39

If we should have a spring, or a little garden, or a small breeze, Or shade from trees, the lightest of possessions, Then you call this luxury. Must Christians not even breathe? Is this the only thing you are wronged in? 1351 One law, one God, one calling; Christ wills all alike To be saved, having put off the flesh. But you drive us to perfection, As though we had promised no debt to men. But if to God, He Himself knows this, you are not worthy to judge, Being evil, having worse wounds. how gloomy, O youth, and pale, and barefoot, And with squalid hair, and speaking with difficulty! And your tunic is torn from your belt, and your black Cloak is drawn in an orderly fashion to your ankles. If these things are for the sake of faith, your whole life is the proof; But if for a picture, let another praise it. 1352 Let no one any longer care for the plough, nor for the mattock, Nor pay taxes, nor nourish his parents. Let your beard be deep, and your garment sackcloth, And bending your neck, set forth new doctrines. And if you speak incorrectly, and stone everyone together, You are an angel; nor do your hairs have little power. If anyone now has an impure life, or is greedy, Or has murderous hands, or a great legion, Let him not waste his limbs, nor with tears, nor with labors Cleanse himself, all these things are a myth; But let him turn over books, and having collected all the sayings, Let him be a heresiarch; this is the absolution of wickedness. 1353 To mortify the thick flesh in all ways, is best With prayers, fastings, cares, vigils. for it is likely that the pure man will become purer; And the evil man, will melt away some part of his evil. But if anyone is a fraud, it pleases me that this one also should Be mortified, so as to pay the penalty for his deceit The narrow entrance cannot admit Thick flesh and a swollen belly.

45. A lament concerning the passions of his own soul. Unfortunate, what things I have suffered! what

lamentation will be worthy of me? What source of tears is sufficient? What songs? No one has so greatly wept for the death of his own children, 1354 Or of his good parents, or of a dear wife, Nor for a sweet fatherland turned to ash by a raging fire, Nor for limbs worn out by a hateful disease, As much as I lament my soul which has suffered terribly, (Alas, wretch!) for the destruction of the heavenly image. For indeed, both the creation and image of the great God is Man, coming from God to God; Who, inclining upwards, and having bound the flesh with the spirit, Has Christ as the gracious leader of life; His own possession, both tongue and ears and mind itself, And strength, giving all to the life to come, Snatching from the greedy world all that the plunderer Of others' goods, the adversary Beliar, held, 1355 And bearing them to treasuries far better than those on earth, Which are stolen or destroyed, To behold the Lord God Himself, and to become spirit, Having put off the flesh and its resistant denseness, And to obtain a place in the splendid choir of angels, Having a prize greater than his great labors; No longer seeing the light type of the tabernacle, as before, Nor the written image of the law which is passing away, But beholding reality itself with the eye of a pure mind, And singing from his lips a festive sound. This is the end of mortal life. To this the outrage Of Christ's passions draws up earthly men, He who took on the form of a servant, and of death Tasted, and met with life a second time, Being God, being the steward of life, above the age, 1356 The whole image of the immortal Father always, That He might release me from slavery and the bonds of death, Coming back to a better life. But I did not keep the good mysteries of God, Though having a soul initiated into the heavenly ascent, But the thickness of dust weighs me down, nor was I able To emerge from the mud and cast my eye to the light. Yes, I cast it; but a cloud stood in the middle, covering my eyes, The flesh rising up with the earthly spirit. Many cares in my heart here and there Are tossed, of an empty, wandering mind, Casting Christ far away, God the Word (for the bridegroom Does not accept to be mingled with an alien soul); And many evil drugs of destruction lie upon my tongue. For the tongue is half for men

39

Ἡμεῖς δ' ἂν πηγὴν, ἢ κηπίον, ἢ μικρὰν αὔραν, Ἢ σκιὰν ἐκ δένδρων, κτήματ' ἐλαφρότατα, Σχῶμεν, ἔπειτα τρυφὴν τόδε φάσκετε. Ἦ καὶ ἀναπνεῖν Οὐ δεῖ Χριστιανούς, τοῦτ' ἀδικεῖσθε μόνον; 1351 Εἷς νόμος, εἷς δὲ Θεὸς, κλῆσις μία· πάντας ὁμοίως Σωθῆναι Χριστὸς σάρκ' ἀποδυσαμένους Βούλεται. Ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς συνελαύνετε εἰς τὸ τέλειον, Ὡς χρέος ἀνθρώποις οὐδὲν ὑποσχομένους. Εἰ δὲ Θεῷ, τοῦτ' αὐτὸς ἐπίσταται, οὐχὶ σὺ κρίνειν Ἄξιος ὄντα κακὸν, χείρονα τραύματ' ἔχων. ὡς στυγνὸς, ὦ νεανίσκε, καὶ ὠχρὸς, κἀνυπόδητος, Αὐχμηρός τε κόμην, φθεγγόμενός τε μόγις! Καὶ ζώνης διαρεῖ τὸ χιτώνιον, ἥ τε μέλαινα ∆ιπλοῒς εὐτάκτως ἕλκετ' ἐς ἀστραγάλους. Ταῦτ' εἰ μὲν διὰ πίστιν, ὁ πᾶς βίος ἐστὶν ἔλεγχος· Εἰ δὲ ζωγραφίαν, ἄλλος ἐπαινεσάτω. 1352 Μηκέτι μήτ' ἀρότρου μελέτω τινὶ, μηδὲ δικέλλης, Μηδὲ φόρους διδότω, μὴ γονέας τρεφέτω. Ἔστω σοι πώγων τε βαθὺς, καὶ σάκκινος ἔσθος, Καὐχέν' ἐπιθρύπτων, δόγματα καινὰ τίθει. Ἂν δὲ σολοικίζῃς, καὶ πάντας ὁμοῦ καταλεύῃς, Ἄγγελος· οὐδὲ τρίχες ἰσχὺν ἔχουσ' ὀλίγην. Εἴ τις νῦν ἀκάθαρτον ἔχει βίον, ἢ πλεονέκτην, Ἢ χεῖρας φονίους, ἢ λεγεῶνα μέγαν, Μηδὲ μελῶν τήξει, μὴ δάκρυσι, μήτε πόνοισιν Αὑτὸν ἀποσμήχοι, μῦθος ἅπαντα τάδε· Ἀλλὰ βίβλους στρεφέτω, καὶ ῥήματα πάντ' ἀναλέξας, Αἱρεσιαρχείτω· τοῦτο λύσις κακίης. 1353 Κόπτειν σάρκα παχεῖαν ἐν εἴδεσι πᾶσιν, ἄριστον Εὐχαῖς, νηστείαις, φροντίσιν, ἀγρυπνίαις. τὸν μὲν γὰρ καθαρὸν, καθαρώτερον εἰκὸς ὑπάρξαι· Τὸν δὲ κακὸν, τῆξαι τῆς κακίης τι μέρος. Εἰ δέ τίς ἐστ' ἐπίπλαστος, ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῦτον ἀρέσκει Κόπτεσθ', ὥστε δίκας τῆς ἀπάτης διδόναι Τὰς παχέας σάρκας, καὶ γαστέρα ὄγκον ἔχουσαν Ἡ λεπτὴ χωρεῖν εἴσοδος οὐ δύναται.

ΜΕʹ. Θρῆνος περὶ τῶν τῆς αὐτοῦ ψυχῆς παθῶν. ∆ύσμορος οἷα πάθον; τίς μοι

γόος ἄξιος ἔσται; Τίς πηγὴ δακρύων ἄρκιος; οἷα μέλη; Οὔτε μόρον παίδων τις ἑῶν ἐκλαύσατο τόσσον, 1354 Ἢ κεδνῶν τοκέων, ἠὲ φίλης ἀλόχου, Οὐ πάτρην γλυκερὴν μαλερῷ πυρὶ τεφρωθεῖσαν, Οὐ νούσῳ στυγερῇ ἅψεα τειρόμενα, Ὅσσον ἐγὼ ψυχὴν ὀλοφύρομαι αἰνὰ παθοῦσαν, (Φεῦ τάλας!) ὀλλυμένης εἰκόνος οὐρανίης. Ναὶ γὰρ δὴ μεγάλοιο Θεοῦ καὶ πλάσμα, καὶ εἰκὼν, Ἄνθρωπος, Θεόθεν εἰς Θεὸν ἐρχόμενος· Ὅστις ἄνω νεύσας, καὶ πνεύματι σάρκα πεδήσας, Χριστὸν ἔχει ζωῆς ἵλαον ἡγεμόνα· Κτῆσιν ἑὴν, γλῶσσάν τε καὶ οὔατα καὶ νόον αὐτὸν, Καὶ σθένος, ἐρχομένῳ πάντα διδοὺς βιότῳ, Ἁρπάζων κόσμου πολυχανδέος, ὅσσα κατεῖχεν Ἅρπαξ ἀλλοτρίων, ἀντίθεος Βελίας, 1355 Ἐς δὲ ταμεῖα φέρων πολὺ φέρτερα τῶν ἐπὶ γαίης, Τῶν διακλεπτομένων, ἢ καταλυομένων, Αὐτὸν ἀθρῆσαι ἄνακτα Θεὸν, καὶ πνεῦμα γενέσθαι, Σάρκ' ἀποδυσάμενος καὶ πάχος ἀντίτυπον, Ἀγγελικοῦ τε χοροῖο λαχεῖν στάσιν αἰγλήεντος Μεῖζον τῶν μεγάλων ἆθλον ἔχων καμάτων· Μηκέθ' ὁρῶν σκηνῆς ἐλαφρὸν τύπον, ὡς τοπάροιθεν, Μηδὲ νόμου γραπτὴν εἰκόνα λυομένην, Αὐτὴν δ' ἀτρεκίην καθαροῦ νοὸς ὄμματι λεύσσων, Μέλπων τ' ἐκ στομάτων ἦχον ἑορτάσιον. Τοῦτο τέλος βροτέης ζωῆς πέλει. Ἐς τόδ' ἀνέλκει Τῶν Χριστοῦ παθέων ὕβρις ἐπιχθονίους, Ὃς δούλου μορφὴν ἀνεδέξατο, καὶ θανάτοιο Γεύσατο, καὶ ζωῆς δεύτερον ἠντίασεν, Ὢν Θεὸς, ὢν ζωῆς ταμίης, αἰῶνος ὕπερθεν, 1356 Εἰκὼν ἀθανάτου πάντοτε Πατρὸς ὅλη, Ὄφρα με δουλοσύνης τε λύσῃ, θανάτοιό τε δεσμῶν, Κρείσσονα πρὸς ζωὴν ἔμπαλιν ἐρχόμενον. Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐφύλαξα Θεοῦ μυστήρια κεδνὰ, Μύστιν ἔχων ψυχὴν οὐρανίης ἀνόδου, Ἀλλὰ κάτω βρίθει με χοὸς πάχος, οὐδ' ἐδυνάσθην Ἰλύος ἐξαναδὺς, ἐς φάος ὄμμα βαλεῖν. Ναὶ βάλον· ἀλλὰ μέσον νέφος ἵστατο ὄσσε καλύπτον Σὰρξ ἐπανισταμένη πνεύματι σὺν χθονίῳ. Πολλὰ μὲν ἐν κραδίῃ μελεδήματα ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα Στρωφᾶται, κενεὰ πλαζομένοιο νόου, Χριστὸν ἑκὰς βάλλοντα, Θεὸν Λόγον (οὐ δέχεται γὰρ Μίγνυσθαι ψυχῇ νυμφίος ἀλλοτρίῃ)· Πολλὰ δ' ἐπὶ γλώσσῃ κέαται κακὰ φάρμακ' ὀλέθρου. Γλῶσσα γὰρ ἀνθρώποις ἥμισυ