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I cannot bear to see you. How, how are you silent now, you do not even open your mouth? Give a voice to me, give, give a comfort to me; utter something small to your wretched mother, Child. Yes, Child, I know, and my God, even if you bear a wretched death, making me immortal, a death bringing immortal glory and great joy to the whole race of mortals. {THEOLOGIAN} Endure, all-sovereign queen, eager to weep; for he willingly endured his fate, not unwillingly, so that having now cast down the all-devouring doom of our race, he might come as an avenger, the all-working Master, and boiling my frame in a golden cauldron, he might renew me wondrously by his wise providence. For having skillfully scraped off the grievous old age of my ancient man-destroying corruption, he would make me a dear youth, flourishing; as now a most evil old age afflicts everyone, yes, yes, old age afflicts me with the weight of woes from the ancient outrage of a deceived mother; but he himself said he would deliver me from woes, and turn my mother herself to him and the land and house which she, betraying, left through the unholy counsels of a savage beast for this land, the mother of groans, with a man, whom she, having before dishonored, knew. For the wretched one knew from her misfortunes, what it was to leave the fertile soil before; and for this reason, that he willed to undergo all things he himself foretold and willingly endured death, and on the third day to be raised from the tomb, bringing joy and a great one to his dear disciples. And knowing all these things before, he spoke clearly. And now all these things have their fulfillment; only the joyful day remains, and this we now await, and it will be as he said. For he who now has made known the unerring sorrows, will also show a glorious joy on the third day. And you know best the end of these events; and instead of this grief and wailing he will place the greatest honors for you on earth and in heaven and will fill all the earth with glorious words, and the race of mortals will build temples for you. For sooner, instead of this impious murder, he will attach a solemn feast to this land, and will make the land of Salem a holy ground; for which reasons one must not lament beyond measure. Do not then, lady, groan so exceedingly, neither raising your eye nor turning from the earth your face, nor your eyelids from the flow of tears. How long will you turn your neck down, watering the earth with streams of tears? knowing that the avenging eye of the all-seeing Master will bring you great joy sooner, toward whom alone it is necessary for you to turn your eye. For you know, you know; there will follow the preludes also a bright end, a joyful day; you need only wait one day, for tomorrow, so that the care, which also afflicts me, may be accomplished. {THEOTOKOS} You have appeared to me as another son, O virgin; for he himself said Son, who is also my only one. And you know everything completely, what need is there to speak? how I gave birth without seed, without birth-pangs, and fled the harsh pains of childbirth, and he, announcing, said this was the Child of God, and he did many things, such as are of God alone. And how can I now bear to see him naked and a corpse, suspended on a cross, he who suspended the earth over the waters, for whom the light of the sun was withdrawn, and all the brightness of the moon was darkened and the rocks endured splitting in fear, and tombs were opened as a sign of his power, when he, their Cause, suffered for them. {THEOLOGIAN} All-sovereign Lady, mother of the Word, I myself am also astonished, not bearing to see the dreadful sight, the Master dead, the life who breathes breath into the living, and I groan often and pour out hot tears. But hope nevertheless nourishes me, and I bear my lamenting; for I do not disbelieve the words of the Master. And the third day, brightly shining, will show the fulfillment of the hope that nourishes us; may it not pass by, for it is better for me to die. {THEOTOKOS} I hear, knowing, that on the third day his all-holy body rises again from corruption; but now is a hostile day, a hostile light I see and wretched her who was formerly blessed. Wherefore I consider the affairs of mortals more a shadow, and I would not tremble to say that the wise of mortals, who seem to be so and are students of words, these incur the greatest penalty. For no one of mortals is happy by nature; but when good fortune flows in, more renowned one may become than another, but happy, no. {SEMICHORUS} Of all things that have life and sense, we women are the most wretched creature, all of us who have borne and have seen our children dead; for I would wish to die three times

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οὐ φέρω βλέπουσά σε. Πῶς πῶς σιγᾷς νῦν, οὐδ' ὑπανοίγεις στόμα; ∆ὸς φθέγμα μοι, δός, δὸς παρηγόρημά μοι· φθέγξαι τι μικρὸν μητρὶ δυστήνῳ, Τέκνον. Ναὶ Τέκνον οἶδα καὶ Θεόν μου, κἂν φέρῃς θάνατον οἰκτρὸν ἀθανατίζοντά με, θάνατον ἀθάνατον ἄγοντα κλέος καὶ χάρμα παντὶ τῷ βροτῶν γένει μέγα. {ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΣ} Τέτλαθι, παγκοίρανε, μαιμῶσα κλάειν· ἑκὼν γὰρ ἔτλη πότμον, οὔκουν ἀέκων, ὡς παμφάγον νῦν καββαλὼν οἶτον γένους ἔκδικος ἔλθῃ, ∆εσπότης παντεργάτης, λέβητι χρυσέῳ δ' ἐφέψων μοι δέμας, σοφῇ προμηθείᾳ με καινίσῃ ξένως. Λυγρὸν γὰρ ἀπὸ γῆρας εὐφυῶς ξύσας ἀνθρωπολοιγοῦ παμπαλαιᾶς μοι λύμης, κοῦρον φίλον θήσειεν ἡβώωντά με· ὡς νῦν κάκιστον γῆρας ἅπαντας τρύχει, ναὶ ναὶ τρύχει γῆράς με πημάτων βάρει λώβης παλαιᾶς μητρὸς ἠπατημένης· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἀλύξαι με πημάτων ἔφη, αὐτὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν μητέρα στρέψαι τ' ἐμὴν καὶ γαῖαν οἶκόν θ' ὃν προδοῦσ' ἀφίκετο βουλαῖς ἀνάγνοις θηρὸς ἠγριωμένου ἐς τήνδε γαῖαν, μητέρα στεναγμάτων, μετ' ἀνδρός, ὃν πρὶν ἥδ' ἀτιμάσασ' ἔγνω. Ἔγνω γὰρ ἡ τάλαινα συμφορῶν ὕπο, οἷον τὸ λιπεῖν οὖθαρ ἀρούρης πάρος· καὶ τοῦδ' ἕκητι πάνθ' ὑποστῆναι θέλειν αὐτὸς προεῖπε καὶ θέλων ἔτλη μόρον, ἤματι τριτάτῳ δ' ἀνέγρεσθαι τάφου, μύσταις φίλοις φέροντα χάρμα καὶ μέγα. Εἰδώς τε ταῦτα πάντα πρίν, σαφῶς ἔφη. Ἤδη δ' ἔχει ξύμπαντα ταῦτα νῦν τέλος· λείπει δὲ γηθόσυνον ἦμαρ καὶ μόνον, καὶ τοῦτο νῦν μενοῦμεν, ἔσται δ' ὡς ἔφη. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ λυπρὰ νητρεκῆ νῦν γνωρίσας, καὶ χάρμα δείξει λαμπρὸν ἤματι τρίτῳ. Οἶδάς τε σὺ μάλιστα τέρμα δρωμένων· θήσει δὲ λύπης ἀντὶ τῆσδε καὶ γόων τιμὰς μεγίστας ἀνὰ γῆν σοι καὶ πόλον πλήσει τε πᾶσαν γαῖαν εὐδόξων λόγων, ναούς τε σοι τεύξουσι τὸ βροτῶν φύλον. Θᾶττον γὰρ ἀντὶ τοῦδε δυσσεβοῦς φόνου σεμνὴν ἑορτὴν τῇδε γῇ προσάψεται, καὶ γῆν Σολύμων ἱερὸν τεύξει πέδον· ὧν εἵνεκα χρὴ μὴ μέτρου θρηνεῖν πέρα. Μὴ δῆτα γοῦν, δέσποιν', ἀφέρτατα στένε, οὔτ' ὄμμ' ἐπαίρουσ' οὔτ' ἀπαλλάσσουσα γῆς πρόσωπον, οὐ βλέφαρα δακρύων ῥοῆς. Ἕως πότε στρέψεις δὲ κάτω τὴν δέρην, ῥοαῖς καταρδεύουσα τὴν γῆν δακρύων; ἔκδικον ὄμμα παντεπόπτου ∆εσπότου εἰδυῖα θᾶττον χάρμα σοι φέρειν μέγα, πρὸς ὅν σε τείνειν ὄμμα καὶ μόνον δέον. Οἶδας γάρ, οἶδας· ἕψεται τοῖς φροιμίοις καὶ τέρμα φαιδρόν, γηθόσυνος ἡμέρα· μίαν μόνην μεῖναί σε δεῖ τὴν αὔριον, ὡς ξυμπερανθῇ φροντίς, ἣ κἀμὲ τρύχει. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Υἱὸς σύ μοι πέφηνας ἄλλος, παρθένε· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπεν Υἱός, ὅς μοι καὶ μόνος. Οἶδάς τε πάντως πάντα, τίς χρειὼ λέγειν; ὡς ἀσπόρως ἔτικτον, ὠδίνων ἄτερ, στερράς τ' ἔφυγον τῶν τόκων ἀλγηδόνας, Θεοῦ τε Παῖδα τοῦτον ἀγγείλας ἔφη, καὶ πόλλ' ἔδρασεν, οἷα καὶ μόνου Θεοῦ. Καὶ πῶς τανῦν οἴσαιμι γυμνὸν καὶ νέκυν ἐν ἰκρίῳ βλέπουσ' ἀπῃωρημένον, ὃς γαῖαν ᾐώρησεν ὑδάτων ὕπερ, δι' ὃν τὸ φάος ἡλίου συνεστάλη, καὶ τῆς σελήνης τ' ἐσκότασε πᾶν σέλας καὶ ῥῆξιν ἀνέτλησαν αἱ πέτραι φόβῳ, μνημεῖά τ' ἠνοίγησαν εἰς δεῖγμα κράτους, αὐτοῦ παθόντος ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν Αἰτίου. {ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΣ} ∆έσποινα παγκοίρανε, μῆτερ τοῦ Λόγου, αὐτὸς κἀγὼ τέθηπα, μὴ φέρων βλέπειν φρικτὸν θέαμα, ∆εσπότην τεθνηκότα, ζωὴν τὸν ἐμπνέοντα τοῖς ζῶσι πνοῇ, στένω τε πυκνὰ καὶ χέω θερμὸν δάκρυ. Ἐλπὶς δ' ὅμως τρέφει με καὶ θρηνῶν φέρω· οὐ γὰρ ἀπιστῶ τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ ∆εσπότου. Ἡ καλλιφεγγὴς ἡμέρα δὲ τριτάτη τὸ τέρμα δείξει τῆς τρεφούσης ἐλπίδος· ἣ μὴ παρέλθοι, καὶ θανεῖν με συμφέρει. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Τριτάταν ἁμέραν μὲν εἰδυῖα κλύω αὖθις φθορᾶς πάναγνον ἀνίσχειν δέμας· νῦν δ' ἐχθρὸν ἦμαρ, ἐχθρὸν εἰσορῶ φάος καὶ δυστάλαιναν τὴν πάλαι μακαρίαν. Ὅθεν τὰ θνητῶν μᾶλλον ἡγοῦμαι σκιάν, κοὐδ' ἂν τρέσασ' εἴποιμι τοὺς σοφοὺς βροτῶν δοκοῦντας εἶναι καὶ μεριμνητὰς λόγων, τούτους μεγίστην ζημίαν ὀφλισκάνειν. Θνητῶν γὰρ οὐδείς ἐστιν ὄλβιος φύσει· ὄλβου δ' ἐπιρρυέντος, εὐκλεέστερος ἄλλου γένοιτ' ἂν ἄλλος, ὄλβιος δ' ἂν οὔ. {ΗΜΙΧΟΡΙΟΝ} Πάντων ὅσ' ἔστ' ἔμψυχα καὶ γνώμην ἔχει, γυναῖκές ἐσμεν ἀθλιώτατον φυτόν, ὅσαι τεκοῦσαι καὶ θανόντ' εἶδον τέκνα· ὡς τρὶς θανεῖν θέλοιμ'