Orthodox Study
Isaac Lambertsen

Ode III

Menaion — translated by Isaac Lambertsen

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¶1

Irmos: O Theotokos, thou living and abundant fountain: in thy divine glory establish those who hymn thee and spiritually form themselves into a choir; and vouchsafe unto them crowns of glory.

¶2

Glory, Now & ever: the above Sessional hymn is repeated.

¶3

Sessional hymn, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “Of the Wisdom” —

¶4

Rejoice, O unshakable, pure and animate palace of Christ the King Most High! Rejoice, O Directress, Rejoice! For by thee is our city preserved intact!

¶5

Irmos: Same as that of the preceding canon.

¶6

In thy womb which tasted not of wedlock thou didst bodily contain Him Whom creation cannot contain, O Virgin Directress. Wherefore, magnifying thee as is meet, we chant, Rejoice!

¶7

O all-hymned joy of the world, ever hymning thee with joy, O pure one, we are vouchsafed everlasting joy by thy maternal supplications unto Him Who was born of thee, O Directress.

¶8

O Directress, we invoke thee as the golden jar, the candlestick, the rod and the table, O pure one, and we ever raise the cry, Rejoice! to thee when we use these terms.

¶9

Second Canon

¶10

What worthy praise can our utter infirmity offer thee? For through the manifestation of thine all-pure, divine icon thou pourest forth bountiful streams of healing upon thy servants who faithfully have recourse to thee.

¶11

The holy revelation of thy divine icon, O Virgin Theotokos, hath shone upon us like the radiant sun, emitting rays of all-glorious miracles, and dispelling a myriad of evil circumstances by thy sacred intercessions, O Mistress.

¶12

Thou didst once fill thy first-painted icon with grace, O Virgin Lady Theotokos; and now that same grace speaketh forth truly in the effulgence of the wonders of faith, as the first one did for the sake of thee who wast first depicted thereon, unto those who with faith have recourse to thee after God.

¶13

We bow down before the all-pure image of thee and thy Babe all-sweet, Christ the preëternal and never-waning Light, O Theotokos, by Whom thou hast saved all human nature from cruel evils and mortal corruption.

¶14

The divine apostles of the Word, the clarion-voiced universal heralds of the Gospel of Christ, having founded a divine temple in thine all-holy name, O Theotokos, approached thee, entreating thee to come to its consecration. But thou didst say, O Mother of God: “Go in peace, and I shall be with you there!” And they, going forth, there found, on the wall of the church, the likeness of thine image limned powerfully in colored hues; and seeing it, they did thee homage and glorified God. And we also, with them, bow down before thy divine icon, asking of thee great mercy. Grant remission of sins to thy servants, O thou who alone art blessed.

Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.

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