ᾨδὴ Βʹ
A Call to Repentance
The soul begins its confession by invoking the heavens and seeking divine mercy for its sins.
Listen, heaven, and I will speak; I will sing the praises of Christ, who came among us in the flesh, born of a Virgin. Listen, heaven, and I will speak; earth, hear the voice of one repenting before God and praising him. Look upon me, O God, with compassion and a merciful eye, and receive my fervent confession. I have sinned more than anyone else; I alone have sinned against you. But as God, have compassion on what you have made, O Savior. A storm of evils surrounds me, compassionate Lord; but just as you did for Peter, reach out your hand to me as well. I also offer you the tears of the sinful woman, compassionate Lord; have mercy on me, Savior, in your compassion.
The Loss of Divine Beauty
The soul laments the loss of its original purity and the defilement of the image of God within.
I've darkened the beauty of my soul with the pleasures of my passions, and turned my whole mind entirely to dust. I’ve torn the first robe the Creator wove for me in the beginning, and so I lie here naked. I have clothed myself in the torn tunic that the serpent wove for me through his counsel, and I am ashamed. I looked at the beauty of the tree, and my mind was deceived; because of this, I lie here naked and ashamed. All the ringleaders of evil plowed across my back, drawing out their lawlessness against me. I've lost the beauty and splendor I was first created with; now I lie naked and ashamed.✦ Sin has torn away my garments of skin, too, stripping me of the robe I once wore, which was woven by God. I'm clothed in a garment of shame, like fig leaves, exposing the passions I freely chose. I’ve clothed myself in a stained tunic, shamefully bloodied by the outflow of a life ruled by passion and pleasure. I have stained the garment of my flesh and defiled, O Savior, your image and likeness in me.✦
The Burden of the Passions
The soul confesses its enslavement to worldly desires and seeks the mercy of the Savior through the examples of the repentant.
I gave myself over to the crushing weight of the passions and to bodily corruption; and because of this, the enemy now bears down on me. I chose a life devoted to material things and possessions over having nothing, O Savior, and now I wear a heavy collar. I adorned the statue of my flesh with the gaudy clothing of shameful thoughts, and I stand condemned. I cared only about carefully adorning my outward appearance, while neglecting the God-formed sanctuary within. By giving shape to the shapelessness of my passions, I ruined the beauty of my mind through pleasure-loving impulses. I have stained the beauty of the image I once bore with my passions, Savior; but seek me out and find me, just as you once did the lost coin. I have sinned. Like the sinful woman, I cry out to you: against you alone have I sinned. Savior, receive my tears just as you received her perfume. Like David, I fell into sexual sin and became covered in filth; but wash me clean as well, Savior, with my tears. Like the tax collector, I cry out to you: “Have mercy, Savior, have mercy on me,” for no descendant of Adam has sinned against you as I have. I have no tears, no repentance, no compunction; grant me these yourself, Savior, for you are God. Don't shut your door to me then, Lord, Lord; instead, open it to me as I repent before you. Lover of humanity, you who desire everyone to be saved, call me back, and in your goodness receive me as I repent. Hear the groans of my soul and accept the tears falling from my eyes, Savior, and save me.
The Witness of the Creator
A transition marked by the intercession of the Mother of God and the voice of the Lord calling the soul to recognize His power.
Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, you alone are praised above all; pray earnestly that we may be saved. Look, see that I am God, who once rained down manna and made water spring from a rock for my people in the wilderness, by my right hand alone and by my own power.✦ “See, see that I am God.” Listen, my soul, to the Lord crying out; tear yourself away from your first sin, and fear him as Judge, as Arbiter, and as God.
Warnings from History
The soul reflects on the failures of the ancients, such as Cain, Lamech, and the people of Sodom, as a mirror for its own spiritual state.
Whom have you become like, O soul so full of sin, if not the first Cain and that Lamech—stoning your body to death with evil deeds and killing your mind with irrational impulses? My soul, you passed by everyone who lived before the Law: you didn't become like Seth, imitate Enosh, follow Enoch in his translation, or follow Noah; instead, you proved destitute of the life of the righteous.1 You alone have opened the floodgates of your God’s wrath, my soul, and flooded your whole flesh, your deeds, and your life as if they were the earth; and you have remained outside the saving Ark. "I killed a man for wounding me," Lamech cried out in lament, "and a young man for striking me"; but you, my soul, do not tremble, even though you have defiled your flesh and stained your mind. Oh, how I’ve followed the example of Lamech, that murderer of old: I’ve killed my soul as if it were a man, my mind as if it were a young man, and my body as if it were my brother—like Cain the murderer—through my pleasure-seeking impulses! You thought you were clever, my soul, building a tower and raising a fortress for your desires—but the Creator confounded your plans and shattered your schemes to the ground. I am wounded, I am stricken. Look at the enemy’s arrows, which have pierced my soul and body. Look at the wounds, the sores, the crippling injuries, all crying out about the wounds inflicted by the passions I freely chose.✦ The Lord once rained fire from the Lord, setting Sodom ablaze for its rampant lawlessness; but you, my soul, have kindled the fire of hell, where you're destined to burn bitterly yourself. Know and see that I am God, who searches hearts and punishes thoughts, exposes deeds and consumes sins with fire, and judges the cause of the orphan, the humble, and the poor.✦✦
Final Plea for Mercy
The canon concludes with a prayer to the Holy Trinity and the Mother of God for salvation and deliverance from judgment.
O Trinity without beginning or creation, undivided Unity, receive me as I repent; save me, for I have sinned. I am your creation—don't overlook me, but spare me and deliver me from the fire of condemnation. Immaculate Lady, Mother of God, hope of those who turn to you and harbor for those caught in the storm, through your prayers make your merciful Creator and Son gracious to me as well.
Read the original Latin
Πρόσεχε, Οὐρανέ, καὶ λαλήσω, καὶ ἀνυμνήσω Χριστόν, τὸν ἐκ Παρθένου σαρκὶ ἐπιδημήσαντα.
Πρόσεχε, Οὐρανέ, καὶ λαλήσω· γῆ, ἐνωτίζου φωνῆς μετανοούσης Θεῷ καὶ ἀνυμνούσης αὐτόν.
Πρόσχες μοι, ὁ Θεός, ὡς οἰκτίρμων, ἱλέῳ ὄμματί σου, καὶ δέξαι μου τὴν θερμὴν ἐξομολόγησιν.
Ἡμάρτηκα ὑπὲρ πάντας ἀνθρώπους· μόνος ἡμάρτηκά σοι· ἀλλ᾿ οἴκτειρον ὡς Θεός, Σωτήρ, τὸ ποίημά σου.
Ζάλη με, τῶν κακῶν περιέχει, εὔσπλαγχνε Κύριε· ἀλλ᾿ ὡς τῷ Πέτρῳ, κἀμοὶ τὴν χεῖρα ἔκτεινον.
Τὰ δάκρυα τὰ τῆς Πόρνης, Οἰκτίρμον, κἀγὼ προβάλλομαι· Ἱλάσθητί μοι, Σωτήρ, τῇ εὐσπλαγχνίᾳ σου.
Ἠμαύρωσα τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ὡραῖον ταῖς τῶν παθῶν ἡδοναῖς, καὶ ὅλως ὅλον τὸν νοῦν χοῦν ἀπετέλεσα.
Διέρρηξα νῦν τὴν στολήν μου τὴν πρώτην, ἣν ἐξυφάνατό μοι ὁ Πλαστουργὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἔνθεν κεῖμαι γυμνός.
Ἐνδέδυμαι διερρηγμένον χιτῶνα, ὃν ἐξυφάνατό μοι ὁ ὄφις τῇ συμβουλῇ, καὶ καταισχύνομαι.
Προσέβλεψα τοῦ φυτοῦ τὸ ὡραῖον, καὶ ἠπατήθην τὸν νοῦν· καὶ ἔνθεν κεῖμαι γυμνός, καὶ καταισχύνομαι.
Ἐτέκταινον ἐπὶ τὸν νῶτόν μου πάντες οἱ ἀρχηγοὶ τῶν κακῶν, μακρύνοντες κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτῶν.
Ἀπώλεσα τὸ πρωτόκτιστον κάλλος καὶ τὴν εὐπρέπειάν μου· καὶ ἄρτι κεῖμαι γυμνός, καὶ καταισχύνομαι.
Κατέρραψε τοὺς δερματίνους χιτῶνας ἡ ἁμαρτία κἀμοί, γυμνώσασά με τῆς πρὶν θεοϋφάντου στολῆς.
Περίκειμαι τὸν στολισμὸν τῆς αἰσχύνης, καθάπερ φύλλα συκῆς, εἰς ἔλεγχον τῶν ἐμῶν αὐτεξουσίων παθῶν.
Ἐστόλισμαι κατεστιγμένον χιτῶνα καὶ ᾑμαγμένον αἰσχρῶς τῇ ρύσει τῆς ἐμπαθοῦς καὶ φιληδόνου ζωῆς.
Ἐσπίλωσα τὸν τῆς σαρκός μου χιτῶνα καὶ κατερρύπωσα τὸ κατ᾿ εἰκόνα, Σωτήρ, καὶ καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσιν.
Ὑπέπεσα τῇ τῶν παθῶν ἀχθηδόνι καὶ τῇ ἐνύλῳ φθορᾷ· καὶ ἔνθεν νῦν ὁ ἐχθρὸς καταπιέζει με.
Φιλόϋλον καὶ φιλοκτήμονα βίον τῆς ἀκτησίας, Σωτήρ, προκρίνας, νῦν τὸν βαρὺν κλοιὸν περίκειμαι.
Ἐκόσμησα τὸν τῆς σαρκὸς ἀνδριάντα τῇ τῶν αἰσχρῶν λογισμῶν ποικίλῃ περιβολῇ καὶ κατακρίνομαι.
Τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐπιμελῶς εὐκοσμίας μόνης ἐφρόντισα, τῆς ἔνδον ὑπεριδὼν θεοτυπώτου σκηνῆς.
Μορφώσας μου τὴν τῶν παθῶν ἀμορφίαν, ταῖς φιληδόνοις ὁρμαῖς ἐλυμηνάμην τοῦ νοῦ τὴν ὡραιότητα.
Κατέχρωσα τῆς πρὶν εἰκόνος τὸ κάλλος, Σῶτερ, τοῖς πάθεσιν· ἀλλ᾿ ὥς ποτε τὴν δραχμὴν ἀναζητήσας εὑρέ.
Ἡμάρτηκα, ὥσπερ ἡ Πόρνη βοῶ σοι· μόνος ἡμάρτηκά σοι· ὡς μύρον δέχου, Σωτήρ, κἀμοῦ τὰ δάκρυα.
Ὠλίσθησα ὡς ὁ Δαυῒδ ἀκολάστως, καὶ βεβορβόρωμαι· ἀλλ᾿ ἀποπλύναις κἀμέ, Σωτήρ, τοῖς δάκρυσι.
Ἱλάσθητι, ὡς ὁ Τελώνης βοῶ σοι, Σῶτερ, ἱλάσθητί μοι· οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν ἐξ Ἀδὰμ ὡς ἐγὼ ἥμαρτέ σοι.
Οὐ δάκρυα, οὐδὲ μετάνοιαν ἔχω, οὐδὲ κατάνυξιν· αὐτός μοι ταῦτα, Σωτήρ, ὡς Θεὸς δώρησαι.
Τὴν θύραν σου μὴ ἀποκλείσῃς μοι τότε, Κύριε, Κύριε· ἀλλ᾿ ἄνοιξόν μοι αὐτὴν μετανοοῦντί σοι.
Φιλάνθρωπε, ὁ πάντας θέλων σωθῆναι, σὺ ἀνακάλεσαί με, καὶ δέξαι ὡς ἀγαθὸς μετανοοῦντά με.
Ἐνώτισαι τοὺς στεναγμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς μου, καὶ τῶν ἐμῶν ὀφθαλμῶν προσδέχου τοὺς σταλαγμούς, Σωτήρ, καὶ σῶσόν με.
Ἄχραντε, Θεοτόκε Παρθένε, μόνη πανύμνητε, ἱκέτευε ἐκτενῶς εἰς τὸ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς.
Ἴδετε, ἴδετε, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι Θεός, ὁ μάννα ἐπομβρήσας καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκ πέτρας πηγάσας πάλαι ἐν ἐρήμῳ τῷ λαῷ μου, τῇ μόνῃ δεξιᾷ καὶ τῇ ἰσχύι τῇ ἐμῇ.
Ἴδετε, ἴδετε, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι Θεός· ἐνωτίζου, ψυχή μου, τοῦ Κυρίου βοῶντος· καὶ ἀποσπάσθητι τῆς πρώτης ἁμαρτίας, καὶ φοβοῦ ὡς δικαστὴν καὶ ὡς κριτὴν καὶ Θεόν.
Τίνι ὡμοιώθης, πολυαμάρτητε ψυχή; εἰμὴ τῷ πρώτῳ Κάϊν, καὶ τῷ Λάμεχ ἐκείνῳ, λιθοκτονήσασα τὸ σῶμα κακουργίαις καὶ κτείνασα τὸν νοῦν ταῖς παραλόγοις ὁρμαῖς.
Πάντας τοὺς πρὸ νόμου παραδραμοῦσα, ὦ ψυχή, τῷ Σὴθ οὐχ ὡμοιώθης, οὐ τὸν Ἐνὼς ἐμιμήσω, οὐ τὸν Ἐνὼχ τῇ μεταθέσει, οὐ τὸν Νῶε· ἀλλ᾿ ὤφθης πενιχρὰ τῆς τῶν δικαίων ζωῆς.
Μόνη ἐξήνοιξας τοὺς καταρράκτας τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σου, ψυχή μου, καὶ κατέκλυσας πᾶσαν, ὡς γῆν, τὴν σάρκα καὶ τὰς πράξεις καὶ τὸν βίον· καὶ ἔμεινας ἐκτὸς τῆς σωστικῆς Κιβωτοῦ.
Ἄνδρα ἀπέκτεινα, φησίν, εἰς μώλωπα ἐμοί, καὶ νεανίσκον εἰς τραῦμα, Λάμεχ θρηνῶν ἐβόα· σὺ δὲ οὐ τρέμεις, ὦ ψυχή μου, ρυπωθεῖσα τὴν σάρκα καὶ τὸν νοῦν κατασπιλώσασα.
Ὢ πῶς ἐζήλωσα Λάμεχ τὸν πρῴην φονευτήν, τὴν ψυχὴν ὥσπερ ἄνδρα, τὸν νοῦν ὡς νεανίσκον, ὡς ἀδελφὸν δέ μου τὸ σῶμα ἀποκτείνας, ὡς Κάϊν ὁ φονεύς, ταῖς φιληδόνοις ὁρμαῖς!
Πύργον ἐσοφίσω οἰκοδομῆσαι, ὦ ψυχή, καὶ ὀχύρωμα πῆξαι ταῖς σαῖς ἐπιθυμίαις, εἰμὴ συνέχεεν ὁ Κτίστης τὰς βουλάς σου, καὶ κατέαξεν εἰς γῆν τὰ μηχανήματά σου.
Τέτρωμαι, πέπληγμαι· ἰδοὺ τὰ βέλη τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τὰ καταστίξαντά μου τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα· ἰδοὺ τὰ τραύματα, τὰ ἕλκη, αἱ πηρώσεις βοῶσοι τὰς πληγὰς τῶν αὐθαιρέτων μου παθῶν.
Ἔβρεξε Κύριος παρὰ Κυρίου πῦρ ποτε, ἀνομίαν ὀργῶσαν πυρπολήσας Σοδόμων· σὺ δὲ τὸ πῦρ ἐξέκαυσας τὸ τῆς γεέννης, ἐν ᾧ μέλλεις, ψυχή, συγκατακαίεσθαι πικρῶς.
Γνῶτε καὶ ἴδετε, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι Θεός, ὁ ἐρευνῶν καρδίας καὶ κολάζων ἐννοίας, ἐλέγχων πράξεις καὶ φλογίζων ἁμαρτίας, καὶ κρίνων ὀρφανὸν καὶ ταπεινὸν καὶ πτωχόν.
Ἄναρχε, ἄκτιστε Τριάς, ἀμέριστε Μονάς, μετανοοῦντά με δέξαι, ἡμαρτηκότα σῶσον· σόν εἰμι πλάσμα· μὴ παρίδῃς, ἀλλὰ φεῖσαι καὶ ῥῦσαι τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καταδίκης με.
Ἄχραντε Δέσποινα, Θεογεννῆτορ, ἡ ἐλπὶς τῶν εἰς σὲ προστρεχόντων καὶ λιμὴν τῶν ἐν ζάλῃ, τὸν ἐλεήμονα καὶ Κτίστην καὶ Υἱόν σου ἱλέωσαι κἀμοὶ ταῖς ἱκεσίαις ταῖς σαῖς.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Gen.3.7-Gen.3.10 — Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Gen.3.8 — And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Gen.3.9 — And the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" Gen.3.10 — He said, "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."
- ↩Gen.1.26-Gen.1.27 — Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen.1.27 — So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
- ↩Deut.32.39 — See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life; I have wounded and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from my hand.
- ↩Ps.7.13;Eph.6.16 — If he does not turn, he sharpens his sword; he bends his bow and makes it ready. Eph.6.16 — In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
- ↩Ps.46.10;Ps.45.11 — He puts an end to wars to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. Ps.45.11 — Listen, daughter, and see; incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house.
- ↩Jer.17.10;Rev.2.23 — I, the LORD, search the heart, test the kidneys, and give to each person according to their ways, according to the fruit of their deeds. Rev.2.23 — And I will put her children to death, and all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
Notes
- 1 ↩“Enoch in his translation” refers to his being taken by God without dying; the traditional theological term “translation” preserves the source’s specific meaning.
The Great Canon companion
Never lose the rhythm again
Chosen Portion delivers your morning, midday and night office to your phone — the Hours, without the bells.
Chosen Portion is a modern Book of Hours: it turns the fixed-hour structure this collection preserves into scheduled, tappable daily prayer on your phone.
- Three daily prayer moments scheduled around your real calendar, not a monastery's
- Psalms and historic prayers sequenced for you — no page-flipping or decision fatigue
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