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And then from the high roofs, the well-ordered hearing Holy virgins lent, along with noble wives. 1256 And this was a diversion of the night; the people stood apart, longing to hear our words. One indeed asked for a low and popular discourse; for he was not willing to look upward, nor had he learned how; but another for a sublime and well-turned one, for those whose care it was to trace the depths of both kinds of wisdom, both foreign and our own. And a shout arose from both sides for the discourse that was drawn out by contending desires. But from my mouth flowed the uniquely revered Trinity, shining with three beauties opened wide, with a strong voice, and with the swell of a burning spirit, and with the leaps of contending words. And some indeed were stirred and praised, but others were amazed in silence, others still murmured with their speech, and others in their mind, 1257 of a dying, speechless travail, while others struggled like a wave settling down from the winds. But eloquence charmed them all, both the fluent speakers and the pious ones skilled in sacred words, both our own and the spurious, and those who, very far from the fold, were wretched servants of powerless idols. And as a cluster of grapes, darkened under warm rays, is neither purely an unripe grape, slowly being loosened, nor is it entirely ripe, but one part is black, another red, another sooty, and another is still unripe; so they contended as their wickedness ripened, and they already rejoiced in wider wine-presses. I had these things; but the cry of roosters shook the sleep from my eyelids, and with it, Anastasia. 1258 And I had a phantom of a phantom for a time, but then it too fled my heart, gently fading, and only pain remained for me, and harsh old age. Woe is me for my Trinity! Woe is me for my children! O envy, why have you done this to me? You have so much; do not cast anything worse upon my life of wretched death. The queenly city, indeed, glorying in many great and artful beauties, glories pre-eminently over others in its heavenly temples, temples that were once mine, but are now others'; and with them, the boastful seat of Christ's disciples, divided fourfold with cross-shaped sides. But my longing and pain for those is not so great as for Anastasia, my latter-day Bethlehem. 1259 Truly I have toiled much both on sea and on land, with enemies and friends, with shepherds and wolves, with hateful disease and stooping old age; but never before has such grief come upon me. Not so much did the spear-won people, when led by the Assyrians far from their fatherland, weep for the great temple, nor indeed the ark, when it was mingled with foreigners; nor Jacob of old for his dear stolen son; nor the well-bearded lion for its cubs slain by hunters, nor the herdsman for his perishing herd; nor the bird unwillingly leaving its nest upon a hospitable plant, nor the octopus its den, as much as I still even now lament the newly built temple, the fruit of my labors, which another holds. If ever my heart should forget you, or if my tongue 1260 should bring forth anything before you, may Christ forget me. Often, even without great sacrifices and the table, I purified the people of Anastasia, remaining far away, having established an incorporeal temple within my mind, pouring out a tear as a libation on more divine visions. Unwed virgins, and hymn-writers, and lovely choirs of strangers and our own people, from opposing voice, and widows and orphans, wanderers, the powerless, looking to my hands as if to God's, and sweet homes that nurse old age, never will I forget, not even if I wished, your friendship. And if any remembrance of me, the much-suffering, is left among yours, this is the grace of the Trinity. For many have a heart swayed by circumstances, and reverence is only in the eyes of the more fickle. 1261 But this at least I long for, revered Trinity, that your godhead may ever remain unforgotten in newly-planted souls. Farewell, O emperors, helpers in my sufferings; farewell to me, warring east and west; farewell to me, priests, who go against one another; farewell, presiding pride; farewell, great city. But I am above earthly thrones, and I long only for immortal glory. But save me, save me, dear Trinity; and at the last we shall see where the seat of the holy Anastasia is. This is the lament of Gregory, who longs for Anastasia, from which envious powerlessness once separated him. 1262

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Αἱ δ' ἄρ' ἀφ' ὑψηλῶν τεγέων εὔκοσμον ἀκουὴν Ἁγναὶ παρθενικαὶ κλῖνον ἅμ' ἐσθλογάμοις. 1256 Καὶ τόδε νυκτὸς ἄθυρμα· διακριδὸν ἵστατο λαὸς Μύθων ἡμετέρων εἰσαΐειν ποθέων. Ὃς μὲν δὴ χθαμαλὸν καὶ ἐπίδρομον ᾔτεε μῦθον· Οὐ γὰρ ἄνω νεύειν ἤθελεν, οὐδ' ἐδάη· Αὐτὰρ ὅγ' ὑψιθέοντα καὶ εὔστροφον, οἷσι μεμήλει Βένθε' ἀνιχνεύειν ἀμφοτέρης σοφίης, Ξείνης θ' ἡμετέρης τε. Βοὴ δ' ἑκάτερθεν ὀρώρει Ἑλκομένοιο λόγου μαρναμένοισι πόθοις. Αὐτὰρ ἐμοὶ στομάτων Τριὰς ἔῤῥεεν ἡ μονόσεπτος Λαμπομένη τρισσοῖς κάλλεσιν οἰγομένοις, Φωνῇ τε στιβαρῇ, καὶ πνεύματος αἰθομένοιο Οἴδματι, καὶ μύθων ἅλμασιν ἀντιπάλων. Καί ῥ' οἱ μὲν πάλλοντο, καὶ ᾔνεον, οἱ δὲ σιωπῇ Θάμβεον, οἱ δὲ λόγῳ τρύζον ἔθ', οἱ δὲ νόῳ, 1257 Θνησκούσης ὠδῖνος ἀναυδέος, οἱ δὲ μάχοντο Οἷα καθισταμένου κύματος ἐξ ἀνέμων. Πάντας δ' εὐεπίη κατεκήλεεν, εὐφραδέας τε Καὶ μύθων ἱερῶν ἴδμονας εὐσεβέων, Ἡμετέρους τε νόθους τε, καὶ οἳ μάλα τηλόθι μάνδρης Τλήμονες εἰδώλων λάτριες ἀδρανέων. Ὡς δὲ βότρυς λιαρῇσιν ὑπ' ἀκτίνεσσι μελαγχθεὶς, Οὔτ' ὄμφαξ καθαρῶς ἠρέμα λυόμενος, Οὔθ' ὅλος ὥριός ἐστι, τὸ μὲν μέλας, ἄλλο δ' ἐρυθρὸς, Ἄλλο δ' ἄρ' αἰθαλόεις, ὄμφακα δ' ἄλλο ἔχει· Ὣς οἳ δηριόωντο πεπαινομένης κακότητος, Ἤδη καὶ ληνοῖς γήθεον εὐρυτέραις. Ταῦτ' ἔχον· ἐκ δέ μοι ὕπνον ἀπὸ βλεφάρων ἐτίναξε Γῆρυς ἀλεκτρυόνων, τῷ δ' ἅμ' Ἀναστασίαν. 1258 Φάσμα δὲ φάσματος εἶχον ἐπὶ χρόνον, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα Καὶ τὸ φύγε κραδίην ἦκα μαραινόμενον, Μοῦνον δ' ἄλγος ἔμεινεν ἐμοὶ, καὶ γῆρας ἀνιγρόν. Ὤ μοι ἐμῆς Τριάδος! ὤ μοι ἐμῶν τεκέων! Ὦ φθόνε, τίπτε μ' ἔοργας; ἔχεις τόσον· ἄλλο χέρειον Μή τι βάλῃς ἐπ' ἐμῷ δυσθανέϊ βιότῳ. Ἡ μὲν δὴ πολλοῖσιν ἀγαλλομένη μεγάλοις τε Κάλλεσι δαιδαλέοις ἡ βασίλεια πόλις, Νηοῖς οὐρανίοισιν ἀγάλλεται ἔξοχον ἄλλων, Νηοῖς, τοῖς ποτ' ἐμοῖς, νῦν γε μὲν ἀλλοτρίοις· Σὺν τοῖς καὶ μεγάλαυχον ἕδος Χριστοῖο μαθητῶν, Πλευραῖς σταυροτύποις, τέτραχα τεμνόμενον. Ἀλλ' οὐ τόσσος ἔμοιγε πόθος καὶ ἄλγος ἐκείνων, Ὅσσος Ἀναστασίης, Βηθλεὲμ ὑστατίης. 1259 Ἦ μὴν πόλλ' ἐμόγησα καὶ εἰν ἁλὶ, καὶ κατὰ γαῖαν, Ἐχθροῖς, καὶ φιλίοις, ποιμέσιν, ἠδὲ λύκοις, Νούσῳ τε στυγερῇ, καὶ γήραϊ καμπυλόεντι· Οὔτι δὲ πρόσθεν ἐμοὶ τοῖον ἐπῆλθεν ἄχος. Οὐ τόσον Ἀσσυρίοισιν ὅτ' ἤγετο τηλόθι πάτρης Λαὸς δουριαλὴς, νηὸν ἔκλαυσε μέγαν, Οὐδὲ μὲν οὐδὲ κιβωτὸν, ὅτ' ἀλλοφύλοισιν ἐμίχθη· Οὔτ' Ἰακὼβ τοπάρος υἷα κλαπέντα φίλον· Οὐδὲ λὶς ἠϋγένειος ἐπακτήρεσσι δαμέντας Σκύμνους, οὐδ' ἀγέλην βουκόλος ὀλλυμένην· Οὐδὲ φιλοξείνοιο φυτοῦ καθύπερθε καλιὴν Ὄρνις ἀφεὶς ἀέκων, οὐ πολύπους θαλάμην, Ὅσσον ἐγὼ νεόπηκτον ὀδύρομαι εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν Νηὸν, ὃν ἄλλος ἔχει καρπὸν ἐμῶν καμάτων. Εἴ ποτε σεῖο λάθοιτο ἐμὸν κέαρ, εἴτε τι γλῶσσα 1260 Πρόσθε φέροι παρ' ἐμοὶ, Χριστὸς ἐμοῖο λάθοι. Πολλάκι καὶ μεγάλων θυέων δίχα, ἠδὲ τραπέζης Λαὸν Ἀναστασίης ἥγνισα τῆλε μένων, Στήσας ἐν πραπίδεσσιν ἀσώματον ἔνδοθι νηὸν, ∆άκρυ ἐπισπένδων φάσμασι θειοτέροις. Ἄζυγες, ὑμνοπόλοι τε, χοροστασίαι τ' ἐρατειναὶ Ξείνων, ἡμεδαπῶν, ἐξ ὀπὸς ἀντιθέτου, Χῆραί τ' ὀρφανικοί τε, ἀλήμονες, ἀδρανέοντες, Λεύσσοντες πρὸς ἐμὰς, ὥστε Θεοῦ, παλάμας, Οἶκοί τε γλυκεροὶ, γηροτρόφοι, οὔ ποτ' ἔγωγε Λήσομαι, οὐδ' ἐθέλων, ὑμετέρης φιλίης. Εἰ δέ τί που καὶ ἐμεῖο πολυτλήτοιο λέλειπται Μνῆστις ἐν ὑμετέροις, ἥδε χάρις Τριάδος Πολλοὶ γὰρ καιροῖσιν ἐπίῤῥοπον ἦτορ ἔχουσιν, Ἐν δὲ μόνοις αἰδὼς ὄμμασι κουφοτέρων. 1261 Κεῖνό γε μὴν ποθέω, σεπτὴ Τριὰς, αἰὲν ἄληστος Ψυχαῖς ἀρτιφύτοις σεῖο μένοι θεότης. Χαίρετε, ὦ βασιλῆες, ἐμῶν παθέων ἐπαρωγοί· Χαῖρέ μοι, ἀντολίη καὶ δύσι μαρνάμεναι· Χαίρετέ μοι, ἱερῆες, ἐπ' ἀλλήλοισιν ἰόντες· Χαῖρε, πρόεδρε τύφε· χαῖρε, πόλις μεγάλη. Αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ χθονίων μὲν ὑπέρτερός εἰμι θοώκων, Ἱμείρω δὲ μόνου κύδεος ἀθανάτου. Ἀλλὰ σάω με, σάω με, φίλη Τριάς· ὑστάτιον δὲ Ὀψόμεθ', οὗπερ ἁγνῆς θῶκος Ἀναστασίης. Γρηγορίου γόος οὗτος Ἀναστασίην ποθέοντος, Τῆς ποτέ μιν φθονερὴ νόσφισεν ἀδρανίη. 1262