Two Songs

Ὁ μὲν Ἰθακήσιος γέρων, κατὰ τὸν Ἑλλήνων μῦθον τῆς Σειρῆνων βουλόμενος ἀκοῦσαι ᾠδῆς, διὰ τὴν τῆς φωνῆς ἀκόλαστον ἡδονὴν, δεσμώτης ἔπλει εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν, καὶ τὰς τῶν ἑταίρων ἐνέφραττεν ἀκοάς· οὐκ ἐκείνοις ἕνεκα τὴς ἀκροάσεως φθονῶν, οὐδὲ ἑαυτὸν δεσμῷ περιβάλλειν ἐπιθυμῶν· ἀλλ' ὅτε τέλος τῆς ἐκείνων ᾠδῆς τοῖς ἀκούουσι θάνατος ἦν. Τοιαῦται γὰρ παρ' Ἥλλησιν ἡδοναὶ Σειρήνων. Ἐγὼ δὲ, τοιαύτης μὲν ᾠδης ἀκροατὴς οὐ γένομαι· οὐδὲ ακούειν ἐπιθυμῶ Σειρήνων, ἐπιτάφιον ἀνθρώπων ᾀδουσῶν, ὦν ἡ σιγὴ τῆς φωνῆς ἀνθρώποις χρυσιμωτέρα γίνεται· θείας δέ τινος ἀπολαύειν φωνῆς εὔχομαι, ἦς κᾶν πολλάκις ἀκούσω, πάλιν ἀκοὺειν ἐπιθυμῶ· οὐκ ἀκολάστου φωνῆς ἠδονῇ νενικημένος, ἀλλὰ θεῖα διδασκόμενος μυστήρια· καὶ τὸ τέλος οὐ θάνατον, ἀλλ' αἰώνιον ἀπεκδεχόμενος σωτηρίαν. Ἄδουσι γὰρ τὴν ᾠδὴν οὐχ αἱ θανατηφόροι Σειρῆνες Ἕλλήνων, ἀλλὰ θεϊός τις χορὸς προφητῶν, ἐφ' ὡν οὐκ ἔστι ἀποφράττειν τῶν ἑταίρων τὰς ἀκοὰς, οὐδὲ ἑαυτόν τινι δεσμῷ περιβάλλειν, δεδοικότα τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀκροάσεως τιμωρίαν. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ μετὰ τῆς φωνῆς ὁ ἀκροατὴς τοῦ ζῇν παύεται· τῶν δὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἀκούων, τοῦ κρείττονος ἀπολαύσει βίου, ὑπὸ θείου Πνεύματος χειραγωγούμενος. Ἠκέτω τοίνυν σύμπας, καὶ ἀκουέτω τῆς θείας ᾠδῆς, μηδὲν πεφοβημένος. Οὐκ εἰσὶ παρ' ἡμῖν αἱ παρὰ Σικελίαν Σειρῆνες, οὐδὲ τὰ Ὀδυσσέως δεσμὰ, οὐ κηρὸς τηκόμενος εἰς ἀνθρώπων ἀκοάς· ἀλλὰ δεσμῶν μὲν ἄνεσις πᾶσα, ἐλευθερία δ' ἀκοῆς παρ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν προσιόντων. Τοιαύτης γὰρ ᾠδῆς ἀκούειν ἄξιον, τοιούτους ᾄδοντας ἔχειν, εὐκτεόν εἴναί μοι δοκεῖ. Ἅγιος Μεθόδιος, Περὶ Του Αυτεξουσίου Source: Migne PG 18.240b-241b

The old man of Ithaca, according to the tale of the Greeks, wishing to hear the song of the Sirens because of their wantonly voluptuous voices, sailed to Sicily in bonds and stopped up the ears of his companions, not because he envied their hearing, or desired to wrap bonds about himself, but because the consequence of those singers' song to the hearers was death. For such, according to the Greeks, are the pleasures of the Sirens. But I am not a hearer of such song, nor do I have I any desire to hear the Sirens who sing the funeral speech of men, whose silence is more beneficial to men than their voice, but I pray that I might enjoy the Divine voice, which, though I often hear it, I long to hear again. Not that I am overwhelmed by the excesses of that voice, but I am being taught Divine mysteries, and expect as its end not death but eternal salvation. For the singers of the song are not the deadly Sirens of the Greeks, but a Divine choir of prophets, because of which one does not stop the ears of one's companions, nor does one wrap oneself up in bonds because of some fear of some punishment for hearing. For, in the one case, because of the voice, the hearer ceases to live, and in the other, the more he hears, the better the life he will enjoy, being led on by the Divine Spirit. Let every one come, then, and hear the Divine song, fearing nothing. The Sirens from the shore of Sicily are not with us, nor are the bonds of Odysseus, nor is the melted wax in the ears of men, but here there is a loosening of all bonds, and freedom to listen for everyone who approaches. For to be worthy to hear such a song, and to hear such singers, seems to me to be a thing much to be prayed for. Saint Methodius of Olympus, On Free Will