11. And the fort that with thirst, had killed, its dwellers,--it drank in its turn of the flux from the corpses,--that were melted by thirst.
12. Who has seen a people--that were burning with thirst,--while there surrounded them a wall of water and they could not--moisten their tongue!
13. Surely with the judgment of Sodom, were my beloved judged,--and my children smitten, with the torment of Sodom;--though that was but for one day.
14. The torment of fire, though it be for one hour, O my Lord,--in lingering thirst, is a lingering death, and a subtle punishment.
15. After my sorrows, O my Lord, and my bitter sufferings,--this is the best comfort, wherewith Thou hast comforted me,--that Thou hast multiplied my afflictions.
16. The medicine that I hoped, it is sorrow decreed;--the binding up that I looked for, it is bitter calamity,--that it seeks to work for me.
17. And whereas I hoped to escape, from the midst of the storm;--worse for me is the storm in it, even in the harbour,--than that in the sea.
18. Whereas I thought in my folly, that I should anchor and escape--from the midst of the Gulf; my sins have cast me back--again into the midst of it.
19. Look, O my Lord, on my limbs, how the swords are thick in me,--and have left their mark on my arms; and the scars of the spears,--are planted in my sides!
20. Tears in mine eyes, and in my ears ill rumours,--wailing in my mouth, and mourning in my heart!--Add no more, O my Lord, to me!
Hymn XI.
1. Thy chastening is, as a mother of our infancy:--her rebuke is merciful, in that Thou hast restrained,--the children from folly, and they have been made wise! R., Glory be to thy justice!
2. Let us search out Thy justice; for who is sufficient--to measure its help? since by it the wanton--are oftentimes made chaste.--
3. Oftentimes Thy hand, O my Lord, has made the sick whole,--for it is the healer in secret of their diseases,--and the fount of their life.
4. Exceeding gently, the finger of Thy justice,--in love and compassion, touches the wounds--of him that is to be healed.
5. Exceeding mild and merciful, is her cutting to him that is wise:--her sharp remedy, in its mighty love,--consumes the corrupt part.
6. Exceeding welcome her wrath, to him that is discerning;--but her remedies are hated, of the fool who has delight--in the trouble of his limbs.
7. Exceeding eager is she, to bind the cut she has made;--when she has smitten she pities, that from between these two--she may breed healing.
8. Exceeding welcome her wrath, and her anger pleasant,--and sweet her bitterness, sweetening bitter things--that they may be made pleasant.
9. A cause of negligence is Thy indulgence to the careless;--a cause of profit, is Thy rod among the slothful--so that they become as traffickers.
10. The cause of our affliction, it is Thy justice;--the cause of our carelessness, it is Thy graciousness,--for our understanding has turned foolish.
11. Pharaoh hardened himself, because of Thy graciousness;--for when the plagues were stayed, his cruelties waxed strong,--and he lied to his promises.
12. Justice requited him, because he lied greatly against her,--even Grace her freeborn sister; yea she restrained him again--that he should not again provoke.
13. Rebuke, O my Lord, my guide, for it has been false as Egypt --my prayers testify, that I am not as she,--for Thy door have I not forsaken.
14. Let Thy cross, O my Lord, which stands, in my breaches that are open,--repair again the breaches that are hidden; for instead of those without,--those within have cleft me asunder!
15. A sea has broken through, and cast down, the watch tower wherein I had triumphed.--Iniquity has dared to set up, a temple wherein I am shamed: its drink-offering chokes me.
16. My prayers on my walls, my persecutors have heard:--the sun and his worshippers, are ashamed of their magicians,--for I have triumphed by Thy cross.
17. All creatures cried out, when they saw the struggle,--while Truth with falsehood, on my battered walls, fought and was crowned conqueror.
18. The force of Truth, chastised falsehood:--in its chastisement it felt Truth, and through its own sins, it earned her victory.
19. I have great alarm; for since my deliverance,--the honourable and mighty, who were devoted to my altar, have built in me high places.
20. My seven senses, O my Lord, even though they had been as fountains of tears, yet my tears were too little--to lament our ruin.
21. The streets that were in sackcloth, and ashes cried out,--disturbed by the play, akin to that which was,--in the wilderness before the calf.
22. Poison seeks and wears, the beauty of lilies;--and though their buds may conceal, and hidden disguise it,--it blossoms in their bitter flowers.
Hymn XII.
1. I will call in my affliction, on the Power that subdues all;--that is able to subdue, the Captor in his wrath,--as it overcame Legion. R., Glory to His grace!
2. The Evil One has repaid me my brethren, debts that he borrowed not of me:--the good God likewise has repaid me, mercies that I lent Him not.--Come and marvel ye at these two things!
3. The good God has divided and given, my misdeeds to His grace,--my offences to His justice; His mercy has blotted out my misdeeds--His judgment has requited my offences.
4. Sin was exceeding wroth, and abode in alarm,--when she saw how grace, put restraint on freedom, that she might overcome transgressions.
5. Glow Thou, O my Lord, and send down Thy love, break out and pour forth Thy wrath!--Thy wrath to destroy, Thy love to rescue--the captives from the captor!
6. The days wherein the Evil One, decreed to cast me forth,--as with a sling into perdition, in them the good God has bound up and kept--my soul in the bundle of life.
7. The men of speech who keep not silence, from praising continually,--who have kept me in the midst of waves, and supported me that I fell not, let them give praise in my stead, O my Lord!
8. For who has at any time sufficed, in presence of the grace,--of the mercies which surrounded him, that I should suffice to praise--the mercies that encompass me?
Hymn XIII.
Concerning Mar Jacob and his Companions.
1. Three illustrious priests, after the manner of the two great lights,--have carried on and handed down one to another, the See and the Hand and the Flock.--To us whose mounting was great for the two, this last is wholly a consolation. R., Glory to Thee Who didst choose them!
2. He Who created two great lights, chose for Himself these three Lights,--and set them in the three dark seasons of siege that have been.--When that pair of Lights was quenched, the other shone wholly forth.
3. These three priests were treasures, who held in their faithfulness,--the key of the Trinity; three doors they opened for us;--each one of them with his key, unlocked and opened his door.
4. In the first was opened the door, for the chastisement that befel us;--in the next was opened the door, for the King's power that came down on us,--in the last was opened the door, for the good tidings that came up for us.
5. In the first was opened the door, for battle between two hosts;--in the next were opened doors, for the kings from either wind;--in the last was opened the door, for ambassadors from either side.
6. In the first was opened the door, for battle because of misdeeds;--in the next was opened the door,--for the kings because of strife;--in the last was opened the door, for ambassadors because of mercies.
7. Lo! in these three successions, as in a mystery and a figure,--wrath is likened to the sun; it began under the first;--it waxed strong under the next; it sank and was quenched under the last.
8. Three figures the Sun also, shows forth in the three quarters:--its rising is keen and bright; its meridian strong and overpowering;--and like a torch that is burnt out, its setting is mild and pleasant.
9. Small yet bright is its rising, when it comes to waken sleepers;--hot and overpowering its meridian, when it comes to ripen the fruits;--tender and pleasant its setting, when it reaches its consummation.
10. Who is this daughter born of vows, enviable above all women,--whose successions thus proceed, and her ranks are thus manifold,--and her degrees thus ascend, and her teachers thus excel.
11. Do these similitudes belong, only to the daughter of Abraham,--or to thee too, O daughter, born of vows, whose adorning is according as thy beauty?--for as thine occasion, so was thy help, and as thy help so was its minister.
12. According to the measure of her need, there came to her the supply of her need.--Her fathers were as was her birth; her teachers were as was her understanding;--her training as was her growth; her raiment as was her stature.
13. Grace weighed out to her and gave all these things as in the scales;--she laid them in her balance, that therefrom there might be profit;--she drew them into succession, that therefrom might be perfection.
14. In the days of him that was first, peace abounded and peace vanished;--in the days of him that was next, kings came down and kings went back;--but in the days of the last, hosts assailed and hosts retreated.--
15. By the first order came in, it came in with him and went out with him;--by the next the diadem that gladdened our churches, came nigh and withdrew far away;--but by the last there dawned on us, grace that was not thankfully received.
16. Against the wrath that was first, the labour of the first contended;--against the heat that was at noon, the shade of the second stood up;--against peace that was thankless, the last multiplied warnings.
17. For the first invader of the land was the first and illustrious priest;--for the second invader of the land, was the second and merciful priest:--but the prayers of him that was last, repaired our breaches secretly.
18. Nisibis is set [352] upon waters, waters secret and open:--living streams are within her; a noble river without her. The river without deceived her; the fountain within has saved her.
19. The first priest was her vinedresser; he made her branches to grow even unto heaven.--Lo! being dead and buried within her, he has become fruit in the midst of her bosom:--when therefore the pruners came, the fruit that was in her midst preserved her.
20. The time of her pruning came; it entered and took from her her vinedresser,--that there should not be one to pray for her. She made haste in her subtlety;--He laid in her bosom her vinedresser, that she should be delivered through her vinedresser.
21. Be ye wise like Nisibis, O ye daughters of Nisibis,--for that she laid the body within her, and it became a wall without her.--Place ye within you the living body, that it be a wall for your lives!
[352] The verb is n'sab,--a play on the name of the city.
Hymn XIV.
1. Under the three pastors,--there were manifold shepherds;--the one mother that was in the city,--had daughters in all regions.--Since Wrath has destroyed her dwellings,--Peace shall build up her churches. R. Blessed be He who chose out those three!
2. The kindly labour of the first,--bound up the land in her affliction:--the bread and wine of the next,--healed the city when site was broken:--the sweet speech of the last,--sweetened our bitterness in affliction.
3. The first tilled the land with his labour,--he rooted out of her the briars and thorns:--the next fenced her round about,--he made a hedge for her of them that were saved:--the last opened the garner of his Lord,--and sowed in her the words of her Lord.
4. The first priest by means of a fast,--closed up the doors of men's mouths:--the second priest for the captives,--opened the mouths of the purse:--but the last pierced through the ears,--and fastened in them the ornament of life.
5. Aaron stripped off from the ears,--the earrings and made a calf.--That lifeless calf in secret,--pierced and slaughtered the camp:--those who had fashioned his horns, --he ripped them up with his horns.
6. But our priest who was the third,--pierced through the ears of the heart:--and fastened there the earrings he had fashioned,--of the nails that were fixed in the cross, --whereon his Lord was crucified,--and gave life to His fellow-men.
7. A son unto death the fire brought forth;--Death feeds upon all bodies:--the son of Death who surpassed Death,--upon the souls of men he fed.--The calf forsook his provender,--for men's minds were the food for him.
8. To the first Tree that which killed,--to it grace brought forth a son.--O Cross offspring of the Tree,--that didst fight against thy sire!--The Tree was the fount of death;--the Cross was the fount of life.
9. The son that was born to Death,--all mouths were opened to curse him.--He devoured bodies and souls,--and multiplied the disgrace of his father.--But the Cross caused to pass away the rebuke,--of its father that first Tree.