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not at all being aware of the wealth given to me. That I see the sun, I do not consider this; (63) and how? Hear, believe, what I experience: the sun is sweet, ineffably by perception drawing the soul into an inexpressible and divine longing. Seeing this, it is inflamed and burns with longing and wishes to possess the whole phenomenon within it, but it cannot and is grieved in this and does not consider it good either to see or to experience. When therefore the one who is seen, being uncontainable by all, truly inaccessible, will deign to have mercy on my afflicted and humbled soul, suddenly, as he is seen by me shining before my face, so entirely is he seen flashing within me and he fills me entirely with all joy, with all desire and sweetness, the humble one, of the divine: sudden is the change, strange the transformation, that which is accomplished in me happens to be inexpressible. For if someone saw this sun, which we all see, descending into his heart and dwelling there entirely and shining in the same way, would he not be dead with wonder and speechless, and would not all who saw him be astonished? But he who sees its creator shining like a luminary within him, acting, speaking, how would he not be astonished seeing, how would he not tremble, how would he not love the one who gives life? Men love men like themselves, when they seem to surpass others in some way; but the creator of all, the only immortal, the one for whom all things are possible, who seeing him would not long for him? Having believed from hearing, the majority loved and for his sake the saints died and live; but those who have also partaken of the sight of him and of his light, (64) having been known and having known him, how can they not long? Tell me, how will they not mourn for him perpetually, how will they not despise the world and the things in the world? And how will they not renounce all honor and glory, being above the glory on earth, above all honor, having longed for the Lord who is outside the earth, outside all visible things, or rather the one who made all visible things, yes and even invisible things, and having found and received and having unceasingly every good thing from there, but also every desire, every longing for eternal good things, for divine realities? From this ever-living spring they have become rich, of which to be filled, Master, grant also to us abundantly and to all who seek you and long for you fervently,

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μή ὅλως αἰσθανόμενος τοῦ δοθέντος μοι πλούτου. Ὅτι ὁρῶ τόν ἥλιον, οὐ λογίζομαι τοῦτο˙ (63) καί πῶς; Ἄκουσον, πίστευσον, ὅπερ ἐγώ πανθάνω˙ γλυκύς ἐστιν ὁ ἥλιος, ἀρρήτως ἐν αἰσθήσει ἕλκων εἰς πόθον τήν ψυχήν ἀνέκφραστον καί θεῖον. Ὁρῶσα αὕτη φλέγεται καί καίεται τῷ πόθῳ καί ὅλον τό φαινόμενον κατασχεῖν ἔνδον ταύτης θέλει, ἀλλά οὐ δύναται καί λυπεῖται ἐν τούτῳ καί οὐ λογίζεται καλόν ἤ ὁρᾶν ἤ πανθάνειν. Ὅτε οὖν ὁ ὁρώμενος ἀχώρητος ὤν πᾶσιν, ἀπρόσιτος ἐπαληθῶς θελήσει ἐλεῆσαι τήν τεθλιμμένην μου ψυχήν καί τεταπεινωμένην, αἴφνης, οἷος ὁρᾶταί μοι πρό προσώπου ἐκλάμπων, τοιοῦτος ὅλος ἐν ἐμοί ὁρᾶται ἐξαστράπτων καί ὅλος ὅλης με χαρᾶς, πάσης ἐπιθυμίας ἐμπιπλᾷ καί γλυκύτητος, τόν ταπεινόν, τῆς θείας˙ ἀθρόα ἡ μεταβολή, ἡ ἀλλοίωσις ξένη, τό ἐν ἐμοί τελούμενον ἀνέκφραστον τυγχάνει. Εἰ γάρ τοῦτον τόν ἥλιον, ὅνπερ πάντες ὁρῶμεν, ἔνδον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τις ἔβλεψε κατελθόντα καί ὅλον ἐνοικήσαντα καί λάμποντα ὡσαύτως, οὐχί νεκρός τῷ θαύματι καί ἄφωνος ὑπῆρξε, καί πάντες ἐξεπλάγησαν οἱ τοῦτον κατιδόντες; Ὁ δέ τόν τούτου ποιητήν ὁρῶν φωστῆρος δίκην ἐντός αὐτοῦ ἐκλάμποντα, ἐνεργοῦντα, λαλοῦντα, πῶς ἄν οὐκ ἐκπλαγήσεται βλέπων, πῶς ἄν οὐ φρίξει, πῶς ἄν οὐκ ἀγαπήσειε τόν τήν ζωήν διδόντα; Ἄνθρωποι τούς ὁμοίους αὐτοῖς ἀνθρώπους ἀγαπῶσιν, ὅταν τῶν ἄλλων πλέον τι δοκῶσιν ὑπερέχειν˙ τόν δέ τῶν πάντων ποιητήν, τόν ἀθάνατον μόνον, τόν πᾶσι πάντα δυνατόν τίς ἰδών οὐ ποθήσει; Ἐξ ἀκοῆς πιστεύσαντες ἠγάπησαν οἱ πλείους καί δι᾿ αὐτόν ἀπέθανον οἱ ἅγιοι καί ζῶσιν˙ οἱ δέ καί θέας τῆς αὐτοῦ καί φωτός μετασχόντες, (64) γνωσθέντες καί γνωρίσαντες αὐτόν, πῶς μή ποθοῦσιν; Εἰπέ, πῶς οὐ πενθήσουσι δι᾿ αὐτόν ἀενάως, πῶς οὐ καταφρονήσουσι κόσμου καί τῶν ἐν κόσμῳ; Πῶς δέ οὐκ ἀπαρνήσονται πᾶσαν τιμήν καί δόξαν, ὑπέρ τήν δόξαν τήν ἐν γῇ, ὑπέρ πᾶσαν τιμήν δέ γενόμενοι, τόν ἔξω γῆς, ἔξω τῶν ὁρωμένων πάντων, μᾶλλον δέ τόν ποιήσαντα τά ὁρώμενα πάντα, ναί δή καί τά ἀόρατα, ποθήσαντες ∆εσπότην καί δόξαν τήν ἀθάνατον εὑρόντες καί λαβόντες καί ἔχοντες ἀνελλιπῶς πᾶν ἀγαθόν ἐκεῖθεν, ἀλλά καί πᾶσαν ἔφεσιν, πᾶσαν ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν, τῶν πραγμάτων τῶν θείων; Ἐξ αὐτῆς κατεπλούτησαν πηγῆς τῆς ἀειζώου, ἧς κορεσθῆναι, ∆έσποτα, δός καί ἡμῖν πλουσίως καί πᾶσι τοῖς ζητοῦσί σε καίποθοῦσιν ἐκθύμως,