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119 To Dionysius

I have appeared as the tomb of Dionysius indeed, a foreign monk, a boxer, a catechumen,

who ran many courses of orthodoxy and carried off the prize of a martyr in the end.

120 For the entrance of the monastery of Anna A first-fruit offering to God and the Master

is this venerable sheepfold and monastery here

named after the all-holy Virgin and bringing forth virgins as brides,

to live ascetically, to shine forth divinely

for the ransom of all the sins

of this very woman and of Leo her husband,

along with those of John, her dearest child.

121 To Theophilus the deacon

Great is the venerable grace you have, because though having received nothing from us, except

the prize of the prayers of sinners, it has not yet ceased to offer us gifts,

which having received, we will again kindly offer to you, our friend, the things of friends.

122 To Pamphilus the Thrice-Wretched

A soul-destroying beast, Pamphilus, revealed as a new one, was ostracized from the monastery of the

Forerunner.

123 Letter to a grammarian

To your three-lined phrase of gold and pearl I bring in return an emerald-priced debt;

but you yourself would sing to me again in a manner befitting the Muses.

124 Epigram on our holy father Theodore

[A gift of the ever-living God, of the great king, lovely, renowned for piety

of life, Theodore by name, came as leader of the flock; unceasingly with nightly prayers and with the other orders

of hymn-writers he roused the God-made manly song of Stoudios, which they call the most distinguished blessed house,

the holy place of John, of Christ the wise Forerunner, which he filled in good things with most abundant graces,

with steadfast temperance and the lights of purity. He provided valiant, immense characters to all,

being without the shame of nocturnal passions; and full of the lights of splendor, altogether admirable

were the divinely-commanded teachings for those being initiated. He drove away what was rugged, and took up the lightness

of grievous toil and heavy-yoked burden, to have winged steps towards the starry heaven,

as Christ indeed said, the most blessed helper of mortals, a swift-sailing mast, very skillful with a brilliant leap.

From this man another came, a certain blameless Anatolius, in whom dwelt a noble divine breath,

having come from Lydia after other leaders. This man skillfully fitted his body to his God-lit mind,

seeking the most manifest bright footsteps of Christ, such as a servant of God will perform with the best life,

in all piety, piercing like the first; he used to carry truth in his heart with purity,

being of the thrice-shining Godhead

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119 Εἰς ∆ιονύσιον

Τάφος πέφηνα ∆ιονυσίου μάλα, ξένου μοναστοῦ, πυκτικοῦ, κατηκόου,

πολλοὺς δραμόντος ὀρθοδοξίας δρόμους καὶ μαρτύραθλον ἐξαποίσαντος τέλος.

120 Εἰς εἴσοδον μοναστηρίου Ἄννης ἀπαρχὴ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ∆εσπότῃ ἡ τῇδε μάνδρα καὶ μονὴ σεβασμία

ἐπωνυμοῦσα τῆς πανάγνου Παρθένου καὶ παρθένους φέρουσα νυμφιοκλέως, ἀσκητικῶς ζῆν, ἐνθέως διαπρέπειν ὑπέρ τε λύτρον τῶν ὅλων ἁμαρτάδων αὐτῆς γε ταύτης καὶ Λέοντος συζύγου, μεθ' ὧν Ἰωάννου τε, φιλτάτου τέκνου.

121 Εἰς Θεόφιλον διάκονον

Πολλὴ πρόσεστιν ἡ σεβαστή σοι χάρις, ὅτι πρὸς ἡμῶν οὐδὲν ἐσχηκυῖά τι, εἰ

μὴ προσευχῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν γέρας, οὔπω πέπαυται προσφέρειν ἡμῖν δόσεις, ἅσπερ λαβόντες καὶ πάλιν φιλοφρόνως προσοίσομέν σοι τῷ φίλῳ τὰ τῶν φίλων.

122 Εἰς Πάμφιλον τὸν Τριμαλέθοντα

Ψυχοφθόρος θὴρ Πάμφιλος δειχθεὶς νέος ἐξωστρακίσθη τῆς μονῆς τοῦ

Προδρόμου.

123 Ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς γραμματικόν Τῇ τριστίχῳ σου χρυσομαργάρῳ φράσει σμαραγδότιμον ἀντεπεξάγω χρέος·

αὐτὸς δ' ἄδοις μοι μουσικοπρεπῶς πάλιν.

124 Ἐπίγραμμα εἰς τὸν ὅσιον πατέρα ἡμῶν Θεόδωρον [∆ῶρον ἀειζώοιο Θεοῦ, μεγάλοιο ἄνακτος, ἱμερόεν, περίπυστον ἐπ' εὐλαβέῃ

βιότοιο, οὔνομα Θεύδωρος, ποίμνης ἡγεύμενος ἧκεν· νωλεμέως νυχίῃσι λιτῇς ἰδὲ τάξεσιν ἄλλαις ὑμνοπόλων Θεότευκτον ἀγήνορα ὦρσεν ἀοιδὴν Στουδίου, ᾗ κλῄζουσιν ἀριπρεπέ' ὄλβιον οἶκον, ἱρὸν Ἰωάννοιο, Χριστοῦ Προδρόμοιο σοφοῖο, ὅν κεν ἐπ' ἐσθλοῖσι πλῆσεν πλείστῃς χαρίτεσσι, στερρῇς σωφροσύνῃσι καὶ ἁγνείης φαέεσσιν. Ἀλκιμόεντ', ἀπέλεθρα παρέσχετο ἤθεα πᾶσιν νυκτινόμων παθέων αἴσχους ἀπάνευθεν ἐόντα· ἀγλαΐης φαέων δὲ ἀνάπλεα, πάμπαν ἀγητὰ τοῖσι μυϊσκομένοισι διδάγματα Θειοκέλευστα. Ὀκριόεντ' ἀπόερσεν, ἀερσιπότητα δὲ εἷλεν λευγαλέου καμάτοιο, βαρυζυγέος δέ τε ἄχθους, ἴθματ' ἔχειν πτερόεντα πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἀστερόεντα, ὡς ἄρα Χριστὸς ἔλεξε, βροτῶν πολύολβος ἀρωγός, ἱστίον ὀξυπόρον, περιδέξιον ἅλματι λαμπρῷ. Τοῦδ' ἄπο ἄλλος ἔηκεν, Ἀνατόλιός τις ἀμύμων, ᾧ ἔνι ναιετάεσκεν ἀγαυὸν Θεῖον ἄημα, ἱκόμενος Λυδίηθε μετ' ἄλλους ἡγεμονῆας. Οὗτος ἀριφραδέως δέμας ἤραρε νῷ Θεολαμπεῖ μαστεύων Χριστοῖο φαάντατα ἴχνια φαιδρά, οἷα Θεοῖο λάτρις πράξει βιότητί τ' ἀρίστῃ, πᾶσιν ἐπ' εὐλαβέῃ διαπρύσιος οἷος ὁ πρῶτος· ἀτρεκείην κραδίῃφι σὺν ἁγνείῃ φορέεσκε τρισσοφαοῦς Θεότητος ἐὼν