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Carmina quae spectant ad alios

Section B. Concerning Others. A. To Hellenius, an exhortation concerning the monks. You seek indeed the strength of my words, which is no longer present, Since for this world I am weak, Having taken up the Cross, a sweet burden, which saved me, And having received Christ in exchange for all mortals. 1452 But these [words] for you are not at all soft and flattering; For not even to the higher Word is this dear. They will not pour forth [mention of] lineage, nor wealth, which raises the brow for the foolish, Nor the fiery strength of rhetoric, Of you, and of your brother the great fame, by whose cities are governed by the rudders of a great hand. 1453 But let these concerns be left to empty words; But my [words], bring not a little pleasure to friends, But with god-fearing persuasions much better they will make you. And may you have a gentle ear for me. Perhaps indeed you might grant a better reward for my words, to be benevolent to more men, not just the ten I asked for, whom yesterday, O best of men, you promised to me, and consented, not a small man granting great things to a small man. But come, take heed of my words, which from the Books heavenly I will speak, from the bottom of my heart. Some indeed bring gold and silver, and others the gifts of the Seres, bring gifts to God, fine-spun threads. And someone has dedicated himself as a pure sacrifice to Christ; and another pours a libation of pure drops of tears. And from you may Christ have this gift. There are of God 1454 servants, to whom you may grant all freedom, who with a calm mind, and with perfect souls, lead a multitude of initiates upward to the heavenly things, and to all Christ-bearers, as many as are above the earth unmarried, touching but little of the world, with all-night and daily hymns the Lord celebrating, strangers to earthly possessions, with which the wretched race of the rulers of the world here and there plays with earthly things, leading now to one thing, now to another; having as their only highest wealth, a buoyant hope of things not perishing, nor changing; not wanting a rib, who loves her own body, nor leaning on children with a new hand; nor trusting in brothers, nor in companions, in blood and ashes perishing tomorrow; 1455 Nor being proud in cities and among citizens, confident in the strength of feeble winds; Nor indeed longing for what flies away most quickly, human glory, nocturnal pleasure, But sending their whole mind to God, and from God fastening their cables to the firm rock; Initiates of the hidden life of Christ the King, Who, when that life appears, will shine forth greatly, seeing the pure light of the Trinity coming into one, and again opening up to most pure eyes, and the great glory of the heavenly host, no longer with dim images, nor with slight traces of truth. But those things are for the future; but the things here are dishonored smoke or dust, for they have honored the heavenly life. Of whom some in deserted caves and in beds on the ground 1456 take delight in makeshift things, and hate houses, and flee the assembly of cities, and of heavenly they love the kindred tranquility of wisdom. And others toil with inescapable iron fetters, melting away wickedness with their wasting flesh. And others again like wild beasts in small dwellings having been enclosed, did not even encounter a mortal's voice. And for twenty nights and days they remained without food often, half the endurance of Christ. I will boast; one sheep of my flock was one of those, having set out from a small town. And one bound his talkative tongue, and his lips with silence, and from his mind, with a great mind he offered praise. And somewhere someone for whole years in a holy place standing, stretched out his pure hands; 1457 nor did he cast sleep upon his eyelids, an incredible wonder! But he was fixed to Christ, like a breathing stone. And with him a neighboring raven shared a small meal's remnant; and one morsel there was for both. And a certain man on the divine mountain, from where was lifted up Christ, when

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Carmina quae spectant ad alios

ΤΟΜΗ Βʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΕΤΕΡΩΝ. Αʹ. Πρὸς Ἑλλήνιον περὶ τῶν μοναχῶν προτρεπτικόν. ∆ίζηαι μὲν ἐμῶν μύθων σθένος οὐκέτ' ἐόντων Ἐξ οὗπερ κόσμῳ τῷδ' ὀλιγοδρανέω, Σταυρὸν ἀειράμενος, φόρτον γλυκὺν, ὅς μ' ἐσάωσε, Καὶ πάντων βροτέων Χριστὸν ἀμειψάμενος. 1452 Οἱ δέ τοι οὔτι λίην μαλακοὶ καὶ θῶπες ἔασιν· Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ Λόγῳ κρείσσονι τοῦτο φίλον. Οὐ γενεὴν, οὐκ ὄλβον, ὃς ἄφροσιν ὀφρὺν ἀνέλκει, Οὐ ῥήτρης πυρόεν ἐξερέουσι μένος, Σεῖο, κασιγνήτου τε μέγα κλέος, ὧν ῥα πόληες Νωμῶνται μεγάλης οἰάκεσι παλάμης. 1453 Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν κενεοῖσι λόγοις μελεδήματα κείσθω· Οἱ δ' ἐμοὶ, οὔτι φίλοις ἦρα φέρουσ' ὀλίγην, Ἀλλά σε παρφασίῃσι θεουδέσι πολλὸν ἀρείω Θήσουσιν. Σὺ δέ μοι ἤπιον οὖας ἔχοις. Ἦ τάχα κρείσσονα μισθὸν ἐμοῖς ἐπέεσσιν ὀπάσσοις, Πλείοσιν εὐμενέειν, οὐ δέκα δευομένοις, Οὕς μοι χθιζὸν, ἄριστε, ὑπέσχεο, καὶ κατένευσας, Οὐκ ὀλίγος ὀλίγῳ μακρὰ χαριζόμενος. Ἀλλ' ἄγ' ἐμῶν ἐπέων ἐμπάζεο, οὓς ἀπὸ Βίβλων Φθέγξομαι οὐρανίων, νειόθεν ἐκ κραδίης. Ἄλλοι μὲν χρυσόν τε καὶ ἄργυρον, οἱ δὲ τὰ σηρῶν ∆ῶρα φέρουσι Θεῷ νήματα λεπταλέα. Καὶ Χριστῷ θυσίην τις ἁγνὴν ἀνέθηκεν ἑαυτόν· Καὶ σπένδει δακρύων ἄλλος ἁγνὰς λιβάδας. Σεῖο δὲ Χριστὸς ἔχοι δῶρον τόδε. Εἰσὶ Θεοῖο 1454 Λάτριες, οἷσι πόροις πᾶσαν ἐλευθερίην, Οἵ κε γαληνιόωντι νόῳ, ψυχαῖς τε τελείαις, Πληθὺν ἄγουσιν ἄνω μύστιν ἐπουρανίων, Πᾶσί τε Χριστοφόροισιν, ὅσοι χθονός εἰσιν ὕπερθεν Ἀζυγέες, κόσμου βαιὸν ἐφαπτόμενοι, Ὕμνοις παννυχίοισι καὶ ἠματίοισιν Ἄνακτα Μέλποντες, χθαμαλῶν ἀλλότριοι κτεάνων, Οἷς κόσμου μεδέων δειλὸν γένος ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα Παίζει ἐπιχθονίων, ἄλλοτ' ἐπ' ἄλλον ἄγων· Οἶον πλοῦτον ἔχοντες ὑπέρτατον, ἐλπίδα κούφην Τῶν οὐκ ὀλλυμένων, οὐδὲ μεθισταμένων· Πλευρᾶς οὐ χατέοντες, ἑὸν δέμας ἀμφαγαπώσης, Οὐδὲ νέῃ παλάμῃ παισὶν ἐρειδόμενοι· Οὐδὲ κασιγνήτοισι πεποιθότες, οὐδ' ἑτάροισιν, Αἵματι καὶ τέφρῃ αὔριον ὀλλυμένῃ· 1455 Οὐδὲ μέγα πνείοντες ἐν ἄστεσι καὶ πολιήταις, Ἀδρανέων ἀνέμων κάρτεϊ θαρσαλέοι· Οὐδὲ μὲν ἰσχανόωντες ἀφιπταμένοιο τάχιστα Κύδεος ἀνδρομέου, τέρψιος ἐννυχίης, Ἀλλὰ Θεῷ πέμποντες ὅλον νόον, ἔκ τε Θεοῖο Εὐπαγέος πέτρης πείσματ' ἀναπτόμενοι· Μύσται κρυπτομένης ζωῆς Χριστοῖο ἄνακτος, Ὅς κε φαεινομένης παμφανόωσι μέγα, ∆ερκόμενοι Τριάδος καθαρὸν σέλας εἰς ἓν ἰούσης, Καὖθις ἀνοιγομένης ὄμμασιν ἁγνοτάτοις, Οὐρανίης στρατιῆς τε μέγα κλέος, οὐκέτ' ἀμυδροῖς Φάσμασιν, οὐδ' ὀλίγοις ἴχνεσιν ἀτρεκίης. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν μετόπισθε· τὰ δ' ἐνθάδε, καπνὸς ἄτιμος, Ἢ κόνις, οἳ ζωὴν τῖσαν ἐπουρανίην. Ὧν οἱ μὲν σπήλυγξιν ἐρημαίαις τε χαμεύναις 1456 Τέρπονται σχεδίοις, καὶ στυγέουσι δόμους, Καὶ πτολίων φεύγουσιν ὁμήγυριν, οὐρανίης δὲ Στέργουσιν σοφίης σύγγονον ἀτρεμίην. Οἱ δὲ σιδηρείῃσιν ἀλυκτοπέδαις μογέουσι, Τήκοντες κακίην σὺν χοῒ τηκομένῳ. Ἄλλοι δ' αὖ θήρεσσιν ὁμοίϊα δώμασι τυτθοῖς Εἱρχθέντες, βροτέης οὐδ' ὀπὸς ἠντίασαν. Εἴκοσι δ' αὖ νύκτας τε καὶ ἤματα μίμνον ἄπαστοι Πολλάκι, τῆς Χριστοῦ ἥμισυ καρτερίης. Αὐχήσω· ποίμνης τις ἐμῆς ὄϊς ἦεν ἐκείνων, Ἔνθεν ἀφορμηθεὶς ἄστεος ἐξ ὀλίγου. Καὶ γλῶσσάν τις ἔδησε λάλον, καὶ χείλεα σιγῇ, Ἐκ δὲ νόου, μεγάλῳ αἶνον ἔθυσε νόῳ. Καί πού τις λυκάβαντας ὅλους ἱερῷ ἐνὶ χώρῳ Ἑστηὼς, καθαρὰς ἐξεπέτασσε χέρας· 1457 Οὐδ' ὅγ' ἐπὶ βλεφάροισιν ὕπνον βάλε, θάμβος ἄπιστον! Ἀλλ' ἐπάγη Χριστῷ, ἔμπνοος ὥστε λίθος. Τῷ δὲ κόραξ γείτων τυτθῆς ἐμερίζετο δαιτὸς Λείψανον· εἷς δ' ἄρ' ἔην ἀμφοτέροις ἄκολος. Καί τις ἀνὴρ θείοιο κατ' οὔρεος, ἔνθεν ἀέρθη Χριστὸς, ὅτ'