13

making the movement very easy. Thus, therefore, through the tongue speaking to the teeth of speech, and the breath, as I said, being carried, and the lips being folded, and the air being struck harmoniously by the force of the breath, articulate voice is produced, and the breath carried forth from within becomes a vehicle for speech, and nature expels the smoky part as superfluous. For since the Creator has made the heart the source of the innate heat, and from this part the whole body partakes of the hot quality, and since it needed some little cooling, being constrained by much heat, the Maker of nature has caused it to be breathed upon through the lung. For this receives the pure air from without through the windpipe, and through the smooth [artery] sends it to the left ventricle of the heart; for from there, as those who have accurately investigated such things say, this has its origin. And this lung, sending on the pure air, receives back the smoky part, and pushes this again outwards as superfluous through the windpipe, and what is superfluous and altogether useless becomes, when the mind wills it and moves the tongue in rhythm and harmony, 83.592 a vehicle of speech; and that which is carried out from the heart as harmful, and pushed by the lung, becomes an assistant of articulate voice. Truly: "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" truly: "Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all His praise?" Truly: "How great are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all." What word is sufficient for the hymnody of the Creator? What word suffices for the narration of one's own creation? What word is able to interpret the organs of speech? Who has arrived at such wisdom, as to behold accurately the wisdom of the Creator? But you, seeing these things and enjoying them, are not even willing to praise Him who has become the cause of these things for you, but you accuse of neglect Him who takes all care for what He has made. And yet this part alone was sufficient to show the Maker's care for the living creature. For having made it rational, He made the organs suitable for reason. From here art, having borrowed the imitation, has fashioned flutes, and composed lyres and citharas; and instead of teeth, it stretched the strings, and instead of lips, it put in the bronze; and the plectrum becomes the tongue for the strings; and the passage by the hand to the high and low notes imitates speech, preparing the tongue to run up and down. But yet, although such great precision appears in the art, the hearers admire the rhythm and harmony of the melody, but they do not hear articulate words; for art is an imitation of nature, but nature produces articulate voice. For this is a work of God, the Creator of all things. And just as art imitates the living creature, and impresses bronze or stone into a human form, and adds eyes, and a nose, and a mouth, and ears, and a neck and hands, and breast and belly, and thighs and legs and feet, but is no longer able to bestow perception and reason and voluntary motion; so the lyre and cithara, and the instrument made of bronze reeds, produce a harmonious sound and rhythm through blowing or striking, but only the archetypal instrument produces articulate voice. For this is the work of the Creator Himself, but all those are of the image of the Creator. For as an image of the Maker, man strives to imitate the Maker. And the things that are made are like shadows competing with the truth, which have the form, but are deprived of the energy. Seeing, therefore, such great providence in the instruments of the Creator, cease from accusing this of laziness. But that you may learn also from the other members the

13

τὴν κίνησιν ῥᾴστην ἐργαζομένης. Οὕτω τοιγαροῦν διὰ τῆς γλώτ της τοῖς ὀδοῦσι τοῦ λόγου προσομιλοῦντος, καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος, ὡς ἔφην, φερομένου, καὶ τῶν χειλέων πτυσσομένων, καὶ τοῦ ἀέρος τῇ φορᾷ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐναρμονίως πληττομένου, ἡ ἔναρθρος ἀποτελεῖται φωνὴ, καὶ γίνεται ὄχημα τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἔνδοθεν ἐκ φερόμενον πνεῦμα, καὶ ὡς περιττὸν ἀπωθεῖται τὸ λιγνυῶδες ἡ φύσις. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοῦ ἐμφύτου θερμοῦ πηγὴν τὴν καρδίαν ὁ Πλάστης πεποίηκε, καὶ ἐκ τοῦδε τοῦ μορίου πᾶν τὸ σῶμα τῆς θερμῆς μεταλαμβάνει ποιότητος, ἐδεῖτο δὲ καὶ μικρᾶς τινος ἀναψύξεως πολλῷ τῷ θερμῷ συνεχομένη, καταπνεῖσθαι αὐτὴν διὰ τοῦ πνεύμονος πεποίηκεν ὁ τῆς φύσεως Ποιητής. Οὗτος γὰρ διὰ μὲν τῆς τραχείας ἀρτηρίας τὸ καθα ρὸν ἔξωθεν δέχεται πνεῦμα, διὰ δὲ τῆς λείας τοῦτο παραπέμπει τῇ εὐωνύμῳ τῆς καρδίας κοιλίᾳ· ἐκεῖ θεν γὰρ, ὥς φασιν οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀκριβῶς ἱστορήσαν τες, αὕτη τὴν ἔκφυσιν ἔχει. Παραπέμπων δὲ οὗτος ὁ πνεύμων τὸ καθαρὸν πνεῦμα, τὸ λιγνυῶδες ἀντι λαμβάνει, καὶ τοῦτο ὡς περιττὸν διὰ τῆς τραχείας ἀρτηρίας ἐπὶ τὰ ἔξω πάλιν ὠθεῖ, καὶ γίνεται τὸ πε ριττὸν καὶ ἄχρηστον παντελῶς, τοῦ νοῦ βουληθέντος, καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν ἐν ῥυθμῷ καὶ ἁρμονίᾳ κινήσαντος, 83.592 ὄχημα τοῦ λόγου· καὶ τὸ ὡς βλαβερὸν ὑπὸ τῆς καρδίας ἐκφορούμενον, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύμονος ὠθού μενον, τῆς ἐνάρθρου φωνῆς γίνεται συνεργόν. Ἀληθῶς· «Ὢ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ!» ἀληθῶς· «Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀκουστὰς ποιήσει πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐτοῦ;» Ἀληθῶς· «Ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθη τὰ ἔργα σου, Κύριε! πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας.» Ποῖος ἀπόχρη λόγος εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν τοῦ Κτίσαντος; Ποῖος ἀρκεῖ λόγος εἰς τὴν τῆς οἰκείας δημιουργίας διήγησιν; Τίς ἱκανὸς ἑρμηνεῦσαι λόγος τοῦ λόγου τὰ ὄργανα; Τίς εἰς τοσοῦτον σοφίας ἀφίκετο, ὡς τοῦ Πλάστου τὴν σοφίαν ἀκριβῶς θεωρῆσαι; Σὺ δὲ ταῦτα βλέπων, καὶ τούτων ἀπολαύων, οὐδ' ὑμνεῖν ἐθέλεις τὸν τούτων αἴτιόν σοι γεγενημένον, ἀλλ' ἀμέλειαν κατηγορεῖς τοῦ πᾶσαν ἐπιμέλειαν ὧν πεποίηκε ποιουμένου. Καὶ μὴν ἤρκει τοῦτο μόνον τὸ μόριον δεῖξαι τοῦ Ποιητοῦ τὴν περὶ τὸ ζῶον κηδεμονίαν. Λογικὸν γὰρ ἐργασά μενος, πεποίηκε πρόσφορα τῷ λόγῳ τὰ ὄργανα. Ἐν τεῦθεν ἡ τέχνη τὴν μίμησιν ἐρανισαμένη, καὶ αὐλοὺς ἐτεκτήνατο, καὶ λύρας καὶ κιθάρας συνέθηκε· καὶ ἀντὶ μὲν τῶν ὀδόντων, διέτεινε τὰς χορδὰς, ἀντὶ δὲ τῶν χειλέων ἐνέθηκε τὸν χαλκόν· γλῶττα δὲ ταῖς χορδαῖς γίνεται τὸ πλῆκτρον· ἡ δὲ διὰ τῆς χειρὸς ἐπὶ τὴν ὀξεῖαν καὶ βαρεῖαν διάβασις, μιμεῖται τὸν λόγον, ἄνω καὶ κάτω διατρέχειν τὴν γλῶτταν πα ρασκευάζοντα. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοσαύτης ἀκριβείας ἐν τῇ τέχνῃ φαινομένης, τὸν μὲν ῥυθμὸν καὶ τὴν ἁρμονίαν τοῦ μέλους θαυμάζουσιν οἱ ἀκούοντες, ἐνάρθρων δὲ τῶν λόγων οὐκ ἐπακούουσι· μίμημα γὰρ τῆς φύσεως ἡ τέχνη, ἡ δὲ φύσις ἔναρθρον ἀπο τελεῖ τὴν φωνήν. Θεοῦ γὰρ αὕτη ποίημα, τοῦ τῶν ἁπάντων ∆ημιουργοῦ. Καὶ καθάπερ ἡ τέχνη μιμεῖται τὸ ζῶον, καὶ τὸν χαλκὸν ἢ τὸν λίθον εἰς ἀνθρωπείαν ἐντυποῖ μορφὴν, καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ ῥῖνα, καὶ στόμα, καὶ ἀκοὰς, τράχηλόν τε καὶ χεῖρας, καὶ στήθη καὶ κοιλίαν, μηρούς τε καὶ σκέλη καὶ πόδας περιτίθησιν, αἴσθησιν δὲ καὶ λογισμὸν, καὶ τὴν ἑκού σιον κίνησιν οὐκέτι ἰσχύει χαρίσασθαι· οὕτω λύρα καὶ κιθάρα, καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῶν χαλκῶν καλάμων ὄργα νον, ἐναρμόνιον μὲν ἠχὴν καὶ ῥυθμὸν διὰ τῶν ἐμφυ σημάτων ἢ κρουσμάτων ἀποτελεῖ, ἔναρθρον δὲ φωνὴν μόνον ἀποτελεῖ τὸ ἀρχέτυπον ὄργανον. Τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ ποίημα, ἐκεῖνα δὲ πάντα τῆς τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ εἰκόνος. Ὡς Ποιητοῦ γὰρ εἰκὼν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, τὸν Ποιητὴν μιμεῖσθαι φιλονεικεῖ. Καὶ ἔοικε τὰ γινόμενα σκιαῖς πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἁμιλλωμέ ναις, αἳ τὸν μὲν τύπον ἔχουσι, τῆς δὲ ἐνεργείας ἐστέρηνται. Τοσαύτην τοιγαροῦν ὁρῶν ἐν τοῖς ὀργά νοις τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν, παῦσαι ταύτῃ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐγκαλῶν. Ἵνα δὲ μάθῃς καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων μελῶν τὴν