Blog Post

Joy at the Resurrection

by St Ephrem the Syrian

Feast of St Autonomos the Martyr

Anno Domini 2020, September 12

1. Your law has been my vehicle,

revealing to me something of Paradise,

Your Cross has been to me the key

which opened up this Paradise.

From the Garden of Delights did I gather

and carry back with me from Paradise

roses and other eloquent blooms

which are here scattered about for Your feast

amid songs [as they flutter down] on humanity.

Blessed is He who both gave and received the crown!

2. This joyful festival is entirely made up

of tongues and voices:

innocent young women and men

sounding like trumpets and horns,

while infant girls and boys

resemble harps and lyres;

their voices intertwine

as they reach up together towards heaven,

giving glory to the Lord of glory.

Blessed is He for whom the silent have thundered out!

3. The earth thunders out below,

heaven above roars with thunder:

Nissan [i.e., April] has mingled together the two sounds—

of those above and those below.

The shouts from the holy Church

are joined with the Divinity’s thunder,

and with the bright torches

lightning flashes intermingle;

with the rain came the tears of sorrow,

with the pasturage, the Paschal fast.

4. It was in a similar way

that in the Ark all voices cried out:

outside [the Ark] were fearsome waves,

but inside, lovely voices;

tongues, all in pairs,

uttered together in chaste fashion,

thus serving as a type of our festival now

when unmarried girls and boys

together in innocence sing

praise to the Lord of that Ark.

5. At this festival when each person offers

his fine actions as offerings,

I lament, dear Lord,

that I stand here so impoverished.

But my mind grows green again with your dew:

for it a second Nisan is come,

whose flowers serve as [my] offerings,

garlanded in all kinds of wreaths,

placed on the door of each ear!

Blessed is the Cloud which has distilled in me its moisture!

6. Who has ever beheld blossoms

gathered from the Scriptures, as though it were from the hills?

With them have chaste women

filled the spacious bosom of the mind.

The sound of songs, like a servant, has scattered

blossoms all over the crowds:

these flowers are sacred,

catch them with your senses,

just as our Lord [caught] Mary’s unguent.

Blessed is he who is garlanded with his handmaids!

7. Fair and eloquent flowers

have the children strewn before the King:

the colt was garlanded with them,

the path was filled with them;

they scattered praises like flowers,

their songs [of joy] like lilies.

Now too at this festival

does the crowd of children scatter for You, Lord,

halleluiahs like blossoms.

Blessed is He who was acclaimed by young children.

8. It is as though our hearing [has embraced]

an armful of children’s voices,

while songs coming from chaste women, Lord,

fill the bosoms of our ears.

Let each of us gather up a posy of such flowers,

and with these let each intersperse

blossoms from his own piece of land,

so that, for this great feast,

we may plait a great garland.

Blessed is He who invited us to plait it!

9. Let the chief pastor weave together

his homilies like flowers,

let the priests make a garland of their ministry,

the deacons of their reading,

strong young men of their jubilant shouts,

children of their psalms,

chaste women of their songs,

chief citizens of their benefactions,

ordinary folk of their manner of life.

Blessed is He who gave us so many opportunities for good!

10. Let us summon and invite the saints,

the martyrs, apostles, and prophets,

whose own blossoms and flowers

shine out like themselves—

such a wealth of roses they have,

so fragrant are their lilies:

from the Garden of Delights do they pluck them,

and they bring back fair bunches

to crown our beautiful feast.

O praise to You from the [saints who are] blessed!

11. Royal crowns appear poor

compared with the wealth of Your crown

into which purity is intertwined,

in which faith shines out,

humility shines forth

and holiness is mingled in,

and great love is resplendent.

O great King of all flowers,

how perfect is the beauty of Your crown.

Blessed is He who gave it us to weave!

12. Receive our offering, O our King,

and in return grant us salvation;

give peace to the land that has been devastated,

rebuild the churches that were burnt,

so that when deep peace has returned

we may plait You a great wreath,

with flowers and people to plait it,

coming in from all sides

so that the Lord of peace may be crowned.

Blessed is He who has acted and is able to act!

*From Ephrem the Syrian, Select Poems, vocalized Sryiac text with English translation, introduction, and notes by Sebastian P. Brock and George A Kiraz ( Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 2006), pp. 171-179.

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