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the root of virginity, dear to God, But it is nevertheless a slavery to flesh and food. When there was Law, and shadows, and temporary worships, Then marriage also held first place, as still childish; But when the letter departed, the Spirit was brought in its place, And Christ suffered in the flesh, having come forth from a Virgin, Then purity shone forth, shortening the world, Which must pass over to that place with Christ who ascended with it. You journey well, O virgin, to the mountain, be saved above; Do not look back toward Sodom, lest you be fixed as a pillar of salt. Neither let the nature of the flesh frighten you too much; Nor be too bold, so as to ever be led astray. A spark ignites stubble; but water extinguishes a flame. 636 You have many remedies for venerable virginity; Let the fear of God fix you, let fasting empty you, Vigil, prayers, tears, sleeping on the ground, All love for God, genuinely directed, Putting to sleep every desire foreign to things above. Let him who has fallen be raised up; let him who is shipwrecked be pitied. But you, sail well, having spread the sail of hope. It is not for those below to fall, but of those borne upward Few shed their feathers, but most run a good course. Lucifer fell, but not the heaven of angels. Judas was a traitor, but the eleven were lamps. Only keep your whole self pure, O virgin. Lest you somehow stain the spotless tunic of Christ. Let your eye be chaste, let your tongue be virginal, 637 Let not your mind commit fornication, nor your laughter, nor your foot walking in a disorderly way. Your squalid robe, and your unkempt hair, I revere more than pearls and the elegance of silks. Modesty is a beautiful flower, and pallor a great adornment, And a beautiful wreath, to be crowned with all virtues. Let another falsify the image of God with colors, A living tablet, a silent accuser of things within; But as for the beauty you have, let most of it be dead to you; But shine with the beauty of a soul adorned by God. Flee the sight of men, if it is right, even of the chaste, Lest you somehow strike, or be struck by the blemish of Belial. Do not enslave eyes to eyes, nor draw speech with speech, Let not cheek to cheek give boldness. 638 Let there be nothing for you in the taste of the condemned tree, Lest the serpent cast you out from the tree of life. And be persuaded of this, O virgin, do not live with a patron; Having Christ as your bridegroom, He is zealous for your purity, Why to me, having fled the flesh, do you return to the flesh, Not all men can contain your simplicity. As a rose among thorns, so you turn among many, And you walk over evil snares. One man builds bridal chambers, another carries out a bridegroom, One becomes a father, another is suddenly childless. How great an evil are birth-pangs, often unfulfilled? How great the jealousy of a spouse, that affection should somehow be stolen? 639 To raise and educate, then to be dishonored, And to receive bitter returns for one's labors? But for you, one care: to look always toward God. And let your need be a little barley-cake, and a small shelter, From which the tempter also brought a test to Christ, Asking Him when He was hungry to turn stones into bread; For the sake of which may you never endure anything shameful. You are not worse than the birds that are readily fed. The jar of oil will not fail for you, if you believe. A raven will feed you as it did Elijah in the desert. You see Thecla escaping from fire and wild beasts, Paul the great hungry, and shivering eagerly, So that you may learn, O virgin, to look to God alone, Who knows how to feed even myriads in the desert. 640 Beauty fades, glory runs past, Wealth is an untrustworthy stream, and power belongs to few; But you, having escaped the turnings of the deceitful world, Enter into the holy of holies laughing, And with the angels you will dance the unceasing dance, Having obtained a better place than sons and daughters. But, O virgins, await Christ, keeping watch, And receive the bridegroom with bright lamps, So that coming together you may see the beauty of the bridegroom, And be mingled with the mysteries above.

IV. To a virgin. Be pure in all things, O Virgin, and with your eyes Most of all;

do not let anyone dwell with you 641 As a helper from among men, not even the wisest. For you are pure, the

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παρθενίας ῥίζα τῆς Θεῷ φίλης, Ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὁμῶς σαρκὸς καὶ βράσματος δουλεία. Ὅτ' ἦν νόμος, καὶ σκιαὶ, καὶ πρόσκαιροι λατρεῖαι, Τότ' εἶχε πρῶτα καὶ γάμος, ὡς ἔτι νηπιώδης· Ὅτε δ' ὑπεξῆλθε τὸ γράμμα, τὸ πνεῦμ' ἀντεισήχθη, Καὶ Χριστὸς ἔπαθε σαρκὶ, προελθὼν ἐκ Παρθένου, Τότ' ἐξέλαμψεν ἁγνεία συντέμνουσα τὸν κόσμον, Ὃν ἐκεῖ δεῖ μεταβῆναι Χριστῷ συνανελθόντι. Καλῶς ὁδεύεις, παρθένε, εἰς ὄρος, ἄνω σώζου· Μὴ πρὸς Σόδομ' ἀποβλέψῃς, μὴ στήλη παγῇς ἁλός. Μηδὲ λίαν σε σαρκὸς ἡ φύσις ἐμφοβείτω· Μηδὲ θαῤῥήσῃς ἄγαν, ὥστε πότ' ἐκπλανηθῆναι. Σπινθὴρ ἀνάπτει καλάμην· σβέννυσι δ' ὕδωρ φλόγα. 636 Ἔχεις φάρμακα πολλὰ τῆς σεμνῆς παρθενείας· Θεοῦ σε φόβος πηγνύτω, νηστεία σε κενούτω, Ἀγρυπνία, προσευχαὶ, δάκρυα, χαμευνία, Ἔρως ὅλος πρὸς Θεὸν, γνησίως τεταμένος, Πάντα κοιμίζων πόθον ἀλλότριον τῶν ἄνω Ὁ πεσὼν ἐγειρέσθω· ὁ ναυαγῶν ἐλεείσθω. Σὺ δὲ εὐπλόει, τὸ ἱστίον πετάσασα τῆς ἐλπίδος Οὐ τῶν κάτω τὸ πίπτειν, τῶν δ' ἄνω φερομένων Ὀλίγοι πτεροῤῥυοῦσιν, οἱ πλείους δ' εὐδρομοῦσιν. Ἔπεσεν Ἑωσφόρος, ἀλλ' οὐρανὸς ἀγγέλων. Ἰούδας ἦν προδότης, οἱ δ' ἕνδεκα λαμπτῆρες. Μόνον ὅλην σεαυτὴν ἁγνὴν τήρει, παρθένε. Μή πως ῥυπώσῃς Χριστοῦ τὸν ἄσπιλον χιτῶνα. Ὄμμα σου σωφρονείτω, γλῶσσα παρθενευέτω, 637 Μὴ νοῦς πορνεύῃ, μὴ γέλως, μὴ ποῦς ἄτακτα βαίνων. Τὴν πιναρὰν στολήν σου, καὶ τὴν αὐχμηρὰν κόμην, Μᾶλλον αἰδοῦμαι μαργάρων καὶ τῆς σηρῶν εὐκοσμίας. Καλὸν ἄνθος ἡ αἰδὼς, καὶ μέγας κόσμος ὠχρότης, Καὶ πλέγμα καλὸν, πάσαις ἀρεταῖς στεφανοῦσθαι. Ἄλλη χρώμασιν εἰκόνα τὴν Θεοῦ νοθευέτω, Πίναξ ἔμψυχος, σιγῶν κατήγορος τῶν ἔνδον· Σὺ δ' ἧς ἔχεις εὐμορφίας νεκρούσθω σοι τὸ πλεῖστον· Κάλλει δὲ λάμπε ψυχῆς ἐκ Θεοῦ κοσμουμένη. Ὄψιν δ' ἀῤῥένων φεῦγε, εἰ θέμις, καὶ σωφρόνων, Μή που πλήξῃς, ἢ πληγῇς ἐκ μώμου τοῦ Βελία. Ὄμματ' ὄμμασι μὴ δουλοῦ, μὴ δ' ἕλκε λόγον λόγῳ, Μὴ παρειὰ παρειαῖς διδότω παῤῥησίαν. 638 Μηδέν σοι καὶ τῇ γεύσει ξύλου τοῦ κατακρίτου, Μή σε ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς ὁ ὄφις ἔξω βάλῃ. Καὶ τοῦτο πείθου σὺ, παρθένε, μὴ συνοίκει προστάτῃ· Χριστὸν ἔχουσα νυμφίον, ζηλοῖ σου τὴν ἁγνείαν, Τί μοι, σάρκας φυγοῦσα, πρὸς σάρκας ἐπιστρέφεις, Οὐ πάντες ἄνδρες τὴν σὴν ἁπλότητα χωροῦσιν. Ὡς ῥόδον ἐν ἀκάνθαις, οὕτως ἐν πολλοῖς στρέφῃ, Καὶ ἐπάνω πονηρῶν παγίδων διαβαίνεις. Ὁ μὲν ἐγείρει παστάδας, ἡ δ' ἐκκομίζει νυμφίον, Ἄλλος γίνεται πατὴρ, ἄλλος δ' ἄπαις ἀθρόως. Ὅσον κακὸν ὠδῖνες, ἀτέλεστοι πολλάκις; Ὅσον δὲ ζῆλος συζύγου, κλαπῆναί που φιλίαν; 639 Ἐκθρέψαι δὲ καὶ παιδεῦσαι, ἔπειτ' ἀτιμασθῆναι, Καὶ πικρὰς ἀπολαύειν τῶν πόνων ἀντιδόσεις; Σοὶ δὲ μέριμνα μία πρὸς Θεὸν ἀεὶ βλέπειν. Ἡ χρεία δ' ἔστω ὀλίγη μάζα, καὶ μικρὰ σκέπη, Ἀφ' ἧς πεῖραν καὶ Χριστῷ προσήγαγεν ὁ πειράζων, Λίθους αἰτῶν εἰς ἄρτους πεινῶντα μετατρέψαι· Ὧν μή ποθ' εἵνεκα μηδέ τι τῶν αἰσχρῶν ὑπομένῃς. Οὐ χείρων εἶ πετεινῶν σχεδίως τρεφομένων. Οὐκ ἐκλείψει σοι καμψάκης ἐλαίου πιστευούσῃ. Κόραξ ἐκθρέψει καθάπερ Ἠλίαν ἐν ἐρήμῳ. Ὁρᾷς Θέκλαν ἐκ πυρὸς καὶ θηρίων φυγοῦσαν, Παῦλον τὸν μέγαν πεινῶντα, καὶ ῥιγοῦντα προθύμως, Ἵνα σὺ μάθῃς, παρθένε, πρὸς Θεὸν μόνον βλέπειν, Ὃς ἐν ἐρήμῳ τρέφειν οἶδε καὶ μυριάδας. 640 Μαραίνεται τὸ κάλλος, ἡ δόξα παρατρέχει, Ὁ πλοῦτος ἄπιστον ῥεῦμα, τὸ δύνασθαι δ' ὀλίγων· Σὺ δὲ τοῦ πλάνου κόσμου τὰς στροφὰς ἐκφυγοῦσα, Εἴσελθε εἰς τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων γελῶσα, Καὶ σὺν ἀγγέλοις χορεύσεις τὴν ἄπαυστον χορείαν, Κρείσσονα τόπον λαχοῦσα υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων. Ἀλλ', ὦ παρθένοι, Χριστὸν μένοιτε γρηγοροῦσαι, Καὶ φαιδραῖς τὸν νυμφίον δέξασθε ταῖς λαμπάσιν, Ἵνα συνελθοῦσαι τὸ κάλλος τοῦ νυμφίου Ἴδητε, καὶ μιγῆτε τοῖς ἄνω μυστηρίοις.

∆ʹ. Εἰς παρθένον. Ἅγνευε πᾶσι, Παρθένε, καὶ τοῖς ὄμμασι Πάντων μάλιστα·

μηδέ τιν' εἰσοικίσῃ 641 Ἀνδρῶν βοηθὸν, μηδὲ τὸν σοφώτατον. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ ἁγνὴ, τὸν