Canon for Easter Day, Called the "Golden Canon," or the "Queen of Canons"

Ode I

’Tis the Day of Resurrection:
Earth! tell it out abroad!
The Passover of gladness!
The Passover of God!
From Death to Life Eternal,
From this world to the sky,
Our Christ hath brought us over,
With hymns of victory.

Our hearts be pure from evil,
That we may see aright
The Lord in rays eternal
Of Resurrection-Light:
And, listening to His accents,
May hear, so calm and plain,
His own—All Hail!—and hearing,
May raise the victor strain!

Now let the Heav’ns be joyful!
Let earth her song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph,
And all that is therein:
Invisible and visible
Their notes let all things blend,—
For Christ the Lord hath risen,—
Our joy that hath no end.

Ode III

Come, and let us drink of that New River,
Not from barren Rock divinely poured,
But the Fount of Life that is for ever
From the Sepulchre of Christ the Lord.

All the world hath bright illumination,—
Heav’n and Earth and things beneath the earth:
’Tis the Festival of all Creation:
Christ hath ris’n, Who gave Creation birth:

Yesterday with Thee in burial lying,
Now to-day with Thee aris’n I rise;
Yesterday the partner of Thy dying,
With Thyself upraise me to the skies.

Ode IV

Stand on thy watch-tower, Habakkuk the Seer,
And show the Angel, radiant in his light:
'To-day,' saith he, 'Salvation shall appear,
'Because the Lord hath ris’n, as God of Might.'

The male that opes the Virgin's womb is He;
The Lamb of Whom His faithful people eat;
Our truer Passover from blemish free;
Our very God, Whose name is all complete.

This yearling Lamb, our Sacrifice most blest,
Our glorious Crown, for all men freely dies:
Behold our Pascha, beauteous from His rest,
The healing Sun of Righteousness arise.

Before the ark, a type to pass away,
David of old time danced: we, holier race,
Seeing the Antitype come forth to-day,
Hail, with a shout, Christ's own Almighty grace.

Ode V

Let us rise in early morning,
And, instead of ointments, bring
Hymns of praises to our Master,
And His Resurrection sing:
We shall see the Sun of Justice
Risen with healing on His wing.

Thy unbounded loving-kindness,
They that groaned in Hades’ chain,
Prisoners, from afar beholding,
Hasten to the light again
And to that eternal Pascha
Wove the dance and raised the strain.

Go ye forth, His Saints, to meet Him!
Go with lamps in every hand!
From the sepulchre He riseth:
Ready for the Bridegroom stand:
And the Pascha of salvation
Hail, with His triumphant band.

Ode VI

Into the dim earth's lowest parts descending,
And bursting by Thy might the infernal chain
That bound the prisoners, Thou, at three days’ ending,
As Jonah from the whale, hast risen again.

Thou brakest not the seal, Thy surety's token,
Arising from the Tomb, Who left’st in Birth
The portals of Virginity unbroken,
Opening the gates of heaven to sons of earth.

Thou, Sacrifice ineffable and living,
Didst to the Father by Thyself atone
As God eternal: resurrection giving
To Adam, general parent, by Thine own.

Ode VII

Who from the fiery furnace saved the Three,
Suffers as mortal; that, His Passion o’er,
This mortal, triumphing o’er death, might be
Vested with immortality once more:
He Whom our fathers still confest
God over all, for ever blest.

The women with their ointment seek the Tomb:
And Whom they mourned as dead, with many a tear,
They worship now, joy dawning on their gloom,
As Living God, as mystic Passover;
Then to the Lord's Disciples gave
The tidings of the vanquished grave.

We keep the festal of the death of death;
Of hell o’erthrown: the first-fruits pure and bright,
Of life eternal; and with joyous breath
Praise Him that won the victory by His might:
Him Whom our fathers still confest
God over all, for ever blest.

All hallowed festival, in splendour born!
Night of salvation and of glory! Night
Fore-heralding the Resurrection morn!
When from the tomb the everlasting Light,
A glorious frame once more his own,
Upon the world in splendour shone.

Ode VIII

Thou hallowed chosen morn of praise,
That best and greatest shinest!
Lady and Queen and Day of days,
Of things divine, divinest!
On thee our praises Christ adore
For ever and for evermore.

Come, let us taste the Vine's new fruit
For heavenly joy preparing:
To-day the branches with the Root
In Resurrection sharing:
Whom as True God our hymns adore
For ever and for evermore.

Rise, Sion, rise, and looking forth,
Behold thy children round thee!
From East and West, and South and North,
Thy scatter’d sons have found thee!
And in thy bosom Christ adore
For ever and for evermore.

O Father! O co-equal Son!
O co-eternal Spirit!
In Persons Three, in Substance One,
And One in power and merit;
In Thee baptiz’d, we Thee adore
For ever and for evermore!

Ode IX

Thou New Jerusalem, arise and shine!
The glory of the Lord on thee hath risen!
Sion, exult! rejoice with joy divine,
Mother of God! Thy Son hath burst His prison!

O heavenly Voice! O word of purest love!
'Lo! I am with you alway to the end!'
This is the anchor, steadfast from above,
The golden anchor, whence our hopes depend.

O Christ, our Pascha! greatest, holiest, best!
God's Word and Wisdom and effectual Might!
Thy fuller, lovelier presence manifest,
In that eternal realm, that knows no night!