Gregory of Nazianzus, The Passion of Christ

than to give birth once and see the fate of my child who was brought up. But the same reasoning does not apply to you and to me, O all-ruling mistress, blessed virgin. Truly you are very different from all our kind; for I, having received the pleasure of a man, in place of pleasure I nourish birth-pangs in sorrows, and as I bore a mortal, knowing this I endure; for it is necessary for mortals to bear misfortunes lightly. But you, virgin, have not known a man's bed, and you heard from an angel that you would bear God, you say; and seeing him now a corpse, how do you bear it? {THEOTOKOS} Leave me be; things not dear are not dear to me; he announced what he announced; the good messenger of the good tidings of glory has no blame; if I was mistaken about the message I do not know, for I bring strong proofs. But I must lament; for I have suffered many things worthy of tears, and I groan and I weep, until I might see living the one who is now a corpse. {ANOTHER SEMI-CHORUS} Mistress maiden, you must have forgiveness, if someone, bearing a strong spirit because of youth, speaks in vain, do not seem to hear these things; for we know that you are wiser than mortals. {THEOTOKOS} Alas, alas! I have endured things worthy of great lamentations. O greatness not to be measured nor possible to see. Having wrought murder with wretched hands, you have brought the gloriously victorious one to lamentation, to tears; a most noble contest, to bring in a hand dripping with blood. Alas, alas, when you realize what you have done, you will feel a terrible pain; but if you always remain until the end in this state in which you are, being not fortunate you will seem not unfortunate; but, I think, He will not let these things go unpunished. For what is good? And what of these things is not impious? Perish, perish, you hateful murderers, who, having killed the Master, take no heed, seeing all creation trembling; but you are exulting in the hunt of murder. {CHORUS} Things have been done badly everywhere, who will gainsay it? And truly all the life of mortals is grievous; but they love it, though overcome by misfortunes. But your grief is not like that of other people, maiden, even if you are not the only one to be parted from your Child. For your offspring is not like that of our kind; nevertheless, it is fitting now to bear all things with a patient heart and moreover to trust greatly. {THEOTOKOS} Alas, alas! I see one of the avengers, maidens, who broke the legs of the murderers, directing a spear into my Child's side. But I fear him, lest he should devise something new and work a second misfortune on me again, if I should see my Child, even as a corpse, being outraged. Oh woe, woe is me! I see a new and terrible sight with my eyes. Behold, see the blood of the pierced corpse; see, see how a double stream flows; for from his side blood and an unmixed drink gushed forth as soon as it was pierced by the sword of a youthful man from the hostile Ausonians. A double stream still gushes from the very spot; and the one who pierced him, being astonished, cried out somehow, that “this corpse is truly the Child of God.” He runs, you see, and falls before the wood; and he falls to the ground, overcome by the sight, and he beats his breast and embraces the ground, where the cross is fixed, mingled with the stream still flowing down from the side, and he draws up from the stream with his hands and has anointed his head, as it seems, so that he may have purification. {CHORUS} It seems the Lord on this day justly joins many evils for the murderers; may the avenging eye of the all-working Master do something to them, indeed, not to friends. Let justice come, let her come manifestly, sword-bearing and fire-bearing, most swiftly to the murderers. For it is truly a dreadful wonder to behold; for one thrust a spear somewhere against his side, and from the pierced side a wondrous stream dripped forth at once, blood and unmixed liquid; a dreadful sight, and trembling holds me as I see it. For I take creation itself as my teacher, the foundations of the earth being shaken, the rocks being rent, and the tombs of the dead suddenly opened; and the one who pierced him, falling in terror, touches him. {THEOTOKOS} O child, O most beloved, O divine head, thus you have appeared to all, even to those not your friends; a misfortune very welcome to tears; you pour out the purifying blood of our race, and your enemies shudder, beholding strange things, and they have cried out clearly that you are the Son of God; they tremble at everything, as they have no understanding; but your own kinsmen killed you with irrational envy, from whom you should have received a crown for your head, not such as they mockingly crowned you with somehow; these men do not even care to place you in a tomb. How then shall I take you down from the wood? In what sort of tomb

ἂν ἢ τεκεῖν ἅπαξ καὶ πότμον ἰδεῖν ἐντραφέντος μοι τέκνου. Ἀλλ' οὐ γὰρ αὑτὸς πρὸς σὲ κἄμ' ἥκει λόγος, ὦ παγκοίρανε πότνα, παρθέν' ὀλβία. Ἦ πολλὰ παντὸς εἶ διάφορος γένους· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς τέρψιν εἰσδεξαμένη, ἀνθ' ἡδονῆς ὠδῖνας ἐν λύπαις τρέφω, καὶ θνητὸν ὡς ἔτικτον, εἰδυῖα στέγω· κούφως φέρειν γὰρ συμφορὰς θνητοὺς δέον. Σὺ δ' ἀνδρὸς οὐκ ἔγνωκας εὐνήν, παρθένε, Θεὸν τεκεῖν τ' ἔκλυες ἀγγέλου, λέγεις· καὶ νεκρὸν αὐτὸν νῦν ὁρῶσα πῶς φέρεις; {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Ἐᾶτέ μ'· οὔτι φίλα μοι τὰ μὴ φίλα· ἤγγειλεν οἷ' ἤγγειλεν· οὐ μομφὴν ἔχει εὐάγγελος δόξης γε τῆς εὐαγγέλου· ἢν ἐσφάλην ἐγὼ δὲ τῆς ἀγγελίας οὐκ οἶδ', ὀχυρὰς ἐμφέρω γὰρ ἐγγύας. Θρηνεῖν δὲ δεῖ με· δακρύων γὰρ ἄξια πέπονθα πολλά, καὶ στένω καὶ δακρύω, ἕως ἴδοιμι ζῶντα τὸν τανῦν νέκυν. {ΕΤΕΡΟΝ ΗΜΙΧΟΡΙΟΝ} ∆έσποινα κούρη, χρή σε συγγνώμην ἔχειν, εἴ τις ὑφ' ἥβης σπλάγχνον εὔτονον φέρων μάταια βάζει, μὴ δόκει τούτων κλύειν· σοφωτέραν γὰρ ἴδμεν οὖσάν σε βροτῶν. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Αἲ αἴ· Ἔτλην μεγάλων ἄξια θρήνων ἐγώ. Ὦ μέγεθος οὐ μετρητὸν οὐδ' οἷόν τ' ἰδεῖν. Φόνον ταλαίναις χερσὶν ἐξειργασμένοι, τὸν καλλίνικον κλεινὸν ἐξεπράξατε εἰς θρῆνον, εἰς δάκρυα· παγκαλὴς ἀγών, ἐν αἵμασι στάζουσαν εἰσφέρειν χέρα. Φεῦ φεῦ, φρονήσαντες μὲν οἷ' ἐδράσατε, ἀλγήσετ' ἄλγος δεινόν· εἰ δ' ἕως τέλους ἐν τῷδ' ἀεὶ μενεῖτ', ἐν ᾧ καθέστατε, οὐκ εὐτυχοῦντες δόξετ' οὐχὶ δυστυχεῖν· ἀλλ' οὐκ, ἐγᾦμαι, ταῦτ' ἀνατὶ παρίῃ. Τί γὰρ καλόν; τί δ' ἀσεβῶς τῶνδ' οὐκ ἔχει; Ὄλοισθ' ὄλοισθε, στυγεροὶ μιαιφόνοι, οἳ ∆εσπότην κτανόντες οὐ φροντίζετε, πᾶσαν τρέμουσαν εἰσορῶντες τὴν κτίσιν· ἀλλ' ἐστὲ θήρᾳ τοῦ φόνου γαυρούμενοι. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Κακῶς πέπρακται πανταχοῦ, τίς ἀντερεῖ; Ἅπας δ' ἀληθῶς ὁ βροτῶν λυπρὸς βίος· στέργουσι δ' αὐτὸν συμφοραῖς νικώμενοι. Σοὶ δ' οὐχ ὅμοιον ἄλγος ἀνθρώποις, κόρη, κἂν οὐ μόνη σὺ σοῦ δ' ἀπεζύγης Τέκνου. Οὐ γὰρ ὅμοιος σὸς τόκος καὶ τοῦ γένους· ὅμως δὲ πάντα τλησικαρδίως φέρειν τανῦν προσήκει κάρτα τ' αὖ πεποιθέναι. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Αἲ αἴ· ∆έδορκά τινα τῶν ἀλαστόρων, κόραι, οἳ συνέτριψαν τῶν μιαιφόνων σκέλη, κατευθύνοντα Παιδὸς εἰς ἧπαρ δόρυ. ∆έδοικα δ' αὐτόν, μή τι βουλεύσῃ νέον καὶ δευτέραν μοι συμφορὰν δράσῃ πάλιν, Παῖδ' ἢν ἴδοιμι καὶ νέκυν ὑβρισμένον. Ἰώ μοί, μοι· Θέαμα δεινὸν ὄμμασι βλέπω νέον. Κατίδετ' ἴδεθ' αἷμα νυγέντος νεκροῦ· ὁρᾶθ' ὁρᾶτε πῶς διπλοῦς κρουνὸς ῥέει· πλευρᾶς γὰρ αἷμα κοὐ πεφυρμένον ποτὸν ἔβλυσεν εὐθὺς ὡς ἐνύγη τῷ ξίφει ἡβῶντος ἀνδρὸς δυσμενῶν ἐξ Αὐσόνων. ∆ιπλοῦς ἔτι βλύζει τε κρουνὸς αὐτόθεν· αὐτὸς δ' ὁ νύξας ἐκπλαγεὶς κέκραγέ πως, ὡς «ἔστιν ὄντως Παῖς Θεοῦ νέκυς ὅδε». Τρέχει δ', ὁρᾶτε, καί γε προσπίτνει ξύλῳ· πίπτει τ' ἐπ' οὖδας τῇ θέᾳ νικώμενος, στῆθός τε παίει καὶ περιπτύσσει πέδον, ἔνθ' ἰκρίον πέπηγεν ἐμπεφυρμένον ῥείθρῳ καταρρέοντι τῆς πλευρᾶς ἔτι, ἀρύεταί τε χερσὶ κρουνοῦ καὶ κάραν ἔχρισεν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὡς ἅγνισμ' ἔχῃ. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Ἔοικεν Ἄναξ πολλὰ τῇδ' ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακὰ ξυνάπτειν ἐνδίκως μιαιφόνοις· αὐτούς γε μέντοι, μὴ φίλους, δράσειέ τι ἔκδικον ὄμμα ∆εσπότου παντεργάτου. Ἴτω δίκ', ἴτω φανερῶς ξιφηφόρος καὶ πυρφόρος τάχιστα τοῖς μιαιφόνοις. Ἔστι γὰρ ὄντως θαῦμα φρικτὸν εἰσορᾶν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὦσε κατὰ πλευρᾶς που δόρυ, πλευρᾶς νενυγμένης δὲ θαυμαστὸν νάμα ἔσταξεν εὐθὺς αἷμά τ' οὐ πεφυρμένον· φρικτὸν θέαμα καὶ τρόμος μ' ὁρᾶν ἔχει. ∆ιδάσκαλον φέρω γὰρ αὐτὴν τὴν κτίσιν, γῆς γεῖσσα σαλευθέντα, ῥαγείσας πέτρας τάφους τε νεκρῶν ἄφαρ ἠνεῳγμένους· αὐτὸς δ' ὁ νύξας ἔντρομος πεσὼν θίγει. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Ὦ τέκνον, ὦ φίλτατον, ὦ θεῖον κάρα, οὕτως ἐφάνης πᾶσι, καὶ τοῖς μὴ φίλοις· σφόδρα ποθεινὴ δακρύοισι συμφορά· κενοῖς τὸ καθάρσιον αἷμα τοῦ γένους καὶ δυσμενεῖς φρίττουσιν, ἀθροῦντες ξένα, Θεοῦ τε κεκράγασι τρανῶς σ' Υἱέα· πάντα τρέμουσιν, ἅτε μὴ γνώμην ἔχει· οἱ δ' ἐγγενεῖς σ' ἔκτειναν ἀλόγῳ φθόνῳ, ἐξ ὧν σ' ἐχρῆν στέφανον ἐς κάραν λαβεῖν, οὐχ οἷον ἐμπαίζοντες ἔστεψάν σέ πως· οἵδ' οὐδὲ φροντίζουσί σ' ἐνθεῖναι τάφῳ. Πῶς οὖν ἐγώ σε τοῦ ξύλου καταγάγω; ποίῳ δὲ τύμβῳ