The
Supplicatory Canon to the Most Holy Theotokos
Tone
Eight
ODE
I
Irmos: Having passed through the water as on dry land, and having escaped
the malice of the Egyptians, the Israelites cried aloud: Unto our God and
Redeemer let us now sing.
Distressed by many temptations, I flee to thee,
seeking salvation. O Mother of the
Word, and Virgin, from ordeals and afflictions deliver me.
Outburst of passions trouble me and fill my soul
with great despondency. Calm it, O
Maiden, by the peace of thy Son and God, O all-blameless one.
I implore thee who gavest birth to the Savior and
God, O Virgin to deliver me from perils.
For, fleeing now unto thee for refuge, I lift up both my soul and my
reasoning.
Ailing am I in body and soul, do thou vouchsafe me
the divine visitation, and thy care, O thou who alone art the Mother of God,
for thou art good and the Mother of the Good.
Irmos: Of the vault of the heavens
art Thou, O Lord, the Maker and Builder of the Church; do Thou establish in me
love of Thee, O Summit of desire, O Support of the faithful, O only Lover of
Mankind.
I have chosen thee to be the protection and
intercession of my life, O Virgin, Mother of God. Pilot me to thy haven, O author of blessings, O support of the
faithful, O thou only all-lauded one.
I pray thee, O Virgin, to dispel the tumult of my
soul and the storm of my grief; for thou, O Bride of God, hast given birth to
Christ, the Prince of Peace, O only immaculate one.
Since thou broughtest forth Him Who is the Benefactor
and Cause of good, from the wealth of thy lovingkindness do thou pour forth on
all; for thou canst do all things, since thou didst bear Christ, the One Who is
mighty in power; for blessed of God art thou.
I am tortured by grievous sicknesses and morbid
passions: O Virgin, do thou help me; for I know thee to be an inexhaustible
treasury of unfailing healing, O all-blameless one.
Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, of the
mystery of Thy dispensation, and I came to knowledge of Thy works, and glorify Thy
Divinity.
The turmoil of my passions, and the storm of my sins
do thou bestill, thou who gavest birth to the Lord and Pilot, O thou Bride of
God.
O bestow, out of the abyss of thy compassion, on me
thy supplicant; for thou didst give birth to the Kindhearted One and Savior of
all that hymn thee.
While delighting in thy gifts, O spotless one, we
sing a song of thanksgiving to thee, knowing thee to be the Mother of God.
As I lie on the bed of my pain and infirmity, do
thou help me, as thou art a lover of goodness, O Theotokos, who alone art
Ever-Virgin.
Having thee as our staff and hope, and
as our salvation’s unshaken battlement, from all manner of adversity are we
then redeemed, O thou all-lauded one.
Irmos: Enlighten us by Thy
commands, O Lord, and by Thy lofty arm bestow Thy peace upon us, O Lover of
mankind.
Fill my heart with gladness, O pure one, by giving
me thine incorruptible joy, O thou who didst bear the Cause of gladness.
Deliver us from dangers, O pure Theotokos, who didst
give birth to Eternal Redemption, and the Peace that doth pass all
understanding.
Dispel the darkness of my sins, O Bride of God, by
the radiance of thy splendor, for thou didst bear the Light Divine and
Pre-eternal.
Heal, O pure one, the infirmity of my soul, when
thou hast deemed me worthy of thy visitation, and grant me health by thine
intercessions.
Irmos: I will pour out my prayer
unto the Lord, and to Him will I proclaim my grief; for with evils my soul is filled,
and my life unto hades hath drawn nigh, and like Jonah I will pray: From
corruption raise me up, O God.
My nature, held by corruption and death, hath He
saved from out of death and corruption; for unto death He Himself hath
submitted. Wherefore, O Virgin, do thou
intercede with Him Who is thy Lord and Son, to deliver me from enemies’
wickedness.
I know thee as the protection of my life, and most
safe fortification, O Virgin; disperse the horde of temptations, and drive away
demonic vexation; unceasingly I pray to thee: From corruption of passions
deliver me.
We have acquired thee as a wall of refuge, and the
perfect salvation of our souls, and a relief in afflictions, O Maiden, and we
ever rejoice in thy light. O Sovereign Lady, do thou also now save us from
passions and dangers.
Bedridden, I lie supine with sickness now, and there
is no healing for my flesh; but to thee, O good one who gavest birth to God and
the Savior of the world and the Healer of infirmities, I pray: From corruption
of illness raise me up.
Irmos: Having gone down to Babylon
from Judea, the Children of old by their faith in the Trinity trod down the
flame of the furnace while chanting: O God of the fathers, blessed art Thou.
Having willed to accomplish our salvation, O Savior,
Thou didst dwell in the womb of the Virgin, and didst show her to the world as
the mediatress; O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.
The Dispenser of mercy, Whom thou didst bear, O pure
Mother, do thou implore to deliver from transgressions and defilements of the
soul, those who with faith cry out: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.
A treasury of salvation, and a fountain of
incorruption is she who gave Thee birth; a tower of safety, and a door of
repentance hast Thou proved her to them that shout: O God of our fathers,
blessed art Thou.
For weakness of body and sickness of soul, O
Theotokos, do thou vouchsafe healing to those who with love draw near to thy
protection, O Virgin, who for us gavest birth to Christ the Savior.
Irmos: The King of Heaven, Whom
hosts of angels hymn, praise ye and supremely exalt unto all ages.
Disdain not those who need thy help, O Virgin, and
who hymn and supremely exalt thee unto the ages.
Thou healest the infirmity of my soul and the pains of
my body, O Virgin, that I may glorify thee, O pure one, unto the ages.
Thou pourest forth a wealth of healing, on those who
with faith hymn thee, O Virgin, and who supremely exalt thine ineffable
Offspring
Thou drivest away the assaults of temptations, and
the attacks of the passions, O Virgin; wherefore do we hymn thee unto all ages.
ODE
IX
Irmos: Truly we confess thee to be
the Theotokos, we who through thee have been saved, O pure Virgin; with the
bodiless choirs, thee do we magnify.
Turn not away from the torrent of my tears, O
Virgin, thou who didst give birth to Christ, Who doth wipe away all tears from
every face.
Fill my heart with joy, O Virgin, thou who didst
receive the fullness of joy, and didst banish the grief of sin.
Be the haven and protection, and a wall unshaken, a
refuge and shelter, and the gladness, O Virgin, of those who flee unto thee.
Illumine with the rays of thy light, O Virgin, those
who piously confess thee to be the Theotokos, and do thou banish away all
darkness of ignorance.
In a place of affliction and infirmity am I brought
low; O Virgin, do thou heal me, transforming mine illness into healthfulness.