quieted herself both by such reflections as occurred to her spontaneously, and those that were applied by her daughter to cure the ill. For then was the nobility of Macrina's soul most of all conspicuous; since [970B] natural affection was making her suffer as well. For it was a brother, and a favourite brother, who had been snatched away by such a manner of death. Nevertheless, conquering nature, she so sustained her mother by her arguments that she, too, rose superior to her sorrow. Besides which, the moral elevation always maintained by Macrina's life gave her mother the opportunity of rejoicing over the blessings she enjoyed rather than grieving over those that were missing.  

Ἐν τούτῳ διεφάνη τῆς μεγάλης Μακρίνης ἡ ἀρετή, ὅπως τῷ πάθει τὸν λογισμὸν ἀντιστήσασα ἑαυτήν τε ἄπτωτον διεφύλαξε καὶ τῆς μητρικῆς ἀσθενείας ἔρεισμα γενομένη πάλιν ἐκ τοῦ βυθοῦ τῆς λύπης αὐτὴν ἀνιμήσατο, τῷ καθ' ἑαυτὴν στερρῷ τε καὶ ἀνενδότῳ καὶ τὴν τῆς μητρὸς ψυχὴν πρὸς ἀνδρείαν παιδοτριβήσασα. Οὐκοῦν οὐ παρεσύρη πρὸς τὸ πάθος ἡ μήτηρ οὐδὲ ἔπαθε δυσγενές τι καὶ γυναικεῖον, ὥστε βοῆσαι πρὸς τὸ κακὸν ἢ περιρρήξασθαι τὸ ἱμάτιον ἢ ἐπικωκῦσαι τῷ πάθει ἢ ταῖς γοεραῖς μελῳδίαις ἀνακινῆσαι τοὺς θρήνους. Ἀλλὰ ἡσυχῆ διεκαρτέρει τὰς τῆς φύσεως προσβολὰς ἀπωθουμένη λογισμοῖς τοῖς τε ἰδίοις καὶ τοῖς παρὰ τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτῇ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ κακοῦ θεραπείαν προσαγομένοις. Τότε γὰρ δὴ μάλιστα ἡ ὑψηλή τε καὶ ἐπηρμένη τῆς παρθένου ψυχὴ διεφάνη, ὅτι καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῃ ἡ μὲν φύσις τὸ ἴδιον ἔπασχεν: ἀδελφὸς γὰρ ἦν καὶ ἀδελφῶν ὁ κεχαρισμένος ὁ τῷ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ τοῦ θανάτου ἀναρπασθείς: ὅμως ὑψηλοτέρα γενομένη τῆς φύσεως συνεπῆρε τοῖς ἰδίοις λογισμοῖς τὴν μητέρα καὶ ὑπεράνω τοῦ πάθους ἔστησε, τῷ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ὑποδείγματι πρὸς ὑπομονήν τε καὶ ἀνδρείαν παιδαγωγήσασα. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ ὁ βίος αὐτῆς ἀεὶ δι' ἀρετῆς ὑψούμενος οὐ παρεῖχε τῇ μητρὶ καιρὸν ἐπὶ τῷ λείποντι δυσχεραίνειν μᾶλλον ἢ τῷ ὁρωμένῳ ἀγαθῷ ἐπαγάλλεσθαι.