K Class "BN 4 i 7 Book _^5l_ GopightN COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. Hymns and Poetry of the Eastern Church Collected and Chronologically Arranged By BERNHARD PICK NEW YORK: EATON & MAINS CINCINNATI : JENNINGS & GRAHAM |L|BRARY of 00N68ESS| Two Copies Me i FEB 25 J 908 s .— - vOwr-ifM tflOf> U»*l /? /<*# ■ tfuiSS A AAc. No. | -/%a Copyright, 1908, by EATON & MAINS. Contenta PAGE PREFACE 7 EARLY ANONYMOUS HYMNS: Morning Hymn (A9itov) 34 Hymn to God ("ft irdvTwv circKciva) . T 36 Hymn to Christ on Easter Day (XpiorT€ ava|) 38 To His Own Soul (T£ Ti)... ... 48 To Himself (IIov SI \6yoi) 57 SYNESIUS 58 Hymn to the Deity CA76 poi, \iyeia) 60 Again we hail the opening morn (IldXiv iptyyos) 67 Lift up thyself, my soul ("A-y* p.oi, t|n>x°0 70 To Thee at evening gray (2k p.€v apxoplvas) 70 Awake, our lute, the Child to sing ( " Yp.vwp.ev Kovpov vvpx|>as) 71 3 4 CONTENTS PAGE Thee, with the holy self-sprung Fount, we sing (Mcrd irayas d-y(as) 73 O my deathless, O my blessed (IIp»Tos vdfiov €vpop,av). 75 O ! 'tis no theme of common things OYwd Swpiov dpp,o*ydv) 76 Well-beloved and glory-laden (IIoXv^paTc, kv8i|«) 78 Christ the Son (Mvc&eo XpurW) 80 EPHRAEM THE SYRIAN 81 On the Nativity of Our Lord 86 Epiphany 87 On Palm Sunday 88 The Children in Paradise. . 89 On the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem .... 90 Lament of a Father on the Death of His Little Son . . 91 Christ the Companion of the Disembodied Soul 92 Sabbath Hymn 94 Battle Song Against Satan 96 On the Death of Children 98 ANATOLIUS 99 Evening Hymn (Ttjv Tjplpav SieXBwv) 102 For Christmas (M£yct ical irapdSo£ov 8avp,a) 103 In Bethlehem ('Ev B^Xc^i) 104 For Saint Stephen's Day (T» {3a.o-i.Xc? Kal SccnrdTfl) 105 On Christ Calming the Storm (Zocpds TpiKvpias) 105 ANDREW OF CRETE 106 A Eucharistic Hymn (Td p.£ya p,vvXaicf\s) 116 CONTENTS 5 PAGE Let us rise in early morning ('OpOpCo-apev op9pov) 117 Into the dim earth's lowest parts descending (KarqXOes €V TOIS) Il8 Who from the fiery furnace saved the Three ('0 iratSas 4k Kaptvov) 118 Thou hallowed chosen morn of praise (Avn] tj kXij-Wj) . . 119 Shine! shine! O new Jerusalem (#o>tC£ov, tptDTtgov) 120 If the dark and awful tomb (Et Kal 4v Ta irpd r&v atwvcov) 134 Rod of the Root of Jesse CP&p8os 4k t^s p£tn$) 136 Father of Peace, and God of Consolation (0«os <5v ctprjvTjs) 137 As Jonah, issuing from his three days' tomb (2irXaYXv«v 'Iwvav) 138 The Holy Children boldly stand (Ol watSes >vo-e|3e£a) . . . 138 The dewy freshness that the furnace flings (OavpaTos vircp&m]K€v f| tj^'p 01 ) 1 48 The Lord draws nigh, the righteous throne's Assessor fO Kvpios Ipx«Tai) 150 The Lord, the Lord hath triumphed (XapwrHjpiov v) . 171 Mark, shining light of Egypt (Atyvirrov o~TT]p) 172 preface There are collections of the sacred poetry of the Western Church, but very few, if any, of the Eastern Church. When Neale published in 1862 his "Hymns of the Eastern Church," he stated in the preface of his translations: "These are liter- ally, I believe, the only English versions of any part of the treasures of Oriental hymnology. There is scarcely a first or second-rate hymn of the Roman Breviary which has not been trans- lated: of many we have six or eight versions. The eighteen quarto volumes of Greek Church poetry can only at present be known to the Eng- lish reader by my little book." Since that time other efforts have been made in that direction; and in presenting this volume to the lover of sacred poetry we fill a gap in the literature of hymnology. The present collection contains such hymns as were accessible in the English language to the compiler, including also fragments from the ear- liest Greek Christian poets and from Ephraem the Syrian; and in this respect it goes beyond the collection of Neale, which only contains speci- mens from Byzantine poets. 8 PREFACE The sources which have been perused for the present collection are : Bonar: Hymns of the Early Church (in "Sunday at Home," London, 1878). Browning: Essays on the Greek Christian Poets and the English Poets. New York, 1864. Burgess: Select Metrical Hymns and Homilies of Ephraem Syrus. London, 1853. [Charles, Mrs.]: The Voice of Christian Life in Song. New York, 1865. Chatfield: Songs and Hymns of the Earliest Greek Christian Poets. London, 1876. Julian: Dictionary of Hymnology. New York, 1892. Neale: Hymns of the Eastern Church. London, 1862. People's (The) Hymnal. London, 1871. Schaff: History of the Christian Church, vols. ii-iv. Shipley: Lyra Eucharistica. London, 1869. Shipley: Lyra Messianica. London, 1869. Shipley: Lyra Mystica. London, 1869. Greek hymns in the original are contained in Bassler: Auswahl altchristlicher Lieder (1858), pp. 153-166. Christ and Paranikas: Anthologia Graeca Car- minum Christianorum. Lipsiae, 1871. Daniel: Thesaurus Hymnologicus, iii (1855), which also contains (pp. 139-268) Syriac hymns. The hymns of Ephraem were edited PREFACE 9 by Bickell (Leipzig, 1866), and in a German translation by C. Macke (Mayence, 1882). Our collection contains two kinds of anony- mous hymns : those belonging to the earlier period are given at the beginning; those of a later period, at the end. Between these the reader will find selections from eighteen poets. But these poets do not by far exhaust the list of hymn writers of sacred poetry. Mention is made of — Eudocia, the empress, wife of Theodosius II. She lived in the fifth century, rendered into Greek hexameters the Pentateuch and the Books of Joshua and Judges ; made a version of the prophet Zechariah and of the Book of Daniel, and wrote a poem in three books on Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina. "She wrote,' ' says Mrs. Browning, "only such Christian Greek poems as Christians and poets might rejoice to read, but which perished with her beauty, as being of one seed with it." Paulus Silentiarius, of the sixth century, the court poet, chiefly esteemed for his descriptive poem on the Byzantine Church of Saint Sophia. John Geornetra, of the seventh century, author of certain hymns to the Virgin Mary, "as accumu- lative of epithets and admirations as ten of her litanies, inclusive of a pious compliment, which, however geometrically exact in its proportions, sounds strangely" (Mrs. Browning). Sergius, patriarch of Constantinople in the reign of Heraclius (610-641), is supposed to be the io PREFACE author of a famous and favorite hymn akathistos (that is, a poem chanted while priest, and people were standing), in praise of Mary as the deliverer of Constantinople from the siege of the Persians (630). Considered as a poem — the original is given by Christ (p. 140, seq.) — the chief part of it is full of splendor; "but the worship of the Virgin, which is its raison d'etre, scarcely admits of its adaptation even partially in England." George Pisida, author of "Hexaemeron, " which is "rather a meditation or rhythmical speech upon the finished creation than a retro- spection of the six days; and also there is more of Plato in it than of Moses." He also wrote on the "Vanity of Life," which has much beauty and force, and from which Mrs. Browning quotes the following lines : "Some yearn to rule the state, to sit above, And touch the cares of hate as near as love; Some their own reason for tribunal take, And for all thrones the humblest prayers they make ; Some love the orator's vainglorious art, — The wise love silence and the hush of heart, — Some to ambition's spirit-curse are fain, That golden apple with a bloody stain; While some do battle in her face (more rife Of noble ends) and conquer strife with strife: And while your groaning tables gladden these, Satiety's quick chariot to disease, Hunger the w T ise man helps, to water, bread, And light wings to the dreams about his head. PREFACE ii The truth becomes presently obvious, that — The sage o'er all the world his scepter waves, And earth is common ground to thrones and graves." " Sophronius, patriarch of Jerusalem (629), cele- brated in Anacreontic meters the praises of Jesus, the apostles and martyrs. Some of his pieces stand first in the second part of Christ's work, which treats of the Byzantine poems (pp. 43-46, 96-97). Maximus the Confessor (580-662), author of some hymns, three of which are given by Daniel (iii, pp. 97-103). Christ omits Maximus. Germanus (634-734), patriarch of Constanti- nople. He was one of the grandest among the defenders of the icons. He was present at the Synod of Constantinople in 712, which restored the Monothelite heresy ; but in after years he con- demned it. He was made patriarch of Constanti- nople in 715. In 730 he was driven from the see, not without blows, for refusing to yield to the iconoclastic emperor Leo the Isaurian. He died shortly afterward, at the age of one hundred years. His hymns are few. He wrote stanzas on Simeon the Stylite, on the prophet Elijah, on the decollation of John the Baptist, and a canon on the wonder-working image in Edessa. A few pieces of Germanus are given in Daniel, iii, p. 79; Christ, p. 98. Andrew Pyros wrote the praise of Peter and Paul (see Christ, p. 8^). 12 PREFACE In addition to these we mention Ettas of Jeru- salem, (about 761); Tarasus, patriarch of Con- stantinople (died 806); Euthymius, known as Syncellus (died about 910), author of a peniten- tial canon on the Virgin Mary; Leo VI, or "the Philosopher" (886-917), author of detached stan- zas on the Resurrection, which "are better than might have been expected from an imperial author, and the troubler of the Eastern Church by a fourth marriage" (Neale) ; Orestes, bishop of Jerusalem (996-1012); Kasias; Nilus Xanihopulus; John Mauropus, metropolitan of Euchaita (died 1060) ; Theodore Prodromus, the reputed author of "Christus Patiens," usually attributed to Gregory of Nazianzen; John Tzetza, to whom Doering in his "De tragcedia Christiana, quae inscribitur XpioTog Haoxw" (Barmen, 1864), ascribes the au- thorship of that tragedy; Manuel Phile, of the fourteenth century. With Mauropus, who belongs to the period of the decline and decay of Greek Church poetry, Greek hymnody well-nigh ceased. Newark, N. J. B. P. Ibpmns ant> poetry of tbe Eastern Cburcb From the synagogue the Church received her hymn book, the Psalter, and how deeply rooted it was in the consciousness of the Christians we learn, for example, from Theodoret in the fifth century, who says: "Of the other Scriptures, the generality of men know next to nothing ; but the Psalms you will find again and again repeated in private houses, in market places, in the streets, by those who have learned by heart, and who soothe themselves by their divine melody." And Saint Ambrose remarks: "When other parts of Scripture are used, there is such a noise of talking in the church that you cannot hear what is said; but when the Psalter is read, all are silent." There can be no doubt that at an early period other songs were added to the Psalter. Saint Paul speaks of "hymns and spiritual songs" in addition to "psalms," and the heathen governor of Asia Minor, the younger Pliny, writes to the Emperor Trajan in the year 107 that the perse- cuted Christians in that country were in the habit of meeting at daybreak and singing hymns to the praise of Christ as their God (carmen Christo quasi Deo dicere invicem secum). A disposition has 13 14 HYMNS AND POETRY OF shown itself to find in rhythmical quotations which are not demonstrably taken from the Old Testament traces of primitive Christian songs; thus, for example, Eph. 5. 14: "Eyeipe, 6 tta&evduv, Kai avdara en tgjv ve/cpcov, /cat enupavoei 001 b Xptorog. But whatever these hymns and songs may have been, certain it is that the Greek Church long adhered almost exclusively to the Psalms of David, and it had, in opposition to heretical predilections, even a decided aversion to the public use of unin- spired songs. The fifty-ninth canon of the Coun- cil of Laodicea, about A. D. 360, prohibited the use of "private hymns," or, ISiutikoI tpafyoi, and the Council of Chalcedon in 451 continued this decree. On this account the Greek Church of the first six centuries produced nothing in the field of sacred poetry which has had permanent value or general use. If such hymns ever existed, the earliest are unfortunately lost. What is left are a few anonymous hymns (vpvoi adeonoroi.), which are probably very old, because mentioned in the "Apostolic Constitutions." But whatever their antiquity, these anonymous hymns "bear witness to a living communion of some human hearts with God, and are as such most precious, whether we regard them as carrying up the links of our faith to the first century, or as bringing down the faith and worship of the apostolic age to the fourth THE EASTERN CHURCH 15 century" (Mrs. Charles, in "The Voice of Christian Life in Song," p. 23). Eari£ Bnongmous iHsmns I Morning Hymn This (v(j,vog kudivog) is found at the end of the Alexandrian Codex of the Bible, and in the Zurich Psalter, reprinted by Tischendorf in his "Monumenta Sacra inedita," 1869. It is also found at the end of vol. iii of Swete, "The Old Testament in Greek" (Cambridge, 1894). This hymn, commencing, A6|a kv vtyioroiq $e& 7 an expansion of the doxology of the heavenly hosts, is mentioned in the "Apostolic Constitu- tions" (lib. vii, c. 47). Bonar renders it thus: Glory in the highest of God, And on earth peace, Among men well-pleasedness ! We praise thee, We bless thee, We worship thee, We glorify thee, We thank thee, Because of thy almighty glory. O Lord, heavenly King, O God, Father Almighty, O Lord, only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, And Holy Spirit ! O Lord God, 16 HYMNS AND POETRY OF O Lamb of God, Son of the Father, Who takest away the sins of the world, Pity us ! Who takest away the sins of the world, Receive this prayer of ours ! Who sittest at the right hand of the Father, Pity us ! For thou only art holy, Thou only art Lord, Jesus Christ, To the glory of the Father ! Amen. Each day I will bless thee, And I will praise thy name forever ; Yea, forever and forever ! Vouchsafe, O Lord, even this day, That we may be kept sinless. Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers ; Yea, blessed and glorified Be thy name forever. Amen ! Blessed art thou, O Lord, Teach me thy judgments ! Blessed art thou, O Lord, Teach me thy judgments ! O Lord, thou hast been a refuge to us From generation to generation ! 1 have spoken, O Lord, pity me ! Heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee. O Lord, in thee have I taken refuge, Teach me to do thy will, O thou — for thou art my God. For with thee is the fountain of life, In thy light shall we see light. Extend thou thy mercy To those that know thee ! THE EASTERN CHURCH 17 II Evening Hymn In the "Apostolic Constitutions" (lib. vii, c. 48) an evening hymn is mentioned, which commences, Alvelre, naldeg, and is rendered by Chatfield as follows : Praise the Lord, O ye his servants, Praise the name of the Lord; We praise thee, we hymn thee, we bless thee For thy great glory. O Lord the King, the Father of Christ, the Lamb without blemish, Who taketh away the sin of the world, To thee belongeth praise, to thee belongeth the hymn, to thee belongeth glory, The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Throughout all ages. Amen. Now lettest thou thy servant depart, O Lord, According to thy word, in peace: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, A light to lighten the Gentiles, and (to be) the glory of thy people Israel. Ill A Hymn at Lamplight Concerning this evening hymn, the vftvog kcmeQi- vog, or vfivog tov Xvxvucov, commencing, c5c IXagbv, Bonar states that Saint Basil thus writes in his work on the Holy Spirit to Amphilochius (c. 29) : "It seemed good to our fathers to receive the 2 i8 HYMNS AND POETRY OF light of evening not in silence, but with thanks- giving, as soon as it appeared. But who was the father (author) of these words of thanksgiving at the lighting of the lamps, we cannot say." The following is a free translation by Schaff: ("History of the Christian Church," ii, p. 227) : Hail ! cheerful Light, of his pure glory poured, Who is th' Immortal Father, Heavenly, Blest, Holiest of Holies — Jesus Christ our Lord ! Now are we come to the Sun's hour of rest, The lights of evening round us shine, We sing the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost divine ! Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung With undefiled tongue, Son of our God, Giver of life alone ! Therefore, in all the world, thy glories, Lord, we own. IV A Prayer at Dinner Table This is also found in the "Apostolic Constitu- tions" (lib. vii, c. 49), and commences, EvXoyrjTdg el. We give Chatfield's rendering: Thou art blessed, O Lord, who nourishest me from my youth, Who givest food to all flesh. Fill our hearts with joy and gladness, That at all times, having all sufficiency, We may abound to every good work In Christ Jesus our Lord : With whom to thee (be) glory, honor, and might, Forever and ever. Amen. THE EASTERN CHURCH 19 These were probably not the only hymns which were known at a very early period, for, as Schaff observes, an author toward the close of the second century could appeal against the Arte- monites to a multitude of hymns in proof of the faith of the Church in the divinity of Christ: "How many psalms and odes of the Christians are there not, which have been written from the beginning by believers, and which, in their the- ology, praise Christ as the Logos of God?" V The Psalm op the Naassenes NojiiOf r\v yeviKog This psalm, preserved by Origen ("Philoso- phumena," lib. v, c. 1), occupies the third place in the "Anthologia Grseca Carminum Christian- orum," ed. Christ and Paranikas. The transla- tion which we subjoin is by J. H. Macmahon in the "Ante-Nicene Library": The world's producing law was Primal Mind ; The next was Firstborn's outpoured Chaos ; And third, the soul received its law of toil Enriched therefore, with an aqueous form, With care o'erpowered it succumbs to death; Nay, holding away, it eyes the light, And now it weeps on misery flung ; Now it mourns, now it thrills with joy ; Now it waits, now it hears its doom ; Now it hears its doom, now it dies, And now ^ it leaves us, never to return. 20 HYMNS AND POETRY OF It, hapless straying, threads the maze of ills. But Jesus said, "Father, behold, A strife of ills across the earth Wanders from thy breath (of wrath), But bitter Chaos (man) seeks to shun, And knows not how to pass it through. On this account, O Father, send me ; Bearing seals, I shall descend; Through ages whole I'll sweep, And mysteries I'll unravel, And forms of God I'll show ; And secrets of the saintly path, Styled 'Gnosis/ I'll impart." The oldest Christian poem preserved to us, the authorship of which can be authoritatively traced, is from the pen of the profound Christian philos- opher Clement of Blejcanfcrta (Died about A. D. 217) This poem, which is found at the close of Clem- ent's "Paedagogue," is a sublime but somewhat turgid song of praise to the Logos, as the divine educator and leader of the "human race." The title of the hymn is "Yfivog rov awT^poc Xgiorov, that is, "Hymn of the Saviour Christ," and it addresses Christ as the leader of the youth, that he himself may gather them to praise him (verses 1-8) ; then as the Shepherd and King of the saints, that he may guide his sheep and rule over them (verses 9-22); and, finally, as the Eternal THE EASTERN CHURCH 21 Word, whose footsteps lead to heaven (verses 23- 53). It was not intended for public worship, nor is it adapted for it — being written in dimeter anapestics ; but it is remarkable for its spirit and antiquity. We subjoin from Schaff ("History of the Christian Church,* * ii, p. 230) the following literal translation of this poem, commencing, Irdfitov Bridle of untamed colts, Wing of unwandering birds, Sure Helm of babes, Shepherd of royal lambs ! Assemble thy simple children, To praise holily, To hymn guilelessly With innocent mouths Christ, the guide of children. O King of saints, All-subduing Word Of the most high Father, Prince of wisdom, Support of sorrows, That rejoicest in the ages, Jesus, Saviour Of the human race, Shepherd, husbandman, Helm, Bridle, Heavenly wing Of the all holy flock, Fisher of men Who are saved, 22 HYMNS AND POETRY OF Catching the chaste fishes With sweet life From the hateful wave Of a sea of vices. Guide [us], Shepherd Of rational sheep; Guide harmless children, O holy King. O footsteps of Christ, O heavenly way, Perennial Word, Endless age, Eternal Light, Fount of mercy, Performer of virtue, Noble [is the] life of those Who praise God, O Christ Jesus, Heavenly milk Of the sweet breasts Of the graces of the Bride, Pressed out of thy wisdom. Babes, nourished With tender mouths, Filled with the dewy spirit Of the spiritual breast, Let us sing together Simple praises, True hymns To Christ [the] King, Holy reward For the doctrine of life. Let us sing together, Sing in simplicity THE EASTERN CHURCH 23 To the mighty Child, O choir of peace, The Christ begotten, O chaste people Let us praise together The God of peace. "This poem," says Schaff (1. c), "was for six- teen centuries merely a hymnological curiosity, until an American Congregational minister, Dr. Henry Dexter, of Boston, by a happy reproduc- tion, in 1846, secured it a place in modern hymn books. While preparing a sermon (as he informs me) on 'some prominent characteristics of the early Christians' (text, Deut. 32. 7, 'Remember the days of old'), he first wrote down an exact translation of the Greek hymn of Clement, and then reproduced and modernized it for the use of his congregation in connection with the sermon. It is well known that many psalms of Israel have inspired some of the noblest Christian hymns. The forty-sixth psalm gave the keynote of Luther's triumphant war-hymn of the Reforma- tion, 'Ein' feste Burg.' John Mason Neale dug from the dust of ages many a Greek and Latin hymn, to the edification of English churches, notably some portions of Bernard of Cluny's 'De Contemptu Mundi,' which runs through nearly three thousand dactylic hexameters, and fur- nished the material for 'Brief life is here our 24 HYMNS AND POETRY OF portion,' Tor thee, O dear, dear country/ and 'Jerusalem the golden/ "We add Dexter's hymn as a fair specimen of a useful transfusion and rejuvenation of an old poem : "Shepherd of tender youth, Guiding in love and truth Through devious ways; Christ, our triumphant King, We come thy name to sing; Hither our children bring To shout thy praise ! "Thou art our holy Lord, The all-subduing Word, Healer of strife; Thou did'st thyself abase, That from sin's deep disgrace Thou mightest save our race, And give us life. "Thou art the great High Priest; Thou hast prepared the feast Of heavenly love; While in our mortal pain None calls on thee in vain; Help thou dost not disdain — Help from above. "Ever be thou our Guide, Our Shepherd and our Pride, Our Staff and Song! Jesus, thou Christ of God, By thy perennial Word Lead us where thou hast trod, Make our faith strong. THE EASTERN CHURCH 25 "So now, and till we die, Sound we thy praises high, And joyful sing; Infants, and the glad throng Who to thy Church belong, Unite to swell the song To Christ our King !" (Died about A. D. 312) Methodius, the martyr, who is also called Eu- bulius, the antagonist of Origen, is the author of "Symposium (or Banquet) of Ten Virgins" (Svfnroaiov t&v deiea 7rapt9evtoi>) , an eloquent but verbose and extravagant eulogy on the blessings and advantages of voluntary virginity, which he describes as "something supernaturally great, wonderful, and glorious," and as "the best and noblest manner of life." "The conception of the Symposium," says Schaff, "and the dialogue are borrowed from Plato, who celebrated the praises of Eros, as Methodius the praises of virginity. Methodius begins with a brief dialogue between Eubulios or Eubulion (that is, himself) and the virgin Grego- rion, who was present at a banquet of the ten virgins in the gardens of Arete (that is, personified virtue) and reports to him ten discourses which these virgins successively delivered in praise of chastity. At the end of the banquet the victo- 26 HYMNS AND POETRY OF rious Thecla, chief of the virgins (Saint Paul's apocryphal companion), standing on the right hand of Arete, begins to sing a hymn of chastity to which the virgins respond with the oft-repeated refrain : " 'I keep myself pure for thee, O Bridegroom, And holding a lighted torch I go to meet thee/ "Then follows a concluding dialogue between Eubulios and Gregorion on the question whether chastity ignorant of lust is preferable to chastity which feels the power of passion and overcomes it ; in other words, whether a wrestler who has no opponents is better than a wrestler who has many and strong antagonists and continually contends against them without being worsted. Both agree in giving the palm to the latter, and then they betake themselves to 'the care of the outward man,' expecting to resume the delicate discussion on the next day. "The taste and morality of virgins discussing at great length the merits of sexual purity are very questionable, at least from the standpoint of modern civilization; but the enthusiastic praise of chastity to the extent of total abstinence was in full accord with the prevailing asceticism of the fathers, including Origen, who freed himself from carnal temptation by an act of violence against nature." The "Parthenion" of Methodius, which com- THE EASTERN CHURCH 27 mences, "Avwtfev, napdevoi, is, like Psalm 119, acros- tic; the initial letters of the strophes are the letters of the alphabet in their order. Each strophe is followed by the same refrain (vnaKorj) . The hymn has been translated into English for the "Ante-Nicene Library," vol. xiv; we subjoin, however, Chatfield's translation, adding to each strophe the letter of the Greek alphabet : A The Bridegroom cometh! overhead The shout descending wakes the dead ! Go forth to meet the King, The gates just entering! Virgins, white-robed, with lamps haste eastward forth to meet him, Haste ye, O haste to greet him ! Refrain: With holy feet, and lamps bright burning, I go to meet my Lord returning. B Earth's mournful bliss I left, and toys Of wanton life, and foolish joys: To thee alone I cling; Thou art my Life, and King : Grant that I may, O Blessed, ever close to thee, Thy royal beauty see ! Refrain: With holy feet, etc. r Thou art my wealth : for thee I fled All worldly lure, and upward sped ; And come in spotless dress Of thine own righteousness, With thee to enter in the bridal chamber gates Where perfect bliss awaits. Refrain: With holy feet, etc. 28 HYMNS AND POETRY OF A Saved from the dragon's myriad wiles, By which the simple he beguiles, I bore the dreadful fire, And wild beast's savage ire, Waiting till thou from heaven, O Hope of all creation, Shouldst come to my salvation! Refrain: With holy feet, etc. E My home and country for thy sake, And maiden dance, I did forsake, And mother's pride and race, And thoughts of rank and place : For thou, O Christ the Word, art all in all to me; I long for naught save thee ! Refrain: With holy feet, etc. Z Hail ! Christ the Life, unchanging Day, Accept this humble virgin lay: To thee our song of praise With heart and voice we raise ! In thee, O thou perfection's flower, O Word Divine, Love, joy, mind, wisdom, shine. Refrain: With holy feet, etc. H O Bride, triumphant now in light, And clad in robes of purest white, Sweet-breathing, sinless, free, Ope wide the gates to me: Sit we in selfsame company near Christ above And sing thy marriage, Love ! Refrain: With holy feet, etc. Ah me! some virgins vainly pour Their sobs and cries outside the door; THE EASTERN CHURCH 29 Their lamps are quenched, and they No burning light display; Their error they would mend; but, ah! they come too late, And closed is the gate. Refrain: With holy feet, etc. I For they a foolish part had played, And from the sacred pathway strayed; Oil, they had purchased none; Ah ! wretched and undone ! Forbidden with dead lamps the home of bliss to see, They wail their misery. Refrain: With holy feet, etc. K Lo ! goblet filled with sweetest wine : Drink we, O virgins, 'tis divine; And forth-set for our need: Lo! this is drink indeed; This for the guests, who to the marriage bidden are, The Bridegroom doth prepare. Refrain: With holy feet, etc. A First type, O Blessed One, of thee, In Abel shining bright we see : To heaven he lifts his eyes, Blood-dripping, and thus cries: "Me, by my cruel brother slain, receive, O Lord, O thou the Eternal Word." Refrain: With holy feet, etc. M Joseph, another type of thee, Won highest prize of purity ; 30 HYMNS AND POETRY OF Whom thou wouldst own thy child: He scorned to be beguiled By shameless woman; stripped, he yet her wrath defied, And straight to thee he cried: Refrain: With holy feet, etc. N A lamb for sacrifice is sought: A lamblike victim Jephthah brought: For rash-made vow he cared, Nor virgin daughter spared: A type, O Blessed One, of thy humanity, She poured her soul to thee: Refrain: With holy feet, etc. a In valor Judith holds high post : The leader of the oppressing host She smote by beauty's lure, Herself a type all pure: He headless lay; and unto thee the conquering maid Her love in song displayed: Refrain: With holy feet, etc. O The judges twain, by passion's flame Enkindled, and all dead to shame, Would chaste Susannah bind To their unhallowed mind : To their proposals base she gave a just reply: And raised her voice on high : Refrain: With holy feet, etc. II 'Twere better far that I should die, Than traitress be to marriage tie, THE EASTERN CHURCH 31 And yielding to your will Both soul and body kill : Base men ! God's fire of wrath eternal would me seize : Save me, O Christ, from these ! Refrain: With holy feet, etc. P And he who thousands washed from sin, Of thy true light the bringer-in, For virtue's cause alone Is into prison thrown By wicked king; and staining now the ground with gore He cried to thee the more : Refrain: With holy feet, etc. 2 And thy blest Mother, spotless maid, Was thought her vows to have betrayed, When travailing with thee, O Lord of purity : And found with child of transcendental heavenly birth, She raised her voice from earth : Refrain: With holy feet, etc. T Thy saints, all eager that they may Behold the glories of the day Of thine espousals high, With holy gifts draw nigh. For thou, O Lord, hast called them, thou the angels' King : White-robed to thee they sing. Refrain : With holy feet, etc. T O holy Church, O heavenly Bride, With hymns, attending at thy side, 32 HYMNS AND POETRY OF We yet on earth below Thine honor thus forth-show: All snow-white thou, all-beauteous spouse of Christ above, All purity, all love. Refrain: With holy feet, etc. $ Past are corruption, sickness, pain; Nor tears shall ever flow again : For troubles all have fled, And Death himself is dead; And sin and folly with dark dismal train are gone, Since grace in glory shone. Refrain: With holy feet, etc. X No longer Paradise of men Is void ; for there God wills again That man should safely dwell; Yea, man the same who fell Beneath the serpent's wiles : now in the promised rest, Immortal, fearless, blest. Refrain: With holy feet, etc. % Thou now to heavenly places raised, By all the virgin choir art praised, O Bride of heavenly King: And song all new we sing. With lighted torch in hand, with snow-white lilies crowned, Thy praise in Christ we sound. Refrain: With holy feet, etc. fl Father of heaven, supreme in might, Dwelling in pure eternal light With thine own Son most dear, Admit — for we are here — THE EASTERN CHURCH 33 E'en us within the gates of life, to sing thy love In thy blest courts above. Refrain : With holy feet, and lamps bright burning, I go to meet my Lord returning. Gregory of 1Ra3tan3en (About A. D. 330-391) Gregory of Nazianzen was born about 330, either at Nazianzen, a small village in Cappa- docia, where his father was bishop, or in the neigh- boring village of Arianzus. He received an ex- cellent education, which he improved at Athens, where he formed an acquaintance and friendship with Basil. On his return home he was ordained ; hesitated long between the contemplative and the active life; adhered to the Nicene doctrine, and endeavored to keep together its persecuted ad- herents ; assisted his father in his pastoral duties, and at length became minister of a small congre- gation of the Nicene Christians at Constantinople. Distinguishing himself greatly by his fervent elo- quence, and no less by his wisdom and moderation, he was made bishop of Constantinople by Theo- dosius in 381. After filling this high and difficult post for one year he resigned it and returned to his native place, where he died in 391. "Influenced, perhaps, by the example of the Syrian poems of Ephraem, and aiming, as he him- self tells us, both at consolation for himself in his 3 34 HYMNS AND POETRY OF trials, and also to entice those who cared for poetical form, and not to leave the graces of style in the possession of paganism, he uses poetry for almost every possible purpose. " "As a poet," says Schaff, "he holds a subordinate though re- spectable place. He wrote poetry only in his later life, and wrote it not from native impulse, as the bird sings among the branches, but in the strain of moral reflection upon his own life, or upon doctrinal and moral themes. Many of his orations are poetical ; many of his poems are pro- saic. Not one of his odes or hymns passed into use in the Church" (1. c, iii, p. 921). In subjoining the following specimens we follow the order as given by Christ and Paranikas. I Hymn to Christ The translation of this hymn, commencing, le rdv dcpdirov, we quote from "The Voice of Christian Life in Song," p. 62: Hear us now, Eternal Monarch, Grant us now to hymn and praise thee — Thee the King, and thee the Master ! By whom are our hymns and praises, By whom are the choirs of angels, By whom flow the ceaseless ages, By whom only shines the sun, By whom walks the moon in brightness, By whom smile the stars in beauty, THE EASTERN CHURCH 35 By whom all the race of mortals Have received their godlike reason, And thine other works outshone. Thou the universe createdst, Hast to each his place decreed, Constituting all in wisdom ; And thy word, Lord, was a deed. For thy word, Son of the Highest, In essential might and glory, Equals that of God the Father, Who creates and reigns o'er all ; Whilst the Spirit all embraceth, All preserving, all providing: Triune God, on thee we call. Thou, the one and only Monarch, In thy nature changeless, endless, Of unutterable glory, Inaccessible in wisdom, Never-wearied strength of heaven, Infinite, without beginning, High in unapproached light; All with sleepless eye observing, Not a depth thy glance escapeth, From the earth to the abysses, Deepest deep or highest height : Wheresoe'er my lot may be, Grant me thus to worship thee. Cleanse me, Lord, from my transgression, Purge me from an evil conscience, That thy godhead I may honor; Holy hands in praise uplifting, Blessing Christ on bended knee. Own me, then, at last thy servant, When thou com'st in majesty. 36 HYMNS AND POETRY OF Be to me a pitying Father, Let me find thy grace and mercy ; And to thee all praise and glory Through the endless ages be. II Hymn to God This hymn, commencing, "fl Trdvrcjv tneiceiva, says Chatfield — whose version we subjoin — is an undying record, and may bear comparison with any similar composition in any age : O thou, the One supreme o'er all ! For by what other name May we upon thy greatness call, Or celebrate thy fame ? Ineffable ! to thee what speech Can hymns of honor raise ? Ineffable ! what tongue can reach The measure of thy praise ? How, unapproached, shall mind of man Descry thy dazzling throne, And pierce, and find thee out, and scan Where thou dost dwell alone ? Unuttered thou ! all uttered things Have had their birth from thee : The One unknown ! from thee the springs Of all we know and see ! Mindful, and mindless, all things yield To thy parental sway, For thou to all art life and shield : They honor and obey. THE EASTERN CHURCH 37 For round thee center all the woes Of night and darkling day, The common wants and common throes; And all to thee do pray. And all things, as they move along In order fixed by thee, Thy watchword heed, in silent song Hymning thy majesty. And lo ! all things abide in thee, And through the complex whole Thou spread'st thine own divinity, Thyself of all the goal. One Being thou, all things, yet none, Nor one nor yet all things ; How call thee, O mysterious One? A worthy name, who brings ? All-named from attributes thine own, How call thee as we ought? Thou art unlimited, alone, Beyond the range of thought. What heaven-born intellect shall rend The veiling clouds above ? Be thou propitious ! ever send Bright tokens of thy love ! O thou, the One supreme o'er all ! For by what other name May we upon thy greatness call, Or celebrate thy fame ? 38 HYMNS AND POETRY OF III Hymn to Christ on Easter Day (After long silence) The translation of this hymn, commencing, XgiGTs aval-, is by Chatfield: Christ the King ! since breath pent up so long 1 have outpoured, thou first shalt be my song; May this my word, the current of my mind, If lawful thus to speak, acceptance find, And unto thee as holy incense rise Of holiest priest, a grateful sacrifice ! The Father's Brightness, Word of the Great Mind, Who cannot be by power of speech defined, High Light of highest Light, the Only Son, Image and Seal of the Immortal One, Without beginning; from same Fount of Light With the Great Spirit; infinite in might: All-glorious thou, and Author of all good: From age to age thy truth hath firmly stood. Enthroned thou reignest high in heaven above, Almighty Breath of Mind and Lord of Love. Throughout this framed universe divine Whatever is, or shall be, all is thine : Thou madest all, to all thou givest life, And all thou guidest: nowhere fault or strife Nor error in thy workmanship is found: The whole in willing chain to thee is bound. Thou laid'st the world's foundation; and thy nod All things obey, and own their Sovereign God. For thee the lofty sun, the king of day, Quenching the stars, holds on his fiery way. For thee, for so thou bidst, the eye of night, The moon, waxes and wanes, full orb of light. THE EASTERN CHURCH 39 For thee the belt of heaven, all-dancing ring, And seasons kindly mingling, laugh and sing. For thee the fixed stars and planets shine In course, and speak thy wisdom all divine. Thy light they are, the heavenly minds that be, All sing on high the glorious Trinity. Man is thy glory too, angel below, Here placed to sing, O Light, thy beauteous glow. Immortal, fleshless, glory's highest ray, Who mortal flesh yet took'st, man's woes to stay, For thee I live, for thee my songs arise, For thee I am a breathing sacrifice; For this, of all things once possessed by me, Alone remains, and this I give to thee. I tie my tongue, and loose it at thy will ; In either, what thou wouldst may I fulfill, Speak what is right, nor think aught else beside : From mire select the pearl, with thee my Guide ; Gold from the sand, the rose from thorny brake, From straw-encumbered ears the pure grain take. To thee, O Christ, this wreath of uttered praise, As firstf ruits of my loving toil, I raise. For from the dead, with whom he mingled lay, Great Christ arose, upon this gladsome day; Gates of grim Hades he did open fling ; And broke death's power, and robbed him of his sting; Rushed from the tomb, appeared to speaking men, For whom, once born, he died and rose again ; That we newborn might rise, from death set free, And ever live, ascending Lord, with thee. This day glad heaven with acclamation rings, And choir angelic crowning anthem sings. 40 HYMNS AND POETRY OF This day my closed lips I loose in song To thee, to whom my lute and breath belong. Of mind to Mind, of word to the true Word, I here have offered what I could afford: Hereafter, if he will, I hope to bring To the Great Spirit worthier offering. IV To His Own Soul The translation of this poem, commencing, T£ aoi -beteis, is that by Mrs. Browning, who has the heading "Soul and Body." Another transla- tion is given by Chatfield, who remarks that the original is one of the most spirited pieces anywhere to be found, truly forcible and racy. What wilt thou possess or be ? my soul, I ask of thee. What of great, or what of small, Counted precious therewithal? Be it only rare, and want it, 1 am ready, soul, to grant it. Wilt thou choose to have and hold Lydian Gyges' charm of old, So to rule us with a ring, Turning round the jeweled thing, Hidden by its face concealed, And revealed by its revealed? Or preferrest Midas' fate — He who died in golden state, All things being changed to gold? Of a golden hunger dying, Through a surfeit of "would I"-ing ! THE EASTERN CHURCH 41 Wilt have jewels brightly cold, Or may fertile acres please? Or the sheep of many a fold, Camels, oxen, for the wold? Nay ! I will not give thee these ! These to take thou hast not will, These to give I have not skill ; Since I cast earth's cares abroad, That day when I turned to God. Wouldst a throne, a crown sublime, Bubble blown upon the time? So thou mayest sit to-morrow Looking downward in meek sorrow, Some one walking by thee scorning, Who adored thee yester morning, Some malign one ? Wilt be bound Fast in marriage (joy unsound!) And be turned round and round As the time turns ? Wilt thou catch it, That sweet sickness? and to match it Have babies by the hearth, bewildering ? And if I tell thee the best children Are none — what answer? Wilt thou thunder Thy rhetorics, move the people under ? Covetest to sell the laws With no justice in thy cause, And bear on, or else be borne, Before tribunals worthy scorn? Wilt thou shake a javelin rather Breathing war? or wilt thou gather Garlands from the wrestler's ring? Or kill beasts for glorying? 42 HYMNS AND POETRY OF Covetest the city's shout, And to be in brass struck out ? Cravest thou that shade of dreaming, Passing air of shifting seeming, Rushing of a printless arrow, Clapping echo of a hand? What to those who understand Are to-day's enjoyments narrow, Which to-morrow go again, Which are shared with evil men, And of which no man in his dying Taketh aught for softer lying? What then wouldst thou, if thy mood Choose not these? What wilt thou be, O my soul? a deity? A god before the face of God, Standing glorious in his glories, Choral in his angels' chorus? Go ! upon thy wing arise, Plumed by quick energies, Mount in circles up the skies: And I will bless thy winged passion, Help with words thine exaltation, And, like a bird of rapid feather, Outlaunch thee, Soul, upon the aether. But thou, O fleshly nature, say, Thou with odors from the clay, Since thy presence I must have As a lady with a slave, What wouldst thou possess or be, That thy breath may stay with thee? Nay ! I owe thee naught beside, Though thine hands be open wide. Would a table suit thy wishes, THE EASTERN CHURCH 43 Fragrant with sweet oils and dishes Wrought to subtle niceness? where Stringed music strokes the air, And blithe hand-clappings, and the smooth Fine postures of the tender youth And virgins wheeling through the dance With an unveiled countenance, — Joys for drinkers, who love shame, And the maddening wine-cup's flame. Wilt thou such, howe'er decried? Take them, — and a rope beside ! Nay ! this boon I give instead Unto friend insatiated, — May some rocky house receive thee Self-roofed, to conceal thee chiefly; Or if labor there must lurk, Be it by a short day's work ! And for garment, camel's hair, As the righteous clothed were, Clothe thee ! or the bestial skin, Adam's bareness hid within, — Or some green thing from the way, Leaf of herb, or branch of vine, Swelling, purpling as it may, Fearless to be drunk for wine ! Spread a table there beneath thee, Which a sweetness shall upbreathe thee, And which the dearest earth is giving, Simple present to all living ! When that we have placed thee near it, We will feed thee with glad spirit. Wilt thou eat ? soft, take the bread, Oaten cake, if that bested ; Salt will season all aright, And thine own good appetite, 44 HYMNS AND POETRY OF Which we measure not, nor fetter : 'Tis an uncooked condiment, Famine's self the only better. Wilt thou drink ? why, here doth bubble Water from a cup unspent, Followed by no tipsy trouble, Pleasure sacred from the grape ! Wilt thou have it in some shape More like luxury ? we are No grudgers of wine-vinegar ! But if all will not suffice thee, And thou covetest to draw In that pitcher with a flaw, Brimful pleasures heaven denies thee — Go, and seek out, by that sign, Other help than this of mine ! For me, I have not leisure so To warm thee, Sweet, my household foe, Until, like a serpent frozen, New maddened with the heat, thou loosen Thy rescued fang within mine heart ! Wilt have measureless delights Of gold-roofed palaces, and sights From pictured or from sculptured art, With motion near their life ; and splendor Of bas-relief, with tracery tender, And varied and contrasted hues ? Wilt thou have, as nobles use, Broidered robes to flow about thee ? Jeweled fingers ? Need we doubt thee ? Gauds for which the wise will flout thee ? I most, who, of all beauty, know It must be inward, to be so ! And thus I speak to mortals low, Living for the hour, and o'er THE EASTERN CHURCH 45 Its shadow, seeing nothing more: But for those of nobler bearing, Who live more worthily of wearing A portion of the heavenly nature — To low estate of clayey creature, See, I bring the beggar's meed, Nutriment beyond the need! O, beholder of the Lord, Prove on me the flaming sword ! Be mine husbandman, to nourish Holy plants, that words may flourish Of which mine enemy would spoil me, Using pleasurehood to foil me ! Lead me closer to the tree Of all life's eternity; Which, as I have pondered, is The knowledge of God's greatnesses : Light of One, and shine of Three, Unto whom all things that be Flow and tend ! In such a guise, Whoever on the earth is wise Wilt speak unto himself : and who Such inner converse would eschew, — We say perforce of that poor wight, "He lived in vain !" and if aright, It is not the worst word we might. This is one of the several long poems, ' 'severally- defective in a defect common but not necessary to short occasional poems, and lamentable any- where, a want of unity and completeness. . . . Monotony of construction without unity of inten- tion is the most wearisome of monotonies, and, 46 HYMNS AND POETRY OF except in the case of a few short poems, we find it everywhere in Gregory" (Mrs. Browning). The following two are in Chatfield's rendering: V A Morning Prayer "Og&piog 6l6(*)fii Tis dawn : to God I lift my hand, To regulate my way; My passions rule, and unmoved stand, And give to Thee the day. Not one dark word or deed of sin, Not one base thought allow; But watch all avenues within, And wholly keep my vow. Shamed were my age, should I decline; Shamed were thy table too At which I stand; thy will is mine; Give grace, my Christ, to do. VI A Hymn at Night (After failure to keep vow) 'J&ipevodfiTjv ae Thou the Word of truth divine ! All light I have not been ; Nor kept the day as wholly thine, For thou dark spots hast seen. The day is down ; night hath prevailed ; My Lord I have belied. 1 vowed and thought to do, but failed ; My steps did somewhere slide. THE EASTERN CHURCH 47 There came a darkness from below, Obscuring safety's way ; Thy light, O Christ, again bestow; Turn darkness into day. VII An Evening Hymn 2e not vvv The rendering here given is that of Mrs. Charles ; another translation is given by Chatfield. Christ, my Lord, I come to bless thee, Now when day is veiled in night ; Thou who knowest no beginning, Light of the Eternal Light. Thou the darkness hast dissolved, And the outward light created, That all things in light might be; Fixing the unfixed chaos, Molding it to wondrous beauty, Into the fair world we see. Thou enlightenest man with reason, Far beyond the creatures dumb, That light in thy light beholding, Wholly light he might become. Thou hast set the radiant heavens With thy many lamps of brightness, Filling all the vaults above, Day and night in turn subjecting To a brotherhood of service And a mutual law of love. 48 HYMNS AND POETRY OF By the night our wearied nature Resting from its toil and tears ; To the works, Lord, that thou lovest, Waking us when day appears. VIII Admonitory Address to a Virgin Of this poem on celibacy, commencing, UapMvs vOfxpTj, Mrs. Browning says it "has occasionally graphic touches, but is dull enough generally to suit the fairest spinster *s view of that melancholy subject. If Hercules could have read it, he must have rested in the middle — from which the reader is entreated to forbear the inference that the poem has not been read through by the writer of the present remarks." The translation which we sub- join is that of Mr. Chatfield: O Bride of Christ on high, Thy Bridegroom glorify ! Always thyself keep pure, In word and wisdom sure, That bright with Him all-bright Thou e'er mayst dwell in light. Far better spouse is he Than earthly spouse could be: Thy union happier far Than mortal unions are. In bodily estate Thou yet didst imitate The intellectual powers, Giving to him thy hours: THE EASTERN CHURCH 49 And didst acquire on earth The angels' right of birth. 'Tis "bind and loose" below, Bodies from bodies grow: Above each stand alone, Nor loosing there is known. Of pure existence, they First bear the ethereal ray, Spirit and fire : none rests, Doing great God's behests. But now wild matter found — All nature flowing round With unresisted force — A mingled intercourse; But God the flood restrained, And marriage laws ordained. But thou hast hence escaped, And upward thy course shaped ; From matter's base alloy To spirit's holy joy. Mind harmonized with mind, Doth truest pleasure find: Such harmony is thine, A harmony divine. With flesh thou war dost wage, And helpest God's image: For thou art God's own breath, With body yoked till death : That out of wrestling sore, At length the battle o'er, And earth well beaten down, Thou mayst receive the crown. To marriage also raise, But only second praise. That is for passion given, 50 HYMNS AND POETRY OF This is bright light of heaven: That founds a pure offspring, This is self-offering. This honored was, we hold, At seasons marked of old. To this in Paradise, Lo ! Adam testifies : For this on Sinai's peak Doth Moses also speak; And Zachary the priest Of God's true saints not least, And whom we hail the rather As the Forerunner's father. But marriage hath its need: Hence springs a holy seed: And hence the virgin bride Honored at God's own side. Yet of the flesh it is, and earth, All earthly from its birth. When law and shadows ruled, And we were sometime schooled, Marriage held scepter mild, Yet like a little child. But when the letter died, The Spirit was supplied: For Christ had come and borne In flesh our woes and scorn : Had brought redemption nigh, And then ascended high : Christ, sprung from Virgin's womb, Christ, Conqueror o'er the tomb. Then continence did rise, And this base world despise, Which should its course have mended, And high with Christ ascended. THE EASTERN CHURCH 51 Thou journey's! well ! but haste ! Behind is fiery waste: Take to thy steps good heed, And to the mountain speed. Cast not one backward glance On Sodom, lest perchance Thou, fixed upon the ground, A pile of salt be found. In battling with the flesh Take ever courage fresh, Neither by terror bent, Nor overconfident. Faint not, for He is nigh Who will all strength supply. A spark may kindle hell : Water the flame doth quell. Full means to thee are lent For good self-government. Let thou the fear of God Freeze the rebellious blood: Fasting the flesh control : Keep watches o'er thy soul, And pour it forth in prayer : Such thy true weapons are. Add tears : and lowly bed, With reeds or rushes spread : One constant flame of love Rising to God above, And lulling all desire Which doth not up aspire. The fallen rise by thee ! The shipwrecked pitied be ! Thyself live out the gale, Expanding Hope's bright sail. 52 HYMNS AND POETRY OF They fall not who ne'er rise, But they who try the skies. Few mount on pinion wings : Straight course to humbler things. Fell Lucifer through pride : Angels in heaven reside. One, traitor, sunk in night: The eleven are stars of light. Be pure, be wholly pure, Of this make ever sure, Lest thou, by heeding not, Christ's spotless robe shouldst spot. Let modest be thine eye : Thy tongue speak maidenly : Thy mind not pandering, Thy foot not wandering : Nor loud laugh marking thee, As one we blush to see. Thy poor and tarnished wear, Thy unadorned hair, I honor more than pearls, Or silken dress, or curls. Fair flower is modest face, And paleness is true grace: And virtues plentiful Are braid most beautiful. With paints let others dress The living God's likeness ; Live tablet they of sin, And all that's base within. Whate'er thou hast of beauty, Die let it all to duty: THE EASTERN CHURCH 53 But beauty of the soul — 'Tis God's — it keep thou whole. Of men, though good they be, The sight 'twere best thou flee. Some cheat might thee entrance, Or be entranced perchance: Eye now with eye bespangling, And word with word entangling, Then cheek with cheek o'erglowing, And mutual passion flowing. 'Tis well: but not for thee: Not thine the accursed tree: The tree of life thy care: The serpent's guile beware ! O maiden, hear my word, Have thou no other lord; Thy Bridegroom reigns above, And bids thee faithful prove. Thou from the flesh hast fled, And it to thee is dead. Why turn to it again, And make thy work all vain ? That singleness of thine Is a rare gift divine: Few they whom it adorns, As rose among the thorns. Such grace 'tis thine to know : High o'er the snares below, By which the wicked fall, Thou safely passest all. Lo ! one no sooner builds, And bridal chamber gilds, 54 HYMNS AND POETRY OF Than she with mournful gloom Forth bears him to the tomb. Felt one a father's pride ? At once the loved child died. And oh ! the mother's pain Of travailing in vain ! And jealousy, ah me! How frightful 'tis to see, When each the other taunts, Where stolen friendship haunts ! What wormwood and what gall, Worst recompense of all, To rear up family, And then dishonored be ! One care is thine, one call, To look to God in all ! But little thou dost need : That little God will speed. Shelter and barley cake Sufficient wealth will make : Nor shall dire need impart Keen edge to tempter's dart, As when Christ, hard bestead, He bade turn stones to bread. By thee, however tried, Be all base gain denied: Fowls of the air God feeds, Sure then his saints he heeds. Of oil, if faith prevail, Thy cruse shall never fail. THE EASTERN CHURCH 55 By Cherith's desert brook At the great prophet look ! To feed him ravens sped : So too shalt thou be fed ! How Thecla from the flame, 1 And lions, unscathed came, Thou know'st : and how great Paul, Preacher of truth to all, Bore hunger, thirst, and cold, Through death's worst forms still bold ; That thou might'st look, O maid, To God alone for aid, Who in the wilderness With food can myriads bless. Lo ! beauty fadeth fast, Nor will earth's glories last: Wealth is a failing stream, And power an empty dream. But thou, faith's sail unfurled, Hast fled this erring world, Steering thy course on high To realms beyond the sky. There in the holy shrine Thou shalt forever shine : And there with angels raise The song of endless praise ! A better portion far Than sons and daughters are ! But maidens, be ye wise, And watch with longing eyes, 1 Thecla, see the "virgin's song" of Methodius, p. 26. 56 HYMNS AND POETRY OF That when Christ shall return Your lamps may brightly burn : That with the Bridegroom ye May enter in, and see The beauty and the grace Of his own dwelling place, And share in truth and love The mysteries above. These are all the pieces of Gregory which are contained in the Greek anthology published by Christ and Paranikas. In some manuscripts of Gregory we also find a quasi-Euripidean trag- edy entitled Xpcardg Trdoxuv, which has therefore been attributed to Gregory. Mrs. Browning, who ascribes the authorship of this tragedy to Apol- linaris, says: "Let no voice evermore attribute it to Gregory Nazianzen," and, "One only tragedy remains with which the memory of Gregory Nazi- anzen has been right tragically affronted, and which Gregory would cast off with the scorn and anger befitting an Apollinarian heresy.' ' The Gregorian authorship was defended in modern times by A. Ellisen in "Analekten der mittel-und neugriechischen Literatur," part i, containing the original Greek with a German translation (Leip- zig, 1855). Parts of the tragedy with the trans- lation of Ellisen were published by Bassler in his "Auswahl altchristlicher Lieder" (Berlin, 1858), who adopts Ellisen's view. But J. G. Brambs in his "De auctoritate tragcedise Christianae quae in- THE EASTERN CHURCH 57 scribi solet Xptordg tt&oxw, Gregorio Nazianzeno, falso attributae" (Eichstadt, 1883), and especially in his edition of the "Christus Patiens" (Leipzig, 1885), has shown that Theodore Prodromus, of the twelfth century, is the author of the tragedy. (See also Hilberg, "Wiener Studien," 1886, p. 282, seq.) Bassler also gives a poem, or rather a part of a poem, entitled "To Himself ' (Ugdg kavTbv) y which commences, Jlov tie Xoyoc, which has been rendered into English in "The Voice of Christian Life in Song," p. 65, where Mrs. Charles says: "When his work was done, the Church of the Anastasia had arisen, and father, mother, brother, and sister, all were dead. In the depths of its natural fears, and t the firmness of the hope to which at last it rises, it tells the history of those solitary years, and echoes well the music of those ancient psalms which soar so often 'out of the depths' into the light of God." The following translation is by Mrs. Browning: To Himself Where are my winged words ? Dissolved in air. Where is my flower of youth ? All withered. Where My glory ? Vanished. Where the strength I knew From comely limbs? Disease hath changed it too, And bent them. Where the riches and the lands ? God hath them ! Yea, and sinned snatching hands Have grudged the rest. Where is my father, mother, And where my blessed sister, my sweet brother? 58 HYMNS AND POETRY OF Gone to the grave ! — There did remain for me Alone my fatherland, till destiny, Malignly stirring a black tempest, drove My foot from that last rest. And now I rove Estranged and desolate a foreign shore, And drag my mournful life and age all hoar Throneless and cityless, and childless save This father-care for children, which I have, Living from day to day on wandering feet. Where shall I cast this body? What will greet My sorrows with an end? What gentle ground And hospitable grave will wrap me round? Who last my dying eyelids stoop to close — Some saint, the Saviour's friend? or one of those Who do not know him? The air interpose, And scatter these words too ! S^nesius (A. D. 375-430) Synesius was born at Cyrene, about the year A. D. 375. He was an enthusiastic pupil of Hypatia, the female philosopher, at Alexandria, and in 410 was called to the bishopric of Ptole- mais, the capital of Pentapolis. "Before taking orders he frankly declared that he could not for- sake his philosophical opinions, although he would in public accommodate himself to the popular belief. Synesius was made bishop, but oft regret- ted that he exchanged his favorite studies for the responsible and onerous duties of the bishopric. In his hymns he fuses the Christian doctrine of the THE EASTERN CHURCH 59 Trinity with the Platonic idea of God, and the Saviour with the divine Helios, whose daily set- ting and rising was to him a type of Christ's de- scent into Hades and ascension to heaven. The desire of the soul to be freed from the chains of matter takes the place of the sorrow for sin and the longing after salvation" (Schaff, 1. c, iii, p. 604, seq.). As a poet Synesius stands quite independent of Gregory, and probably did not know of his writ- ings, as he calls himself the first Christian poet. "He was a poet," says Mrs. Browning; "the chief poet, we do not hesitate to record our opinion — the chief, for true and natural gifts, of all our Greek Christian poets; and it was his choice to pray lyrically between the dew and the cloud rather than preach dogmatically between the doxies. . . . This poet has a higher place among poets than this bishop among bishops. . . . Little, indeed, of his poetry has reached us, but this little is great in a nobler sense than of quantity; and when of his odes, Anacreontic for the most part, we cannot say praisefully that 'they smell of Anacreon,' it is because their fragrance is holier and more abiding; it is because the human soul burning in the censer effaces from our spiritual perceptions the attar of a thousand rose-trees whose roots are in Teos." In the anthology published by Christ, Synesius's odes occupy the first place. A convenient edition 60 HYMNS AND POETRY OF of "Synesii Episcopi Hymni metrici" was pub- lished by J. Flach, Tubingen, 1875. The first hymn in the order as given by Christ, commencing, *Aye \loi, Xiyeia, we give in Chatfield's version : Hymn to the Deity Wake, wake, I pray thee, shrill-toned lyre ! No more to fan the Teian fire, No more the Lesbian strain to raise, Wake, wake to hymn of nobler praise ! Sound Dorian ode, in other guise, Than once to maid with laughing eyes, Or youth whose form and golden tresses Might woo the wanton air's caresses ! A better theme inspires my song, And bears my soul far hence along. A Virgin's God — conceiving throes, Wisdom's own cure for mortal woes — This bids me now my harp-strings ply, And earth's black loves and miseries fly. For what is strength, or beauty's sway, Or gold, or fame — what doth it weigh — Or royal honors — in the scale? What these 'gainst search for God avail ? Let this man urge the well-horsed car, That shoot the true-aimed arrow far ; Another watch o'er golden heap, And safe his hoarded treasure keep ; To one be pride of glossy hair Flowing o'er neck in wavelets fair; Another court the favoring glances Of boys and girls in hymns and dances. Not such for me ! But this I pray, Unknown to spend life's quiet day ; THE EASTERN CHURCH 61 To this vain world unmarked, unknown, But God's truth knowing as my own. Wisdom present herself to me ! Good guide of youth and age is she, Of wealth good stewardess and queen, Alike in poverty serene; Beyond earth's sorrows smiling gay, To calm content she points the way. That priceless wisdom first I ask, To guide and sweeten all life's task, And then sufficient humble store To keep me from my neighbor's door ; That I may ne'er, oppressed with need, Harbor dark thoughts of selfish greed. Hark ! 'tis the sweet cicada's song : He drinks the dew, and chirps along. And, lo ! my strings unbidden sound, And here and there a voice around ! What in the world — what melody Will pang divine bring forth to me ? 'Tis so ! Self-sprung Beginning He, Father and Lord of all that be : Not made, not born, on high alone He hath o'er lofty heaven his throne. There glory changeless he displays, And scepter there eternal sways; Of unities pure Unity, And Sole of sole existence he ! High ether pure he did combine, And quicken into Life Divine. He then, ere yet the ages ran, In mode ineffable to man, The Godhead through the Firstborn poured : Hence Three, yet One, the Triune Lord. 62 HYMNS AND POETRY OF And now the heavenly fount around Behold, with children's beauty crowned, Forth from the center as they spring, Or round it flow in joyous ring. But stop, rash lyre, thy lofty flight, Nor touch things hid from mortal sight ! To men below it is not given To tell high mystic rites of heaven. The things beneath do thou reveal; The things above let silence seal. But Mind now cares for worlds alone, In which reflected mind is shown : A good beginning this we sing, For thence man's spirit hath its spring : For now to matter came there down Mind incorruptible, high crown, Severed in each, and fragment small, Yet true descent from God of all. This whole, in every part one-centered, Whole into whole as it hath entered, Takes station at the eternal poles, And heaven's resplendent circle rolls. Divided next, to those again, In given form who yet retain Their dowry unimpaired of mind, There are high offices assigned ; The chariot race of stars one guides, One o'er the angelic choir presides. But, ah ! another, empty, vain, Self-dragged by down-inclining chain, Hath found a form of lower earth, Deep fallen from his heavenly birth : From home apostate far he flew, And cups of Lethe's darkness drew ; THE EASTERN CHURCH 63 Of eyeless soul and murky mind, To heaven's true joy and glory blind; Fain he to joyless earth repaired, A god by mortal things ensnared. All dark ! yet, lo ! to mortal eyes A ray of cheering light doth rise ! A door of hope is opened high, And helping hand is stretched out nigh, To lift the fallen here on earth Back to the honors of their birth, When they, emerging from the strife And din and cares of storm-tossed life, To holy paths have turned indeed, Which to their Father's palace lead. Blest he who from the entangling mesh Of matter and of greedy flesh Hath fled, and on with springing bound The upward way to God hath found ! Blest he who, after fates severe, And toils and many a bitter tear, And all the crowds of anxious cares Which earth to all her votaries shares, To mind's true course at length restored, Hath God's own shining depth explored ! A task it is, to lift above Whole outstretched soul in newborn love ! Yet only make determined start, With wings of mind and honest heart, And nigh to thee will He appear With stretched- forth hands, thy Father dear. Before will run a shining light, And all thy upward paths make bright : Fields of sweet thought thou now shalt tread, Pledge of true beauty, for thee spread ! 64 HYMNS AND POETRY OF Come, O my soul, and drink of this, A fountain flowing with all bliss; And to thy Father, lifting prayer, Without delay, up-mount the air. Leaving to earth the things of earth, In God assert thy Godlike birth; And mingling with thy Father, Friend, Taste joys above that never end. Bonar, in speaking of the ode just given, re- marks: 'The piece is a long one, full of tender beauty, but too much reminding us of Anacreon. Not that we greatly object to such imitations. They have, at and since the Reformation, been of great service in the Christianizing of the people. The old immemorial melodies had rooted them- selves in the minds as well as the ears of the nation. The words were often poor, sometimes evil; and how are they to be prevented from doing mis- chief? By having them supplanted with the good and true ; the well-known tunes retained, the words cast aside. We find this done in England ; but the fullest experiment of the kind was made in Scotland, where the Wedderburns compiled the 'gude and godly ballads,' engrafting holy words upon melodies hitherto associated only with im- purity. How touchingly one of these old ballads runs: "Ah ! my love, leave me not, Leave me not, leave me not, Thus mine alone ! THE EASTERN CHURCH 65 With ane burden on my back I cannot bear, I am so weak ; Ah, my love, leave me not, Thus mine alone ! With sins I am laden sair, Leave me not, leave me not ; With sins I am laden sair, Leave me not alone ! "The new words, though sometimes rude, were very exactly fitted to the old tunes, and upon the wings of these old tunes gospel-truth went widely and gloriously over Scotland. We do not know how far some of the early Greek Christian poets attempted this, or whether Synesius had this in view at all in his lyrical effusions. But it is quite possible that Christianity may have found its way into Greek and Roman hearts by means of such adaptations. The classic dress with which Buchanan clothed the Psalms of David has brought these Hebrew hymns, formed upon a Hebrew rhythm, under the notice of many a one who otherwise would have overlooked, perhaps despised, them. ,, Speaking of the English translation of this ode by Mr. Chatfield, Bonar mentions an English version made in 1844 by Mr. Isaac Williams, the author of the well-known High Church treatise on the doctrine of Reserve, whose rendering he regards as more poetical than that of Chatfield, though even more paraphrastic. His (Williams's) 66 HYMNS AND POETRY OF twenty-four stanzas really make a fine poem. He has completely departed from the measure of the Greek original, but he has well preserved the spirit. The seven stanzas which Bonar quotes read thus : "Come, sweet harp resounding Teian strains of yore, With soft airs abounding Round the Lesbian shore : Doric shall awake thy soft themes no more. "Talk no more of maiden, Fair with beauty's wiles, Youth with blessings laden, Whom new life beguiles, Smiling as it flies, flying as it smiles. "Wisdom, which ne'er wrongeth, Born of God above, Toils in birth and longeth Your sweet strains to prove, ■And hath bid me flee woes of earthly love. "What is strength or glory, Beauty, gold, or fame? What renown in story, Or a kingly name ? To the thoughts of God — thoughts that bring not blame. "One o'er steeds is bending, One his bow hath strung; One his gold is tending, Only youth is sung, With bright looks, and locks o'er his shoulders flung. THE EASTERN CHURCH 67 "Mine be the low portal, Paths in silence trod, Knowing not things mortal, Knowing things of God, While still at my side wisdom holds her rod. "Thus the lyrist moves lightly on till he comes to such solemn verses as: "Happy he who fleeth Hell devouring wide, Who his pathway seeth Through the stormy tide, And to God returns, casting earth aside." II JIclXlv (peyyog This rendering is by Chatfield: Again we hail the opening morn, Again breaks forth the day newborn, Which, rising in victorious might, Chases away black-wandering night ! Again, my mind, in early songs Praise Him to whom all praise belongs ; Who gave to morning dawn the light Who gave the glittering stars to night, Which to their Maker and their King Around the world in chorus sing. For o'er prolific matter, high, Moves ether pure in fiery sky ; Where glides the moon in glorious trim, Cutting the last encircling rim: For to the eighth revolving stream The star-borne courses brightly gleam. 68 HYMNS AND POETRY OF But now beyond the starry poles A counter sea of glory rolls, Unbosomed; and with dance divine Doth the Eternal Mind enshrine, Which covered hath with hoary wings The palace of the King of kings. What is beyond none may relate, Nor mind of man can penetrate : Eternal severance restrains, And happy silence ever reigns. From Root, or Spring, or Fountain one A threefold lighted Form hath shone: For where the Father dwells above, There dwelleth too his own heart's love, His glorious Son, wisdom perfect, And of all worlds the Architect: And in the Unity combined The Spirit's holy Light hath shined. One Root of Good, one Fount of Love, Whence sprung the bliss supreme above: And the bright holy lamps divine In equal glory ever shine. And thence in this fair world of ours With high-born intellectual powers, A chorus now of deathless kings The Triune glory ever sings. And near the Fount of Love and Truth Angelic band in changeless youth, Guided by holy Wisdom's mind, Immortal wreath of beauty find. But some with dark averted eyes Fall mindless from the lofty skies Downward the gloomy depths among, And bring the higher world along ; Down, down to Matter's utmost bound, THE EASTERN CHURCH 69 Where, settling in the depth profound, Nature assigns them birth and place, A godlike, though God-fallen, race. Hence giant heroes took their birth, The mighty conquerors of earth; And hence Breath sown o'er all the ground Each varying type of life hath found. But all things to thy counsel hold, Things past, or present, new or old : Whate'er we have, whate'er we share, Of all from thee the sources are. The Father and the Mother thou, Male, female, unto thee we bow: Or voice be heard, or all be still, 'Tis just as ordered by thy will. And thou or Nature thyself art, Or Nature is thy counterpart : And thou art King ; and ages all Within thine age unmeasured fall. May I my song aright renew, O thou, the Root whence all things grew ! Hail ! thou, the world's Original ; Hail ! thou, the Spring, First Cause of all. All numbers blending into one, The Uncreated, God alone ! All hail, all hail, thou One Divine ! All joy, all happiness be thine! Bend thou, O bend propitious ear, And this my hymn of praises hear, Speed on true Wisdom's opening day, Pour blessings down in rich array: Yea, grace-distilling streams pour down, That I may win contentment's crown In life's sweet calm ; the happy mean 70 HYMNS AND POETRY OF Give me, riches and want between. Off from my limbs diseases ward, My soul from stormy passions guard: Let no dark thoughts my steps attend : My life from biting cares defend; Lest mind, borne down by earthly ill, To soar should find nor time nor will. But grant me with free wing to rise, And join the chorus of the skies, And thee with thine forever sing The glories of my God and King ! Ill "Aye fioi, ipvxa Of this ode, which has 734 lines, we subjoin the first lines in Chatfield's version: Lift up thyself, my soul, Above this world's control ! Spend and be spent in holy hymns of praise. Be armed with pure desire, Burn with celestial fire: Unto the King of gods our voice we raise : To him a crown we weave, and bring A sacrifice of words, a bloodless offering. IV 21 [iev aQXOfievag This, too, is a lengthy ode (299 lines). We sub- join the first lines in Chatfield's version : To Thee at evening gray, To thee at growth of day, To thee at noon, to thee at vesper hour, THE EASTERN CHURCH 71 And when now fades the light, And poured forth is the night (Both night and day are thine, and show thy power), I sing, O Healer of the Soul, And of the body too : thou only mak'st it whole. V 'Yilvg)(j,£V kovqov vvfiag We give this "Hymn to Christ" in full accord- ing to Chatfield's rendering: Awake, our lute, the Child to sing Of bride unwedded, holy maid ; True Son of the Eternal King, Ere earth's foundations yet were laid. Ineffable thy counsels, Lord, Father of all, by which was born The Christ ! a virgin's throes afford The Light of Life to world forlorn ! A Man ! and yet of ages gone, And of all ages yet to come, Throughout eternity, the One Upholder, Perfecter, and Sun. Thyself, O Christ, art Fount of Light, Light of the Father's Light, bright Ray ! Dark matter thou didst burst ; and night To holy souls thou turn'st to day. Yea ! Founder of the world thou art, And molder of each starry sphere : To earth her spurs thou dost impart; While men hail thee their Saviour dear. 72 HYMNS AND POETRY OF For thee his chariot Titan drives, The quenchless fount of morning light. From thee the bull-faced moon derives Her power to loose the gloom of night. By thee the year with fruit is crowned : By thee the flocks and herds are fed: Productive thou dost make the ground; And to the poor thou givest bread. For thou from thine o'erflowing store Of grace ineffable and love, O'er surface of all worlds dost pour The fertile sunshine from above. And from thy bosom forth did spring To life both light, and mind, and soul : O pity then thine own offspring Imprisoned under hard control. By mortal limbs, by flesh and blood, Coerced, and measures stern of fate : O save thine own, thou great and good, Nor let sick mind sick body hate ! Persuasion to my words nod thou, And to my deeds such honest fame, That truth I never disavow, Nor Sparta, nor Cyrene shame ! But may my soul, unbowed by grief, Draw all her nourishment from thee, Stretching both eyes, in calm relief, Up to thy light, from sorrow free ! That, cleansed from dregs of worldly soil, I may by straight course upward mount, THE EASTERN CHURCH 73 And 'scaping from earth's care and toil, Be mingled with the soul's own fount ! Life such of pure content and praise, Do thou to thy poor harper grant, While still to thee the hymn I raise, And glory to the Father chant. And Spirit, mid-enthroned compeer, The Parent Root and Branch between! Be such on earth my bright career, Nor sin nor sorrow intervene; Until within the courts above, The travail of my soul shall cease, Still singing hymns of heavenly love In glory and in perfect peace. Thee, thee, the Fount of love, we bless, O Father, rock and strength of thine ; And thee alike, his form express, And seal, all beauty, Son Divine. And Holy Breath, of both the crown, Whose quickening gifts like billows roll: Thou with the Father, send him down To cheer and fertilize my soul ! VI Mer