VocaMe - Kassia - Avgoustou monarchisantos
текст песни

This famous Sticheron was written for the Vespers of December 25th, the birth of Christ. This hymn by Kassia became so well know that it was even documented in the Byzantine chronicles of her time. The title refers to Augustus the first Roman Emperor who ruled from 27 B.C.E. to 14 A.C.E. In her music and text, Kassia contrasts and parallels the reign of Augustus with that of lesus Christ, the omnipotent ruler. The parallels of the text also influence parallel metrical rhyming schemes that correspond with parallelisms in the melody. The musical form of this Sticheron is aabbccd, that of the Medieval sequence, and is very likely the earliest documented sequence form. Because of the genius of Kassia that was interwoven into this text and structured in the music, mis famous Sticheron so impressed the emissaries of Charlegmagne that were sent to Constantinople that its fame made its way to the Prankish court where it undoubtedly influenced the sequence composing that took place at St. Call Monastery.

Translation:
When Augustus reigned alone upon the earth, the many Kingdoms of men came to an end; and since You were made man of a pure Virgin the many gods of idols have been destroyed The cities have come under one universal Kingdom and the nations came to believe in one divine dominion. The people were registered by the decree of Caesar: we, the faithful, have been inscribed in the name of Your divinity when You our God were made man. Great is Your mercy, Lord: glory to You.