First Stasis
- In a grave they laid Thee,
O my Life and my Christ;
and the armies of the angels were sore amazed,
as they sang the praise of Thy submissive love.
. - How, O Life, canst Thou die?
Or abide in a grave?
For Thou dost destroy the kingdom of death, O Lord,
and Thou raisest up the dead of Hades’ realm.
. - Now we magnify Thee,
O Lord Jesus, our King;
and we venerate Thy Passion and Burial,
whereby from corruption’s bowels are we redeemed.
. - Thou Who didst establish
the earth’s bounds dost now dwell
in a small grave, O my Jesus, Thou King of all,
Who dost call the dead to leave their graves and rise.
. - O my dear Christ Jesus,
King and Ruler of all,
Why to them that dwell in Hades didst Thou descend?
Was it not to set the race of mortals free?
. - Lo, the Sov’reign Ruler
of creation is dead
and is buried in a tomb never used before,
He that emptied all the graves of all their dead.
. - In a grave they laid Thee,
O my Life and my Christ.
Yet, behold now by Thy death, death is stricken down,
and Thou pourest forth life’s streams for all the world.
. - Thou, O Christ, wast numbered
with men of evil deeds
as one evil, and didst also deliver us
from the ancient schemer’s evil works and deeds.
. - Lo, how fair His beauty!
Never man was so fair!
Yet how doth He seem a dead man bereft of form,
though all nature’s beauty had Him as its source.
. - How could Hades, O Savior,
bear Thy Presence divine,
and not rather be demolished in utter gloom,
blinded by the splendor of Thy dazzling light?
. - O my sweet Lord Jesus,
my salvation, my Lights
How art thou now hid within a dark sepulchre?
Lo, Thy burial surpasses human speech.
. - Angel-kind, O Master,
and the bodiless hosts
cannot understand the mystery, O my Christ,
of thy burial ineffable and strange.
. - Lo, how strange these wonders,
deeds amazing and new;
for the Giver of my life is born lifeless forth
by the hands of weeping Joseph to his rest.
. - O Christ Jesus, Savior,
in the grave Thou wast laid;
yet thou didst not leave the bosom of Thy Father, Lord.
Lo, what strange and awesome wonders we behold!
. - Unto all creation
wast Thou made known, O Christ,
as the true King of the firmament and the earth,
even though Thou was enclosed in a small grave.
. - When, O Christ, our Maker,
Thou was laid in Thy tomb,
the foundation stones of Hades with ruin shook,
and the graves of mortal men were opened wide.
. - He that holdeth all things
in the grasp of His hand,
in the flesh is now held dead in the depths of earth,
thereby freeing all the dead from Hades’ grasp.
. - Thou, my Life, O Savior,
from corruption didst rise,
having died, and therefore dwelling among the dead,
and didst shatter the strong bolts of Hades’ hold.
. - As a lamp of light
beneath a bushel is hid,
so now also in the earth is God’s flesh concealed,
and doth drive away the gloom from Hades’ realm.
. - Nicodemus, Joseph
and the bodiless hosts
come together now to bear Thee, the Infinite,
in their arms into a narrow grave of stone.
. - By Thy willing death and
burial in the earth,
Fount of life, O Jesus, life didst Thou grant to me
who was dead in bitter and most grievous sins.
. - By Thy willing Passion,
all creation was changed;
for it knew Thee, O my Jesus and Word of God,
as its Savior and Redeemer from all debts.
. - All-devouring Hades,
on receiving within
as a mortal him that is the firm Rock of Life,
did spew forth the dead swallowed from ancient times.
. - Thou, O Christ, was buried
in a tomb newly made,
thus renewing the whole nature of mortal men,
by arising from the dead as God in truth.
. - Thou, O Master, camest
down to earth as was meet,
to save Adam, and as Thou didst not find him there,
Thou didst go down into Hades seeking him.
. - All the earth was troubled
and did tremble with fear,
and the morning star, O Word, hit its brilliant rays,
when they hid Thee in the earth, O Most Great Light.
. - As a mortal, Savior,
Thou didst willingly die;
but all mortal men that slept didst Thou raise, O God,
from their tombs and from the mighty depths of sin.
. - Thy pure mother, weeping
bitter tears over Thee,
O my Jesus, O my Savior, she cried to Thee,
O my Son, how can I lay Thee in the grave?
. - Even as the seed of
wheat is hid in the bowels
of the earth, and thereby bringeth forth ears of grain,
thus hast Thou raised Adam’s mortal sons, O Word.
. - Savior, Thou wast hidden
‘neath the earth like the sun,
and wast covered as with shrouds by the night of death;
but more radiantly do Thou arise, O Lord.
. - As the moon doth cover
the whole disc of the sun,
likewise, Savior, art Thou now hidden by the grave,
Thou who art in mortal flesh eclipsed by death.
. - O my Life, Christ Savior,
having tasted of death,
Thou has freed all mortal men from the bonds of death.
Wherefore now, Thou grantest life unto our race.
. - By Thy death, O Savior,
Thou hast led back to life
Adam who of old, by malice was made to die;
Thou wast seen as the new Adam in the flesh.
. - Seeing Thee, O Savior,
lying dead for our sakes,
the noetic hosts of Heaven were sore amazed
and their faces did they cover with their wings.
. - In Thy death, O Logos,
Joseph taketh Thee down
from the tree and doth now lay Thee in a new tomb;
but as God do Thou arise and save all men.
. - Thou who art the gladness
of the angels, O Lord,
art become the cause of sorrow and grief to them,
seeing Thee, dead in the flesh, bereft of breath.
. - When Thou wast once lifted
on the tree, O our God,
Thou didst lift all living mortal men with Thyself
and did raise all them that lie beneath the earth.
. - Like a lion, Savior,
Thou didst sleep in the flesh;
and, though dead, Thou didst arise like a lion cub,
and didst cast away the weakness of the flesh.
. - Thou, O Lord, Who tookest
a rib from Adam’s side,
and didst fashion Eve, hast been pierced in Thine own side,
and did thereby pour fort purifying streams.
. - Secretly, O Savior,
was the lamb slain of old;
but as One forgiving, Thou was slain openly,
purifying all creation by Thy death.
. - Truly, who can tell of
this most awesome new deed?
He that governeth creation accepteth now
pains of suffering, and dieth for our sakes.
. - All the angels cried out
in amazement and awe;
How is it that the Bestower of life is dead?
How is it that God is closed up in a tomb?
. - From Thy side, O Savior,
which was pierced by the spear,
Thou didst pour forth life for me who wast cast from life,
and didst thereby grant me life with Thee, O Life.
. - Stretched upon the blest Tree,
Thou, O Jesus, didst make
all men one, and when Thy life-giving side was pierced,
Thou didst shed forgiveness on the race of man.
. - Noble Joseph, Savior,
is now stricken with awe,
and doth nobly lay Thee in the earth as one dead;
by Thine awe-inspiring form he is amazed.
. - As one dead, O Jesus,
Thy good pleasure it was
to descend beneath the earth and to lead again
from the earth to Heaven those who fell therefrom.
. - Thou, O sweetest Jesus,
Thou wast seen as one dead,
yet alive, as God, Thou didst bring again from the earth
unto Heaven all of them that fell therefrom.
. - Thou we see The as dead,
yet Thou livest as God,
and dost give new life to mortal men who had died;
hence, my deadness hast Thou thereby put to death.
. - O, how full that joy was!
O, how great that delight!
wherewith Thou didst fill all them that were held by Hell,
when Thou shonest forth Thy light in those dark depths.
. - I adore Thy passion,
Thine entombing I praise,
and I magnify Thy might, O Thou Friend of man;
from corruptive passions have they set me free.
. - A sword flashed against Thee,
O Christ, Savior and Lord,
and the mighty one’s cursed sword was then greatly dulled;
yea, and even Eden’s sword was put to flight.
. - When the ewe that bare Him
saw them slaying her Lamb,
overcome by grevious torment she wailed aloud,
and moved all the flock to join her bitter cries.
. - Thou Thou art now buried
in a tomb made of stone,
and though Thou dost now go down into Hell, O Christ,
Thou dost lay Hell bare and emptiest the tombs.
. - Thou that of Thine own will
didst descend ‘neath the earth,
and didst quicken mortal men that had died of old,
in the Father’s glory Thou didst lead them forth.
. - For our sakes, One Person
of the Trinity came
and endured a painful death in the flesh for all;
hence, the sun doth tremble and the earth doth quake.
. - Born of bitter water,
the descendents and sons
of the tribe of Judah laid Jesus in a pit,
though with manna He had fed and nourished them.
. - Christ, the Judge, was brought to
an unjust judge for us;
and by him was He condemned to an unjust death
which He suffered on the Wood of the blest Cross.
. - O blood-guilty people,
insolent Israel,
how could ye redeem Barabbas, that lawless thief,
and deliver up the Savior to the Cross?
. - Thou that madest Adam
from the earth with Thy hand,
Thou becamest man by nature for his own sake,
and wast crucified for him of Thine own will.
. - Down to dreaded Hades
Thou descendest, O Word,
in obedience to Thy Father’s will, O Lord,
and didst raise up all the race of mortal men.
. - Gone the Light the wold knew!
Gone the Light that was mine!
O my Jesus, my Beloved and Desired One!
So the Virgin spake lamenting in her grief.
. - O vindictive people,
murderous and corrupt,
come behold the linen sheet of the risen Christ
and the face-cloth which have put you all to shame.
. - Come, O foul disciple,
filled with murder and gall,
show thou unto me the cause of thy wickedness,
whereby thou didst prove a traitor to my Christ.
. - Feigning love for mankind,
for a price thou didst sell
Him that is the fragrant Myrrh, O remorseless one,
O most pestilent and utterly blind fool.
. - What price wast thou given
for the heavenly Myrrh?
What didst thou gain in return for the precious One?
O accursed Satan, frenzy is thy lot.
. - If thou didst love poor men,
and didst truly regret
the myrrh poured out from a soul as an offering,
how, for coins, couldst thou sell Him that dawned forth light?
. - Word and God eternal,
O my Joy and Delight,
how shall I endure Thy three-day entombment, Lord?
My maternal bowels are rent with grief for Thee.
. - “Who will give me water
and the wellspring of tears?”
So the Virgin wed to God cried with loud lament,
“that for my sweet Jesus I may rightly mourn.”
. - O ye hills and valleys,
all ye mountains and dales,
and thou multitude of mankind, weep and lament,
crying Woe! with me, the Mother of our God.
. - When shall I behold Thee,
O my Savior and God,
the Eternal Light, my Joy and my heart’s Delight,
thus the Virgin cried out in her great distress.
. - Though accepting cutting
as the Chief Cornerstone
yet, O Savior, as the Wellspring of endless life,
Thou dost pour forth living water for all men.
. - As from one spring only
are we given to drink
of the twofold river which gushed forth from Thy side,
and we reap the fruit of everlasting life.
. - In the grave didst Thou will
to be seen as one dead;
but Thou livest and shalt raise up all mortal men
by Thy Resurrection, as Thou hast foretold.
. - Word of God, we hymn Thee.
God of all things art Thou,
with Thy Father and Thy Spirit Most Holy praised;
and we glorify Thy burial divine.
. - All we call thee blessed,
Theotokos most pure,
and with faithful hearts we honor the burial
suffered three days by thy Son Who is our God.
. - In a grave they laid Thee
O my Life and my Christ;
and the armies of the angels were sore amazed,
as they sang the praise of Thy submissive love.
Second Stasis
- Right it is indeed,
Life-bestowing Lord, to magnify Thee;
for upon the Cross were Thy most pure hands outspread,
and the strength of our dread foe hast Thou destroyed.
. - Right it is indeed,
Maker of all things to magnify Thees
for by Thy dear Passion have we all now attained
unto blest dispassion and deliverance.
. - Earth with trembling shook,
and the sun concealed his face with darkness;
for the light unwaning that hath shone forth from Thee,
with Thy Body sank to darkness and the grave.
. - Thou hast slept, O Christ,
in the grave the sleep that is lifegiving,
and hast raised up with Thyself the whole race of man
from the grevious and most heavy sleep of sin.
. - Of all womankind,
I alone gave birth to Thee without pain,
said the most pure Virgin; Lo, now I must endure
pain unbearable at Thy great suffering.
. - All the seraphim
shuddered when thy saw Thee, O my Savior,
Who above art with the Father insep’rable,
though Thou liest dead within the earth below.
. - Lo, the temple’s veil
was once rent at Thy dread crucifixion
and the stars above in heaven did hide their light,
seeing Thee, the Sun, now hidden in the earth.
. - By a word alone,
Thou didst form the earth in the beginning;
yet now as a dead man, Thou art hid in the earth.
O ye heavens, shake with fear at this dread sight.
. - Thou, Who with Thy hand
didst reate man, hast sunk in earth’s bosom,
that by Thine almighty power and strength, O Sun,
Thou might’st raise the multitude of fallen men.
. - Come, let us now sing
sacred dirges to our Christ Who dieth,
as once the myrrh-bearing women did sing to Him,
that with them we all might hear the word: Rejoice!
. - Truly, Thou, O Word,
art as myrrh most precious which is poured forth.
Wherefore unto Thee, Who art the true Living God,
the myrrh-bearing women brought most precious myrrh.
. - At Thy burial,
Thou, O Christ, didst shatter Hades kingdom.
Wherefore, by Thy death, hast Thou thus put death to death,
to redeem out of corruption those of earth.
. - God’s Wisdom, who poured
streams of life upon all mortal nature,
pierceth to the very vitals of Hades’ realms,
thereby quickening all those held in the grave.
. - That I may renew
man’s corrupted and subverted nature,
gladly in the flesh do I now take death on Me.
Wherefore, Mother, be not stricken with lament.
. - Setting ‘neath the earth,
O Thou Sun of Righteousness, my Jesus,
Thou didst raise up all the dead as it were from sleep,
and didst drive away the gloomy dark of Hell.
. - The life-giving Seed
of two natures on this day is planted
in the furrows of the earth, watered by our tears;
but tomorrow It shall blossom forth with life.
. - Adam, who did fall
and is now raised, was terrified greatly
when God did walk in the Garden of Paradise,
but rejoiced when he came down to those in hell.
. - She that gave Thee birth
poured libations of tears for Thee, Christ God,
when Thou, in the flesh, wast laid in a tomb of stone;
and she cried: Arise, O Christ, as Thou didst say.
. - Joseph laid Thee in
a new tomb secretly, O my Savior,
chanting God-befitting dirges most piously,
which were mingled with the voices of lament.
. - Nailed upon the Cross,
Thou wast pierced, and thus Thy Mother saw Thee,
and was smitten with the nails of most bitter grief,
and her soul itself was pierced as with a sword.
. - When Thy Mother saw
Thee, the Sweetness of all, being watered
with a bitter potion, she wept most bitterly
with a countenance besprinkled with warm tears.
. - I am rent with grief,
and my heart with woe is torn and broken,
as I see Thee slain unjustly, O Word of God.
So bewailing Him, His all-pure Mother cried.
. - Ah, those eyes so sweet,
and Thy lips, O Word how shall I close them?
How shall I entomb Thee, as doth befit the dead?
So cried Joseph, overcome with holy fear.
. - Dirges at the tomb
did blest Joseph sing with Nicodemus,
chanting unto Christ, Who hath now been put to death;
and in song with them are joined the seraphim.
. - Sun of Righteousness,
Thou dost set beneath the earth, O Savior.
Hence, the Moon that gave Thee birth was eclipsed by grief;
for she suffered the bereavement of Thy light.
. - When Hades beheld
Thee, the Life-giver, he greatly shuddered;
for Thou didst despoil and rob him of all his wealth,
and didst raise up all the dead from ages past.
. - Radiantly the Sun
shineth forth after the night is passed by;
and Thou, Logos, on arising after Thy death,
shalt as from a bridal-chamber brightly shine.
. - When the earth received
Thee, O Fashioner, into her bosom,
she was rent with fear, O Savior, and quaked in fright,
and by these her quakings did she rouse the dead.
. - Wrapping Thee, O Christ,
in myrrh oils in a manner unwonted,
Nicodemus and the most noble Joseph cried:
Be thou terrified and quake with fear, O earth.
. - Lo, when Thou didst set,
the sin’s light set with Thee, O Light-maker;
all creation was then seized in the bonds of fear,
and proclaimed Thee as the Maker of all things.
. - Stone that man hath hewn,
doth conceal the Cornerstone of promise;
and a mortal man doth hide Gode within a grave,
as if God were mortal: Shake with fear, O earth!
. - O my Son, behold
Thy well-loved disciple and Thy Mother;
let us, as aforetime, hear Thy sweet voice again.
So with plenteous tears His most pure Mother cried.
. - Though the Jews, O Word,
nailed Thee to the cross, Thou didst not slay them;
rather, as the blest Bestower of life, O Lord,
Thou didst even raise their dead from Hades’ bonds.
. - In Thy suffering,
neither form, O Word, was Thine, nor beauty;
but when Thou didst rise up Thou didst illuminate
and shed beauty on all men with rays divine.
. - In the flesh didst Thou
set beneath the earth, Thou, the Unwaning
Morning Star, and lo, the sun could not bear the sight,
and was darkened, even in the midst of day.
.
- Woe! the prophecy
of the elder Symeon findeth fulfillment;
for the sword whereof he spake hath now pierced my heart,
rending me with sorrow, O Emmanuel.
. - Surely, O ye Jews,
be ye put to shame, at least, by all them
that were raised from death by Him Who doth grant us life,
Whom ye sought to slay from malice and ill will.
. - Seeing Thee, O Christ,
the Unwaning and Unseen Light, lying
hidden in a grave, without breath or comliness,
the sun hid his face behind a veil of gloom.
. - Wailing bitter tears,
Word of God, Thy spotless Mother mourned Thee,
when she saw that Thou wast laid in a grave of stone,
O Ineffable and Everlasting God.
. - Witnessing Thy death,
Thy supremely undefiled Mother
cried with bitter grief, O Christ, and she said to Thee:
Tarry not among the dead, O Life of all.
. - Hades that dread foe,
shook with terror when he looked upon Thee,
O Daystar of Glory, only Immortal Lord;
and he yielded up his captives then in haste.
. - Now do we behold
a most great and awful sight, O Savior;
Thou Who art the Cause of life, dost submit to death,
wishing to grant life to all mankind, O God.
. - Thou art pierced, O Lord,
in Thy side, and Thy hands are nailed also,
healing by Thy side our would and the greediness
and insatiety of our ancestors’ hands.
. - Over Rachel’s son,
ev’ry house lamented in days gone by;
now over the Virgin’s Son all the choir of
blest disciples and His Mother weep with grief.
. - Earthen hands now smite
Thee upon the cheek, O Christ my Savior,
Thee Who by Thy hands hast formed man and fashioned him,
and hast crushed the grinding teeth of the vile beast.
. - With our hymns, O Christ,
we, Thy faithful people, now acclaim Thy
holy Crucifixion and Thy blest Burial;
for Thy Burial hath ransomed us from death.
. - O Eternal God,
Word co-unoriginate and Spirit:
Stablish Thou the faith and strength of the Orthodox
against heresy and error, O Good One.
. - Birthgiver of Life,
O most blameless and most holy Virgin;
Quell every offence within our most Holy Church,
blessing us with peace forever, O Good Maid.
. - Right it is indeed,
Life-bestowing Lord, to magnify Thee;
for upon the Cross were Thy most pure hands outspread,
and the strength of our dread foe hast Thou destroyed.
Third Stasis
- Ev’ry generation
chanteth hymns of praise at
Thy burial, O Christ God.
. - The Arimathaean
took Thee from the Cross and
did lay Thee in a new grave.
. - Women, bringing spices,
came with loving forethought,
Thy due of myrrh to give Thee.
. - Come, all things created,
let us sing a dirge-hymn
to honor our Creator.
. - With myrrh and true knowledge,
let us, like the women,
anoint as dead the living.
. - O thrice-blessed Joseph,
bury now the Body
of Christ the Life-bestower.
. - Those He fed with manna
lifted heels of spurning
against their Benefactor.
. - Those He fed with manna
bring the Savior gall and
vinegar intermingled.
. - O, the utter folly,
brimming with Christ’s murder
of them that slew the prophets.
. - Taught the inner myst’ries,
he, the mindless servant,
betrayed the Depth of Wisdom.
. - He that sold his Savior
sold himself as captive,
that crafty traitor, Judas.
. - As Solomon spake saying: (The)
mouth of lawless Jews is
a yawning pit and chasm.
. - In the crooked pathways
of the lawless Jews snares
and countless traps lay hidden.
. - Helped by Nicodemus,
Joseph doth entomb now
the Body of his Maker.
. - Life-bestowing Savior,
to Thy might be glory;
for Thou hast vanquished Hades.
. - When the most pure Virgin
saw Thee prone, O Logos,
a mother’s dirge she sang Thee.
. - O, my most sweet Springtime!
O, my Son beloved,
wither doth fade Thy beauty?
. - Songs of lamentation
poured from Thy pure Mother,
when Thou, O Word, was slaughtered.
. - Women to anoint Him
with their myrrh, are come now
to Christ, Who is Divine Myrrh.
. - By Thy death, O Lord God,
death itself hast Thou slain
by Thy divine dominion.
. - Deceived is the deceiver;
deceived man is now ransomed,
my God, through Thy great wisdom.
. - The traitor was cast headlong
into the depths of Hades
and pit of vile corruption.
. - The ways of the thrice-wretched
and perverted Judas
are fraught with snares and pitfalls.
. - Son of God and Logos,
all Thy crucifiers,
O King of all, have perished.
. - In the pit of death and
corruption, all blood-guilty
men shall be cast to perish.
. - Son of God, Almighty,
O my God and Maker,
whence came Thy will to suffer?
. - When the Heifer saw Thee
on the Cross suspended,
she cried out: O my Youngling!
. - Joseph and the blessed dis-
ciple Nicodemus
tend the life-giving body.
. - Cries of woe the Maiden
wailed with fervent weeping:
for her heart was now pierced through.
. - Light more dear than seeing,
O my most sweet Child,
how doth a tomb now hide Thee?
. - Lament not, O my Mother,
I endure the Passion
to set free Eve and Adam.
. - O, my Son, I praise Thee
for Thy great compassion
which moved Thee thus to suffer.
. - Vinegar and gall wast Thou
given, thus annulling
the tasting of the banned fruit.
. - Thou Who led’st Thy people
with a cloud-like pillar
art now led to a scaffold.
. - Lo, myrrh-bearing women
to Thy tomb, O Savior,
are come, their myrrh to offer.
. - Rise, O Lord of Mercy,
raising us up also
who languish deep in Hades.
. - Rise, O Life-bestower,
cried out she that bare Thee,
even Thy weeping Mother.
. - Hasten, Word, to rise now
and release from sorrow
the spotless Maid that bare Thee.
. - All the hosts of Heaven
stood with fear, confounded,
beholding Thy dead Body.
. - Them that laud Thy Passion with
faith and love, O Savior,
grant them their sins’ forgiveness.
. - O sight most strange and awesome!
How doth earth conceal Thee,
O Word of God and Savior?
. - Once a Joseph bare Thee
into exile, Savior;
another doth inter Thee.
. - Weeping and lamenting,
Thy most holy Mother
doth mourn Thee, my slain Savior.
. - Minds must tremble seeing, O
Maker of creation,
Thy strange and dire entombment.
. - Myrrh the women sprinkled,
bearing stores of spices,
to grace Thy tomb ere dawning.
. - Grant unto Thy church peace,
by Thy Resurrection,
and to Thy flock salvation.
. - O Thou Triune Godhead,
Father, Son, and Spirit,
upon Thy world have mercy.
. - Grant that we who serve Thee may
see the Resurrection
of thy Son, O blest Virgin.
. - Ev’ry generation
chanteth hymns of praise at
Thy burial, O Christ God.