Hymn XXXIII (Carmina Nisibena XXXIII)

Thirteen stanzas — the third and final hymn of the Harran triad. Where Hymns XXXI and XXXII read the patriarchal narratives typologically, Hymn XXXIII turns from exegesis to eschatological prayer. The opening stanzas (1-5) address Harran's pagan thornfield: the thorns and weeds of idolatry sprouted in the temple of demons, but the thorns that crowned the Farmer have already been transformed into roses and lilies — a crown for the athlete who endured the crown of thorns. Stanza 6 announces the typological key: the humiliation of Bitus in Harran resembles Christ's own humiliation; let his exaltation likewise resemble Christ's glory. Stanzas 7-8 envision the road of reconciliation: from Edessa the old bishop shall visit Harran, and his nephew shall visit his mother church and return to his betrothed — an intimate portrait of inter-church communion. Stanza 9 asks God to fill the pit the Evil One has dug. Stanzas 10-12 invoke the patriarchs and the martyrs: as Abraham's hidden leaven drew the patriarchs to Harran, let the apostles' leaven draw the apostles' sons; and let the bones of John the Baptist, the prophets, and the martyrs Guria, Shamuna, and Habib visit and reconcile. The melody is marked "3rd in the same voice."

Melody: "Third in the same voice" (as Hymns XXXI-XXXII)

I.

Thorns and weeds
and tares of paganism
that flourished on the waterings
Error breathed upon them —
they sprouted within the threshing-floor,
that temple of demons.

II.

If Adam brought forth
thorns by nature
because he transgressed in his freedom
the boundary of the commandment,
by their own will thorns
they sprouted in Harran.

III.

The Farmer descended to the earth
for the sake of humankind
who had become thorns —
that they might become wheat.
Thorns wove thorns
for the head of the Farmer.

IV.

Yet the seed of that parable
they traced was not destroyed —
for behold, the thorns have been turned
to roses and lilies,
a crown for the Farmer
who endured the crown of thorns.

V.

And for that Farmer
who labored in Harran
that thorns might become wheat —
let them become, by your grace,
cypress and myrtle and blossoms:
a crown for your athlete.

VI.

Your vine resembles you,
my Lord, in all things;
and as his humiliation resembled, my Lord,
your humiliation,
let him resemble your exaltation —
that upon his throne he may be magnified.

VII.

And let the road of reconciliation
and the path of gladness
stretch from Edessa
as far as Harran,
and from church to church
let them walk in unity.

VIII.

From Edessa let the old bishop
visit that Harran —
the daughter he raised;
and his nephew shall visit
his mother, and then return
to his betrothed, Harran.

IX.

Fill, by your grace,
the pit the Evil One has dug.
A great schism he made
to cut two sides apart;
in his pit they threw him, and made
a road above him.

X.

And let them give thanks for your grace
that you have made smooth his purity —
a road before the congregations
who hasten to the festival,
that they who traveled easily
may give thanks abundantly.

XI.

And let Jacob and Isaac and Abraham
give thanks on their behalf;
for if the names
of the calf-worshipers their names helped,
with us in Paddan
let them rejoice in their remembrance.

XII.

And as by the hidden leaven
of Abraham
the patriarchs were drawn
to our land, all of them —
so by the apostles,
their leaven drew and brought
the apostles' sons.

XIII.

By the bones of John —
from them, in our land —
the prophets came to our land
through Guria and Shamuna
and their companion, the beloved Habib.
The martyrs came — let them visit.

Colophon

Translated from Classical Syriac by Addai, a Good Works tulku, 2026. Source text: Digital Syriac Corpus (DSC), file 291.xml, CC BY 4.0 (syriaccorpus.org/291), 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.

Biblical parallels: Genesis 3:18 (thorns from Adam's transgression, stanza 2); Matthew 13:24-30 (wheat and tares, stanzas 1-5); Matthew 27:29 (crown of thorns, stanzas 3-4); Exodus 32 (calf-worshipers, stanza 11).

Historical note: Guria, Shamuna, and Habib are the patron martyrs of Edessa, executed during the Diocletianic persecution (c. 303-310 CE). Their relics were central to Edessan civic identity. The "bones of John" likely refers to relics of John the Baptist, portions of which Edessa claimed to possess.

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 33 (Carmina Nisibena 33)

ܥܰܠ ܩܳܠܳܐ (melody indicator): ܓ ܒܰܪ ܩܳܠܶܗ

1.

ܟܽܘ̈ܒܶܐ ܘܙܺܝ̈ܙܳܢܶܐ ܘܗ̈ܶܛܛܶܐ ܕܚܰܢܦܽܘܬܳܐ
ܕܰܪܘܺܝܘ ܒܢܽܘܩ̈ܳܝܶܐ ܕܢܶܫܒܰܬ ܒܗܽܘܢ ܛܽܘܥܝܰܝ
ܘܰܫܘܰܚܘ̱ ܒܓܰܘ ܓܳܪܳܢ ܒܗܰܘ ܢܰܘܣܳܐ ܕܫܺܐܕ̈ܶܐ

2.

ܘܶܐܢܗܼܽܘ ܕܳܐܕܳܡ ܐܰܘܥܺܝ ܟܽܘܒ̈ܶܐ ܕܒܰܟܝܳܢܳܐ
ܕܰܥܒܼܰܪ ܒܚܺܐܪܽܘܬܶܗ ܬܚܽܘܡܳܐ ܕܦܽܘܩܕܳܢܳܐ
ܒܨܶܒܝܳܢܗܽܘܢ ܟܽܘ̈ܒܶܐ ܐܺܝܥܰܘ ܒܓܰܘ ܚܳܪܳܢ

3.

ܐܰܟܳܪܳܐ ܢܚܼܶܬ ܠܰܐܪܥܳܐ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܒ̈ܢܰܝ ܐ̱ܢܳܫܳܐ
ܕܰܗܘܰܘ ܠܗܽܘܢ ܟܽܘ̈ܒܶܐ ܕܢܶܗܘܽܘܢ ܠܗܽܘܢ ܚܶܛ̈ܶܐ
ܟܽܘ̈ܒܶܐ ܓܕܰܠܘ̱ ܟܽܘܒ̈ܶܐ ܠܪܺܝܫܶܗ ܕܰܐܟܳܪܳܐ

4.

ܠܳܐ ܕܶܝܢ ܐܶܒܰܕ ܙܰܪܥܳܗ̇ ܕܗܳܝ ܦܶܠܳܐܬܳܐ ܕܰܪܫܰܡܼܘ̱
ܕܗܳܐ ܐܶܬܗܼܦܶܟܘ̱ ܟܽܘ̈ܒܶܐ ܠܘܰܪܕܳܐ ܘܫܽܘܫ̈ܰܢܶܐ
ܟܠܺܝܠܳܐ ܠܦܰܠܳܚܳܐ ܕܣܰܝܒܰܪ ܟܠܺܝܠ ܟܽܘܒ̈ܶܐ

5.

ܘܰܠܗܰܘ ܐܰܟܳܪܳܐ ܕܰܠܐܺܝ ܒܓܰܘ ܚܳܪܳܢ
ܒܟܽܘܒ̈ܶܐ ܕܢܶܗܘܽܘܢ ܚܶܛ̈ܶܐ ܢܶܗܘܽܘܢ ܒܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܳܟ
ܒܳܪܽܘܬܳܐ ܘܰܐܣܳܐ ܦܰܩ̈ܚܶܐ ܟܠܺܝܠܳܐ ܠܰܐܬܠܺܝܛܳܟ

6.

ܕܳܡܶܐ ܗ̱ܘ ܥܶܠܳܢܳܟ ܠܳܟ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܒܟܽܠ ܡܶܕܶܡ
ܘܰܐܝܟܰܢ ܕܕܰܡܺܝ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܨܰܥܪܶܗ ܒܡܽܘܟܳܟܳܟ
ܢܕܰܡܶܐ ܒܪܽܘܡܪܳܡܳܟ ܕܥܰܠ ܟܽܘܪܣܝܶܗ ܢܺܐܪܰܒ

7.

ܘܽܐܘܪܚܳܐ ܕܬܰܪܥܽܘܬܳܐ ܘܰܫܒܺܝܠ ܚ̈ܰܕܘܳܬܳܐ
ܡܶܢ ܐܽܘܪܗܳܝ ܢܶܡܬܽܘܚ ܥܕܰܡܳܐ ܠܓܰܘ ܚܳܪܳܢ
ܘܡܶܢ ܥܺܕ̱ܬܳܐ ܠܥܺܕ̱ܬܳܐ ܢܶܪܕܽܘܢ ܒܰܐܘܝܽܘܬܳܐ

8.

ܡܶܢ ܐܽܘܪܗܳܝ ܣܳܒܳܐ ܢܣܰܥܪܺܝܗ̇ ܠܗܳܝ ܚܳܪܳܢ
ܒܺܪܬܳܐ ܕܪܰܒܺܝ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ ܘܒܰܪ ܐܰܘܗܺܝ ܢܶܣܥܽܘܪ
ܠܶܐܡܶܗ ܘܬܽܘܒ ܢܰܦܢܶܐ ܨܶܝܕ ܡܟܺܝܪܬܶܗ ܚܳܪܳܢ

9.

ܡܰܠܳܝܗ̱ܝ ܒܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܳܟ ܠܦܶܚܬܳܐ ܕܰܥܒܼܰܕ ܒܺܝܼܫܳܐ
ܦܣܳܩܳܐ ܦܣܰܩ ܪܰܒܳܐ ܕܢܶܦܣܽܘܩ ܬܪ̈ܶܝܢ ܓܰܒܺܝ̈ܢ
ܒܦܶܚܬܶܗ ܫܕܺܝܘܗ̱ܝ ܘܰܥܒܶܕ ܐܽܘܪܚܳܐ ܠܥܶܠ ܡܶܢܶܗ

10.

ܘܢܰܘܕܶܐ ܠܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܳܟ ܕܰܢܩܰܠܬ ܘܫܰܦܝܽܘܬܶܗ
ܠܽܐܘܪܚܳܐ ܩܕܳܡ ܟܶܢܫ̈ܶܐ ܕܳܐܬܫܳܢ ܠܥܰܕܥܺܐܕܳܐ
ܕܰܪܕܰܘ ܕܠܺܝܠܳܐܺܝܬ ܢܰܘܕܽܘܢ ܫܦܺܝܥܳܐܺܝܬ

11.

ܘܢܰܘܕܽܘܢ ܚܠܳܦܰܝܗܽܘܢ ܝܰܥܩܽܘܒ ܘܺܐܝܣܚܳܩ ܘܰܐܒܪܳܡ
ܕܶܐܢ ܠܣܳܓܕ̈ܰܝ ܥܶܓܠܳܐ ܥܰܕܰܪܘ̱ ܫܡܳܗ̈ܰܝܗܽܘܢ
ܥܰܡܰܢ ܒܦܰܕܳܢܳܐ ܒܕܽܘܟܪܳܢܗܽܘܢ ܢܶܚܼܕܽܘܢ

12.

ܘܰܐܝܟܰܢ ܕܒܰܚܡܺܝܪܶܗ ܟܰܣܝܳܐ ܕܰܐܒܪܳܗܳܡ
ܐܶܬܢܓܶܕܘ̱ ܠܓܰܘ ܐܰܬܪܰܢ ܟܽܠܗܽܘܢ ܐܰܒܳܗ̈ܳܬܳܐ
ܗܳܟܰܢ ܒܕܰܫ̈ܠܺܝܚܶܐ ܚܡܺܝܪܗܽܘܢ ܢܓܰܕ ܘܰܐܝܬܺܝ
ܫ̈ܠܺܝܚܶܐ ܒ̈ܢܰܝ ܓܰܒܶܗ

13.

ܒܓܰܪ̈ܡܰܘܗ̱ܝ ܕܝܽܘܚܰܢܳܢ ܕܡܶܢܗܽܘܢ ܒܓܰܘ ܐܰܬܪܰܢ
ܢܒ̈ܺܝܶܐ ܐܶܬܰܘ ܠܰܐܪܥܰܢ ܒܓܽܘܪܝܳܐ ܘܒܰܫܡܽܘܢܳܐ
ܘܰܒܚܳܒܗܽܘܢ ܚܰܒܺܝܒ ܐܶܬܰܘ ܣܳܗ̈ܕܶܐ ܣܥܰܪܽܘܢ

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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