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As a man having none of the high and divine things, but as one now shown mercy by the goodness of God I have Christ, the Lord, the benefactor of all. Therefore again, Master, beseeching I fall down before you: may I not fail in my hopes in you at all, (204) of life and honor, of glory and kingdom, but just as you have deemed me worthy to be seen now, Savior, so also after death grant me to see you. I do not say how much, O compassionate one, but favorably, compassionately with your gracious eye, as even now you look upon me and fill me with your joy and divine sweetness. Yes, my maker and creator, shelter me with your hand, and do not abandon me, yes, do not bear a grudge! Do not weigh my great ingratitude, Master, but deem me worthy also to walk by your light until the end and to walk tirelessly in the way of the commandments and in your very light to commend my spirit into your hands, O all-merciful one, redeeming me from enemies, darkness, fire, the eternal punishments, O Word! Yes, you who are great in compassions, ineffable in mercy, deem me worthy to surrender my soul into your hands, just as even now I am in your hand, O Savior. Therefore, let not sin obstruct my path, let it not cut it short, let it not snatch me from your hand, but let the terrible ruler and soul-destroyer be put to shame, seeing me existing within your palm, Master, just as even now he does not dare to come near me, seeing me sheltered by your grace! Do not condemn me, Christ, do not thrust me into Hades, do not bring my soul down into the abyss of death, because I dare to name your name, I who am filthy, defiled, and profane in every way; let not the earth open up and swallow me, O Word, the transgressor, who is not worthy to live or to speak at all. Let not fire come down upon me and lick me up suddenly, (205) so that I am not permitted to say, "Lord have mercy!", may you who are great in compassions, the lover of mankind by nature, not wish to enter into judgment with me. For what shall I utter at all, being sin itself, what then could I possibly say, I who am already condemned, who from my mother's womb has stumbled against you countless times and until now am insensible to your long-suffering, who ten thousand times was brought down into the abyss of Hades and from there was drawn up by your divine goodness, who has defiled the members and flesh of my soul and body, as no one else in this life, the shameless, mad lover of pleasures, and wicked and deceitful in the evil of my soul, who has not kept even one of your commandments at all, O Christ?
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Ὡς ἄνθρωπος οὐδέν ἔχων τῶν ὑψηλῶν καί θείων, ὡς δέ Θεοῦ χρηστότητι νυνί ἐλεημένος ἔχω Χριστόν, τόν Κύριον, τῶν πάντων εὐεργέτην. ∆ιό καί πάλιν, ∆έσποτα, δεόμενος προσπίπτω˙ μή ἀποτύχω τῶν ἐν σοί ἐλπίδων μου μηδόλως, (204) διαγωγῆς τε καί τιμῆς, δόξης καί βασιλείας, ἀλλ᾿ ὥσπερ νῦν ὁρᾶσθαί μοι κατηξίωσας, Σῶτερ, οὕτω καί μετά θάνατον παράσχου μοι σε βλέπειν. Οὐ λέγω πόσον, εὔσπλαγχνε, ἀλλ᾿ εὐμενῶς, εὐσπλάγχνως ἱλέῳ σου τῷ ὄμματι, ὡς καί νῦν καθορᾷς με καί τῆς χαρᾶς σου ἐμπιπλᾷς καί γλυκύτητος θείας. Ναί, ποιητά καί πλάστα μου, σκέπασόν με χειρί σου, καί μή ἐγκαταλίπῃς με, ναί, μή μνησικακήσῃς! Ἀγνωμοσύνην μου πολλήν, ∆έσποτα, μή σταθμίσῃς, ἀλλά ἀξίωσον κἀμέ φωτί σου μέχρι τέλους καί τῇ ὁδῷ τῶν ἐντολῶν ἀόκνως πορευθῆναι καί ἐν αὐτῷ σου τῷ φωτί τῶν χειρῶν, πανοικτίρμον, παραθεῖναι τό πνεῦμά μου, λυτρούμενος ἐχθρῶν με, σκότους, πυρός, κολάσεων τῶν αἰωνίων, Λόγε! Ναί, ὁ πολύς ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς, ἄφατος ἐν ἐλέει, ἀξίωσον εἰς χεῖράς σου παραδοῦναι ψυχήν μου, καθώς καί νῦν ἐν τῇ χειρί τῇ σῇ, Σῶτερ, τυγχάνω. Μή οὖν παρεμποδίσῃ μου τήν ὁδόν ἁμαρτία, μή περικόψῃ, μή τῆς σῆς ἀποσπάσῃ χειρός με, ἀλλ᾿ αἰσχυνθήτω ὁ δεινός ἄρχων καί ψυχοφθόρος ἐντός παλάμης, ∆έσποτα, τῆς σῆς ὄντα με βλέπων, καθά καί νῦν οὐδέ τολμᾷ πλησίον μου γενέσθαι ὁρῶν ὑπό τῆς χάριτος τῆς σῆς σκεπόμενόν με! Μή κατακρίνῃς με, Χριστέ, μή εἰς ᾅδην ἀπώσῃ, μή καταγάγῃς εἰς βυθόν θανάτου τήν ψυχήν μου, ὅτι τολμῶν τό ὄνομα τό σόν κατονομάζειν, ὁ ῥυπαρός, ὁ μιαρός καί βέβηλος εἰς ἅπαν˙ μή χάνῃ γῆ καί καταπίῃ με, Λόγε, τόν παραβάτην, τόν μηδέ ζῆν, μηδέ λαλεῖν ὅλως ἄξιον ὄντα. Μή πῦρ κατέλθῃ ἐπ᾿ ἐμέ καί ἐκλείξῃ με ἄφνω, (205) ὡς μή Κύριε ἐλέησον! εἰπεῖν συγχωρηθέντα, μή ὁ πολύς ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς, ὁ φιλάνθρωπος φύσει, μή εἰσελθεῖν θελήσειας μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ τοῦ κριθῆναι. Τί γάρ καί ὅλως φθέγξομαι, ὑπάρχων ἁμαρτία, τί οὖν καί εἴποιμι ποσῶς, ὁ κατακεκριμένος, ὁ ἐκ κοιλίας μου μητρός ἀμέτρητά σοι πταίσας καί μέχρι νῦν ἀναισθητῶν πρός σήν μακροθυμίαν, ὁ μυριάκις εἰς βυθόν κατενεχθείς τοῦ ᾅδου κἀκεῖθεν ἀγαθότητι ἀνελκυσθείς σου θείᾳ, ὁ μέλη καί τάς σάρκας μου ψυχῆς καί σώματός τε καταρρυπώσας, ὡς οὐδείς ἄλλος τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ, ὁ μανικός τῶν ἡδονῶν ἐραστής ἀναίσχυντος καί πονηρός καί δόλιος τῇ ψυχικῇ κακίᾳ, ὁ μίαν σου ὅλως, Χριστέ, ἐντολήν μή φυλάξας;