Another text to pray and ponder - and to compare with the Stabat Mater:
Canon of the Crucifixion of Our Lord
and the Lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos,
by Simeon the Logothete
Sung in the Byzantine Slavonic Rite at Little Compline on Holy and Great Friday.
From: The Lenten Triodion, Mother Mary & Archimandrite Kallistos Ware, trans., (London: Faber and Faber, 1984) 617-621. (With two slight alterations.)
(A canon consists of eight, or nine, sets of troparia, which are like antiphons; only the first troparion, the irmos, of each ode relates to the scriptural canticle thereof; the rest, though having the same melody, concern the topic of the canon, or rule of prayer; they were once sung between the verses of each canticle, but are now used by themselves. The Second Ode, being very penitential, is usually omitted.
After the sixth ode, a kontakion and oikos are sung, as relics of an older system, whereby, together with the original scriptural canticles, an akathist was sung, being a metrical homily consisting of many kontakia and oikoi, modelled after the first pair of such.)
Ode One (Cf. Exodus 15:1-19, I will sing to the Lord)
(Irmos) Crossing the deep on foot as if it were dry land, the people of Israel saw Pharaoh their pursuer drowning in the waves, and they cried aloud: ‘Let us sing a song of victory to our God.’ (ii)
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
When she beheld her Son and Lord hanging on the Cross, the pure Virgin was torn with grief and, weeping bitterly with the other women, she cried out: ‘Woe is me!’
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
‘I see Thee, dearest and beloved Child, hanging on the Cross and my heart is wounded bitterly’, said the pure Virgin. ‘But in Thy love speak some word to Thy handmaiden.’
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
‘By Thine own will, my Son and Creator, Thou endurest a fearful death upon the Tree’, said the Virgin, standing by the Cross with the Beloved Disciple.
Both now and ever and unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
‘How am I deprived of Him who is my hope, my joy, my gladness, of my Son and God. Woe is me! My heart is filled with anguish’, said the All-Pure weeping.
Ode Three (Cf. 1 Samuel 2:1-10, My heart exults in the Lord)
(Irmos) O Lord my God, there is none holy as Thou, who in Thy love hast raised up the horn of Thy faithful and established them upon the rock of Thy true faith. (ii)
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
‘For fear of the Jews, Peter has hid himself and all the faithful have fled, forsaking Christ’, said the Virgin lamenting.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
‘By Thy strange and fearful birth, my Son, I have been magnified above all mothers; but woe is me! Inwardly I burn as I see Thee now upon the Cross.’
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
‘I wish to take my Son down from the wood and to hold Him in my arms, as once I held Him when He was a little child’, said the All-Pure. ‘But alas! there is none to give Him to me.’
Both now and ever and unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
‘See, my sweet Light, my Hope and Life, my Son and God, has been quenched upon the Cross, and because of Him I burn’, said the Virgin shedding tears.
Ode Four (Cf. Habakkuk 3:2-19, O Lord, I have heard the report of Thee)
(Irmos) ‘Christ is my strength, my God and Lord’, with reverence sings the Holy Church, raising her voice in purity and keeping feast in the Lord. (ii)
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
‘Sun that never sets, O pre-eternal God and Creator of all things, how dost Thou endure suffering upon the Cross?’ said the All-Pure weeping.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Lamenting, the Virgin Mother said to Joseph: ‘O Joseph, go in haste to Pilate, and ask to take down the Master from the Tree.’
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Seeing the Most Pure shedding bitter tears, Joseph was troubled and came in sorrow to Pilate, crying aloud: ‘Give me the body of my Lord.’
Both now and ever and unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
‘I see Thee bruised and wounded, without glory, stripped upon the Cross, O my Child, and my heart burns’, said the Virgin sorrowing with a mother’s grief.
Ode Five (Cf. Isaiah 26:9-20, My soul yearns for Thee in the night)
(Irmos) I entreat Thee, gracious Lord, with Thy divine light shine upon the souls of those who with love seek Thee early in the morning: may they know Thee, Word of God, as God in very truth, who recallest them from the gloomy darkness of transgression. (ii)
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Broken and distraught by grief, Joseph and Nicodemus took down the all-pure temple of the Master, His body, from the Cross; and they made lamentation and sang His praises as their Lord.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
The pure Virgin Mother wept as she took Him on her knees; her tears flowed down upon Him, and with bitter cries of grief she kissed him.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
‘My Son, my Lord and God, Thou wast the only hope of Thine handmaiden, my life and the light of mine eyes; and now, alas, I have lost Thee, my sweet and most beloved Child.’
Both now and ever and unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
‘Woe is me! Anguish and affliction and sighing have taken hold of me’, cried the pure Virgin, bitterly lamenting, ‘for I see Thee, my beloved Child, stripped, broken, anointed for burial, a corpse.’
Ode Six (Cf. Jonah 2:3-10, I called to the Lord out of my distress)
(Irmos) When I behold the swelling sea of life and the tempest of temptation, I run to Thy calm haven and I cry to Thee: Bring up my life from corruption, O Most Merciful. (ii)
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
‘In my arms I hold Thee as a corpse, O loving Lord, who hast brought the dead to life; grievously is my heart wounded and I long to die with Thee’, said the All-Pure, ‘for I cannot bear to look upon Thee lifeless and without breath.’
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
‘O God supreme in love, O Lord all-merciful, I am filled with horror as I see Thee dishonoured, lifeless, without beauty, stripped, and I weep as I hold Thee. Woe is me! I never thought to look upon Thee thus, my Son.’
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
‘O Word of God, hast Thou no word for Thy handmaiden? Hast Thou no pity, O Master, for Thy Mother?’ said the All-Pure, lamenting and weeping and kissing the sinless body of her Son.
Both now and ever and unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
‘I reflect, O Master, how never again shall I hear Thy voice; never again shall Thy handmaiden see the beauty of Thy face as in the past; for Thou, my Son, hast sunk down before mine eyes.’
Kontakion
Come, and let us all sing the praises of Him who was crucified for us. For Mary said, when she beheld Him on the Tree: ‘Though Thou dost endure the Cross, yet Thou art my Son and God.’
Oikos
Seeing her own Lamb led to the slaughter, Mary His Mother followed Him with the other women and in her grief she cried: ‘Where dost Thou go, my Child? Why dost Thou run so swiftly? Is there another wedding in Cana, and art Thou hastening there, to turn the water into wine? Shall I go with Thee, my Child, or shall I wait for Thee? Speak some word to me, O Word; do not pass me by in silence. Thou hast preserved my virginity, and Thou art my Son and God.’
Ode Seven (Cf. Dan 3:26-56, Blessed art Thou, O Lord, God of our fathers)
(Irmos) An angel made the furnace moist with dew for the holy Young Men, but the Chaldaeans were consumed in flames by God’s command, so that the tyrant cried aloud: ‘O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.’ (ii)
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
‘Where, O my Son and God, are the good tidings of the Annunciation that Gabriel brought me? He called Thee King and God and Son of the Most High; and now, O my sweet Light, I behold Thee naked, wounded, lifeless.’
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
‘Release me from agony and take me with Thee, O my Son and God. Let me also descend with Thee, O Master, into hell. Leave me not to live alone, for I cannot bear to look upon Thee, my sweet Light.’
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
With the other women bearing sweet spices, the holy Virgin lamented bitterly as she saw Christ carried to the sepulchre. ‘Woe is me!’ she cried. ‘What do I see? Where art Thou going now, my Son? Hast Thou left me here alone?’
Both now and ever and unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
In her despair and grief, the all-blameless Virgin said to the women carrying sweet spices: ‘Join with me to weep and bitterly lament: for see, my sweet Light and your Teacher is placed in the Tomb.’
Ode Eight (Cf. Dan 3:57-88, Bless the Lord, all works of the Lord)
(Irmos) Thou hast made dew fall from the flames for the holy Young Men, and Thou hast burnt up with water the sacrifice of Elias Thy righteous servant: for Thou, O Christ, dost accomplish all things by Thy will alone, and we exalt Thee above all for evermore. (ii)
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
Seeing the lamentation of the Virgin, Joseph was bitterly distressed and cried aloud in sorrow: ‘How shall I Thy servant, O my God, prepare Thy body now for burial? How shall I wrap it in a winding-sheet?’
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
This strange sight is beyond our understanding: the Lord who upholds all creation is held as a lifeless corpse in the arms of Joseph and Nicodemus, and they prepare His body for burial.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
‘A dread and terrible mystery do I behold’, the Virgin cried. ‘My Son, how art Thou laid in a narrow tomb, who dost by Thy command raise all the dead from the tomb?’
Both now and ever and unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
‘I shall not leave Thy tomb, my Child, nor shall I Thy handmaiden cease to shed tears, until I too descend to hell. For I cannot bear to be deprived of Thee, my Light.’
Ode Nine (Cf. Luke 1:46-55 & 1:68-79, My soul magnifies the Lord)
(Irmos) No man is able to see God, upon whom the ranks of angels dare not gaze; yet through thee, all-pure Virgin, the Word took flesh and showed himself to men. With all the hosts of heaven we magnify Him and we call thee blessed. (ii)
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
‘Never again shall joy be mine’, cried the Undefiled lamenting. ‘The Light of my Joy has gone down into the grave. But I shall not leave Him alone: here shall I also die and be buried with Him.’
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
‘Now heal the wound of my soul, O my Child’, cried the Holy Virgin weeping. ‘Rise and still my pain and bitter anguish. For Thou hast power, O Master, and canst perform what Thou dost will. Even Thy burial is voluntary.’
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
‘How hast thou not seen the depth of My tender love?’ said the Lord to the Pure Virgin. ‘Because I wish to save My creature, I have accepted to die. But I shall rise again and as God shall magnify thee in heaven and on earth.’
Both now and ever and unto the ages of the ages. Amen.
‘I sing in praise of Thy compassion, loving Lord, and I worship the wealth of Thy mercy. For as God willingly Thou hast accepted to save Thy creation’, said the all-pure Virgin. ‘But, O Saviour, by Thy Resurrection have mercy on us all.’
(Repetition of the Irmos) No man is able to see God, upon whom the ranks of angels dare not gaze; yet through thee, all-pure Virgin, the Word took flesh and showed himself to men. With all the hosts of heaven we magnify Him and we call thee blessed.
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