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[24]
δάκρυσι συγκεχυμένος ἁπλοϊκῶς ἀπεκρίνατο:
1 Βασιλεῦ, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας ζῆθι: βουλὴν γὰρ
ἀγαθὴν καὶ σωτήριον ἐβουλεύσω, ὅτι, κἂν δυσεύρετος
ἡ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλεία, ἀλλ̓ ὅμως δεῖ
2 ταύτην πάσῃ δυνάμει ζητεῖν: Ὁ ζητῶν γάρ, φησίν,
εὑρήσει αὐτήν. ἡ δὲ τῶν παρόντων ἀπόλαυσις,
κἂν τῷ φαινομένῳ τέρπῃ καὶ ἡδύνῃ, ἀλλὰ καλὸν
αὐτὴν ἀπώσασθαι: ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ τῷ εἶναι οὐκ
ἔστι, καὶ οὓς εὐφραίνει ἑπταπλασίως αὖθις
[p. 42]
λυπεῖ. τά τε γὰρ ἀγαθὰ αὐτῆς τά τε λυπηρὰ
3 σκιᾶς ἐστιν ἀσθενέστερα, καί, ὡς ἴχνη νηὸς
ποντοπορούσης ἢ ὀρνέου τὸν ἀέρα διερχομένου,
θᾶττον ἀφανίζονται. ἡ δὲ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίς,
ἣν κηρύττουσιν οἱ Χριστιανοί, βεβαία ἐστὶ καὶ
ἀσφαλεστάτη: θλῖψιν δὲ ἔχει ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ.
ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἡμέτερα νῦν ἡδέα ὀλιγοχρόνια,
ἐκεῖ δὲ ὅλως οὐδὲν ἢ κόλασιν μόνον προξενοῦντα
καὶ τιμωρίαν εἰς αἰῶνας μὴ λυομένην: τὸ γὰρ
ἡδὺ τούτων πρόσκαιρον, τὸ δὲ ὀδυνηρὸν διηνεκές:
τῶν δὲ Χριστιανῶν τὸ μὲν ἐπίπονον πρόσκαιρον,
τὸ δὲ ἡδὺ καὶ χρήσιμον ἀθάνατον. κατευθυνθείη
οὖν ἡ ἀγαθὴ τοῦ βασιλέως βουλή: καλὸν γάρ,
σφόδρα καλὸν τῶν φθαρτῶν τὰ αἰώνια ἀνταλλάξασθαι.
Ἤκουσε ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ λίαν ἐδυσχέραινε,
John, of Damascus (attributed author). G.R. Woodward. H. Mattingly. St. John Damascene Barlaam and Joseph. William Heinemann Ltd; Harvard University Press. London; Cambridge, Mass. 1914. Keyboarding.
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