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V Viflejemi novina

Boh predvicnyj

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, In the town of Bethlehem.

The text is notable for the way in which each verse ends with the name of the Mother of God - Mary – in one form or another.

Sources

This hymn was included in the 1932 Greek Catholic collection, Kolady, with eight verses, each one describing a scene in the story of the new-born Savior, and his Mother:

1. V Viflejemi novina - Ďiva Syna zrodila - Porodila v blahodati - Neporocna Divo Mati Maria.

2. Položila na siňi - v Viflejemskij jaskiňi - Josif Ďivu potišaje - povitati pomahaje Marii.

3. Slava Boža i chvala - u vertepi nastala - z neba anhely zlitajut - s Synom Božím proslavľajut Mariju.

4. Sereď temnoj noči - divne svitlo bje v oči. - Jasna zora zasvitila - hde Díťatko porodila Maria.

5. Nedaleko pastyrji - paslo stado v doliňi. - Do vertepa pribihajut - i s Diťatkom tut vitajut Mariu.

6. Na kolina padajut- podarunki skladajut. - Čto ubohij dati može - žertvujeme, Diťa Bože, Marii.

7. Sče prichoďat tri cari - ot vostoku zvizdari. - Dľa Isusa stavľat ščiro - ladan, zoloto í miro Marii.

8. I my tože pospišme - Bohu dary prinesme, - U pokori pribihajme - s Synom Božim vse blahajme Mariu.

In 1969, Father Stefan Papp printed a version with music and seven verses (Duchovňi Pisňi, page 144). (Verse 6 of the Kolady text was omitted.)

In 1969, Monsignor William Levkulic published the first two verses in the booklet Christ is Born: Glorify Him. These verses were reprinted (without music) in Byzantine Liturgical Chant (1970) and in the Hymns section of The Divine Liturgy, a Book of Prayer (1978).

English translations

In 1969, Monsignor William Levkulic published an English translation of the first two verses, In the town of Bethlehem, in the booklet Christ is Born: Glorify Him. This setting was reprinted in Byzantine Liturgical Chant (1970, with music) and in the Hymns section of The Divine Liturgy, a Book of Prayer (1978, without music). Unfortunately, this translation replaced the final reference to Mary in each verse, with "O Savior" or "the Savior"; and the printed music moved the accent from the second beat of the final verse to the first. (This is especially notable since, in the early phrases of the melody, the accent falls on the second beat of each phrase.)

My Divine Friend (1959), a Ukrainian Sunday and holyday missal by Redemptorist Father Michael Schudio, included a six-verse English translation on pages 860-862. In this rhymed translation, the final reference to Mary was retained in each verse.

A different English translation (by J. Michael Thompson) can be found on the compact disk, "There Is Great Rejoicing: Carols of Southern and Eastern Europe", recorded by the Schola Cantorum of Saint Peter's in the Loop, Chicago (1993). In this translation, likewise, the references to Mary were retained in each verse except the first (which used an existing translation).

Harmonization

Here is the harmonization of the Slavonic version, from page 138 of Professor George Kacan's Kolady (1958):