Supplicatory Canon to our Holy and God-bearing Father David the Wonderworker who shone forth in Euboea. A poem by St. Gerasimos of Little Anne Skete.

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.

As you enjoy the triple light, O holy one, disperse by the light of your holy intercessions the hellish gloom of my soul and illumine me with the shining rays of the virtues.

Look kindly from above, holy David, upon those who run reverently to your divine coffin and grant to them, O wise one, your fervent help.

Euboea hails you, for she has  obtained you from God as a newly shining lamp and fervent benefactor, O Father, and enjoys the bounteous grace of your miracles.

Shining vessel of purity and most holy Maiden!  By your urgent intercession, deem me worthy me to be pure in heart and mind and in every perception.

 

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 compassionate Lord.

Having acquired abundantly generous grace from God, O Saint, as a fountain of miracles, cause streams of your fervent protection to gush forth, Father, on those who groan in the burning heat of adversities.

In your sympathy heal the pains of our souls and afflictions of our bodies, Father; with the authority given to you by God, ask for the forgiveness of our offenses.

By your fervent intercession, always grant success in life, deliverance from misfortunes and from every disease and affliction, to those who have you as their benefactor, O holy David.

O Maiden that shines like the sun and who ineffably bore God, the sun of glory in mortal matter!  Enlighten my blinded soul with your splendor and deliver it from all darkness. 

 

Prayers following Ode III.
Preserve from all hardship and disease, divinely wise David, those who run in faith to your intercession as a glorious servant of the Lord.

 

Kathisma.  Tone 2.  Fervent intercession.
You were revealed as a fervent benefactor and an inconquerable tower, O wise one, for those who with faith cry out to you fervently, “Holy David, quickly come and deliver us from dangers, as you ever stand by the Trinity.”

 

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

Having become the truest imitator of the saints of old, O Father, with them ever make supplication, St. David, on behalf of your flock.

From every difficulty and misfortune, David, deliver those who fervently fall before the divine coffin of your relics. 

Limni of Euboea, Father, having you as her supplicant and protector, is always delivered by your power from every difficulty.

Give perspicuity of understanding and peace in my heart, O Virgin, and preserve me unharmed from the snares of the serpent.

 

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

Father David, ever turn your gaze to your holy monastery from above; preserve it, for it is dedicated to your grace.

From Heaven, Father,  look kindly upon those who run to your body faithfully and grant them their requests, O Saint.

Heal our wounds, blessed one and preserve us unharmed by harsh difficulties in life, Father David. 

As the Mother of the King of all, give us the power to trample on the insolence of the enemy, O Lady, and protect those who celebrate you in song.

 

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.

Having acquired the gift of miracles, you quickly and miraculously inspire strength in those who seek the grace of your help and heal the destructive plague of the locust, holy David, as the readiest help of the faithful.

I have been stricken by the wickedness of the enemy and my wounds have smelled, Father, but I take refuge in your sympathy, that I may be saved from the tormenting scourge that is oppressing me; therefore, grant me, O wise one, both health and healing.

O great adorner of the island of Euboea and most fervent protector of the faithful!  Father David, vessel of graces, deliver from great troubles and afflictions those who hasten reverently to the coffin of your holy relics.

O Virgin, by the light of your intercessions, illumine me, I pray, for I am passing my life in the darkness of pernicious sluggishness and in the dullness of terrible sin, and guide my life to the light of the commandments of God.

 

Prayers following Ode VI.
Preserve, divinely wise David, from every mischief and disease, those who in faith run to your intercession, as you are a distinguished servant of the Lord.

 

Kontakion.  Tone 2.  By the streams of your blood.
Taking refuge in your intercession, David, and running to your holy head, may we be delivered from every affliction and trial and snares of the serpent, for you are our intercessor with the Lord.

 

Tone 6.  Having laid up all.
Limni of Euboea has you as its great protector, shelter and guardian, and your monastery rejoices in you, O saint; for, as the servant of God, you help all who run to your divine protection, and you furnish saving grace, O David, blessed by God, to those who greet your head; wherefore we cry to you, “As one who speaks freely with God, chase away from us the mischief of the destroyer.”

 

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.

Your head that is honored by all gushes forth strength like water and furnishes health of soul and body, quenching the flame of diseases and afflictions of those who approach it with reverence, O David.

You who chased off the swarm of mosquitoes by fervent supplication, O saint, preserve those who acclaim you, wonderworking David, from the evils of enemies, visible and invisible.

Deliver, O wonderworking David, those who praise you in song, from all kinds of diseases, grievous misfortunes, bitter difficulties, soul-destroying snares, and groans and sufferings.

O Virgin, I pray that you deem me worthy to cultivate purity of life and a sincere mind.  Grant me an upright heart and the characteristics of repentance, so that after death I may attain to the life on high.

 

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

Behold, Father, those who hasten with faith to your holy monastery, and give them the beneficial gifts of your protection.

Dry up the stream of sin which inundates our souls, Father, and cause the water of divine life to gush invisibly forth on us.

Everyone who runs to your all-holy head is sanctified in both body and soul, holy one, and proclaims to all your benefactions.

As you gave birth in the flesh to the supersubstantial Word, deliver me from the madness of the most absurd passions, Virgin, and in the end save me.

 

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.

Your venerable coffin overflows with healings and heals terrible diseases, from whose attacks deliver us, blessed David.

Watch over your holy monastery, divine one, and bring to all Euboea the gifts of your paternal blessing.

Strengthen us, Father, every hour, to travel the path of salvation, so that we, O David, may take part in the unending life.

Supremely bright lamp of the immaterial glory, glorified Virgin and Mother of God, make me a participant of heavenly glory.

 

 

ENDNOTES FOR THE CIRCUMSPECT

I thank Zoilus for proofing the Greek and I thank eagle-eyed Aeteia, my lawfully-wedded, for proofing the English with her incisive insights.  The text of this canon may be found at https://www.proseyxi.com/paraklisi-eis-ton-osio-david-ton-en-euvoia/.

 

Ode I.
“Euboea” (you-BEE-uh) in modern Greek is spellt and pronounced “Evia” (E-vee-uh).
“Hellish” is interpolated at the suggestion of Zoilus, who felt that ζόφον meant “not just any gloom . . . but the underworld-ish kind.”
“Benefactor” renders προστάτης.  According to the learned, προστάτης is a synonym for benefactorus (benefactor).  To judge from Montanari’s definitions, a προστάτης was expected to use his resources or access to obtain favors for his clients and to protect his clients from any kind of trouble.  In return, the client offered unstinting loyalty, respect and public support.  This is why our hymns keep returning to the themes of reverence, praise, greetings, etc. 

 

Ode III.
“From misfortunes.”  The hymnographers do not mind joining singular and plural noun phrases.
“Who have” (πλουτοῦσι).  A verb whose meaning changed slightly with time from meaning “to be rich” to “to have,” whether simply, as in Stephanos (possideo, praeditum esse) or in abundance (Maltby). 

 

Kathisma. 
“Cry out.”  I opted to avoid the pleonasm of the text.  Our hymnographer actually wrote πίστει ἐκβοῶσι σοι, καὶ θερμῶς κραυγάζουσι (with faith they cry out to you and fervently cry).  Greek enjoys an army of synonyms which can be deployed anywhere to fill out the demands of melody.  The pilgrim may replace my more Laconic translation with the original pleonasm.

 

Ode IV. 
I have corrected τῇ σορῷ τῇ θείας to read τῇ σορῷ τῇ θείᾳ. 
“Father.” Πάτερ is another synonym for benefactor.

“Limni” (Λίμνη) is a town in Euboea.

 

Ode V
“Look kindly” renders βλέμμα ἱλαρόν . . . ἔκτεινον, which lit. means “extend a
cheerful face.”  The DGE’s desplegar suggested to my fertile imagination “present,” esp. since the verbal collocations of face in English ruled out most of the usual definitions of the verb. 

 

Ode VI.
“You inspire strength” renders ἐνεργεῖς, which DGE defines to mean infundir fuerzas, dar energía.
“My wounds have smelled” renders exceedingly loosely καὶ προσώζεσαι [= προσώζεσαν] τοῖς μώλωψι.  My hunch is that our hymnographer had in mind προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς ἀφροσύνης μου (LXX Ps. 38:5).  I have no explanation for the case of τοῖς μώλωψι. 
“Adorner” is an awful translation.  Κοσμήτωρ can mean that, or sweeper, marshaller, leader, steward, overseer, arranger, governor, manager, regulator, guide, dean, provost, quaestor etc., depending on the century and the context.  From time to time I have found words like these being used in the hymns.  They sound truly out of place.  I have to assume that there is some kind of reference in the back of the mind of the hymnographers that I am not catching or that Katharevousa developed a shade of definition not captured by any lexicon of the numerous I have consulted.

 

Ode IX. 
“Lampstand” (λυχνία) could also mean “candlestick” in both ancient and modern Greek.