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the beast, an Indian boy leads from above with a small goad, Guiding the body of the mighty elephant as if a ship. Daring, who first contrived to tame the beast, And put a yoke on its neck, and led the monstrous chariot. But you grant more to beasts than to mortals, 629 If force has bent the nature of beasts, while they are untaught Of the good, and have speech close at hand as a helper. O savage one, how can you so greatly insult the great creation of God? Who so hated his own race? But such is not my mind, thinking pure thoughts; But I know heavenly thoughts, and bodies holy, Men and women. For the greater part is in the limbs; Common are the virtues for both, and common is the path To the steep life. And the greater part is for the one who strives. To relatives indeed I enjoin these things, who travel to heaven. O Virginity, you must care for me, so that you may be strong From all sides, well-established, and perfect for God, A pearl among stones, the morning star among lights, 630 a dove among birds, a shoot of olive in the groves, And a lily in the fields, and in the seas a calm. O virgin, all the world, and whatever is pleasant in life having pushed away, stand near the shining Christ, And taking hand in hand, lead [him] into your bridal chamber, Pleasant, sweet-smelling, fragrant; so that with ointments You may mix your heavenly ointment, where having poured out desires upon unspoken desires, and beauty upon beauty, The hidden with the hidden, and the shining with the radiant, You may have Christ, the good lover of your glorious form, Christ as your bridegroom. And Christ opened the veil, 631 And marveled seeing the cherished, most beautiful bride, Good, pearly, well-throned, high-headed, And you, being beautiful, he made yet more graceful. Christ will lead you rejoicing to his own house, And he will prepare for you a wedding feast among the great Immaculate choirs, and with heavenly songs, And he will crown your head with ever-flourishing graces, And he will set up a mixing-bowl of sweet-smelling drink, And he will show the mysteries of wisdom, of which in a mirror We see images here, the true lights of the mind made more bare. For the thick flesh will yield To the spirit, and being airy, they will receive an ageless life. But, friends, let us sing, as many as have a pure desire for the Lord; Young men, and maidens, the wedding of the heavenly God, having lit lamps, imitations of divine light, 632 Unquenchable, and intellectual, always more in pure deeds and great words fanned Even to heaven. But you, come to us gracious, Gracious, gracious to us, holy Trinity, coming into one From one, shining upon us with bright eyes Today, and on the last day more brightly, with which you shone One God from the Father through the Son to the great Spirit, The perfect Godhead standing among the perfect.

3. Admonitory, to virgins. In this discourse he imitates the Syracusan

for he alone of poets used rhythms and cola, scorning poetic proportion. O virgin bride of Christ, glorify your bridegroom 633 Always. Purify yourself in word and wisdom, So that you, brilliant, may live all your life for the brilliant one. For this is much better than corruptible union. In the body you have imitated the intellectual powers, you have pursued an angelic life on earth. Here there is binding, and loosing, and bodies from bodies; but above each is a monad never to be loosed; the first ones bear a ray of the pure Trinity, spirits and fire, ministers of God's commands. But matter discovered mixture, an ever-flowing nature, 634 for which God set a measure, legislating marriage. But you, fleeing the work of matter, have been joined to those above, As mind is joined to mind in the divine harmony, And warring against the flesh you help the image. For you were born a breath of God, bound to the lesser part, so that from wrestling and victory you might receive the crown, placing above also the dust, well subdued. Let marriage also be praised by you, but before marriage, incorruptibility; Marriage is a concession to passion, but chastity is splendor; Marriage is the father of saints, but chastity is worship. This they also then honored in fitting seasons, Adam in paradise. Moses on Mount Sinai, 635 Zacharias ministering, the father of the Forerunner. Marriage and

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θῆρα, Ἰνδὸς ἄγει καθύπερθε πάϊς ὀλίγῳ ὑπὸ κέντρῳ, Νωμῶν οἷά τε νῆα δέμας κρατεροῦ ἐλέφαντος. Τολμήεις, ὃς πρῶτος ἐμήσατο θῆρα δαμάσσαι, Καὶ ζυγὸν αὐχένι θῆκε, καὶ ἤγαγεν ἅρμα πέλωρον. Ἀλλὰ σὺ καὶ θήρεσσι νέμεις πλέον ἢ μερόπεσσιν, 629 Εἰ θηρῶν μὲν ἔκαμψε βίη φύσιν, οἳ δ' ἀδίδακτοι Εἰσὶ καλοῦ, καὶ μῦθον ἐπίῤῥοθον ἐγγὺς ἔχοντες. Ἄγριε, πῶς ῥα σὺ τόσσον ἐφυβρίζεις μεγάλοιο Πλάσμα Θεοῦ; τίς τόσσον ἑὴν ἤχθηρε γενέθλην; Ἀλλ' οὐ τοῖος ἔμοιγε νόος καθαρὰ φρονέοντι· Ἀλλ' οἶδ' οὐρανίους τε νοήματα, καὶ δέμας ἁγνοὺς Ἄνδρας θηλυτέρας τε. Τὸ γὰρ πλέον ἐν μελέεσσι· Ξυναὶ δ' ἀμφοτέροις ἀρεταὶ, ξυνὴ δὲ κέλευθος Ἐς βίον αἰπήεντα. Τὸ δὲ πλέον ἱεμένοιο. Πηοῖσι μὲν ταῦτ' ἐπιτέλλομαι οὐρανοφοιτῶν. Παρθενίη, σὺ δέ μοι περικήδεο, ὥς κεν ἐρυμνὴ Πάντοθεν, εὖ βεβαυῖα, Θεῷ καὶ ἄρτιος εἴης, Μάργαρος ἐν λάεσσιν, ἑωσφόρος ἐν φαέεσσιν, 630 Ἐν πτηνοῖσι πέλεια, ἐν ἄλσεσιν ἔρνος ἐλαίης, Καὶ κρίνον ἐν πεδίοισι, καὶ ἐν πελάγευσι γαλήνη. Παρθένε, κόσμον ἅπαντα, καὶ ὁππόσα τερπνὰ βίοιο Ὠσαμένη, Χριστοῦ πέλας ἵστασο λαμπετόωντος, Καὶ χερὶ χειρὸς ἑλοῦσα, τεῆς ἄγε παστάδος εἴσω, Τερπνῆς, ἡδυπνόοιο, θυώδεος· ὥς κε μύροισι Μίξαις οὐρανίοισι μύρον τεὸν, ἔνθα χυθεῖσιν Ἀφράστοισι πόθοισι πόθους, καὶ κάλλεϊ κάλλος, Κρυπτὸν κρυπταδίῳ, καὶ αἰγλήεντι φαεινὸν, Χριστὸν ἔχοις μορφῆς ἐρικυδέος ἐσθλὸν ἐραστὴν, Χριστὸν ἐεδνωτήν. Χριστὸς δ' ἀνέῳξε καλύπτρην, 631 Καὶ θάμβησεν ἰδὼν κεδνὴν περικαλλέα νύμφην, Ἐσθλὴν, μαργαρίεσσαν, ἐΰθρονον, ὑψικάρηνον, Καί σε καλήν περ ἐοῦσαν, ἔτι χαρίεσσαν ἔθηκε. Χριστὸς καγχαλόωσαν ἑὰ πρὸς δώματ' ἀνάξει, Καὶ θήσει σοι δαῖτα γαμήλιον ἐν μεγάλοισιν Ἀχράντοισι χοροῖσι, καὶ οὐρανίῃσιν ἀοιδαῖς, Καὶ στέψει χαρίτεσσιν ἀειθαλέεσσι κάρηνον, Καὶ στήσει κρητῆρα μεθύσματος ἡδυπνόοιο, Καὶ δείξει σοφίης μυστήρια, τῆς ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ Εἰκόνας ἐνθάδ' ὁρῶμεν, ἐτήτυμα φῶτα νόοιο Γυμνοτέρου. Σάρκες γὰρ ὑποείξουσι παχεῖαι Πνεύματι, ἠέριαι δὲ, βίον δέξονται ἀγήρω. Ἀλλὰ, φίλοι, μέλπωμεν, ὅσοις πόθος ἁγνὸς ἄνακτος· Ἠίθεοι, κοῦραί τε, Θεοῦ γάμον οὐρανίωνος, Λαμπάδας ἁψάμεναι, θείου μιμήματα φωτὸς, 632 Ἀσβέστους, νοεράς τε, ἀεὶ πλέον ἐν καθαρῇσι Πρήξεσιν ἠδὲ λόγοισι ῥιπιζομένας μεγάλοισιν Ἄχρι καὶ οὐρανίοιο. Σὺ δ' ἵλαος ἄμμιν ἐπέλθοις, Ἵλαος, ἵλαος ἄμμιν, ἁγνὴ Τριὰς, εἰς ἒν ἰοῦσα Ἐξ ἑνὸς, ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ὑπαυγάζουσα φαεινοῖς Σήμερον, ὑστάτιον δὲ φαάντερον, οἷσιν ἔλαμψας Εἷς Θεὸς ἐκ Γενέταο δι' Υἱέος ἐς μέγα Πνεῦμα, Ἱσταμένης θεότητος ἐνὶ τελέοισι τελείης.

Γʹ. Πρὸς παρθένους παραινετικός. Ἐν τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ τὸν Συρακούσιον

μιμεῖται οὗτος γὰρ μόνος ποιητῶν ῥυθμοῖς τε καὶ κώ λοις ἐχρήσατο, ποιητικῆς ἀναλογίας καταφρο νήσας. Παρθένε νύμφη Χριστοῦ, δόξαζέ σου τὸν νυμφίον 633 Ἀεί. Κάθαρε σαυτὴν ἐν λόγῳ καὶ σοφίᾳ, Ἵνα λαμπρὰ τῷ λαμπρῷ πάντα ζήσῃς τὸν αἰῶνα Κρείσσων γὰρ αὕτη πολὺ τῆς φθαρτῆς συζυγίας. Ἐν σώματι τὰς νοερὰς δυνάμεις ἐμιμήσω Ἀγγελικὴν ἐπὶ γῆς μετῆλθες πολιτείαν. ∆εσμὸς ἐνταῦθα, καὶ λύσις, καὶ σώματ' ἐκ σωμάτων· Ἄνω δ' ἑκάστη μονὰς οὔποτε λυομένη· Οἱ πρῶτοι φέρουσ' ἀκτῖνα τῆς καθαρᾶς Τριάδος, Πνεύματα καὶ πῦρ, λειτουργοὶ τῶν Θεοῦ προσταγμάτων. Ὕλη δὲ μίξιν ἐξεῦρεν, ἀεὶ ῥέουσα φύσις, Ἧ μέτρον ὥρισε Θεὸς, γάμον νομοθετήσας. 634 Σὺ δ' ἔργον ὕλης φυγοῦσα, τοῖς ἄνω συνηρμόσθης, Ὡς νοῦς ἁρμόζεται νοῒ τὴν θείαν ἁρμονίαν, Καὶ σαρκὶ πολεμοῦσα βοηθεῖς τῇ εἰκόνι. Πνοὴ γὰρ ἔφυς Θεοῦ, τῷ χείρονι συνδεθεῖσα, Ἵνα ἐκ πάλης καὶ νίκης τὸ στέφος ἀπολάβῃς, Ἄνω θεῖσα καὶ τὸν χοῦν καλῶς ὑποταγέντα. Αἰνείσθω σοι καὶ γάμος, πρὸ γάμου δ' ἀφθορία· Γάμος συγγνώμη πάθους, ἁγνεία δὲ λαμπρότης· Γάμος πατὴρ ἁγίων, ἁγνεία δὲ λατρεία. Ταύτην καὶ τότε καιροῖς ἐτίμων τοῖς εὐθέτοις, Ἀδὰμ ἐν παραδείσῳ. Μωσὴς ἐν ὄρει Σινᾶ, Λειτουργῶν ὁ Ζαχαρίας, ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ Προδρόμου. 635 Γάμος καὶ