Chapter 18 of the Jerusalem Life of John Damascene contains a prayer by John to the Virgin Mary, that his severed hand is re-attached to his arm. The 1712 Lequien edition signals that the prayer is in Anacreontic verse, a form of light verse, curiously.
Rather than try to translate that myself, I asked ChatGPT.
Can you translate this Latin poem into English anacreontic verse with the same number of lines: ”’Domina castissima mater, Deum meum qua peperisti.
Propter imagines sacras, dextra manus mea praecisa est,
Causam haud ignoras furoris, quo Leo saeviit.
Succurre sis ergo quam citissime, et meam manum sana
Illa Excelsi dextera, quae ex te carnem sumsit.
Multas facit virtutes, intercessione tua.
Hanc quoque manum meam, tuas nunc ad preces sanet,
Quo tuas, ut dederis, filiique ex te incarnati laudes
Modulato concentu, O Deipara, conscribat
Et rectae fidei cultui, opitulator adsit
Potes enim quidquid lubet, ut quae sis Dei mater. ”’
And this is what came out:
O Lady chaste, O mother pure,
Who bore my God, divinely sure.For sacred icons, lo! my hand
Was struck and severed by command.The tyrant raged, his wrath was blind,
Yet, Mother, thou dost know the mind.So haste, O help in sorrow’s night,
Restore my hand in mercy’s might.The hand of Him, the Lord Most High,
Took flesh from thee and reigns on high.Thy prayers bring wonders, works of grace,
Let now His touch my wound erase.That I may write, as thou dost give,
Thy praises and His name who lives.To truth and faith my hand restore,
That I may serve Him evermore.For all is thine, O Mother dear,
Since God hath made thee Queen and near.
Which I think you will agree is extraordinary.
Just for reference, here is Google Translate for the same lines:
O most chaste mother, you who gave birth to my God.
Because of the sacred images, my right hand was cut off,
You are not ignorant of the cause of the fury with which Leo raged.
Therefore, come to my aid as quickly as possible, and heal my hand
That right hand of the Most High, which took flesh from you.
Many virtues are performed by your intercession.
This hand of mine, too, is now healed by your prayers,
That it may write down your praises, that you may give, and the praises of your son incarnate from you
In a modulated harmony, O Mother of God,
And be present to the worship of the right faith, a helper
For you can do whatever you please, as you are the Mother of God.
Here’s the Greek from the TLG, which is the Lequien text via the PG:
Δέσποινα, πάναγνε μῆτερ, ἡ τὸν Θεόν μου τεκοῦσα,
Διὰ τὰς θείας εἰκόνας, ἡ δεξιά μου ἐκόπη·
Οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς τὴν αἰτίαν δι’ ἣν ἐμάνη ὁ Λέων.
Πρόφθασον τοίνυν ὡς τάχος, καὶ ἴασαί μου τὴν χεῖρα.
Ἡ δεξιὰ τοῦ Ὑψίστου, ἡ ἀπὸ σοῦ σαρκωθεῖσα,
Πολλὰς ποιεῖ τὰς δυνάμεις, διὰ τῆς σῆς μεσιτείας·
Τὴν δεξιάν μου καὶ ταύτην νῦν ἰασάσθω λιταῖς σου,
Ὡς ἂν σοὺς ὕμνους, οὓς δοίης, καὶ τοῦ ἐκ σοῦ σαρκωθέντος,
Εὐρυθμικαῖς ἁρμονίαις συγγράψηται, Θεοτόκε.
Καὶ συνεργὸς χρηματίσῃ τῆς ὀρθοδόξου λατρείας.
Δύνασαι γὰρ ὅσα θέλεις, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ μήτηρ οὖσα.
Which turned into:
O Lady pure, O Virgin bright,
Who bore my God in mercy’s light,For sacred icons, lo! my hand
Was by the tyrant’s wrathless planned.Thou know’st, O Queen, the cause he gave,
His madness made him fierce and grave.Then haste, O swiftly grant me grace,
And heal my hand in love’s embrace.The hand of Him, the Lord Most High,
Took flesh from thee and reigns on high.Through thee He works His wonders still,
Thy prayers can move His mighty will.Then let my hand be healed anew,
That I may write thy praises true,And of thy Son, incarnate King,
With tuneful strains in faith to sing.To truth and faith my hand restore,
That I may serve Him evermore.For all is thine, O Mother dear,
Since God hath made thee Queen and near.
Doggerel it may certainly be, but it is certainly extraordinary to see!