Manual Philes Carmina 3-50

Manuel PHILES, Carmina (Chapter 3, Poem 50)

Πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα, ὅτε ἐζήτει τὸ πρόσταγμα
τῆς περὶ τὴν Μήδειαν οἰκονομίας αὐτοῦ.
Τὴν μὲν πάλαι Μήδειαν, Αὐσονοκράτορ,
Γυναῖκα δεινὴν φαρμακὸν γραῦν τεχνίτιν,
Καὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν εὑρεθεῖσαν βελτίω,
Φασὶ νεουργεῖν ἐκ τομῆς τοὺς πρεσβύτας·
Ἐγὼ δὲ μὴ σχὼν τὴν ὁμώνυμον πόλιν,
Τῶν πρίν τε καὶ νῦν φαρμακεύτριαν πόνων,
Καίτοι προληφθεὶς τῷ ξυρῷ τῶν φροντίδων
Ἐξ ἀνδρὸς ἀκμάζοντος εὑρέθην γέρων.
Πλὴν ἀλλ’ ἀναπλάσαις με καὶ δείξαις νέον,
Τὸ πορφυροῦν φάρμακον εὐτέχνως χέας·
Ὁ γὰρ προμηθεὺς καὶ τροφεὺς τῶν ἐμψύχων,
Καὶ σὸς βασιλεὺς καὶ θεὸς καὶ δεσπότης,
Οὗ τὴν φύσιν ἄπειρον εἰκότως κρίνεις,
Ἄπειρε τὴν φρόνησιν ὡς ὑπὲρ φύσιν,
Ὅταν ὁ θεσμὸς τῶν καθ’ ἕλληνας λόγων
Κενόν τι ποιῇ συσταλείσῃ τῇ κτίσει,
Τὴν ἰδίαν πρόνοιαν ἐγνώρισέ σοι,
Δι’ ἧς κυβερνῶν ἐξ ἀδήλου τὰς φύσεις,
Καὶ μέχρις αὐτῶν εὐδοκῶν τῶν περδίκων,
Κήρυκα τῆς χάριτος εἰργάσατό σε,
Πνέοντα πῦρ ἄντικρυς ἀνθράκων δίχα.
Ὡς οἰκέτης σὸς ταῦτα τολμήσας ἔφην.

To the Emperor, when he was seeking an imperial rescript
concerning his provision at Medeia
Medea of old, O sovereign of the Romans—
that fearsome woman, aged mistress of drugs,
who proved more skilful even than physicians—
is said, by cutting, to have made old men new.
But I, denied the city of her name,
the healer of my sufferings, past and present,
although the razor of my cares struck first,
was found an old man, once a man in bloom.
Yet may you mould me back and show me young,
skilfully pouring out the purple medicine.
For he who guards and nourishes all life—
your King, your God, and your sovereign Lord,
whose nature you rightly judge to be unbounded,
you whose wisdom knows no bounds, transcending nature—
whenever the decrees of Hellenic reason
leave some void as the created world contracts,
has made his providence known to you:
that providence by which, unseen, he steers
the natures of created things, and graciously
extends his care even to the partridges.
He made you the herald of his grace,
breathing forth fire openly, though without coals.
Your servant, I have dared to speak these words.

A few philological points:

Αὐσονοκράτορ literally means “ruler of the Ausonians.” In Byzantine court poetry, “Ausonians” means the Romans—that is, the Byzantines. “Sovereign of the Romans” therefore conveys the intended imperial title better than the obscurely literal “Ausonian ruler.”
ἐκ τομῆς (“by cutting”) evokes the version of Medea’s rejuvenation magic in which an aged body is cut up and restored. Philes continues that imagery with “the razor of my cares”: anxiety has performed the cutting, but with the opposite result—it has prematurely aged him.
Μήδεια is simultaneously Medea’s name and the name of the town whose revenues or administration Philes hopes to receive. The town would be the “healer” of his troubles because its possession or income would relieve his material hardship.
τὸ πορφυροῦν φάρμακον, “the purple medicine,” is the poem’s culminating conceit. The rescript will rejuvenate Philes as Medea’s potion rejuvenated the old.
οἰκονομία is broader than modern “economy.” Here it probably denotes an administrative or financial arrangement—a grant, benefice, or provision connected with Medeia. I have therefore used “provision” rather than the misleading “economy.”
Lines 15–17 are extremely compressed. ὁ θεσμὸς τῶν καθ’ Ἕλληνας λόγων is approximately “the doctrine/law of Hellenic reasoning,” probably referring to ancient natural philosophy and its treatment of the void. “Leave some void as the created world contracts” remains deliberately close to that difficult Greek.
μέχρις αὐτῶν … τῶν περδίκων, “even to the partridges,” presents divine providence as descending to the smallest creatures. The emperor imitates that providence when he attends to the seemingly minor needs of a dependent poet.
The final “fire without coals” makes the emperor a living herald of divine grace: his power burns and acts without requiring a material source. It may also suggest the fiery efficacy of his spoken or written command