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Hymns on Paradise

St Ephrem the Syrian, tr. Burgess, 1853; selections

d1

This piece and the following one are taken from twelve homilies, De Paradiso Eden, which are printed in the sixth volume of the works of Ephraem. In his catalogue of the writings of this father, Asseman mentions fifteen hymns on this subject, but this appears to be the result of a different arrangement of MSS. They form one continued poem, the character of which may be gathered from the two last, which are here translated. The whole are subjected to the same metrical construction. The strophes consist of eleven verses, all pentasyllabic except the seventh, which is of a longer measure, but not always the same. A striking effect is thus produced, which is retained, as far as practicable, in the translation.