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Hymns and Homilies

St Ephrem the Syrian, tr. Burgess, 1853

19. Hymn 19: On the Death of a Presbyter

“Oh my fellow ministers,
Keep me in remembrance,
In the midst of the sanctuary;
For death hath separated me,
From your communion,
Which was a spiritual one.”

Let it not be grievous to thee,
Oh our beloved brother,
That death hath removed thee from us;
For with the holy ones,
Thy soul shall be a companion,
In the Day of the Resurrection.

From thy early youth
Thou, lord, didst take upon thee,
The yoke of thy Master;
And He will make thee happy,
In the pavilion of light,
Which cannot be destroyed.

A spiritual talent,
The good servant
Receives from his Lord;
And in an honourable manner,
Returns Him his gains,
As each one hath profited.

At the holy altar,
At which thou didst minister,
In spiritual things;
A day commemorative of thee,
Shall be celebrated,
Even for evermore.

Thy crown is a glorious one,
Among the sanctified,
In the Kingdom on High;
Because thou didst desire
The love of Christ the Son,
In the exercise of Faith.

In spiritual meditation,
Thou didst consume thy days,
Living in a pious manner;
Nor didst thou cease from it,
Until thou hadst attained
To the reward of Victory.

To the word of Doctrine
Which Paul uttered,
This prosperous one listened;
And he also pressed forward
To the reward of Victory,
In the Kingdom on High!