Czytaj książkę: «Hymns from the Greek Office Books», strona 3

Stichera of The Ascension

ὁ κύριος ἀνελήφθη εἰς οὐρανοὺς, ἱνα πέμψῃ τὸν Παρὰκλητον τῷ κόσμῳ

Pentecostarion, p. 148

I

 
The Lord ascended into heaven
That He might from above
Send down the promised Paraclete
On mission of His love.
 

II

 
And there the Father for His Son
Had decked a glorious throne;
And clouds, His chariots, bore Him up,
That He might claim His own.
 

III

 
O strangest wonder e’er beheld,
Since ages hoar began,
The angels saw the highest place
Given to a Son of Man.
 

IV

 
“O all ye angels praise the Lord,”
The Holy Spirit commands,
“Lift up your gates, ye princes high,
Ye nations, clap your hands.”
 

V

 
To God the Father throned on high,
And to the Son be praise,
And to the Spirit – Three in One,
From age to age, always.
 

Apolutikion of Pentecost

εὐλογητὸς εἰ, Χριστέ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν

Pentecostarion, p. 188

I

 
Blessed art Thou, O Christ, our God,
Who to Thy followers gav’st
The wisdom they have shed abroad
By which the world Thou sav’st.
 

II

 
Thou gav’st to them the Holy Ghost
As Thou hadst promise given,
When came the day of Pentecost,
As breath of God from heaven.
 

III

 
And now by them, Thy faithful few,
The world Thou gatherest in, —
As by the net those fishers drew, —
From all the woes of sin.
 

IV

 
To Thee, O Father, glory be,
To Thee, O Christ, the Son,
And to the Spirit, One in Three,
While endless ages run.
 

Theotokion

τὸ ἀπ’ αἰῶνος ἀπόκρυφον

Triodion, p. 469

I

 
O Mystery, hidden from the world
Through all the ages past —
Even to the angel hosts unknown —
Is manifest at last;
And thou, Theotokos, hast given
Incarnate God, from highest heaven.
 

II

 
God in His fulness wears our flesh,
And from our sin and loss
Redeemed us by His pain and death
Upon the awful Cross.
Save us, through Him who cast away
The bands of death, we humbly pray.
 

Ode VI. of Cosmas The Monk.
Troparia

ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματός σου

Pentecostarion, p. 190

I

 
Even as thou said’st, O Christ,
The Holy Spirit came,
And now our hearts possess
The knowledge of Thy name.
 

II

 
For Thou hast richly poured
Thy Spirit on our race,
To teach the Father’s will,
And magnify Thy grace.
 

III

 
Forth from the Father, Thou
Cam’st to our human needs,
And from that Source of Life
The Holy Ghost proceeds.
 

IV

 
All glory to our God,
And to the Christ, His Son,
And to the Holy Ghost,
Eternal Three in One.
 

Theotokion

χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη Θεοτόκε Παρθένε

Μην Σεπτεμβριος, p. 4

I

 
Hail, full of grace, Virgin Theotokos,
Harbour of all who on the billows toss;
Refuge of those who helpless seek Thy grace,
Hopeless and sin-stained of our fallen race.
 

II

 
From thee the Lord Incarnate came to free
Those who are held in bands of misery.
Hail! Virgin Mother, for alone thou art
Blessèd for ever, by each human heart.
 

III

 
Say to the Christ that strife of sin should cease,
That to this world should come the bliss of peace.
Hail! full of grace, Virgin to thee be praise,
Now and for ever through the endless days.
 

Hirmos

(Ode VI. from the poem of Cosmas the Monk)

ναυτιῶν τῷ σὰλῳ τῶν βιωτικῶν μελημάτων

Pentecostarion, p. 190

I

 
Tossed on the sea of life,
And sick and sore distressed,
I lift my cry to Thee, O Lord,
Who giv’st the troubled rest.
 

II

 
There, where the waters yawn,
And cruel monsters grin,
My comrades sink to depths below,
All in a sea of sin.
 

III

 
My earnest cry I raise,
Hear Thou the prayer I make,
And from the dark abyss of death
My soul in mercy take.
 

Centos And Suggestions

ἁι μυροφόροι γυναῖκες, ὄρθρου βαθεός

I

 
At early dawn, with pious thought,
The holy women spices brought —
For Christ, their Lord, was dead; —
But lo! the stone was rolled away:
“Where are the seals?” they wondering say,
“The guard, where He was laid?”
 

II

 
“Why with your ointments mix your tears?
Why all this sighing, and those fears?”
An angel near declares:
“There lies the stone that barred the tomb,
No longer now its solemn gloom
Your Lord and Master shares.”
 

III

 
“Haste, haste with joy the tidings tell,
The Lord hath vanquished death and hell,
For He, the Death of death,
Hath burst asunder hades prison,
And, first-born from the dead hath risen,
Even as afore He saith.”
 

IV

 
Honour to Thee, O Christ, we bring,
Thy glorious rising now we sing,
Victorious is Thy strife;
Our Hope, our Trust, on Thee we call,
Our Joy, our Strength, our God, our All,
And our Immortal Life.
 

καὶ στραφεὶς ὁ κύριος ἐνέβλεψε τῷ Πετρῷ

I

 
I brought my darkest sin to mind,
And called it by the vilest name,
And thought to fill my soul with grief,
When I had charged it with the blame; —
I said, “Before my God I’ll fall,”
But sorrow came not at my call.
 

II

 
I said, “Ah, soul! the wrath of God
Shall smite the sinner with dismay,
The record of thy sin is kept,
And swiftly nears the reckoning day;” —
Methought I heard God’s thunders roll,
But sorrow came not to my soul.
 

III

 
“Ah, stony heart! can thought of sin
In all its vileness bring no tears?
And canst thou hear God’s thunders speak,
And weep not though the reckoning nears?”
I had no weeping to control,
For sorrow came not to my soul.
 

IV

 
I looked, my Saviour looked at me,
O look of love no heart can bear!
Like raging torrents came my tears,
And plunged my spirit in despair;
Vain, vain my weeping to control,
For sorrow now hath found my soul.
 

καὶ ἀνέῳξας ἡμῖν παραδείσου τὰς πύλας

I

 
O God of light and glory,
Thy servants look to see
The light that shines effulgent
Upon their souls from Thee.
 

II

 
And lo! the heavens are open,
And from the throne of God,
The Christ, the Light eternal,
That glory sheds abroad.
 

III

 
And eyes reflect the beauty,
And hearts responding glow;
For only they who see Thee
Can in Thy likeness grow.
 

καὶ κλαύσωμεν, καὶ πράξωμεν

I

 
I have no tears to shed,
For grief my soul hath none;
My heart hath never bled,
For ought that I have done;
I weep not when I hear Thee say
That sin hath carried me away.
 

II

 
I have no tears to shed;
Wilt Thou not touch my heart,
And bid sin’s wounds run red,
And throb with bitter smart? —
Then shall I lift my prayer and say,
“Lord, take my many sins away.”
 

III

 
For Thou, O Lord, dost will
That all should seek Thy face,
That Thou mayest well fulfil
The promise of Thy grace.
Who ever sought Thy love in vain,
Or failed Thy pardon to obtain?
 

πυρίπνοον δέξασθε πνεύματος δρόσον

I

 
Thy love hath sweetened me, —
Thy love, O Christ, divine,
And by Thy favour Thou hast changed
This wilful heart of mine.
 

II

 
Now by Thy Spirit’s fire,
Consume my sins, I pray,
And in my heart a love instil,
That shall abide for aye.
 

III

 
Then shall my heart rejoice,
Because Thou dost abide,
For ever, O Thou Blessed One,
Close to Thy servant’s side.
 

IV

 
And love and joy shall be
My strength while here I stay;
And love, the spring of all my joy,
Shall live and love alway.
 

σαρκὶ ὑπνώσας ὡς θνητός

I

 
Lo! He gave Himself to die,
Christ, our God, Who came to save us;
In the mortal grave to lie,
That death might no more enslave us.
 

II

 
On the day appointed, lo!
From the grave the Saviour rises,
Blessings endless to bestow, —
Life and all its great surprises.
 

III

 
Hail the manger where He lay
While the angel hosts adore Him;
Hail the Cross, for man that day
Raised, that Jesu might restore him.
 

IV

 
Hail the Resurrection morn;
Hail the Christ from death restoréd,
Be our praises heavenward borne,
To our God by all adoréd.
 

πατὴρ οἰκτιρμῶν

I

 
Have pity, Lord, for Thou are great,
And greatness pity knows;
I mourn my poor and worthless state,
And all its wants and woes.
 

II

 
Have pity, Lord, for Thou art great; —
I would from sin be free,
And seek Thy face, ’though coming late,
For Thou wilt welcome me.
 

III

 
Have pity, Lord, for Thou art great,
And give me strength to win;
That I may gain the heavenly gate
And freely enter in.
 

IV

 
Have pity, Lord, for Thou art love,
And by Thy grace alone,