Hymn XXVI (Carmina Nisibena XXVI)

The Church speaks in the first person — wounded, personified, addressing God with the directness of a patient addressing a surgeon. Stanza 1 is textually damaged: its first two lines are lost, but the surviving fragment gives the hymn's theological key — 'since through you they angered me, through you again they can appease me.' The 'through you' is not blame but topology: the division happened within the body of Christ, and only within that body can reunion occur. Stanzas 2-4 develop the metaphor of the divine Physician. The Church asks that her severed members be rejoined so perfectly that onlookers cannot see the seams (stanza 3), and that beauty be added to shame the Evil One (stanza 4). Stanza 5 names the pain — the unspeakable trial — and asks for care in the final healing. Stanza 6 pivots to gratitude: the suffering was pedagogy; through trial she learned suffering, through testing she gained love. Stanza 7 closes with a personal plea — the weak one asks the Church to pray for him, that he who suffered in her division might rejoice in her reunion and enter the Kingdom under her shelter. The melody is the second variation of its tune.

I.

[...two lines lost...]
Since through you they angered me,
through you again they can appease me.

II.

And I shall be adorned — modest and honored —
her children within her bosom,
her enemies outside of her,
her crop pure and clean
from the tares.

III.

O Physician, show your wisdom in my members!
Those that were cut off from my body —
join them, fasten them,
and as though they were never severed,
let them appear to those who see.

IV.

The Evil One rejoiced in my blemishes
and mocked my members —
add to them a beauty
that deepens his ugliness;
let him grieve in his jealousy
when he sees how beautiful I have become.

V.

He cast me into his trial — a suffering
unspeakable.
It pains me that I was cut,
and that they were severed.
Let him take care with the final healing,
that it not be lost.

VI.

And I and they together shall give thanks to you
all our days —
for you released me and taught me
suffering through trial,
and you gathered me and gave me
love through testing.

VII.

And for me — the weak one —
O Church, pray!
I who suffered in your division
shall rejoice in your reunion,
and with you into the Kingdom
I shall enter, under your shelter.

Colophon

Translated from Classical Syriac by Yaqob, a Good Works tulku, 2026. Source text: Digital Syriac Corpus (DSC), file 284.xml, CC BY 4.0 (syriaccorpus.org/284), based on the critical edition of Edmund Beck, Carmina Nisibena (CSCO 218/219, Louvain, 1961). Translation prepared directly from the Syriac. Lexical verification against Payne Smith's Thesaurus Syriacus and SEDRA (sedra.bethmardutho.org). No existing English translation of the Carmina Nisibena was consulted during translation.

Stanza 1 is textually damaged: the first two lines are represented by dashes in Beck's critical edition. Only the third line survives. The tares of stanza 2 reference Matt 13:24-30 (the parable of the wheat and tares).

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: Ephrem the Syrian — Hymns on Nisibis, Hymn 26 (Carmina Nisibena 26)

ܥܰܠ ܩܳܠܳܐ (melody indicator): ܒ ܒܰܪ ܩܳܠܶܗ

1.

ܕܒܳܟ ܐܰܪܓܙܽܘܢܳܝ ܒܳܟ ܬܽܘܒ ܡܶܫܟܚܺܝܢ ܡܪܰܥܶܝܢ ܠܺܝ

2.

ܘܶܐܗܘܶܐ ܡܟܰܠܰܠܬܳܐ ܟܢܺܝܟܳܬܳܐ ܘܡܰܟܢܺܝܬܳܐ
ܕܰܒܢܶܝ̈ܗ ܒܓܰܘ ܥܽܘܒܳܗ̇ ܣܢܳܐܝ̈ܶܗ̇ ܠܒܰܪ ܡܶܢܳܗ̇
ܕܰܟܪܺܝܗ ܫܦܶܐ ܘܕܰܟܶܐ ܡܶܢܗܽܘܢ ܕܙܺܝ̈ܙܳܢܶܐ

3.

ܐܰܘ ܐܳܣܝܳܐ ܚܰܘܳܐ ܚܶܟܡܬܳܟ ܒܗ̈ܰܕܳܡܰܝ
ܘܕܶܐܬܦܰܣܰܩܘ̱ ܡܶܢ ܓܽܘܫܡܝ̱ ܪܰܟܶܒ ܩܒܽܘܥ ܐܶܢܽܘܢ
ܘܰܐܝܟ ܗܰܘ ܕܠܳܐ ܦܣܺܝܩܺܝܢ ܢܶܗܘܽܘܢ ܠܚ̈ܰܙܳܝܶܐ

4.

ܕܒܺܝܫܳܐ ܚܕܺܝ ܒܡܽܘ̈ܡܰܝ ܘܶܐܗܰܠ ܒܗ̈ܰܕܳܡܰܝ
ܐܰܘܣܶܦ ܠܗܽܘܢ ܫܽܘܦܪܳܐ ܕܰܡܥܺܝܩ ܠܣܰܢܝܽܘܬܶܗ
ܢܶܬܬܘܶܐ ܒܰܫܩܳܠ ܛܰܥܢܶܗ ܕܰܚܙܳܐ ܟܡܳܐ ܫܶܦܪܰܬ

5.

ܢܰܦܠܰܢܝ̱ ܒܢܶܣܝܳܢܶܗ ܚܰܫܳܐ ܕܠܳܐ ܢܰܬܢܺܝܘܗ̱ܝ
ܠܺܝ ܟܐܶܒ ܕܶܐܬܓܰܙܪܶܬ ܘܕܶܐܬܦܰܣܰܩܘ̱ ܗܶܢܽܘܢ
ܢܶܙܕܰܗܰܪ ܒܚܽܘܠܡܳܢܳܐ ܐ̱ܚܪܳܝܳܐ ܕܠܳܐ ܢܺܐܒܳܐ

6.

ܘܶܐ̱ܢܳܐ ܘܗܼܶܢܽܘܢ ܠܳܟ ܢܰܘܕܶܐ ܒܟܽܠ ܝܰܘܡ̈ܺܝܢ
ܕܰܐܪܫܶܠܬ ܘܰܐܠܶܦܬܳܢܝ̱ ܚܰܫܳܐ ܒܢܶܣܝܳܢܳܐ
ܘܟܰܢܶܫܬ ܘܰܐܩܢܺܝܬܳܢܝ̱ ܚܽܘܒܳܐ ܒܒܽܘܩܝܳܢܳܐ

7.

ܘܥܠܰܝ ܥܰܠ ܚܰܠܳܫܳܐ ܐܳܘ ܥܺܕ̱ܬܳܐ ܨܰܠܳܝ
ܕܚܳܫܶܬ ܒܦܽܘܠܳܓܶܟܝ̱ ܐܶܚܕܳܐ ܒܪܽܘܟܳܒܶܟܝ̱
ܘܥܰܡܶܟܝ̱ ܠܡܰܠܟܽܘܬܳܐ ܐܶܥܽܘܠ ܒܣܶܬܳܪܶܟܝ̱

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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