98

This, splitting for me, descends like a rope from a heavenly height. I quickly grasp this, I strain to hold it as if it could be seized, and it is ungraspable; yet however, ungraspably I both hold this and ascend. Thus therefore as I ascend, rays ascend with me, (183) and I pass beyond the heavens, and the heavens of heavens, and again I see a sun higher above these. Whether it flees, I do not know, or whether it stands still, I do not know; meanwhile I walk, meanwhile I run, meanwhile I am not strong enough to arrive. And passing beyond heights of height, and having become above all elevation, as I think, from my hands the rays with the sun disappear and immediately I am carried down to a fall into Hades, wretched me. This is the work, this is the practice for the spiritual; up down, down up, their course is unceasing. When one falls, then one runs, when one runs, one stands still. Wholly bent down, one happens to be wholly up above; and while circling the heavens one is established again below and the beginning of the course is the end, and the end is the beginning. The perfection is imperfect, and the beginning is again the end; the end, how? As Gregory has spoken theologically: An illumination is (184) the end of all who long, and the repose of all contemplation is the divine light. Therefore the one who has arrived to see this rests from all things and is separated from created things; for he sees their creator.

98

αὕτη διασχίσασά μοι ὡς σχοινίον ἀπό ὕψους οὐρανίου καταβαίνει. ∆ράσσομαι συντόμως ταύτης, ὡς ληπτήν σφίγγω κρατῆσαι, καί ἀκράτητος ὑπάρχει˙ ὅμως δέ ἀλήπτως ταύτην καί κρατῶ καί ἀναβαίνω. Οὕτως οὖν ἀνερχομένῳ συνανέρχονται ἀκτῖνες, (183) οὐρανούς δέ ὑπερβαίνω, οὐρανῶν τούς οὐρανούς τε, βλέπω ἥλιον δέ πάλιν ὑπέρ τούτων ἀνωτέρω. Εἴτε φεύγει, οὐ γινώσκω, εἴτε ἵσταται, οὐκ οἶδα˙ τέως βαίνω, τέως τρέχω, τέως φθάσαι οὐκ ἰσχύω. Ὕψους ὑπερβαίνων δ᾿ ὕψη, ὑπέρ ὕψωμά τε ἅπαν γενομένῳ μοι, ὡς δοκῶ, ἐκ χειρῶν μου αἱ ἀκτῖνες σύν ἡλίῳ ἀφαντοῦνται καί εὐθύς εἰς ᾅδου πτῶμα καταφέρομαι, ὁ τάλας. Τοῦτο ἔργον, τοῦτο πρᾶξις τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ὑπάρχει˙ ἄνω κάτω, κάτω ἄνω ἄπαυστος αὐτοῖς ὁ δρόμος. Ὅταν πέσῃ, τότε τρέχει, ὅταν τρέχῃ, ἵσταται δέ. Ὅλος κάτω κεκλιμένος, ὅλος ὤν ἄνω τυγχάνει˙ περιπολῶν οὐρανούς δέ ἐμπεδοῦται πάλιν κάτω καί ἀρχή τοῦ δρόμου τέλος, τό δέ τέλος ἀρχή πέλει. Ἀτελής ἡ τελειότης, ἡ δ᾿ ἀρχή γε πάλιν τέλος˙ τέλος πῶς; Ὡς Γρηγόριος θεολογικῶς εἰρήκει˙ Ἔλλαμψις ὑπάρχει (184) τέλος τῶν ποθούντων πάντων, καί ἀνάπαυσις ἁπάσης θεωρίας φῶς τό θεῖον. Τοῦτο οὖν ἰδεῖν ὁ φθάσας ἀπό πάντων καταπαύει καί χωρίζεται κτισμάτων˙ τόν γάρ κτίστην τούτων βλέπει.