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You have seen the world that was brought forth before you. And if you should be able to know the height of heaven or to show what the substance is of the sun, moon, and stars, where they are fixed and how they travel, being soulless and moving insensibly, or of the earth itself, from which you were taken, its borders and measures, its breadths and sizes, and upon what it is borne, if you have seen, and again what that is or where it has its foundation, if you have known these things and found an end for each one, and if you should count the sand of the sea, or to discern your own nature and to interpret the work of wisdom, then you will also understand the maker himself, how in Trinity the Monad is unconfused and in Monad the Trinity is undivided. Seek the Spirit, get outside of the world! Do not give sleep to your eyes at all, nor be anxious for the present life! Weep, mourn for the time which you have lost! Perhaps God will be entreated and will give, (152) just as before He has given to see the world and the sun and the light of day, so also now He will deign to make shine and show to you the intelligible world and to illumine you with the Trisolar light, which if you behold, then you will know what I say; then you will learn the grace of the Spirit, that even when absent it is present by its power, and when present it is not seen by its divine nature, but it exists both everywhere and nowhere. If you seek to see this with the senses, where would you find it? Nowhere, you would certainly say. If you have the strength to look up with the mind, or rather, it will illuminate your mind and will open the pupils of your heart; then you will not deny that it is everywhere, but through it you will be taught all things, even if you happen to be unlearned and boorish. But if you have not known the eye of your mind being opened and seeing light,

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εἶδες τόν κόσμον τόν πρό σοῦ παραχθέντα. Καί εἰ δυνηθῇς οὐρανοῦ ὕψος γνῶναι ἤ τήν οὐσίαν ὑποδεῖξαι ὁποία, τοῦ ἡλίου τε, σελήνης καί ἀστέρων, ποῦ κεκόλληνται καί πῶς περιπατοῦσιν ἄψυχα ὄντα καί ἀναισθήτως κινούμενα, ἤ τῆς γῆς αὐτῆς, ἐξ ἧς αὐτός ἐλήφθης, ὅρους καί μέτρα, πλάτη τε καί μεγέθη, καί ἐπί τίνος ἐποχεῖται, εἰ εἶδες, πάλιν δ᾿ ἐκεῖνο τί ἐστιν ἤ ποῦ τήν βάσιν ἔχει, ταῦτα εἰ ἔγνως καί καθ᾿ ἕν εὗρες τέλος, καί τῆς θαλάσσης εἰ μετρήσῃς τήν ψάμμον, εἴτε σοῦ αὐτοῦ διαγνῶναι τήν φύσιν καί τῆς σοφίας τό ἔργον ἑρμηνεῦσαι, τότε καί αὐτόν τόν ποιητήν νοήσεις, πῶς ἐν Τριάδι ἡ Μονάς ἀσυγχύτως καί ἐν Μονάδι Τριάς ἀδιαιρέτως. Ζήτησον Πνεῦμα, ἔξω γενοῦ τοῦ κόσμου! Μή δῴης ὕπνον ὀφθαλμοῖς τό παράπαν, μήτε φροντίσῃς τῆς ζωῆς τῆς παρούσης! Κλαῦσον, πένθησον, ὅν ἀπώλεσας χρόνον! Ἴσως ὁ Θεός παρακληθῇ καί δώσει, (152) ὥσπερ τό πρίν δέδωκεν ἰδεῖν τόν κόσμον καί τόν ἥλιον καί τό φῶς τῆς ἡμέρας, οὕτω καί τά νῦν λάμψαι καταξιώσει καί ὑποδεῖξαι τόν νοερόν σοι κόσμον καί φωτί ἐλλάμψαι σε τῷ τρισηλίῳ, ὅ εἰ θεάσῃ, τότε γνώσῃ ἅ λέγω˙ τότε μαθήσῃ τοῦ Πνεύματος τήν χάριν, ὅτι καί ἀπόν πάρεστι τῇ δυνάμει καί παρόν οὐχ ὁρᾶται τῇ θείᾳ φύσει, ἀλλά καί πάντῃ καί οὐδαμοῦ ὑπάρχει. Εἰ ζητήσεις αἰσθητῶς ἰδεῖν τοῦτο, ποῦ ἄν εὑρήσεις; Οὐδαμοῦ, πάντως εἴποις. Εἰ νοερῶς ἀναβλέψαι ἰσχύσεις, μᾶλλον δ᾿ ἐκεῖνο τόν νοῦν σου καταλάμψει καί διανοίξει κόρας τῆς σῆς καρδίας˙ τότε πανταχοῦ εἶναι οὐκ ἀπαρνήσῃ, ἀλλά δι᾿ αὐτοῦ ἅπαντα διδαχθήσῃ, εἰ καί ἀμαθής καί ἄγροικος τυγχάνεις. Εἰ δέ οὐκ ἔγνως ὀφθαλμόν ἀνοιγέντα τῆς διανοίας τῆς σῆς καί φῶς ἰδόντα,