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 gleaming calm to every city of the coastal land; and wrapping the surging wave in their well-bosomed arms, they appease the foaming call of Nereus. And the roaring water of rivers has yielded to the flow, and no longer does the traveler defile the rapacious channel; Anyone who sees the Mygdonian Sangarius in the Bithynian land, once raging with unconquered streams, its back girt with stone-hewn bridges, will not reprove the true rhythm of our words. These things, O blessed one, happy one, will for a long time increase for you the rider of the life-bearing year; these things with western, Libyan, and eastern triumphs honor your power by the rim of the ocean; these things have often laid low the necks of tyrants with the destructive daring of a self-slaying hand, before you could brandish your hands in arms, and has threshed their heads before you could hear the rumor announcing what is not lawful. For if ever Justice, tarrying a little, should bring some opposing man to your feet, you immediately quell the storms of necessary anger, and immediately you bring a tractable calm, and the bronze bond, which before confined the man in avenging knots, immediately opens its neck-bolt; and you, turning a gracious eye, raise him who was before contentious, having struck off your yoke-bond, to shining girdles instead of slaughter. and you gain all that the unpitying tomb would have covered of your servant's limbs; and conquered by your calm, thrice-revered one, much more than by the sword, the captive draws his whole mind turned towards you, and darting from fear to your love and faith, he has voluntarily enslaved his crest to your reins; for you know how much stronger love is than necessity, you know also how often in the pastoral flowers a bull, obeying the pipe, shuns the sound of the shepherd's crook.

Thence always Christ the King has risen as the pilot of your labor, and with a helmsman's rein He directs your strong-minded counsels, whether the need is to bare swords for battle or to sheathe them; He who also gave you to choose a god-fearing priest, who easily runs over the whole rugged path of four-yoked virtue, whom a certain heavenly, inspired voice of Rome has fitted to its holy seats.

But turning a little from your trophy-bearing and well-warring hymns, let us direct our song to the venerable priest; for he himself is also a kind of hymn to you, O king. For victory, one after another in turn, for your well-warring labors and city-protecting toils, has placed a delicate crown upon your heads. For when you, scepter-bearer, by the life-giving counsel of your mind, appointed a great initiate for your precincts, immediately the assault of the sinful-minded demon fell, immediately you turned back the harsh battle of all passions, immediately for your city-protecting labors you bound on victory.

But you also, much-hymned father, leader of the god-fearing temple, support my longing hearing. For under your seal the glory of the kings is guarded, and under your prayers winged Victory has subjected the nations to the sovereign, city-holding reins. And some, boasting in their resistant ox-hides, the king's spear leads under his feet, while other countless barbarian-speaking nations of the earth have come together to Rome, hearing of the reverence for your peace, thrice-prayed-for one. Yesterday I saw the holy hall crowded by dark-limbed men; and charmed by your divine voice in both soul and neck, with willing counsel they bowed to the heavenly and earthly seats. Wretched ones! those who did not receive your hand upon their heads, the hand that drives away irresistible errors, the hand sufficient for the poor, the hand that nurses orphans, and that puts to rest all necessity. For from your birth-pangs both soundness of mind and reverence have joined you to the sacred paths of heavenly hope. Simple for you are both your supper and your oracular desire, simple for you are the glances of your eyes, simple the tracks of your feet, and a simple word your lips brandish. You are not clad in the downcast gloom of a frown, but you raise up a spirit rejoicing in Christ, bearing a gentle, approachable light; and on your face a gentle smile furrows your venerable cheeks. And these you bear as signs of a meek-minded spirit; for you are unassailable by easily-provoked steps

κύκλους ἐς φάος ἑσπέριόν τε καὶ ὄρθριον· εἰς σὲ γὰρ ἠὼς ἀμπαύειν, πολύυμνε, καὶ ἕσπερος οἶδε μερίμνας. σοὶ λιμένες γλαυκῶπιν ἀποκρίνουσι γαλήνην πᾶσαν ἐς ἀγχιάλοιο πόλιν χθονός· ἐκχύμενον δὲ κῦμα περιστέλλοντες ὑπ' εὐκόλποισιν ἀγοστοῖς Νηρέος ἀφριόωσαν ὑποσσαίνουσιν ὁμοκλήν. καὶ ποταμῶν ὑπόειξε ῥόωι βρυχώμενον ὕδωρ, οὐκέτι δ' ἁρπακτῆρα μιαίνεται ὁλκὸν ὁδίτης· τὸν πρὶν ἀνικήτοισιν ἀγηνορέοντα ῥεέλντα ῥεέθροις Μυγδόνα Σαγγάριόν τις ἰδὼν Βιθυνίδι γαίηι, νῶτα λιθοτμήτοισι διαζωσθέντα γεφύραις, κρήγυον ἡμετέρων ἐπέων οὐ ῥυθμὸν ἐλέγξει. Ταῦτά σοι, ὀλβιόμοιρε, μάκαρ, δηναιὸν ἀέξει ζωοφόρου λυκάβαντος ἐπεμβάδα· ταῦτα θριάμβοις ἑσπερίοις Λιβυκοῖς τε καὶ ἠώιοισι γεραίρει σὸν κράτος ὠκεανοῖο παρ' ἄντυγα· ταῦτα τυράννων πολλάκις αὐτοφόνοιο χερὸς δηλήμονι τόλμηι αὐχένας ἐπρήνιξε, πρὶν ἔντεσι χεῖρας ἑλίξηις, τῶν δὲ κατηλοίησε καρήατα πρίν σε πυθέσθαι φῆμιν ἀπαγγέλλουσαν ἃ μὴ θέμις. εἴποτε γάρ σοι βαιὸν ἐλινύσασα ∆ίκη παρὰ ποσσὶ κομίσσηι ἀντιβίων τινὰ φῶτα, κατευνάζεις μὲν ἀέλλας εὐθὺς ἀναγκαίοιο χόλου, στρεπτὴν δὲ γαλήνην εὐθὺς ἄγεις, καὶ δεσμὸς ὁ χάλκεος, ὁ πρὶν ἐέργων ἀνέρα ποιναίοισιν ἐν ἅμμασιν, εὐθὺς ἀνοίγει αὐχενίην κληῗδα· σὺ δ' ἵλαον ὄμμα τανύσσας τὸν πρὶν ἐριδμαίνοντα, σέθεν ζυγόδεσμον ἀράξας, ἀντὶ φόνου ζωστῆρας ἐς αἰγλήεντας ἀέξεις. κερδαίνεις δ' ὅσα τύμβος ἀμείλιχος εἶχε καλύψαι γυῖα τεοῦ θεράποντος· ἀφ' ὑμετέρης δὲ γαλήνης νικηθείς, τρισέβαστε, πολὺ πλέον ἠὲ σιδήρωι εἰς σὲ μεταστρεφθεῖσαν ὅλην φρένα δέσμιος ἕλκει, ἐκ δὲ φόβου πρὸς ἔρωτα τεὸν καὶ πίστιν ἀΐξας ὑμετέροις ἐθέλοντα λόφον δούλωσε λεπάδνοις· οἶσθα γὰρ ὅσσον ἔρως κρατερώτερός ἐστιν ἀνάγκης, οἶσθα καὶ ὡς νομίοισιν ἐν ἄνθεσι πολλάκι ταῦρος πειθόμενος σύριγγι καλαύροπος ἦχον ἀλύσκει.

Ἔνθεν ἀεὶ καμάτοιο τεοῦ προκέλευθος ἀνέστη Χριστὸς ἄναξ, βουλὰς δὲ κυβερνητῆρι χαλινῶι σεῖο κατιθύνει κρατερόφρονας, εἴτ' ἐπὶ χάρμην φάσγανα γυμνῶσαι τελέθει χρέος εἴτε καλύψαι· ὅς σε καὶ ἀρητῆρα θεουδέα δῶκεν ἑλέσθαι ῥηϊδίως κραναὴν ἀρετῆς τετράζυγος οἶμον πᾶσαν ἐπιτροχάοντα, τὸν ἠγαθέοισι θοώκοις Ῥώμης οὐρανίη τις ἐφήρμοσεν ἔνθεος ὀμφή. Ἀλλὰ τροπαιοφόρων τε καὶ εὐπτολέμων σέθεν ὕμνων βαιὸν ἀποκλίναντες ἐπιτρέψωμεν ἀοιδὴν σεμνὸν ἐς ἀρητῆρα· τεὸς δέ τίς ἐστι καὶ αὐτὸς ὕμνος, ἄναξ. νίκη γὰρ ἀμοιβαδὸν ἄλλοθεν ἄλλη εὐπτολέμοις καμάτοισι καὶ ἀστυόχοις ἐπὶ μόχθοις ὑμετέροις στέφος ἁβρὸν ἐπεστήριξε καρήνοις. καὶ γὰρ ὅτε, σκηπτοῦχε, νόου βιοδώτορι βουλῆι ὑμετέροις τεμένεσσι μέγαν κληρώσαο μύστην, εὐθὺς ἀλιτρονόοιο κατήριπε δαίμονος ὁρμή, εὐθὺς ὅλων παθέων χαλεπὴν ἐτρέψαο χάρμην, εὐθὺς ἐπ' ἀστυόχοις καμάτοις ἀνεδήσαο νίκην. Ἀλλά μοι ἱμερόεσσαν ὑποστήριξον ἀκουὴν καὶ σὺ πάτερ πολύυμνε, θεουδέος ἡγέτα νηοῦ. σῆι μὲν ὑπὸ σφρηγῖδι φυλάσσεται εὖχος ἀνάκτων, σεῖο δ' ὑπ' εὐχωλῆισι κατάπτερος ἔθνεα Νίκη κοιρανίης ὑπέθηκε πολισσούχοισι λεπάδνοις. καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀντιτύποισιν ἐπαυχήσαντα βοείαις ἔγχος ἄγει βασιλῆος ὑπ' ἴχνεσιν, ἄλλα δὲ Ῥώμηι μυρία βαρβαρόφωνα συνήλυθον ἔθνεα γαίης ὑμετέρης ἀΐοντα σέβας, τρίλλιστε, γαλήνης. χθιζὰ μελαγγυίοισιν ὑπ' ἀνδράσιν ἔνθεον αὐλὴν στεινομένην ἐνόησα· τεῆς δ' ἀπὸ θέσπιδος αὐδῆς θελγόμενοι ψυχήν τε καὶ αὐχένα πρόφρονι βουλῆι οὐρανίοις ἔκλιναν ἐπιχθονίοις τε θοώκοις. τλήμονες. οἳ μὴ χεῖρα τεὴν δέξαντο καρήνοις, χεῖρα δυσαντήτων ἐλατήριον ἀμπλακιάων, χεῖρα λιποκτεάνοισιν ἐπαρκέα, χεῖρα τιθήνην ὀρφανικῶν, πάσης τε κατευνήτειραν ἀνάγκης. καὶ γὰρ ἀπ' ὠδίνων σε σαοφροσύνη τε καὶ αἰδώς ἐλπίδος οὐρανίης ἱεραῖς ξύνωσε πορείαις. λιτὰ δέ σοι καὶ δόρπα καὶ ὀμφήεσσα μενοινή, λιτὰ δέ σοι βλεφάρων ἀμαρύγματα, λιτὰ δὲ ταρσῶν ἴχνια σῶν, καὶ λιτὸν ἔπος σέο χείλεα πάλλει. οὐ μὲν ἐπισκυνίοιο κατηφιόωσαν ὁμίχλην ἀμφιέπεις, Χριστῶι δὲ γεγηθότα θυμὸν ἀέξεις, ἤπιον εὐάντητον ἄγων σέλας· ἐν δὲ προσώποις μειλίχιον μείδημα παρήϊα σεμνὰ χαράσσει. ταῦτα δὲ πρηϋνόοιο φέρεις σημήϊα θυμοῦ· ἐσσὶ γὰρ εὐθίκτοισιν ἀνέμβατος ἴχνεσιν