THE EVENTS OF THE NEXT DAY: MACRINA'S LAST HOURS

But when day came it was clear to me from what I saw that the coming day was the utmost limit of her life in the flesh, since the fever had consumed all her innate strength. But she, considering the weakness of our minds, was contriving how to divert us from our sorrowful anticipations, and once more with those beautiful words of hers poured out what was left of her suffering soul with [982D] short and difficult breathing. Many, indeed, and varied, were the emotions of my heart at what I saw. For nature herself was afflicting me and making me sad; as was only to be expected, since I could no longer hope ever to hear such a voice again. Nor as yet was I reconciled to the thought of losing the common glory of our family, but my mind, as it were inspired by the spectacle, supposed that she would actually rise superior to the common lot. For that she did not even in her last breath find anything strange in the hope of the Resurrection, nor even shrink at the departure from this life, but with lofty mind continued to discuss up to her last breath the convictions she had formed from the beginning about this life----all this seemed to me more than human. Rather did it seem as if some angel had taken human form with a sort of incarnation, to whom it was nothing [984A] strange that the mind should remain undisturbed, since he had no kinship or likeness with this life of flesh, and so the flesh did not draw the mind to think on its afflictions. Therefore ⁷ I think she revealed to the bystanders that divine and pure love of the invisible bridegroom, which she kept hidden and nourished in the secret places of the soul, and she published abroad the secret disposition of her heart----her hurrying towards Him Whom she desired, that she might speedily be with Him, loosed from the chains of the body. For in very truth her course was directed towards virtue, and nothing else could divert her attention.

Ὡς δὲ ἡμέρα ἐγένετο, ἐμοὶ μὲν πρόδηλον ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἦν, ὅτι ἔσχατος αὐτῇ τῆς κατὰ σάρκα ζωῆς ὅρος ἡ ἐνεστῶσα ἡμέρα ἦν, πᾶσαν τὴν ἐγκειμένην τῇ φύσει δύναμιν τοῦ πυρετοῦ δαπανήσαντος. Ἡ δὲ πρὸς τὸ ἀσθενὲς ἡμῶν τῆς διανοίας βλέπουσα παράγειν ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς κατηφεστέρας ἐλπίδος ἐμηχανᾶτο, πάλιν τοῖς καλοῖς ἐκείνοις λόγοις διαχέουσα τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ λυπούμενον ἐν λεπτῷ τὸ λοιπὸν καὶ συνεχομένῳ τῷ ἄσθματι. Ἔνθα δὴ καὶ μάλιστα ποικίλως διετίθετό μοι πρὸς τὸ φαινόμενον ἡ ψυχή, τῆς μὲν φύσεως εἰς σκυθρωπότητα κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς βαρουμένης διὰ τὸ μηκέτι προσδοκᾶν τῆς τοιαύτης φωνῆς καὶ αὖθις ἀκούσεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὅσον οὐδέπω τὸ κοινὸν καύχημα τῆς γενεᾶς ἐλπίζειν ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου βίου μεταστήσεσθαι, τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς οἷον ἐνθουσιώσης ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων καὶ ἐκβεβηκέναι τὴν κοινὴν φύσιν ὑπονοούσης. Τὸ γὰρ μηδὲ ἐν ἐσχάταις ἀναπνοαῖς αὐτὴν οὖσαν παθεῖν τινα ξενισμὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐλπίδι τῆς μεταστάσεως μηδὲ δειλιάσαι πρὸς τὸν χωρισμὸν τῆς ζωῆς, ἀλλ' ὑψηλῇ τῇ διανοίᾳ τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτῇ περὶ τοῦ τῇδε βίου κεκριμένοις μέχρι τῆς ἐσχάτης ἐμφιλοσοφεῖν ἀναπνοῆς οὐκέτι μοι ἐδόκει τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων εἶναι, ἀλλ' οἷον ἀγγέλου τινὸς οἰκονομικῶς ἀνθρωπίνην ὑπελθόντος μορφήν, ᾧ μηδεμιᾶς οὔσης πρὸς τὸν ἐν σαρκὶ βίον συγγενείας ἢ οἰκειώσεως οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς ἐν ἀπαθείᾳ τὴν διάνοιαν μένειν, μὴ καθελκούσης τῆς σαρκὸς πρὸς τὰ ἴδια πάθη. Διὰ τοῦτό μοι ἐδόκει τὸν θεῖον ἐκεῖνον καὶ καθαρὸν ἔρωτα τοῦ ἀοράτου νυμφίου, ὃν ἐγκεκρυμμένον εἶχεν ἐν τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπορρήτοις τρεφόμενον, ἔκδηλον ποιεῖν τότε τοῖς παροῦσι καὶ δημοσιεύειν τὴν ἐν καρδίᾳ διάθεσιν τῷ ἐπείγεσθαι πρὸς τὸν ποθούμενον, ὡς ἂν διὰ τάχους σὺν αὐτῷ γένοιτο τῶν δεσμῶν ἐκλυθεῖσα τοῦ σώματος. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ ὡς πρὸς ἐραστὴν ὁ δρόμος ἐγίνετο, οὐδενὸς ἄλλου τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἡδέων πρὸς ἑαυτὸ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἐπιστρέφοντος.