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Radost’ nam sja javl’ajet

Boh predvicnyj

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This Christmas hymn can be found in the Metropolitan Cantor Institute's Byzantine Catholic Hymnal for Nativity and Theophany (2007). The text is that of Monsignor William Levkulic (see below), who also published an English setting, Joyful tidings come our way.

Sources

This hymn was included in the L'vov Pisnoslovets (1907), as hymn 6, with six verses. A very similar text with five verses, titled "Tajna nam sja javl'ajet", appeared in the Užhorod Pisennik (1913), as hymn 45. This second version was reprinted in Latin letters in the 1932 Greek Catholic collection, Kolady, with lyrics as follows:

1. Tajna nam sja javľajet - Ďiva Syna raždajet
- nebesa pojut anhely sja udivľajut - pastyrie poklon
dajut - Novoroždennu.

2. Uboho sja narodil - bohataho zasmutil -
Iroda zlaho - sej bo ďity ubivajet - na žizn Christa
nastupajet - Naroždennaho.

3. O Irode predumnyj - ty ves jesi bezumnyj
- nevidyj seho: čto Christos nas posiščajet - rod
Adama izkupľajet - vo žizn vičnuju.

4. Trie cari predstaša - Christu. poklon vozdaša
- roždennu Spasu - v misto mira slavu daša - Spasa
v jaclecj cilovaša - v chudo vertepi.

5. I my Jeh ciluim - i pism Jeho vospoim
- ispivaj Spase - dažď nam v miri zdi prožiti - vo vik
viki Ťa chvaliti - v carsvi Tvojem.

In 1969, Father Stefan Papp printed a version with music and four verses (Duchovňi Pisňi, page 136), under the title "Tajna nam sja javila":

Two verses of the Slavonic text verses were reprinted (without music) in Byzantine Liturgical Chant (1970) and in the Hymns section of The Divine Liturgy, a Book of Prayer (1978). The text used followed that of the 1907 L'vov Pisnoslovets.

Three verses of the Slavonic were included on page 999 of the The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship (Ukrainian Catholic, 2004).

English translations

Byzantine Liturgical Chant (1970) provided an English translation of the first two verses, titled Joyful tidings come our way, which was also published in the Ukrainian Catholic The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship (2004).

Harmonization

Here is the harmonization of the Slavonic version, from page 10 of Joachim Ratzin's Kolady (1952):