Troparion, tone 4
Thy Nativity, Christ our God, / arises the worldly light of the mind: / in it, for those who serve the stars / study as a star, / I bow to Thee, the Sun of righteousness, / And I lead Thee from the heights of the East. / Lord, glory to You!
Those who serve the stars - that is, star worshipers, astrologers - are eastern wise men. I learned from the star - they were taught by the star. Lead you from the heights of the East - in You to recognize the Sunrise from the heights - the rising Sun of truth. Lead you from the heights of the East... St. calls the Savior the East from above. right Zechariah, father of John the Baptist:
The East from above has visited us to enlighten those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet on the path of peace (Luke 1:78-79). East here is not the name of the country of light, but the sunrise - the Rising Sun, the Lord Jesus Christ. Pay attention to the combination of opposite meanings in the very expression from the heights of the East (East from above): the ordinary, earthly sun rises from below upward (east, sunrise), and the Sun of truth, Christ, descends from above (from above).
The light of reason is the light of true knowledge, wisdom, truth (Greek γνωσις - gnosis - knowledge, knowledge, recognition).
They lead you from the heights of the East... This expression is usually perceived grammatically (and therefore in meaning) incorrectly: They lead you (from where?) from the heights of the East: the Magi from their distant east, thanks to the star, learned to know Christ. In reality, the grammar and meaning of the phrase are different: You are led (to know You as someone?) from the heights of the East (as the East is from above).
Kontakion, tone 3
The Virgin today gives birth to the Most Essential, / and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable; / Angels and shepherds praise, / the wolves travel with the star; / for our sake, be born / of a young child, Eternal God.
Today - today. Transubstantial - Existing always and first of all. A nativity scene is a cave. Volsvi - Magi (alternation of consonants).
The kontakion of the Nativity of Christ is built on a comparison, bringing together opposites, is completely paradoxical: the Virgin gives birth, and gives birth to the One who existed forever (the Most Essential), the earth brings to the Unapproachable not a church, not a palace, but a cave; Angels are at one with people - simple shepherds; a star becomes a companion of people—the Magi—and all because a Baby was born for our sake, but He is also the Eternal God who has always existed.
This kontakion is the creation of St. Roman the Sweet Singer. The life of the saint relates that in his youth, when he reverently served in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople, he was tongue-tied and completely deprived of hearing for music. The clergy of the church hated Roman for his piety, which earned him the patronage of the patriarch, and one day, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, when the emperor himself was in the church, they pushed Roman out of mockery onto a raised platform in the center of the church, where the main singer was supposed to sing: “You receive the same pay as us - well, sing like the others!” Poor Roman could not make a sound and barely escaped from the pulpit completely destroyed. At the end of the service, he fell prostrate before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, bitterly crying and praying. After a long prayer, he finally made his way home with difficulty and fell asleep. In a dream, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him, holding a book scroll - kontakion (κονδακιον) in her hand, and quietly said: “Open your lips!” When Roman opened his lips, the Most Pure Virgin put a scroll in them and commanded him to eat it.
Immediately after this, Roman woke up, feeling an inexplicable sweetness, and felt that his mind had opened to the understanding of the Scriptures. The hour of the all-night vigil has arrived. Roman went to the church. When it was necessary to sing a hymn in honor of the holiday, he himself ascended the pulpit in the middle of the cathedral and sang those words that the Church has joyfully sung for many centuries since: “Today a virgin gives birth to the Most Essential...”
Greatness
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, for our sake now born in the flesh from the brideless and Most Pure Virgin Mary.
Zadostoynik
Chorus: Magnify, my soul, the Most Honest and Most Glorious of the hosts on high, the Most Pure Virgin Mary.
Irmos of the 9th song of the 2nd canon: For us to love, as if we are comfortable with fear, silence is more convenient; for love, Virgo, it is inconvenient to weave long-form songs; but also, Mother, give me strength, as long as there is will.
Comfortable with fear is safe. More convenient - easier. Extensively - harmoniously, in agreement. Eating inconveniently is difficult. There is only will - because (we) have desire.
+ The Deservant of the Nativity of Christ is one of the pearls of church poetry: it is so refined in form and rich in content that it is not easy to translate or explain it. The canon, of which it is the irmos of the 9th canto, is the creation of St. John of Damascus; this canon is written in a strictly rhythmic form, which sometimes causes an unusual order of words (however, as in any real poetry, such rearrangements are never just “for rhyme”; they highlight and enhance meanings that would be lost in the usual order of words). Let's take a closer look at this amazing chant and try to understand it.
For us to love, as if we are comfortable with fear, silence is more convenient... The Slavic word bezpodnoye in the expression bezpobednoye by fear means “not bringing trouble”; in the original Greek literally "safe from fear." The meaning of the expression: it is easier for us to love silence (and adhere to it), as it does not entail any danger.
But for love, Virgo, it is inconvenient to weave long-formed songs... Long-formed songs are those rhythmic chants that compose the entire canon of John of Damascus. It is difficult to compose these harmoniously composed hymns, it is difficult to sing them (appreciate the image contained in the word weave!). These songs are long-form songs of love, created by the power of love (love for the Most Holy Theotokos - and an uncontrollable attraction to inspired songwriting!).
But also, Mother, as long as there is will, give - but grant, O Mother, (for this) the same strength as the desire for this (that is, the desire itself exceeds our strength, it is inconvenient to eat, that’s why we ask the Mother of God to grant us the strength we lack).
Let us remember the life of the Venerable John of Damascus himself. When he, being a famous theologian and songwriter, left his court position and entered a monastery, a strict elder mentor forbade him to compose chants and engage in any literary work for the sake of humility and entry into the true monastic dispensation of the spirit. The fulfillment of this prohibition required the greatest selflessness from the Monk John and cost him a fierce internal struggle. Finally, obedience was broken for the sake of love: one of the brethren of the monastery died, and at the fervent request of the other monks, John composed wonderful stichera, which are still included in the burial rite. These stichera were also extended, that is, rhythmic; It was when John, composing them, beat out the rhythm with his foot, according to the custom of Greek poets, that the elder heard this rhythmic tapping and discovered a violation of the prohibition.
John was severely punished - until finally the Most Pure Virgin Herself appeared to the elder in a night vision and demanded freedom for John’s unsurpassed and inspired song creativity. That difficult struggle that St. John waged while fulfilling his painful obedience—silence—was reflected in the irmos of the 9th canon of his canon of the Nativity of Christ. By keeping silence, he did not expose himself to trouble, did not violate obedience, and therefore it would have been more convenient to continue to keep it - but the natural attraction (volition) to compose inspired chants made this temptation too difficult for him.
This is a “biographical”, personal plan; it complements the perception of the worthy only on the condition that St. John of Damascus is close to us, that his life is not alien to us, but has become a fact of our inner life.