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How will this be at all? For this will in no way be! If we are separated from the light, how shall we flee the darkness? If we are deprived of joy, how shall we be freed from sorrow? Being outside the bridal chamber, how could we rejoice at all? Having fallen from the kingdom, from the sight of you, I say, Savior, what other salvation, (110) what consolation, or in what other place shall we be able to find? Truly nowhere and not at all, even if it seems to some foolish, for foolish is he who says this. But someone answering will perhaps say these things: How outside the kingdom, how outside the bridal chamber and the choir of the just will there be no other place of salvation or of rest? Fool, said love, do you not hear, that Adam in paradise, your forefather, by transgressing one commandment, was stripped of divine glory, and Eve with him were immediately banished from paradise, receiving in exchange for pleasure, oh, death wretchedly and a life, alas, full of sweat and toils, and being justly appointed to live and die by it? Thus understand for me also then, when the judgment comes, that whoever should be found truly stripped of divine glory like him, will immediately be driven outside of paradise, yes indeed, and of the kingdom and of the heavenly bridal chamber (111). Even if he has no sin, but is without virtues, he stands stripped. And the first of all virtues, both queen and lady

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πῶς ὑπάρξει τοῦτο ὅλως; Οὐδαμῶς γάρ ἔσται τοῦτο! Τοῦ φωτός εἰ χωρισθῶμεν, πῶς φευξόμεθα τό σκότος; Τῆς χαρᾶς εἰ στερηθῶμεν, πῶς ἀπαλλαγῶμεν λύπης; Τοῦ νυμφῶνος ὄντες ἔξω πῶς ἄν ὅλως εὐφρανθῶμεν; Βασιλείας ἐκπεσόντες, τῆς σῆς θέας λέγω, Σῶτερ, ποίαν ἄλλην σωτηρίαν, (110) ποίαν δέ παραμυθίαν ἤ ἐν ποίῳ ἄλλῳ τόπῳ δυνηθῶμεν ἐφευρέσθαι; Ὄντως οὐδαμοῦ οὐδ᾿ ὅλως κἄν δοκῇ τισιν ἀφρόνως, ἄφρων γάρ ὁ τοῦτο λέγων. Ἀλλ᾿ ἀποκριθείς τις ἴσως ἐρεῖ ταῦτα˙ Πῶς ἐκτός τῆς βασιλείας, πῶς ἐκτός δέ τοῦ νυμφῶνος καί χοροῦ τοῦ τῶν δικαίων ἄλλος τόπος σωτηρίας ἤ ἀνέσεως οὐκ ἔσται; Ἄφρων, εἶπεν ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐκ ἀκούεις, ὅτι μίαν ὁ Ἀδάμ ἐν παραδείσῳ ἐντολήν, ὁ σός προπάτωρ, παραβάς ἀπεγυμνώθη δόξης θείας, καί ἡ Εὔα σύν αὐτῷ τοῦ παραδείσου ἐξωρίσθησαν εὐθέως, ἡδονῆς ἀντιλαβόντες ὤ τόν θάνατον ἀθλίως καί τόν ἱδρώτων γέμοντα καί πόνων, οἴμοι, βίον, καί ζῆν καί θνῄσκειν παρ᾿ αὐτῷ δικαίως ὁρισθέντες; Οὕτως νόει μοι καί τότε, ὅτε γένηται ἡ κρίσις, ὅτι ὅς ἄν εὑρεθείη δόξης θείας ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἀληθῶς γεγυμνωμένος, ἔξω τε τοῦ παραδείσου, ναί δή, καί τῆς βασιλείας καί τοῦ νυμφῶνος οὐρανίου (111) ἐλαθήσεται εὐθέως. Κἄν ἁμάρτημα μή ἔχῃ, ἀρετῶν δ᾿ ὑπάρχῃ δίχα, ἵσταται γεγυμνωμένος. Ἀρετῶν πασῶν δέ πρώτη, βασιλίς τε καί κυρία