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I toiled, but yet it is not worthy of the Rewards, which await those dear to God. Isaiah was sawn asunder, but he endured. The fire greeted the three in the foreign land. Daniel was thrown to the beasts as if to friends. By strength Paul and Peter were victorious. Was not the Forerunner a victim of his boldness? They know that I have died. But as for me, Father, I am yours, even if you wish to whirl me in worse things.

XV. To himself after his return from the city of Constantine. I come

from life, leaving the great gulf of the sea, tossed this way and that by harsh winds. I come, holding what I have done, and leaving behind what I have toiled for, trembling at the one, and joyful at the other. I have left nothing pleasant for which I might grieve with longing; to some I was unwillingly subdued, to others willingly. Such a lovely possession was mine, such wealth apart from others, a warm forgetfulness of toils, the common splendor of the great Trinity, which revealing, I came even to the foreign nobles. Not indeed completely unwounded, since I was received with stones, like some sinner. This is your grace, O Trinity. Nevertheless, I revealed it, and like a circle around a center I shaped all with words of piety. It was a race, but envy and sickness sent me back, greatly blaming the envious demon, who shook out the pure offspring of my labor-pains, newly-formed, standing at the gates of life. But then my Trinity is again cut apart by lawless mouths, both in the marketplaces and in choirs, and whorish doctrines prevail. But the sword, alas! Who, a Phinehas, zealous in soul and name, will fix it with fornicator-slaying hand, or who, a Moses, will come to the aid of the Hebrew doctrines unjustly stricken, and after slaying the Egyptian tale at once, will have great glory among a great people? Who will take the whole godhead into his mind, holding back nothing of the great Trinity, or with prudent mind and strong words will scatter the rage of opposing words? And who will guard the unbending faith from the opportune moments of arrows, standing unswerving amid wavering strengths? May he not, like the stream of a much-wandering strait, incline this faith, flowing here and there? And who will stop the chilling toil of mighty priests, leading the champions of friendship into one? This was my desire, since God so commands, Christ the cure of mortals by what laws of sufferings, by which he bound together on the cross both good and bad, whoever is far from the palace, and whoever is near. For this reason he is also the cornerstone for both, leading peoples into one with the harmony of friendship. It was a desire; but those who hated me before dishonored me, and paid no heed to my persuasion. Would that my Trinity were undisputed, which they strike with thick-flying arrows! O Trinity, stop the toil; and let not evil envy look upon me, but to our toils give a good end, being exalted. Rejoice, famous seat of Anastasia, you who have raised up again the dead faith by my words. Of you, not even when dead will I be forgetful, but with the best I will stand, beseeching the Trinity on behalf of my children.

XVI. A dream concerning the church of Anastasia, which he established in the city of Constantine.

I was sleeping a sweet sleep; and a dream brought and set Anastasia before my daily longings; who first led the steep doctrine that was abiding at the foothills to the highest peak of the mountain; for this reason they call the temple by the name Anastasia, the work of my greatly-toiling hand. I seemed to be sitting on a high throne, not haughty, for not even in a dream did I honor arrogance. And on both sides of me sat elders, leaders of the flock, a chosen company of age. And the ministers stood in shining garments, images of angelic splendor. And the people poured around in a circle, like bees, at the rail; for there was a struggle to get nearer. Others crowded around the sacred vestibules, flowing, hurrying equally with their ears and their feet. And others again the marketplaces and the many-branched streets, trodden by feet, sent to my words.

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ἐμόχθησ', ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἄξια Μισθῶν, ὅσοι μένουσι τοὺς Θεῷ φίλους. Ἐπρίζεθ' Ἡσαΐας, ἀλλ' ἐκαρτέρει. Τὸ πῦρ ἐδεξιοῦτο τοὺς τρεῖς ἐν ξένῃ. 1250 Ἔῤῥιπτο θηρσὶν ὁ ∆ανιὴλ ὥσπερ φίλοις. Ῥώμῃ δὲ Παῦλος καὶ Πέτρος νικηφόροι. Ὁ Πρόδρομος δ' οὐ θῦμα τῆς παῤῥησίας; Ἴσασιν, ὡς τέθνηκα. Ὡς δ' ἐγὼ, Πάτερ, Σός εἰμι, κἄν με χείροσι στροβεῖν θέλοις.

ΙΕʹ. Εἰς ἑαυτὸν μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Κωνσταντίνου πόλεως ἐπάνοδον. Ἔρχομαι

ἐκ βιότοιο λιπὼν μέγα λαῖτμα θαλάσσης, Τῇ καὶ τῇ χαλεποῖς πνεύμασι βρασσόμενον. Ἔρχομ' ἔχων ὅσ' ἔρεξα, καὶ ὅσ' ἐμόγησ' ἀπολείψας, Τοῖς μὲν ὑποτρομέων, τοῖσι δὲ γηθόσυνος. Οὐδὲν τερπνὸν ἔλειψα, τό κεν ποθέων ἀκαχοίμην· Τοῖσι μὲν οὐκ ἐθέλων, τοῖς δ' ἐθέλων ἐδάμην. 1251 Οἶον ἐμοὶ κτέαρ ἔσκεν ἐράσμιον, οἶος ἀπ' ἄλλων Πλοῦτος, θαλπωρὴ λησμοσύνη καμάτων, Τῆς μεγάλης Τριάδος ξυνὸν σέλας, ἣν ἀναφαίνων, Ἄχρι καὶ ἀλλοδαπῶν ἤλυθον εὐπατριδῶν· Οὐ μὴν πάμπαν ἄτρωτος, ἐπὴν λάεσσιν ἐδέχθην, Ὥς τις ἀλιτήμων. Σὴ, Τριὰς, ἥδε χάρις. Ἔμπαγε μὴν ἀνέφηνα, καὶ ὡς κύκλον περὶ κέντρῳ Πάντας ἐτορνύμην ῥήμασιν εὐσεβίης. Ἦν δρόμος, ἀλλά μ' ἔπεμψε φθόνος καὶ νοῦσος ὀπίσσω, Πολλὰ μάλα φθονερῷ δαίμονι μεμφόμενον, Ὅστις ἐμῆς ὠδῖνος ἁγνὸν τόκον ἐξετίναξεν, Ἀρτιπαγῆ, ζωῆς ἑσταότ' ἐν προθύροις. Ἡ δ' ἄρ' ἐμὴ Τριὰς αὖθις ἀπὸ στομάτων ἀθεμίστων Τέμνεται, ἔν τ' ἀγοραῖς, ἔν τε χοροστασίαις, 1252 Καὶ πόρνοι κραταίουσι λόγοι. Τὸ δὲ φάσγανον, αἳ αἳ! Τίς πήξει Φινεὲς πορνοφόνῳ παλάμῃ Ζηλήμων ψυχήν τε καὶ οὔνομα, ἢ τίς ἀρήξει ∆όγμασιν Ἑβραίοις πλησσομένοις ἀδίκως Μωσῆς, ἐκ δ' ὀλέσας Αἰγύπτιον αὐτίκα μῦθον, Λαῷ πὰρ μεγάλῳ κῦδος ἔχῃσι μέγα; Τίς μὲν ὅλην θεότητα μετὰ φρεσὶν ᾗσι βάληται, Μηδὲν ὑποστέλλων τῆς μεγάλης Τριάδος Ἠὲ νόῳ πυκινῷ τε καὶ εὐσθενέεσσι λόγοισιν, Ἀντιπάλων ἐπέων θυμὸν ἀποσκεδάσει; Τίς δὲ βελῶν καιροῖσιν ἀκαμπέα πίστιν ἐρύξει, Ἄτροπος ἐν τρεπτοῖς κάρτεσιν ἱστάμενος; Μὴ δ' ὡς εὐρίποιο πολυπλάγκτοιο ῥέεθρον, Τήνδε μετακλίνοι ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα ῥέων; 1253 Τίς δὲ μόθον κρυόεντά τ' ἐρισθενέων ἱερήων Στήσει, τοὺς φιλίης εἰς ἐν ἄγων προμάχους; Τοῦ μὲν ἐμοὶ πόθος ἦεν, ἐπεὶ Θεὸς ὧδε κελεύει, Χριστὸς ἄκος μερόπων οἷσι νόμοις παθέων, Οἷς σταυρῷ συνέδησεν ὁμῶς ἀγαθούς τε κακούς τε, Ὅστις ἀνακτορίης τηλόθεν, ὅς τε πέλας. Τοὔνεκα καὶ λίθος ἐστὶν ἐπ' ἀμφοτέροις ἀκρόγωνος, Λαοὺς εἰς ἓν ἄγων ἁρμονίῃ φιλίης. Ἦν πόθος· οἱ δέ με πρόσθεν ἀπεχθήραντες ἅτισαν, Οὔ τιν' ἐμῆς αἰδὼ θέντο παραιφασίης. Αἴθε δέ μοι Τριὰς ἦεν ἀδήριτος, ἣν βελέεσσι Βάλλουσιν πυκινοῖς! Ὦ Τριὰς, ἴσχε μόθον· Μηδέ μ' ἀθρήσειε κακὸς φθόνος, ἀλλὰ μόγοισι 1254 ∆ὸς τέλος ἡμετέροις ἐσθλὸν, ἀεξομένη. Κλεινὸν Ἀναστασίης χαίροις ἕδος, ἥ ῥα θανοῦσαν Πίστιν ἔθηκας ἄνω αὖθις ἐμοῖσι λόγοις. Σεῖο μὲν οὐδὲ θανὼν ἐπιλήσομαι, ἀλλ' ἅμ' ἀρίστοις Στήσομ', ὑπὲρ τεκέων λισσόμενος Τριάδα.

Ις. Ἐνύπνιον περὶ τῆς Ἀναστασίας ἐκκλησίας, ἣν ἐπήξατο ἐν Κωνσταντίνου

πόλει. Εὗδον δὴ γλυκὺν ὕπνον· Ἀναστασίαν δέ τ' ὄνειρος Στῆσεν ἐμοῖσι φέρων ἠματίοισι πόθοις· Ἣ πρώτη λόγον αἰπὺν ἐνὶ προπόδεσσι μένοντα Ἤγαγεν ἐς κορυφὴν οὔρεος ἀκροτάτην· Τοὔνεκ' Ἀναστασίαν μιν ἐπίκλησιν καλέουσι Νηὸν, ἐμῆς παλάμης ἔργον ἀριστοπόνου. 1255 Ἕζεσθαι δοκέεσκον ὑπέρθρονος, οὐχ ὑπέροφρυς, Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ ὄναρ τῖον ἀγηνορίην Οἱ δέ μοι ἀμφοτέρωθεν ὑφεδριόωντο γεραιοὶ, Ποίμνης ἡγεμόνες, ἔγκριτος ἡλικίη. Οἱ δ' ἄρ' ὑποδρηστῆρες ἐν εἵμασι παμφανόωσιν Ἕστασαν, ἀγγελικῆς εἰκόνες ἀγλαΐης. Λαοὶ δ' οἱ μὲν ἔχυντο περισταδὸν, ὥστε μέλισσαι, Κιγκλίδος· ἦν γὰρ ἀγὼν ἀσσοτέρω πελάσαι. Οἱ δ' ἱεροῖς προθύροισι περιστείνοντο ῥέοντες, Οὔασιν ἠδὲ ποσὶν ἴσον ἐπειγόμενοι. Ἄλλους δ' αὖτ' ἀγοραί τε πολυσχιδέες θ' ἅμ' ἀγυιαὶ, Ποσσὶ κροαινόμεναι, πέμπον ἐμοῖσι λόγοις.