Unwritten image of an unwritten form, why now are you dark?
οὐ φέρω βλέπουσά σε·
I cannot bear to look upon you.
§1.925πῶς πῶς σιγᾷς νῦν οὐδ’ ὑπανοίγεις στόμα;
Why, how do you now keep silence, and do not even open your mouth a little?
Give me a word, give, give comfort to me; speak something brief to your wretched mother, Child.
§1.928ναὶ Τέκνον οἶδα καὶ Θεὸν μου, κἂν φέρῃς §1.929θάνατον οἰκτρὸν ἀθανατίζοντά με, §1.930θάνατον ἀθάνατον ἄγοντα κλέος §1.931καὶ χάρμα παντὶ τῷ βροτῶν γένει μέγα.
Yes, Child, I know you also as my God, even if you bear a pitiable death that makes me immortal, a death that brings immortal glory and great joy to all the race of mortals.
§1.932τέτλαθι, παγκοίρανε, μαιμῶσα κλάειν· §1.933ἑκὼν γὰρ ἔτλη πότμον, οὔκουν ἀέκων, §1.934ὡς παμφάγον νῦν καμβαλὼν οἶτον γένους §1.935ἔκδικος ἔλθῃ, Δεσπότης παντεργάτης, §1.936λέβητι χρυσέῳ δ’ ἔπέψων μοι δέμας §1.937σοφῇ προμηθείᾳ με καινίσῃ ξένως.
Endure, all-ruling queen, to weep eagerly; for willingly he endured his fate, and not unwillingly, so that, having now cast down the all-devouring fate of our race, the all-working Lord may come as an avenger, and boiling my body in a golden cauldron, he will renew me strangely by wise forethought.
§1.938λυγρὸν γὰρ ἀπὸ γῆρας εὐφυῶς ξύσας §1.939ἀνθρωπολοιγοῦ παμπαλαιᾶς μοι λύμης §1.940κοῦρον φίλον θήσειεν ἡβώωντά με’
For smoothly scraping away grievous old age from the ancient, man-destroying ruin in me, he will make me a dear, youthful maiden.
§1.941ὡς νῦν κάκιστον γῆρας ἅπαντας τρύχει, §1.942ναὶ ναὶ τρύχει γῆράς με πημάτων βάρει §1.943λώβης παλαιᾶς μητρὸς ἠπατημένης· §1.944ἀλλ’ αὐτὸς ἀλύξαι με πημάτων ἔφη §1.945αὐτὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν μητέρα στρέψαι τ᾿ ἐμὴν §1.946καὶ γαῖαν οἶκόν θ’, ὃν προδοῦσ’ ἀφίκετο §1.947βουλαῖς ἀνάγνοις θηρὸς ἠγριωμένου §1.948ἐς τήνδε γαῖαν, μητέρα στεναγμάτων, §1.949μετ᾿ ἀνδρὸς, ὃν πρὶν ἥδ’ ἀτιμάσασ’ ἔγνω·
As now the worst old age wears out all people, yes, yes, old age wears me out with the weight of troubles of the ancient ruin of my deceived mother; but he himself said that he would make me escape from troubles, and turn my mother herself to him and her land and home, which she betrayed and reached by the unholy counsels of the wild beast, to this land, the mother of groanings, with her husband whom she, having previously dishonored, came to know.
For she, wretched one, came to know through disasters what it is to leave the richness of the soil of old.
§1.952Καὶ τοῦδ’ ἕκητι πάνθ’ ὑποστῆναι θέλειν §1.953αὐτὸς προεῖπε καὶ θέλων ἔτλη μόρον, §1.954ἤματι τριτάτῳ δ’ ἀνεγρέσθαι τάφου, §1.955μύσταις φίλοις φέροντα χάρμα καὶ μέγα.
And for the sake of this, wishing to undergo all, he himself foretold and willingly endured his fate, and to rise from the tomb on the third day, bringing great joy also to his dear disciples.
§1.956Εἰδώς τε ταῦτα πάντα πρὶν σαφῶς ἔφη.
And knowing all these things, he spoke clearly before.
§1.957Ἤδη δ’ ἔχει ξύμπαντα ταῦτα νῦν τέλος, §1.958λείπει δὲ γηθόσυνον ἦμαρ καὶ μόνον, §1.959καὶ τοῦτο νῦν μενοῦμεν, ἔσται δ’, ὡς ἔφη.
And already all these things have now their end, and there remains only the joyful day, and this we now await; it shall be as he said.
For he who has now made known the painful things as true will also show bright joy on the third day.
§1.962οἶδάς τε σὺ μάλιστα τέρμα δρωμένων· §1.963θήσει δὲ λύπης ἀντὶ τῆσδε καὶ γόων §1.964τιμὰς μεγίστας ἀνὰ γῆν σοι καὶ πόλον, §1.965πλήσει τε πᾶσαν γαῖαν εὐδόξων λόγων, §1.966ναούς τε σοι τεύξουσι τὸ βροτῶν φῦλον.
And you especially know the end of what is being done; and instead of this grief and wailing, he will place the greatest honors for you throughout the earth and the heavens, and will fill all the earth with glorious words, and the race of mortals will build temples for you.
§1.967Θᾶττον γὰρ ἀντὶ τοῦδε δυσσεβοῖς φόνου §1.968σεμνὴν ἑορτὴν τῇδε γῇ προσάψεται §1.969καὶ γῆν Σολύμων ἱερὸν τεύξει πέδον· §1.970ὧν εἵνεκα χρὴ μὴ μέτρου θρηνεῖν πέρα.
For more swiftly, instead of this impious slaughter, he will attach a solemn festival to this land, and will make the land of Jerusalem a sacred plain; for which reasons one must not lament beyond measure.
§1.971Μὴ δῆτα γοῦν, δέσποιν’, ἀφέρτατα στένε, §1.972οὔτ’ ὄμμ’ ἐπαίρουσ’ οὔτ᾿ ἀπαλλάσσουσα γῆς §1.973πρόσωπον, οὐ βλέφαρα δακρύων ῥοῆς.
Do not indeed, O queen, groan unbearable things, neither lifting your eye nor turning your face from the ground, nor your eyelids from the flowing of tears.
§1.974Ἕως πότε στρέψεις δὲ κάτω τὴν δέρην, §1.975ῥοαῖς καταρδεύουσα τὴν γῆν δακρύων, §1.976ἔκδικον ὄμμα παντεπόπτου Δεσπότου §1.977εἰδυῖα θᾶττον χάρμα σοι φέρειν μέγα, §1.978πρὸς ὅν σε τείνειν ὄμμα καὶ μόνον δέον;
Until when will you turn your neck downward, watering the earth with flows of tears, knowing that the avenging eye of the all-seeing Lord will swiftly bring great joy to you, toward whom it is necessary for you to stretch your eye alone?
§1.979Οἶδας γὰρ, οἶδας· ἕψεται τοῖς φροιμίοις §1.980καὶ τέρμα φαιδρὸν, γηθόσυνος ἡμέρα· §1.981μίαν μόνην μεῖναί σε δεῖ τὴν αὔριον, §1.982ὡς ξυμπερανθῇ φροντὶς, ἣ κἀμὲ τρύχει.
For you know, you know; there shall follow upon the prelude also a bright end, a joyful day; you must wait for tomorrow alone, so that the plan which also wears me out may be fully accomplished.
You have appeared to me as another son, O young man; for he himself said so, my Son, who is also my only one.
§1.985οἶδάς τε πάντως πάντα, τίς χρειὼ λέγειν;
And you know all things entirely; what need is there to speak?
§1.986ὡς ἀσπόρως ἔτικτον, ὠδίνων ἄτερ, §1.987στερρᾶς τ᾿ ἔφυγον τῶν τόκων ἀλγηδόνας, §1.988Θεοῦ τε Παῖδα τοῦτον ἀγγείλας ἔφη, §1.989καὶ πόλλ’ ἔδρασεν, οἷα καὶ μόνου Θεοῦ.
How without seed I gave birth, without labor pains, and escaped the severe pains of childbearing, and he spoke of this child as the Son of God, announcing him, and he did many things, such as belong to God alone.
§1.990Καὶ πῶς τανῦν οἴσαιμι γυμνὸν καὶ νέκυν §1.991ἐν ἰκρίῳ βλέπουσ’ ἀπῃωρημένον, §1.992ὃς γαῖαν ᾐώρησεν ὑδάτων ὕπερ, §1.993δι’ ὃν τὸ φάος ἡλίου συνεστάλη, §1.994καὶ τῆς σελήνης τ᾿ ἐσκότασε πᾶν σέλας, §1.995καὶ ῥῆξιν ἀνέτλησαν αἱ πέτραι φόβῳ, §1.996μνημεῖά τ᾿ ἠνοίγησαν εἰς δεῖγμα κράτους, §1.997αὐτοῦ παθόντος ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν Αἰτίου.
And how now shall I bear to see him naked and a corpse, suspended on the wooden beam, who suspended the earth above the waters, because of whom the light of the sun was contracted, and all the brightness of the moon grew dark, and the rocks underwent splitting out of fear, and the tombs were opened as a proof of his power, when the Cause himself suffered on their behalf?
§1.998Δέσποινα παγκοίρανε, μῆτερ τοῦ Λόγου, §1.999αὐτὸς κἀγὼ τέθηπα, μὴ φέρων βλέπειν §1.1000φρικτὸν θέαμα, Δεσπότην τεθνηκότα, §1.1001ζωὴν τὸν ἐμπνέοντα τοῖς ζῶσι πνοῇ, §1.1002στένω τε πυκνὰ καὶ χέω θερμὸν δάκρυ· §1.1003ἐλπὶς δ᾿ τρέφει με, καὶ θρηνῶν §1.1004οὐ γὰρ ἀπιστῶ τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ Δεσπότου.
O all-ruling queen, mother of the Word, I myself also am astonished, not bearing to look upon the terrifying sight, the dead Lord, the one breathing life into the living with his breath; and I groan frequently and shed hot tears; but hope nurtures me, even while lamenting, for I do not distrust the words of the Lord.