For have they not yet ceased nor had their fill of murder and evil folly?
§1.1178Ζηλῶ σ’· ἐν ἀρχῇ πῆμα κοὐδέπω μέσοι.
I envy you; the calamity is at the beginning, and we are not yet in the middle.
§1.1179Τί δ’ ἐστὶν, ὦ γηραιέ;
But what is it, O old man?
μὴ σίγα, φράσον.
Do not be silent, speak.
§1.1180Ἤκουσά του λέγοντος, οὐ δοκῶν κλύειν, §1.1181θώκους προσελθὼν, ἔνθα δὴ παλαίτεροι §1.1182θάσσουσι σεμνὰν ἀμφὶ Σαλομὼν στοὰν, §1.1183ὡς τόνδε νεκρὸν οὐκ ἐᾷ πρεσβυτέρων §1.1184ὄχλος, προσιὼν τῆσδε κοιράνῳ χθονὸς, §1.1185θάπτειν.
I heard someone speaking, while I seemed not to listen, as I approached the seats where the elders sit around the solemn portico of Solomon, to the effect that the crowd of elders, going to the ruler of this land, will not allow this corpse to be buried.
Ὁ μέντοι μῦθος εἰ σαφὴς ὅδε, §1.1186οὐκ οἶδα, βουλοίμην δ’ ἂν οὐκ εἶναι τάδε.
Yet whether this report is certain, I do not know; but I would wish these things not to be so.
For he gave him up to me as to a friend, when I entreated him to take the corpse itself.
§1.1189Τὸ πᾶν ὄλωλεν, εἰ κακὸν προσοίσομεν §1.1190νέον παλαιῷ, πρὶν τόδ’ ἐξηντληκέναι, §1.1191ὡς αὐτὸς εἶπεν ἤματι τρίτῳ πέρας §1.1192τὰ λυπρὰ λαβεῖν γηθοσύνῃ καρδίας.
All is lost if we bring a new evil upon the old, before this has been exhausted, just as he himself said that on the third day the painful things would find their end in joy of heart.
§1.1193Οὐ τοῦτο Πατὴρ Παῖδ’ ἀνέξεται παθεῖν.
The Father will not endure that the Son suffer this.
Old laments are left for new burials, and he is no friend to these decrees.
Yet upon them themselves may he work vengeance; for he will not cease from anger; he said clearly that he would even burn down the city.
Yet upon the enemies, who are not friends, may the avenging and defending eye of the Father work some retribution.
§1.1200Οὐ γὰρ μὰ τὴν δέσποιναν, ἣν ἀεὶ σέβων §1.1201ἐξ Υἱέος νῦν εἱλόμην ὡς μητέρα, §1.1202χαίρων τις αὐτῶν τοῦδε διάξει φόνου·
For, no, by the queen, whom always revering I have now chosen as mother from the Son, none of them shall live out his life rejoicing in this murder.
§1.1203Θεὸς γὰρ, ὡς ἔγνωμεν ἐκ τῶν θαυμάτων, §1.1204ὧν καὐτὸς εἶδες πολλὰ καὶ τανῦν βλέπεις’ §1.1205οὐδ’ ἠγνόησας ἡλίου τόσον σκότος, §1.1206ἐπείδ’ ἔκλινε καὶ μεθῆχ’ ἑκουσίως §1.1207ψυχήν· μόρος γὰρ οὔποτ’ ἦν §1.1208εἰ μὴ κελευσθεὶς ἧκε τῇ καρὸς κλίσει.
For he is God, as we have known from the wonders, of which you yourself saw many and see even now; nor were you ignorant of such great darkness of the sun, when he bowed his head and willingly yielded up his soul; for death would never have come unless summoned by the bowing of his head.
§1.1209τοὐνθένδε μᾶλλον φρικτὸν ἦν θέαμ᾿ ὁρᾶν· §1.1210γῆς γεῖσσα σαλευθέντα, ῥαγείσας πέτρας, §1.1211τάφους τε νεκρῶν εἶδες ἠνεῳγμένους.
And after that, it was a more terrible sight to look upon: you saw the edges of the earth shaken, the shattered rocks, and the tombs of the dead opened.
§1.1212Ὡς δ’ αὖ τις ἧκεν ἀνατινάσσων δόρυ, §1.1213νύσσει παραστὰς νειάτην πλευρὰν ξίφει, §1.1214ἀκμαῖος ἀνήρ· τῆς τομῆς γὰρ §1.1215πληγὴν βαθεῖαν, ὦλκα τραύματος βλέπων·
And when again someone came brandishing a spear, standing by, a man in his prime pierced the lowest part of the side with a blade; for I see the deep blow of the cut, the furrow of the wound.
§1.1216οὗτος μὲν ὦσε κατὰ πλευρᾶς που δόρυ, §1.1217πλευρᾶς νενυγμένης δὲ θαυμαστῶς ὕδωρ §1.1218ἔσταξεν εὐθὺς αἷμά τ᾿ οὐ πεφυρμένον· §1.1219διπλοῦς γὰρ ἐστάλαξε κρουνὸς αὐτόθεν, §1.1220φρικτὸν θέαμα· πᾶσι δ’ ἦν φόβος θίγειν.
This one indeed thrust his spear somewhere near the side, and from the pierced side, wonderfully, water and unmixed blood dripped immediately; for a double stream dripped from there, a terrible sight, and all were afraid to touch.
§1.1221Αύτὸς δ’ ὁ νύξας ἐκπλαγεὶς κέκραγε πως· §1.1222„Ὄντως ὁ παρὼν νεκρὸς ἔστι Παῖς §1.1223τλήμων τε μήτηρ ἐμπαρεστῶσ’ ἰκρἰῳ §1.1224πίπτει στένουσα καί γε προσπιλνᾷ ξύλῳ, §1.1225ᾤμωξε δ’ εὐθὺς καὶ περιπτύσσει πόδας §1.1226καὶ χερσὶν ἠρύσατο δικρούνου ῥοῆς §1.1227κυνοῦσά αὐδᾷ τοιάδ’· „Ὦ θεῖον §1.1228βροτῶν μὲν αὐτὸς καὶ θανὼν κήδῃ σαφῶς §1.1229κενοῖς τε καθάρσιον ἀνθρώπων γένους, §1.1230σὲ δ’ οὐδὲ φροντίζει τις ἐνθεῖναι τάφῳ. “ §1.1231Επεὶ δὲ θρήνων καὶ γόων ἐπαύσατο, §1.1232κρῄζουσ᾿ ἄκραντον ἐξαναστῆναι δέμας, §1.1233προσείχεθ’ ὥστε κισσὸς ἔρνεσιν δάφνης.
And he who pierced him, being astonished, cried out somehow: "Truly this dead man is the Son of God." And the wretched mother, standing by the scaffold, falls groaning and clings to the wood, and immediately wailed and embraces his feet, and with her hands she drew from the double stream, kissing him, and speaks thus: "O divine head, even in death you clearly care for mortals, and as a purification of the human race for the empty ones, yet no one even cares to place you in a tomb." And when she ceased from her laments and wailings, crying out for the lifeless body to rise up, she clung to him like ivy to branches of laurel.
And after a time, freed from her wailings, she said: "Why do I rave thus?
πειστέον Παιδὸς λόγοις §1.1236ἔργοις θ’, ὅσ’ ὑπέδειξεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν, §1.1237ὡς ἔστιν αὐτῷ πᾶν θελητὸν δυνατόν· §1.1238καὶ τῶν ἀέλπτων τὸν πόρον δ’ αὐτὸς διδοῖ. “ §1.1239Ταῦτ’ εἶπε, καὶ παραυτίχ’ ὡράθης σύ μοι.
I must obey the words of my Child and his deeds, as many as he showed for a testimony, since everything wished for is possible for him; and he himself gives a way out of the unexpected." She said these things, and immediately you were seen by me.
§1.1240Θαυμάστ᾿ ἔφησας, καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα δεικνύει.
You have told wonderful things, and the event shows it.
§1.1241Ἀτὰρ σύ γ’, (οὐ γὰρ καιρὸς εἰδέναι τάδε §1.1242δέσποιναν,) ἡσύχαζε καὶ σίγα λόγον §1.1243καὶ θᾶττον ὡς μάλιστα τῶνδ’ ἔρημ’ ἄγε, §1.1244καὶ μὴ πελάζητ’ ἐγγὺς ἐνθυμουμένοις §1.1245μηδὲ προσέλθητ’, ἀλλὰ φυλάσσεσθε που §1.1246ἄγριον ἦθος, στυγερᾶς φύσιν φρενός.
But you, (for it is not the time for the queen to know these things,) keep quiet and silent about the matter, and as quickly as possible lead her away far from these places, and do not let her draw near to those who are planning evil, nor let them approach, but guard somehow against their wild temper, the nature of their hateful mind.
§1.1247Ω καλλίνικοι, χαίρετ’, ὦ φίλοι δύο, §1.1248ὁ Νικόδημος σὺν Ἰωσήπῳ δίῳ, §1.1249εἰς καιρὸν ἥκατ’, εὖγε δ’ εὖ πεπράχατε.
O victorious ones, hail, O two friends, Nicodemus with noble Joseph, you have come in good time, and well indeed have you done.
For to faithful friends, the misfortune of friends falling into distress is a grief and touches their minds deeply.
Hasten now, hasten, bring him down; for I see you both have come now for this purpose.
§1.1254ἄνιτ’ ἄνιτε θᾶσσον, ὡς ἄν μοι νέκυν §1.1255καταγάγητε, δεσποτείας ὠλένας §1.1256ὅπως κατασπάσαιμι καὶ σύμπαν μέλος, §1.1257κυνοῦσα σάρκας, ἅσπερ ἐξεθρεψάμην.
Accomplish, accomplish it more quickly, so that you may bring down the corpse for me, that I may draw down the Lord's arms and every limb, kissing the flesh which I reared.
Go out, depart, lest some of the murderers do you harm, nor will they endure to see you.