Part II — Preces Quotidianae
§43 ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ ΣΤΑΥΡΩΣΙΝ, Μονοστροφικά / *In Christum Crucifixum, Monostrophica*
Printed 392 · 393
Greek
1ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ ΣΤΑΥΡΩΣΙΝ
2Μονοστροφικά.
3Ἄλις ἐνθέου φλυάρου
4Ἄμειβε, Μοῦσα, χορδὰς,
5Καὶ βάρβιτον λαβοῦσα,
6Σεμνὸν κρότησον ὕμνον
7Σταυρουμένῳ Ἄνακτι.
8Ὦ θαυμάτων ἄπληστε
9Θησαυρὲ, κἀπέραντε·
10Τί Σοι, τί πρῶτον εἴπω;
11Θέλω λέγειν ἀνέκφατον βροτοῖσι,
12Μακάρεσσί τε δαίμοσι γρῖφον,
13Πᾶς, Θεὸς ὢν, ἔθανες!
14Θέλω λέγειν ἀνιχνίαστα βένθη
15Ἐλέου, ὅτι λύτρον ὑπ' ἐχθρῶν
16Υἱὸν ἔδωκε Πατήρ.
17Θέλω ὑψόθ' ἀῦσαι
18Θέσφατον θρίαμβον
19Τριημέροιο νεκροῦ,
20Καὶ αἰχμάλωτον Ἅιδην,
21Καὶ θάνατον θανάτῳ δαμέντα.
22Ἀλλά μοι ἀμφιβρέμει Κρανίων ὄρος,
23Καὶ πολύθρου κελάδου γέμει οὔατα,
24ὀλλύντων, ὀλλυμένων τε.
25Ἐκθόρετ' ἐς λόφον ὄμματα,
26Τίς μέσσος κρέμαται τριῶν,
27(Ὡς οὐδὲν δυσὶν ἴκελος,)
1IN CHRISTUM CRUCIFIXUM
2MONOSTROPHICA.
3SATIS fuit inspirationis nugatoriæ;
4Musa, permuta chordas,
5Et, barbito arrepto,
6Augustum insona hymnum
7Crucifixo Regi.
8O miraculorum vaste
9Thesaure, atque immense!
10Quid tuum, quid primum dixero?
11Vellem dicere inenarrabile hominibus
12Beatisque Angelis ænigma,
13Qui, Deus immortalis, mortuus es?
14Vellem dicere imperscrutandas profunditates
15Misericordiæ, quia lytrum pro hostibus
16Filium præbuit Pater.
17Vellem sublimiter eloqui
18Mysticum triumphum
19Triduani cadaveris,
20Et captivum orcum,
21Mortemque morte profligatam.
22Nisi quod mihi circumfremit Calvariorum mons,
23Et fragoso strepitu gravantur aures
24Perdentium, pereuntiumque.
25Exsilite ad collem, oculi;
26Quis medius trium pendet,
27(Quam nil duobus ille similis!)
English
1ON THE CRUCIFYING OF CHRIST
2Monostrophics.
3ENOUGH of inspired babbling;
4Change, O Muse, thy strings,
5and taking up the lyre,
6strike a solemn hymn
7to the King upon his cross.
8O Treasure of wonders, unsated
9and unbounded:
10What shall I say to thee, and what first?
11I would tell a thing unspeakable to mortals,
12and a riddle to the blessed spirits,
13How, being God, thou didst die!
14I would tell the untrackable deeps
15of Mercy, that for a ransom, at the hands of enemies,
16the Father gave the Son.
17I would cry aloud on high
18the oracled triumph
19of the three-days' dead,
20and Hades led captive,
21and death subdued by death.
22But the hill of Skulls roars round about me,
23and mine ears are full of a many-voiced clamour,
24of them that destroy, and them that perish.
25Leap forth to the hill, mine eyes;
26who is it hangeth in the midst of three,
27(how nothing like unto the two!)
Printed 394 · 395
Greek
1Ἐκ δ' ἐτάθη τετράζυγι πρέμνῳ;
2Πρῆϋ κάρηνον
3Ἡδέως κεκυφὼς,
4Καὶ ὠλενῶν ἱερὸν κράτος
5Ἐγκάρσιον πετάσσας,
6Νηλεέσσι γόμφοις
7Πεπαρμένον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα!
8Ἄνθρωπε τάλαν, ταῦτ' ἀπαθὴς βλέπεις;
9Οἴμωζε πολλὰ,
10Ἐσθῆτα ῥῆξον,
11Καὶ τύπτε στέρνον,
12Καὶ τίλλε χαίτην,
13Καὶ σπλάγχνα κινοῦ·
14Ἡ οὐχ ὁράας ὁλοπόρφυρον;
15Στίλβοντ' οὐ φλογὶ
16Σιδονίης ἁλὸς, ἀλ-
17λ' αἵματι σταζομένῳ,
18Τῷ μὲν ἀπὸ κροτάφων
19Κυκλουμένων ἀκάνθης
20Ὀξυστόμοισι κουραῖς·
21Τῷ δὲ καὶ ἐκ μελέων
22Κεχαραγμένων ἱμάσθλης
23Πικρῇσι συμπλοκῇσι.
24Ἄνοιγ', ἄνοιγε
25Πύλας ὀπωπῶν
26Καὶ πηγὰς βλεφάρων
27Λῦσαι·Ψέκαζε, δεῦε γαῖαν,
28Σὺν τῷ ἀφειδῶς
29Ἑὸν αἷμα χέαν-
30τ'. ὀλίγ' ἄττα λείβειν δάκρυα
31Τίς φθόνος, ὦ βροτέ;
1Extensus quadrijugo stipite?
2Mansuetum caput
3Amœne inclinans,
4Et brachiorum sacrum robur
5Transversum expandens,
6Immitibus clavis
7Perfossum hic et illic.
8Homo miselle, hæccine immotus aspicis?
9Plora ubertim,
10Vestem conscinde,
11Et tunde pectus,
12Ac vellica crinem,
13Medullitusque perturbare.
14Nonne cernis totum-purpuratum?
15Sed haud fulgentem flamma
16Tyrii maris, verum
17Sanguine stillante,
18Partim a temporibus
19Cinctis spinarum
20Acriter mordente incisura;
21Partim ex artubus
22Insignitis flagellis
23Amaro amplexu.
24Aperi, aperi
25Portas oculorum;
26Et fontes palpebrarum
27Solve:irrora, madefac terram,
28Cum illo largiter
29Proprium cruorem effundente.
30Pauculas quasdam distillare lachrymas
31Quænam invidia sit, O homo?
English
1and is stretched out upon the four-yoked stock?
2his gentle head
3sweetly bowed down,
4and the holy strength of his arms
5spread abroad athwart,
6with pitiless nails
7pierced through on this side and on that!
8Wretched man, dost thou look on this unmoved?
9Wail sore,
10rend thy garment,
11and smite thy breast,
12and tear thy hair,
13and stir thy bowels.
14Dost thou not see him all in purple?
15gleaming not with the flame
16of the Sidonian sea, but
17with blood dripping down,
18the one part from his temples
19girt about with the thorn's
20sharp-mouthed shearing;
21the other from his limbs
22scored with the scourge's
23bitter embracings.
24Open, open
25the gates of thine eyes,
26and the springs of thine eyelids
27loose:drizzle down, wet the earth,
28with him that unsparingly
29poureth out his own blood.
30To shed some few tears —
31what grudging is that, O mortal?