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Glory to Jesus Christ!

My love of Christmas Vespers is at a roadblock. I am looking for the words of the Polyelion/Polyeleos of Christmas and I cannot find it. I tried looking for it in Arabic, but all I could find were these two videos. I tried looking for it in English, but none of them matched the words or music as the Arabic one.

Please help me. Thank you.

I am intrigued...what is a Christmas Polyelion? Is it composed of different words from the Psalms or a special melody?

Ray

Usually the Polyeleos is the third (or part of the third) psalter reading at Orthros/Matins for Sundays and feast days of the two highest ranks (Polyeleos and Vigil rank, incidentally). These sound like they're in mode Pl 5 (for the most part), which is the usual mode for this kathisma reading, and the Alliluias sound like they do for the Greek setting, but the verses are a little different. A note with the youTube recording seems to indicate these are newer compositions...

The short of it is, I think you need to be looking at the texts for Orthros for the texts, or the psalter, at psalms 134 and 135. That would be a good place to start for looking for the texts.

In Christ,
Adam

Is it Psalm 48/49?

The Polyeleos for Christmas is Psalms 135, 109-110, 148.

I believe this chant comes from the supplementary book the "eclogarion". This book contains the Polyeleos (Psalms 134/5 in the LXX numbering) as well as compilations of psalm verses for various feasts after the Polyeleos.

My Arabic is almost nonexistant, but I believe this is indeed what it says it is, the selected verses from the Eclogarion for the Nativity.

Shout with jubilation unto the Lord, all the Earth, alleluia
Chant ye unto his name, give glory in praise of Him, alleluia

yes? For the Nativity selection, it looks like selections from several psalms, so I can't say "it's Psalm X-Z" or even "it's Psalm X, Y, F, N, P". More like "it's Psalm X 4-7, Psalm C 1-4, Psalm F 9, Psalm J 15-20.....". Someone who's knowledge of the psalter is better or who has an eclogarion and compatible searchable psalter.

The only translation I know of is in Holy Transfiguration Monastery's Horologion, though I'd imagine others exist by other jurisdictions.

Yes, Thanks MarkosC, that is the beginning of the hymn, I am awful at translating a language I consider to be my third. However when I look at LXX Psalm 135, it begins like that but does not translate the same for the rest of the Polyeleos.

Thank you too Fr. Deacon Lance, I believe your description is more detailed. Can you please send me which verses from the Psalms that are specifically used? Or a link to the Horologion or Eclogarion that has it online?

Thank you all for your help!
God Bless

Chaldobyzantine,

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. The Polyeleos is Psalms 134-5, according to the LXX numbers. We sing that first.

AFTER the Polyeleos, we sing the verses from the ecologion, which is what those dudes are singing (the verses for Christmas after the Polyeleos).

Again, the verses from the ecologion are often a mish-mash of several psalms, not one psalm. And again, I'm not aware of any online - though it may exist. The only reference I can give is page 697 of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery Horologion (which is well worth having in itself).

Markos

The text of the verses after the Polyeleos, following the text in the Festal Menain of the Sisters of Saint Basil, can be found in this article [metropolitancantorinstitute.org] on the Matins of the Nativity.

Jeff Mierzejewski

Dear Jeff:

The verses quoted in the article are only a portion of the Selected Psalm (Eclogarion) for the Nativity. Here is the text of the Nativity Selected Psalm in full:

The month of December, on the 25th day.

On the Nativity of our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

The first choir sings:

We magnify Thee, O Christ, the Giver of life, Who art now born in the flesh for us of the unwedded and most pure Virgin Mary.

Again the same choir sings:

A: O make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth. 65:2a
B: And sing unto His Name. 65:2b
A: Make His praise to be glorious. 65:2c
B: Tell of all His wondrous works. 104:2b
A: Say unto God, O how wonderful are Thy works. 65:3a
B: Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice. 95:11a
A: O sing unto God, sing unto His Name. 67:5a
B: His work is praise and splendor. 110:3a
A: He hath sent redemption unto His people. 110:9a
B: Holy and terrible is His Name. 110:9c
A: Out of Zion is the splendor of His perfect beauty. 49:2
B: But our God is in heaven and on earth; He hath done all whatsoever He pleased. 113:11
A: Thy mercies, O Lord, shall I sing for ever. 88:2a
B: He shall call Me, Thou art my Father. 88:27a
A: And I will make him My first-born. 88:28a
B: Higher than the kings of the earth. 88:28b
A: Yea, all the kings of the earth shall fall down before Him. 71:11a
B: Who is so great a god as our God? Thou art the God that doest wonders. 76:14b, 15a
A: Thou hast scattered Thine enemies with the might of Thy strength. 88:11b
B: From the womb before the morning star have I begotten Thee. 109:3b
A: The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent. 109:4a
B: Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. 109:4b
A: The Lord said unto Me, Thou art My Son. 2:7a
B: This day have I begotten Thee. 2:7b
A: Desire of Me, and I shall give Thee the nations for Thine inheritance. 2:8a
B: And the utmost parts of the earth for Thy possession. 2:8b
A: In the heading of the book it is written of me. 39:8b
B: Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. 44:7a
A: The scepter of Thy kingdom is a rod of justice. 44:7b
B: Wherefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows. 44:8b
A: For Thou shalt be heir in all nations. 81:8b
B: Blessed be the Lord for evermore. So be it. So be it. 88:53

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; both now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God. Thrice.

The Selected Psalms are traditionally attributed to Kyr Nicephorus Blemmydes (1197-1272).

David James

Thank You David James! That is exactly the translation that I have been looking for.

So is it correct to say that this is not the Polyeleos of Christmas, but selected psalm verses of the Eclogarion said after the Polyeleos at Christmas matins?

So then, let's be clear...these verses are for what we would call in the Northern-Slavic tradition, the "Magnification" of the Feast and not the Polyelej. Correct?

Not exactly. They are not *part* of the Polyeleos, but they follow immediately. In the Slav tradition, the Megalynarion *does* accompany the Selected Psalm, but the Selected Psalm for principal feasts, following the Polyeleos, is part of both Greek and Slav use. In the Greek tradition, the Selected Psalm is called the “Eclogarion” and is performed without the Megalynarion, but is rarely sung in parishes.

David James

Perhaps I don't understand your question. The Polyeleos is unvarying. While is is sung at all feasts, it always consists of Psalm 134, "O praise ye the Name of the Lord; O ye servants, praise the Lord," and Psalm 135, "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good," which may be found at the beginning of the 19th Kathisma. I thought we were discussing the Selected Psalm (Eclogarion), which follows.

That is where my confusion was. The videos and songs are titled Polyeleos or Polyelion on the links and CDs, therefore I thought the Eclogarion you posted is the Polyeleos. Thank you and MarkosC for clarifying that. Nor did I know that there was a difference between Greek and Slavic practice concerning the Megalynarion which is also called magnification or Velichaniye.

God Bless.