54
And who then will become nearer to him or how will he be carried up to an immeasurable height? (95) As I consider, he himself is found within me, shining brightly inside my wretched heart, shining around me from all sides with immortal splendor, and illuminating all my members with rays, wholly entwined, he kisses me all over, and gives himself wholly to me, the unworthy, and I am sated with his love and beauty, and I am filled with divine pleasure and sweetness. I partake of the light, I also share in the glory, and my face shines like that of my desired one and all my members become light-bearing. Then I am rendered more beautiful than the beautiful, richer than the rich, and I exist more powerful than all the powerful, and greater than kings and much more honorable than all things seen, not of the earth and the things of the earth, but also of heaven and all things in heaven, having the creator of all things, to whom is due glory and honor now and unto the ages; amen.
ΙΖ'.
That fear begets love, but love uproots fear from the soul and remains alone in it, being the Divine and Holy Spirit. (96)
How shall I hymn, how shall I glorify, how shall I worthily praise my God who has overlooked many sins? How shall I look up to the height at all, how shall I lift up my eyes, how shall I open my mouth, O Savior, how shall I move my lips? How shall I stretch out my hands toward the height of heaven, and what words shall I devise, what sayings shall I offer? And how shall I dare to speak, how shall I ask for forgiveness
54
καί τίς ἄρα ἐγγύτερον γενήσεται ἐκείνου ἤ πῶς ἀνενεχθήσεται εἰς ἀμέτρητον ὕψος; (95) Λογιζομένου μου, αὐτός εὑρίσκεται ἐντός μου, ἔνδον ἐν τῇ ταλαίνῃ μου καρδίᾳ ἀπαστράπτων, πάντοθεν περιλάμπων με τῇ ἀθανάτῳ αἴγλῃ, ἅπαντα δέ τά μέλη μου ἀκτῖσι καταυγάζων, ὅλος περιπλεκόμενος, ὅλον καταφιλεῖ με, ὅλον τε δίδωσιν αὑτόν ἐμοί τῷ ἀναξίῳ, καί ἐμφοροῦμαι τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀγάπης καί τοῦ κάλλους, καί ἡδονῆς καί γλυκασμοῦ ἐμπίπλαμαι τοῦ θείου. Μεταλαμβάνω τοῦ φωτός, μετέχω καί τῆς δόξης, καί λάμπει μου τό πρόσωπον ὡς καί τοῦ ποθητοῦ μου καί ἅπαντα τά μέλη μου γίνονται φωτοφόρα. Ὡραίων ὡραιότερος τότε ἀποτελοῦμαι, πλουσίων πλουσιώτερος καί δυνατῶν ἁπάντων ὑπάρχω δυνατώτερος καί βασιλέων μείζων καί τιμιώτερος πολύ τῶν ὁρωμένων πάντων, οὐχί τῆς γῆς καί τῶν τῆς γῆς, ἀλλά καί οὐρανοῦ δέ καί πάντων τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ, τόν πάντων ἔχων κτίστην, ᾧ πρέπει δόξα καί τιμή νῦν καί εἰς τούς αἰῶνας˙ ἀμήν.
ΙΖ'.
Ὅτι ὁ φόβος γεννᾷ τήν ἀγάπην, ἡ δέ ἀγάπη ἐκριζοῖ τόν φόβον ἀπό τῆς ψυχῆς καί μένει μόνη ἐν αὐτῇ, Πνεῦμα Θεῖον οὖσα καί Ἅγιον. (96)
Πῶς ὑμνήσω, πῶς δοξάσω, πῶς ἀξίως εὐφημήσω τόν πολλά παραδραμόντα ἁμαρτήματα Θεόν μου; Πῶς εἰς ὕψος ὅλως βλέψω, πῶς τούς ὀφθαλμούς διάρω, πῶς ἀνοίξω στόμα, Σῶτερ, πῶς τά χείλη μου κινήσω; Πῶς ἐκτείνω μου τάς χεῖρας πρός τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τό ὕψος, ποίους λόγους δέ ἐφεύρω, ποῖα ῥήματα προσάξω; Πῶς λαλῆσαι δέ τολμήσω, πῶς τήν ἄφεσιν αἰτήσω