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of fear. {THEOLOGIAN} Go; for it seems he cares for all his friends; and you yourselves shall know my words. But you follow now, maidens, with my mother, follow, armed in your hearts with Christ, fearing nothing, but follow me; for I will show you a house where you must pass the night. This house here is suitable; here for now take shelter; for not a small part of the night has passed, as I see, and already, while dawn is at hand, the darkness flows away. {THEOTOKOS} Woe is me; woe; With a troubled soul, with a frozen heart, how could sleep fall upon my eyelids? Alas, my Child, for your most unjust slaughter; oh, wretched me, for this reversal of fortune; for these things are not in accord with what was hoped, even if they are in accord with what was foretold. I have endured the greatest misfortunes even before, my Child, from the very beginning of your strange birth; but joy immediately followed misfortunes, with you being present and dispelling sorrows; but now, this unbearable pain, alas, how do I bear it? What then shall I do, now that I have suffered the impossible? And how indeed will sleep charm the seat of my eye? {SEMICHORUS} We, O mistress, lay down on the ground, with our bodies weary, young, old, and virgins still unwed, some leaning their heads on the backs of others, others placing their hands under their cheeks, and we snatched a little bit of brief sleep. But you did not sleep nor lie down, moaning and grieving all night long; for through the whole night you turn a sleepless eye. How long will you remain sitting sleepless, not closing your eye at all? Dawn, look, has appeared, and the people run up and down the main road; and the light-bearing sun, having risen from the earth, sends forth its rays, warming the land. {THEOTOKOS} Having seen my Son laid dead in the tomb, must I not wail and moan and weep, until I might see him alive again from the tomb? And how indeed could sleep fall upon my eyelids? {OTHER SEMICHORUS} And I, with troubled heart, ceasing from sleep, lie, treading the earth, on the ground, and I neither sank into deep sleep nor rested, hearing your violent wails, O virgin, and your groans. {THEOTOKOS} Wake up, wake up; why, women, do you delay? Go out, go forth a little towards the city, as far as the law somehow permits to go; perhaps you will learn some news. For many do not know you, and there is no fear. {CHORUS} And indeed I think I see one of the followers now, hastening here with a sad face; and he seems a messenger of new tidings. {MESSENGER} Where, where, going, might I find the mother of Jesus? Tell me, women, if you know, show me; is she inside these dwellings? {THEOTOKOS} Here she is, you see for yourself, she remains inside the dwelling. {MESSENGER} Lady, mother of my dear Initiator, even now I bring a word worthy of concern to you and to the disciples and to your dear women. {THEOTOKOS} You have come at a good time, even if you announce fear. What is it? Is there some new misfortune? {MESSENGER} A large armed company is going to the tomb, but for what reason, I cannot clearly guess. I have come having heard it not distinctly; but a rumor has fallen upon the people, that spies have come to the tomb; and one who has not seen, speaks; another, having seen them go, cannot speak; and one who says he knows something, is unwilling to tell. But one person said that scribes approached and persuaded the ruler of this land to send guards and to seal the stone, so that the disciples might not perchance steal the body; for this reason I came to you to report these things. {THEOTOKOS} O weaver of evils most unbearable to me, O assembly of scribes and elders, O worker of murderous audacity, O playwright of the murder of the Lord, since you understand what you foolishly dare, you will receive a sharp arrow in your heart, suffering a most terrible pain. And if you should remain in these things in which you now wickedly remain to the end, you, not faring well, will seem to be not unwell out of foolishness and evil counsel; but you might nevertheless learn afterwards that it is no gain to you. For how will they be robbers of a corpse, who have barely escaped their blood-stained hands? Who will persuade them to approach the tomb, having fled so and being utterly terrified? Go, go and guard the tomb; yes, yes, company, go and watch securely; for perhaps you will be a witness of the resurrection. But we, my friends, let us remain here again. {CHORUS} Yes, yes, let us remain

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φόβου. {ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΣ} Χώρει· μέλειν γὰρ πάντα οἱ δοκεῖ φίλων· αὐτοί τ' ἐπιγνώσεσθε τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους. Ὑμεῖς δ' ἕπεσθε νῦν, κόραι, σὺν μητρί μου, ἕπεσθε, Χριστὸν καρδίαις ὡπλισμέναι πτοούμεναί τε μηδέν, ἀλλ' ἕπεσθέ μοι· δείξω γὰρ οἶκον ἔνθα νυχεῦσαι δέον. Οὐκοῦν ὅδ' ἐνδέξιος οἶκος· ἐνθάδε τανῦν καταυλίσθητε· καὶ γὰρ εὐφρόνης οὐ βραχὺ παρῴχηκεν, ὡς ὁρῶ, μέρος, ἤδη δ' ἕως πάρεστιν, ἐκρέει κνέφας. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Ἰώ μοι· ἰώ· Ψυχῆς μελούσης, καρδίας παχνουμένης, ὕπνος βλεφάροις τοῖς ἐμοῖς πῶς ἐμπέσῃ; Οἴμοι, Τέκνον μου, σῆς σφαγῆς πανταδίκου· ὤ μοι ταλαίνῃ δραμάτων ἀντιστρόφων· οὐ γὰρ συνῳδὰ ταῦτα τοῖς ἠλπισμένοις, κἂν συνᾴδωσι τοῖς προηγορευμένοις. Ἔτλην μεγίστας συμφορὰς καὶ πρίν, Τέκνον, ἀρχῆς ἀπ' ἄκρης σῶν ξένων γενεθλίων· ἀλλ' εἵπετ' εὐθὺς συμφοραῖς θυμηδία, σοῦ συμπαρόντος καὶ λύοντος ἀνίας· νῦν δ' ἄλγος ἀφέρτατον, οἴμοι, πῶς φέρω; τί γοῦν τί δράσω νῦν παθοῦσ' ἀμήχανα; θέλξει δ' ἕδραν ὄμματος ὕπνος πῶς ἄρα; {ΗΜΙΧΟΡΙΟΝ} Ἄμμες μέν, ὦ δέσποινα, χαμαιστρωτίαι ἀνεκλίθημεν, σώμασιν παρειμέναι, νέαι, παλαιαί, παρθένοι τ' ἔτ' ἄζυγες, ἄλλαι πρὸς ἄλλων νῶτ' ἐρείσασαι κάρας, αἵδ' ἐν παρειαῖς ὑποβαλοῦσαι χέρας, καὶ βαιὸν ἡρπάσαμεν ὕπνου βραχύ τι. Σὺ δ' οὐχ ὕπνωσας οὐδ' ἀνέκλινας δέμας, παννύχιον στένουσα κὠδυνημένη· πάσῃ γὰρ ὄμμ' ἄγρυπνον εὐφρόνῃ στρέφεις. Ἕως τίνος μείνῃς δὲ προσκαθημένη ἄϋπνος, ὄμμα μηδ' ὅλως μύουσα σόν; Ἠώς, ἰδού, πέφηνε, καὶ λεωφόρον περιτρέχουσι δῆμος ἄνω καὶ κάτω· γῆς τ' ἀναδραμὼν ἥλιος φαεσφόρος, ἀκτῖνας ἐξίησι θερμαίνων χθόνα. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Υἱὸν τεθέντα νεκρὸν ἰδοῦσαν τάφῳ οὐ δεῖ με θρηνεῖν καὶ στένειν καὶ δακρύειν, ἕως ἴδοιμι ζῶντα πάλιν ἐκ τάφου; ὕπνος δ' ἄρα μου πῶς βλεφάροις ἐμπέσῃ; {ΕΤΕΡΟΝ ΗΜΙΧΟΡΙΟΝ} Κἀγὼ μελούσῃ καρδίᾳ λήγουσ' ὕπνου κεῖμαι, πεδοστιβής γε χαμαιστρωτίᾳ, κοὔτ' ἔβρισ' οὔτ' ἐκοίμισα, σφοδρῶν γόων σῶν, παρθένε, κλύουσα καὶ στεναγμάτων. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Ἔγρεσθ' ἔγρεσθε· τί, γυναῖκες, μέλλετε; ἔξιτ' ἄπιτε βαιὸν ὡς πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, ὅσον προβαίνειν ἐντολὴ δίδωσί πως· ἴσως τι μαθήσεσθε καὶ νεώτερον. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοοῦσι, κοὐ δέος. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Καὶ μὴν ὀπαδῶν νῦν τιν' εἰσορᾶν δοκῶ, σπουδῇ σκυθρωπὸν ἐνθάδ' ἐφωρμημένον· δοκεῖ δὲ καινῶν ἄγγελος μηνυμάτων. {ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ} Πῇ πῇ μολὼν εὕροιμ' Ἰησοῦ μητέρα; εἴπατέ μοι, γυναῖκες, εἴπερ ἴστε, μοι σημήνατ'· ἆρα τῶνδε δωμάτων ἔσω; {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Ἥδ', αὐτὸς ἀθρεῖς, δωμάτων ἐντὸς μένει. {ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ} ∆έσποινα, μῆτερ Μυσταγωγοῦ μοι φίλου, καὶ νῦν μερίμνης ἄξιον φέρω λόγον σοὶ καὶ μαθηταῖς καὶ γυναιξὶ σαῖς φίλαις. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Εἰς καιρὸν ἥκεις, καίπερ ἀγγέλλων φόβον. Τί δ' ἐστί; μῶν τις συμφορὰ νεωτέρα; {ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ} Πολλὴ φάλαγξ ἔνοπλος εἰς τάφον μολεῖ, τίνος δ' ἕκητι, συμβαλεῖν σάφ' οὐκ ἔχω. Ἥκω δ' ἀκούσας οὐ τορῶς· φήμη δέ τις λαοῖσιν ἐμπέπτωκεν, ὡς κατάσκοποι ἥκουσι τάφου· χὠ μὲν οὐκ ἰδὼν λέγει· ὅδ' εἰσιδὼν μολοῦντας οὐκ ἔχει λέγειν· ὃς δ' εἰδέναι λέγων τι, φράζειν οὐ θέλει. Πλὴν εἷς τις εἶπε γραμματεῖς προσιέναι καὶ ταῦτα πεῖσαι κοίρανον τῆσδε χθονὸς πέμψαι φύλακας καὶ σφραγίσαι τὸν λίθον, ὡς μὴ τάχα κλέψωσι μύσται τὸν νέκυν· ὧν οὕνεκ' ἦλθον πρὸς σὲ ταῦτ' ἀπαγγελῶν. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Ὦ ῥάπτα κακῶν τῶν ἀφερτάτων ἐμοί, γραμματέων ὅμιλε καὶ πρεσβυτέρων, ὦ τῆς φονώσης ἐργάτα τολμηρίας, ὦ δραματουργὲ τοῦ φόνου τοῦ ∆εσπότου, ὡς συνιεὶς μὲν οἷα τολμᾷς ἀφρόνως, δέξῃ βέλος δριμύ τι κατὰ καρδίας, πάνδεινον ἀλγῶν ἄλγος. Ἢν δ' ἄρ' ἐς τέλος ἐν τοῖσδε μείνῃς οἷς τανῦν κακῶς μένεις, οὐκ εὐπραγῶν δόξεις γε σὺ μὴ κακῶς ἔχειν ἐξ ἀφροσύνης καὶ κακῆς ἀβουλίας· γνοίης δ' ὅμως ἔπειθ' ὅτ' οὐ κέρδος τί σοι. Πῶς γὰρ ἔσονται νεκροφῶρες οἱ μόγις μιαιφόνους σφῶν χεῖρας ἐκπεφευγότες; προσεγγίσαι πείσει δὲ τίς σφᾶς τῷ τάφῳ, οὕτω τρέσαντας καὶ λίαν πεφρικότας; Ἄπιθ' ἄπιθι καὶ φύλασσε τὸν τάφον· ναὶ ναί, φάλαγξ, ἄπιθι κἀσφαλῶς βλέπε· μάρτυς γὰρ ἴσως τῆς ἐγέρσεως ἔσῃ. Ἄμμες δέ, φίλαι, τῇδε μίμνωμεν πάλιν. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Ναὶ ναὶ μένωμεν