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with toils. 1319 For my belly I stopped the insolence of satiety, and the neighboring madness, And I fixed my eye within my eyelids with prudence. I gnashed with anger, and bound my limbs, and lamented laughter. All things yielded to the Word; all things before have died. The earth is my bed; for my sides a cure, sorry garments; A medicine of sleeplessness, a place for my tears. By day I bent my back, and with all-night hymns I was made a pillar, devoid of mortal well-being. These things were before; for my flesh was seething, whose concern it is To hold back the great light of the heavenly ascent. And I spat out the heavy burden of possessions, so that I might be lifted up Lightly, having cast off all my burden to God. But now that a bitter sickness holds me, and old age has bent me, I have come to this other kind of misery, 1320 having an untamable, eloquent tongue, which to me with punishing Woes, has always given me into the hands of the envious one. I have neither attacked anyone's thrones, nor from their ancestral land Have I driven them, nor have I devised any deceit. I have not let loose an abusive tongue, nor have I done anything Unlawful regarding our sacrifices; the Word knows. Not this bishop, nor indeed another, since I am indignant with all Leaders of the people who are famed for such things; Of whom now the whole sea and the wide ends of the earth Are full, a dark grief for my heart. But a reckless speech angered them against me; I for my part Did not think this before, but it angered them nonetheless. It made me an object of envy to all my friends. O envy, you too Take something from me. Be still, dear tongue; 1321 be still for a little, tongue; this I will not fetter to the end. The hater-of-speech will not take so much from me. I learn how a certain king of the Samians, to propitiate envy, Fearing his good fortune, devised such a pain. A ring, which he loved, an ancestral heirloom, he cast into the sea. And the fish that received it, a net bound; The fisherman to the king, and he gave to his servant The sea-caught thing; and the ring was in the fish's entrails. The stomach received the fish, and the hand the ring; A great wonder; not even willingly did he find that pain. So also I; for at my speech envy always directs a savage Eye; I have drawn upon myself the depth of silence. So much for me from the Samian; this tomorrow I do not know clearly, Whether a bad or a good end will meet me. 1322 But restrain envy, cure of mortals, and from bitter Tongues having drawn me out, may you lead me to your radiance; Where honoring you with ever-living lights, I shall sing from my lips a harmonious sound. Receive also these articulate things from my hand, so that you may have A speaking memorial of our silence.

35. Another. Walls, gates, bolts, shut me in; Lest someone passing by, either

a thievish word, or way of life Should secretly steal one of my treasures, Or even a tyrant seize it by force of hand. God is the treasure, and the fear of God, 1323 and Hope that lightens sorrows; Which many, very many, and undeservedly Have both bitten me and will tear me more, Unless you tell the mischief-makers to be still. And though I suffer terrible things, and beyond terrible, This one thing I fear, lest by my many evils I might become worse; for this too harms the mind.

36. Another. Speak out, all of you; run well with your speeches. Weave your turns of phrase;

be strong with spiderwebs To bind the light and wandering things. Thunder with hides; lightnings from your lamps Send forth; I have bound speech in every way. 1324 May you have your fill, O watchers, and you, envy. Within I will speak, with the mysteries of God's mind Writing, and of the stains and deceptions of the senses Having wiped them clean, I will present myself as a mirror to the Word, Until He receives perfect images within. And these are the writings of silence. But if you do not wish Me to speak to many, great Mind, what must I do?

37. Another. Neither sin has seized me, nor any law Of children and of my labors

has torn me apart. The Trinity knows this, which I preached to the city, Having kindled the spark that was before hidden. But envy, and the wise ones have bound my tongue. 1325 For what, O vain one,

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καμάτοις. 1319 Γαστρὶ μὲν ὕβριν ἔπαυσα κόρου, καὶ γείτονα λύσσαν, Ὄμμα δ' ἐνὶ βλεφάροις πῆξα σαοφροσύνῃ. Βρύξα χόλῳ, καὶ δῆσα μέλη, καὶ κλαῦσα γέλωτα. Πάνθ' ὑπόειξε Λόγῳ· πάντ' ἔθανεν τὰ πάρος. Γαίη, κοῖτος ἐμοί· πλευρῶν ἄκος, εἵματα λυπρά· Φάρμακον ἀγρυπνίης, χῶρος ἐμῶν δακρύων. Ἤμασι νῶτον ἔκαμψα, καὶ ὕμνοις παννυχίοισι Στηλώθην, βροτέης ἔκνοος εὐπαθίης. Ταῦτα πάρος· σάρκες γὰρ ἐπέζεον, αἷσι μέμηλεν Οὐρανίης ἀνόδου φῶτα μέγαν κατέχειν. Καὶ κτεάνων βαρὺν ὄγκον ἀπέπτυσα, ὥς κεν ἀερθῶ Κοῦφος, ἀποσκεδάσας πρὸς Θεὸν ἄχθος ἅπαν. Νῦν δ' ὅτε νοῦσος ἔχει με πικρὴ, καὶ γῆρας ἔκαμψεν, Ἦλθον ἐπ' ἀλλοίην τήνδε δυηπαθίην, 1320 Γλῶσσαν ἔχων ἀδάμαστον, ἐΰλαλον, ἥ με τύσοισι Πήμασι, τοῦ φθονεροῦ δῶκεν ἀεὶ παλάμαις. Οὔτε τινὸς θώκοισιν ἐπέδραμον· οὔτ' ἀπὸ γαίης Ἤλασα πατρῴης, οὐ δόλον ἐφρασάμην. Οὐ γλῶσσαν ἐφέηκα ἐπεσβόλον, οὔτε τι ῥέξα Ἡμετέρων θυέων ἔκνομον· οἶδε Λόγος. Οὐ σκοπὸν, οὐδὲ μὲν ἄλλον, ἐπεὶ καὶ πᾶσι νεμεσῶ, Λαῶν ἡγεμόσιν τοῖα κλεϊζομένοις· Ὧν νῦν πᾶσα θάλασσα, καὶ εὐρέα πείρατα γαίης Πέπληθε, δνοφερὸν πένθος ἐμῆς κραδίης. Ἀλλὰ λόγος μ' ἐχάλεψεν ἀτάσθαλος· οὐ μὲν ἔγωγε Πρόσθε τόδ' ὠϊόμην, ἀλλ' ἐχάλεψεν ὅμως Πᾶσί μ' ἔθηκε φίλοισιν ἐπίφθονον. Ὦ φθόνε, καὶ σὺ Ἐξ ἐμέθεν τι λάβῃς. Ἴσχεο, γλῶσσα φίλη· 1321 Βαιὸν δ' ἴσχεο, γλῶσσα· τόδ' ἐς τέλος οὔ τε πεδήσω. Οὐ τόσον ἐξ ἐμέθεν λήψεθ' ὁ μισολόγος. Πυνθάνομ' ὡς Σαμίων τις ἄναξ φθόνον ὡς ἀρέσαιτο, ∆είσας εὐδρομίην, μήσατο τοῖον ἄχος. Πόρκην, ὃν φιλέεσκε, πατρῴϊον ἔμβαλε πόντῳ· Τὸν δ' ὑποδεξάμενον ἰχθὺν, ἔδησε λίνον· Ἰχθυβόλος μὲν ἄνακτι, ὁ δ' ὤπασεν ᾧ θεράποντι Τὴν ἁλίην· πόρκης δ' ἰχθύος ἐν λαγόσιν. Ἰχθὺν μὲν γαστὴρ ὑπεδέξατο, χεὶρ δέ τε πόρκην· Θαῦμα μέγ'· οὐδ' ἐθέλων εὕρατο κεῖνος ἄχος. Ὣς καὶ ἐγώ· μύθῳ γὰρ ἐμῷ φθόνος ἄγριον αἰεὶ Ὄμμα φέρει· σιγῆς βένθος ἐπεσπασάμην. Τόσσον ἐμοὶ Σαμίοιο· τόδ' αὔριον οὐ σάφα οἶδα, Εἰ κακὸν ἠὲ καλὸν ἀντιάσειε τέλος. 1322 Ἀλλά γε δὴ φθόνον ἴσχε, βροτῶν ἄκος, ἐκ δέ με πικρῶν Γλωσσῶν ἐξερύσας, σὴν ἐπὶ λάμψιν ἄγοις· Ἔνθα σε σὺν φαέεσσιν ἀειζώοισι γεραίρων, Μέλψομ' ἀπὸ στομάτων ἦχον ἐναρμόνιον. ∆έχνυσο καὶ τάδε χειρὸς ἐναυδέα, ὡς μὲν ἔχοιτε Ἡμετέρης σιγῆς μνημόσυνον λαλέον.

ΛΕʹ. Ἄλλο. Τείχη, πυλῶνες, κλεῖθρα, συγκλείοιτέ με· Μή τις παρελθὼν ἢ

λόγος φὼρ, ἢ βίος Κλέψῃ λαθών τι τῶν ἐμῶν κειμηλίων, Ἢ καὶ τύραννος ἁρπάσῃ βίᾳ χερός. Θεὸς τὸ θησαύρισμα, καὶ Θεοῦ φόβος, 1323 Ἐλπίς τε κουφίζουσα τὰς ἀκηδίας· Αἳ πολλὰ πολλαὶ δή με καὶ παρ' ἀξίαν ∆εδήχασίν τε καὶ σπαράξουσι πλέον, Ἢν μὴ σὺ τοῖς κέρκωψιν ἠρεμεῖν φράσης Καίπερ δὲ πάσχων δεινὰ, καὶ δεινῶν πέρα, Τοῦθ' ἓν δέδοικα, μή τι τοῖς πολλοῖς κακοῖς Χείρων γενοίμην· καὶ τὸ γὰρ βλάπτει φρένας.

Λςʹ. Ἄλλο. Φθέγγοισθ' ἅπαντες· εὐδρομεῖτε τοῖς λόγοις Στροφὰς πλέκοιτε·

ἰσχύοιτ' ἀραχνίοις ∆εσμεῖν τὰ κοῦφα καὶ περιπλανώμενα. Βροντᾶτε βύρσαις· ἀστραπὰς ἐλλυχνίους Πέμποιτ'· ἐγὼ ἔδησα καὶ πάντη λόγον. 1324 Κόρον λάβοιτε, ὦ σκοποὶ, καὶ σὺ, φθόνε. Ἔνδον λαλήσω, νοῦν Θεοῦ μυστηρίοις Γράφων, σπίλων τε καὶ πλάνων αἰσθήσεων Σμήξας, ἔσοπτρον τῷ Λόγῳ παραστήσομαι, Ἕως τελείας ἐμφάσεις εἴσω λάβῃ Καὶ ταῦτα σιγῆς γράμματ'. Εἰ δὲ μὴ θέλεις Πολλοῖς λαλεῖν με, Νοῦς μέγας, τί χρὴ δρᾶσαι;

ΛΖʹ. Ἄλλο. Οὐ μ' οὔθ' ἁμαρτὰς εἷλεν, οὔτε τις νόμος Τέκνων πόνων τε τῶν

ἐμῶν διέσπασε. Τριὰς τόδ' οἶδεν, ἣν ἐκήρυξα πόλει, Σπινθῆρ' ἀνάψας τὸν πρὶν ἐγκεκρυμμένον. Φθόνος δὲ, καὶ γλώσσην ἔδησαν οἱ σοφοί. 1325 Τί γὰρ, μάταιε,