Hymn 3




3.1
Who was it who fixed his gaze on Adam and Eve?
The cunning snake, whose heart contained deceit while peace was on his lips.
He poured himself into his task and enticed them. Adam was young, Eve was simple.
The tree was blossoming, the fruit was shining.
The sin was great, yet justice was bright and strong.
Blessed is he who mixed abundant
Waters of mercy with a just decree and so spared the debtors.

3.2
Who is able to see the pair who possessed such precious items so suddenly stripped
The Evil One arose as a happy onlooker, the Good One saw and guarded him
Who would not weep,
When seeing the great Adam fall
The chaste one who fastened leaves as a covering for his shame. Gen 3:1
Blessed is he who graced him with leaves,
And sent him the garment of glory for his nakedness.

3.3
He who is able to interpret that tree which leads away its seekers (Hy. Par. 15:11
For it is a concealed target: being hidden from eyes it wearies a bowman
It is a [tree] of knowledge, and also without knowledge
It is a cause of knowledge, for by it one knows
What the gift is that was lost,
And what the chastisement is that has entered in.
Blessed is the fruit that mixes knowledge about the tree of life among the mortal ones.

3.4
The snake carefully inspected the Dove,
In Paradise . . . who was hungry
[He] turned himself into a Dove, . . . that Dragon
For all of him is cursed, he became a part of her, so that she become part of him.
He put on her [outward] appearance,so that she put on his [inner] hatefulness.
He sang a cheerful song to her, so that she wandered in mourning.
Blessed is the voice of the Father that descended,
And consoled and made the grief of our mother pass away.

3.5
Let not our fast be a meal for the Evil One so as to bite our comrades
For they set a fast and then stoned Naboth.
The Evil One rejoiced at their fast. Fasters who instead of bread
Ate the flesh of man, on the fast day they lapped up blood.
Those who ate the flesh of man, became food for dogs.
Blessed is he who gave his body
For our ravenous mouths to stop its chewing

3.6
The Merciful fixed his gaze on the soul in the abyss; and devised a strategy to pull it out
Though by a mere wink he could have saved it
He bound his love in his work, he clothed himself in humanity
He acquired (the innocence of) youth in order to lead humankind to knowledge of him. He sang to it with a harp
His humble tunes so the soul could reach exalted heights.
He set his cross on high,
To bring the children of Eve amid the heavenly ones.

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