SUPPLICATORY CANON TO OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS THE WONDERWORKER NICHOLAS, ARCHBISHOP OF MYRA IN LYCIA

A poem by St. Gerasimos Mikragiannanitos

Troparion in Tone 4.  He who was lifted up on the Cross.
As the protector of orphans and the poor, and the trustworthy pilot of those that sail, our father, wonderworking Nicholas, deliver us from every misfortune in life and grant good health and joyful serenity of soul to those who always approach your divine temple in faith, O Hierarch.

Ode I

Irmos.  After crossing the sea as if it were dry ground and escaping the wickedness of Egypt, the Israelite cried out:  Let us sing to our redeemer and God.

Since you are with the hosts of the angels, ask, with them, O wonder-working Hierarch, for the healing of our passions and for our deliverance from the dangers of life.

By your entreaties, Father Nicholas, preserve those who approach you unscathed by all the malice of the enemy; rescue them from manifold snares, bitterness and disaster.

Because we have you as our advocate in every difficulty on the sea as our fellow sailor and defender, Father Nicholas, we are delivered from dangers by your intercession.

As a well of divine compassion, cause streams of sympathy and compassions to gush forth on me, most favored Mother of God and water my thirsty soul.

Ode III

Irmos.  You covered the vault of the sky with a roof, O Lord, and built the church; confirm me in your love, O summit of desires, support of the faithful and only clement Lord.

Your fervent intercession and abundant grace anticipate those who call on your name, O Father, for you always come quickly to save those in danger on land and at sea, St. Nicholas.

Preserve us from all kinds of diseases, from difficult situations, from every despondency, grief and crisis, for we run in faith to your holy temple, St. Nicholas.

Grant us pardon, deliverance from passions and the opulent communication of divine compassions from above, as you are most sympathetic, so that we may pass our life peacefully through your fatherly goodwill, O Father.

As the refuge and help of the world, ever deliver us unscathed by the arrows of Belial, for we look from our soul to your intercession, all-immaculate Maiden.

Prayer between Odes III and IV

You have been shown to be the fervent champion and greatest protector and speedy intercessor with God for those who always run to your ardent protection.  Therefore we ever cry to you:  Grant that Christ be gracious to us.

Ode IV

Irmos.  I have heard, O Lord, the mystery of your dispensation; I have meditated on your works and glorified your divinity.

Your holy temple pours forth grace forever and mercy, holiest Nicholas, and gives joy to our souls.

By your grace, Nicholas, give comfort to those who suffer, deliverance to the afflicted and healing to those who suffer.

From every difficulty and the manifold misfortunes in life, preserve, Father, those who run to your protection.

From your womb the unapproachable sun of righteousness shone, with whose glories illumine our souls, most full of grace.

Ode V

Irmos.  Illumine us with your commandments, O Lord, and by your lofty arm grant us your peace, O merciful God.

Your many miracles have enlightened us on Earth, Father, and have chased off the darkness of the passions, and driven away the moonless night of the demons.

You were a great defender of those endangered in the world, wise Nicholas, and you offer to all your hand of assistance.

How great is your protection of us, Nicholas!  For you give help to those who call on your holy name at every hour and moment.

O Mother of God, my sweet protection, cause a living spring of the wealth of your kindness to gush on my thirsty soul.

 

Ode VI

Irmos.  I will pour out my supplication to the Lord and to him will I declare my afflictions, for my soul has been filled with troubles and my life has approached Hades, so like Jonah I pray:  Raise me up from death, O God.

Since we have you as a champion in life and a speedy liberator when we are in hard times, most holy and wonderworking Father, we are delivered quickly from every misfortune; wherefore we proclaim your most fervent support of us.

O wonderworker Nicholas, as our sympathetic hierarch, steer those who seek out your help from the chaotic confusion of the fortuities of life and from its terrible and violent waves, and guide them to the harbors of divine stillness.

Your bright protection is quick and salvific; wherefore, running to your holy temple with reverence, O saint, you fill us with joy and divine kindness.

Since you have borne the compassionate Word, who is the giver of mercy and has mercy on the nature of man, O Virgin, have mercy on my afflicted soul and give it the cleansing tears of true repentance.

Prayers between the 6^th and 7^th odes

Preserve from all harm, Hierarch Nicholas, those who run to your intercession in faith, as you have received opulent grace from God.

The Kontakion in Tone 2.  To those of your blood.

As our most sympathetic defender and most zealous intercessor with God, do not cease to furnish your help, most holy Father, to those who need it, Nicholas, the bishop of Myra.

Wholly full of God and filled with divine compassion, O St. Nicholas, you hasten everywhere to the help of those who call on you, both on land and on sea, and you preserve those in danger; hence, we all run to your sympathy and we are delivered from difficulties, temptations, afflictions and sins by your supplications with God; wherefore we all glorify you in song, holiest Father.

Ode VII

Irmos.  The youths from Judea, having come to Babylon of old, by their faith in the Trinity trampled down the flame of the furnace, chanting, O God of our fathers, blessed are you.

Amid the terrible waves of misfortunes and the difficult situations in life, give us peace and guide us safely to the salvific harbor of the commandments of God, O wonderful saint.

Healing painful diseases of our souls and bodies, Nicholas, by your most prudent and immaterial visitation, appear in a spiritual manner, taking away the sorrows of our life.

We who cross the sea of life are rich in your holy temple, which is our harbor of salvation, O Hierarch; we take refuge in it and are delivered from the bitter waves of life.

Point out to me the path of salvation, O Virgin, in which I will walk; in this safely guide me to the acquisition of the virtues of perfection, so that I may obtain the life above after my death.

Ode VIII

Irmos.  The king of Heaven whom the hosts of angels hymn, hymn and exalt him above all forever.

Having the greatest boldness with Christ, O holiest Nicholas, entreat him to grant the forgiveness of sins to those who honor you.

Your holy icon pours out streams of holiness of salvation by the divine Spirit and hallows our thoughts.

Give your blessing to those who look to you and to those who suffer grant deliverance from their pains by your protection, thrice-blessed Nicholas.

In your goodness, protect me, O Maiden, and ward off the attacks of the enemy from my humble heart, O Mother of God.

 

Ode IX

Irmos.  O Mother of God, we who have been saved through you fittingly confess you, and with the incorporeal choirs magnify you, O pure Virgin.

With a kindly eye, behold, O Hierarch, those who stand by your divine icon and give to them all the gifts of your protection.

Chief shepherd of Myra, being a God-bearer, you ever provide the divine fragrance of the Spirit to those who approach you in faith.

Those who approach your august temple with affection receive beyond measure the objects of their requests and sing a song of thanksgiving to you, Father.

O surpassingly pure Mary, Mother of the Most High, from the dung-hill of the passions raise me up to the heights of the virtues by a holy life. 

ENDNOTES FOR THE CIRCUMSPECT
This canon exhibits a favorite theme of the hymnography of St. Gerasimos and probably of the hymnographers of the 20th century in general--the imagery of aridity and the solution prayed for, the gushing waters of mercy.  In English, the gushing metaphor sounds a little crude, but that doesn't mean it is in Greek as well.  I attribute this image to the fact that Greece is a very dry place, so the metaphors of the water, streams, well, dew are really meaningful to any Greek not protected by technology from the climate.  A second point worth mentioning is that St. Nicholas is a sailor's saint, so nautical allusions will always come up in a canon to him.

Ode 1
The word for “snares” [σκανδάλον] can also mean scandals, as my esteemed editor points out.
“Advocate” attempts to render αρωγός.  This word is an adjective meaning that comes to assist, salutary (Montanari).  Taken substantively (i.e., as a noun) savior, defender.  This kind of help wards off death or destruction.  The Great Scott specifies that this kind of helper defends one in court (hence advocate) but in battle is an assistant or, in Homer, a partisan.  It is possible that the best translation is savior, but that word, like salvation, has been restricted in English to a narrowly Christological sense.
Βοηθός, here rendered as “defender,” comes from βοή (battle cry) and θόος (swift).  The Great Scott gives us the radical meaning racing to the cry for help or racing to the call to arms.  Montanari suggests definitions such as bringer of help, rescuer, defender.  Taken together, the picture is that of a Christian in spiritual battle—in danger of falling—he appeals urgently the saint who can rescue him immediately. 
“Difficulty” (ανάγκη) could also be misfortune  In other contexts, physical suffering or agony are possible (Montanari).  The usual translation necessity is more appropriate in a philosophical context.
The word for “deliver” (λύτρωσαι) lit. means at root to set free from bondage by payment (Montanari, Kittel).  Kittel notes that only once in the Old Testament is redemption connected with sin (Ps. 129:8 [LXX]).  This literal meaning is extended to include saving and delivering.

Ode 3
Ιλασμόν originally meant atonement, means of atonement (Lampe); later it came to mean pardon.  In this context, our hymnographer is not describing the work of Christ, and the reference to the passions immediately following seems to tip the scale towards the extended meaning of pardon.

Ode 4
“Deliverance to the afflicted” is an extension of the literal translation of θλιβομένοις την απολύτρωσιν (“redemption to the afflicted”).  The picture suggested by απολύτρωσις is that St. Nicholas frees souls held captive by their distresses.  My translation emphasizes the result of St. Nicholas’ intercessions.  To focus on the originally monetary nature of this action (as noted in Ode I) would be a misreading.  Someone once said that the fathers and hymnographers of the church exploited every metaphor possible to bring to light the main facts of our salvation.  Like true poets, however, they were not bound by the details involved in the origins of the same metaphors. 

Ode 5
“Were” is actually αναδέδειξαι were shown to be.  Our hymnographers will always prefer to say that a saint was shown to be this or that; they rarely say that a saint was this or that.

Ode 6
“From the waves deemed to be terrible and violent” is the most literal translation of δεινών τρικυμιών νοουμένων which my esteemed editor and I could surmise.  I opted to drop νοουμένων under suspicion of being a filler-word (to save the Greek melody) which adds nothing to facts of the matter and clutters up an already lengthy line.

Prayers between the 6^th and 7^th odes
“Most zealous” (ετοιμότατος) might also be translated as most ready, prepared, helpful, effective, active, well-disposed (Montanari).
“Glorify” (υμνούμεν—notice the monotonic accent) may also be translated as hymn, celebrate in hymn (or just celebrate), extol, 
praise or proclaim (Montanari).

Source: 
http://www.agiosnikolaos-eretrias.gr/index.php/el/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=190&catid=109&lang=el-GR&Itemid=2359