238

and with angels, or rather with you, the creator of all, (355) you deemed me worthy to be 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, O Master, of your ineffable splendor. And reveling in that unspeakable light, I leaped for joy, I rejoiced with you the maker and creator, perceiving the ineffable beauty of your face. But when I brought my mind back down to the earth, being enlightened in you, I did not see the world nor the things that exist, O Master, in the world, but I was above the passions and cares and in fact was agitated and reproving evils. I did not indeed partake before in human evils; but as I lingered among them, I took up the affairs of others and with contentious men, O Master, I was led away; in the hope of correcting them, I took part in wickedness and darkness, alas, I partook foolishly of the passions and having been seized by wild beasts, I am in danger. For wishing to snatch others from their ruin, I myself first became food for the beasts. But be quick to pity, but hasten to rescue the one who for your sake, O lover of mankind, has fallen into these things. For according to your commandment, O merciful one, I have laid down my all-wretched soul for my brothers; if therefore I was wounded, you are able to heal me, O Savior, if I, wretched one, was held captive by enemies, but you, as able and strong in all things, have the strength to ransom me by your will alone; even if I was seized by the mouths and hands of beasts, yet at your appearance they will die at once, and I will live. (356) Yes, O you who are rich in compassions, unspeakable in mercy, have mercy, pity me the fallen one. I went down into the well to rescue my neighbor and I too fell in with him, O righteous Judge and Savior; do not leave me lying forever in the pit. Yes, I know that you commanded, O 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, wretched one, have suffered, and having been negligent, I have fallen, having trusted in myself;

238

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˙