Hymn from 6th Hour of Friday

I realize I haven't posted anything in a while (usual excuse, rather busy). Anyway, I have made progress in terms of translations though. I'm almost done with the last office of Friday, after which I'll post all of Friday. This leaves only Saturday as the last office to be translated.

Aside from the progress update, I'd like to post a hymn from the 6th hour in an extended version, which can be found below.

Christmas Hymn

In the spirit of the Season of Announcements (i.e. the Syriac equivalent of Advent), I have translated a qolo from the Fenqitho for the Birth of Our Lord (specifically the Ramsho of Christmas from the Hoosoyo) promoted by seeing the drafts for the Liturgical Commission's new issues, and they've decided to eliminate all the Hoosoye qole in favor of some innovative psalmic tone with substance-less words.

I also transliterated the Syriac if anyone is interested in singing the hymn. Let us look forward with fear and reverence to the dawning of our Lord as we commemorate His first coming, and may we serve Him well until His next.

Lilyo Hoosoyo - First Watch

This Hoosoyo from Tuesday's Lilyo is rather beautiful and theologically deep, despite a particularly dense phrasing of ideas.

Qolo Variations

As an interesting point of comparison, the choir Shhimtho of 1890 has different texts at time from the Shhimtho (1904) I use as the major source for my texts. An example of this is this expansion to the popular Qolo, LMaryam Yoldat Aloho, found in the 9th Hour of Saturday. The expansion adds three verses to a one verse song, so at times the variations are substantial. An example is found in the Tuesday Ramsho.

Qolo from Ramsho of Tuesday

So I've gotten a long enough respite today to translate the second Qolo from the Ramsho of Tuesday. It is a beautiful praise to God and plea to God for mercy on judgment - which is, again as I've said many times before, a very common element of Syro-Maronite liturgy.

Verse from the Opening Qolo of Tuesday's Ramsho

I've been very busy as of late and unable to work on translations, other than the last little project below in August. This is the first time in a few weeks I've gotten the chance to pick on Tuesday's Ramsho other than to pray it. As the seasons are changing right now, I find the excerpt from this qolo very appropriate.

Expansion of Qolo

Different versions of the Shhimtho add and subtract to various parts. The 1890 Shhimtho had an extended part of the very well known L'Maryam Yoldat Aloho, whose fourth verse is used in Maronite liturgy 'til today.

In Honor and Remembrance of the Pure and Holy Virgin Mother of God

To those who pray the Shhimtho or have read any Syriac prayers or homilies it is very obvious that Mary is venerated very highly. Thank God our tradition was never touched by the heresies of the reformers. In honor of the Mary I am translating the Safro for the Assumption, which I hope to post sometime next week.

Sootoro of Monday's Qolo

Just to give a sneak peak of the Sootoro I've almost finished.

Ramsho of Monday Qolo

I have begun translation of the Ramsho of Sunday. The opening Qolo is one of my favorite Syriac hymns and, in fact, is the first Syriac hymn I learned. It is a beautiful Qolo that asks God for mercy at the inevitable judgment.

Glory of the Three Youths

This is the first opportunity I've gotten to translate in a while. Below is the full text of the opening Qolo of the fourth watch of Sunday's Lilyo. It has a few verses of typology, as well as intercessory verses.