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Although obscured by a heavy Sickness, have you raised such glory? Do you not know how great now is the power of the uneducated, to whom both insolence and wickedness are akin? Dance, run well, every impious man. Strike, shoot with arrows the unprotected. Deep silence; Gregory is very far away.

ΑΗʹ. A hymn to Christ after the silence, at Pascha. O Christ, Lord, you

first, since I have given my speech to the air, holding it back for a long time, I will utter from my mouth, a pure offering of a most pure priest, if it is right to say, pouring forth this word of our mind. You who reveal the Father, Word of the great Mind, better than speech, 1326 and highest light of the highest Light, Only-begotten, Image of the immortal Father, and seal of the one without beginning, shining together with the great Spirit, wide-ruling, boundary of the age, greatly glorious, giver of blessings, high-throned, heavenly, all-powerful, breath of the mind, Ruler of the cosmos, life-bringing, creator of things that are and things that will be. For all things are yours, you who, having bound the foundations of the cosmos, and all that exists by your will, carry them by your unerring nods. For you, O Lord, high-coursing Phaethon covers the stars, rising above with his fiery circle, as you do the minds. For you it lives, and in turn wanes, the eye of the night, the Moon, coming again full of light. 1327 And for you the life-bearing circle and the measures of the dance, bring gentle measures for the mingled Seasons. And the fixed and wandering stars, darting on their returning course, are a word of your divine wisdom. All are your light, as many as are heavenly minds who sing the glory of the super-celestial Trinity. And mortal man is your glory, whom you placed here as a messenger, a hymn-writer of your splendor, O light. O immortal for me and mortal, born-again, bodiless height, at the last becoming flesh for the woes of mortals, For you I live, for you I speak, for you I am an inspired offering, which alone is left of our possessions. For you I both bound my tongue, and for your ears I have loosed my speech; but I pray you grant both piously. 1328 I will speak what is fitting; but what is not lawful, I will not even think. I will flow like a pearl, having pushed away the mud, gold from the sand, a rose from a rocky thorn-bush; I will gather grain from the ears of corn, leaving the chaff. These first-fruits of our labor for you, O Christ, my tongue, belching forth, has kindled the first word. Today the great Christ from the dead, with whom He was mingled, has risen, and has scattered the sting of death, And broke the gloomy gates of grim hades, and gave freedom to souls. Today, leaping from the tomb, he appeared to mortals, for whom he was born, for whom he died, for whom he rose from the dead, so that, born-again and having fled from death, we may be lifted up with you as you ascend from hence. 1329 Today a great, radiant angelic choir rejoices around you, singing a victory hymn. Today I have breathed forth a sound, having loosed my lips closed in silence, but you have me as a hymn-playing lyre. With my mind I have ministered to the Mind within, with my word to the Word; and then I will minister also to the great Spirit, if he wishes.

ΛΘʹ. On Poems. Seeing many writing in this present life discourses

without meter, and flowing easily, and wasting the most time in labors, of which the profit is nothing but empty talkativeness; but writing, moreover, even too tyrannically, so that all things happen to be full of trifles, 1330 like the sands of the seas or the gnats of Egypt; I would most gladly have given this one opinion to all: that having cast aside every discourse, they should hold to the divinely-inspired writings alone, like those fleeing a storm to calm harbors. For if the Scriptures have given so many handles, this, "The Spirit," is wiser for you, so that this also is a starting-point of every vain discourse for those who are wrongly motivated. When, my good sir, while writing, could you extend uncontested discourses to base thoughts? But since this is entirely impossible, with the world being broken into so many divisions, and with all having these discourses as allies, a buttress for their own deviation; 1331 I have pursued this other path of discourses, if it is a good one, and if not, at least one dear to me;

35

καίπερ ἐσκοτισμένος Νόσῳ βαρείᾳ, τόσσον ἤγειρας κλέος; Οὐκ οἶσθ', ὅσον νῦν τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων κράτος, Οἷς συγγενὲς θράσος τε καὶ μοχθηρία; Χορεύετ', εὐδρομεῖτε, δυσσεβὴς ἅπας. Βάλλοιτε, τοξεύοιτε μὴ πεφραγμένους. Σιγὴ βαθεῖα· Γρηγόριος ποῤῥωτάτω.

ΑΗʹ. Ὕμνος εἰς Χριστὸν μετὰ τὴν σιωπὴν, ἐν τῷ Πάσχα. Χριστὲ ἄναξ, σὲ

πρῶτον, ἐπεὶ λόγον ἠέρι δῶκα, ∆ηναιὸν κατέχων, φθέγξομ' ἀπὸ στομάτων, Ἁγνοτάτου ἱερῆος ἁγνὸν θύος, εἰ θέμις εἰπεῖν, Τόνδε λόγον προχέων ἡμετέροιο νόου. Πατροφαὲς, μεγάλοιο νόου Λόγε, φέρτερε μύθου, 1326 Φωτός τ' ἀκροτάτου φῶς ἄκρον, Οἰόγονε, Εἰκὼν ἀθανάτοιο Πατρὸς, καὶ σφρηγὶς ἀνάρχου, Πνεύματι τῷ μεγάλῳ συμφαὲς, εὐρυμέδων, Αἰῶνος πείρημα, μεγακλεὲς, ὀλβιόδωρε, Ὑψίθρον', οὐράνιε, πανσθενὲς, ἆσθμα νόου, Νωμητὰ κόσμοιο, φερέσβιε, δημιοεργὲ Ὄντων, ἐσσομένων. Σοὶ γὰρ ἅπαντα πέλει, Ὃς κόσμοιο θέμεθλα, καὶ ὁππόσα ἐστὶ θέλοντος, ∆ησάμενος φορέεις νεύμασιν ἀπλανέως. Σοὶ μὲν, ἄναξ, Φαέθων ὑψίδρομος ἄστρα καλύπτει, Κύκλον ὑπερτέλλων ἔμπυρον, ὡς σὺ νόας. Σοὶ ζώει, φθινύθει τε ἀμοιβαδὶς, ὄμμα τὸ νυκτὸς, Μήνη, πλησιφαὴς αὖθις ἐπερχομένη. 1327 Σοὶ δὲ ζωοφόρος τε κύκλος καὶ μέτρα χορείης, Ὥραις μέτρα φέρει ἤπια κιρναμέναις. Ἀπλανέες τε πλάνοι τε παλίμπορον ἀΐσσοντες Ἀστέρες ἠγαθέης εἰσὶ λόγος σοφίης. Σὸν φάος εἰσὶν ἅπαντες, ὅσοι νόες οὐρανίωνες Μέλπουσι Τριάδος δόξαν ἐπουρανίης. Σὸν βροτὸς αὖ κλέος ἐστὶν, ὃν ἄγγελον ἐνθάδ' ἔθηκας Ὑμνοπόλον τῆς σῆς, ὦ φάος, ἀγλαΐης. Ἄμβροτέ μοι βροτέει τε, παλιγγενὲς, ὕψος ἄσαρκον, Ὑστάτιον θνητῶν πήμασι σαρκοφόρε, Σοὶ ζῶ, σοὶ λαλέω, σοὶ δ' ἔμπνοός εἰμι θυηλὴ, Ἣ μούνη κτεάνων λείπετ' ἀφ' ἡμετέρων. Σοὶ καὶ γλῶσσαν ἔδησα, καὶ οὔασι μῦθον ἔλυσα· Λίσσομαι ἀλλὰ πόροις ἀμφότερ' εὐαγέως. 1328 Φθέγξομαι, ἅσσ' ἐπέοικεν· ἃ δ' οὑ θέμις, οὐδὲ νοήσω. Ῥεύσω μαργάρεον, βόρβορον ὠσάμενος, Χρυσὸν ἀπὸ ψαμάθοιο, ῥόδον κραναῆς ἀπ' ἀκάνθης· Λέξομ' ἀπ' ἀσταχύων σῖτον, ἀφεὶς καλάμην. Ταῦτά σοι ἡμετέροιο θαλύσια, Χριστὲ, πόνοιο Γλῶσσ' ἀπερευγομένη πρῶτον ἀνῆψεν ἔπος. Σήμερον ἐκ νεκύων Χριστὸς μέγας, οἷσιν ἐμίχθη, Ἔγρετο, καὶ θανάτου κέντρον ἀπεσκέδασε, Καὶ ζοφεροὺς πυλεῶνας ἀμειδήτου ἀΐδαο Ῥήξατο, καὶ ψυχαῖς δῶκεν ἐλευθερίην. Σήμερον ἐκ τύμβοιο θορὼν, μερόπεσσι φαάνθη, Οἷς γένεθ', οἷσι θάνεν, οἷς ἔγρετ' ἐκ νεκύων, Ὥς κε παλιγγενέες τε καὶ ἐκ θανάτοιο φυγόντες, Σοὶ συναειρώμεσθ' ἔνθεν ἀνερχομένῳ. 1329 Σήμερον αἰγλήεις σε μέγας χορὸς ἀμφιγέγηθεν Ἀγγελικὸς, μέλπων ὕμνον ἐπιστέφιον. Σήμερον ἦχον ἔπνευσα, μεμυκότα χείλεα σιγῇ Λύσας, ἀλλά μ' ἔχεις ὑμνοπόλον κιθάρην. Νῷ νόον ἔνδον ἔρεξα, λόγῳ Λόγον· αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα Ῥέξω καὶ μεγάλῳ Πνεύματι, ἢν ἐθέλῃ.

ΛΘʹ. Εἰς τὰ ἔμμετρα. Πολλοὺς ὁρῶν γράφοντας ἐν τῷ νῦν βίῳ Λόγους

ἀμέτρους, καὶ ῥέοντας εὐκόλως, Καὶ πλεῖστον ἐκτρίβοντας ἐν πόνοις χρόνον, Ὧν κέρδος οὐδὲν ἢ κενὴ γλωσσαλγία· Ἀλλ' οὖν γράφοντας καὶ λίαν τυραννικῶς, Ὡς μεστὰ πάντα τυγχάνειν ληρημάτων, 1330 Ψάμμου θαλασσῶν ἢ σκνιπῶν Αἰγυπτίων· Πάντων μὲν ἂν ἥδιστα καὶ γνώμην μίαν Ταύτην ἔδωκα, πάντα ῥίψαντας λόγον, Αὐτῶν ἔχεσθαι τῶν θεοπνεύστων μόνον, Ὡς τοὺς ζάλην φεύγοντας ὅρμων εὐδίων. Εἰ γὰρ τοσαύτας αἱ Γραφαὶ δεδώκασι Λαβὰς, τὸ, Πνεῦμα, τουτί σοι σοφώτερον, Ὡς καὶ τόδ' εἶναι παντὸς ὁρμητήριον Λόγου ματαίου τοῖς κακῶς ὁρμωμένοις. Πότ' ἂν γράφων σὺ, τοῖς κάτω νοήμασιν Ἀναμφιλέκτους, ὦ 'τὰν, ἐκτείναις λόγους; Ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο παντελῶς ἀμήχανον, Κόσμου ῥαγέντος εἰς τόσας διαστάσεις, Πάντων τ' ἔρεισμα τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἐκτροπῆς 1331 Τούτους ἐχόντων τοὺς λόγους συμπροστάτας· Ἄλλην μετῆλθον τῶν λόγων ταύτην ὁδὸν, Εἰ μὲν καλήν γε, εἰ δὲ μή γ', ἐμοὶ φίλην·