Gregory of Nazianzus, Songs Concerning Others

which you have now shown to your parents. I too was the son of a good father, but this 1523 word never came from our mouths, nor passed our teeth. For not even to God is the speech pleasing: "O father, if you begot me, small is the grace; for not for my sake, but for your own desire, indulging your own flesh, you planted me. But then you raised me; for why did you beget me?" What an ungrateful voice! and the dissolution of the world, and of the great family Nature bound together parents and children with a bond of love, lest toil for their children should break parents, and we beget for death, careless of those we have begotten. For this reason, parents undertake terrible toil for their own children, for you have spoken truly, until death, wasps, and leopards, oxen, swine, fish, birds, and above all, the race of mortals. But if we were to be held by such laws, all of life would vanish unseen. 1524 For who will still embrace a son, or pray for the best things, or grant words to one who desires them, or anything else, Who will divide a share of his possessions, as is fitting, if what a son takes from his father is a debt, not a grace, and having nothing, he should cast out the law of reverence, and having been treated well, he should have an ungrateful tongue and mind? But consider if any prudent man might answer you: We are not only a race of mortals, but of God, and of those before. And fathers are the secondary instruments for their children of the great generation of Christ our God. He took earth, and gave mind, and from both He showed forth one mixed race, an earthly king, with a body prone to evil, a god by adoption when pious; and stirred up by many evils here and there, 1525 that among many things we might have an unbending spirit. But no one yet has strayed so far from a good mind, nor boiled so much with the blood of harsh youth, as to utter this evil from his mouth against God: "You made me unwillingly, but since you have made me, you have paid; But if having formed me you abandon me, you have formed a beast instead of a mortal. Give wisdom, give wealth, since you have given to many; Give greatness, and beauty, to be first in the cities, to have a rushing spear, a body not yielding to diseases, But also those things by which great fortune is measured among men, Or I will cease to honor you with sacrifices and prayers; For not allotting anything to me, having bound my soul and body, but desiring glory you brought me forth, as you did all things, so that you might be sung of by those on earth, O Blessed One." 1526 May these things be given to the god-hated and the senseless, for whom wealth is a god, attendants of an evil maker. But let us praise the great God in all things, in good things and in hateful things; for that is the mark of beloved children; And after the first Lord, our earthly parents, who filled me with light, from whom the Trinity, coming into one, both shone in my mind, and was revealed to all. I will be silent about the great circle of the cosmos, the wide heaven, shining with all-radiant eyes, the back of the sea both flowing and standing still, which is indeed a wonder to me; earth later on, the flow of rivers, the breathing air, seasons, delightful flowers, the nature of mortals, and of creatures of the air, all that God has set forth as a table for my eyes; these my father gave me from the great Father. 1527 Therefore, do not answer a parent with such things so boldly; for boldness outside of measure becomes audacity; Lest some such word from our ear should come to you, child, from a more hot-tempered father; If indeed nature provides for children the love of parents, and nature has prevented the loving of those who do not love. It is better to bear a reckless father, than to be treated well by others, and for mortals to look only to a father's hand. But if he is poor, and crazed, and not firm in his limbs, what will you do? Will you not offer your hand as a staff? Will you not carry me far, lifting me on your shoulders, like the son of Anchises carried his own father from the war? Or will you say: "Why did you make me, and why do you ask a slavish service of me?" 1528 Give a voice to the footless, and to the birds of the air, and to all those things that breathe upon and creep on the earth; The dolphin will not say, "Why did you make me a child of the sea, O Lord?" "I did not want to cleave a salty life, forever a wanderer, breathing out moisture, and looking at the starless air. I long for the work of an ox, and mountains, and a broad shoulder, and to live a life among mortals, like a swift horse, or to rule over all the slithering, footless creatures." Nor do oxen, longing for the passage of the sea, grieve; He will not say, weary with crooked chewing

ἧς νῦν τοκέεσσιν ἔφηνας. Παῖς καὶ ἐγὼ γενόμην ἀγαθοῦ πατρὸς, ἀλλὰ τόδ' οὔπω 1523 Ἦλθεν ἀφ' ἡμετέρων στομάτων ἔπος, οὐδ' ὑπ' ὀδόντι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ Θεῷ κεχαρισμένος ἐστὶν ὁ μῦθος «Ὦ πάτερ, εἴ μ' ἔφυσας, βαιὴ χάρις· οὐ γὰρ ἔμοιγε, Σῷ δὲ πόθῳ, σῇ σαρκὶ χαριζόμενός μ' ἐφύτευσας. Ἀλλ' ἔθρεψας ἔπειτα· τί γὰρ τέκες;» Ὡς ἀχάριστος Φωνή! καὶ κόσμοιο λύσις, μεγάλης τε γενέθλης Φίλτρῳ μὲν συνέδησε φύσις τοκέας τε γόνους τε, Μὴ μόγος ἀμφὶ τέκεσσιν ἀποῤῥήξειε τοκῆας, Καὶ θανάτῳ τίκτωμεν, ἀκηδέες ὧν τεκόμεσθα. Τοὔνεκα καὶ μόθον αἰνὸν ἑοῖς περὶ παισὶ τοκῆες Ἵσταντ', ἦ γὰρ ἔλεξας ἐτήτυμον, ἄχρι μόροιο, Σφῆκες, παρδάλιες τε, βόες, σύες, ἰχθύες, ὄρνεις, Πάντων δ' αὖ περίαλλα βροτῶν γένος. Εἰ δὲ νόμοισι Τόσσοις εἰ καθέοιμεν, ὅλος βίος οἴχετ' ἄϊστος. 1524 Τίς γὰρ ἔθ' υἱῆα προσπτύξεται, ἢ τὰ φέριστα Εὔξεται, ἢ ποθέοντι λόγους, ἢ ἄλλο τι νεύσει, Τίς μοῖραν κτεάνων ἀποδάσσεται, ὡς ἐπέοικεν, Εἰ χρέος, οὐ χάρις ἐστὶν, ὅ κεν πατρὸς υἱὸς ἕλῃσι, Καὶ μηδὲν μὲν ἔχων, αἰδοῦς νόμον ἔκτοθι βάλλοι, Εὖ δὲ παθὼν, ἀχάριστον ἔχοι γλῶσσάν τε νόον τε; Σκέπτεο δ' εἴ κέν σοί τις ἀπαντήσειεν ἐχέφρων· Οὐκ οἶον μερόπων ἡμεῖς γένος, ἀλλὰ Θεοῖο, Τῶν δὲ πάρος. Πατέρες δὲ τὰ δεύτερά εἰσι τέκεσσιν Ὄργανα τῆς Χριστοῖο Θεοῦ μεγάλοιο γενέθλης. Γαῖαν ἕλεν, δῶκεν δὲ νόον, μικτὸν δ' ἀνέδειξεν Ἓν γένος ἀμφοτέρωθεν, ἐπιχθόνιον βασιλῆα, Σῶμα κακοφρονέοντα, θεὸν θετὸν εὐσεβέοντα· Πολλοῖσίν τε κακοῖσι κυκώμενον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα, 1525 Ὥς κεν ἐνὶ πλεόνεσσιν ἀκαμπέα θυμὸν ἔχωμεν. Ἀλλ' οὔπω τις τόσσον ἀπὸ φρενὸς ἤλυθεν ἐσθλῆς, Οὐδὲ τόσον νεότητος ἀπηνέος αἵματι βράσθη, Ὡς τόδ' ἀπὸ στόματος ῥῆξαι κακὸν ἀντὶ Θεοῖο· Οὐκ ἐθέλοντά μ' ἔοργας, ἐπεὶ δέ μ' ἔοργας, ἔτισας· Ἢν δὲ πλάσας μεθέῃς με, βοτὸν πλάσας ἀντὶ βροτοῖο. ∆ὸς σοφίην, δὸς πλοῦτον, ἐπεὶ πλεόνεσσιν ἔδωκας· ∆ὸς μέγεθος, καὶ κάλλος, ἐν ἄστεσι πρῶτα φέρεσθαι, Θούριον ἔγχος ἔχειν, νούσοις δέμας οὐχ ὑποεικτὸν, Ἀλλά τε, οἷς μέγας ὄλβος ἐν ἀνθρώποισι μετρεῖται, Ἢ σχήσω θυσίαις τε καὶ εὐχωλῇσι γεραίρειν· Οὐ γὰρ ἐμοί τι νέμων, δήσας ψυχήν τε δέμας τε, Κύδεος ἱμείρων δὲ παρήγαγες, ὥσπερ ἅπαντα, Ὡς καὶ ἐπιχθονίοισιν ἀοίδιμος, ὦ Μάκαρ, εἴης. 1526 Ταῦτα θεοστυγέεσσι καὶ ἀφραδέεσσι δεδόσθως Οἷς πλοῦτος θεός ἐστι, κακοῦ πλαστῆρος ὀπηδοῖς. Ἡμεῖς δ' ἐν πάντεσσι Θεὸν μέγαν ὑμνείωμεν, Ἐσθλοῖς τε στυγεροῖς τε· τὸ γὰρ τεκέων ἐρατεινῶν· Καὶ μετὰ πρῶτον Ἄνακτα ἐπιχθονίους γενετῆρας, Οἵ με φάους ἔπλησαν, ἀφ' ὧν Τριὰς εἰς ἓν ἰοῦσα, Καὶ λάμψε πραπίδεσσιν ἐμαῖς, καὶ πᾶσι φαάνθη. Σιγήσω κόσμοιο κύκλον μέγαν, οὐρανὸν εὐρὺν, Ὄμμασι παμφανόωντα διαυγέσι, νῶτα θαλάσσης Ῥευστῆς ἱσταμένης τε, τὸ δὴ καὶ θάμβος ἔμοιγε· Γαῖαν ἐς ὕστερον, ποταμῶν ῥόον, ἠέρα πνευστὸν, Ὥρας, ἄνθεα τερπνὰ βροτῶν φύσιν, ἠερίων τε, Ὅσσα Θεὸς προύθηκεν ἐμοῖς φαέεσσι τράπεζαν· Ταῦτα πατὴρ μεγάλοιο Πατρὸς πάρ' ἔδωκεν ἔμοιγε. 1527 Τῷ, μή μοι τοίοισιν ἀμείβεσθαι γενετῆρα Θαρσαλέως· καὶ θάρσος ἔφυ θράσος, ἔκτοθι μέτρου· Μή σοί τις καὶ τοῖος ἀπ' οὔατος ἡμετέροιο, Τέκνον, θερμοτέροιο πατρὸς πάρα μῦθος ἵκηται· Εἴ γε φύσις τεκέεσσι πόθον πόρσυνε τοκήων, Καὶ τὸ φύσις φιλέειν τοὺς οὐ φιλέοντας ἔρυξε. Κρεῖσσον ἀτασθαλέοντα φέρειν πατέρ', ἠὲ παρ' ἄλλων Εὖ πάσχειν, θνητοῖς δὲ πατρὸς μόνον ἐς χέρα λεύσσειν. Εἰ δὲ πένης, φρενοπλήξ τε καὶ οὐ μελέεσσι πεπηγὼς, Τί πρήξεις; οὐ χεῖρα τεὴν σκήπωνα παρέξεις; Οὐκ ὤμοισι τεοῖσιν ἀειρόμενός μ' ἑκὰς οἴσεις, Ὡς Ἀγχισιάδης γενέτην ἑὸν ἐκ πολέμοιο; Ἢ φήσεις· Τί μ' ἔτευξας, καὶ τί με δούλιον αἰτεῖς; 1528 ∆ὸς φωνὴν νεπόδεσσι, καὶ ἠερίοις πετεηνοῖς, Καὶ τοῖς ὅσσα τε γαῖαν ἐπιπνείει τε καὶ ἕρπει· Οὐκ ἐρέει, «Τί μ' ἔτευξας ἁλὸς τέκος, ὦ Ἄνα;» δελφίς· Ἁλμυρὸν οὐκ ἔθελον τέμνειν βίον, αἰὲν ἀλήτης, Ὑγρὸν φυσιόων, καὶ ἀνάστερον ἠέρα λεύσσων. Ἔργα βοὸς ποθέω, καὶ οὔρεα, καὶ πλατὺν ὦμον, Καὶ ζώειν μερόπεσσιν ὁμὸν βίον, ὡς ταχὺς ἵππος, Ἢ πᾶσιν νεπόδεσσιν ὀλισθηροῖσιν ἀνάσσειν. Οὐδὲ βόες ποθέοντες ἁλὸς πόρον ἀσχαλόωσιν· Οὐκ ἐρέει σκολιοῖς κάμνων μηρύμασι