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1393 And they call him the helper against diseases. Be gracious, Christ; But if you hide yourself, give prize-winning strength. Hold me neither completely without honor, O Word, nor in misery, Lead me neither unbridled, nor suffering from misfortune. Prick me with a goad, O Blessed One, not with a spear; may the sea carry me, a ship neither light, nor overly burdened. Both satiety commits outrage, and pains cover me at night. May you counterbalance my penalty with security from harm. You have held me while I was arrogant, have pity on me when I am overwearied, As there is still time for kindness, O most just judge. I revere my grey hair and my self-inflicted wounds, And sacrifices, by the pains of my labors, and from God. But why should I, in my excess, set laws for the Godhead, In the way, Christ, you would carry me, your servant, as you wish. 1394

51. A Lament for His Own Soul. Often a young bride, having laid out in her still-maidenly

chamber her desirable dead husband, though modest, Newly-wed, radiant, began a bitter song, And her handmaidens and companions, standing here and there, wail in turn, a defense against grief. And a mother weeps for her beloved son, newly bearded, who is no more, having new birth pangs on top of her old ones. And someone laments his own fatherland, which impetuous Ares has sacked; another, his house, which a heavenly flame destroyed. But O soul, what wail is worthy of you, whom the destructive 1395 serpent has slain, and smeared bitter ruin on your image? Weep, weep, O sinner; this is your only help. I shall leave both feasts and lovely companionship; I shall leave also the great glory of my words, and of my noble blood, and high-roofed houses, and all my wealth; I shall leave the sweet light of the sun, heaven itself, the all-shining mountains, with which the earth is crowned; These things are for those who follow. But I, bearing bonds beneath my head, both dead and breathless, will lie on my bier, delighting those who wail with final laments, having praise and undisputed love, not for long. But then a stone and immortal corruption within; But even so, my heart does not care for these things, 1396 but I tremble only at the pure scale of God. Woe is me! What shall I suffer? How could I escape wickedness? By hiding my life in the depths, or in the clouds? If only there were some place free from sin, as they say there is from some beasts And diseases, so that I might come there as a fugitive! One escapes the bitter sea by land, the spear by a shield, and a house is a shelter from chilling snow. But wickedness is encompassing, widespread, a most inescapable queen, Elias went to heaven on a fiery chariot; Moses once escaped the decree of the child-slaying tyrant, Pure Jonas, the dark fate of the sea-monster's flanks, And Daniel the beasts, the boys the flames. But for me, what is the release from wickedness? Lord, you, Christ, save me. 1397

52. A Lament. I have suffered many terrible things, and beyond terrible things, And these from those from whom

I least expected to suffer them. But nothing is like what those who have done me wrong have done. For some things are gone; but of those things which justice has written In iron books, I know the wickedness.

53. Another Lament. Friends, citizens, foes, enemies, leaders, I know many things,

having been struck; I know, but you do not admit it; Books carry these things, you will not forget me. 54. Against the Evil One. You have come, O evildoer; I know your thoughts; 1398

You have come to deprive me of light and of my dear life. O hard to fight, how have you come as light, being darkness? You will not deceive me By lying. How do you always gather bitter toil for me, Both openly and lying in ambush? Why do you begrudge the pious, Ever since you first cast Adam out of paradise, The creation of God, and with malice you lay in wait for the wise commandment, And offered bitter food for the sweet life? How can I flee you? What device can I find for my sufferings? First with small sins, like a stream, You fall upon hearts; then you open A wider space; afterwards you come, a torrent both muddy and great, until chaos takes me

46

1393 Καὶ νούσων καλέουσιν ἀρηγόνα. Ἵλαθι, Χριστέ· Εἰ δέ τ' ἀποκρύπτεις, δὸς σθένος ἀθλοφόρον. Μήτε με πάμπαν ἄτιμον ἔχοις, Λόγε, μηδ' ἐπίμοχθον, Μήτ' ἀχάλινον ἄγοις, μήτε δυηπαθέα. Κέντρῳ νύσσε, Μάκαρ, μὴ δούρατι· μήτε με κούφην, Μηδ' ὑπεραχθομένην νῆα θάλασσα φέροι. Καὶ κόρος ὑβρίζει, καὶ ἄλγεα νυκτὶ καλύπτει. Ἀντιταλαντεύοις τίσιν ἀπημοσύνῃ. Ἔσχες ἀγηνορέοντά μ', ὑπερμογέοντ' ἐλέαιρε, Ὡς ἔτ' ἐνηείης καιρὸς, ἀριστόδικε. Ἅζομ' ἐμὴν πολιήν τε καὶ ἅψεα αὐτοδάϊκτα, Καὶ θυσίας, μογέων πήμασι, καὶ θεόθεν. Ἀλλὰ τί μοι τὰ περισσὰ νόμους θεότητι τίθεσθαι, Τῇ με, Χριστὲ, φέροις σὸν λάτριν, ὡς ἐθέλοις. 1394

ΝΑʹ. Θρηνητικὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐτοῦ ψυχῆς. Πολλάκις ἱμερόεντα νέη θαλάμοισι

προθεῖσα Εἰσέτι παρθενικοῖσι νέκυν πόσιν, αἰδομένη περ, Ἀρτίγαμος, στίλβουσα, πικρὴν ἀνεβάλλετ' ἀοιδὴν, Αἱ δέ νύ οἱ δμωαὶ καὶ ὁμήλικες ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα Ἱστάμεναι γοάουσιν ἀμοιβαδὶς, ἄλκαρ ἀνίης. Καὶ μήτηρ φίλον υἷα νεόχνοον, οὐκέτ' ἐόντα Μύρετ', ἐπ' ὠδίνεσσι νέας ὠδῖνας ἔχουσα. Καί τις ἑὴν πάτρην ὀλοφύρεται, ἣν διέπερσε Θοῦρος Ἄρης· δόμον ἄλλος, ὃν ὤλεσεν οὐρανίη φλόξ. Ψυχὴ, σοὶ δὲ γόος τις ἐπάξιος, ἣν κατέπεφνεν 1395 Οὖλος ὄφις, πικρὸν δ' ἐνομόρξατο εἰκόνι λοιγόν; ∆άκρυε, δάκρυ', ἀλιτρέ· τό σοι μόνον ἐστὶν ὄνειαρ. Λείψω μὲν θαλίας τε ὁμηλικίην τ' ἐρατεινήν· Λείψω δ' αὖ μύθων τε μέγα κλέος, εὐγενέος τε Αἵματος, ὑψορόφους τε δόμους, καὶ ὄλβον ἅπαντα· Λείψω δ' ἠελίου γλυκερὸν φάος, οὐρανὸν αὐτὸν, Γείρεα παμφανόωντα, τά τε χθὼν ἐστεφάνωται· Ταῦτα μὲν ἑψομένοισιν. Ἐγὼ δ' ὑπένερθε καρήνου ∆εσμὰ φέρων, νεκρός τε καὶ ἄπνοος, ἐν λεχέεσσι Κείσομαι, ὑστατίοισι γόοις γοάοντας ἰαίνων, Αἶνον ἔχων καὶ φίλτρον ἀδήριτον, οὐκ ἐπὶ δηρόν. Αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα λίθος τε καὶ ἄμβροτος ἔνδοθι λώβη· Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς τούτων μὲν ἐμὸν κέαρ οὐκ ἀλεγίζει, 1396 Μούνην δὲ τρομέω καθαρὴν πλάστιγγα Θεοῖο. Ὤ μοι ἐγώ! τί πάθω; πῶς κεν κακότητα φύγοιμι; Βένθεσιν, ἢ νεφέεσσι λαθὼν βίον; αἴθε γὰρ ἦεν Ἀμπλακίης τις χῶρος ἐλεύθερος, ὥς τινα θηρῶν Καὶ νούσων ἐνέπουσιν, ὅπως φυγὰς ἔνθεν ἵκωμαι! Χέρσῳ μέν τις ἄλυξε πικρὴν ἅλα, ἀσπίδι δ' ἔγχος, Καὶ κρυεροῦ νιφετοῖο δόμος σκέπας. Ἡ κακίη δὲ Ἀμφίθετος, πολύχωρος, ἀφυκτοτάτη βασίλεια, Ἠλίας πυρόεντι πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἤλυθε δίφρῳ· Μωσῆς παιδοφόνου ποθ' ὑπέκφυγε δόγμα τυράννου, Κητείων λαγόνων σκότιον μόρον ἁγνὸς Ἰωνᾶς, Καὶ θῆρας ∆ανιὴλ, παῖδες φλόγας. Αὐτὰρ ἔμοιγε Τίς λύσις κακότητος; Ἄναξ, σύ με, Χριστὲ, σάωσον. 1397

ΝΒʹ. Θρῆνος. Πέπονθα δεινὰ πλεῖστα, καὶ δεινῶν πέρα, Καὶ ταῦθ' ὑφ' ὧν

ἥκιστα ᾠόμην παθεῖν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν οἷόν μ' οἱ κακῶς εἰργασμένοι. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ οἴχεθ'· ὧν δ' ἔγραψεν ἡ δίκη Βίβλοις σιδηραῖς, οἶδα τὴν μοχθηρίαν.

ΝΓʹ. Ἕτερος θρῆνος. Φίλοι, πολῖται, δυσμενεῖς, ἐχθροὶ, πρόμοι, Πόλλ' οἶδα

πληγείς· οἶδα, ἀλλ' οὐ φάσκετε· Βίβλοι φέρουσι ταῦτα, οὐ λήσεσθέ με. Ν∆ʹ. Κατὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ. Ἤλυθες, ὦ κακοεργέ· νοήματα σεῖο γινώσκω· 1398

Ἤλυθες, ὄφρα φάους με φίλης τ' αἰῶνος ἀμέρσῃς. ∆ύσμαχε, πῶς φάος ἦλθες, ἐὼν ζόφος; οὐκ ἀπατήσεις Ψευδόμενος. Πῶς πικρὸν ἐμοὶ μόθον αἰὲν ἀγείρεις, Ἀμφαδίην λοχόων τε; τί δ' εὐσεβέεσσι μεγαίρεις, Ἐξέτι τοῦ ὅτε πρῶτον Ἀδὰμ βάλες ἐκ παραδείσου, Πλάσμα Θεοῦ, κακίῃ δὲ σοφὴν ἐλόχησας ἐφετμὴν, Καὶ πικρὴν γλυκερῇ ζωῇ πόρσυνας ἐδωδήν; Πῶς σε φύγω; τί δὲ μῆχος ἐμοῖς παθέεσσιν ἐφεύρω; Τυτθαῖς μὲν πρώτιστον ἁμαρτάσιν, οἷα ῥέεθρον, Ἐμπίπτεις κραδίῃσιν· ἔπειτα δὲ χῶρον ἀνοίγεις Εὐρύτερον· μετέπειτα ῥόος θολερός τε μέγας τε Ἤλυθες, ἄχρι χάος με λάβοι