Chapter II.-Thekla
Singing Decorously a Hymn, the Rest of the Virgins Sing with Her; John the
Baptist a Martyr to Chastity; The Church the Spouse of God, Pure and
Virgin.
Theopatra said that Arete
having said these things, commanded them all to rise, and, standing under the
Agnos, to send up to the Lord in a becoming manner a hymn of thanksgiving; and
that Thekla should begin and should lead the rest. And when they had stood up,
she said that Thekla, standing in the midst of the virgins on the right of
Arete, decorously sang; but the rest, standing together in a circle after the
manner of a chorus, responded to her: "I keep myself pure for Thee, O
Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet Thee."3
Thekla. I. From above, O
virgins, the sound of a noise that wakes the dead has come, bidding us all to
meet the Bridegroom in white robes, and with torches towards the cast.Arise,
before the King enters within the gates.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 2. Fleeing from the
sorrowful happiness of mortals, and having despised the luxuriant delights of
life and its love, I desire to be protected under Thy life-giving arms, and to
behold Thy beauty for ever, O blessed One.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 3. Leaving marriage
and the beds of mortals and my golden home for Thee, O King, I have come in
undefiled robes, in order that I might enter with Thee within Thy happy bridal
chamber.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 4. Having escaped,
O blessed One, from the innumerable enchanting wiles of the serpent, and,
moreover, from the flame of fire, and from the mortal-destroying assaults of
wild beasts, I await Thee from heaven.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 5. I forget my own
country, O Lord, through desire of Thy grace.4 I forget,
also, the company of virgins, my fellows, the desire even of mother and of
kindred, for Thou, O Christ, art all things to me.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 6. Giver of life
art Thou, O Christ. Hail, light that never sets, receive this praise. The
company of virgins call upon Thee, Perfect Flower, Love, Joy, Prudence, Wisdom,
Word.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 7. With open gates,
O beauteously adorned Queen, admit us within thy chambers. O spotless,
gloriously triumphant Bride, breathing beauty, we stand by Christ, robed as He
is, celebrating thy happy nuptials, O youthful maiden.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 8. The virgins
standing without the chamber,5 with bitter tears and deep
moans, wail and mournfully lament that their lamps are gone out, having failed
to enter in due time the chamber of joy.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 9. For turning from
the sacred way of life, unhappy ones, they have neglected to prepare
sufficiency of oil for the path of life; bearing lamps whose bright light is
dead, they groan from the inward recesses of their mind.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 10. Here are cups
full of sweet nectar; let us drink, O virgins, for it is celestial drink, which
the Bridegroom hath placed for those duly called to the wedding.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 11. Abel, clearly
prefiguring Thy death,6 O blessed One, with flowing blood,
and eyes lifted up to heaven, said, Cruelly slain by a brother's hand, O Word,
I pray Thee to receive me.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 12. Thy valiant son
Joseph,7 O Word, won the greatest prize of virginity, when I
a woman heated with desire forcibly drew him to an unlawful bed; but he giving
no heed to her fled stripped, and crying aloud:-
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 13. Jephthah
offered his fresh slaughtered virgin daughter a sacrifice to God, like a lamb;
and she, nobly fulfilling the type of Thy body, O blessed One, bravely cried:-
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 14. Daring
Judith,8 by clever wiles having cut off the head of the
leader of the foreign hosts, whom previously she had allured by her beautiful
form, without polluting the limbs of her body, with a victor's shout said:-
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 15. Seeing the
great beauty of Susanna, the two Judges, maddened with desire, said, O dear
lady, we have come desiring secret intercourse with thee; but she with
tremulous cries said:-
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 16. It is far
better for me to die than to betray my nuptials to you, O mad for women, and so
to suffer the eternal justice of God in fiery vengeance. Save me now, O Christ,
from these evils.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 17. Thy Precursor,
washing multitudes of men in flowing lustral water, unjustly by a wicked man,
on account of his chastity, was led to slaughter; but as he stained the dust
with his life-blood, he cried to Thee, O blessed One:-
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 18. The parent of
Thy life, that unspotted Grace9 and undefiled Virgin,
bearing in her womb without the ministry of man, by an immaculate
conception,10 and who thus became suspected of having
betrayed the marriage-bed, she, O blessed One, when pregnant, thus spoke:-
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 19. Wishing to see
Thy nuptial day, O blessed One, as many angels as Thou, O King, calledst from
above, bearing the best gifts to Thee, came in unsullied robes:-
Chorus. I keep myself pure for
Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 20. In hymns, O
blessed spouse of God, we attendants of the Bride honour Thee, O undefiled
virgin Church of snow-white form, dark haired, chaste, spotless, beloved.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 21. Corruption has
fled, and the tearful pains of diseases; death has been taken away, all folly
has perished, consuming mental grief is no more; for again the grace of the
God-Christ has suddenly shone upon mortals.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 22. Paradise is no longer bereft of mortals, for by divine
decree he no longer dwells there as formerly, thrust out from thence when he
was free from corruption, and from fear by the various wiles of the serpents, O
blessed One.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 23. Singing the new
song, now the company of virgins attends thee towards the heavens, O Queen, all
manifestly crowned with white lilies, and bearing in their hands bright lights.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
Thekla. 24. O blessed One,
who inhabited the undefiled seats of heaven without beginning, who governed all
things by everlasting power, O Father, with Thy Son, we are here, receive us
also within the gates of life.
Chorus. I keep myself pure
for Thee, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet Thee.
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