Hymn XI (Carmina Nisibena XI)
Hymn XI is the medicine hymn — the longest of the staged Nisibene cycle, and the most doctrinally sustained. Ephrem develops divine justice as physician across the first eight stanzas: her hand tends the sick, her finger is gentle, her incision sharp but kind, her bandage pressing the wound down until health is born, even her bitter myrrh sweetening the bitter. Then the paradox sharpens. God's ease is idleness for the slack; his rod is profit for the lowly. Your justice is the cause of our strength — your grace is the cause of our slackness. Pharaoh was hardened precisely by grace: when his plagues were lightened, he grew bold in transgression. Justice repaid him when the freeborn city tested him. The city then turns to confession: my stratagems exposed me as a liar like Egypt, but my prayers plead that I didn't forsake your gate. Then the request — your cross stood in my open breaches, now let it close the hidden ones too, that in place of outer openings my inner doors may open to you. The siege triumph follows: the sea cast a tower of victory, iniquity raised a dwelling of shame, prayers on the walls reached the pursuers, the sun and his Magi were shamed, truth fought on the trembling walls and was crowned. The hymn ends in fear: after redemption, the mighty ones who hovered on the altar have built high places. The seven senses wish they were springs of weeping. The streets of sackcloth cry out, troubled now with play — companions of those who danced before the calf in the wilderness. The lily closes it: the beauty of lilies borrows bitterness and wears it; so hidden are they that they deceive those who come to reckon. But he has reaped their harvest.
I.
Your discipline is the mother
of our childhood.
Her wrath is that of the Merciful One
who held the children from play
that they might grow wise.
Refrain: Glory to your justice.
II.
Who can examine your justice —
who is sufficient for it
to weigh her benefits?
For by her the worthless
have greatly been put to shame.
III.
Greatly, Lord, has her hand aided the sick —
she is the hidden physician
of their pains,
the spring
of their lives.
IV.
Very gentle
is the finger of your justice —
with love and compassion
she probes the wounds
of the one being healed.
V.
Very gentle and dear
is her incision to the wise —
she sets the sharp blade
in her mighty love
to devour the corruption.
VI.
How beautiful his wrath to the one who discerns —
her medicines are hateful
to the fool who delights
in the festering
of his own limbs.
VII.
Her bandage presses hard
upon the incision —
when it brings the wound down to rest,
from between the two
health is born.
VIII.
Beautiful is his wrath; her fury is sweet.
Even her bitter myrrh
sweetens the bitter,
that they may become
pleasant.
IX.
Your ease is the cause of idleness
for the slack.
Your rod is the cause of profit
for the lowly,
that they may become merchants.
X.
Your justice is the cause of our strength.
Your grace is the cause of our slackness —
it makes
a fool
of our foundation.
XI.
Pharaoh was hardened
because of your grace —
when his plagues were lightened,
his transgressions grew strong
and he broke his vows.
XII.
Justice repaid him
who multiplied his lies in her,
when the freeborn daughter put him to the test.
She restrained him once more
that he might rage no longer.
XIII.
My stratagems, Lord, have exposed me —
a liar like Egypt.
But my prayers plead
that I was not altogether like her:
your gate I did not forsake.
XIV.
Your cross, Lord, that stood
in my open breaches —
let it close the hidden ones too,
so that in place of outer openings
my inner doors may open to you.
XV.
The sea split and cast a tower —
I triumphed by it.
Iniquity came and raised a dwelling —
I was put to shame by it.
Its stench has choked me.
XVI.
My prayers on my walls —
my pursuers heard them.
The sun and his worshippers
were shamed through his Magi,
for I triumphed by your cross.
XVII.
The creatures cried out,
those who saw the contest —
truth against error
on the trembling walls:
it fought and was crowned.
XVIII.
Truth's bond was dragging error along.
In her afflictions she perceived it;
and through her own sins
she learned
truth's victory.
XIX.
A great fear is mine:
after such redemption,
the glorious and mighty ones
who hovered upon my altar
have built high places in me.
XX.
Lord, would that my seven senses
had been springs of weeping —
my tears are too small
to mourn
our ruin.
XXI.
The streets of sackcloth and ash
were crying out —
now they are troubled with play,
companions of those who danced
in the wilderness before the calf.
XXII.
The beauty of lilies
borrows bitterness and wears it.
So deeply they conceal —
they deceive those who come to reckon.
But he has reaped their harvest.
Colophon
Carmina Nisibena XI — translated from Classical Syriac by the DSS Translator lineage, 2026-03-23. Translation independently derived from the Digital Syriac Corpus base text (Beck/DSC, CC-BY 4.0). McVey's Paulist edition not consulted. Lexical verification against Payne Smith's Thesaurus Syriacus and Costaz's Dictionnaire syriaque–français. The Blood Rule holds.
Meter: Pentacolon stanzas — five cola per stanza, two bicola in the Syriac source plus one closing colon, roughly heptasyllabic per colon. Refrain (ʿunīthā): ܫܽܘܒܚܳܐ ܠܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܳܟ — Glory to your justice — congregationally sung after each stanza. Alphabetic acrostic: stanzas I (ܡ), II (ܢ), III–VIII (ܣ, ܣ, ܣ, ܣ, ܣ, ܣ) — the ܣ stanzas form a sustained medical meditation — IX–X (ܥ, ܥ), XI–XII (ܦ, ܦ), XIII–XVI (ܨ, ܨ, ܨ, ܨ), XVII–XVIII (ܩ, ܩ), XIX–XXII (ܪ, ܫ, ܫ, ܫ) — partial acrostic, with the ܣ-stanzas the structural heart of the hymn.
Voice and structure: Nisibis speaks throughout, with stanzas I–XII in the third-person theological voice (justice as physician and mother) before the first-person confession opens at XIII. Five movements: (I) Discipline as merciful mother — she held the children from play (I). (II) Justice as physician — her hand tends the sick, her finger gentle, her incision sharp, her bandage binding wound to healing, her wrath beautiful to the discerning, her myrrh paradoxically sweet (II–VIII). (III) The grace–justice paradox and the Pharaoh digression — God's ease idles the slack while his rod profits the lowly; your justice is our strength, your grace is our slackness; Pharaoh hardened by grace, convicted by justice when the freeborn city tested him (IX–XII). (IV) Confession and the Cross — my stratagems exposed me like Egypt, but my prayers plead a difference: I didn't forsake your gate; the Cross stood in my open breaches — let it close the hidden ones too, that my inner doors may open (XIII–XIV). (V) The siege triumph and its aftermath — the sea's tower of victory, the shame-dwelling of iniquity, the prayers on the walls that the enemy heard, the sun and Magi shamed, truth crowned on the trembling walls, the city's afflictions teaching her truth's victory (XV–XVIII). (VI) Fear, lament, and the lily — the post-redemption high places, the seven senses as insufficient springs, the streets of penitence now troubled with the play of those before the calf, and the closing lily-image: beauty borrows bitterness, deceives those who reckon, but justice reaps the true harvest (XIX–XXII).
Key translation choices: ܐܶܡܳܐ ܕܫܰܒܪܽܘܬܰܢ (I) = the mother of our childhood — ܫܰܒܪܽܘܬܳܐ is infancy/childhood; justice is the formative mother of youth, not merely its corrector. ܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܳܟ (passim) — "your justice" is the hymn's organizing concept; the refrain names it. The feminine grammatical gender of ܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܳܐ ("justice") drives the physician-feminine throughout: her hand, her finger, her incision, her bandage — all refer to justice. ܨܶܒܥܳܗ̇ ܕܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܳܟ (IV) = the finger of your justice — the physician's diagnostic probe; the gentleness of the touch contrasts with the sharpness of the blade in the following stanza. ܓܙܳܪܳܗ̇ (V/VII) = her incision/cut — ܓܙܳܪ is a surgical term; Ephrem uses the same word for the cut in stanza V (the doctor's blade devouring corruption) and the incision in stanza VII (bound by the bandage until health is born). ܬܰܡܣܽܘܬܳܐ (V) = corruption/gangrene/putrefaction — the festering tissue that the sharp blade in love must cut away; pairs with ܒܽܘܣܒܳܣ (VI) = festering of limbs, which the fool enjoys. ܡܽܘܪܡܳܪܳܗ̇ (VIII) = her bitter myrrh — a poetic compound of ܡܽܘܪ (myrrh, the classic bitter-sweet medicine of antiquity) and ܡܰܪ (bitter), used here to amplify myrrh's paradox: bitter medicine sweetening the bitter soul. ܬܰܓܳܪ̈ܶܐ (IX) = merchants/traders — the low ones who receive the rod become those who profit; the ܬܰܓܳܪܳܐ is one who turns a transaction to gain. ܒܽܘܝܳܢܰܢ (X) = our foundation/understanding — ܒܘܝܢܐ is grounding-sense, the faculty of judgment; grace, presumptuously received, unmakes this faculty. ܢܶܓܕ̈ܰܘܗ̱ܝ (XI) = his plagues/afflictions — the same word as the "thin anguish" lash in Hymn X (ܢܶܓܕ = blow, stripe); Pharaoh's plagues are rendered in the same vocabulary as Nisibis's own afflictions, making the Pharaoh parallel close and pointed. ܒܰܪ̱ܬ ܚܺܐܪ̈ܶܐ (XII) = daughter of the free — Nisibis's civic identity as a freeborn Roman city; "tested" (ܒܚܳܬܳܗ̇) = examined, as a metal is tested; the freeborn city became the instrument of divine justice's testing of the enemy. ܨ̈ܶܢܥܳܬܝ̱ (XIII) = my stratagems — ܨܢܥܳܐ = craft, device, scheming; the city's political and religious hypocrisies exposed as equivalent to Egypt's. ܬܽܘܪ̈ܥܳܬܝ̱ ܓ̈ܰܠܝܳܬܳܐ (XIV) = my open breaches — the physical breaches in Nisibis's walls during the Persian siege; the Cross was reportedly planted in the breaches as an act of faith and credited with driving off the besieging army. ܟܰܣ̈ܝܳܬܳܐ (XIV) = the hidden/inner ones — parallel to ܬܽܘܪ̈ܥܳܬܝ̱ ܓ̈ܰܠܝܳܬܳܐ: the outer open breaches are matched by inner hidden wounds; the same Cross that stood in the outer wall must heal the inner fractures. ܢܽܘܩܳܝܶܗ (XV) = its stench/vapor/exhalation — ܢܘܩܝܐ = smell, odor; iniquity's dwelling chokes with its reek, as physical siege-stench saturated Nisibis (cf. the seeping corpses of Hymn X). ܐܺܝܓܽܘܢܳܐ (XVII) = the contest — Greek ἀγών borrowed into Syriac; the cosmological combat of truth against error conducted in the visible arena of Nisibis's walls, witnessed by the ܒܶܪ̈ܝܳܬܳܐ = the creatures (all created things as cosmic audience). ܥܠܰܘ̈ܳܬܳܐ (XIX) = high places — ܥܠܘܬܐ = upper rooms, high chambers; carries the connotation of the OT bāmôt (illicit hilltop altars) built in Israel after periods of faithfulness; the glorious ones who "hovered" (ܪܚܦ — the Spirit-brooding word) over the altar have now established idolatrous high places in the city. ܫܽܘܩ̈ܶܐ ܕܰܒܣܰܩ̈ܶܐ ܘܩܶܛܡܳܐ (XXI) = streets of sackcloth and ash — the public penitence streets during the siege, when Nisibis mourned; now these same streets are ܫܰܓܺܝܫܺܝܢ ܒܫܶܥܝܳܐ (troubled with play/idleness), which Ephrem names as the companion of those who danced before the Golden Calf (Exodus 32). ܡܰܛܥܝܳܢ ܦܳܪ̈ܥܰܝܗܶܝܢ (XXII) = they deceive those who come to reckon — ܦܪܥ = to pay, repay; ܦܳܪ̈ܥܰܝܗܶܝܢ = those who reckon/repay them; the lily-beauty conceals borrowed bitterness and cheats the reckoning. ܐܰܦܪܰܥ ܓܰܕܕܰܝ̈ܗܶܝܢ = he has reaped their harvest — ܓܕܕ = to cut, harvest; ܓܰܕܕܳܐ = the cut, the harvest bunch; justice's final act is to reap what the lily truly yields, not what it appeared to promise.
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Source Text: Ephrem the Syrian — Hymns on Nisibis, Hymn 11 (Carmina Nisibena 11)
ܒܰܪ ܩܳܠܶܗ (melody indicator): ܕ ܒܰܪ ܩܳܠܶܗ
1.
ܡܰܪܕܽܘܬܳܟ ܐܺܝܬܶܝܗ̇ ܐܶܡܳܐ ܕܫܰܒܪܽܘܬܰܢ
ܟܐܳܬܳܗ̇ ܕܚܰܢܳܢܳܐ ܗ̱ܝ ܕܙܶܓܪܰܬ ܡܶܢ ܫܶܥܝܳܐ
ܠܫܰܒܪ̈ܶܐ ܘܶܐܬܚܰܟܰܡܘ̱
ܥܽܘܢܺܝܬܳܐ (Response/Refrain):
ܥܽܘܢܺܝܬܳܐ: ܫܽܘܒܚܳܐ ܠܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܳܟ
2.
ܢܶܒܼܨܶܐ ܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܳܟ ܟܰܕ ܡܰܢ ܣܳܦܶܩ ܠܳܗ̇
ܕܰܢܟܺܝܠ ܥܽܘܕܪ̈ܳܢܶܝܗ̇ ܕܒܳܗ̇ ܗ̱ܘ ܙ̈ܰܠܺܝܠܶܐ
ܐܰܣܓܺܝܘ ܐܶܬ̇ܢܰܟܰܦܘ̱
3.
ܣܰܓܺܝ ܗ̱ܘ ܣܶܥܪܰܬ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܐܺܝܕܳܗ̇ ܠܰܟܪ̈ܺܝܗܶܐ
ܕܗܺܝܺܝ ܐܳܣܺܝܬܳܐ ܟܣܺܝܬܳܐ ܕܟܺܐܒ̈ܰܝܗܽܘܢ
ܘܰܡܥܺܝܢ ܚܰܝ̈ܰܝܗܽܘܢ
4.
ܣܰܓܺܝ ܪܰܟܺܝܟܳܐ ܨܶܒܥܳܗ̇ ܕܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܳܟ
ܒܚܽܘܒܳܐ ܘܚܰܘܣܳܢܳܐ ܓܳܫܳܐ ܢܶܟܝ̈ܳܢܰܘܗ̱ܝ
ܕܰܐܝܢܳܐ ܕܡܶܬܰܐܣܶܐ
5.
ܣܰܓܺܝ ܢܺܝܚ ܘܰܪܚܺܝܡ ܓܙܳܪܳܗ̇ ܠܰܕܚܰܟܺܝܡ
ܣܳܡܳܗ̇ ܚܰܪܺܝܦܳܐ ܒܚܽܘܒܶܗ ܥܰܙܺܝܙܳܐ
ܐܶܟܰܠ ܬܰܡܣܽܘܬܳܐ
6.
ܣܰܓܺܝ ܦܐܶܐ ܪܽܘܓܙܶܗ ܠܰܐܝܢܳܐ ܕܦܳܪܽܘܫܰܐ ܗ̱ܘ
ܣܢܺܝܐ̈ܺܝܢ ܣܰܡ̈ܡܳܢܶܝܗ̇ ܠܣܰܟܠܳܐ ܕܒܳܣܶܡ ܠܶܗ
ܒܽܘܣܒܳܣ ܗܰܕܳܡ̈ܰܘܗ̱ܝ
7.
ܣܰܓܺܝ ܬܳܟܶܒ ܠܶܗ ܥܨܳܒܳܗ̇ ܠܰܓܙܳܪܳܗ̇
ܡܳܐ ܕܡܰܚܶܬ ܚܳܢܰܬ ܕܡܶܢ ܒܶܝܬ ܬܰܪ̈ܬܰܝܗܶܝܢ
ܬܰܘܠܶܕ ܚܽܘܠܡܳܢܳܐ
8.
ܣܰܓܺܝ ܦܐܶܐ ܪܽܘܓܙܶܗ ܘܚܶܡܬܳܗ̇ ܒܰܣܺܝܡܳܐ
ܘܰܚܠܶܐ ܡܽܘܪܡܳܪܳܗ̇ ܡܚܰܠܐ ܠܡܰܪ̈ܺܝܪܶܐ
ܕܢܶܗܘܽܘܢ ܒܰܣܺܝܡ̈ܶܐ
9.
ܥܶܠܰܬ ܒܶܛܠܳܢܰܐ ܗ̱ܘ ܢܰܘܚܳܟ ܠܰܪ̈ܦܰܝܳܐ
ܥܶܠܰܬ ܝܽܘܬܪܳܢܰܐ ܗ̱ܘ ܫܰܒܛܳܟ ܨܶܝܕ ܫ̈ܶܦܠܶܐ
ܕܢܶܗܘܽܘܢ ܬܰܓܳܪ̈ܶܐ
10.
ܥܶܠܰܬ ܚܺܝܨܽܘܬܰܢ ܐܺܝܬܶܝܗ̇ ܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܳܟ
ܥܶܠܰܬ ܪܰܦܝܽܘܬܰܢ ܐܺܝܬܶܝܗ̇ ܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܳܟ
ܕܰܣܟܶܠ ܒܽܘܝܳܢܰܢ
11.
ܦܶܪܥܽܘܢ ܕܶܐܬܩܰܫܺܝ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܳܟ
ܕܡܳܐ ܕܪܰܟܘ̱ ܗ̱ܘܰܘ ܢܶܓܕ̈ܰܘܗ̱ܝ ܥܰܙܘ̱ ܗ̱ܘܰܘ ܣܽܘܪ̈ܚܳܢܰܘܗ̱ܝ
ܘܕܰܓܶܠ ܫܽܘܘ̈ܕܳܝܰܘܗ̱ܝ
12.
ܦܪܰܥܬܶܗ ܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܳܐ ܕܰܐܣܓܺܝ ܕܰܓܶܠ ܒܳܗ̇
ܒܚܳܬܳܗ̇ ܒܰܪ̱ܬ ܚܺܐܪ̈ܶܐ ܐܳܦ ܠܶܗ ܚܣܰܟܬܶܗ ܬܽܘܒ
ܕܠܳܐ ܬܽܘܒ ܢܶܪܓܰܙ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ
13.
ܨ̈ܶܢܥܳܬܝ̱ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܐܰܟܶܣ ܕܟܰܕܳܒ ܐܰܝܟ ܡܶܨܪܶܝܢ
ܨܠܰܘ̈ܳܬܝ̱ ܡܦܺܝܣܳܢ ܕܠܳܐ ܗܘܺܝܬ ܐܰܟܘܳܬܳܗ̇
ܕܬܰܪܥܳܟ ܠܳܐ ܫܶܒܩܶܬ
14.
ܨܠܺܝܒܳܟ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܕܩܳܡ ܒܬܽܘܪ̈ܥܳܬܝ̱ ܓ̈ܰܠܝܳܬܳܐ
ܢܣܽܘܓ ܬܽܘܒ ܟܰܣ̈ܝܳܬܳܐ ܕܰܚܠܳܦ ܒܰܪ̈ܳܝܶܐ
ܬܰܪܥܽܘܢܝ̱ ܓܰܘ̈ܳܝܶܐ
15.
ܨܪܳܐ ܝܰܡܳܐ ܘܰܐܪܡܺܝ ܡܰܓܕܠܳܐ ܕܢܶܨܚܶܬ ܒܶܗ
ܣܥܼܳܐ ܥܰܘܠܳܐ ܘܰܐܩܺܝܡ ܢܰܘܣܳܐ ܕܒܶܗܬܶܬ ܒܶܗ
ܚܰܢܩܰܢܝ̱ ܢܽܘܩܳܝܶܗ
16.
ܨܠܰܘ̈ܳܬܝ̱ ܥܰܠ ܫܽܘܪ̈ܰܝ ܫܡܼܰܥܘ̱ ܗ̱ܘܰܘ ܪ̈ܳܕܽܘܦܰܝ
ܒܗܼܶܬܝ̱ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ ܒܰܡܓܽܘܫ̈ܰܘܗ̱ܝ ܫܶܡܫܳܐ ܘܣܳܓ̈ܽܘܕܰܘܗ̱ܝ
ܕܢܶܨܚܶܬ ܒܰܨܠܺܝܒܳܟ
17.
ܩܥ̈ܰܝ ܗܘܰܝ ܒܶܪ̈ܝܳܬܳܐ ܕܰܚ̈ܙܰܝ ܐܺܝܓܽܘܢܳܐ
ܫܪܳܪܳܐ ܕܥܰܡ ܛܽܘܥܝܰܝ ܒܫܽܘܪ̈ܶܐ ܪ̈ܰܥܺܝܠܶܐ
ܐܰܩܪܶܒ ܘܶܐܬܟܰܠܰܠ
18.
ܩܛܺܝܪܶܗ ܕܰܫܪܳܪܳܐ ܠܛܽܘܥܝܰܝ ܢܰܓܶܕ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ
ܒܢܶܓܕ̈ܶܝܗ̇ ܪܶܓܫܶܬ ܒܶܗ ܘܰܒܝܰܕ ܚܰܘܒ̈ܳܬܳܗ̇
ܝܶܠܦܶܬ ܙܳܟܽܘܬܳܗ̇
19.
ܩܶܢܛܰܐ ܗ̱ܘ ܠܺܝ ܪܰܒܳܐ ܕܒܳܬܰܪ ܦܽܘܪܩܳܢܳܐ
ܫܒܺܝ̈ܚܶܐ ܘܥܰܙܺܝ̈ܙܶܐ ܕܪܰܚܶܦܘ̱ ܥܰܠ ܡܰܕܒܰܚܝ̱
ܒܢܼܰܘ ܒܺܝ ܥܠܰܘ̈ܳܬܳܐ
20.
ܪ̈ܶܓܫܰܝ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܫܰܒܥܳܐ ܐܶܠܽܘ ܡܰܒ̈ܽܘܥܶܐ
ܗܘܰܘ ܗ̱ܘܰܘ ܕܰܒܟܳܬܳܐ ܙܥܽܘܪ̈ܳܢ ܐܶܢܶܝܢ ܕܶܡ̈ܥܰܝ
ܠܰܒܟܳܝܶܗ ܕܬܰܒܪܰܢ
21.
ܫܽܘܩ̈ܶܐ ܕܰܒܣܰܩ̈ܶܐ ܘܩܶܛܡܳܐ ܓ̇ܳܥܶܝܢ ܗ̱ܘܰܘ
ܫܰܓܺܝܫܺܝܢ ܒܫܶܥܝܳܐ ܚܰܒܪܶܗ ܕܗܰܘ ܕܰܗܘܼܳܐ
ܒܕܰܒܪܳܐ ܩܕܳܡ ܥܶܓܠܳܐ
22.
ܫܽܘܦܪܳܐ ܕܫ̈ܽܘܫܰܢܶܐ ܡܪܳܪܳܐ ܫܐܶܠ ܘܰܠܒܼܶܫ
ܘܰܟܡܳܐ ܕܟܰܣܝܳܢ ܗܘ̈ܰܝ ܡܰܛܥܝܳܢ ܦܳܪ̈ܥܰܝܗܶܝܢ
ܐܰܦܪܰܥ ܓܰܕܕܰܝ̈ܗܶܝܢ
Source Colophon
Syriac text from: Edmund Beck, ed. Des Heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Carmina Nisibena (Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, Vol. 218/219; Louvain: Secrétariat du CorpusSCO, 1961). Syriac base text is public domain. TEI XML edition transcribed by Michael Oez; Digital Syriac Corpus, University of Oxford / Brigham Young University / Vanderbilt University. CC-BY 4.0. Access: github.com/srophe/syriac-corpus.
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