Gregory of Nazianzus, Moral Songs

The great Spirit has shown him to be poor in passions; Whoever has a mournful life here; Whoever is always insatiable for heavenly food, Whoever through gentleness is an heir of great things; Who by his own heart draws down the great mercy of God, And is a friend of peace, and pure in heart; 784 Who has endured many sorrows for the sake of the most glorious Christ, and will attain great glory. Of these, if you wish, cut a path. If all of them, it is better; if a few, it is second best; if but one, outstanding, and that is dear. Yet there are worthy measures for all, for the more perfect, and for the lesser. And Rahab did not have a well-ordered life, but her supreme hospitality made her renowned. And from lowliness of mind alone the publican had more than the Pharisee, who was greatly exalted. Celibacy is better, yes, better; but when mixed with the world, and earthly, it is worse than a chaste couple. Steep is the life of the mountain-roaming poor; But pride has often brought them low. 785 For not measuring their own virtue by that of other excellent men, they sometimes have unjudged height in their heart. And often with a seething mind, like hotter colts, they carry their foot far from the goal. Therefore, either be lifted up on altogether light wings, Or remaining below, run safely, Lest by its weight your wing should sink to the earth, And lest being lifted up you fall a most pitiful fall. A small ship fastened with dense bolts carries a greater cargo than a large unfastened one. The way of the divine gate is made narrow, but many are the paths that come to one. Some go by this one, for whom nature here inclines, others by another, only touching upon the narrow way. 786 Neither is one food equally pleasing to all, nor is one life suitable for Christians. Tears are best for all, and sleeplessness, and toils, And to restrain the madness of grievous passions, And to subdue excess, and to lie under the mighty hand of Christ, and to tremble at the coming day. But if you should go the highest path perfectly, you are no longer a mortal, but one of the heavenly beings. The laws of Gregory.

XVIII. Concerning human life. The soil, the clay, the returning dust. For to the earth

earth is reconciled again, And is wrapped in earthly swaddling clothes, And soil comes forth again like the dust, 787 Which the violent whirlwind of spirits, raising up on high, contracts below. For thus the whirlwinds of wicked spirits raise our much-tossed life to a height and a bastard glory; But again the soil comes down and remains below, Until the word of the creator fits the necessary dissolution of the things bound together. But now, having emerged as if from some depth, The soil, animated by the divine image, Cries out the earthly tragedies, And weeps for the life that seems to laugh.

XIX. Concerning the same. It is a certain wheel, unstably fixed, 788 This small

and much-turning life. It moves upward, and is pulled around downward; For it does not stand still, even if it seems to be fixed. Fleeing, it is held fast, and remaining, it runs away. It leaps much, and has not the power to flee. It drags, it pulls down its stillness by its motion. Describing life as being nothing, Or smoke, or a dream, or a flower of grass.

XX. Concerning desire. All desire is terrible. But if it is for someone beloved, The terror is doubled.

And if for a young maiden, The sting is threefold. And if she is full of beauty, The evil is greater. And if it leads to marriage, Fire feeds within the heart itself. 789

XXI. Concerning the death of loved ones. Every tomb is bitter; but if it is the tomb of a child,

The evil is doubled. And if again of an excellent man, The misfortune is a fire. And if of a young bridegroom, Let the heart of the parents be broken.

πτωχὸν παθέων μέγα Πνεῦμ' ἀνέδειξεν· Ὅστις ἔχει ζωὴν ἐνθάδε πενθαλέην· Ὅστις ἐπουρανίης αἰὲν ἀκόρεστος ἐδωδῆς, Ὅστις ἐνηείῃ κληρονόμος μεγάλων· Ὃς σπλάγχνοισιν ἑοῖσι Θεοῦ μέγαν οἶκτον ἐφέλκει, Εἰρήνης τε φίλος, καὶ καθαρὸς κραδίην· 784 Ὃς πολλὰ Χριστοῖο μεγακλέος εἵνεκ' ἀνέτλη Ἄλγεα, καὶ μεγάλου κύδεος ἀντιάσει. Τούτων, ἣν ἐθέλεις, τάμνε τρίβον. Εἰ μὲν ἁπάσας, Λώϊον· εἰ δ' ὀλίγας, δεύτερον· εἰ δὲ μόνην Ἔξοχα, καὶ τὸ φίλον. Σταθμά γε μὲν ἄξια πᾶσι, Τοῖσι τελειοτέροις, τοῖσί τε μειοτέροις. Καὶ Ῥαὰβ οὐκ εὔκοσμον ἔχεν βίον, ἀλλ' ἄρα καὶ τὴν Κλεινὴν ἀκροτάτη θῆκε φιλοξενίη. Ἐκ δὲ μόνης πλέον ἔσχε Φαρισσαίοιο τελώνης Τῆς χθαμαλοφροσύνης, τοῦ μέγ' ἀειρομένου. Βέλτερον ἀζυγίη, ναὶ βέλτερον· ἀλλ' ἐπίμικτος Κόσμῳ, καὶ χθονίη, χειροτέρη δυάδος Σώφρονος. Ἀκτεάνων αἰπὺς βίος οὐρεσιφοίτων· Ἀλλὰ τύφος καὶ τοὺς πολλάκι θῆκε κάτω. 785 Οὐ γὰρ ἑὴν ἀρετὴν ἄλλοις μετρέοντες ἀρίστοις, Ἄκριτον ἐν κραδίῃ ὕψος ἔχουσιν ὁτέ. Πολλάκι καὶ ζείοντι νόῳ, πώλοισιν ὁμοῖα Θερμοτέροις, νύσσης τῆλε φέρουσι πόδα. Τοὔνεκεν ἢ πτερύγεσσιν ἀείρεο πάμπαν ἐλαφραῖς, Ἠὲ κάτω μίμνων, ἀσφαλέως τροχάειν, Μή που βριθοσύνῃ σεῖο πτερὸν ἐς χθόνα νεύσῃ, Μὴ δὲ πέσῃς ἀρθεὶς πτῶμ' ἐλεεινότατον. Νηῦς ὀλίγη γόμφοισιν ἀρηραμένη πυκινοῖσι, Φόρτον ἄγει μεγάλης πλείονα τῆς ἀδέτου. Στεινὴ μὲν πυλεῶνος ὁδὸς θείοιο τέτυκται, Πολλαὶ δ' ἀτραπιτοὶ ἐς μίαν ἐρχόμεναι. Οἱ μὲν τὴν προΐῳεν, ὅσοις φύσις ἐνθάδε νεύει, Οἱ δ' ἑτέρην, στεινῆς μοῦνον ἀφαπτόμενοι. 786 Οὔτε μίη πάντεσσιν ὁμῶς φίλον ἔπλετ' ἐδωδὴ, Οὔτε Χριστιανοῖς εἷς βίος ἁρμόδιος. ∆άκρυα πᾶσιν ἄριστον, ἀϋπνίη τε, πόνοι τε, Καὶ λύσσαν παθέων ἀργαλέων κατέχειν, Αἰχμάζειν τε κόρον, Χριστοῦ θ' ὑπὸ χεῖρα κραταιὴν Κεῖσθαι, καὶ τρομέειν ἦμαρ ἐπερχόμενον. Εἰ δ' ἄκρην τελέως ἴοις τρίβον, οὐκέτι θνητὸς, Ἀλλά τις οὐρανίων. Γρηγορίοιο νόμοι.

ΙΗʹ. Περὶ ζωῆς ἀνθρωπίνης. Ὁ χοῦς, ὁ πηλὸς, ἡ παλίστροφος κόνις. Τῇ γῇ γὰρ

ἡ γῆ συμβιβάζεται πάλιν, Καὶ σπαργανοῦται τῷ γεώδει σπαργάνῳ, Καὶ χοῦς πάλιν πρόεισιν ὥσπερ ἡ κόνις, 787 Ἣν ἡ βιαία συστροφὴ τῶν πνευμάτων Πρὸς ὕψος ἐξαίρουσα συστέλλει κάτω. Οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῶν τὸν πολύστροφον βίον Αἱ τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων καταιγίδες Πρὸς ὕψος ἐξαίρουσι καὶ δόξαν νόθον· Αὖθις δὲ χοῦς κάτεισι καὶ μένει κάτω, Ἕως ὁ τοῦ κτίσαντος ἁρμόσῃ λόγος Τῶν συνδεθέντων τὴν ἀναγκαίαν λύσιν. Νῦν δὲ προκύψας, ὥσπερ ἔκ τινος βάθους, Ὁ χοῦς ὁ θείᾳ πνευματωθεὶς εἰκόνι, Καὶ τὰς γεώδεις ἐκβοᾷ τραγῳδίας, Καὶ τὸν γελᾷν δοκοῦντα δακρύει βίον.

ΙΘʹ. Περὶ τῆς αὐτῆς. Τροχός τίς ἐστιν ἀστάτως πεπηγμένος, 788 Ὁ μικρὸς

οὗτος καὶ πολύτροπος βίος. Ἄνω κινεῖται, καὶ περισπᾶται κάτω· Οὐχ ἵσταται γὰρ, κἂν δοκῇ πεπηγέναι. Φεύγων κρατεῖται, καὶ μένων ἀποτρέχει. Σκιρτᾷ δὲ πολλὰ, καὶ τὸ φεύγειν οὐκ ἔχει. Ἕλκει, καθέλκει τῇ κινήσει τὴν στάσιν. Ὡς οὐδὲν εἶναι τὸν βίον διαγράφων, Ἢ καπνὸν, ἢ ὄνειρον, ἢ ἄνθος χλόης.

Κʹ. Περὶ πόθου. ∆εινὸν πόθος πᾶς. Ἂν δὲ καὶ φιλουμένου, ∆ιπλοῦν τὸ δεινόν.

Εἰ δὲ καὶ κόρας νέας, Τριπλοῦν τὸ κέντρον. Εἰ δὲ καὶ κάλλους γέμων, Πλεῖον τὸ κακόν. Εἰ δὲ πρὸς γάμον φέρει, Πῦρ ἔνδον αὐτὴν βόσκεται τὴν καρδίαν. 789

ΚΑʹ. Περὶ θανάτου φιλουμένων. Πικρὸν τάφος πᾶς· ἂν δὲ καὶ τέκνου τάφος,

∆ιπλοῦν τὸ κακόν. Εἰ δ' ἀρισταίου πάλιν, Ἡ συμφορὰ πῦρ. Εἰ δὲ νυμφίου νέου, Ἡ καρδία ῥάγηθι τῶν γεννητόρων.