§1.1262Ναὶ, φίλε Νικόδημε, σὺ πρῶτος τάχει §1.1263ἔμβαινε πηκτάς κλίμακος πρὸς ἐμβάσεις, §1.1264ἐκπασσαλεύσων διγλύφου δοκοῦ δέμας §1.1265λέοντος, ὃν γέγηθε θηράσας λαός.
Yes, friend Nicodemus, do you first in haste mount the steps of the joined ladder, to unnail from the double-carved beam the body of the lion, whom the people rejoiced in hunting.
§1.1266Σὺ δ’ ἔξιθ’ ὡς τάχιστα καὶ θρηνοῦσα περ· §1.1267ὡς ταῦτ᾿ ἄραρε, κοὐκ ἔχεις ἰσχὺν, ὅπως §1.1268ταῦτ᾿ ἀνατρέψῃς, κἂν στένῃς κἂν δακρύῃς.
And do you depart as quickly as possible, even though lamenting; for these things are fixed, and you have no strength, so that you might overturn this, even if you wail and weep.
§1.1269Δειλαί᾿ δύστηνος, εἰ Παῖδ’ οὐχ ὁρῶ §1.1270κἂν τεθνεῶτα, μέχρι καὶ τύμβος λάβῃ· §1.1271φύγω δὲ δῆμον, ἵνα μή τι καὶ πάθω;
Wretched and unhappy me, if I do not see my Child, even though dead, until the tomb receives him; and shall I flee the crowd, lest I also suffer something?
§1.1272Παιδὸς γὰρ ἄνευ τὶς ἔρως μοι τοῦ βίου;
For without my Child, what desire is there for me of life?
Allow me to weep for my dead Child and to bury him, to touch his feet and to draw down his limbs.
§1.1275Ἄγ’, ὦ τάλαινα χεὶρ ἐμὴ, νεκροῦ λαβοῦ.
Come, O my wretched hand, lay hold of the dead.
§1.1276Μὴ μὴ κροσοίσῃς χεῖρα μηδ’ ἅψῃ νεκροῦ, §1.1277μὴ δῆτ’, ἐπεί μιν ταῖνδ’ ἐγὼ θάψω χεροῖν, §1.1278τὸν Νικόδημον εἰσφέρων συνεργάτην, §1.1279μύρων χύσιν φέροντα δαψιλεστάτην, §1.1280ὡς μή τις αὐτὸν δυσμενῶν καθυβρίσῃ, §1.1281πέπλους ἀνασπῶν σῶμά τ' ἐκφέρων τάφου.
Do not, do not stretch out your hand, nor touch the dead, by no means indeed, since I shall bury him with these hands of mine, bringing in Nicodemus as a helper, who brings an abundant pouring of myrrh, lest any of the hostile ones should abuse him, tearing away the robes and carrying his body out of the tomb.
For as it is fitting even for one who does not have kinship, I too honor the dead man as a friend.
§1.1284Πῶς δ’ οὖν κομίζειν ἢ τί χρὴ δεδρακότας §1.1285τὸν νεκρὸν ἡμᾶς σῇ χαρίζεσθαι φρενὶ, §1.1286φρόντιζ'· ἐμοῖς δὲ χρωμένη βουλεύμασι §1.1287σιγῇ φέρ᾿· ἔσται γὰρ τὸ πᾶν πανευπρεπές.
Therefore, consider how we must carry him, or what we must do to make the dead man pleasing to your mind; and using my counsels, bear it in silence; for everything will be very decorous.
§1.1288ὠμὀν ὠμὸν εἰς σὸν Παῖδα τεθνεῶτ᾿ §1.1289εἶναι γὰρ Ἰουδαῖος οὐκ ἀναίνομαι· §1.1290ἀτὰρ τοσοῦτον οὐ δυνήσομαί ποτε §1.1291τὸν σὸν πιθέσθαι Παῖδ’ ὅπως οὐκ ἐσθλὸς ἦν, §1.1292οὐδ’ εἰ τὸ σύμπαν τῶν βροτῶν λέγει γένος §1.1293καὶ τὴν ὀρεινὴν γραμμάτων πλήσειέ τις §1.1294ὕλην, ἐπεί μιν ἐσθλὸν ἐπίσταμαι.
To be harsh, harsh towards your dead Child, for I do not deny that I am a Jew; yet I shall never be able to believe this much, that your Child was not noble, not even if the entire race of mortals says so, and if someone should fill the mountain woods with writings, since I know that he is noble.
§1.1295Ἔκτειν᾿ ὅμως, ἄνασσα, χεῖρας σὺν κόραις, §1.1296δέξαι τε νεκρὸν Παῖδα σὸν πεφιλμένον, §1.1297καὶ κλαῦσον, ὡς βούλοιο, καὶ ψαῦσαι μελῶν.
Nevertheless, O queen, stretch out your hands with the maidens, and receive your beloved dead Child, and weep, as you would wish, and touch his limbs.
§1.1298Κάλλιστον εἶπας μῦθον, ἐν δ’ εὐεργέταις §1.1299τολοιπὸν ἤδη καὶ φίλοις ἔσῃ πλέον, §1.1300ὡς καλλίνικος, ᾗ κλέος νίκης μέγα.
You have spoken the most beautiful words, and among benefactors and friends henceforth you shall be even more esteemed, as a glorious victor, who has great glory of victory.
Therefore, dearest old man, take him, clasp the Child in your arms and draw him near.
§1.1303λαβοῦ λαβοῦ νῦν καὶ κατόρθωσον δέμας, §1.1304ὄρθου κεφαλὴν, πῆχυν ἐνθεὶς αὐχένι §1.1305πλευρὰν πλευρὰν δὲ τοῦδ’ ἀείρατε.
Take hold, take hold now and straighten his body, erect his head, placing your arm under his neck, and lift up his side, lift up his side.
§1.1306Ἔκτειν᾿, ἄνασσα, χεῖρας, αἵ τ' ἄλλαι κόραι, §1.1307δέχνυσθε νεκρὸν, ὃς νεκροῖς ζωὴν διδοῖ, §1.1308κἀγὼ δ’, ὅσον δύναμις, ὑποδέξομαι.
Stretch out your hands, O queen, and you other maidens, receive the dead man, who gives life to the dead, and I too, as far as I am able, shall receive him from below.
§1.1309Ἄγ’, ὦ τάλαινα χεὶρ ἐμὴ, νεκρὸν λάβε.
Come, O my wretched hand, receive the dead.
§1.1310Φεῦ φεῦ·
Alas, alas!
τί λεύσω;
What do I behold?
ταῖν χεροῖν τί νῦν φέρω;
What do I now carry in my hands?
§1.1311τὶς ἐστιν οὗτος, ὃν νέκυν χεροῖν ἔχω;
Who is this, whom I hold as a corpse in my hands?
How indeed shall I, wretched one, reverently place him against my breast?
τίνα θρηνήσω τρόπον;
In what manner shall I lament?
May you yourself grant that I may address you as dead, and draw down all your limbs to me, O Child.
§1.1316Χαῖρ’, ὕστατόν σ’ ὁρῶσα νῦν προσφθέγγομαι, §1.1317ὃν μήποτ’ αὐτὴ φύσασ’ ὤφελον νέκυν §1.1318τανῦν ἰδέσθαι φθίμενον σ’ ὑπ’ ἀνόμων.
Farewell, I address you now, seeing you for the last time, whom I, who gave you birth, ought never to have seen now as a corpse, destroyed by lawless men.
§1.1319Δὸς ἀσπάσασθαι μητρὶ δεξιὰν χέρα.
Grant to your mother to kiss your right hand.
§1.1320Ὦ φιλτάτη χεὶρ, ἧς ἐγὼ πόλλ’ εἰχόμην §1.1321προσειχόμην θ’ ὡς κισσὸς ἔρνεσι δρυός· §1.1322Ὦ φίλον ὄμμα, φίλτατον δἐ μοι §1.1323καὶ σχῆμα καὶ πρόσωπον εὐγενὲς τέκνου· §1.1324Ὦ γλυκυτάτη προσβολὴ τῶν
O dearest hand, which I used to hold so much, and to which I clung like ivy to the shoots of an oak; O dear eye, and dearest to me both noble form and face of my child; O sweetest touch of...
§1.1325Ὦ θέσκελος χρὼς πνεῦμά θ’ ἥδιστον τέκνου· §1.1326Ὦ θεῖον ὀδμῆς ἆσθμα· καὶ γὰρ ἐν §1.1327οὖσ’ ᾐσθόμην σου κἀνεκουφίσθην κέαρ.
O divine flesh and sweetest breath of my child; O divine breath of fragrance; for even when I was with you, I perceived you and my heart was relieved.
§1.1328Τί σ’ ὧδ’ ἀτίμως ἠθέλησας τεθνάναι;
Why did you wish to die so dishonorably?
Why have you made your mother who bore you bereft of you?
Οἴμοι, συνθάνοιμί σοι. Τέκνον· §1.1331θανεῖν με κρεῖττον ἢ θανόντα σε βλέπειν
Alas, may I die with you, Child; better for me to die than to look upon you dead.
How shall I have comfort from your speechless and closed eye?
πῶς δ’ οἴσω μένειν. ,
And how shall I endure to remain?
§1.1334Ὦ χρωτὸς ἡδὺ πνεῦμα· μάτην ἄρα §1.1335ἔθρεψε, Τέκνον, μαζὸς οὑμὸς σπαργάνοις,. §1.1336μάτην δ’ ἐμόχθουν καὶ κατεξάνθην πόνοις §1.1337ἀρχῆς ἄκρης σῶν ξένων γενεθλίων;
O sweet breath of flesh; in vain then did my breast nourish you, Child, in swaddling clothes, and in vain did I toil and was worn out with labors from the very beginning of your wondrous birth?
Indeed, living much, and going much to Hades, O Child of the Almighty, you have touched my heart.
§1.1340Εκ τῶνδε πρώτων πρῶτον ἄρξομαι λέγειν.
Of these first things I shall first begin to speak.