§1.1Εἴθ᾿ ὤφελ’ ἐν λειμῶνι μηδ’ ἕρπειν ὄφις, §1.2μηδ’ ἐν νάπαισι τοῦδ’ ὑφεδρεύειν δράκων §1.3ἀγκυλομήτης·
Would that the serpent had not even crawled in the meadow, nor the crooked-counseled dragon lay in wait in the glades of this place!
οὐ γὰρ ἂν πλευρᾶς φῦμα, §1.4μήτηρ γένους δύστηνος ἠπατημένη, §1.5τόλμημα τολμᾶν παντάτολμον ἀνέτλη, §1.6ἔρνους ἔρωτι θυμὸν ἐκπεπληγμένη, §1.7θεώσεως πεισθεῖσα τυχεῖν αὐτόθεν, §1.8οὐδ’ ἂν φαγεῖν πείσασα καρποῦ τὸν πόσιν §1.9τοῦ μηδὲ συμφέροντος αὐτίκα σφίσι §1.10λειμῶνος ἐξῴκιστο τοῦ πανολβίου, §1.11λύμην κατακριθεῖσα καὶ λυγρὸν μόρον, §1.12μήτηρ τέκνων τ’ ἤκουσεν ἐκ δυσκοιτίας §1.13μογοστοκοῦσ’ ὠδῖσί τ’ ἐμπαρειμένη §1.14ἱδρῶτ’ ἂν ᾤκει τήνδε γῆν ὀλεθρίαν §1.15σὺν ἀνδρὶ καὶ τέκνοισιν ἀρᾶς ὑστάτης, §1.16ἅπερ τεκεῖν ὥριστο λύπαις καὶ στόνοις, §1.17διαδοχάς τε παραπέμπειν τῷ βίῳ §1.18διαλλαγάς τ’ ἐντεῦθεν εὑρεῖν ἐξόχους, §1.19οὐδ’ ἂν γένος τ’ ὄλωλεν ἀνθρώπων ἅπαν, §1.20καὶ τὸν Δυνατὸν ἀλθανεῖν ἔπεισέ πως §1.21ἀγαθότητι δαπέδῳ κατιέναι §1.22καινῶς βροτωθῆναί τε καὶ τλῆσαι πάθος, §1.23οὐδ’ ἂν ἐγὼ πέφυκα μήτηρ παρθένος §1.24καὶ νῦν ἔκλυον Υἱὸν ἕλκεσθαι κρίσει, §1.25οὐράνιον, γήϊνον, ἀκραιφνῆ γοναῖς, §1.26ἰδεῖν τ’ ἔφριττον τόνδε καθυβρισμένον, §1.27ἄτερ δαλῶν φέρουσα, φεῦ, δεινὴν φλόγα, §1.28ἣ σφόδρα μαιμάσσει με καὶ δονεῖ κέαρ §1.29καὶ καρδίαν δίεισιν ὡς ῥόπτρον μέγα, §1.30ὡς νητρεκῶς ἤυσε Συμεὼν γέρων, §1.31τηλεσκόποις ὄμμασι πάντως προβλέπων.
For then the offshoot of the rib, the wretched, deceived mother of our race, would not have dared to venture a totally daring deed, her mind struck with desire for the tree, having been persuaded that she would obtain deification on the spot, nor, having persuaded her husband to eat of the fruit, immediately for their own disadvantage, would she have been exiled from the all-blessed meadow, condemned to ruin and a grievous death, nor would she have been called the mother of children from an unhappy bed, giving birth with difficulty and overcome by labor pains, nor would she have inhabited with her husband and children this destructive land, in the sweat of the ultimate curse, whom she was destined to bring forth in pains and groans, and to send on successions to life, and from there to find outstanding reconciliation; nor would the entire race of humans have perished, and somehow persuaded the Powerful One to heal, to come down by His goodness to the ground, to become mortal in a new way and to endure passion, nor would I have been born a virgin mother, and now heard my Son being dragged to judgment, the heavenly, the earthly, pure in His birth, and shuddered to see Him utterly insulted, bearing, alas, a terrible flame without torches, which violently rages within me and shakes my heart and passes through my mind like a great knocker, just as the old man Simeon truly cried aloud, foreseeing everything with far-looking eyes.
§1.32Ἠ που μεγέστη γίνεται σωτηρία, §1.33ὅταν γυνὴ πρὸς ἄνδρα μὴ διχοστατῇ, §1.34τὰ πάντα συμφέρουσα τῷδ’, ὥσπερ θέμις, §1.35μηδὲ πρὸς ἄλλου πάρφασίν τινα κλύῃ, §1.36ἀλλ’ ἐστι συμφρονοῦσα γνησίῳ πόσει.
Surely, this becomes the greatest salvation, when a wife does not disagree with her husband, conforming in everything to him, as is right, nor listens to any persuasion from another, but is of one mind with her true spouse.
But now, all is hostile, and the vital parts are sick, since she herself betrayed her husband and the glory of dominion.
§1.39Φιλεῖ γὰρ ὕβρις ἡ πάλαι τίκτειν νέαν· §1.40ἐκ δακρύων δάκρυα καταλείβεται, §1.41ὧν οὔτε μέτρον οὔτ’ ἀριθμός ἐστί τις· §1.42κακῷ κακὸν γὰρ εἰς ἅμιλλαν ἔρχεται.
For old insolence is accustomed to bring forth new; tears upon tears are poured down, of which there is neither measure nor any number; for evil comes into competition with evil.
§1.43Ὅθεν πότνια φύσις ἠτιμωμένη §1.44στένει κλάουσα συμφορὰς πεφυρμένας §1.45διαδοχάς τε τῶν ἀφερτάτων πόνων, §1.46τὸν πάντα συντήκουσα δακρύοις χρόνον, §1.47ἐπεὶ πρὸς ἐχθροῖς ᾔσθετ’ ἠδικημένη §1.48καὶ μητρὸς αὐτῆς πρωτοπήμονος βλάβῃ §1.49πατρός θ’ ὑποκλίναντος οὖας μητέρι, §1.50ὧν πάντες ἐσμὲν οἱ κατὰ χθόν’ ἔκγονοι.
Hence revered nature, dishonored, groans, weeping for confused disasters and successions of unbearable labors, wasting away all her time with tears, since she perceived herself wronged by enemies, and by the harm of her very first-suffering mother and her father bending his ear to the mother, whose descendants we all are on the earth.
§1.51βοᾷ μὲν ὅρκους, ἀνακαλεῖ δεξιὰς, §1.52πίστιν μεγίστην, καὶ Θεὸν μαρτύρεται· §1.53ἔγνω γὰρ ἡ τάλαινα συμφορῶν ὕπο, §1.54οἱον πατρῴαν μὴ λιπεῖν ἐσθλὸν χθόνα· §1.55στυγεῖ δὲ κόσμον οὐδ’ ὁρῶσ’ εὐφραίνεται.
She cries oaths, she recalls right hands, the greatest pledge, and calls God to witness; for the wretched one learned through her disasters what it is like not to leave her good ancestral land; and she hates the world, nor does she rejoice when she sees it.
§1.56Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ νῦν ἐκβέβηκ’ ἀλγηδόνος, §1.57ὥσθ’ ἵμερός μ’ ὑπῆλθε γῇ τε καὶ πόλῳ §1.58λέξαι μολοῦσαν δεῦρο φύσεως βλάβας.
For she has now reached such a point of pain, that a desire came upon me to come here and tell to earth and heaven the harms of nature.
For the wretched one does not yet cease from her lamentations, bringing forth yet not bringing forth, and again fleeing births.
§1.61Δύστην’·
Wretched one!
ἐμαυτὴν γὰρ λέγω, λέγουσα σὲ, §1.62τίκτουσαν οὐ τίκτουσαν, ὡς ὑπὲρ λόγον.
For I speak of myself in speaking of you, bringing forth yet not bringing forth, as is beyond reason.
For I knew a birthless birth—for what shall I say?— having fled labors and corruption, now and of old.
§1.65Οὐκ οἶδα τέρψιν οὐδ’ ἐπίψογον φάτιν §1.66τινὸς πρὸς ἀνδρὸς μᾶλλον ἢ χαλκοῦ βαφάς· §1.67οὐ γὰρ κορείης ἅμμα διέφθειρέ τις.
I know neither pleasure nor the blameworthy talk of any man, any more than the dyeing of bronze; for no one destroyed the knot of my virginity.
§1.68Καὶ παῖδα πῶς ἔτικτον;
And how did I bring forth a child?
ὦ θάμβος μέγα·
Oh, great wonder!
§1.69ὑβρισμένον δὲ τανῦν πῶς οἴσω βλέπειν;
But how shall I bear to see Him now insulted?
§1.70πόνους φυγοῦσα πῶς ὀδυνῶμαι κέαρ;
Having fled labor pains, how is my heart in pain?
§1.71Ἀνηλάλαξα πῶς πάλαι χαρᾶς ὕπο, §1.72ὅτ’ ἦλθεν εὐάγγελος ἀγγέλων τόκον, §1.73φράζων ἄλυξιν δυσμενῶν βροτῶν γένει §1.74καὶ γηθόσυνον χάρμα μοι φέρων μέγα;
How did I cry out of old in joy, when the messenger of messengers came with good tidings of a birth, telling of an escape from enemies for the race of mortals and bringing me a great joyful gladness?
§1.75λόγοις δὲ τοῦδ’ εὔπλαγκτος οὐκ ἐφαινόμην §1.76πεισθεῖσα τῷ φέροντι θέσκελον φάτιν §1.77οὐχὶ σφάγιον μηνύουσαν μ’ ἐκτεκεῖν, §1.78ἀλλ’ ὡς ἄνακτα γῆς τε καὶ παντὸς πόλου.
But I did not appear easily swayed by his words, having believed the one who brought the divine saying, which indicated not that I would bring forth a victim for slaughter, but as a ruler of the earth and the whole heaven.
§1.79Ὅμως δ’ ἔθυον καὶ γυναικείῳ νόμῳ §1.80ψυχῆς ἔπεμπον ἀλαλαγμὸν ἐκ μέσης, §1.81λάσκουσ’, ἀνευφημοῦσα τὴν ἀγγελίαν, §1.82θυηφάγον φέρουσά τ’ εὐώδη φλόγα, §1.83οἵαν θύειν φράζουσιν οἱ θεοπρόποι, §1.84ζῆλον ζάπυρον, πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον, §1.85ἔρωτά τ’ ἀκάθεκτον, ἔνθερμον λίαν, §1.86ἃ θυσίαν οἴδαμεν εὐφημουμένην.
But nevertheless I sacrificed, and according to woman's custom I sent up a cry from the midst of my soul, shouting, praising the announcement, and bearing a sacrifice-consuming sweet-smelling flame, such as the prophets bid to sacrifice, a fiery zeal, a contrite spirit, and an irrepressible, very warm love, which we know to be a praised sacrifice.
§1.87Καὶ πῶς στροβεῖ μου σπλάγχνα νῦν δριμὺ βέλος;
And how does a sharp arrow now whirl my inwards?