Exhortation to a Virgin

The work of Evagrius of Pontus “Admonition to the Virgin” (56 chapters, 383-393, Egypt) is written in the form of couplets in imitation of the Book of Proverbs. It contains practical advice to one of the nuns of the communal monastery - St. Melania the Elder. The treatise represents one of the parts of the work known as “The Mirror of Monks and Nuns.” A purified mind, by the grace of God, acquires “pure prayer”: “Do not give over your soul to evil thoughts, lest they defile your heart and make pure prayer far from you” (chapter 38). *The title of the work in Greek is Παραίνεσις πρὸς τὴν παρθένον. *The title of the essay in Latin is Ad virginem. 1. Love the Lord and he will love you; serve Him and He will enlighten your heart. 2. Honor your mother as the Mother of the Lord, and do not insult the gray hair of the one who gave birth to you in the Spirit. 3. Love your sisters as your mother’s daughters, and do not forsake the path of peace. 4. Let the rising sun see the book in your hands, and after the second hour - the handicrafts. 5. Pray unceasingly and remember Christ, who gave birth to you. 6. Refuse to meet with men, so that images of your imagination do not arise in your soul and become a stumbling block during prayer. 7. Your beloved is Christ, and therefore reject all men and you will live without covering yourself with shame. 8. Remove rage and anger from yourself, and let the memory of malice not settle in you. 9 . Don’t say: today I will eat, but tomorrow I won’t eat, because you are not doing it with prudence. For when you do this unwisely, your body will be harmed and you will suffer from stomach pain. 10. Eating meat is not good and drinking wine is not good; they should only be given to those who are unwell. 11. A daring maiden will not be saved, and one who lives in luxury will not see her Bridegroom. 12. Do not say: the servant has upset me, and I will punish her, because there is no slavery among the daughters of God. 13. Do not listen to vain speeches and avoid the tales of old tramps. 14. Don’t look at drunken people’s holidays and don’t go to strangers’ weddings. For a virgin who does this is unclean before the Lord. 15. Open your mouth to the word of God and keep your tongue from speaking too much. 16. Humble yourself before the Lord, and His right hand will exalt you. 17. Do not turn away from the poor during his grief, and the oil in your lamp will not fail. 18. Do everything for the Lord’s sake and do not seek human glory, because human glory is like the flower of grass, but the glory of the Lord endures forever. 19. The Lord loves a meek virgin, but an angry virgin is hated by Him. 20. An obedient maiden will evoke compassion, but one who enters into discord is very unreasonable. 21. The Lord leaves a grumbling virgin to perish, but He will deliver a grateful virgin from death. 22. Laughter is shameful and shamelessness is shameful, and only a foolish virgin falls into them. 23. A flirtatious dresser goes beyond the bounds of chastity. 24. Do not live with worldly women, lest they corrupt your heart and invalidate your righteous intentions. 25. At night, cry to the Lord with tears, and let no one notice you praying - then you will find grace. 26. The desire for walks and the love of visiting other people's houses destroy the prayerful state of the soul and destroy its zeal for God. 27. A believing virgin will not be afraid of anything, but an unbelieving virgin will run in fear from her own shadow. 28. Envy wears out the heart, and jealousy devours it. 29. She who despises her weak sister will alienate herself from Christ. 30. Do not say: this is mine, and that is yours, for in Christ all things are common. 31. Do not delve into someone else’s life with vain curiosity and do not rejoice at the fall of your sister. 32. Help the needy virgins and do not boast of your nobility. 33. You shall not speak from your mouth in the church of the Lord, nor lift up your eyes. For the Lord knows your heart and watches over all your thoughts. 34. Drive away all evil lust from yourself, and your enemies will not plunge you into sorrow. 35. Sing psalms with all your heart, and don’t just move your tongue in your mouth. 36. A foolish virgin will love silver, but a wise virgin will give away her last piece. 37. Just as the pressure of fire is uncontrollable, so is the wounded soul of a virgin difficult to heal. 38. Do not give your soul over to evil thoughts, so that they do not defile your heart and make pure prayer far from you. 39. Sorrow is heavy and despondency is insurmountable, but tears to God are stronger than both. 40. Hunger and thirst extinguish evil lusts, and good vigil purifies the mind. 41. Anger and rage turn away love, and rancor overthrows the gifts of God. 42. She who secretly speaks against her sister will remain outside the bridal chamber - she will cry out before its gates, but there will be no one who will hear her. 43. The lamp of the unmerciful virgin will go out, and she will not see the coming of her Bridegroom. 44. Glass falling on a stone breaks, and a maiden touching a man will not retain her innocence. 45. A meek woman is better than an angry and irritable virgin. 46. Forcing a man to speak with a playful laugh is like throwing a noose around her neck. 47. A virgin who covers herself with a veil of shame is like a pearl set in gold. 48. Demonic songs and melodies of flutes weaken the soul and destroy its elastic strength, which you must preserve at all times, so as not to cover yourself with shame. 49. Do not enjoy ridicule and do not rejoice with the jokers, because the Lord will leave them. 50. Do not despise your sister who loves to eat, and do not boast about your abstinence. For you do not know what the will of the Lord is and who will appear before Him. 51. She who grieves that her eyes are blackened and her flesh is exhausted will not rejoice at the dispassion of her soul. 52. Abstinence is difficult and immaculate purity is difficult to achieve, but there is nothing sweeter than the Heavenly Bridegroom. 53. The souls of pure virgins will be illuminated by Light, while the souls of unclean ones will see darkness. 54. I have seen men corrupting virgins with heretical dogmas and rendering their virginity futile. You, child, listen to the dogmas of the Church of the Lord, and let no one alien to Her convince you otherwise. For the righteous will inherit the Light, and the wicked will inherit darkness. 55. The eyes of the virgins will see the Lord, their ears will hear His words. The smell of the virgins will smell the fragrance of His incense. Virgin hands will touch the Lord, and the immaculate purity of the virgins’ flesh will be favorable to Him. The soul of the virgin will be adorned with a crown and will always live with her Groom. A spiritual robe will be given to her, and she will celebrate with the Angels in heaven. Her lamp will burn unquenchably, and the oil in her vessels will not be exhausted. She will receive eternal wealth and inherit the Kingdom of God. 56. My words, child, have been spoken to you, and let your heart keep them. Remember Christ, who protects you, and do not forget about the worshiped Trinity.