The Banquet of the Ten Virgins

Theopatra said that Arete having said these things, commanded them all to rise, and, standing under the Agnos, to send up to the Lord in a becoming manner a hymn of thanksgiving; and that Thekla should begin and should lead the rest. And when they had stood up, she said that Thekla, standing in the midst of the virgins on the right of Arete, decorously sang; but the rest, standing together in a circle after the manner of a chorus, responded to her: “I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet You.”

Thekla. I. From above, O virgins, the sound of a noise that wakes the dead has come, bidding us all to meet the Bridegroom in white robes, and with torches towards the cast.Arise, before the King enters within the gates.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 2. Fleeing from the sorrowful happiness of mortals, and having despised the luxuriant delights of life and its love, I desire to be protected under Your life-giving arms, and to behold Your beauty for ever, O blessed One.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 3. Leaving marriage and the beds of mortals and my golden home for You, O King, I have come in undefiled robes, in order that I might enter with You within Your happy bridal chamber.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 4. Having escaped, O blessed One, from the innumerable enchanting wiles of the serpent, and, moreover, from the flame of fire, and from the mortal-destroying assaults of wild beasts, I await You from heaven.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 5. I forget my own country, O Lord, through desire of Your grace. I forget, also, the company of virgins, my fellows, the desire even of mother and of kindred, for You, O Christ, are all things to me.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 6. Giver of life are You, O Christ. Hail, light that never sets, receive this praise. The company of virgins call upon You, Perfect Flower, Love, Joy, Prudence, Wisdom, Word.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 7. With open gates, O beauteously adorned Queen, admit us within your chambers. O spotless, gloriously triumphant Bride, breathing beauty, we stand by Christ, robed as He is, celebrating your happy nuptials, O youthful maiden.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 8. The virgins standing without the chamber, with bitter tears and deep moans, wail and mournfully lament that their lamps are gone out, having failed to enter in due time the chamber of joy.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 9. For turning from the sacred way of life, unhappy ones, they have neglected to prepare sufficiency of oil for the path of life; bearing lamps whose bright light is dead, they groan from the inward recesses of their mind.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 10. Here are cups full of sweet nectar; let us drink, O virgins, for it is celestial drink, which the Bridegroom has placed for those duly called to the wedding.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 11. Abel, clearly prefiguring Your death, O blessed One, with flowing blood, and eyes lifted up to heaven, said, Cruelly slain by a brother's hand, O Word, I pray You to receive me.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 12. Your valiant son Joseph, O Word, won the greatest prize of virginity, when I a woman heated with desire forcibly drew him to an unlawful bed; but he giving no heed to her fled stripped, and crying aloud:—

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 13. Jephthah offered his fresh slaughtered virgin daughter a sacrifice to God, like a lamb; and she, nobly fulfilling the type of Your body, O blessed One, bravely cried:—

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 14. Daring Judith, by clever wiles having cut off the head of the leader of the foreign hosts, whom previously she had allured by her beautiful form, without polluting the limbs of her body, with a victor's shout said:—

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 15. Seeing the great beauty of Susanna, the two Judges, maddened with desire, said, O dear lady, we have come desiring secret intercourse with you; but she with tremulous cries said:—

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 16. It is far better for me to die than to betray my nuptials to you, O mad for women, and so to suffer the eternal justice of God in fiery vengeance. Save me now, O Christ, from these evils.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 17. Your Precursor, washing multitudes of men in flowing lustral water, unjustly by a wicked man, on account of his chastity, was led to slaughter; but as he stained the dust with his life-blood, he cried to You, O blessed One:—

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding a lighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 18. The parent of Your life, that unspotted Grace and undefiled Virgin, bearing in her womb without the ministry of man, by an immaculate conception, and who thus became suspected of having betrayed the marriage-bed, she, O blessed One, when pregnant, thus spoke:—

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 19. Wishing to see Your nuptial day, O blessed One, as many angels as You, O King, called from above, bearing the best gifts to You, came in unsullied robes:—

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 20. In hymns, O blessed spouse of God, we attendants of the Bride honour You, O undefiled virgin Church of snow-white form, dark haired, chaste, spotless, beloved.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 21. Corruption has fled, and the tearful pains of diseases; death has been taken away, all folly has perished, consuming mental grief is no more; for again the grace of the God-Christ has suddenly shone upon mortals.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 22. Paradise is no longer bereft of mortals, for by divine decree he no longer dwells there as formerly, thrust out from thence when he was free from corruption, and from fear by the various wiles of the serpents, O blessed One.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 23. Singing the new song, now the company of virgins attends you towards the heavens, O Queen, all manifestly crowned with white lilies, and bearing in their hands bright lights.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.

Thekla. 24. O blessed One, who inhabited the undefiled seats of heaven without beginning, who governed all things by everlasting power, O Father, with Your Son, we are here, receive us also within the gates of life.

Chorus. I keep myself pure for You, O Bridegroom, and holding alighted torch I go to meet You.