IT was a bold move. Theophilus’s father had made possessing supposedly ‘idolatrous’ icons a serious criminal offence,* but whereas Theodora had merely seen her icons confiscated, Cassiani had been flogged. Nonetheless, with echoing step Emperor Theophilus came to her door, and entered her cell.
Cassiani was nowhere to be seen. But on her writing-desk lay unfinished a hymn of heart-stopping beauty, the song of a woman fallen into many sins, stumbling through a moonless night. “I shall kiss Thy most pure feet,” Theophilus read, “and wipe them with my tresses.”*
For a moment, he stood in silence. Then he took up her pen, and added: “those feet whose sound Eve heard at dusk in Paradise, and hid herself for fear.”* Then he was gone.
As his footsteps died away, Cassiani emerged from the cupboard where she had hidden herself. Her eyes fell on the Emperor’s words, and presently her pen scratched softly again. “Despise not Thine handmaiden,” she wrote. “For Thou hast mercy without measure.”
See our stories The Restoration of the Icons and The Keeper of the Gate.
A reference to the woman of many sins who sought Christ’s forgiveness while he was at table with Simon the Pharisee, in Luke 7:36-50. The services of Wednesday in Holy Week pass on the tradition that prostitution was among those sins, and when Cassiani’s hymn is sung at Mattins on that day (in practice, usually the night of Tuesday), it has long been customary for ‘fallen women’ to attend.
See Genesis 3:8: “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”
Précis
Some years later, Theophilus went to visit Cassiani in her cell. He found it apparently empty, but saw she had been writing a poem, and added a line indicating that he guessed that Cassiani was hiding nearby. Cassiani kept the Emperor’s line unaltered, and it can be read to this day in her hymn. (54 / 60 words)
Some years later, Theophilus went to visit Cassiani in her cell. He found it apparently empty, but saw she had been writing a poem, and added a line indicating that he guessed that Cassiani was hiding nearby. Cassiani kept the Emperor’s line unaltered, and it can be read to this day in her hymn.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, although, just, may, must, since, whereas, whether.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Pay. Soft. Up.
2 Catch. Night. Step.
3 Do. Idolatrous. Winner.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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