Ephrem the Syrian
When the Emperor Julian died on his Persian campaign in 363 CE, Rome ceded Nisibis — the frontier city it had defended for more than a century — to the Sassanid Empire. The Christians of Nisibis had three days to leave. Ephrem the Syrian, who had lived and taught there for much of his life, joined the exodus. He was fifty years old. He would spend his remaining decade in Edessa and never return.
The Carmina Nisibena (Songs of Nisibis) are seventy-seven hymns Ephrem composed in the years that followed, mourning the fallen city and reflecting on what its loss meant theologically. Hymn 9 employs a beth-alphabetic acrostic: every stanza opens with ܒ (beth, the second letter of the Syriac alphabet), holding the whole hymn in a single letter as if the sound itself were a wound that would not close.
The voice is Nisibis herself — the city personified, speaking to God. She catalogs her devastation: children slaughtered in the wilderness, idolatrous rites performed in her courts, the evil one sowing inner confusion to mirror the outer ruin. She asks the unanswerable question: with what face can I call for the holy host when my chambers are full of impurity? And she reaches, slowly, toward an answer — not in her own worthiness but in the multitude of God's salvations, which silence every rival claim.
1.
[Line lost]
My agonies, as Job's —
your justice redeemed him;
may your goodness have mercy on me.
2.
In two ways it is gain:
that the righteous may not grow weary of seeking,
nor may the rebellious increase in sinning.
3.
Among the children she labored
to guide and to help,
so that without a summons they would draw near to you;
but our fathers refused —
and abandoned me in peace.
4.
In my outer precincts, Lord —
see how they are cut off.
In my inner chambers, Lord —
see how they are faint.
I have carried my beloved.
5.
With swords they clipped my outer wings;
fire kindled again
in my inner chambers —
the incense of grief.
6.
In the wilderness they slaughtered my children,
the worshippers of the sun;
in the city they sacrificed my bulls,
the servants of Baal —
my flocks along with my young.
7.
In my fields, wailing;
in my courts, the mourning-dance;
in my vineyards, terror;
in my streets, confusion.
Who will be sufficient for me?
8.
The evil one who plotted
and stirred confusion with his words —
he made bewilderment within,
that my inner life might resemble
all my outer ruin.
9.
With what face, Lord, shall I call you
to send your holy host
to guard my chambers
that are full of impurity?
10.
With your new leaven you drew creation near;
with your blood-like leaven
you replaced the old leaven
that deceived and defiled.
11.
In open contest may your power triumph —
lest error should crown your athletes —
for the crown hangs on temptation.
12.
If in our time he were examined
he would resemble our own falsehood:
for in the years of the True One
we served omens —
and in secret we called them to mind.
13.
When I look back at that time
it stirs and brings to light
what was hidden —
that our falsehood might be shamed,
which had clothed itself in truth.
14.
Truly it is so: truth conquers all,
and the bitter sea cannot muddy it —
for it is pure by nature.
15.
In wisdom you did this, Lord:
you revealed the testing,
that the young might be released —
and lest he be too emboldened,
you concealed the crown from him.
16.
By the trembling walls with which you glorified me
the oppressors repaid you
with sacrifice and libation
that angers you openly.
17.
In that time, if sacrifices had been offered to error,
there would have been room to suppose
that by them I was saved.
18.
By the multitude of salvations you put both to shame:
the error of carved images
and the teaching of the Magi —
for it was in you, Lord, that I was saved.
Translated from Classical Syriac by the New Tianmu Anglican Church (Good Works Translation), April 2026. Source text: Edmund Beck, ed., Des Heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Carmina Nisibena, CSCO 218/219 (Louvain: Secrétariat du CorpusSCO, 1961); TEI XML edition transcribed by Michael Oez, Digital Syriac Corpus, University of Oxford / Brigham Young University / Vanderbilt University (CC-BY 4.0). The beth-alphabetic acrostic structure — all 18 stanzas opening with ܒ — cannot be replicated in English; stanza numbering follows Beck's edition. Stanza 1, line 1 is absent from the surviving manuscript tradition. Sebastian Brock's scholarship on Ephremite theology (The Luminous Eye, 1985) was consulted for theological orientation; the English is independently derived from the Syriac.
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Source Text: ܡܰܕܪ̈ܫܶܐ ܥܰܠ ܢܨܺܝܒܺܝܢ — Carmina Nisibena, Hymn IX
ܒܰܪ ܩܳܠܶܗ (melody indicator): [ܒ ܒܰܪ ܩܳܠܶܗ]
1.
Line Missing
ܥܳܩ̈ܳܬܝ̱ ܐܰܝܟ ܕܺܐܝܽܘܒ ܦܪܰܩܬܶܗ ܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܳܟ
ܬܶܚܢܰܢܝ̱ ܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܳܟ
2.
ܒܬܰܪ̈ܬܶܝܢ ܝܽܘܬܪܳܢܰܐ ܗ̱ܘ ܕܳܐܦ ܠܳܐ ܙܰܕܺܝ̈ܩܶܐ
ܢܶܠܐܽܘܢ ܠܡܶܒܥܳܐ ܐܳܦ ܠܳܐ ܡܳܪ̈ܽܘܕܶܐ
ܢܶܣܓܽܘܢ ܠܡܶܚܛܳܐ
3.
ܒܰܒ̈ܢܰܝܳܐ ܥܶܡܠܰܬ ܕܬܶܪܕܶܐ ܘܰܬܥܰܕܰܪ
ܘܰܕܠܳܐ ܒܩܳܠ ܢܶܓܕܳܟ ܢܶܟܪܽܘܢ ܐܰܒܳܗ̈ܰܝܢ
ܫܰܒܩܽܘܢܝ̱ ܒܰܫܠܳܡܳܐ
4.
ܒܥܳܒ̈ܰܝ ܒܰܪ̈ܳܝܶܐ ܚܽܘܪ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܕܰܦܣܺܝܩܺܝܢ
ܠܥܽܘ̈ܒܰܝ ܓܰܘ̈ܳܝܶܐ ܚܙܺܝ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܕܰܡܚܺܝܠܺܝܢ
ܕܶܐܛܥܰܢ ܚܰܒܺܝ̈ܒܰܝ
5.
ܒܣܰܝ̈ܦܶܐ ܩܰܨܶܨܘ̱ ܗ̱ܘܰܘ ܓܶܦ̈ܰܝ ܒܰܪ̈ܳܝܶܐ
ܢܽܘܪܳܐ ܩܶܕܚܰܬ ܬܽܘܒ ܒܥܽܘܒ̈ܰܝ ܓܰܘ̈ܳܝܶܐ
ܠܒܽܘܢܬܳܐ ܕܣܰܘܬܳܐ
6.
ܒܕܰܒܪܳܐ ܢܟܶܣܘ̱ ܠܰܒ̈ܢܰܝ ܣܳܓ̈ܽܘܕܰܝ ܫܶܡܫܳܐ
ܒܟܰܪܟܳܐ ܕܒܰܚܘ̱ ܬܰܘܪ̈ܰܝ ܦܳܠܚ̈ܰܝ ܒܰܥܠܳܐ
ܥܶܪ̈ܒܰܝ ܥܰܡ ܝ̈ܰܠܕܰܝ
7.
ܒܚܰܩ̈ܠܳܬܝ̱ ܝ̈ܰܠܠܰܬܳܐ ܒܕܳܪ̈ܳܬܝ̱ ܡܰܪܩܽܘܕܬܳܐ
ܒܟܰܪ̈ܡܰܝ ܣܽܘܪܳܕܳܐ ܒܫܽܘ̈ܩܰܝ ܒܽܘܠܒܳܠܳܐ
ܡܰܢܽܘ ܢܶܣܦܼܰܩ ܠܺܝ
8.
ܒܺܝܫܳܐ ܕܶܐܨܛܰܢܰܥ ܘܫܰܓܶܫ ܒܡ̈ܶܠܰܘܗ̱ܝ
ܬܘܳܗܬܳܐ ܥܒܰܕ ܡܶܢ ܓܰܘ ܕܬܶܕܡܶܐ ܓܰܘܳܝܽܘܬܝ̱
ܟܽܠܳܗ̇ ܠܒܰܪܳܝܽܘܬܝ̱
9.
ܒܰܐܝܠܶܝܢ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܐܰܦܰܝ̈ ܐܶܩܪܶܝܟ ܕܰܬܫܰܕܰܪ
ܡܰܫܪܺܝܬ ܩܰܕܺܝ̈ܫܶܐ ܕܰܬܢܰܛܰܪ ܥܽܘ̈ܒܰܝ
ܕܰܡܠܶܝܢ ܛܰܡܐܽܘܬܳܐ
10.
ܒܰܚܡܺܝܪܳܟ ܚܰܕܬܳܐ ܢܓܰܕܬܶܗ ܠܰܒܪܺܝܬܳܐ
ܒܰܚܡܺܝܪܳܟ ܕܶܡ̇ܳܝ ܚܡܺܝܪܳܐ ܥܰܬܺܝܩܳܐ
ܕܰܫܕܰܠ ܘܰܡܢܰܚܶܦ
11.
ܒܺܐܝܓܽܘܢܳܐ ܓܰܠܝܳܐ ܕܚܰܝܠܳܟ ܢܶܬܢܰܨܰܚ
ܕܠܳܐ ܟܺܝܬ ܬܟܰܠܶܠ ܛܽܘܥܝܰܝ ܠܰܐܬܠܺܝ̈ܛܰܝܟ
ܒܫܶܕܠܰܐ ܗ̱ܘ ܡܶܬܬܰܠܝܳܐ
12.
ܒܙܰܒܢܰܢ ܐܶܢ ܢ̇ܰܨܶܕ ܕܳܡܶܐ ܗܽܘ ܠܙܺܐܦܰܢ
ܕܒܰܫ̈ܢܰܝ ܫܰܪܺܝܪܳܐ ܩܶܨܡ̈ܰܐ ܗ̱ܘ ܫܰܡܶܫܢ ܚܢܰܢ
ܒܟܶܣܝܳܐ ܙܰܟܰܪܢ ܐܢܚܢܰܢ
13.
ܒܙܰܒܢܳܐ ܐܶܢ ܐܶܚܽܘܪ ܡܓܰܪܶܓ ܘܰܠܓܰܠܝܳܐ
ܡ̇ܰܝܬܶܐ ܟܰܣܝ̈ܳܬܳܐ ܕܢܶܬܟܰܐܰܪ ܙܺܐܦܰܢ
ܕܩܽܘܫܬܳܐ ܡܥܰܛܰܦ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ
14.
ܒܫܰܪܺܝܪܳܐ ܐܺܝܬܰܘܗ̱ܝ ܩܽܘܫܬܳܐ ܙ̇ܟܶܐ ܟܽܠ
ܘܝܰܡܳܐ ܒܰܡܪܳܪܽܘܗ̱ܝ ܠܳܐ ܡܨܶܐ ܕܳܠܰܚ̇ ܠܶܗ
ܕܫܰܦܝܰܐ ܗ̱ܘ ܒܰܟܝܳܢܶܗ
15.
ܒܚܶܟܡܳܐ ܥܒܰܕܬܶܗ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܕܰܓܶܠܬ ܚܽܘܬܚܳܬܗ̇
ܕܫܰܒܪܳܐ ܢܶܬܪܰܦܶܐ ܘܰܕܠܳܐ ܢܶܬܠܰܒܰܒ
ܚܰܦܬܶܗ ܠܰܟܠܺܝܠܳܐ
16.
ܒܫܽܘܪ̈ܶܐ ܪ̈ܰܥܺܝܠܶܐ ܕܰܒܗܽܘܢ ܢܰܨܰܚܬܳܢܝ̱
ܦܰܪܥܽܘܟ ܛܳܠܽܘܡ̈ܶܐ ܕܶܒܼܚܳܐ ܘܢܽܘܩܳܝܳܐ
ܕܡܰܪܓܶܙ ܓܰܠܝܳܐܺܝܬ
17.
ܒܗܰܘ ܙܰܒܢܳܐ ܐܶܠܽܘ ܕܶܒܚ̈ܶܐ ܐܶܬܩܰܪܰܒܘ̱
ܠܛܽܘܥܝܰܝ ܐܳܦ ܐܰܬܪܳܐ ܐܺܝܬ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ ܠܡܰܣܒܳܪܽܘ
ܕܰܒܗܽܘܢ ܐܶܬܦܰܪܩܶܬ
18.
ܒܣܽܘܓܳܐܐ ܕܦܽܘܪ̈ܩܳܢܶܐ ܐܰܟܣܶܬ ܠܬܰܪ̈ܬܶܝܢ
ܠܛܽܘܥܝܰܝ ܕܰܓ̈ܠܺܝܦܶܐ ܠܝܽܘܠܦܳܢ ܡܓܽܘ̈ܫܶܐ
ܕܒܳܟ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܐܶܬܦܰܪܩܶܬ
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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