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Hymns and Homilies

St Ephrem the Syrian, tr. Burgess, 1853

12. Hymn 12: The Parting of Body and Soul

The soul having left the body,
Is in great suffering,
And feels much grief;
And she is distracted
Hither and thither,
As to her destination;
For the evil spirits desire
That she should go with them
Into the midst of Gehennah;
And the angels also,
That she should journey with them,
To the region of light.

In that moment,
The soul lightly esteems
Her beloved friends and brethren,
Those whom she held dear,
And her neighbours,
And those with whom she was familiar.
In that hour she despises
Whatsoever appertains to riches,
Or worldly possessions;
But respecting her trespasses
She has great anxiety,
They being so many.

Then the soul standing separate
Above the body she hath left,
Speaks thus to it,—
“Death hath dismissed me
Remain thou here in peace
For I am going away.”
Then the body replies,—
“Depart thou in peace,
O soul tenderly loved!
The Lord who hath fashioned us,
He will procure our deliverance
From Gehennah!”