CANON TO THE ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF TINOS

Ode 1.

I have taken refuge in you, for I have been appointed to hymn the discovery of your all-holy icon; but, all-pure
Virgin, grant me wisdom and I will celebrate in song its boundless miracles.

The island of Tinos has been deemed worthy of the greatest splendor and glory and grace by the discovery, O pure Virgin, of your icon, wherefore also she magnifies your kindness with obedient lips.

When by night you appeared in successive visions to the pure Pelagia, you revealed your wondrous icon, O Mother of God; since we in our turn have discovered it, we faithfully magnify you.

As our life-saving protection and true refuge, always protect your island of Tinos, all-pure Virgin, and protect all Greece unscathed from invasion by her enemies.

Ode 3.

As a spring of the gifts of your glory and a wealth of divine compassions of your maternal kindness, you have given to us, O Virgin, your divine image, for the discovery of which we hymn you.

Choirs of angels stand near your holy icon invisibly and a multitude of men stand there reverently, all-immaculate Virgin, and with awe they praise your radiant miracles.

When Pelagia mystically heard your words, O Maiden, she ran joyfully and announced to her superiors the beneficent and divine manifestation of your divinely shining icon. 

The inhabitants of the island of Tinos raised for you a divine and bright church as a great palace, O pure Virgin, then faithfully placed your divine image in it as a supernatural treasure.

Kathisma.  Tone 2.  Of divine faith.

Your holy icon is a divine gift of your providence and a pledge of your compassion, in which Gabriel approaches you fearfully and sings to you the good news of joy.  Wherefore, we the inhabitants of the island of Tinos, celebrating the discovery of your icon, cry out Rejoice, O Theotokos. (Twice.)

Ode 4.

Tinos now joyfully celebrates, all-hymned Virgin, the wondrous revelation of your sacred image, because she has acquired thereby an inviolable treasure and a sacred refuge.

Young men and virgins, both ambassadors and leaders, people of every age, Mother of God, hasten with longing to bring all honor to your wondrous icon and receive salvific gifts.

Hidden in the innermost part of the earth for many years, all-hymned Virgin, your sacred icon, like precious gold, has been preserved unblemished by your grace, which having found we exult in spiritually.

Among the islands, O Virgin, the little island of Tinos has become illustrious and magnified by your glory; surrounding your immaculate icon, we repay you with praise and hymn you faithfully.

Ode 5.

When she held you, Pelagia said, “Who are you who says such things to me?”  “Proclaim great joy to the earth,” the pure Virgin cried out to her, and the Queen filled her soul with joy.

O Lady full of grace, your august icon always furnishes preservation of soul and body to those who are in danger amid bitter calamities; wherefore we are saved in every hour, calling upon your holy name.

Come, inhabitants of the earth!  Let us come to the island of Tinos, for there the Mother of God as the heavenly queen distributes to all men from her revered icon all grace and strength and mercy.

Behold, Virgin Maiden!  Behold with your merciful eye of sympathy those who have approached your divine icon with fervent faith; for they have come from afar to receive joy and deliverance from sufferings from it, O Mother of God.

We gratefully sing our thanks-offering praise to your kindness, O Full of Grace; for you save us from all afflictions, passions and diseases; you give swift deliverance to those who look to you in faith.

Ode 6.

Celebrating the divine and all-honorable feast, ye godly-minded of the Mother of God, come, let us clap our hands glorifying God who was born of her.

All-blameless Virgin, streaming together faithfully to your temple which of old the inhabitants of the island of Tinos built for you, a multitude of men receive whatever each one asks from your icon.

Both illustrious and lowly men, O Virgin, both subjects and rulers, surrounding your grace-filled icon, freely enjoy abundant wealth from it.

Be an unshakably strong fortress for the island of Tinos, all-hymned Virgin, for from the treasuries of her land you have revealed your all-holy icon as her heavenly wealth.

Your many wonders gladden the whole world, O Virgin, and Greece specially celebrates your glory; for you have received her as your own portion.

Kontakion
We hymn the boundless benefits which you have conferred on us, Evangelistria, and we joyously celebrate the discovery of your all-holy icon; for from it you cause bounteous grace to gush forth and you furnish healings every day for those who cry to you, Rejoice, O bride unwedded.

Ikos
Having appeared from above to the holy Pelagia, you reveal your icon; then having run with haste, they found it under the earth as you said; being won over by faith, we cry, O pure one, to you such things as these:

Rejoice, by whom Tinos is gladdened.

Rejoice, because of whom Greece is admired.

Rejoice, healing of the variously suffering.

Rejoice, deliverance of those amid painful afflictions.

Rejoice, illustrious and all-wonderful name on earth.

Rejoice, who furnishes true salvation to all.

Rejoice, joy of the island of Tinos.

Rejoice, the protection of all Greeks.

Rejoice, spring of abundant kindness.

Rejoice, greatly longed-for delight of the faithful.

Rejoice by whom all injury is driven away.

Rejoice, by whom every gift of grace is given.

Rejoice, O bride unwedded.

Ode 7.

When the inhabitants of the island of Tinos found your glorious icon, Maiden, in the earth, like gold, they all praised your majesty, and we, celebrating the discovery of your icon, do not cease to hymn you, Mother of God.

The inhabitants of all the islands run to your wondrous icon, together with every city and district and land, in order to gather the undying fruits of the grace of this, your icon, immaculate Virgin.

Incomprehensible is your son and too marvelous for speech, all-blameless Virgin; for you unspeakably bore God in your womb; wherefore your glory amazes angels and men.

Tinos rejoices greatly, for she has come to enjoy your icon as her wealth; it is her incorrupt honor and unfading crown, her very honorable glory, her true treasure, her bubbling fountain, her grace and mercy.  

Ode 8.

You inexpressibly bore the creator of all things, Mother of God, in a material body, and now you have brilliantly magnified with your visitation your venerable icon in Tinos and you have conspicuously accomplished the revelation of this icon in the world.

Those who piously run to your august and divine icon, Evangelistria, are very quickly cleansed from carnal uncleanness, for you redeem them from bodily pains and speedily deliver them from all kinds of distresses; wherefore, Maiden, we unceasingly hymn you.

O Mother of God, the whole, worthy array—the youth and all the rank and file—hasten faithfully to your august icon, for it has been shown to be the universal refuge and our propitiation and a divine shrine, dispensing to all what each one asks for.

You have displayed to your servants, Evangelistria, your icon painted by mortal man, containing therein your divine compassion, kindness and the glorious image of your likeness; for in this we see the revelations of your love for us.

Ode 9.

Behold sympathetically, all-blameless Virgin, those who flee for refuge to your august icon and beg your help, and give to them, immaculate Virgin, strength and healing and speedy deliverance and, by the favor of God, forgiveness for their sins.

Your icon, immaculate Virgin, is a much-revered receptacle of manna which always furnishes noetic manna in your kindness, O Queen highly favored by the Holy Spirit; wherefore we who flee to it are delivered from the bitterness of the passions.

Throngs of the faithful ever stream from every land, pure Virgin, to your icon in Tinos, where your icon is a fount of grace, falling reverently before which they receive health of soul and body and deliverance from every difficulty.

Honoring with hymns and odes the discovery of your august icon, Evangelistria, we ever and loudly proclaim your exceeding providential care for us; but, Maiden, forever watch over and preserve this, your island.

ENDNOTES

I thank Zoilus for proofing the Greek and I thank Aeteia, my lawfully-wedded, for proofing the English.  Any errors surviving their ministrations are purely my own.

This is the first canon to the Tinos icon of the Mother of God.  Normally the irmoi are given in fragments in order to help the cantor with the melodies to be used.  This canon uses irmoi I have not seen before, gives them in full and indicates that certain them (the third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth) are to be chanted twice.  I have no background on this to offer.  In the future I will try to sort this out.

Ode 1.

Obedient.  Alternatives:  conspicuous, clear, auspicious.  Take your pick.  This word is a mystery.

Wondrous.  Θαυματόβρυτον is only one of the many words which do not appear in standard lexica, but which abound in our hymns.

Invasion.  Or attack, but one thinks of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

Ode 3. 

Image.  This icon really is the uncommon relief icon (εκτύπωμα). 

Kontakion.

Evangelistria is a transliteration of the Greek Ευαγγελίστρια (Annunciation).  Calling the Mother of God an evangelist (or worse a she-evangelist) is unthinkable due to the connotations of this word in church and out.  Pronounce it as if saying you were starting to say Evangelist, but put the emphasis on the first aye (i).

Ode 7.

Land.  Ήπειρος denotes “the inland parts as opposed to the coast” (A Copious Greek-English Vocabulary, Oxford University Press, 1850).