Kitabı oku: «Hymns of the Greek Church», sayfa 2

V. One prime characteristic of Greek hymnody should be referred to. Unlike the English hymn, which is intensely subjective – in some cases unhealthily so – the Greek hymn is in most cases objective. God in the glory of His majesty, and clothed with His attributes, is held up to the worship and adoration of His people. Christ, in His Person and Work, is set before the mind in a most realistic manner. His birth and its accompaniments; His life; the words He spoke, and the work He did; His Passion, in all the agony of its detail; the denial of Peter; the remorse of Judas; the Crucifixion; the darkness, the terror, the opened graves; the penitent thief; the loud cry, the death – all are depicted in plain, unmistakable language. So we have in the hymns of the Greek service-books a pictorial representation of the history of Redemption, which by engaging the mind appeals ultimately to the heart and its emotions. Our self-regarding praise is perhaps inevitable, as being the product of the meditative spirit which has its birth, and lives in the land of the twilight; but the advantages of the objectiveness of Greek hymnody are so patent, that its cultivation might be fostered by our hymn-writers, with advantage to the devotional feeling of our people and to the worship of the Church.

VI. The hymns as they appear in the original are distinguished by a variety of terms, the meaning in certain cases being extremely vague, and in others to be derived from the subject of the hymn, or from its form, or the time, place, or manner in which it is sung. As we have no corresponding terms in our language, it is necessary to retain the original.

The following collection contains specimens of some of these. They are: —

The Canon (κανών). This is the most elaborate form into which the praise of the Greek Church is cast. A canon consists, nominally, of nine odes or hymns, but the second ode is always omitted on account of the denunciations of God against Israel which it contains. The canons of the Great Fast are made up of those rejected odes.

Hirmos (εἱρμός) is the first stanza of each ode. It may or may not have a connection with the stanzas following, but its function is to give them their rhythmical model.

Troparion (τροπάριον). The Troparia are the stanzas which follow the Hirmos, and the term is doubtless derived from the verb τρέπω, to turn. The Troparia turn to the strophes of the Hirmos, as to a model.

Contakion (κοντάκιον) is a term of uncertain origin. Contakia occur after the sixth ode of a canon. They are short hymns, and the term may be derived from the Latin Canticum.

Stichera (στιχηρά) designates a series of verses which are often taken from the Psalter.

Idiomelon (ἰδιόμελον). Unlike Troparia, which follow the model set by the Hirmos, Idiomela follow no model.

Stichera Idiomela are a collection of irregular verses.

Antiphon (ἀντίφωνον) is, as is well known, a hymn sung alternately by the choir, which is divided for that purpose into two parts.

Other terms are found over hymns in the Greek service-books, but there is no need to refer to them here, as no specimens of the particular hymns find a place in this collection.

JOHN BROWNLIE.

Portpatrick, N.B.

May 10th, 1900.

τῆς πατρῴας δόξης σου
(κοντάκιον)

I

 
Far from Thy heavenly care,
Lord, I have gone astray;
And all the wealth Thou gav’st to me,
Have cast away.
 

II

 
Now from a broken heart,
In penitence sincere,
I lift my prayer to Thee, O Lord,
In mercy hear.
 

III

 
And in Thy blest abode
Give me a servant’s place,
That I, a son, may learn to own
A Father’s grace.
 

βασιλεῦ οὐράνιε, παράκλητε

I

 
O King enthroned on high,
Thou Comforter Divine,
Blest Spirit of all Truth, be nigh
And make us Thine.
 

II

 
Yea, Thou art everywhere,
All places far or near;
O listen to our humble prayer,
Be with us here!
 

III

 
Thou art the source of life,
Thou art our treasure-store;
Give us Thy peace, and end our strife
For evermore.
 

IV

 
Descend, O Heavenly Dove
Abide with us alway;
And in the fulness of Thy love
Cleanse us, we pray.
 

τὴν ἄχραντον εἰκόνα σου προσκυνοῦμεν

I

 
To Thy blest Cross, O Christ, we come,
And falling down adore Thee,
And humbly make confession full
Of all our sins before Thee.
 

II

 
For Thou Thyself art very God,
And freely cam’st to save us;
And in our flesh the fetters broke
With which our sins enslave us.
 

III

 
Therefore we own with grateful hearts
The joy the Saviour brought us,
Who came to earth, and in our sins
With love and pity sought us.
 

Δεῦτε ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ κυρίῳ
(Στιχηρὰ Ἰδιόμελα)

I

 
O come let us adore
The Lord of all the earth,
And in our songs of praise recount
The mystery of His birth.
 

II

 
The middle wall is razed,
An entrance now is free;
For cherubim with sword of flame
No longer guard the tree.
 

III

 
O Paradise restored!
Now I shall enter in,
And taste the bliss from which I fell
Through Adam’s mortal sin, —
 

IV

 
For Christ, the Father’s Son,
Who God’s true image bore,
Of Virgin born, in low estate
Our human nature wore.
 

V

 
True God! True Man! to Thee
Our earnest prayers ascend;
O, of Thy loving-kindness hear,
Who art the Sinners’ Friend.
 

Χριστὸς γεννᾶται

By St. Cosmas, 760 A.D

ὁ Εἱρμός

I

 
Christ is born, go forth to meet Him,
Christ by all the heaven adored;
Singing songs of welcome, greet Him,
For the earth receives her Lord.
All ye nations shout and sing;
For He comes, your glorious King.
 

τροπάριον

II

 
Once His heavenly image bearing,
Man has sunk to depths of sin;
Now defiled, debased, despairing,
Clad in rags and foul within;
But our God, who beauty gave,
Lifts the soul He comes to save.
 

III

 
From the height of heaven beholding,
Pity filled the heart of grace,
And our Lord, His love unfolding,
Made the earth His dwelling-place;
And a virgin mother gave
God Incarnate, man to save.
 

IV

 
Wisdom, Might, and Word Eternal,
Glory of the Father, Thou!
Hid from man and powers supernal,
Lo, He wears our nature now!
To the Lord your worship bring,
Praise Him, your victorious King.
 

τί σοι προσενέγκωμεν, Χριστὲ

By St. Anatolius, died 458 A.D

I

 
What shall we bring to Thee?
What shall our offering be
On this Thy natal morn?
For Thou, O Christ, hast come to earth —
A virgin mother gave Thee birth —
For our redemption born.
 

II

 
The whole creation broad
Gives praise and thanks to God,
Who gave His only Son;
And list! the bright angelic throng
Their homage yield in sweetest song
For peace on earth begun.
 

III

 
The heavens their glory shed,
The star shines o’er His head,
The promised Christ and King;
And wise men from the lands afar,
Led by the brightness of the star,
Their treasured offerings bring.
 

IV

 
What shall we give Thee now?
Lowly the shepherds bow,
Have we no gift to bring?
Our worship, lo, we yield to Thee,
All that we are, and hope to be —
This is our offering.