【东罗马·科穆宁】皇后匈牙利的伊琳娜墓志铭（希英双语）

伊琳娜皇后墓志铭

Εἴ τις νόμος δίδωσι καὶ νεκροῖς λέγειν, Ἰδοὺ βοὴν πέμψασα κἀγὼ τυμβόθεν Τὰ κατ’ἐμαυτὴν ἐκδιδάξω σε, ξένε. Ἐγὼ προῆλθον εὐτυχῶν προπατόρων Ἀρχῆς ἁπάσης δυσμικῆς βασιλέων· Ἰούλιοι Καίσαρες ἐθρέψαντό με

καὶ καλλονῆς Χάριτες ἐστέψαντό με.

Ῥώμης δ’ ἄναξ κράτιστος Ἀλεξιάδης πορφυρογεννὴς εὐτυχὴς Ἰωάννης,

Ὅρπηξ Κομνηνῶν, εὐθαλὴς Δουκῶν κλάδος, πάσης διώκτης ἐθνικῆς φυλαρχίας,

Εἰς ἔννομον σύζευξιν ἡρμόσατό με·

ᾧ καὶ συνεξάρξασα τῆς γῆς Αὐσόνων

Εἰς φῶς προΐσχω τέτταρες μὲν υἱέας

τῆς πατρογεννοῦς ἐκφυέντας πορφύρας, Ἰδεῖν ἀγαθούς, πῦρ πνέοντας εἰς μάχην

καὶ τέτταρες δὲ κοσμίας θυγατέρας.

Ὁρῶ δὲ λαμπρὰ τὰ κράτη τοῦ συζύγου, νίκας πρὸς αὐγὴν ἡλίου καὶ πρὸς δύσιν, νίκας πρὸς ἄρκτον καὶ νότου θερμὸν κλίμα. Τέλος λιποῦσα τὸ στέφος, τὴν πορφύραν, τὸ βύσσινον πόρπημα, τὴν ἀλουργίδα, τὸ τῶν μοναστῶν ἐνδιδύσκομαι ῥάκος· θνήσκω δ’ ἐπ’ αὐτῆς Βιθυνῶν ἐπαρχίας Ἄποικος ἐκ τής Αὐσόνων βασιλίδος· κομίζομαι δὲ ναυστολουμένη πάλιν

καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ἐνταῦθα πιστεύω κόνιν.

Ἀλλ’ ὧ πλάσας με καὶ μεταπλάσας πάλιν

ὁ τὴν κάτω δοὺς κοσμικὴν ἐξουσίαν,

καὶ τὴν ἄνω δὸς οὐρανῶν κληρουχίαν.

———————————————————————————

If the dead are permitted to speak after death, here is my word from the tomb, traveller, who are passing here;

I tell you the story of my life, I had been a descendant of happy and great ancestors who

bore rule over the whole West.

I was nurtured by the brood of Julius Caesar’s,

and crowned by the Graces.

The son of Alexius, ruler of Rome, thestrong

Ióannes born in the purple room,

a flourishing shoot of the Comnenus-Ducas house,

the noble warrior who fought all pagan races, made me his law- ful wife according to ancient rites.

With him I ruled the Ausonian land

and bore four noble sons to him

who saw the light of day in the ancient purple room, all great heroes, full of fighting spirit; and I also brought four virtuous girls into the world.

I had been witness to my husband’s great deeds, his victories in all parts of the world where the sun rises and sets,

in the North as much as in South.

Yet having left the imperial purple and rooms, having taken off splendid garments and a shining crown, I put on the nun’s veil and their rags.

Death reached me in distant Bithynia, far from the walls of Byzantium.

My mortal remains were brought by imperial galley

back to this place where I wished to rest.

God Almighty who hast created me

and gavest me power on the earth below,

give me my heavenly portion in the world above.