Translation of the song Ἡ ζωή ἐν τάφω artist Petros Gaitanos

Ἡ ζωή ἐν τάφω

The Life inside a grave

κατετέθης, Χριστέ,

You were laid, Christ,

καί ἀγγέλων στρατιαί ἐξεπλήττοντο,

and armies of angels were astound,

συγκατάβασιν δοξάζουσαι τήν σήν.

they praise Your condescedence

Ἡ ζωή, πῶς θνήσκεις;

(You) The Life how can You die?

πῶς καί τάφω οἰκεῖς;

How can You reside in a grave?

τοῦ θανάτου τό βασίλειον λύεις δέ,

You abolish the realm of death

καί τοῦ Ἅδου τούς νεκρούς ἑξανιστᾶς.

and resurrect Hades’ dead.

Μεγαλύνομεν σέ,

We exalt You,

Ἰησοῦ βασιλεῦ,

Jesus King,

καί τιμῶμεν τήν ταφήν καί τά πάθη σου,

and honour Your burial and Your woes,

δί' ὧν ἔσωσας ἠμᾶς ἐκ τῆς φθορᾶς.

which saved us from dissolution

Μέτρα γής ὁ στήσας

The One who placed all standards on earth,

ἐν σμικρῶ κατοικεῖς,

(You are) lodging in a diminutive,

Ἰησοῦ παμβασιλεύ, τάφω σήμερον,

Jesus Global King, grave today,

ἐκ μνημάτων τούς θανόντας ἀνιστῶν.

resurrecting the deceased from the sepulchres

Ὁ δεσπότης πάντων

The Ruler of everything

καθορᾶται νεκρός,

appearing dead,

καί ἐν μνήματι καινῶ κατατίθεται

and laid in an empty sepulchre,

ὁ κενώσας τά μνημεῖα τῶν νεκρῶν.

the One who emptied the sepulchres of the dead

Ὡς ἐν κρήνης μιᾶς

As if by a fount,

τόν διπλοῦν ποταμόν

the double(large) river,

τῆς πλευρᾶς σου προχεούσης ἀρδόμενοι,

poured forth from your side, irrigates us,

τήν ἀθάνατον καρπούμεθα ζωήν.

thus we reap the eternal Life.

Ὁ ὡραῖος κάλλει

The most beautiful

παρά πάντας βροτούς

than all mortals,

ὡς ἀνείδεος νεκρός καταφαίνεται,

looking as indifferent dead,

ὁ τήν φύσιν ὠραΐσας τοῦ παντός.

the One who beautified the nature of everything

Ἰησοῦ, γλυκύ μοί

Jesus, my sweet

καί σωτήριον φῶς,

and salvific light,

τάφω πῶς ἐν σκοτεινῶ κατακέκρυψαι;

how can you be hidden away in a dark grave,

ὤ ἀφάτου καί ἀρρήτου ἀνοχῆς!

the One having ineffable and unutterable forbearance!

Ὡς βροτός μέν θνήσκεις

Whereas mortal You die,

ἑκουσίως Σωτήρ,

willingly Saviour,

ὡς Θεός δέ τούς θνητούς ἑξανέστησας

thereas God you resurrected the dead

ἐκ μνημάτων καί βυθοῦ ἁμαρτιῶν.

from graves and the depths of sins

Ἀπορεῖ καί φύσις

Nature wonders too,

νοερά καί πληθύς

spiritual and swarming

ἡ ἀσώματος, Χριστέ, τό μυστήριον

bodyless, Christ, (about) the mystery

τῆς ἀφράστου καί ἀρρήτου σου ταφῆς.

of your unexpressible and unutterable burial

Ὤ θαυμάτων ξένων,

Oh strange miracles!

ὤ πραγμάτων καινῶν!

Oh new things!

ὁ πνοῆς μοί χορηγός ἀπνοῦς φέρεται

The provider of my breath is carried breathless,

κηδευόμενος χερσί τοῦ Ἰωσήφ.

inhumed by the hand of Joseph

Ἐκ φθορᾶς ἀνέβη ἡ ζωή μου, Σωτήρ,

From dissolution came my life to, Saviour,

σού θανόντος καί νεκροῖς

You by dying and by visiting

Προσφοιτήσαντος καί συνθλάσαντος

the dead and by crashing

τοῦ Ἅδου τούς μοχλούς.

Hades’ bars

Ὡς φωτός λυχνία

Oh lamp of light

νῦν ἡ σάρξ τοῦ Θεοῦ

now the flesh of God

ὑπό γῆν ὡς ὑπό μόδιον κρύπτεται

under the earth buried like under a peck (of dirt)

καί διώκει τόν ἐν ἅδη σκοτασμόν.

and banishing the darkness in Hades

Ὑπό γῆν ἐκρύβης,

Under the earth You were buried

ὥσπερ ἥλιος, νῦν

now just as a sun,

καί νυκτί τή τοῦ θανάτου κεκάλυψαιˑ

covered by the night of death

ἀλλ' ἀνατειλον φαιδρότερον, Σωτήρ.

but risen brighter, Saviour

Ἐπί γής κατῆλθες,

Onto the earth You descended,

ἴνα σώσης Ἀδάμ,

to save Adam,

καί ἐν γῆ μή εὐρηκῶς τοῦτον, Δέσποτα,

and since You didn’t find him on earth, Ruler,

μέχρις ἅδου κατελήλυθας ζητῶν.

You went down as far as Hades searching.

Ὥσπερ σίτου κόκκος

Just as a grain of wheat,

ὑποδύς κόλπους γής

plunged in earths’ bosom,

τόν πολυχουν ἀποδέδωκας ἄσταχυν,

You delivered ear of corn to the beflooded (by the Great Flood) ,

ἀναστήσας τούς βροτούς τούς ἐξ Ἀδάμ.

and You resurrected the mortals, Adam's scion

Ὡς ἡλίου δίσκον

As the sun’s disk

ἡ σελήνη, Σωτήρ

by the moon, Saviour,

ἀποκρύπτει, καί Σέ τάφος νῦν ἔκρυψεν,

(can be) hidden, and You got hidden by a grave now,

ἐκλιπόντα τῷ θανάτω σαρκικῶς.

Your flesh eclipsed by death