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David was freed from great transgression? 1381 Who, seeing her humbled with lamentations, saved Nineveh? Who shed a tear over his younger child? Who, delighting in the pure, did not cast out the tax collectors? Who placed the wandering sheep on his shoulders? Who cleansed lepers, and drove away bitter diseases, Granting blessings to bodies and souls? These are Your gifts, O Blessed One, light of mortals. But may You step upon our swelling wave, and may the surge quickly fall.

47. A rebuke against the irrational part of the soul. Empusa, maenad, O wretched heart, Empusa, maenad, where are you being carried by pleasures, Glancing everywhere at what is near? Will you not be sober? Will you not quench the fire 1382 that kindles in you the bastard desires? Will you not rekindle the rational, the genuine, Taking the spirited part as your ally? Soul, what are you suffering? Why do you think thoughts unworthy of you? Do you not know that you alone have been allotted to be the charioteer, Like a three-horse chariot of yoked horses that happen to be unequal in nature? One is noble, one is unruly, and one is gentle; And if ever you give the reins to the bold one, It leaps, it struggles, it throws the course into confusion, Rushing on rashly, and taking the middle one with it, It persuades it to conspire with it, but the noble one It leads, enslaving it like a captive, Dragging it unwilling and groaning at the error; 1383 And it proceeds disorderly with most irrational force, Carried downwards, as if down a cliff, by violence; And it takes no forethought, nor checks its course, Until it should run into the gates of Hades, Destroying itself, and you, the all-wretched one. But if you would be wise, contrary to your nature, And delighting in the noble colt, the course You should entrust entirely, as it knows well somehow To travel that upward path; And you should rebuke the middle one, so that it shows Its spiritedness when needed, and runs together with The one that has sense; but the unruly one vigorously You should tame with goads, not allowing it to run wild. Then your course will be easy, well-ordered, Calm, without sorrow, full of hope. 1384 And so reason, like a noble horse, Conquers, possessing victory by its nature, Always advancing, gently inclining upwards, Running past all the difficulties here below; Nor does it give in until the divine end, Saving itself and you, the blessed one.

48. To one dead to the world. I live and I have died. Let some wise man judge. I have died in soul; but my flesh wishes to be strong. Let the soul live; but let my flesh be dead.

49. A Lament. Woe is me, for as I hasten towards heaven and the place of God, this body holds me back! 1385 And there is no escape anywhere from this life of many wanderings, And from hateful evil, which has bound me below, Ringing all around with unspeakable cares, Which feed upon the beauties and graces of the soul. But release me, O Lord, release me from earthly bonds, And appoint me to the heavenly chorus.

50. Against the evil one, concerning sickness. You have come again to me, plotter of guile, as was perceived, Feeding within on the depth of my heart, And with many and mighty shocks of this life, Desiring to strike down the sacred image with your fist; You have assailed my mighty flesh, and you have ravaged me From head to foot, loosing the bonds by a flood 1386 With which God moistened the dry nature, as He mixed The warm with the cold by his world-creating wisdom, So that an equal balance might keep the body sound together, And I might flee the discord of life. You came with murderous thoughts, and upon me, wretched man, You poured out all the venom of your dark evil. Was it not enough for me to bear the heavy-groaning pains Of old age, and the burdens of three-peaked rocks; But also a hateful, devouring sickness has consumed me, Wasting my limbs, year after year. At these things I cry aloud, and I groan, as when some mighty lion,

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∆αυῒδ μεγάλης λύσατο ἀμπλακίης; 1381 Τίς χθαμαλὴν θρήνοισιν ἰδὼν ἐσάωσε Νινευΐ; Τίς δ' ἐπὶ παιδὶ βάλεν δάκρυον ὁπλοτέρῳ; Τίς χαίρων καθαροῖσιν, ἑκὰς βάλεν οὐδὲ τελώνας; Τίς πρόβατόν τ' ὤμοις ἄνθετο πλαζόμενον; Τίς λεπροὺς ἐκάθηρε, πικρὰς δ' ἀποέργαθε νούσους, Σώμασι καὶ ψυχαῖς ἐσθλὰ χαριζόμενος; Σεῖο, Μάκαρ, τάδε δῶρα, βροτῶν φάος. Ἀλλ' ἐπιβαίης Οἴδματος ἡμετέρου, καὶ σάλος αἶψα πέσοι.

ΜΖʹ. Ἐπιτίμησις κατὰ τοῦ ἀλόγου τῆς ψυχῆς. Ἔμπουσα, μαινὰς, ὦ τάλαινα καρδία, Ἔμπουσα, μαινὰς, ποῖ φέρῃ ταῖς ἡδοναῖς, Περιβλέπουσα πανταχοῦ τὰ πλησίον; Οὐ σωφρονήσεις; οὐ κατεργάσῃ τὸ πῦρ 1382 Ἐκκαῖον ἐν σοὶ τὰς ὀρέξεις τὰς νόθους; Οὐ ζωπυρήσεις τὸ λογικὸν, τὸ γνήσιον, Προσλαμβάνουσα σύμμαχον τὸν θυμικόν; Ψυχὴ, τί πάσχεις; τί φρονεῖς παρ' ἀξίαν; Οὐκ οἶδας ὡς εἴληχας ἡνιοχεῖν μόνη, Ὥσπερ τρίπωλον ἅρμα τῶν ἐζευγμένων Ἵππων ἀνίσων τυγχανόντων τῇ φύσει; Εἷς εὐγενὴς, ἄτακτος εἷς, ἥμερος δὲ εἷς· Κ' ἢν μέν ποτε δώσεις τῷ θράσει τὰς ἡνίας, Σκιρτᾷ, παλαίει, συνταράττει τὸν δρόμον, Ὁρμῶν ἀβούλως, προσλαβὼν δὲ τὸν μέσον, Αὐτῷ μεταπείθει συμπνέειν, τὸν δ' εὐγενῆ Ὡς αἰχμάλωτον δουλαγωγήσας ἄγει, Σύρων ἄκοντα καὶ στένοντα τὴν πλάνην· 1383 Χωρεῖ δ' ἀτάκτως ἀλογωτάτῃ φορᾷ, Κάτω φερόμενος, ὡς κατὰ κρημνοῦ, βίᾳ· Κ' οὐδὲν προμηθεῖτ', οὐδ' ἀνακόπτει δρόμον, Ἕως ἂν ἐγκύρσειε ταῖς ᾅδου πύλαις, Φθείρων ἑαυτὸν, καὶ σὲ τὴν παναθλίαν. Εἰ δὲ φρονοίης σῇ φύσει ἀνηλόγως, Τῷ δ' εὐγενεῖ χαίρουσα πώλῳ τὸν δρόμον Ἅπαντ' ἐπιτρέψειας, ὡς εὖ εἶδέ τι Βαίνειν ἐκείνην τὴν πορείαν τὴν ἄνω· Μέσῳ τ' ἐπιπλήξειας, ὥστε δεικνύειν Τὸ θυμοειδὲς εἰς δέον, καὶ συντρέχειν Τῷ νοῦν ἔχοντι· τὸν δ' ἄτακτον εὐτόνως Κέντροις δαμάσσοις, οὐκ ἐῶσ' ἀφηνίαν. Τότ' εὐχερὴς, εὔρυθμος ἔσται σοι δρόμος, Γαληνιῶν, ἄλυπος, ἐλπίδος γέμων. 1384 Ὁ δ' ἂρ λογισμὸς, ὥσπερ ἵππος εὐγενὴς, Νικᾷ, τὸ νικᾷν τῇ φύσει κεκτημένος, Ἀεὶ προβαίνων, ἀτρέμας νεύων ἄνω, Τὰ τῇδε πάντα δυσχερῆ παρατρέχων· Οὐδ' ἐνδίδωσιν ἄχρι θείας λήξεως, Σώζων ἑαυτὸν καὶ σὲ τὴν εὐδαίμονα.

ΜΗʹ. Εἰς τὸν ἀποθανόντα τῷ κόσμῳ. Ζῶ καὶ τέθνηκα. Τὶς σοφὸς συγκρινέτω. Ψυχῇ τέθνηκα· σὰρξ δέ μοι σθένειν θέλει. Ψυχὴ βιῴη· σὰρξ δέ μοι τεθνηκέτω.

ΜΘʹ. Θρῆνος. Ὤμοι ἐγὼν, ὅτι δή με πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἠδὲ Θεοῖο Χῶρον ἐπειγόμενον, σῶμα τόδ' ἀμφὶς ἔχει! 1385 Οὐδέ πη ἔκβασίς ἐστι πολυπλανέος βιότοιο, Καὶ στυγερῆς κακίης, ἥ μ' ἐπέδησε κάτω, Πάντοθεν ἀπροφάτοισι περικτυπέουσα μερίμναις, Βοσκομέναις ψυχῆς κάλλεα καὶ χάριτας. Ἀλλά με λῦσον, Ἄναξ, λῦσον χθονίων ἀπὸ δεσμῶν, Καί με χοροστασίην τάξον ἐς οὐρανίην.

Νʹ. Κατὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ εἰς τὴν νόσον. Ἤλυθες αὖθις ἔμοιγε, δολοπλόκε ὡς ἐνοήθης, Βένθος ἐμῆς κραδίης ἔνδοθι βοσκόμενος, Καὶ πολλοῖς κρατεροῖς τε τινάγμασι τοῦδε βίοιο, Εἰκόνα τὴν ἱερὴν γνὺξ βαλέειν ποθέων· Σαρξὶν ἐρισθενέεσσιν ἐνήλαο, καί μ' ἐδάϊξας Εἰς πόδας ἐκ κεφαλῆς, ῥεύματι δεσμὰ λύσας 1386 Τῷ ξηρὴν ἐδίηνε Θεὸς φύσιν, ὡς ἐκέρασσε Τῇ ψυχρῇ λιαρὴν κοσμογόνῳ σοφίῃ, Ὥς κεν ἰσοστασίη δέμας ἄρτιον ἅμα φυλάσσοι, Τὴν δὲ διχοστασίην καὶ βιότοιο φύγω. Ἤλυθες ἀνδροφόνοισι νοήμασιν, ἐς δ' ἐμὲ, τλῆμον, Σῆς δνοφερῆς κακίης ἰὸν ἔχευσας ὅλον. Οὐχ ἅλις ἦεν ἔμοιγε βαρύστονα γήραος ἕλκειν Ἄλγεα, καὶ σκοπέλων ἄχθεα τρινακρίων· Ἀλλά με καὶ στυγερὴ κατεδάσσατο δάπτρια νοῦσος, Τηκεδανὴ μελέων, εἰς ἔτος ἐξ ἔτεος. Τοῖσιν ἐπαιάζω, καὶ στείνομαι, ὡς ὅτε τις λὶς Ἄλκιμος,