| v0.9 | Initial edition |
This is releasable.
TRANSLATED
WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
BY
JOHN BROWNLIE, D.D.
AUTHOR OF
‘HYMNS AND HYMN-WRITERS OF THE CHURCH HYMNARY’
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
OLIPHANT, ANDERSON & FERRIER
1900
“This work at its best reaches the level of absolute excellence, and the book is entitled to a warm and grateful welcome.”—Record.
“Mr Brownlie has taste and a poetic gift, and his verses are easy and natural, rarely, if ever, betraying the fact that they are the work of a translator.”—Church Times.
“This dainty volume will certainly enhance his reputation.”—Glasgow Herald.
“It brings into dignified Church-English some sixty simple and powerful hymns. The book should prove welcome to men generally interested in hymnody, and particularly to those who are ignorant of the richness of the Greek liturgy.”—Scotsman.
“Mr Brownlie has the knack of hymn-writing, and the translations from the Greek which he has published in this book will be a welcome addition to English hymnology.”—Athenaeum.
“Mr Brownlie has done eminent service as a hymnologist and translator of hymns. These translations are in smooth and flowing English verse, and the hymns are interesting both on their intrinsic merits and as representing the religious thought and emotion of an important section of the Church.”—Aberdeen Free Press.
After ten years this, the first of five series of hymns of the Greek Church, is issued in cheap form in the hope that those who regard the unity of Christian praise, and wish to realise it, and who seek its enrichment from the Church of the Apostles, may be induced to give the subject that consideration which it deserves, and which has been too long neglected.
The past ten years have seen much activity
in the department of Church hymnody,—all
sections of the Church have had their hymnals
under revision with varied results; but in this
particular we are bound to feel satisfaction that
the praise literature of the Early and Mediaeval
Church has been more fully drawn upon than
at any former period, and the Greek Church no
J. B.
FRATRES · CARISSIMOS ·
HYMNOLOGOS ·
AMICORUM · FELICIUM · AMANTISSIMOS ·
PROSEQUOR ·
A · D · V · ID · MAI ·
I. Thirty-eight years ago, Dr. John Mason Neale published his Hymns of the Eastern Church, and for the first time English readers were introduced to the priceless gems of Greek hymnody. At the close of his preface he throws out a challenge which, as far as the present writer is aware, has not yet been taken up. He says: ‘And while fully sensible of their imperfections, I may yet, by way of excuse rather than of boast, say, almost in Bishop Hall’s words—
It would be presumptuous to believe that
the translations which follow are in any particular
a worthy answer to that challenge; but
the translator can honestly say that they are
a very earnest attempt to acquaint English
readers still further with the valuable praise
II. The renderings contained in this volume are the product of many happy hours during the past five years. No method was adopted in the work. As the translator waded through the closely printed pages of the Greek offices, what appeared at first sight to be lines worthy of translation were taken up and examined, sometimes to be cast aside again because of some unremovable blemish, at other times to be moulded to the form which they now bear. Of the forty-seven pieces, thirty-five appear for the first time in English verse.
For the original, the translator has gone to the service-books, and for the most part has confined himself to the hymns which are to be found in the Triodion, containing the Lenten services; and in the Pentecostarion, in which are found the hymns for the services of Easter and Pentecost. A few specimens are also given from other offices, particularly that for Christmas.
Renderings from the work of the earlier Greek hymn-writers are added at the end of this volume; but, unlike the hymns of the Church service-books, these hymns originally are in the classical measures, and illustrate the work of the best Christian poets, who in some cases wrote extensively.
III. It is a very remarkable fact, and certainly
not to our credit, that, with the exception
of a very few who have made the study a
specialty, our educated men show a most
unaccountable ignorance of the most attractive
and valuable material for praise and prayer
contained in the Greek Church service-books.
We have learning more than enough, and zeal
enough for the pursuit of study in other departments,
but this unworked field lies fallow,
and no one thinks it worth his while to cultivate
it. That the study will reward the student,
although not in a material sense—for the meaningless
prejudice of the great mass of our
people for what is local and against the thought
of the stranger, no matter how beautiful it
may be, is still to be reckoned with—yet in
the highest sense as conferring upon him a
We have not treated the Latin Church after
that fashion. There is not a hymn of real
IV. One does not proceed far before making some discoveries which may account, to a certain extent, for the neglect of Greek hymnody by men who are best qualified to pursue the study of it. The writers are not poets, in the true sense, and their language is not Greek as we have known it.
(1) None of the hymn-writers in the service-books or out of them is a poet of more than ordinary merit; although, when John of Damascus forgets his adversaries, and dispenses with his rhythmical peculiarities and gives forth the utterance of his deep emotional nature, he proves himself to be worthy of the title—the greatest of Greek Christian poets.
(2) The Greek language lived long and
died slowly, and the Christian hymn-writers
wrote in its decadence. It was then an instrument
that has lost its fineness, and keenness,
(3) The hymns of the Greek Church are
all in rhythmical prose—strangely Oriental in
appearance—with the exception of those by
John of Damascus, which are in iambics; and
difficulties confront one on every page. What
lines will reward the work of rendering?
Prayer, Gospel, psalm, hymn, and exhortation
follow each other, and are sometimes strangely
interlaced. Where does one begin and another
end? Then, there is meaningless repetition
which must be passed over, and expressions
But when all that is said, there remains much that is both beautiful and attractive. Some of the hymns and fragments are most chaste,—beautiful and tender in their simple expression of Gospel truths, which are so attractive to all true hearts, no matter by what creed dominated.
(4) The remarkable simplicity characterising
those hymns constitutes, strangely it may seem,
no small difficulty for the translator. The
mere rendering of them into English prose is
a comparatively easy task, and can be of no
value to any one but the specialist, but to take
the unmeasured lines and cut them to form
stanzas, and in the process sacrifice nothing of
their spirit to the exigencies of rhyme and
rhythm, is a task by no means easy. But such
drawbacks and difficulties are not insurmountable;
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
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
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
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
βασιλεῦ οὐράνιε, παράκλητε
τὴν ἄχραντον εἰκόνα σου προσκυνοῦμεν
Δεῦτε ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ κυρίῳ
Χριστὸς γεννᾶται
τί σοι προσενέγκωμεν, Χριστὲ
ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ σήμερον προφητικῶς εὐφραινέσθωσαν
Δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ
Σήμερον ὁ Ἅδης στένων βοᾷ
καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν
ὁ μονογενής Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ
Κύριε, ἀναβαίνοντός σου ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ
Διὰ Λαζάρου τὴν ἔγερσιν Κύριε
σήμερον γρηγορεῖ ὁ Ἰούδας
Ὁ ἀναβαλλόμενος φῶς ὡς ἱμάτιον
Ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν ὧν ἐποίησας, Χριστέ
Κύριε, ὁ τὸν Λῃστὴν
τὰς ἑσπερινὰς ἡμῶν εὐχάς
φῶς ἱλαρὸν ἁγίας δόξης
ἀνάστασιν Χριστοῦ θεασάμενοι
εἰ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ κατῆλθες ἀθάνατε
Ἰδοὺ ὁ Νυμφιὸς ἔρχεται ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τῆς νυκτός
ἔργῳ, ὡς πάλαι τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐπηγγείλω
ταχεῖαν καὶ σταθηρὰν δίδου παραμυθίαν τοῖς δούλοις σου
δεῦτε προσκυνήσωμεν καὶ προσπέσωμεν αὐτῷ
Δεῦτε λαοὶ, τὴν τρισυπόστατον θεότητα προσκυνήσωμεν
ὅταν ἔλθῃς ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ γῆς
John of Damascus is by far the most prominent and most poetical of all the Greek Christian poets. He dwelt for many years in his native city of Damascus, a valiant champion of orthodoxy against all comers. His influence on Greek hymnody was immense, and he is held in high esteem by the Greek Church for his work in that department, and as a theologian. The Octoechos, which contains the Ferial Office, was, it is said, arranged by John of Damascus. There his Canons are found, which are perhaps his greatest work in hymnody. John retired eventually to the monastery of Mar Saba, where he spent a life of devotion, and sang those Christian hymns which have cheered and inspired so many generations of Christians in the East. There he penned the ‘Golden Canon’ for Easter Day, which breathes the glorious hopes of the Resurrection.
ἀναστάσεως ἡμέρα λαμπρυνθῶμεν λαοί·
Δεῦτε πόμα πίωμεν καινόν
ἐπὶ τῆς θείας φυλακῆς
ὀρθρίσωμεν ὄρθροι βαθεός
κατῆλθες ἐν τοῖς κατωτάτοις
ὁ παῖδας ἐκ καμίνου ῥυσάμενος
αὕτη ἡ κλητὴ καὶ ἁγία ἡμέρα
φωτίζου φωτίζου, ἡ νέα Ἱερουσαλήμ·
These Collects hold a most important place in the services of the Eastern Church. There are few offices in which they are not found imbedded. Their catholicity is most remarkable. The suffrages are peculiar to no church service, but common to all liturgies. The people share in them by responding ‘Lord have mercy’ at the end of each petition, and ‘Amen’ at the close.
Ὑπὲρ τῆς ἄνωθεν εἰρήνης, καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν, τοῦ Κυρίου δεηθῶμεν
κύριε ἐλέησον. Ἀντιλαβοῦ, σῶσον, ἐλέησον καὶ διαφύλαξον ἡμᾶς
Methodius, a prominent name in Ecclesiastical history, and a Father of the Church, was born about the middle of the third century. He was first of all Bishop of Olympus in Lycia, and, according to Jerome, became ultimately Bishop of Tyre. He combated certain views of Origen, but would seem to have been influenced not a little by the teaching of that great theologian.
In his principal work, The Banquet of the Ten Virgins, the hymn is found from which the following is a cento. It contains twenty-four strophes, each beginning with a letter of the Greek alphabet in alphabetical order, and ending with the same refrain.
Methodius is said to have suffered martyrdom under Diocletian about 311 A.D.
ἄνωθεν, παρθένοι, βοῆς ἐγερσίνεκρος ἦχος
Gregory of Nazianzus, son of Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus, and life-long friend of Basil, Bishop of Caesarea, was born at Nazianzus, 325 A.D. He took up the priestly office at the earnest request of his father, and for some time was helpful to the aged bishop.
The times in which Gregory lived were trying times. The orthodox Christians clung to the creed of Nicea, and their champions did valiant battle with the Arians. As an advocate and exponent of evangelical truth, Gregory was summoned to Constantinople in 379, and as bishop of that See adorned the high position with gifts and graces as brilliant as they were rare. But he was not the man for such a position at such a time. Hilary, the ‘Hammer of the Arians,’ could keep the heretics at bay, and do in the Latin Church what Gregory could not do in the Greek Church—maintain his position and his cause against all comers. For one thing, the retiring disposition of Gregory inclined him to shrink from the din of conflict, and his high ideals weakened his hopefulness. The result was that he abandoned his position and retired to Nazianzus in 381. Deprived by death of his life-long friend, and of his brother Caesarius, to whom he was bound by more than brotherly love, he retired from the world and penned those poems, some of which are among the treasures of the Church Catholic. He died in 390.
The hymns of Gregory are found in the second volume of the Benedictine Edition of his works which was published in Paris in 1842. A selection can be seen in Daniel’s Thesaurus, and in the Anthologica Graeca, Carminum Christianorum.
ἄτερ ἀρχῆς, ἀπέραντον
ταῦτά σοι ἡμετέροιο θαλύσια, Χριστὲ
Σὲ καὶ νῦν εὐλογοῦμεν
ὄρθριος δίδωμι τῷ θεῷ μου δεξιὰς
ἐψευσάμην σε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, λόγε
Synesius was born about 375. In more particulars than one he was an outstanding man. His pedigree is said to have extended through seventeen centuries, and to have included the names of the most illustrious. Not only was he of noble lineage, he was a man also of high character and brilliant attainments. He was versed in the Neoplatonic philosophy, and his Christianity has been called in question by no less an authority than Mosheim; but how any one can read his odes and doubt the reality of his Christian faith, even in the full sense of the term, as believing in the Divinity of Christ and in His Resurrection, is hard to understand. He certainly was a good man, and knew Christ and loved Him. His writings prove that; and in 410 A.D., though reluctantly, he became Bishop of Ptolemais. Very little of his poetry has come down to us, but that little is of the highest order. He died 430 A.D.
σοὶ νύξ με φέρει τὸν ἀοιδὸν, ἄναξ
λύπαις δ’ ἄστιπτος ψυχά
ἄγε μοι ψυχά
αὐτὸς φῶς εἶ παγαῖον