Alexis stanzas 1—7

1. X

a. Good was the world at the time of the ancients

b. For there was faith and justice and love,

c. And there was belief, but now there is not one good man:

d. Everything has changed, has lost its color,

e. And it will never be such as it was for our ancestors.

2. X

a. At the time of Noah and at the time of Abraham

b. And at that of David, whom God loved so very much,

c. The world was good; it will never be so worthy:

d. It is old and frail, and everything goes declining therefrom,

e. And it has worsened, and all good goes retreating away.

3. X

a. After the time that God came to save us,

b. And our ancestors became Christian,

c. There was a lord from the city Rome,

d. He was a rich man, of great nobility,

e. I tell you this for this reason, namely that I wish to speak of a son of his.

4. X

a. Euphamien, such did the father have for his name,

b. Was a count of Rome among the best ones who there then were:

c. The emperor loved him over all his equals;

 d. He then took a worthy and honored wife,

e. Among the most noble of the entire country.

5. X

a. They then lived long together;

b. The fact that they didn’t have a child, troubled them greatly;

c. “O God,” they both utterly prayed,

d. “O! heavenly king, by your commandment,

e. Give us a child who be in accordance with your will!”

6. X

a. Such they prayed through great humility

b. That he gave the woman fertility:

c. He gave them a son, and they knew him as a great gift therefrom

i. “they felt great gratitude for him”

d. Through holy baptism they had him be reborn,

e. And upon his Christianity they placed a handsome name.

i. = “baptism”

7. X

a. He was baptized, and he had the name Alexis:

b. He who brought him, caused him pleasantly to be reared:

i. Actually “she”

c. Then his good father sent him to school:

d. He learned letters until he was well educated in them,

e. Then the child went to serve the emperor.