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Moral Poems

TOME II. MORAL VERSES.

A'. In Praise of Virginity. We will crown Virginity with our garlands, From a pure heart

singing in pure hymns. For this is a noble gift of our life, 522 brighter than gold and amber and ivory, for which the passion for virginity cast earthly life to the ground, raising thence a wing of the mind to God the high-ruler. And at the hymn's beginning, you pure ones, praise together; for the hymn is a common prize for all the holy. 523 But you envious ones, block your ears with doors; but if one should open them, let him purify his mind with the word. Virginity, hail greatly, God-given, giver of good things, Mother of harmlessness, portion of Christ, with heavenly beauties joined to the unyoked; for they are unyoked, first God, then the choir of ever-existing God. Truly he is the spring of lights, a light neither nameable, nor graspable, and fleeing the speed of the mind approaching, ever outrunning the minds of all, so that by our longings we may be drawn to an ever new height; but they are the second lights from the Trinity, which has royal glory. The first virgin is the holy Trinity. From the beginningless Father is the Son, the Lord, not from one who originated externally 524 (for He Himself is the way and root and beginning for all), nor from one who begot a child in a mortal fashion, but as light comes from light. And from the Child, no longer a beloved child drawing a like glory; so that the one might remain whole as begetter, but the other as Son alone and most alone of the alone; going into one with the great Spirit, which comes alike from the Father, one God revealed in three lights. Such is the pure nature of the Trinity. And from it, the radiant, formless Angels, who around the great throne standing, since their minds are light, fire and divine spirits, swiftly running through the air, eagerly serve the great commands. 525 For them there is neither marriage, nor pains, nor cares, nor the terrible, reckless turmoil of passions; they are not divided in their limbs, nor in their homes; of one mind with each other, and each with himself. One nature, one thought, one desire for the great Lord God. They do not delight in children, nor in wives, busying themselves with sweet toil; Wealth is not desirable to them, nor all the things that for mortals the earth bears as cares of evil. They do not plow, they do not sail the seas for the sake of the unwearied belly, the belly, the source of evils; one food is best for all, to feast on the word of the great God, and to draw measureless light from the shining Trinity. And they live a solitary life, the pure servants of the pure God, 526 simple, and intelligent, and transparent, neither starting from flesh (for since flesh was made solid, it will be destroyed again), nor going to flesh, but remaining what they became. After them is godlike virginity, a ready path to God, following the thoughts of the Immortal One who wisely guides the great helm of the cosmos; And among them also the heavenly, earthly, great-souled, mortal, the sacred race of toiling men, the glory of the Lord. But come now, I will tell the good mysteries of God, and how virginity shone forth in the last times. There was a time when dark night covered all things. And there was no lovely light of dawn; nor did the Sun hasten upon his fiery path from the east. The horned moon was not seen, the ornament of the night. 527 And all things, borne along together, wandered in vain, bound by the murky chains of first-born chaos. But you, blessed Christ, by the counsels of the great Father obeying, you separated each thing well, in order. Truly first light was made, so that all works might be graceful, full of light. But then you circled the starry heaven, a very great wonder, bright with sun and moon. To them you spoke, to the one to shine early-born upon men with streams of boundless light, and the seasons

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Carmina moralia

ΤΟΜΗ Βʹ. ΕΠΗ ΗΘΙΚΑ.

Αʹ. Παρθενίης ἔπαινος. Παρθενίην στεφάνοις ἀναδήσομεν ἡμετέροισιν, Ἐκ καθαρῆς κραδίης

καθαροῖς μέλποντες ἐν ὕμνοις. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμετέροιο βίου ξεινήϊον ἐσθλὸν, 522 Χρυσοῦ τ' ἠλέκτρου τε φαάντερον, ἠδ' ἐλέφαντος, Οἷς ζωὴν χθονίην χαμάδις βάλε παρθένος οἶστρος, Πρὸς Θεὸν ὑψιμέδοντα νόου πτερὸν ἔνθεν ἀείρων. Ἀρχομένου δ' ὕμνοιο συνιαίνοισθε μὲν ἁγνοί· Ξυνὸν γὰρ πάντεσσιν ὕμνος γέρας εὐαγέεσσιν. 523 Οἱ φθονεροὶ δὲ θύρῃσιν ἐπιφράσσοισθε ἀκουάς· Εἰ δέ τις ἀμπετάσειεν, ἁγνίζοιτο φρένα μύθῳ. Παρθενίη, μέγα χαῖρε, θεόσδοτε, δῶτερ ἐάων, Μῆτερ ἀπημοσύνης, Χριστοῦ λάχος, οὐρανίοισι Κάλλεσιν ἀζυγέεσσιν ὁμόζυγε· ἀζυγέες γὰρ, Πρῶτα Θεὸς, μετέπειτα Θεοῦ χορὸς αἰὲν ἐόντος. Ἤτοι ὁ μὲν πηγὴ φαέων, φάος οὔτ' ὀνομαστὸν, Οὔθ' ἑλετὸν, φεῦγόν τε νόου τάχος ἐγγὺς ἰόντος, Αἰὲν ὑπεκπροθέον πάντων φρένας, ὥς κε πόθοισιν Ἑλκώμεσθα πρὸς ὕψος ἀεὶ νέον· οἱ δέ τε φῶτα ∆εύτερα ἐκ Τριάδος βασιλήϊον εὖχος ἐχούσης. Πρώτη παρθένος ἐστὶν ἁγνὴ Τριάς. Ἐκ μὲν ἀνάρχου Πατρὸς Υἱὸς ἄναξ, οὔτ' ἔκτοθεν ὁρμηθέντος 524 (Αὐτὸς γὰρ πάντεσσιν ὁδὸς καὶ ῥίζα καὶ ἀρχὴ), Οὔτε πάϊν θνητοῖσιν ὁμοίϊα γειναμένοιο, Ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκ σέλαος σέλας ἔρχεται. Ἐκ δ' ἄρα Παιδὸς, Οὐκέτι παῖς ἀγαπητὸς ὁμοίϊον εὖχος ἐφέλκων· Ὥς κεν ὁ μὲν μίμνῃ γενέτης ὅλος, αὐτὰρ ὅγ' Υἱὸς Οἶον καὶ μούνοιο μονώτατος· εἰς ἓν ἰόντε Πνεύματι σὺν μεγάλῳ, τό ῥα πατρόθεν εἶσιν ὁμοῖον, Εἷς Θεὸς ἐν τρισσοῖσιν ἀνοιγόμενος φαέεσσι. Τοίη μὲν Τριάδος καθαρὴ φύσις. Ἐκ δ' ἄρα κείνης, Ἄγγελοι αἰγλήεντες, ἀειδέες, οἵ ῥα θόωκον Ἀμφὶ μέγαν βεβαῶτες, ἐπεὶ νόες εἰσὶν ἐλαφροὶ, Πῦρ καὶ πνεύματα θεῖα δι' ἠέρος ὦκα θέοντες, Ἐσσυμένως μεγάλῃσιν ὑποδρήσσουσιν ἐφετμαῖς. 525 Τοῖσι μὲν οὔτε γάμος, οὔτ' ἄλγεα, οὐ μελεδῶναι, Οὐ παθέων κλόνος αἰνὸς ἀτάσθαλος· οὐ μελέεσσι Σχίζοντ', οὐδὲ δόμοισιν· ὁμόφρονες ἀλλήλοισιν, Αὑτῷ τ' αὐτὸς ἕκαστος. Ἴη φύσις, ἕν τε νόημα, Εἷς πόθος ἀμφὶ ἄνακτα Θεὸν μέγαν. Οὐδέ τι παισὶ Τέρποντ', οὔτ' ἀλόχοισι, γλυκὺν πόνον ἀμφιέποντες· Οὐ πλοῦτος κείνοισιν ἐράσμιος, οὐδ' ὅσα θνητοῖς Γαῖα φέρει κακίης μελεδήματα. Οὐκ ἀρόουσιν, Οὐ πελάγη πλώουσιν ἀτειρέος εἵνεκα γαστρὸς, Γαστέρος ἀρχεκάκοιο· τροφὴ μία πᾶσιν ἀρίστη ∆αίνυσθαι μεγάλοιο Θεοῦ λόγον, ἠδὲ φαεινῆς Ἕλκειν ἐκ Τριάδος σέλας ἄπλετον. Οἰόβιοι δὲ Ζώουσιν καθαροῖο Θεοῦ καθαροὶ θεράποντες, 526 Ἁπλοῖ τε, νοεροί τε, διαυγέες, οὔτ' ἀπὸ σαρκῶν Ἀρχόμενοι (σάρκες γὰρ ἐπεὶ πάγεν, αὖθις ὀλοῦνται), Οὔτ' ἐπὶ σάρκας ἰόντες, ὅπερ δ' ἐγένοντο, μένοντες. Τοῖς μέτα παρθενίη θεοείκελος, οἶμος ἑτοίμη Πρὸς Θεὸν, ἑσπομένη τε νοήμασιν Ἀθανάτοιο Νωμῶντος μεγάλοιο σοφῶς οἰήϊα κόσμου· Ἐν δὲ καὶ οὐρανίδην, χθόνιον, μεγαλήνορα, θνητὸν, Ἀνθρώπων μογερῶν ἱερὸν γένος, εὖχος Ἄνακτος. Εἰ δ' ἄγε νῦν ἐρέω μυστήρια κεδνὰ Θεοῖο, Παρθενίη τε χρόνοισιν ὅπως πυμάτοισιν ἔλαμψεν. Ἦν ποτ' ἔην, ὅτε πάντα κελαινὴ νὺξ ἐκάλυπτεν. Οὐδ' ἄρ' ἔην ἠοῦς ἐρατὸν φάος· οὐδὲ κέλευθον Ἠέλιος πυρόεσσαν ἐπέσσυτο ἀντολίηθεν. Οὐ μήνη κερόεσσα φαείνετο, νυκτὸς ἄγαλμα. 527 Πάντα δ' ἅμ' ἀλλήλοισι φορούμενα, μὰψ ἀλάλητο Πρωτογόνου χάεος ζοφεροῖς δεδμημένα δεσμοῖς. Ἀλλὰ σὺ, Χριστὲ μάκαρ, Πατρὸς μεγάλου φραδίῃσι Πειθόμενος τὰ ἕκαστα διέκρινας εὖ κατὰ κόσμον. Ἤτοι μὲν πρώτιστα φάος γένεθ', ὥς κεν ἅπαντα Ἔργα πέλοι χαρίεντα φάους πλέα. Αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα Οὐρανὸν ἀστερόεντα κυκλώσαο, θαῦμα μέγιστον, Ἠελίῳ μήνῃ τε διαυγέα. Τοῖσιν ἔειπας, Τῷ μὲν ἄρ' ἠριγένειαν ἐπ' ἀνθρώποισι φαείνειν Φωτὸς ἀπειρεσίοιο ῥοαῖς, καὶ ὥρας