The Pearl 3:4 - Least Shall Be Great


St. Ephrem's The Pearl 3:4

There are in the sea diverse fish of many cubits,
And with all their greatness they are very small;
But by thy littleness the crown is made great,
Like as the Son, by whose littleness Adam was made great.


For the head is thy crown intended:
For the eye thy beauty,
For the ear thy goodliness.


Come up from the sea, thou neighbour to the dry land,
And come and sojourn by the [seat of] hearing.
Let the ear love the word of life as it loveth thee!
In the ear is the word,
And without it is the pearl.


Let it as being warned by thee,
By thee get wisdom, and be warned by the word of truth.
Be thou its mirror:
The beauty of the Word in thine own beauty shall it see:
In thee it shall learn how precious is the Word on High!


The ear is the leaf:
The flesh is the tree,
And thou in the midst of it are a fruit of light,
And to the womb that brings forth Light,
Thou art a type that points.


Thee He used as a parable of that kingdom, O pearl!
As He did the virgins that entered into it, five in number,
Clothed with the light of their lamps!
To thee are those bright ones like, thou that art clad in light!

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