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I was unyoked, but I have not been honored by them. O of a most wretched father! My fellow sacrificers are hostile beyond enemies, Not even fearing the mystical table, If nothing else, also the labors up to this point, Which it is custom even for the wicked often to honor; Nor appeasing any reputation for insolence; But breathing one thing, my dishonor. 1307

34. On silence during the fasts. Be still, dear tongue; and you for me, O pen,

inscribe the words of silence, and with my eyes speak the things of my heart. When I bound my flesh, offering a mystic sacrifice to God's mortal sufferings, that I might die to this life, for forty days, by the laws of Christ the King, when a cure followed upon bodies being cleansed. First, I settled my mind in quiet, alone from other dwellers, cloaked in a mist of sorrows, wholly gathered within, my mind unstolen; but then 1308 following the teachings of holy men, I set doors upon my lips. And the reason was that I might learn to keep measure in my words, mastering everything. For one who lifts an impetuous spear against many men, will easily subdue fewer, and he who shoots winged arrows well-aimed from afar, will never let fly a missed shot at closer range. And a seafaring ship, when it has crossed the great deep, one sends confidently over small harbors. For he who has mastery of small things, it is uncertain whether he will ever prevail over great ones, even if he greatly desires it; 1309 but he who excels in great things, this is clear, that he will easily have mastery over trifles, whenever he wishes. For this reason I bound completely the force of speech. For I truly hope that speech will no longer gush forth from my mouth. As there is nothing more destructive for mortals than the tongue; a horse ever running forth, a weapon most ready. Who sees all things? But the hands hold very little of what is at one's feet, nor have feet trod the whole earth. There is toil for murderers, and adulterers tremble at their own madness, for thieves the day is most dreaded, and wealth is not without toil; I have one thing, but have lost another, grasping so much, as much as flows through my palm. Robbers on ships, on the road; another is insatiable, casting bitter eyes on the possessions of others. 1310 So many hardships lie upon all who love gold, toil for the worse, toil for the better. But nothing has held back the tongue rushing to speak, not a mortal, not snow, not a river, not a cliff. The archer is near; and on the bow is a bitter arrow; the string makes a circle, the finger is in the notches. The mind has released the darts; and they have flown, and they strike all, heavenly beings, earthly ones, the living, those to come, as many as expect it, and those not expecting it, likewise the good and the bad, enemies, friends, from afar, being near; nothing is off-target for the arrow. And he who masters it, carries off the first prize of wisdom. Many shameful things are belched out by the lustful, so that being ridiculous himself, he may cause a boiling of laughter for others, 1311 shaking, and being shaken, and dishonoring the divine image. And many hidden things it vomits out to the ears. And often again it scatters abroad the wild foam of ill-breathed anger, every attack. And often again it brings favor to one lying in ambush with inward spirit, and brings one thing to the lips, another from the heart, and falsehoods, and wheedling words, and murders. Who could tell all the grievous things that this is? It willingly made house an enemy to house, and city to city, at once, the tongue having toiled not at all, people to ruler, ruler to the ruled, like a spark on quickly fanned straw. Shipmate, son, parent, brother, friend, bedfellow, spouse, it easily armed all against one another. 1312 The bad man, it made good, conversely it destroyed the good man, this it unyoked again; what can speech not do? The tongue is small, but no one has such strength; would that it died at once with the wicked! To all foolish men the tongue is indeed an evil, but especially so to initiates of the heavenly sacrifice. I am an instrument of God, and with well-struck melodies I bear a hymn to the King, before whom all things tremble. But I do not sing of Troy, nor of the fair-sailing Argo, nor of a boar's head, nor of the great Heracles, nor of how the broad circles of the earth were fitted to the seas, not the gleams of stones, not the course of heavenly bodies; nor do I sing of the madness of desires, and the beauty of youths, for whom the lyre

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ἀπεζύγην, Τοῖς δ' οὐ τετίμημ'. Ὢ πατρὸς παναθλίου! Οἱ συνθύται μου δυσμενεῖς ἐχθρῶν πέρα, Οὐδὲ τράπεζαν μυστικὴν δεδοικότες, Εἰ μή τί γ' ἄλλο, καὶ πόνους τοὺς εἰς τόδε, Οὓς καὶ πονηροῖς πολλάκις τιμᾷν ἔθος· Οὔθ' ὕβρεως δόξαν τιν' ἐξιώμενοι· Ἀλλ' ἓν πνέοντες, τὴν ἐμὴν ἀτιμίαν. 1307

Λ∆ʹ. Εἰς τὴν ἐν ταῖς νηστείαις σιωπήν. Ἴσχεο, γλῶσσα φίλη· σὺ δέ μοι, γραφὶς,

ἔγγραφε σιγῆς Ῥήματα, καὶ φθέγγου ὄμμασι τὰ κραδίης. Ἡνίκα σάρκας ἔδησα, Θεοῦ βροτέοις παθέεσσι Μύστιν ἄγων θυσίην, ὥς κε θάνω βιότῳ, Ἤμασι τεσσαράκοντα, νόμοις Χριστοῦ βασιλῆος, Εὖτε καθαιρομένοις σώμασιν ἕσπετ' ἄκος. Πρῶτα μὲν ἀτρεμίη νόον ἥδρασα, οἶος ἀπ' ἄλλων Ναιετάων, ἀχέων ἀχλὺν ἐφεσσάμενος, Εἴσω πᾶς ἐαλεὶς, φρένας ἄκλοπος· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα 1308 Ἀνδρῶν εὐαγέων δόγμασιν ἑσπόμενος, Χείλεσι θῆκα θύρετρα. Τὸ δ' αἴτιον, ὥς κε μάθοιμι Μύθων μέτρα φέρειν, παντὸς ἐπικρατέων. Καὶ γάρ τις πλεόνεσσιν ἐπ' ἀνδράσι θοῦρον ἀείρων Ἔγχος, παυροτέρους ῥηϊδίως δαμάσει, Καὶ πτερόεντα βέλεμνα ὃς εὔσκοπα τηλόθε βάλλοι, Οὔποτε ῥοιζήσει ἄσκοπον ἀσσοτέρω. Νῆα δὲ ποντοπόρειαν, ἐπὴν μέγα λαῖτμα περήσῃ, Πέμπειν θαρσαλέον βαιῶν ὑπὲρ λιμένων. Ὃς μὲν γὰρ μικρῶν κρατέει, μεγάλων ἀΐδηλον Εἴ ποθ' ὑπερσχήσει, καὶ μάλα περ ποθέων· 1309 Ὃς δὲ μέγα προφέρει, τόδ' ἀριφραδὲς, ὡς ἄρα τυτθῶν Ἕξει ῥηϊδίως, εὖτε θέλῃσι, κράτος. Τοὔνεκα πάμπαν ἔδησα λόγου μένος. Ἦ γὰρ ἔολπα Μηκέθ' ὑποβλύζειν μῦθον ἐμῶν στομάτων. Ὡς οὐδὲν γλώσσης ὀλοώτερόν ἐστι βροτοῖσιν· Ἵππος ἀεὶ προθέων, ὅπλον ἑτοιμότατον. Λεύσσει μὲν τίς ἅπαντα; τὰ δ' ἐν ποσὶ χεῖρες ἔχουσι Βαιὰ μάλ', οὐδὲ πόδες γαῖαν ἐπῆλθον ὅλην. Μόχθος ἀνδροφόνοις, μοιχοὶ δέ τε καὶ τρομέουσι Λύσσαν ἑὴν, κλέπταις ἦμαρ ἀπευκτότατον, Πλοῦτος δ' οὐ κἀμόγητος· ἔχω τὸ μὲν, ὤλεσα δ' ἄλλο, Τόσσα περισφίγγων, ὅσσα ῥόον παλάμῃ. Νήεσ', ὁδοιπορίῃ ληΐστορες· ἄλλος ἄπληστος, Ὄμματα πικρὰ φέρων ἀλλοτρίοις κτεάνοις. 1310 Τόσσα φιλοχρύσοισι προσάντεα πᾶσιν ἔπεστι, Μόχθος χειροτέροις, μόχθος ἀρειοτέροις. Γλῶσσαν δ' οὐδὲν ἔρυξεν ἐπειγομένην ἐπὶ μῦθον, Οὐ βροτὸς, οὐ νιφετὸς, οὐ ῥόος, οὐ σκόπελος. Ἐγγὺς ὁ τοξευτής· τόξῳ δ' ἔπι πικρὸς ὀϊστός· Νευρὴ κύκλον ἄγει, δάκτυλον ἐν γλυφίσι. Νοῦς ἀφέηκε βέλεμνα· τὰ δ' ἔπτατο, πάντα δὲ βάλλει, Οὐρανίους, χθονίους, ζῶντας, ἐπεσσομένους, Ὅσσοι μιν δοκέουσι, καὶ οὐ δοκέοντας, ὁμοίως Ἐσθλοὺς ἠδὲ κακοὺς, δυσμενέας, φιλίους, Τηλόθεν, ἐγγὺς ἐόντας· ἀπόσκοπον οὐδὲν ὀϊστῷ. Τὴν δέ τις αἰχμάζων, πρῶτα φέρει σοφίης. Πολλὰ μὲν αἰσχρὰ μάχλοισιν ἐρεύγεται, ὥς κε γελοῖος Αὐτὸς ἐὼν, ἄλλοις βράσμα γέλωτος ἄγῃ, 1311 Παλλόμενος, πάλλων τε, καὶ εἰκόνα θείαν ἀτίζων. Πολλὰ δὲ τῶν κρυπτῶν οὔασιν ἐξεμέει. Πολλάκι δ' αὖτε χόλοιο δυσαέος ἄγριον ἀφρὸν Ἐκτὸς ἀποσκεδάει, πᾶσαν ἐπεσβολίην. Πολλάκι δ' αὖ λοχόωντι φέρει χάριν ἔνδοθι θυμῷ, Καὶ κραδίης ἑτέρης χείλεσιν ἄλλα φέρει, Ψεύδεά θ', αἱμυλίους τε λόγους, ἀνδροκτασίας τε. Τίς κεν ἅπαντα λέγοι, τόνδ' ὅσα λυπρὰ πέλει; Ἐχθρὸν ἔθηκ' ἐθέλουσα δόμον δόμῳ, ἄστεϊ δ' ἄστυ Αὐτίκα, μηδὲν ὅλως γλῶσσα πονησαμένη, ∆ῆμον κοιρανέοντι, ἀνασσομένοισιν ἄνακτα, Ὡς σπινθὴρ καλάμης ὦκα ῥιπιζομένης. Σύμπλοον, υἷα, τοκῆα, κάσιν, φίλον, εὖνιν, ἀκοίτην, Πάντας ἐπ' ἀλλήλοις ὥπλισε ῥηϊδίως. 1312 Τὸν κακὸν, ἐσθλὸν ἔθηκε, τὸν ἔμπαλιν ὤλεσεν ἐσθλὸν, Τοῦτ' ἀνέζευξε πάλιν· τίς δύναθ' ὅσσα λόγος; Βαιὴ μὲν γλῶσσ' ἐστὶν, ἀτὰρ σθένος οὐδενὶ τόσσον· Αἴθ' ὄφελε θνήσκειν αὐτίκα τοῖσι κακοῖς! Πᾶσιν μὲν δὴ γλῶσσα πέλει κακὸν ἀφραδέεσσιν, Ἔξοχα δ' αὖ μύσταις οὐρανίης θυσίης. Ὄργανόν εἰμι Θεοῖο, καὶ εὐκρέκτοις μελέεσσιν Ὕμνον ἄνακτι φέρω, τῷ πᾶν ὑποτρομέει. Μέλπω δ' οὐ Τροίην, οὐκ εὔπλοον οἷά τις Ἀργὼ, Οὐδὲ συὸς κεφαλὴν, οὐ πολὺν Ἡρακλέα, Οὐ γῆς εὐρέα κύκλα ὅπως πελάγεσσιν ἄρηρεν, Οὐκ αὐγὰς λιθάκων, οὐ δρόμον οὐρανίων· Οὐδὲ πόθων μέλπω μανίην, καὶ κάλλος ἐφήβων, Οἷσι λύρη