Gregory of Nazianzus, Moral Songs

Strife, sea, land, toil, plundering men, Possession, tax-collectors, agents, the wide-shouting, Orators, and books, judges, a sinful ruler, All these are the playthings of a wretched life. Look also at the pleasant things: satiety, burden, song, laughter, A tomb always full of dank corpses, 771 Bridal gifts, marriage, another marriage, when the first is lost, Adulterers, adulterers, children a suspicious grief, Beauty an unfaithful charm, undaunted evil shame, Cares of having children, pains of not having children, Wealth and poverty a twofold evil, insolence, distress, A ball being tossed back and forth in the hands of the young. Therefore seeing these things, I gnaw my heart, if anyone thinks it best, for whom the evil is greater than the good. Do you not weep hearing how many pains there were also for those before? I do not know if you will weep, or laugh hearing. Both these things fitted the wise before 772 For one there was weeping here, and for the other, laughter, As Trojans and Achaeans, leaping upon each other, ravaged one another for the sake of a little prostitute. And the Curetes fought and the steadfast Aetolians, over a boar's head, and its bristly hairs. The sons of Aeacus, a great song, yet they died, one against enemies with a raging hand, but the other through lewdness. Great glory of the son of Amphitryon; but he was subdued by a flesh-eating garment, that all-destroyer. Both Cyruses and Croesuses did not escape an evil fate, nor indeed as many of our own kings of yesterday. 773 And wine destroyed you, son of the serpent, of irresistible might, when, Alexander, you had come upon the whole earth. What advantage is there among the dead? One dust, only bones, the hero son of Atreus, Irus who fed on wanderings. Emperor Constantine, my servant; whoever is unfortunate, whoever is wealthy; the tomb is the one advantage. And the things here are such; but the things elsewhere, who could tell; How many things the last day brings for the unjust, Roaring fire, dread darkness, for those who are far from the light The worm, the ever-present memory of our own evil. Better, O evil one, if you had not passed through the gates of life, But if you did pass, that you were dissolved in the sea, like the beasts, Than when you have so many pains here, and afterwards a penalty worse than all you have here. Where for me is the great glory of the first-born? It was lost by a meal. 774 Where is wise Solomon? But he was subdued by women. And where was the one numbered with the twelve, when Judas, in exchange for a little gain was poured out into darkness. Christ the King, I beseech you, may you grant at once a cure for evils, having raised your servant from there, O blessed one. One thing only for men is good and steadfast, heavenly hopes, by which I breathe a little. Of the other goods there is much satiety. Whatever is dragged along on earth, I desire to leave it all to ephemeral beings; Fatherland, and foreign land, thrones, and the pride of being without a throne, Those near, strangers, the pious, the worse, The open, those who lie in wait, those bearing an un-envious eye, Wasting away within by self-slaying evil. For others are the pleasures of life; but I will gladly escape. Woe is me for this life, longer in its woes! 775 Until when will I offer myself to dung? As every good thing of our life is a two-mouthed grace, To receive, and to cast away, measured out day by day. The throat holds a little, but all the rest is the gutter. Winter again, summer again, in turn spring, autumn, Days and nights, the two-fold apparitions of life. Sky, earth, sea, nothing new for me, Neither the things that are fixed, nor those that revolve; Satiety of them. May you grant another life and world for me; Toiling for this, I willingly bear all sufferings. Would that I had died, when you bound me in my mother's womb, At once for me, in darkness beginning with a tear! What is life? Having leapt from a tomb, I travel to a tomb; 776 And from the grave, I will be buried unsparingly in fire. And the very time I breathe, is the stream of a swiftly running river, Always departing, and coming up from behind, Having nothing standing still; all is dust, striking my eyes, so that I may fall far from the light of God, And groping at walls, and wandering here and there. May I keep my foot outside the great life. I will dare a certain true word, that a mortal is a plaything of God, one of those, as many as there are of cities. Another face is above, which a hand made; and if it is lifted, I am in awe, suddenly I appeared as another. Such is the whole life of wretched mortals, for whom a dreamlike hope is a care. Hold these things for a little while. 777 But I, clinging to Christ, will never cease, Being freed from the bonds of this earthly life. For indeed a double

∆ῆρις, πόντος, ἄρουρα, μόγος, ληΐστορες ἄνδρες, Κτῆσις, δασμογράφοι, πράκτορες, εὐρυβόαι, Ῥητῆρες, βίβλοι τε, δικασπόλοι, ἀρχὸς ἀλιτρὸς, Πάντα τάδ' ἐστὶ βίου παίγνια λευγαλέου. ∆έρκεο καὶ ὅσα τερπνά· κόρος, βάρος, ᾆσμα, γέλωτες, Τύμβος ἀεὶ πλήρης μυδαλέων νεκύων, 771 Ἕδνα, γάμος, γάμος ἄλλος, ἐπὴν ὁ πρόσθεν ὄληται, Μοιχοὶ, μοιχολέται, παῖδες ὕποπτον ἄχος, Κάλλος φίλτρον ἄπιστον, ἀτάρβητον κακὸν αἶσχος, Φροντίδες εὐτεκνίης, ἄλγεα δυστεκνίης, Πλοῦτος καὶ πενίη δισσὸν κακὸν, ὕβρις, ἀνίη, Σφαῖρα νέων παλάμαις ἀνταποπεμπομένη. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰσορόων, φρένα δάπτομαι, εἴ τις ἄριστον Οἴεται, ᾧ τὸ κακὸν πλεῖον ἀρειοτέρου. Οὐ δακρύεις ἀΐων ὁπόσ' ἄλγεα καὶ προτέροισιν; Οὐκ οἶδ' εἰ δακρύσεις, ἢ γελάσεις ἀΐων. Ἄμφω καὶ πινυτοῖσιν ἐφήρμοσε ταῦτα πάροιθεν 772 Τῷ μὲν κλαυθμὸς ἔην κἀνθάδε, τῷ δὲ γέλως, Ὡς Τρῶες καὶ Ἀχαιοὶ ἐπ' ἀλλήλοισι θορόντες, ∆ῄουν ἀλλήλους εἵνεκα πορνιδίου. Κουρῆτές τ' ἐμάχοντο καὶ Αἰτωλοὶ μενεχάρμαι, Ἀμφὶ συὸς κεφαλῇ, θριξί τε χοιριδίαις. Αἰακίδαι μέγ' ἄεισμα, θάνον γε μὲν, ὃς μὲν ἐπ' ἐχθροῖς Μαινομένῃ παλάμῃ, αὐτὰρ ὁ μαχλοσύνῃ. Ἀμφιτρυωνιάδαο μέγα κλέος· ἀλλὰ δαμάσθη Εἵματι σαρκοφάγῳ κεῖνος ὁ παντολέτης. Κῦροί τε Κροῖσοί τε κακὸν μόρον οὐχ ὑπάλυξαν, Οὐδὲ μὲν ἡμέτεροι χθιζὸν ἄνακτες ὅσοι. 773 Καί σε, δρακοντιάδη, μένος ἄσχετε, ὤλεσεν οἶνος, Ἡνίκ', Ἀλέξανδρε, γαῖαν ἐπῆλθες ὅλην. Τί πλέον ἐν φθιμένοισιν; ἴη κόνις, ὀστέα μοῦνα, Ἥρως Ἀτρείδης, Ἴρος ἀλητοβόρος. Κωνσταντῖνος ἄναξ, θεράπων ἐμός· ὅστις ἄνολβος, Ὅστις ἐρικτήμων· ἓν πλέον ἐστὶ τάφος. Καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐνθάδε, τοῖα· τὰ δ' ἄλλοθι, τίς κεν ἐνίσποι· Ὁππόσα τοῖς ἀδίκοις ὕστατον ἦμαρ ἄγει, Πῦρ βρομέον, σκότος αἰνὸν, ἀπόπροθι φωτὸς ἐοῦσι Σκώληξ, ἡμετέρης μνῆσις ἀεὶ κακίης. Λώϊον, εἰ βιότοιο πύλας, κακὲ, μὴ σὺ πέρησας, Εἰ δ' ἐπέρησας, ἅλος, θήρεσιν ἶσα, λύθης, Ἢ ὅτε κἀνθάδ' ἔχεις τόσσ' ἄλγεα, καὶ μετόπισθεν Ποινὴ χειροτέρη τῶν ὅσα ἐνθάδ' ἔχεις. Ποῦ μοι πρωτογόνοιο μέγα κλέος; ὤλετ' ἐδωδῇ. 774 Ποῦ Σολομὼν πινυτός; ἀλλὰ γυναιξὶ δάμη. Ποῦ δὲ δυωδεκάδος συναρίθμιος ἦν, ὅτ' Ἰούδας, Κέρδεος ἀντ' ὀλίγου ἀμφεχύθη σκοτίην. Χριστὲ ἄναξ, λίτομαί σε, κακῶν ἄκος αὐτίκ' ὀπάζοις, Ἔνθεν ἀναστήσας σῷ θεράποντι, μάκαρ. Ἓν μόνον ἀνθρώποισι καλὸν καὶ ἔμπεδόν ἐστιν, Ἐλπίδες οὐράνιαι, ταῖς ὀλίγον τι πνέω. Τῶν δ' ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν πουλὺς κόρος. Ὅσσ' ἐπὶ γαίης Σύρετ', ἐφημερίοις πάντα λιπεῖν ποθέω· Πάτρην, ἀλλοδαπήν τε, θρόνους, καὶ ἀπόθρονον εὖχος, Ἐγγύθεν, ἀλλοτρίους, εὐσεβέας, κακίους, Ἀμφαδίους, λοχόωντας, ἀβάσκανον ὄμμα φέροντας, Αὐτοφόνῳ κακίῃ ἔνδοθι τηκομένους. Ἄλλοις τερπνὰ βίοιο· ἐγὼ δὲ πρόφρων ὑπαλύξω. Οἴμοι τοῦδε βίου πήμασι μακροτέρου! 775 Μέχρι τίνος κόπροισι παρέξομαι; ὡς ἅπαν ἐσθλὸν Ζωῆς ἡμετέρης, δίστομός ἐστι χάρις, ∆έξασθαι, ῥίψαι τε μετρούμενον ἦμαρ ἐπ' ἦμαρ. Βαιὸν λαιμὸς ἔχει, τἄλλα δὲ πάντ' ἀμάρη. Χεῖμα πάλιν, θέρος αὖθις, ἀμοιβαδὸν εἶαρ ὀπώρη, Ἤματα καὶ νύκτες, φάσματα δισσὰ βίου. Οὐρανὸς, αἶα, θάλασσα, νεώτερον οὐδὲν ἔμοιγε, Οὔθ' ὅσα πηκτὰ πέλει, οὔθ' ἃ περιτρέπεται· Τῶν κόρος. Ἄλλον ἔμοιγε βίον καὶ κόσμον ὀπάζοις· Τῷ μογέων, πρόφρων πήματα πάντα φέρω. Αἲ θάνον, εὖτέ με μητρὸς ἐνὶ σπλάγχνοισιν ἔδησας, Εὐθὺς ἐμοὶ σκοτίη δάκρυον ἀρχομένῳ! Τίς βίος; ἐκ τύμβοιο θορὼν, ἐπὶ τύμβον ὁδεύω· 776 Ἐκ δὲ τάφοιο, πυρὶ θάψομ' ἀπηλεγέως. Αὐτὸ δ' ὅσον πνείω, ποταμοῦ ῥόος ὦκα θέοντος, Αἰὲν ἀπερχομένου, ἐρχομένου τ' ὄπιθεν, Ἑσταὸς οὐδὲν ἔχοντος· ὅλον κόνις, ὄμματ' ἐμεῖο Βαλλουσ', ὥς κε Θεοῦ τῆλε πέσω φαέων, Τοίχους δ' ἀμφαφόων, καὶ ἀλώμενος ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα. Ζωῆς τῆς μεγάλης ἐκτὸς ἔχοιμι πόδα. Τολμήσω τινὰ μῦθον ἐτήτυμον, ὥς ῥα Θεοῖο Παίγνιόν ἐστι βροτὸς, τῶν ἓν, ὅσα πτολίων. Ἄλλο πρόσωπον ὕπερθεν, ὃ χεὶρ κάμεν· ἢν δ' ἄρ' ἀερθῇ, Ἅζομαι, ἐξαπίνης ἐξεφάνην ἕτερος. Τοῖος ἅπας μερόπων δειλῶν βίος, οἷσι μέμηλεν Ἐλπὶς ὀνειραίη. Ταῦτ' ἔχετ' εἰς ὀλίγον. 777 Αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ Χριστοῖο δεδραγμένος, οὔ ποτε λήξω, ∆εσμῶν τοῦδε βίου λυόμενος χθονίου. Καὶ γὰρ διπλόος