How truly wonderful is the time of fasting, given by You, Christ, to all the faithful for the rejection of sins and the saving propitiation of [You] and the receipt of [Your] gifts! And at this time we pray to You, Savior: make us all partakers of Your blessings!
Ὡς ὄντως ἀγαθώτατος ὁ καιρός, τῆς νηστείας Χριστέ, ὅνπερ δέδωκας, πᾶσι πιστοῖς, εἰς ἁμαρτημάτων ἀποτροπάς, καὶ ἱλασμὸν σωτήριον, καὶ τῶν χαρισμάτων ὑποδοχήν· ἐν ᾧ σε δυσωποῦμεν, μετόχους Σωτὴρ πάντας, τῶν ἀγαθῶν σου ἡμᾶς ποίησον.
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As usual, pour out your mercy on us, generously rich ones, give us tears that cleanse filth and thoughts of those who love you: pure faith and love, rich repentance, assignment to You alone, the most merciful.
Always watering us, O Merciful One, with Your abundant mercies, give us tears that cleanse the dirt [of the soul], and direct our thoughts to You in love! Give [us] faith and pure love, abundant repentance and perfect affection for You, the Only Many-Merciful One!
Συνήθως τὰ ἐλέη σου ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς, ἐπιῤῥαίνων Οἰκτίρμον τὰ πλούσια, δίδου ἡμῖν, δάκρυα καθαίροντα μολυσμούς, καὶ λογισμοὺς ποθοῦντας σε, πίστιν καὶ ἀγάπην εἰλικρινῆ, μετάνοιαν πλουσίαν, οἰκείωσιν τελείαν, πρὸς σὲ τὸν μόνον Πολυέλεον.
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All the angels are a divine multitude, and the saints are worthy of praise, Pray for the good now diligently: for this is the divine field, the present forgiveness, the mother-in-law without stumbling. He will strengthen you and make you victorious.
Divine multitude of all angels and amazing choirs of [all] saints, begin now to pray zealously to the Good One that, having strengthened us, He will allow us to unhinderedly pass the divine field of the upcoming Lent and emerge victorious!
Ἡ πάντων τῶν Ἀγγέλων θεία πληθύς, καὶ Ἁγίων χοροὶ ἀξιάγαστοι, τὸν ἀγαθόν, νῦν ἐκδυσωπήσατε ἐκτενῶς, ὅπως τὸ θεῖον στάδιον, τοῦτο τῆς νηστείας τὸ ἐνεστώς, δραμεῖν ἀνεμποδίστως, ἡμᾶς ἐνδυναμώσῃ, καὶ νικηφόρους ἀπεργάσηται.
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Theotokos: Gracious Virgin, who gave birth to the Good Savior, please all of us with immeasurable passions, and with the thoughts of the embittered Lady, and aggravated by sins with unbearable burdens: as we honor Thee out of duty, as we magnify the Mother of God.
Theotokos: O Virgin, who loves good and gave birth to the Good Savior! Be kind to all of us, oppressed by countless passions and countless thoughts and burdened by the weight of unbearable sins, Lady, so that we deservedly glorify You as the Mother of God!
Θεοτοκίον. Φιλάγαθε Παρθένε τὸν ἀγαθόν, ἡ τεκοῦσα Σωτῆρα ἀγάθυνον, πάντας ἡμᾶς, πάθεσιν ἀμέτροις καὶ λογισμοῖς, κεκακωμένους Δέσποινα, καὶ βεβαρημένους ἁμαρτιῶν, φορτίοις δυσβαστάκτοις, ἵνα σε κατὰ χρέος, ὡς Θεοτόκόν μεγαλύνωμεν.
* * *
Other:
Irmos: Everyone is perplexed:
Another three-song.
Irmos: Any language becomes difficult...
Ἄλλος.
Ἀπορεῖ πᾶσα γλῶσσα.
* * *
All nature, angels and men, is perplexed, I thank the Benefactor for your goodness: for although you became poor in the flesh for our sake, and you prostrated yourself on the tree for us, You have taken an oath, and take away the first oath of humanity.
The nature of both people and angels is weak in order to thank You for your mercy, O Benefactor, because for our sake You voluntarily became poor and [took] flesh, for us you were stretched out on the Tree, becoming a curse in order to destroy the previous curse of humanity.
Ἀτονεῖ πᾶσα φύσις, καὶ βροτῶν καὶ Ἀγγέλων, τὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν σου, εὐχαριστεῖν Εὐεργέτα, ὅτι σάρκα θέλων, δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσας, καὶ ἐπὶ ξύλου ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐτάθης, κατάρα γεγονώς, ἵνα τὴν πρὶν κατάραν ἀνέλῃς, τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος.
* * *
The bright day of abstinence has come, come with a bright face, to give peace to my soul, Lord, grace to be sent from above to us asking, and to find correction for many sins: for yes We will not be tempted by the most terrible hell there.
The bright day of abstinence has come - let us go to meet the Lord with a bright face, O my soul! Let us ask Him from above to send grace and give restoration after many falls, so that in the future life * terrifying we will not experience Gehenna!
* literally: there
Φαιδρὰ ἡμέρα, ἡ τῆς ἐγκρατείας ἐπέστη φαιδρῷ τῷ προσώπῳ, δεῦτε ὑπαντήσωμεν, ψυχή μου τῷ Δεσπότῃ, χάριν ἐκπεμφθῆναι ἄνωθεν, ἡμῖν αἰτοῦντες, καὶ τῶν πολλῶν σφαλμάτων διόρθωσιν εὑρεῖν, ὅπως φρικωδεστάτης γεέννης, μὴ πειραθῶμεν ἐκεῖ.
* * *
Contained in the darkness of sins, repentance is now a sacred entrance, enlightening all souls. Moreover, my soul, the darkness of the satiety of passions, is drawn away, so that you can enjoy the eternal sweets there.
For those surrounded by the darkness of sins, the sacred beginning of repentance has now come and enlightens the souls of all; therefore, my soul, retreat from the darkness [born] from the impurities of passions, and hasten to taste eternal sweetness in heaven! **
*possible option: satiety
** literally: there
Τοῖς ἐν τῷ σκότει, τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν συσχεθεῖσι, τῆς μετανοίας νῦν τὰ ἱερὰ εἰσόδια ἐπέστη, πάντων τὰς ψυχὰς φωτίζοντα· διὸ ?? ἵνα τρυφῆς αἰωνίου, ἐπαπολαύσῃς ἐκεῖ.
* * *
You stretched out your hand on the tree of your will, You gathered all that was scattered, Life-Giver: with Your spear You opened the ribs of the Long-suffering, You corrected the victory from the ribs that had grown cold for us. Moreover, with thanksgiving we sing of Your goodness.
On the Tree, You voluntarily stretched out your hands—gathered everything that was divided [with You again] [to Yourself], Giver of life, and having received a blow from a spear in the rib, O Patient One, overcame our misfortune that arose from the rib. Therefore, we gratefully sing Your mercy.
Ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου χεῖρας, ἑκουσίως ἀπλώσας, τὰ διεστῶτα πάντα συνηγάγου Ζωοδότα· τῇ δὲ λόγχῃ, σὴν διανυγεὶς Μακρόθυμε πλευράν, τὴν ἧτταν τὴν ἐκ πλευρᾶς φυεῖσαν, ἠνώρθωσας ἡμῶν ὅθεν εὐχαριστοῦντες, ὑμνοῦμεν τὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν σου.
* * *
Theotokos: Representation of all who hope in Thee, in troubles of a cheerful being, the Representative of the Theotokos, eternally deliver us from Gehenna, and the bitter torments that lie ahead: as we must eat Your greatness.
Protection for all who have placed their hope in You, Everlasting Patroness in disasters, O Mother of God, deliver us from eternal Gehenna and the bitter punishments prepared for us, so that we may sing Your greatness as debtors!
Θεοτοκίον. Ἡ προστασία, πάντων τῶν εἰς σὲ πεποιθότων, ἡ ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἄγρυπνος ὑπάρχουσα προστάτις Θεοτόκε, τῆς αἰωνιζούσης λύτρωσαι, ὑμᾶς γεέννης, καὶ τῶν ἀποκειμένων, κολάσεων πικρῶν, ὅπως χρεωστικῶς ὑμνῶμεν, τὰ μεγαλεῖα σου.
* * *
Another: Virginity is alien to mothers:
Another three-song. Irmos: Virginity is alien to mothers...
Absent from modern Greek Triodion
* * *
We bow to Your wounds, Life-Giver, having freed ourselves from the sin of passions, and through Your honorable Cross we have become sealed, for salvation and intercession from every attack of the enemy.
We worship Your wounds, Giver of life, because of which we were delivered from sinful passions and knew that we were sealed with Your glorious Cross for salvation and protection from all attacks of the Enemy.
Absent from modern Greek Triodion
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Illuminate Your Cross with radiance, baptized by the will of salvation for all, the souls of those who sing Your passion are All-Merciful: and guide and instruct us on the path of life.
Having ascended to the Cross for the salvation of all, with the radiance of Your Cross illuminate the souls of [people] singing Your Passion, O All-Merciful One! Guide our lives and direct us on the [saving] path!
Absent from modern Greek Triodion
* * *
Having sinned, having transgressed Thy commandments, and the path of Thy divine undertakings, O Savior, we have strayed far, O Lover of mankind, through negligence: but O Generous One, call our souls away from flattery.
Having transgressed Your commandments, we have sinned, Savior, and through negligence we have strayed far from the path of Your divine institutions, Lover of mankind. But [we pray], O Merciful One, lead our souls out of error!
Absent from modern Greek Triodion
* * *
Glory, threefold: Praise, honor to the Trinity, and glory as to the one Dominion, and the one Kingdom, unconfused, uncut, to the Unity of the Divine, uncut by nature, incessantly greater.