33

He strikes a soft note from the beginning. 1313 And I sing of the great God who rules on high, and of the bright radiance of my Trinity, gathered into one, And the great, resounding hymns of the Angelic choirs standing nearby, from an opposing voice, And the harmony of the world, and one better than the present, which I think, of all things hastening into one, And the imperishable glory of Christ's sufferings, by which he deified me, having mixed a human form with a heavenly one. I sing of my own mixture. For I was not made a work to be spoken of, a work, how I, a mortal, was woven with the heavenly. And I sing to men God's law, and all the world's works, and counsels, and the end of both; So that you may hide some things in your mind, and from others far you may flee, and tremble at the coming day. For so many things I have a tongue, a lyre; consider, you priests, 1314 lest it strike any note outside of harmony. I will keep my tongue pure also for pure sacrifices, with which I bring the great King into one with earthly beings. For not from an alien tongue and a defiled mind will I send to the Pure One a life-bearing sacrifice. One spring will not send forth both a sweet and a bitter stream, mud is alien to a purple garment. And strange fire destroyed a priest's sons in former times, when they approached the sacrifice impurely. And the sacred ark of the great God, once, I heard, how even when it was tilting, it killed the one who touched it. I tremble terribly at these things, and I fear, lest I suffer something, if I approach the pure Trinity impurely. Would that it were possible also for my reckless, wandering mind, which goes here and there, on many vain paths, 1315 to bend it nearer to the goal, with a flexible rein, or to hold it altogether, un-stolen, in my heart. Driving nearer to the glorious Christ, it would rather have shone with the gleams of the great light! But now, it does not do so much evil by remaining within, even if it wanders a little way far from God. For not even if it is enclosed by solid rocks, would a flame of fire, or a stream, bubble up within, or did it destroy a dense thicket, or some threshing-floor; but it lives half-dead, hidden within. But when a word rushes forth from a talkative tongue, it rages uncontrollably, no longer turning back. And as when someone with his hands gently bending the form of a crooked sapling brings it back straight, 1316 but when he let it go, by the force of his hand it stood upright, no longer bending to its former crookedness; So I too, seeing that the rush of voluble speech was outside the line and rule (for life was mine, when there was speech), found the best remedy; I held it all with a lofty mind, so that my tongue might learn to keep both what is to be said and what is not to be said; it accepted complete silence, it will accept fair speech. I deprived it of everything; it will no longer disdain moderation. Let this law always be established for the immoderate. Truly this is also a great help, when you restrain a speech in its birth-pangs, outside your beating heart. With the speech subdued, the swell of anger is also subdued; not easily, indeed, but you will nevertheless subdue it. 1317 For if you, though vexed, should choke it when it is swollen and raging wildly, you will scatter its insolence. With the leader destroyed, the phalanx of passions has given way; thus you may take a breath from the grievous storm. All these things are from the leadership of Christ the great king, and then from the rudder of our mind. For if you do not have him as director, neither of silence, nor of greater endurance is there any benefit; And the small mouth of a lake, when you have restrained it with your hands, you will again break open, and it will rush forth all at once. But the most brilliant Word commands you, from that source, o best one, having begun, to restrain the swell of all evils. These, dearest friend, are the exercises of our silence; I speak from my hand, which has received my mind. 1318 This is my voyage; but you, hasten to another voyage. Let another find his mooring from another wind. But come, and may you hear another word of my silence, whoever is hating, and whoever is thinking friendly thoughts. There was a time when I had the greatest strength among young men, and Christ the king led me against the adversary, having a faith in my heart sterner than adamant, and having fenced myself in on all sides with mighty armor. With the divine oracles I fashioned my pure mind, drawing up the Spirit from the sacred Scripture, by which I spat out the bitter brine of earlier books, beauty shining with artificial colors. And my flesh, seething, since it flourished with youth, I wore down with many and frequent in

33

μαλακὸν κρούετ' ἀπὸ προτέρων. 1313 Μέλπω δ' ὑψιμέδοντα Θεὸν μέγαν, ἠδὲ φαεινῆς Εἰς ἓν ἀγειρομένης λάμψιν ἐμῆς Τριάδος, Ἀγγελικῶν τε χορῶν μεγάλους ἐριηχέας ὕμνους Πλησίον ἑσταότων, ἐξ ὀπὸς ἀντιθέτου Κόσμου θ' ἁρμονίην, καὶ κρείσσονα τῆς παρεούσης, Ἣν δοκέω, πάντων εἰς ἓν ἐπειγομένων Καὶ Χριστοῦ παθέων κλέος ἄφθιτον, οἷς μ' ἐθέωσεν, Ἀνδρομέην μορφὴν οὐρανίῃ κεράσας. Μέλπω μίξιν ἐμήν. Οὐ γὰρ φατὸν ἔργον ἐτύχθην Ἔργον, ὅπως πλέχθην θνητὸς ἐπουρανίοις. Μέλπω δ' ἀνθρώποισι Θεοῦ νόμον, ὅσσα τε κόσμου Ἔργματα, καὶ βουλὰς, καὶ τέλος ἀμφοτέρων· Ὄφρα τὰ μὲν κεύθῃς σῇσι φρεσὶ, τῶν δ' ἀπὸ τῆλε Φεύγῃς, καὶ τρομέῃς ἦμαρ ἐπερχόμενον. Τόσσων γλῶσσαν ἔχω, κιθάρην· φράζεσθ', ἱερῆες, 1314 Μή τι παρακρέξῃ ἔκτροπον ἁρμονίης. Γλῶσσαν καὶ θυέεσσιν ἁγνὴν ἁγνοῖσι φυλάξω, Οἷσιν Ἄνακτα μέγαν εἰς ἓν ἄγω χθονίοις. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπ' ἀλλοτρίης γλώσσης, χραντοῦ τε νόοιο Πέμψω τῷ καθαρῷ ζωοφόρον θυσίην. Εἷς πόρος οὐ γλυκερόν τε ῥόον καὶ πικρὸν ἀνήσει, Εἵματι πορφυρέῳ βόρβορος ἀλλότριον. Καὶ πῦρ ξεῖνον ὄλεσσε θυηπόλου ἐν προτέροισι Παῖδας, μὴ καθαρῶς ἁπτομένους θυσίης. Τὴν δ' ἱερήν ποτ', ἄκουσα, Θεοῦ μεγάλοιο κιβωτὸν, Ὡς καὶ κλινομένη κτεῖνε τὸν ἁψάμενον. Ταῦτ' αἰνῶς τρομέω, καὶ δείδια, μή τι πάθοιμι, Μὴ καθαρῶς καθαρῆς ἁπτόμενος Τριάδος. Αἴθε δὲ καὶ νόον ἦεν ἀτάσθαλον, ἀστατέοντα Τῇ καὶ τῇ, πολλοῖς οἴμασι μαψιδίοις 1315 Κάμπτειν τέρματος ἆσσον, ἐπὶ στρεπτῆρι χαλινῷ, Ἢ πάμπαν κατέχειν ἄκλοπον ἐν κραδίῃ Μᾶλλόν κε Χριστοῖο μεγακλέος ἆσσον ἐλαύνων, Λάμπετο μαρμαρυγαῖς τοῦ μεγάλοιο φάους! Νῦν δ' ὁ μὲν οὔτι τόσον τελέει κακὸν ἔνδοθι μίμνων, Κἂν ἀπὸ τῆλε Θεοῦ τυτθὸν ὁδοιπλανέῃ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ πέτρῃσιν ἐεργομένη στεγανῆσιν, Ἔνδοθι καχλάζοι φλὸξ πυρὸς, ἠὲ ῥόος, Ἢ λόχμην πυκινὴν δηλήσατο, ἤ τιν' ἁλωήν· Ζώει δ' ἡμιθανὴς ἔνδοθι κευθομένη. Μῦθος δ' αὖ γλώσσης πολυηχέος εὖτ' ἀπορούσῃ, Ἄσχετα μαργαίνει μηκέτ' ἀνατροχάων. Ὡς δ' ὅτε τις λοξοῖο φυὴν πτόρθου παλάμῃσιν Ἦκα μετακλίνων ἔμπαλι γῦρον ἄγει, 1316 Αὐτὰρ ὅγ' ὥς μιν ἔλειπε, βίῃ χερὸς ὄρθιος ἔστη, Μηκέτ' ἐπὶ προτέρην κλινόμενος κακίην· Ὣς καὶ ἐγὼ μύθοιο μὲν εὐτροχάλοιο ἐρωὴν ∆ερκόμενος στάθμης ἔκτοθι καὶ κανόνος (Καὶ γάρ μοι βίος ἦεν, ὅτ' ἦν λόγος), εὗρον ἄριστον Φάρμακον· ἔσχον ὅλον ὑψινόῳ κραδίῃ, ὥς κε μάθῃ τά τε φαντὰ, τά τ' οὐ φατὰ γλῶσσα φυλάσσειν· ∆έξαθ' ὅλην σιγὴν, δέξεται εὐεπίν. Τοῦ παντός μιν ἄμερσα· τὸ μέτριον οὐκέτ' ἀτίσει. Οὗτος ἀεὶ κείσθω τοῖς ἀμέτροισι νόμος. Ἦ μέγα καὶ τόδ' ὄνειαρ, ὅτ' ὠδίνοντα κατίσχῃς Μῦθον, κρουομένης ἔκτοθι σῆς κραδίης. Μύθῳ δαμναμένῳ συνδάμναται οἶδμα χόλοιο· Οὐ μὲν ῥηϊδίως, ἔμπα γε μὴν δαμάσεις. 1317 Ἢν γάρ σφ' οἰδαλέον τε καὶ ἄγρια μαργαίνοντα Ἄγχῃς ἀσχαλόων, ὕβριν ἀποσκεδάσεις. Ἡγεμόνος φθιμένοιο, φάλαγξ παθέων ὑπόειξεν· Ὧδ' ἂν ἀναπνεύσαις ἀργαλέοιο σάλου. Πάντα τάδ' ἡγεσίης Χριστοῦ μεγάλοιο ἄνακτος, Αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα νόου οἴακος ἡμετέρου. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τὸν ἔχεις ἰθύντορα, οὔτε τι σιγῆς, Οὔτε τι καρτερίης μείζονος ἔστ' ὄφελος· Καὶ λίμνης στόμα λεπτὸν, ἐπὴν παλάμῃσιν ἔρυξας, Αὖθις ἀποῤῥήξεις, ἀθρόον ἐκπρορέσει. Ἀλλὰ λόγος κέλεταί σε φαάντατος, ἔνθεν, ἄριστε, Ἀρξάμενον, πάντων οἶδμα κακῶν κατέχειν. Ταῦτά τοι ἡμετέρης μελεδήματα, φίλτατε, σιγῆς· Ἐκ παλάμης λαλέω, νοῦν ὑποδεξαμένης. 1318 Οὗτος ἐμὸς πλόος ἐστί· σὺ δ' ἐς πλόον ἄλλον ἔπειγε. Ἄλλος ἀπ' ἀλλοίου πνεύματος ὅρμον ἔχοι. Εἰ δ' ἄγε, καὶ λόγον ἄλλον ἐμῆς ἀΐοιτε σιωπῆς, Ὅστις ἀπεχθαίρων, ὅς τε φίλα φρονέων. Ἦν ὅτε κάρτος ἔχεσκον ἐν ἠϊθέοισι μέγιστον, Καί με Χριστὸς ἄναξ ἦγεν ἐπ' ἀντιπάλῳ, Στεῤῥοτέρην ἀδάμαντος ἐνὶ φρεσὶ πίστιν ἔχοντα, Τεύχεσί τε κρατεροῖς πάντοθε φραξάμενον. Θείοις μὲν λογίοισιν ἐμὸν νόον ἁγνὸν ἔτευξα, Γράμματος ἐξ ἱεροῦ Πνεῦμ' ἀναμαξάμενος, Οἷς βίβλων τοπάροιθε πικρὴν ἐξέπτυον ἅλμην, Κάλλος ἐπιπλάστοις χρώμασι λαμπόμενον. Σάρκα δ' ἐμὴν ζείουσαν, ἐπεὶ νεότητι τεθήλοι, Πολλοῖς καὶ πυκνοῖς ἔξεον ἐν