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Click here to read at earlychurchtexts.com in the original Greek (with dictionary lookup links). The English translation below is by A. Fitzgerald.

earlychurchtexts.com

• Is like an electronic encyclopedia of the first five centuries of Church History, with extensive links (subscription version only) to information on around 800 people and themes, and around 230 Church Councils;

• Is a Reader in Early Christian History and Theology with 250+, with over 2,200 printable pages, carefully prepared on-site texts (Greek and/or Latin with English translation alongside) from the first five centuries of the life of the Church. These cover a range of significant themes and represent several authors (a sample text is here and a complete list of on-site texts here). All have dictionary lookup links. There is also an introduction to each text (to help in understanding its context and significance) together with background notes linked with the text, carefully prepared printable versions, a site search engine and many other helpful features;

• Gives easy access to complete Greek and Latin texts which are in the public domain and translations (where found available) from the first five centuries. There are carefully indexed links to authors and their works, including an index of commentaries, homilies etc. by biblical book. Nearly all of the Greek and Latin texts from this period contained in the Migne Patrologia series are covered. Some other sources are also used. The texts used are the scanned versions available at Google Books and elsewhere. A distinctive feature of the Early Church Texts website is that where English translations have been found available online they can easily be read immediately alongside the original Greek and Latin. (A complete list of authors represented is here. A sample text is here.)

Try out the feature rich subscription version of the Early Church Texts website for just $5 for a trial period or $30 for a year ($15 student rate). Click here for more information. Check out the video demo of the site. Click here to go to the Early Church Texts Home Page for the publicly available version of the site which has just the original Greek and Latin texts with dictionary lookup links.

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Hymn 6 to Christ

In union with the Holy Self-engendered Fountain
that surpasseth the unspeakable unities,
I will crown with wise garlands of hymns,
God, the glorious Son of the eternal God,
One Offspring that leapt forth from the Father,
Whom the indescribable birthpang of the Fatherly Will
has made manifest, A Son out of His unknowable Bosom,
the birth-pang which has displayed the fruits of the Father's begetting,
and, in bringing them to light, has been revealed Mind, fixed in the medial.

And so there remain in the Fountain, poured round about,
the wisdom of the Father's Mind, the splendor of His beauty.

To Thee, the Engendered, the Father has granted to engender.
Thou art the hidden Seed of the Father;
for the Father gave Thee to universes as their beginning,
that forms might be brought down to material bodies
from the entities of Mind.

Thou guidest the wise vault of heaven,
and ever leadest to their pasturage the flock of stars.
Thou rulest, O King, the choir angelic
and the company of the spirits,
and Thou dost dance around perishable nature.

Thou returnest to its fountain-head what was already been bestowed,
releasing mortals from the necessities of death.

Be propitious to these garlands of songs to Thee,
and grant calm life to a poet of hymns.
Stay Thou the changing mouth of the channels,
and dry up the destructive billows of matter.

Keep disease far from my mind and limbs.
Calm the fatal onslaught of passion,
keep off from me the dooms of poverty and of riches alike,
give renowned glory to my deeds,
spread abroad my good fame amongst the peoples,
adorn me with the fairest garland of gently-worded persuasion,
that my mind may calmly gather leisure,
and that I may not groan under earthly cares,
but from Thy lofty channels through the birth-passage of wisdom
may I inundate my mind.