Collect

Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity

O God, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal; grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Music: O Virgin Pure

This is an English version of a Byzantine hymn called Agni Parthene, or O Virgin Pure. I discovered it when some friends of mine included it in the music for their wedding. Like all Orthodox music, it is almost painfully beautiful -- hypnotic. I've put it up in celebration of the Assumption of Mary (known, in the East, as the Dormition, i.e. falling asleep), which is my favorite of all the Marian feasts of the Church.


O Virgin pure, immaculate, O Lady Theotokos,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
O fleece bedewed with every grace, O Virgin Queen and Mother,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
More radiant than the rays of sun, and higher than the heavens,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
O joy of virgin choruses, superior to angels,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
O brighter than the firmament, and purer than the sun's light,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
More holy than the multitude of all the heavenly armies,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!

O Ever-Virgin Mary, of all the world the Lady,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
O Bride all-pure, immaculate, O Lady Panagia,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
O Mary Bride and Queen of all, the cause of our rejoicing,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
O noble maiden, gracious Queen, supremely holy Mother,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
More honored than the Cherubim, beyond compare more glorious,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
Than the unbodied Seraphim, transcending the angelic Thrones,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!

Rejoice, the song of Cherubim, rejoice, the hymn of Angels,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
Rejoice, the ode of Seraphim, the joy of the Archangels,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
Rejoice, O peace and happiness, and haven of salvation,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
O sacred chamber of the Word, the flower of incorruption,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
Rejoice, delightful paradise of blessed life eternal,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
Rejoice, O sacred Queen of life, and fount of immortality,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!

I supplicate you, Lady, now, I fervently entreat you,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
O Queen of all, I earnestly implore and seek your favor,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
O gracious maiden, spotless one, O Lady Panagia,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
I call upon you ardently, O holy, hallowed temple,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
O help me and deliver me, protect me from the enemy,
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!
And make me an inheritor of blessed life eternal.
O rejoice, Bride unwedded!

Theotokos means 'Mother of God,' a title used in popular devotions since at least the second century and defined as the Church's formal confession in the fifth, at the Council of Ephesus (431) and the Council of Chalcedon (451). Panagia means 'All-holy,' and is one of the popular liturgical titles of the Virgin Mary in the East; in the West, the partially equivalent titles 'Immaculate' and 'Conceived Without Sin' are more in use.

3 comments:

  1. Oh yes! I discovered Byzantine music about a year ago, whilst researching Mediterranean history. Hypnotic is a very good way to describe indeed. There is a severity to it that reminds me of Cistercian chants (not at all in a bad sense), but there's also an ethereal-ity about it that I don't quite find in Catholic liturgical music. Agni Parthene is one of the best, I must say. Have you heard any of Nektaria Karantzi? She sings the Psalms, according to presumably Byzantine melodies (plus lots of other things.) X)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Oodw4a9SVs

    Glad to have found someone else who loves this sort of stuff too!
    -Josh (the one who sent the email recently).

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  2. i just discovered the valaam version of Agni Parthene and now i am addicted to it. Hauntingly beautiful and endearing.

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  3. i just discovered Agni Parthene and its the version by Valaam chant. Its so hauntingly beautiful and when i listen to it, i feel so humbled by the beauty, majesty and humility of the Mother of God

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