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with desires. And she who is ripe for marriage, and with a temperate mind 616 (And a husband is a bond to a wife, and parents to a daughter, but the fear of Christ is a bond to both, and a love charm to the unmarried). Neither turn away a maiden who longs for a husband, Nor hasten one who is approaching God into the house of a man, until there is certainty, but I do not begrudge testing her. But if you should give your whole mind and hand to marriage, And set up bridal chambers, and choruses, and drinking parties, laughing loudly, and the desire for old age should sharpen, But a maiden, a fugitive from you, should ascend to Christ, Just as Justice in times past, when the plowman's ox was slain, I fear lest God be angry with unequal votes, by which all nature of dust is subdued, as wax consumed by fire. 617 And the fear of God has bound even the flesh. There is here a servant like the heavenly ones; There is also among mortals a mind approaching divinity. And he sinned who mixed the fleshless nature with flesh, And unleashed the mighty Giants of angelic desires, And purified the earth from the sins of the heavenly beings. These things are for the children of the Hellenes, since they, a defense for their passions, contrived to set up sinful gods, Thieves, androgynes, adulterers, sinners against men, Murderers, destroyers of children, and of parents. Not only that, but they even made sacred rites for the passions themselves. Consider first how many things happened because of madness, 618 A bull, a swan, a serpent, gold, a husband, a bird, all things Whatever swift Eros and the feeble boy commanded him. Let those men dishonor lovely virginity, a fetter of the flesh. To them the glory of the dust is most untrustworthy, Who measure everyone by their own wickedness. But it is not for a pure eye to look upon gloomy portents; And the earth is firm, but to those who are dizzy it seems unsteady. But it is not right for us to pour reproach upon virginity. What is unbelievable that the love of Christ the King should lay to rest mortal desires and the lusts of the flesh, As before the bloody flow of the hemorrhaging woman was stopped 619 when she touched him; for God was willingly stolen from, and the dry spring of her flow blossomed then, when it had withered. Or of fire, and of swords and of water, and of grievous beasts, their limbs devoured by bitter horns. The spirit of Christians is superior, when the time of the persecutor hastens on, rousing strife concerning God. Is not their life sleepless, and their age without a home? Are not their prayers and unbending groans? Do they not waste away with tears? Do they not with songs by night and day, leap up from there, leaving life and flesh behind? Is not their breath restrained from food with few sparks? Do they not have caves for homes, and a rock for a bed, Or else soft grasses and dry branches? 620 Do they not dwell as housemates with raw-flesh-eating beasts, so that they might escape the corruption and bonds of the dust? And as the story is that the phoenix bird, when it is dying, becomes young again, born in fire, after cycles of many years, a strange, self-begotten offspring from the aged dust, so these, by dying, become ever-living, being consumed by the fiery desire of Christ the King. And in weakness lies the strength for the pious. Who, seeing these things, does not joyfully make a truce with the flesh of youths, since a better passion has boiled up? O all-mother nature, I shall speak of your wonders, not my own, how many you have placed both on land and in the seas. I learn that the winged turtledove, widowed of her dear turtledove, chastely longing for her mate, 621 does not receive another husband upon her nest. O wise bird! But for mortals, how much better is a chaste life! Nor indeed the dark-colored, chattering, but even the crow itself lives, cut off from the desire of a spouse, hating every husband, when it has lost its dear mate. For the fish in the sea there is a law, for a few, it is lawless, concerning marriages, but for many, chastity is a care, and bridal chambers, and wives. And Justice reigns here too. And others labor for no more than one birth, And others rejoice in love only in the spring, And even more. And nature has set a measure to desires. And in turn there is a season of gentle love for all, for those in the air and in the sea and for as many as walk upon the earth. 622 Nor do they pour out their desire beyond the boundary, but they are bound, raging at the proper season, when spring rouses them. And some indeed rush into promiscuous unions, but for others dear wives are a care, and the law of love. But for others a union that produces a single offspring was sufficient, As some, who of living creatures

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πόθοισιν. Ἥτις δ' ὥριός ἐστι γάμῳ, καὶ σώφρονι βουλῇ 616 (Καὶ δεσμὸς ἀλόχῳ μὲν ἀνὴρ, τοκέες δὲ θυγατρὶ, Χριστοῦ δ' ἀμφοτέροισι φόβος, φίλτρον δ' ἀγάμοισι). Μήτε λιλαιομένην ἀνδρὸς ἀποέργαθε κούρην, Μήτε Θεῷ πελάουσαν ἐς ἀνέρος οἶκον ἐπείγειν, Ἄχρι καὶ ἀτρεκίης, πειρᾷν γε μὲν οὔ τι μεγαίρω. Εἰ δέ γε συζυγίῃ μὲν ὅλην φρένα χεῖρα τε δοίης, Καὶ στήσαις θαλάμους τε, χοροιτυπίας τε, πότους τε Καγχαλόων, καὶ γῆρας ἀποξύσειε μενοινὴ, Παρθενικὴ δ' ἀπὸ σεῖο φυγὰς πρὸς Χριστὸν ἀνέλθοι, Ὥς τε ∆ίκη τοπάροιθε, βοὸς κταμένου ἀροτῆρος, ∆είδια μὴ κοτέῃσι Θεὸς ψήφοις ἀνίσοισι Τῷ ὑποδάμναθ' ἅπασα χοὸς φύσις, ὡς πυρὶ κηρὸς 617 Πινόμενος. Τάρβος δὲ Θεοῦ καὶ σάρκ' ἐπέδησεν. Ἔστι καὶ οὐρανίοισιν ὁμοίϊος ἐνθάδε λάτρις· Ἔστι καὶ ἐν θνητοῖσι νόος θεότητι πελάζων. Ἤλιτε δ' ὅστις ἔμιξε φύσιν σάρκεσσιν ἄσαρκον, Ἀγγελικῶν τε πόθων κρατεροὺς ἀνέηκε Γίγαντας, Καὶ γαῖαν ἐκάθηρεν ἁμαρτάσιν οὐρανιώνων. Ἑλλήνων τάδε παισὶν, ἐπεὶ παθέεσσιν ἐκεῖνοι Ἄλκαρ, ἐμητίσαντο θεοὺς στήσασθαι ἀλιτροὺς, Κλέπτας, ἀνδρογύνους, μοιχοὺς, ἀλιτήμονας ἀνδρῶν, Ἀνδροφόνους, τεκέων δηλήμονας, ἠδὲ τοκήων. Οὐκ οἶον, παθέων δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν ἱρὰ τέλεσσαν. Ἄθρει δὴ πρώτιστον ὅσ' ἔπλετο μαργοσύνῃσι, 618 Ταῦρος, κύκνος, ὄφις, χρυσὸς, πόσις, ὄρνις, ἄπαντα Ὅσσα μιν ὠκὺς ἄνωξεν ἔρως κοῦρός τ' ἀλαπαδνός. Κεῖνοι παρθενίην μὲν ἀτιμάζοιεν ἐραννὴν, Σαρκοπέδην. Κείνοισιν ἀπιστοτάτη χοὸς αἴγλη, Οἵ σφισι μετρείουσιν ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ἅπαντας. Οὐ καθαρῆς γλήνης δὲ κατηφέα τείρεα λεύσσειν· Καὶ χθὼν ἔμπεδός ἐστιν, ἰλιγγιόωσι δ' ἄπιστος. Ἡμῖν δ' οὐ θέμις ἐστὶν ἐλεγχείην καταχεύειν Παρθενίης. Τί δ' ἄπιστον ἔρον Χριστοῦ βασιλῆος Εὐνάζειν βροτέους τε πόθους καὶ σαρκὸς ἐρωὰς, Ὡς πάρος αἱματόεντα ῥόον σχέθεν αἱμοροούσης 619 Ἀψαμένης· κλέφθη γὰρ ἑκὼν Θεὸς, ἡ δὲ ῥεέθρων Αὐαλέη πηγὴ τῆμος θάλεν, εὖτ' ἐμαράνθη. Ἠὲ πυρὸς, ξιφέων τε καὶ ὕδατος, ἀργαλέων τε Θηρῶν, δαπτομένων πικροῖς μελέων κεράεσσι. Θυμὸς Χριστιανοῖσιν ὑπέρτερος, εὖτε διώκτης Καιρὸς ἐπισπέρχῃσι Θεοῦ πέρι δῆριν ἐγείρων. Οὐκ ἄϋπνος κείνοισι βίος, καὶ ἀνέστιος αἰών; Εὐχαί τε, στοναχαί τε ἀκαμπέες; οὐ δακρύοισι Τήκοντ'; οὐ νυχίῃσι καὶ ἠματίῃσιν ἀοιδαῖς, Ἔνθεν ἀναθρώσκουσι βίον καὶ σάρκα λιπόντες; Οὐκ ὀλίγοις σπινθῆρσι πνοὴ κατερύκετ' ἐδωδῆς; Οὐ σήραγγας ἔχουσι δόμους, καὶ δέμνια πέτρην, Ἢ δ' ἁπαλὰς ποίας τε καὶ αὐαλέους κλαδεῶνας; 620 Οὐ θηρσὶ ναίουσιν ὁμέστιοι ὠμοβόροισιν, Ὥς κεν ὑπεκκακότητα χοὸς καὶ δεσμὰ φύγωσιν; Ὡς δ' ὄρνιν φοίνικα φάτις θνήσκοντα νεάζειν Ἐν πυρὶ τικτόμενον, πολλῶν ἐτέων μετὰ κύκλα, Γηραλέης κονίης ξεῖνον γόνον αὐτογένεθλον, Ὣς οἵ γε θνήσκοντες ἀείζωοι τελέθουσι, ∆αιόμενοι πυρόεντι πόθῳ Χριστοῦ βασιλῆος. Ἐν δ' ὀλιγοδρανίῃ κεῖται σθένος εὐσεβέεσσι. Ταῦτα τίς εἰσορόων, οὐ σπένδεται ἠϊθέοισι Γηθόσυνος σάρκεσσιν, ἐπεὶ ζέσεν οἶστρος ἀρείων; Ὦ φύσι παμμήτειρα, σὰ δ', οὐκ ἐμὰ θαύματα λέξω, Ὅσσα καὶ ἐν χέρσοισι καὶ ἐν πελάγεσσιν ἔθηκας. Πυνθάνομ' ὡς πτερόεσσα τρυγὼν, τρυγόνος φιλίοιο Χηρωθεῖσ', ὁμόλεκτρον ἑὸν ποθέουσα σαόφρων, 621 Οὐ δέχεται πόσιν ἄλλον ἑῆς καθύπερθε καλιῆς. Ὄρνι σοφή! Μερόπεσσι δ' ἁγνὸς βίος, ὅσσον ἀρείων! οὐδὲ μὲν οὐ λακέρυζα μελάγχροος, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ Ζώει κουριδίοιο πόθου τμηθεῖσα κορώνη, Πάντα πόσιν στυγέουσα, ἐπὴν φίλον εὖνιν ὀλέσσῃ. Ἰχθύσι δ' εἰναλίοισι νόμος, παύροις μὲν ἄθεσμος, Ἀμφὶ γάμους, πολλοῖς δὲ σαοφροσύνης τε μέμηλε, Καὶ θαλάμων, ἀλόχων τε. ∆ίκη δέ τε κἀνθάδ' ἀνάσσει. Ἄλλοι δ' οὐ πλεόνεσσιν ἑνὸς μογέουσι τόκοιο, Ἄλλοι δ' εἰαρινῇ μούνῃ φιλότητι γάνυνται, Καὶ πλέονες. Μέτρον δὲ φύσις ἐπέθηκε πόθοισι. Καιρὸς δ' αὖ φιλότητος ἐνηέος ἐστὶν ἅπασιν, Ἠερίοις ἁλίοις τε καὶ ὅσσ' ἐπὶ γαῖαν ὁδεύει. 622 Οὐδ' ἐκτὸς προχέουσιν ὅρου πόθον, ἀλλὰ δέονται Ὥρια μαργαίνοντες, ἐπήν σφεας εἶαρ ἐγείρῃ. Καί ῥ' οἱ μὲν μιγάδεσσιν ἐπαΐσσουσι γάμοισι, Τοῖς δ' ἄλοχοί τε μέλουσι φίλαι, καὶ θεσμὸς ἔρωτος. Οἰοτόκος δ' ἄλλοισιν ἐπάρκιος ἔπλετο μίξις, Ὥς τινες, οἳ ζώων τε