This hymn, whose first verse describes the Annunciation, is an enduring favorite in our church, and appears on some of our earliest recordings of the Divine Liturgy – in spite of the fact that it doesn’t seem to have been included in any of the usual collections of hymns from Europe.
Here is a version with four verses, from the Marian Hymnal (1984):
And here is the Slavonic.
Discussion
Verses 1 and 2 describe the Incarnation and Visitation; verses 3 and 4 present the Dormition (Assumption) and Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven – all mysteries of the Rosary.
I have heard that there are fifteen verses in all, one for each Mystery; can anyone point to a source, or provide a text? (This would certainly explain the early popularity of this hymn.)
Thoughts or suggestions?
Please leave a comment!
The 1974 hymn book printed by the Sisters of St. Basil has all 15 verses in Slavonic. There is no English in the book at all. I have sung the middle five verses during Lent.