Eye worn out yet tears continue; persistence draws mercy
Instead of “my eye was worn out, and it will not be silent from there being no sobering,” Symmachus said: “my eye persisted, and it did not cease from there being no relief.” And the Seventy show that although the eyes had weakened from a multitude of tears they still were not leaving off—he not being able to sober from the weeping—and Symmachus that I both persisted weeping and was not leaving off; for stretched-out prayer and intensification of tears draws God toward mercy.
Greek
Klagel. Jerem. 3, 49. Ἀντὶ τοῦ ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου κατεπονήθη, καὶ οὐ σιγήσε- ται τοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἔκνηψιν Σύμμαχος εἶπεν· ὸ ὀφθαλμός μου ἐπέμεινε, καὶ οὐκ ἐπαύσατο τοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἄνεσιν. δηλοῦσι δὲ οἱ μὲν Ἑβδομήκοντα ὅτι καίπερ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐκ πλήθους δακρύων ἠσθενηκότων οὐ διέλειπον ὅμως, ἀνανῆψαι τοῦ κλαυθμοῦ μὴ δυνά- μενος, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ὅτι ἐπέμεινά τε δακρύων καὶ οὐ διέλειπον· προσευχὴ γὰρ ἐκτενὴς καὶ δακρύων ἐπίτασις τὸν θεὸν ἐφέλκει πρὸς ἔλεον.
About this text
Origen, Fragments on Lamentations. Original English Translation from the Greek (Klostermann).
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.