NOTE III. THE EASTER CANON, ETC. TO ELUCIDATE CHAPTER XVII.

Troparion. Tone v.

Christ is risen from the dead, death by death down doth he tread, and on them that dwell in graves he bestoweth life.

Verse. Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered, and let them that hate him flee from before him.

Verse. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away, as wax melteth at the presence of fire,

Verse. So let the sinners perish at the presence of God, but let the righteous rejoice.

Verse. This is the day which the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad therein.

Verse. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

Verse. Both now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

And to every verse the troparion, Christ is risen ... is added.

The Canon in tone i. Ode i.

Irmos. It is the day of resurrection! Ye folk, be we enlightened! It is the Pascha, the Pascha of the Lord! For out of death to life, and unto heaven from earth Christ God hath led us forth, us, singing victory’s song.

Refrain. Christ is risen from the dead! This is said before every Troparion in all the Odes unless otherwise indicated.

Troparion. Let us the senses cleanse, and we shall see, in light accessless of the resurrection shining Christ, and we shall clearly hear him saying, Hail! we, singing victory’s song.

Troparion. Let heaven, for ’tis meet, rejoice; and let the earth be glad; and let the world, all that unseen is and is seen, keep festival; for Christ is risen: joy eterne!

The Irmos is repeated, and they sing, Christ is risen ... the whole. And so after every Ode.

Ode iii.

Irmos. Come, let us drink the beverage new, not that from barren rock in wondrous wise outpour’d; but incorruption’s fount, shower’d from the grave of Christ, in whom we stablish’d are.

Troparion. Now fill’d is all with light, the heaven, the earth, yea, and the underworld. Then let the whole creation festal keep for Christ’s awake, whereby it stablish’d is.

Troparion. I was entomb’d with thee, Christ, yesterday: to-day, at thine arising, I awake. With thee I yesterday was crucified: O Saviour, in thy kingdom me glorify with thee.

Hypacoë. Tone iv.

Preventing the dawn, and finding the stone rolled away from the grave, they that accompanied Mary from an angel heard, Why seek ye as a man among the dead him that in light accessless dwells? Behold the swathes of death! Hasten, and tell the world the Lord is risen, who slayeth death; for he is Son of God, who saves the race of men.

Ode iv.

Irmos. With us on watching tower divine may the inspired Abbacum stand, and show a radiant angel speaking plain, Salvation’s for the world to-day; for Christ, th’ almighty one, is risen.

Troparion. Christ hath appeared as a male opening the Virgin’s womb. As mortal, he is call’d a lamb; as undefil’d by stain, our Pasch; and, as true God, he’s perfect nam’d.

Troparion. As yearling lamb our blessed crown, even Christ, of his own will, as cleansing Pasch, was slain for all; and from the grave hath shin’d to us again, he, glorious Sun of righteousness.

Troparion. David, divine forefather, leap’d, dancing the typical ark before; and, we, beholding types fulfill’d, be we divinely glad, we, holy folk of God; for Christ, th’ almighty one, is risen.

Ode v.

Irmos. In the deep dawn let us arise, and let us bring, instead of myrrh, the Lord a song, and we the Sun of righteousness shall see, Christ shining life to all.

Troparion. They that were held by hades’ bonds when they thy boundless pity saw, hasten’d, O Christ, unto the light, praising, with joyful feet, th’ eternal Pasch.

Troparion. Bearing the lamps, precede we Christ, who, as a bridegroom, from the grave comes forth, and, with the festal-loving ranks, let us together keep the saving Pasch of God.

Ode vi.

Irmos. Thou didst descend into earth’s lowest parts, O Christ, and break the eternal bonds that held the captives bound, and the third day didst rise out of the sepulchre, as Jonas from the whale.

Troparion. Keeping the seals entire, thou didst arise, O Christ, out of the sepulchre, who, at thy birth, didst not destroy the virgin bars; and thou hast op’d to us the doors of paradise.

Troparion. My Saviour, who, as God, didst to the Father bring thyself, of thine own will, an offering living and unsacrific’d also, arising from the grave, thou hast, along with thee, raised all Adam’s race.

Condakion. Tone viii.

If into the grave thou didst descend, Immortal One, yet didst thou overthrow the might of hades, and, as victor, rise, Christ God, unto the women bearing myrrh exclaiming, Hail! and giving peace to thine apostles, O thou that grantest resurrection unto them that fallen be.

Icos.

The Sun, that was before the sun, set once within a grave, the maidens bearing myrrh, preventing dawn, sought as the day, and unto one another cried, Come ye, O friends, let us with scents anoint the body that life-bringing is, and buried is, the flesh, that raiseth fallen Adam, that lieth in a grave. Let us go on, let us make haste, like as the Magi did; and let us bring the myrrh as gift to him that’s wrapp’d, not in the swaddling bands, but in a winding-sheet; and let us weep, and let us cry, Master, arise, who grantest resurrection unto them that fallen be.

Ode vii.

Irmos. He that delivered the children from the furnace became man, and suffered as mortal, and, by his suffering, endued the mortal with the beauty of immortality, even he, our fathers’ God, who only blessed and most glorious is.

Troparion. The women who were divinely wise sped back to thee with myrrh; and him whom they sought with tears as mortal, they worshipp’d with joy as living God; and told, O Christ, to thy disciples the glad tidings of the mystic Pasch.

Troparion. We celebrate the death of death, the overthrow of hades, the first-fruits of another life that endless is, and sing exultingly the Cause, even him, our fathers’ God, who only blessed and most glorious is.

Troparion. How truly sacred and all-festal is this saving and brightly beaming night, which heraldeth the rising of the splendour-bearing day, on which the ageless Light in flesh hath shin’d to all from out the grave.

Ode viii.

Irmos. This is the chosen and holy day, the one that is of sabbaths king and lord. It feast of feasts is, and triumph is of triumphs, on which we bless Christ for aye.

Troparion. Come, let us in the vine’s new fruit participators be of joy divine on the auspicious day of resurrection to Christ’s kingdom, singing him, as God, for aye.

Troparion. Lift up thine eyes, O Sion, round about, and see; for, lo! thy children come to thee, as lights by God illum’d, from the west and from the north, from the sea and from the east, in thee blessing Christ for aye.

Verse. O most holy Trinity, glory to thee, our God.

Troparion. Almighty Father, Word, and Spirit, nature conjoin’d in persons three, superessential, God most high, in thee baptized we have been, and thee we bless for evermore.

Ode ix.

Irmos. Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem; for the glory of the Lord is risen on thee. Exult now, and rejoice, O Sion; and thou, O pure God-bearing one, be glad at the rising of thy Child.

Verse. My soul him magnifies, who willingly did suffer and was buried, and rose the third day from the grave, even Christ, the Giver of life.

Troparion. O voice of thee divine, most sweet, and dear! for thou hast promis’d undeceivingly to be with us, O Christ, until the ages end, which holding as hope’s stablishment, let us, the faithful, joyful be.

Verse. Christ is the Pascha new, the living sacrifice, the Lamb of God, who the world’s sins doth take away.

Troparion. O Christ, thou great most sacred Pasch, wisdom, and Word of God, and power! grant us in wise more perfect to partake of thee thy kingdom’s day in that no evening hath.

Exapostilarion. Tone ii.

Asleep in flesh as mortal, King and Lord, on the third day thou didst arise, arousing Adam from corruption and destroying death, O Pasch of immortality, salvation of the world.

Stichera. Tone v.

Verse. Let God arise....

To-day the sacred Pascha is made manifest to us, the new, the holy Pasch, the Pascha mystical, the Pascha all-rever’d, the Pascha, even Christ the ransomer, the Pascha undefil’d, the Pascha great, the faithful’s Pasch, the Pasch that opes the gates of Paradise to us, the Pasch that halloweth all that faithful be.

Verse. As smoke is driven away....

Come from that spectacle, ye women-gospellers, and unto Sion say, Receive from us the joyful tidings of Christ’s resurrection. Be fervent, dance, and joy, Jerusalem, beholding Christ the King proceed as bridegroom from the grave.

Verse. So let the sinners perish....

The women bearing myrrh at early dawn stood the Life-giver’s grave before, and found an angel sitting on the stone, and he, accosting them, spake thus, Why seek the living mid the dead? why the corruptless wail as though he in corruption were? Go, tell ye his disciples this!

Verse. This is the day which....

Pascha the fervent, Pascha, the Pascha of the Lord, the Pascha all-rever’d hath risen on us. It Pascha is, let us with joy each other greet. O Pascha, ransoming from grief! For, shining from the grave to-day, as bridegroom from a bridal-room, Christ hath with joy the women fill’d, saying, Tell the disciples this!

Glory. Both now.

It is the day of resurrection, and by the triumph be illuminate we, and we each other greet, and Brethren! to them that hate us say, and at the resurrection everything forgive; and on this wise let us exclaim,

Christ is risen from the dead, death by death down doth he tread, and on them that dwell in graves he bestoweth life. Three times.

ADDITIONAL NOTES.

A. Note that in Appendix the word translated Archpriest is in the original Archiereus, and signifies the Bishop. There is however another word which can only be translated into English by the term Archpriest, namely Protoiereus, but this is a title borne by many priests who are not of episcopal rank.

B. And note that in the Psalms the Orthodox Church follows the Septuagint and not the Hebrew enumeration.