St Ephraim the Syrian
Posts in Comfortable Words credited to ‘St Ephraim the Syrian’
A prayer recited frequently during Great Lent in the Greek and Russian churches.
The Prayer of St Ephraim is recited with great frequency during the forty days of Lent, prior to Easter, in the Greek and Russian tradition, accompanied by deep prostrations. The translation below follows the Greek text, which differs very slightly from the Russian.
A song placed on the lips of the Virgin Mary, as she bent over her newborn child.
This hymn is attributed to St Ephraim the Syrian, one of the great hymn-writers of the Christian churches. A recurring theme in the Eastern liturgy is the bewilderment of Mary as she looked on her newborn child, so young yet timeless, so small yet bigger than the universe, so fragile yet holding limitless power. The translation is by the Revd Robert Moorsom, a clergyman from County Durham, who was eager for Orthodox-Anglican relationships to blossom.