The Grape Cluster

βότρυς τῆς κύπρου ἀδελφιδός μου ἐμοὶ ἐν ἀμπελῶσιν Εγγαδδι Διπλῆς οὖν οὔσης ἐν τῷ βότρυϊ τῆς ἀπολαύσεως, τῆς μὲν ἐκ τοῦ ἄνθους, ὅταν εὐφραίνῃ τῇ εὐοσμίᾳ τὰ αἰσθητήρια, τῆς δὲ διὰ τοῦ τελειωθέντος ἤδη καρποῦ, ὅταν ὑπάρχῃ κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἢ τῆς βρώσεως κατατρυφᾶν ἢ ἐν συμποσίοις τῷ οἴνῳ φαιδρύνεσθαι ἐνταῦθα ἡ νύμφη ἔτι τὸν ἀνθοῦντα βότρυν καρποφορεῖ κύπρον τὴν οἰνάνθην κατονομάζουσα· τὸ γὰρ γεννηθὲν ἐν ἡμῖν παιδίον, ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἐν τοῖς δεξαμένοις αὐτὸν διαφόρως προκόπτων σοφίᾳ τε καὶ ἡλικίᾳ καὶ χάριτι οὐκ ἐν πᾶσιν ὁ αὐτός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ μέτρον τοῦ ἐν ᾧ γίνεται, καθὼς ἂν ὁ χωρῶν αὐτὸν ἱκανῶς ἔχῃ, τοιοῦτος φαίνεται ἢ νηπιάζων ἢ προκόπτων ἢ τελειούμενος κατὰ τὴν τοῦ βότρυος φύσιν, ὃς οὐ πάντοτε μετὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ εἴδους ἐπὶ τῆς ἀμπέλου ὁρᾶται, ἀλλὰ συνεξαλλάσσει τῷ χρόνῳ τὸ εἶδος, ἀνθῶν, κυπρίζων, τελειούμενος, πεπαινόμενος, οἶνος γενόμενος. Ἐπαγγέλλεται τοίνυν ἡ ἄμπελος τῷ ἰδίῳ καρπῷ, ὃς οὔπω μέν ἐστι πρὸς οἶνον ὥριμος, ἀλλ' ἀναμένει τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν καιρῶν, οὐ μὴν ὡς εἰς τρυφὴν ἀναπόλαυστος· τὴν ὄσφρησιν γὰρ εὐφραίνει ἀντὶ τῆς γεύσεως τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἀτμοῖς τῆς ἐλπίδος ἡδύνων τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αἰσθητήρια· τὸ γὰρ πιστόν τε καὶ ἀναμφίβολον τῆς ἐλπιζομένης χάριτος ἀπόλαυσις τοῖς δι' ὑπομονῆς ἀπεκδεχομένοις τὸ προσδοκώμενον γίνεται. Oὗτος οὖν ὁ τῆς κύπρου βότρυς ἐστί, βότρυς οἶνον ἐπαγγελλόμενος, οὔπω δὲ οἶνος γινόμενος, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ ἄνθους, ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς τὸ ἄνθος ἐστί, τὴν ἐσομένην χάριν πιστούμενος. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων Ὁμιλία Γʹ Source: Migne PG 44.828c-829a

A cluster on a cypress is my beloved to me in the vineyards of Eggadi. 1 There are, then, two ways in which the grape cluster is enjoyable, on the one hand, by its blooms, when it pleases the sense with its smell, and on the other by its ripe fruit, when it serves, as one will, either as delightful food, or by its wine to give joy amid celebrations. Here the bride as yet bears the cluster as a bloom, giving the name 'blossom' to the vine's flower. For the child born for us, Jesus, who within those who receive Him, grows in a variety of different ways in wisdom and in stature and in grace, is not the same in all but according to the measure of the one into whom He comes, appearing as a babe making progress or being perfected, as with the nature of a grape cluster, which does not always have the same form on the vine, but changes its form in time ,as it blossoms, colours, matures, ripens and becomes wine. The vine gives promise, then, by its own fruit, which is not yet ripe enough to make wine but awaits the fullness of the time, 2 and yet it is not meant to be a mere useless luxury, for in the anticipation of good things it delights with its scent rather than taste and pleases the soul's sense with the aromas of hope, for to those of firm faith in patience comes the enjoyment of the grace that is hoped for. Thus, then, is the cluster of grape blossoms a cluster that gives promise of wine; it has not yet become wine but by its blossom, which blossom is hope, there is assurance of the grace to come. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 3 1 Song 1.13 2 Galat 4.4