Hymns from the Greek Office Books

PREFACE

The renderings contained in this volume are chosen from a quantity of material, much of which had to be set aside as, for various reasons, unsuitable. But, as can be understood, in process of reading, thoughts linked themselves to the memory, and echoes of music, much of it surpassingly sweet, lingered, and from those echoes and thoughts the Centos and Suggestions have been formed. The phrases containing the thoughts, and the echoes repeating the music, have been woven together to form the fabric which is shewn here.

This volume is presented because the author believes that the hymnody of the West must find much of its finest enrichment in the praise literature of the Church of the East. It would be presumptuous to think that these renderings and suggestions are at all a worthy expression of the noble and richly varied praise of the Eastern Church; but they constitute, together with those contained in two former volumes by the present author, perhaps one-half of all the pieces which have yet appeared in English verse.

All the renderings in this collection appear for the first time. If any one thinks he has reason to complain of their quality, let him try to do better. The field lies untilled for any one who will work it.

J. B.

Trinity Manse,

Portpatrick, September 15, 1904.

GREEK INDEX

ἐλεήσον ἡμᾶς, κύριε ἑλέησον ἡμᾶς,

ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς σου ὑμνήσω σε,

ῥευστοί πῶς γεγόναμεν, ἄφθαρτον εἰκόνα φορέσαντες,

πάντα ματαιότης τὰ ἀνθρώπινα,

ταχύς εἰς ἀντίληψιν, μόνος ὑπάρχων Χριστέ,

ἠ τὸν πρῶτον τῶν Ἀγγέλων,

νεύματι θουργικῳ κύριε πάντων,

ἐπεσκέψατο ἡμᾶς ἐξὔψους ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν,

τὴν ἄχραντον Εἰκόνα σου προσκυνοῦμεν ἀγαθὲ,

ὁ φωτίσας τή ἐλλάμψει τῆς σῆς παρουσίας Χριστὲ,

χαίροις ὁ ζωηφόρος Σταυρὸς,

σήμερον κρευμᾶται ἐπι ξύλου,

εσφραγισμένου τοῦ μνήματος,

ὁ κύριος ἀνελήφθη εἰς οὐρανοὺς,

εὐλογητὸς εἰ, Χριστέ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν,

τὸ ἀπ’ αἰῶνος ἀπόκρυφον,

ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματός σου,

χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη Θεοτόκε Παρθένε,

ναυτιῶν τῷ σὰλῳ τῶν βιωτικῶν μελημάτων,

ἁι μυροφόροι γυναῖκες, ὄρθρου βαθεός,

καὶ στραφεὶς ὁ κύριος ἐνέβλεψε τῷ Πετρῷ,

καὶ ἀνέῳξας ἡμῖν παραδείσου τὰς πύλας,

καὶ κλαύσωμεν, καὶ πράξωμεν,

πυρίπνοον δέξασθε πνεύματος δρόσον,

σαρκὶ ὑπνώσας ὡς θνητός,

πατὴρ οἰκτιρμῶν,

ὀ πλάστης μου κὺριος,

ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, ἀνατολὴ ἀνατολῶν,

ὑμνοῦμεν σου Χριστέ, τὸ σωτήριον παθος,

φῶς ἐκ φωτὸς,

ψυχή μου! ἀνάστα,

κλίνας οὐρανοὺς, κατέβη,

δεῦτε ἀγαλλιασωμέθα τῷ κυρίῳ,

τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας,

οὐκ ἀφήσω ὑμᾶς ὀρφανόυς,

ὅ πλοῦτος και βάθος, σοφίας Θεοῦ!

ἁι μυροφόροι γυναῖκες,

καί ὅ τι ἄν αἰτήσητε τοῦτο ποιήσω,

με νὺξ ἐδέξατο,

ζωτικῆς ἐξ ὕψους βιαίας φερομένης,

ἐξαγορευσω κατ’ ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου τῷ κυρίῳ,

ἠν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν,

ἅγιος ἀθάνατος, τὸ παράκλητον Πνεῦμα,

δίδου παραμυθίαν τοῖς δούλοις σου,

ὅτι ἐτέχθη ἐπὶ γῆς ὁ Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ,

ὁ δέ βιος, σκιά καὶ ἐνύπνιον,

εν τῷ φωτὶ Χριστὲ τοῦ προσώπου σου,

Hymns From The Greek Office Books

Troparia

ἐλεήσον ἡμᾶς, κύριε ἑλέησον ἡμᾶς

Euchologion, p. 35

I

 
O destitute of all defence,
We bow before Thee now;
In mercy let Thy mercy come,
For merciful art Thou.
 

II

 
Our trusting souls in quiet repose
Would rest Thy love within; —
O be not angry with us, Lord,
Nor think upon our sin.
 

III

 
But from Thy high abode look down,
With tender love the while,
And save us from our foes who would
Our wayward hearts beguile.
 

IV

 
For, verily Thou art our God,
And we Thy people all; —
Hear us, the creatures of Thy hand,
When on Thy name we call.
 

V

 
To God the Father, God the Son,
All praise and glory be;
And to the Spirit, Three in One,
To all eternity.
 

Stichera Idiomela

ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς σου ὑμνήσω σε

Pentecostarian, p. 186

I

 
Within Thy courts my praise shall rise,
O Saviour of the world, to Thee;
And while I bow, will lift mine eyes,
Unconquered Might, Thy face to see;
At eve, at morn, at noon, alway,
All blessing Lord, to Thee I’ll pay.
 

II

 
Here in Thy courts, O Lord, we bow,
And soul and body worship give;
Hear us, Thy faithful servants now,
Eternal God in Whom we live;
And Thou the Unbeginning Son,
And Holy Spirit Three in One.
 

Sticheron Idiomelon

(From the Order of the Burial of Priests)

ῥευστοί πῶς γεγόναμεν, ἄφθαρτον εἰκόνα φορέσαντες

Euchologion, p. 467

I

 
Why do we fade?
Who Thine own image bear,
Who life immortal share, —
Why do we fade?
 

II

 
Why did we err?
And leave the food of life,
To eat the bread of strife, —
Why did we err?
 

III

 
Why thus deceived?
And robbed of life divine,
That precious gift of Thine?
Why thus deceived?
 

Idiomela of John The Monk

(From the Order of the Burial of Laymen)

πάντα ματαιότης τὰ ἀνθρώπινα

Euchologion, p. 413

I

 
All human things decay,
For all is vanity,
The silver and the gold;
The glory of the great,
The wealth of high estate,
None can for ever hold.
 

II

 
Death with his icy hand,
Severs each earthly band,
And bears us all away;
Vain are our earthly dreams,
Shadows our substance seems,
And nothing lasts for aye.
 

III

 
Immortal Christ, we cry,
O let our prayers come nigh
Thy throne of heavenly grace;
Rest him whose form we miss,
Grant him in endless bliss
A lasting dwelling place.