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nor overlook me, having once set me before your face and ranked me among your servants and sealed me with the seal of your grace, having named me yours. Do not cast me away again, do not again hide the light of your face, lest darkness cover me and the abyss swallow me and heaven restrain me, whom you led up from above it, my Savior, and deemed worthy to be with angels, or rather with you, the creator of all, (355) and to rejoice with you and to see the incomparable glory of your face and to enjoy to the full the unapproachable light and to rejoice and be glad with unspeakable gladness in the presence, Master, of your ineffable splendor. And reveling in that unspeakable light, I leaped for joy, I rejoiced with you, the maker and fashioner, contemplating the inconceivable beauty of your face. But when I brought my mind back down to the earth again, being enlightened in you, I did not see the world nor the things that exist, Master, in the world, but I was above the passions and cares and in reality being tossed about and rebuking evil things. Before, indeed, I did not share in human evils; but as I tarried among them, I preferred the things of others and was led away with contentious men, Master, in the hope of correction I partook of wickedness and darkness, alas, I foolishly took part in the passions and having been seized by wild beasts, I am in danger. For wishing to snatch others from their defilement, I myself first became food for the beasts. But come before me and have pity, but hasten and deliver the one who for your sake, O Lover of mankind, has fallen into these things. For according to your commandment I have laid down, O Merciful One, my all-wretched soul for my brothers; if then I was wounded, you are able to heal me, O Savior, if I, wretched one, was held captive by enemies, yet you, as powerful and strong in everything, have the power to deliver by your will alone; even if I was seized by the mouths and hands of beasts, yet at your appearance they will die immediately, and I will live. (356) Yes, O you who are great in compassion, ineffable in mercy, have mercy, have pity on me who have fallen. I went down into the well to rescue my neighbor and I too fell in with him, O just-judging Savior; do not let me lie forever in the pit. Yes, I know as you commanded, my all-compassionate God, that one must by all means rescue a brother from death and the sting of sin, but not through sin to be destroyed along with him; which is what I, the wretched one, have suffered, and having been negligent, I have fallen, having trusted in myself;

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μηδέ παρίδῃς ἅπαξ με πρό προσώπου σου στήσας καί κατατάξας ἐν τοῖς σοῖς δούλοις με καί σφραγίσας σφραγίδι σου τῆς χάριτος σόν με ἐπονομάσας. Μή πάλιν ἀπορρίψῃς με, μή πάλιν ἀποκρύψῃς τό φῶς τό τοῦ προσώπου σου, κἀμέ καλύψῃ σκότος καί καταπίῃ ἄβυσσος καί σύσχῃ οὐρανός με, ὅν ὑπεράνωθεν αὐτοῦ ἀνήγαγες, Σωτήρ μου, καί σύν ἀγγέλοις, μᾶλλον δέ σύν σοί τῷ πάντων κτίστῃ (355) συνεῖναι κατηξίωσας καί συναγάλλεσθαί σοι καί βλέπειν τήν ἀσύγκριτον τοῦ σοῦ προσώπου δόξαν τοῦ ἀπροσίτου τε φωτός εἰς κόρον ἀπολαύειν καί χαίρειν καί εὐφραίνεσθαι ἄρρητον εὐφροσύνην τῇ συνουσίᾳ, ∆έσποτα, τῆς σῆς ἀφράστου αἴγλης. Κατατρυφῶν δέ τοῦ φωτός ἐκείνου τοῦ ἀρρήτου ἐσκίρτων, ἔχαιρον σύν σοί τῷ ποιητῇ καί πλάστῃ, ἀμήχανον κατανοῶν κάλλος τοῦ σοῦ προσώπου. Ἐπεί δέ πάλιν πρός τήν γῆν κατήγαγον τόν νοῦν μου, πεφωτισμένος ὤν ἐν σοί, οὐκ ἔβλεπον τόν κόσμον οὐδέ τά ὄντα πράγματα, ∆έσποτα, ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, ἀλλ᾿ ὑπεράνω τῶν παθῶν καί μεριμνῶν ὑπῆρχον καί πράγματι στροβούμενος καί τά κακά ἐλέγχων. Οὐκ ἐκοινώνουν μέν τό πρίν κακίαις ἀνθρωπίναις˙ ὡς δ᾿ ἐγχρονίσας ἐν αὐτοῖς τά ἄλλων προεθέμην καί φιλονείκοις, ∆έσποτα, συναπήχθην ἀνδράσιν, ἐλπίδι διορθώσεως μετέσχον τῆς κακίας καί σκότους, οἴμοι, τῶν παθῶν μετέλαβον ἀφρόνως καί κρατηθείς ὑπό θηρῶν ἀγρίων κινδυνεύω. Ἄλλους ἐκσπᾶσαι θέλων γάρ λύμης γε τῆς ἐκείνων αὐτός πρῶτος κατάβρωμα γέγονα τοῖς θηρίοις. Ἀλλά προφθάσας οἴκτειρον, ἀλλά ταχύνας ῥῦσαι τόν διά σέ, φιλάνθρωπε, ἐν τούτοις ἐμπεσόντα. Κατά τήν σήν γάρ ἐντολήν τέθεικα, ἐλεῆμον, ψυχήν τήν παναθλίαν μου ὑπέρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου˙ εἰ οὖν ἐτρώθην, δύνασαι ἰάσασθαί με, Σῶτερ, εἰ ἐκρατήθην παρ᾿ ἐχθρῶν αἰχμάλωτος ὁ τάλας, ἀλλά αὐτός ὡς δυνατόν καί ἰσχυρός εἰς ἅπαν ἰσχύεις ἐκλυτρώσασθαι θελήματί σου μόνῳ˙ εἰ καί θηρίων στόμασι καί χερσί κατελήφθην, ἀλλά φανέντος θνήξονται εὐθύς, ἐγώ δέ ζήσω. (356) Ναί, ὁ πολύς ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς, ἄφατος ἐν ἐλέει, ἐλέησον, οἰκτείρησον ἐμέ τόν πεπτωκότα. Κατῆλθον ἐν τῷ φρέατι ῥύσασθαι τόν πλησίον καί συγκατέπεσα κἀγώ, δικαιοκρίτα Σῶτερ˙ μή με ἐάσῃς κείμενον εἰς τέλος ἐν τῷ βόθρῳ. Ναί, οἶδα ὡς προσέταξας, πανοικτίρμον Θεέ μου, ὅτι χρή πάντως ῥύεσθαι τόν ἀδελφόν θανάτου καί ἁμαρτίας δήγματος, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ δι᾿ ἁμαρτίας συναπολέσθαι μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ˙ ὅ πέπονθα ὁ τάλας καί ῥᾳθυμήσας πέπτωκα ἐμαυτῷ γε θαρρήσας˙