§1.589ὡς αὐτὸς εἶπε καὶ πρὸ τοῦ θεοπρόποι.
as He Himself said, and before Him the prophets.
§1.590Ἐλπὶς δέ μοι ξύνεστιν ἀσφαλεστάτη· §1.591ἐμοὶ γὰρ ὑπὲρ πάντας, οἷσι λείπεται, §1.592ξύνεστιν ἐλπὶς, οὐδὲ κλέπτομαι φρένας, §1.593ἕξειν τι κεδνόν· ἡδὺ δ’ ἐστὶ καὶ δοκεῖν
But a most secure hope is present with me; for to me, more than all who are left, hope is present, nor am I deceived in my mind that I shall have some good thing; and even to think so is sweet.
But when a secure hope remains all the more, what kind of joy is that!
Ἀλλὰ νικῶμαι πόνοις §1.596καὶ προβλέ‘πω μὲν ταῦθ’, ὅπως ἔσται τάχει, §1.597λύπη δὲ κρείσσων τῶν ἐμῶν ἐλπισμάτων.
Yet I am overcome by sufferings, and though I foresee these things, how they will be soon, my grief is stronger than my hopes.
§1.598Πάγκλυτε, παγκαλλίστα κούρη, παρθένε, §1.599ἔμβρυον, ὡς φὴς, τὸν Θεὸν πλουτήσασα, §1.600σὺ ταῦτ᾿ ἐπέγνως· καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ νῦν σκόπει·
All-renowned, all-beautiful maiden, virgin, who, as you say, have been enriched with God as your unborn child, you have understood these things; now observe also what remains.
§1.601σοφωτέραν γὰρ ἴδμεν οὖσάν σε βροτῶν §1.602καὶ ταῦθ’ ὁρῶσαν καὶ συνιέναι τέλος· §1.603ὡς φρικτὰ πάντα καὶ βροτησίῳ γένει §1.604πλὴν τῆς τεκούσης δυσμαθῆ συνιέναι.
For we know that you are wiser than mortals, and that you see these things and understand the end; since all these things are dreadful and hard for the mortal race to understand, except for the mother who bore Him.
§1.605Ὦ δυστάλαινα τῶν ἐμῶν ἀλγημάτων·
O wretchedness of my sufferings!
§1.606ὡς οἶδα μὲν πόλλ’, οἶδα δ’ οὐχ, ὅπως φράσω· §1.607ὡς θάμβος ἐστὶ τοῦτον ᾐωρημένον §1.608ἰδεῖν με καὶ θανόντα κἂν ἑκουσίως.
How I know much, yet know not how to speak; what a wonder it is for me to see Him suspended and dying, even if willingly.
§1.609Ἰώ μοι, ἰώ·
Alas, alas!
αἰ αἴ·
Ah, ah!
§1.610Τί γοῦν, τί δράσεις, ὦ παθοῦσ’ αμήχανα;
What then, what will you do, O you who have suffered helpless things?
§1.611Οὐκ οἶδα πλὴν ἒν, κατθανεῖν, εἰ μὴ τάχει §1.612τῶν νῦν παρόντων πημάτων ἄκος λάβω, §1.613ὡς ἐστὶν ἐλπὶς λίαν ἀσφαλεστάτη· §1.614μίαν μόνην μεῖναί με δεῖ τὴν αὔριον, §1.615ὡς ξυμπερανθῇ φροντὶς, ἥ με νῦν τρύχει.
I know nothing but one thing, to die, unless I receive a swift remedy for the present sufferings, as there is a most secure hope; I must wait for only one single day, tomorrow, so that the anxiety which now wears me down may be brought to an end.
§1.616Ἀλλ’, ὦ φίλ’ Υἱὲ, μή μ’ ἔρημόν σου λίπῃς.
But, O beloved Son, do not leave me desolate without you.
§1.617Θρηνοῦσα πολλὰ τρανὸν οὐδὲν δεικνύεις· §1.618πη γάρ μ’ ἀπαγγελεῖς ἀκούειν δείματα §1.619πείθεις τε πολλὰ δειματοῦσθαι τοῖς λόγοις, §1.620πη δὲ θρασύνεις, κοὐδὲν ἄρα καθαρῶς.
Lamenting much, you show nothing clearly; for at one moment you tell me to hear fears, persuading me by your words to be much afraid, and at another you encourage me, and so nothing is pure.
§1.621Οὐ μακρὰν ἔσται τέρμα τῶν ἠλπισμένων.
The end of what is hoped for will not be far off.
I myself have not yet entered the hull of a ship, but seeing it in pictures and hearing of it, I know.
§1.624ναύταις γὰρ ἢν μέτριος ᾖ χειμὼν φέρειν, §1.625προθυμίαν ἔχουσι σωθῆναι πόνων, §1.626ὁ μὲν παρ’ οἴαχ”, ὁ δ’ ἐπὶ λαίφεσι βεβὼς, §1.627ὁ δ’ ἄντλον εἵργων ναός· ἢν δ’ ὑπερβάλῃ §1.628πολὺς ταραχθεὶς πόντος, ἐνδόντες φορᾷ §1.629παρῆκαν αὐτοὺς κυμάτων δρομήμασιν.
For if a storm is moderate for sailors to bear, they have eagerness to be saved from troubles, one at the helm, another standing by the sails, and another keeping the bilge water from the ship; but if the great, stirred-up sea exceeds, yielding to the rush, they abandon themselves to the run of the waves.
§1.630Οὕτως δὲ κἀγὼ δείν’ ὁρῶσα πήματα §1.631ἄφθογγός εἰμι καὶ παρεῖσ’ ἐῶ στόμα· §1.632νικᾷ γὰρ, ὡς οὐκ ἐκ Θεοῦ, δεινὸς κλύδων.
And so I, seeing dreadful sufferings, am speechless and let my mouth be, letting go; for a terrible surge wins out, as though not from God.
May the most secure hope sustain you, Sovereign of all, Mother of the Sovereign.
But since one speech leads to another, whom do I see here again directing his course?
§1.637Ἂ ἄ·
Ah, ah!
τίνα στείχοντ᾿ νῦν ἐνθάδε §1.638στυγνοπρόσωπον, δακρύων πεπλησμένον;
Who is this now walking hither with a gloomy face, filled with tears?
§1.639Δέσποινα κούρη, Δεσπότου μῆτερ Λόγου, §1.640μή με στυγήσῃς· οὐχ ἑκὼν, ἑκὼν δ’ ὅμως §1.641λύπρ’ ἀγγελῶ σοι πρὸς παλαιοῖς καὶ νέα.
Sovereign maiden, Mother of the Lord Word, do not loathe me; unwillingly, yet willingly nonetheless, I shall announce sad things to you, both new and old.
§1.642τέ δ᾿ ἐστίν;
What is it?
ὥς μοι φροιμίων ἄρχῃ κακῶν.
It is as if you are beginning a prelude of evils for me.
§1.643Δέσποινα κούρη, πῶς ἐρῶ;
Sovereign maiden, how shall I speak?
πῶς σοι φράσω,.
How shall I tell you?
For I bring to you a report worthy of intense anxiety and of vehement distress and bitter pains.
§1.646Ὦ πότνα κούρη, σεμνότατα παρθένε, §1.647ὥς σε στενάζω λυγρὸς ὢν μύστης, ὅμως §1.648τῷ Μυσταγωγῷ πιστὸς, κἂν πάσχονθ’ ὁρῶ.
O revered maiden, most holy virgin, how I lament for you, being a sorrowful initiate, yet faithful to the Mystagogue, even though I see Him suffering.
§1.649Τί δ’ ἐστίν;
What is it?
‘Eβραίων τί μηνύεις νέον;
What new thing of the Hebrews do you report?
Your Son is now no more, so to speak; yet He beholds the light on a slender balance.
§1.652Πῶς φής;
How say you?
τί τοῦτ᾿ ἔλεξας;
What is this you have said?
οἶδας δ’ αὖ πόθεν;
And whence do you know it?
Come, tell me, explain: by what fate do you now say Christ is dying, the Child of the immortal Father?
Since there was hope that He would remain immortal and be the redeemer of the whole race of Israel.
§1.657Ἐπεὶ πόλιν γε τῆσδε Σαλομὼν χθονὸς §1.658λιπόντες ἀφίκανον ἐς στρωτοὺς λίθους §1.659ἄνακτ᾿ ἐμὸν σύροντες ἀλάστωρ ὄχλος, §1.660αὐτίχ᾿ ὅμιλος οὐρανοδρόμῳ ξύλῳ §1.661ἀνῆγον, ἦγον, ἦγον εἰς ἄκρον τέλος, §1.662ὀρθὸς δ’ ἐς ὀρθὸν αἰθέρ’ ἐστηρίζετο.
For leaving the city of Solomon of this land, they came to the paved stones, the avenging crowd dragging my Lord, at once the crowd raised, led, and brought Him on the heaven-running wood to the extreme end, and it was fixed straight into the straight air.
§1.663Ἐς κλῶνα δ’ ἐγκάρσιον ἄλλον εὐθέως §1.664ἔτεινον, ἐξέτεινον, ἥλωσαν χέρας, §1.665πόδας δὲ καθήλωσαν ἐν πηκτῷ ξύλῳ.
And immediately onto another transverse branch they stretched, extended, and nailed His hands, and nailed His feet to the fastened wood.
§1.666Ὡς δ’ ἔσχον οὕτως Δεσπότην ἠρτημένον, §1.667ἄλλοι μὲν αὐτὸν καλάμῳ κραταιβόλῳ §1.668ἔβαλλον, ἀντίπυργον εἰσβάντες πέτραν, §1.669ἄλλοι δ’ ὑσώπῳ σπόγγον ὄξους ἔμπλεον,
And when they had the Lord suspended thus, some struck Him with a hard-hitting reed, going upon a cliff-like rock, while others with hyssop [offered] a sponge full of vinegar...