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.
I would love to have a copy with all 15 verses. Perhaps we can find someone to translate into English.
My cousin and I, both raised in the Byzantine Catholic church, but long since wayward, were sitting around discussing the days when our parents would pack us onto a bus full of old stariy babas going on a pilgrimage. Usual for us it was Doylestown or Uniontown PA. We both laughed for a minute and tried to remember what the song was that the old ladies would sing seemingly forever with such joy and energy. All I could remember of it really was the chorus of jaka krasna imila. So I took to the internet…and here it led me. Thank you so much for having this posted here. I may have strayed from the faith of my youth, but the beauty and devotion of those women on those long bus rides is something that was never lost on me.