| 11 τέκνον καθὼς ἐὰν ἔχῃς εὖ ποίει σεαυτὸν καὶ προσφορὰς κυρίῳ ἀξίως πρόσαγε 12 μνήσθητι ὅτι θάνατος οὐ χρονιεῖ καὶ διαθήκη ᾅδου οὐχ ὑπεδείχθη σοι 13 πρίν σε τελευτῆσαι εὖ ποίει φίλῳ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἰσχύν σου ἔκτεινον καὶ δὸς αὐτῷ 14 μὴ ἀφυστερήσῃς ἀπὸ ἀγαθῆς ἡμέρας καὶ μερὶς ἐπιθυμίας ἀγαθῆς μή σε παρελθάτω 15 οὐχὶ ἑτέρῳ καταλείψεις τοὺς πόνους σου καὶ τοὺς κόπους σου εἰς διαίρεσιν κλήρου 16 δὸς καὶ λαβὲ καὶ ἀπάτησον τὴν ψυχήν σου 17 ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ᾅδου ζητῆσαι τρυφήν 18 πᾶσα σὰρξ ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιοῦται ἡ γὰρ διαθήκη ἀ{P'} αἰῶνος θανάτῳ ἀποθανῇ ὡς φύλλον θάλλον ἐπὶ δένδρου δασέος 19 τὰ μὲν καταβάλλει ἄλλα δὲ φύει οὕτως γενεὰ σαρκὸς καὶ αἵματος ἡ μὲν τελευτᾷ ἑτέρα δὲ γεννᾶται 20 πᾶν ἔργον σηπόμενον ἐκλείπει καὶ ὁ ἐργαζόμενος αὐτὸ με{T'} αὐτοῦ ἀπελεύσεται 21 |
11 My son, if wealth thou hast, regale thyself, and make thy offering to God proportionable. 12 Bethink thee that death waits not; there is no putting off thy tryst with the grave; nothing in this world, but its death-warrant is out already. 13 While life still holds, make thy friends good cheer, and to the poor be open-handed as thy means allow thee; 14 stint not the feast, nor any crumb put by of the blessings granted thee; 15 wouldst thou have thy heirs wrangling over the fruits of thy bitter toil? 16 Much give, much take, set thy soul at ease; 17 while life still holds, do thy duty of almsgiving; feasting there shall be none in the grave. 18 No living thing but fades as the grass fades; as the leaves fade, that burgeon on a growing tree, 19 some sprouting fresh and some a-dying; so it is with flesh and blood, one generation makes room for the next. 20 All the works of man are fugitive, and must perish soon or late, and he, the workman, goes the same way as the rest. 21 Yet shall their choicest works win favour, and in his work he, the workman, shall live. |
11
Fili, si habes, benefac tecum,
et Deo dignas oblationes offer. 12
Memor esto quoniam mors non tardat,
et testamentum inferorum, quia demonstratum est tibi:
testamentum enim hujus mundi morte morietur. 13
Ante mortem benefac amico tuo,
et secundum vires tuas exporrigens da pauperi. 14
Non defrauderis a die bono,
et particula boni doni non te prætereat. 15
Nonne aliis relinques dolores et labores tuos
in divisione sortis? 16
Da et accipe,
et justifica animam tuam. 17
Ante obitum tuum operare justitiam,
quoniam non est apud inferos invenire cibum. 18
Omnis caro sicut fœnum veterascet,
et sicut folium fructificans in arbore viridi. 19
Alia generantur, et alia dejiciuntur:
sic generatio carnis et sanguinis, alia finitur, et alia nascitur. 20
Omne opus corruptibile in fine deficiet,
et qui illud operatur ibit cum illo. 21
Et omne opus electum justificabitur,
et qui operatur illud honorabitur in illo. |