549

[From] the closure of these my twofold lips, bound with a justly-fastened bolt, unto the movement of this my timid tongue, I shall renew the song of sighing of the melodies of supplication, of pitiful groans, to cry aloud unto the heights.

RUBRIC: Powerful supplications [against] the terrors of the night.

Receive with sweetness, Lord God, Mighty One, the supplications of [me,] this embittered one; approach with compassion [unto me,] bashful of face. Dispel, All-Bestower, the shameful sorrows; lift from me, Merciful One, the unbearable burden. Sever, [Thou Who art] able, the lethal habits; pillage, Ever-Victorious, the gratifications of the deceiver. Disperse, Heavenly One, the fog of the wanderer; seal, Vivifier, the courses of the destroyer. Scatter, Knower of the Hidden, the evil snares of the captor; shatter, Inscrutable One, the assaults of the combatant. Mark with the sign of the Lord, by Thy name, the skylight of the roof of this dwelling; encompass with Thy hand the ceiling of this temple; trace with Thy blood the entrance of the threshold of this chamber; form Thy sign upon the footprints of the coming and going of this suppliant; fortify with Thy right hand the mattress of my rest; cleanse from defilements the covering of this bed; preserve by Thy will the afflicted person of my soul; unbeguiled...