Type 7032
(formerly typ/4941)

Ὦ πάντων ἐπέκεινα - τί γὰρ θέμις ἄλλο σε μέλπειν;
πῶς λόγος ὑμνήσει σε; - σὺ γὰρ λόγῳ οὐδενὶ ῥητός,
μοῦνος ἐὼν ἄφραστος, ἐπεὶ τέκες ὅσσα λαλεῖται.
Πῶς νόος ἀθρήσει σε; - σὺ γὰρ νόῳ οὐδενὶ ληπτός,
μοῦνος ἐὼν ἄγνωστος, ἐπεὶ τέκες ὅσσα νοεῖται.
Πάντα σε καὶ λαλέοντα καὶ οὐ λαλέοντα λιγαίνει,
πάντα σε καὶ νοέοντα καὶ οὐ νοέοντα γεραίρει.
Ξυνοὶ γάρ τε πόθοι, ξυναὶ δ᾿ ὠδῖνες ἁπάντων
ἀμφὶ σέ. Σοὶ δὲ τὰ πάντα προσεύχεται, εἰς σὲ δὲ πάντα
σύνθεμα σὸν νοέοντα λαλεῖ σιγώμενον ὕμνον.
Σοὶ ἐνὶ πάντα μένει· σεῦ δ᾿ ἀθρόα πάντα θοάζει,
καὶ πάντων τέλος ἐσσὶ καὶ εἷς καὶ πάντα ὑπάρχεις,
οὐχ᾿ ἓν ἐὼν, οὐ πάντα. Πολύλλογε, πῶς σε καλέσσω,
τὸν μόνον ἀκλήϊστον; Ὑπερφανέας δὲ καλύπτρας
τίς νόος οὐρανίδης εἰσδύσσεται; Ἵλαος εἴης,
ὦ πάντων ἐπέκεινα - τί γὰρ θέμις ἄλλο σε μέλπειν;
Text source C. Macé 2023, The ‘Hymn to What Is Beyond Everything’ Attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite and Gregory of Nazianzus, Byzantion, 93, 193-221: 220
Text status Text completely known
Editorial status Critical text
Genre(s) Text-related epigram
Metre(s) Dactylic hexameter
Subject(s) Hymnography
Tag(s)
Critical Notes The edition by Macé (2023: 220) - the text source for this Type - systematically follows the readings of the Dionysian branch (β-branch), which she believes to be the original one. We here present the variants from the Gregorian branch (α-branch).

Title: deest Lond. Add. 36821 Monac. gr. 547 De Groot Jahn Frangeskou, ὕμνος εἰς θεόν α-branch Migne Podolak, τοῦ ἁγίου Διονυσίου ὕμνος θεῖος διὰ στίχων ἡρωικῶν Vat. Pal. gr. 39 Cavallero, εἰς τὸ περῖ θείων ὀνομάτων Vat. gr. 1525 Plut. 5.32

3-4 these verses are inverted in the α-branch
8-10 these verses are omitted in the α-branch, except for one, now lost manuscript (text edited by Löwenklau, published by Canter)
11 σεῦ ] σοί Vat. gr. 1347 Papiensis 80 (supra-linear variant for σεῦ) Cavallero Frangeskou Jahn Migne Podolak Rosán
12 ὑπάρχεις ] καὶ οὐδέν α-branch Cavallero Frangeskou Sicherl, καὶ οὐδείς Migne Podolak
13 Πολύλλογε ] πανώνυμε α-branch Cavallero Frangeskou Migne Podolak, ἀνώνυμε Sicherl
14 Ὑπερφανέας ] Ὑπερνεφέας α-branch Frangeskou Migne
Translation(s)
  • Oh you who are above everything, how else can I rightfully sing of you?
    How shall a word praise you? You cannot be expressed by any word,
    as you alone are ineffable, because you brought forth everything that is spoken.
    How shall a mind consider you? You cannot be grasped by any mind,
    as you alone are incomprehensible, because you brought forth everything that is thought.
    All that speaks and does not speak sings in praise of you,
    All that understands and does not understand worships you.
    Common are the desires, common the birth pains of all
    Around you: to you everything prays, for you everything
    That knows your composition sings its silent song.
    In you everything remains, from you everything collected rushes forth.
    You are the completion of all, you are both one and all,
    While being neither one nor all. You of many words, how should I call you?
    You, the only one without name. Into the transcendently radiant veils
    Which heavenly mind will enter? May you be kind,
    Oh you who are above everything, how else can I rightfully sing of you?
    Language
    English
    Source(s)
    S. De Groot 2021, Readers' Perspectives on Early Christian Texts. Book Epigrams in the Byzantine Manuscripts of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Gent: 175-176
  • You are above all things and what other way can we rightly sing of you?
    How can words sing your praise when no word can speak of you?
    How can the mind consider you when no mind can ever grasp you?
    You alone are unutterable from the time you created all things that can be spoken of.
    You alone are unknowable from the time you created all things that can be known.
    All things cry out about you, those which speak, and those which cannot speak,
    all things honour you, those which think, and those which cannot think.
    For there is one longing, one groaning, that all things have for you.
    All things pray to you that comprehend your plan and offer you a silent hymn.
    In you, the One, all things abide and all things endlessly run to you
    who are the end of all. And you are the One, and All, and none of them -
    being not one thing, not all things. You who bear all names, how shall I name you,
    who cannot be named? What heavenly mind can penetrate those veils above the clouds?
    Be merciful you who are greater than all things, for what other way can we rightly sing of you?
    Language
    English
    Source(s)
    J. McGuckin, 1986, Saint Gregory Nazianzen: Selected Poems, Oxford: 7
  • O über Alles Erheb'ner (denn anders wie darf man Dich preisen?)
    [Wie soll ich Dich lobsingen, der Du über Alles emporragst?]
    Wie besingen Dich Wort'? Es erreicht die Sprache Dich nimmer;
    Dich alleine verschweigt sie, dieweil du gezeuget die Rede.
    Wie erschaut Dich der Geist? Es fasset Gedanke Dich nimmer,
    Dich allein nicht Erforschten, dieweil Du gezeugt die Gedanken.
    Alles preiset Dich laut, was Zung' hat, Alles, was schweiget;
    Dich verherrlichet Alles, das Denkende wie die Naturwelt.
    Alles ja sehnt nach Dir sich, in Liebeswehen erseufzend;
    Zu Dir flehet auch Alles, nur Dein es harrt mit Verlangen;
    Alles Dein Zeichen erkennend verkündet Dir schweigendes Loblied.
    [Alles aus Dir is erschienen; nur Du bist einzig ohn' Ursach'.]
    In Dir ruhet das All; Dir Alles im Reigen sich schaaret.
    Ziel des Alles ja bist Du und gattest das All und das Eine;
    Keines doch bis Du von Beiden. O Vielgepries'ner, wie nenn' ich
    Dich, der allein ohn' Nam'? Es hüllet Dich strahlender Schleier,
    Und kein himmlischer Geist durchdringt ihn. Schenke mir Gnade,
    O über Alles Erhab'ner! Denn anders wie darf man Dich preisen?
    Language
    German
    Source(s)
    A. Jahn, 1891, Eclogae e Proclo de Philosophia Chaldaica, Halle: 77
  • Oh «Más-allá-de-todo», pues ¿con qué otra cosa es lícito cantarte?
    1a ¿Cómo Te loaré a Ti, que en todo eres superior?
    2 ¿Como Te alabará el discurso? Pues Tú no eres expresable por ningún discurso,
    4 siendo Tú solo inexplicable, dado que pariste cuanto es dicho.
    3 ¿Cómo Te examinará la inteligencia? Pues Tú no eres asible para ninguna inteligencia,
    5 siendo Tú solo incognoscible, dado que pariste cuanto es inteligido.
    Todas las cosas, tanto las que hablan cuanto las que no hablan, Te proclaman.
    Todas las cosas, tanto las que inteligen cuanto las que no inteligen, Te honran.
    Pues comunes son los anhelos, comunes los dolores de todos
    acerca de Ti; a Ti todo Te ruega; hacia Ti todo
    10 lo que intelige tu composición Te habla un himno silente.
    En Ti todo permanece; hacia Ti todo se lanza impetuosamente junto,
    y eres el fin de todo, no sólo Uno sino también todo y también nada,
    sin ser una cosa ni todas. Omninominado, ¿cómo Te invocaré,
    único ininvocable? Los velos supramanifiestos
    15 ¿qué inteligencia celestial los penetrará? Ojalá seas propicio,
    oh «Más-allá-de-todo», pues ¿con qué otra cosa es lícito cantarte?
    Language
    Spanish
    Source(s)
    P. Cavallero 2008, Gregorio, Sinesio, Proclo, Dionisio. Nuevas observaciones sobre el Himno a Dios. Autoría y critica, Bizantinistica. Rivista di Studi Bizantini e Slavi, 10, 1-27: 27
Comment This poem occurs both in manuscripts in which the poem is transmitted among the poetry of Gregory of Nazianzus (α-branch) and in manuscript containing the Corpus Dionysiacum (β-branch). In one manuscript, it is transmitted in a manuscript with works by Proclus and Porphyry. Although the hymn wasn't originally composed as a book epigram, it functions as such in some manuscripts of Ps.-Dionysius the Areopagite. For an overview of all manuscripts that transmit this poem, see Macé (2023: 197-204).

The hymn was traditionally ascribed to Gregory of Nazianzus as carmen I.1.29. However, from the 19th century onwards, doubts arose about the authorship. Proclus and Ps.-Dionysius the Areopagite have been named as possible authors (Sicherl 1988: 66-83). Macé (2023: 216-217) attributes the poem to none of them, but to an anonymous author, either a late antique Neoplatonist or a Byzantine author who wanted to praise Pseudo-Dionysios. See also the overview of the discussion on the authorship of the epigram in De Groot (2021: 194-197).

The poem also occurs as a book epigram in the 16th-century manuscript Sinai gr. 320 (ff. 93v-94r).
Bibliography
Number of verses 16
Occurrence(s)
Acknowledgements

The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.

Identification Vassis ICB 2005, 890: "Greg. Nazianzenus*, Hymnus ad Deum"
Permalink https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/7032
Last modified: 2024-10-21.