SUPPLICATORY CANON TO THE ANGEL, GUARDIAN OF ONE’S LIFE

Ode 1.

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.

I hymn you, holy angel of the almighty God, for you are the unsleeping guardian of my soul and the defender and guide of my life, whom I obtained from God.

Desiring that all mortals be saved, O Word, you appointed holy angels as radiant guides to men, directing us to the fear of you.

Enlighten me with the light of repentance, my guide and defender and guardian, for I am in the grip of gloomy night and covered by the dishonor of the passions.

A filthy and dark flood of shameful thoughts wells up within me, separating my mind from God; dry up that fountain, my defender.

You, my Lady, are the peaceful harbor of those who are storm-tossed on the ocean of sins; wherefore, I run to your harbor, tossed about the rolling swell of my manifold passions.

 

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 the substance of mixed earth and clay and dust, I am fastened to the earth; but, my champion, guide and savior, turn my desire to heavenly things.

Night and day I exasperate, distress and irritate you by my evil deeds, and I compel you to stand off at a great distance from me against your will.

I cause you pain and despondency by remaining unrepentant and uncorrected; wherefore grant me to repent truly and to gladden you, my guardian.

O holy angel, as one who sees invisibly the face of God who dwells in Heaven and looks upon the earth spiritually and causes it to tremble, beg him to save me.

I have received my mind, heart and reason as gifts of God, so that I may honor the Master with good deeds but I have dishonored his gift with my passions and insulted him who gave it to me; save me, O Lady.

 

Prayers after Ode III.

O guardian of my soul and body, assigned to me by God!  My sacred and all-holy angel, imitate our God by overlooking all the errors and offences of my wretched soul; deliver me from the various traps of the crafty one and gain for me the good will of our common God, so he may grant me forgiveness when he sits in judgment.

 

Ode 4. 

Irmos.  You are my strength and power, O Lord!  You are my God!  You are my exultation, who did not leave the bosom of your Father to visit our poverty.  Wherefore with the Prophet Habbakuk I cry to you:  “Glory to your power, O compassionate God!”

Because I do not consider the fearful court at which I am bound to appear, Savior, where I must give an account of my every deed and word, and I have not at all grasped that the hour of my death is uncertain, I remain uncorrected.  My guide, do not abandon me.

I have diligently accomplished every kind of wickedness from childhood and have never ceased to embitter you, my protector, by my lawless words and deeds; yet at least do not grow weary, but endure me still, instructing, enlightening and strengthening me.

Imitate the forbearance of the Word of God, who came to call all sinners to repentance, to welcome their voluntary correction and not to force them.  You, too, my guide, continue patiently with me.

My sin has cast me, an unprofitable and unworthy servant, far from God; but Jesus, my master, receive me compassionately and claimed me for his own.  But I despise his generous favor that is so great and still distress you, my divine angel.

Truly, the Lord rules a kingdom which shall never fall; and—in the language of the Psalms—he has put on graceful comeliness—his holy flesh—from you, Mother of God, through which he overpowered death and razed to the ground the capital of death’s empire.

 

Ode 5. 

Irmos.  Why have you thrust me from your presence, O light inaccessible?  And why has the alien darkness covered me, a wretched man?  But correct me and guide my ways to the light of your commandments, I pray.

Although I have acquired you as a guard to live with me, O holy angel, to accompany me when I travel, abide with me and ever give me salvific instruction, nevertheless I am devoid of understanding.  What kind of pardon can I expect to receive?

As you stand by the throne of the almighty God with great boldness and dance around the King of creation, my protector, pray earnestly that pardon be granted to me for my many sins.

Since you foresee the agonies and torments which await me and you pity my coarseness, insensibility and blindness, you groan and mourn for me with a gloomy face, being filled with dejection, my savior.

Not only for an hour, but not even a minute, or even shorter than that, have I permitted you, my benefactor and guardian, to delight and be glad in me, and rejoice over me, for I always perish together with my sins.

From you, all-immaculate Virgin, appeared as a young infant the incomprehensible God—he who weighed the valleys with a balance and the mountains with a beam of knowledge; who numbers the choir of stars and the drops of dew; who set in motion the breath of the winds.

 

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.

Guarding and encamped about me, and warding off the attacks of the demons and their mad assaults which they always send against me, do not leave me, my guardian, for I regard you as my fervent defender.

As you are exceedingly precious and fragrant myrrh, do not detest my stench, do not desert me utterly, but be my constant guardian forever; even the sun passes through filthy places without being stained.

Entreat him who supports with a word the upper chambers on the waters to grant me the grace to shed streams of tears, my protector, so that through them my heart may be cleansed and see God.

Standing immaterially as one who is pure and immaterial by him who is pure and immaterial, and having a wealth of boldness and familiarity with him, entreat him fervently to grant that my soul be saved.

Let humiliation and shame cover the shameful and ugly and dark faces of the enemies when my abject soul is separated from the humble dwelling of her body; protect her, my guide, under your bright and all-holy wings.

O Mother of God, inasmuch as you are holier than the angels and higher than the cherubim and seraphim, show my mean and humble mind to be more exalted than earthly and material desire, raising it from the earth to heavenly desire.

 

Kontakion

Minister of God and my all-noble guardian, always stay with me, a sinner.  Deliver me from every evil deed of the demons and guide me to the divine paths, protecting the purity of my life.

 

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.

With your fiery sword mightily drive away the thousands of robbers who join in attacking me invisibly, seeking to seize me and tear my soul to pieces; do not abandon me, my helper.

When my judge and God comes to judge and condemn me, even though I am condemned by my conscience before the impending judgment, do not forget your servant, O my guide. 

Having matter for my mother and clay for my father, and dust for my forefather, I am, due to my kinship with them, entirely look towards the earth; freely grant, my protector, that I may at length look up to the beauty of Heaven.

As a sun-like intelligence beautiful in form, sweet and loving, brightly stand by me with your smiling countenance and cheerful face, at the time when I will be taken from the earth, my guide.

Through your tender mercy and the abundance of compassion, guard me under the shelter of your wings when I depart from my body, so that I do not see the ugly faces of the demons.

Gate of Heaven, the door of salvation, the noetic ladder, by which God descended and man has ascended:  deem me, your servant, worthy of the kingdom of Heaven by your compassions, august Virgin.

 

Ode VIII

Irmos.  With rage the tyrant of the Chaldeans kindled the furnace sevenfold for the youths, but having seen them saved by a mightier power he cried out to the Creator and Savior:  “Ye youths, bless!  Ye priests, sing hymns!  Ye people, exalt him above all forever!”

After God, I received you as my defender from God and guide and help and champion, all-holy angel; therefore do not cease, I ask, to guide and admonish and teach me to do what is necessary, and illumine my mind, until you set me, saved, before Christ.

When the thrones are set up and the books are opened and the Ancient of Days takes his seat and judges men, and the angels are stationed by him and earth is shaken--when everything shudders and trembles, then show me your compassion and deliver me from Gehenna by your earnest entreaties with Christ. 

Now as bees swarm about the honey-comb, the God-hating and corrupting demons invisibly circle me, like birds of prey and like deceitful foxes, and like blood-sucking, carnivorous birds, they fly at me from all around.  Shelter me and protect me, as an eagle shelters his nestlings.

Give me tears, flowing from my eyes with abundant outpourings--in floods--washing me wholly from head to toe, so that wearing a garment whitened more than snow by repentance I may enter into the divine bridal chamber, honoring you, my protector.

With my passions I have made my heart, which was the temple of Christ, the haunt of spiritual pigs; but enable me, O help of my soul, to purify it, to cense it, to sprinkle it with the aromatic herbs and myrrh of prayers and lustrations, so that it may again be a pleasing temple of Christ again.

In the wealth of your kindness, freely have mercy on me, for you bore the well-spring of compassion.  I do not have anything to bring you that I should be worthy of mercy and you do not have any need of my gifts, having received ineffably the giver of all good things and the Savior of the world, O Full of Grace.

 

Ode IX

Irmos.  Every ear shuddered at the ineffable condescension of God, how the Most High voluntarily descended even to the body, having become man from the Virgin’s womb; wherefore we, the faithful, glorify the immaculate Mother of God.

May I see you on the right, standing by my wretched soul, radiant and gentle defender and champion, when my spirit forcibly departs [from my body] and the bitter enemy seeks to seize me, a fugitive.

As a divine minister of God, executing his divine decisions, you are rich in boldness of speech with him, holy angel; wherefore, entreat him fervently for me, so that saved through you I may praise in song your protection and shelter.

Having passed my whole life in great folly, I have drawn near to its end, and I entreat you, my guardian, to be my protector and invincible champion as I pass through the toll-collectors of the terrible ruler of this world.

Conquer the measureless and great number of my evil sins, only-begotten and transcendently good Jesus, by your compassion and by the divine supplications of your bodiless minister, whom you set over me since infancy as my compassionate guardian.

After God, I have committed my whole hope of salvation to you, my guardian, protector and defender; taking as fellow intercessors the choirs of the angels and your fellow guardian angels, make a common intercession before God on my behalf.

Exalt the horn of the pious, and throw down the insolence of the barbarians, O Mother of God, preserving securely this flock of yours, in which your great and very famous name is faithfully magnified and glorified.

 

 

ENDNOTES FOR THE CIRCUMSPECT

This canon, which may be found (among other places) here, was composed by St. John of Euchaita (who died in the 11^th century), AKA St. John (“Blackfoot”) Mauropous.  He was the author of many books, including about 150 canons.  Go to John Sanidopoulos's splendid website for background on St. John.  See also Joan Hussey’s article, “The Canons of John Mauropus.”  I thank Zoilus for patiently proofing my translation.  Any errors surviving his ministrations are purely my own.  Amendments are doubtless forthcoming.

 

Ode I.  

“Holy” (θεῖε) or sacred, excellent, extraordinary, marvellous.  We hear of the divine Mozart in just the same, figurative vein.  St. John the Blackfoot would have know that this adjective can also mean “given by God” or “under the protection of God.”

“Guardian of my soul and the defender and guide” is the first of numerous instances of synonymia, which will hereafter go unremarked.

Ode III.  

This troparion features a double run of synonymia.

“Savior” (ῥῦστα).  The word σωτήρ (savior) tends to be exclusively reserved by the hymnographers for Christ; its synonyms (such as ῥύστης and ῥύστηρ) are allowed to be used for saints and angels.  Montie defines ῥύστης and ῥύστηρ as savior, liberator.  The problem in English is that savior is at least in the ecclesiastical sphere limited to Christ; however, outside the church we speak casually of people or things as being our saviors without any theological intentions.  The only way to avoid using awkward words (like deliverer, a favorite dodge of Anglophone translators) is to capitalize the word when it refers to Christ.

Ode IV.  

“Instructing” (συνετίζων).  Better, giving me understanding or making me wise.  Either translation, arguably superior to instructing, would disrupt the gentle rhythm of the synonymia.

“Generous favor” is my attempt to capture some of the wealth of χάριν.  As usual, Pindar is the guide who charges the least for instruction in ecclesiastical vocabulary.  The hard-chargers can read James R. Harrison’s phenomenal and very readable book, Paul’s Language of Grace in its Graeco-Roman Context to learn more about why grace is normally the worst translation of χάρις.

“In the language of the Psalms” is only one clunky way to render ψαλμικῶς.  We might say “as it says in the Psalms,” but that would be banal.

Ode V.  

“Dance around” (περιχορεύων).  Odd image.  I can only suppose that since a choir or chorus (χορεία, χορός) in Greek tragedy not only sings but dances, the hymnographers concluded that since angels sing in chorus, they must also dance (cf. ὁ χορὸν ἀστέρων [the chorus of stars] in the theotokion of this ode).  That association might have been supported by the fact that stars were notorious for gathering in choirs.  Eventually, we find the prophet Daniel and other saints described as dancing about the throne of Heaven.  No Classical or Byzantine dictionary seems to support translating χορεύω as sing.

Canons (especially since the 19^th century) present us with misspellings.  Usually, I silently correct these.  I guess they are due to poor monks charged with a duty which exceeds their competence.  However, I am pretty sure that the handful of misspellings in this canon are more probably attributed to the thousand years of copyists than to St. John.  The astute reader will have noted that ὁ χορὸν ἀστέρων cannot possibly be correct—it must be ὁ χορὸς ἀστέρων.

“Set in motion” (μεταθέμενος).  Like most verbs compounded with τίθημι, this one can have many different meanings.  The core definitions seem to be change, alter, transfer etc.  Schleusner alone, however, reports that this verb can in the LXX mean incito (μετέθηκεν = הֵסַ֥תָּה).  Here is a fine point of translation:  how to let the context influence your choice of words.  There must be some contexts in which it makes sense to speak of changing the winds, or altering the winds, or transferring the winds—perhaps a story involving Aeolus, the god of winds.  Nothing in the current theotokion seems to call for such a translation.  For the kind of grand statement St. John wants to make, however, setting in motion the winds is very suitable.  Since the theotokion seems to allude to Is. 40:12 (τίς ἐμέτρησεν τῇ χειρὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν δρακί τίς ἔστησεν τὰ ὄρη σταθμῷ καὶ τὰς νάπας ζυγῷ), where nothing about winds is mentioned, this article must be St. John’s rounding off of Isaiah’s fine words.

Ode VII.

“Look towards” (βλέπω εἰς) or “gaze at.”  The ever-reliable DGL reports direct one’s eye to, focus on, attend or acquiesce to, turn to, trust in or depend on. 

“Cheerfully” (φαιδρῶς).  Montie reports calmly, cheerfully.  The Great Scott adds joyously.  We might guess radiantly.  Brightly stand by me does not work.  Brightly is concrete, cheerfully is figurative.  When I first started reading the hymns of the church more carefully, I was disconcerted at how often saints and angels are described as cheerful, kind, affectionate and so forth.  When I set foot in Byzantine hymnography, it was evident I had left Cromwell’s England.