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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.

This is the third Sticheron for St. Christina and like the others is chanted during the Morning Office of July 24th. Kassia's text is beautifully written and is sung to a simple setting. In her lyrics Kassia demonstrates her vast knowledge of Scriptures and again vindicates women by using the model of Christina, who fought those who represented the darkness of the world by dressing herself with God's armor and protected herself by holding the Cross.

Translation:
Christina, the Martyr, holding the cross in her hand as a mighty weapon, with faith as a breast plate, hope as a shield, love as bow. bravely overcame the punishments of her oppressors, divinely defeated the evilness of the demons: although beheaded, you are glorified in Christ, unceasingly interceding on behalf of our souls.

"Doxazomen sou Christe" is the first of five Stichera honoring St. Christina and is performed in the Morning Office on July 24th. Christina, a beautiful young maiden, came from a pagan family but became a Christian and converted thousands of followers. Unfortunately, she was speared to death and decapitated by her father because of her Christian beliefs. This is a praise hymn for the martyrdom of St. Christina who died for her faith but the chant also glorifies all women who abandoned false gods to worship Christ. The text also makes refernces to the three myrrh-bearing women who annointed Christ at his tomb.

Translation:
We praise your great mercy, Oh Christ, and your goodness to us, because even women have abandoned the error of idol-mania by the power of your cross, friend of mankind: they were not frightened by the oppressor, but trampled the deceiver, they were strong to follow behind you and they quickly moved to the scent of your myrrh interceding on behalf of our souls.

The Stichcron Edessa was written for the Vespers service of November 15th that memorializes Saints Curias, Samonas, and Abibus. The lenghty text has mostly a syllabic musical setting. As a defender of Christian women's rights, Kassia's motive in writing a hymn for these male saints is self-evident. The hymn relates the miracle that the saints performed for the young maiden from Edessa. As the story goes, a barbarian Goth kidnapped, under the pretense of marriage, a young girl from Edessa, who was praying. The Goth then murdered his first wife by burying her alive in a tomb. In vengence the friends of the wife tried to murder the young girl from Edessa in the same manner but she was saved by the saints as a miracle and the Goth was punished for his crime.

Translation:
Edessa rejoices that she has been enriched by the tomb of the saints; Gurias, Samonas and Abibus; and summoning together the Christ-loving flock, she calls out. Come, you that love holy days, be enlightened; behold heavenly luminaries walking upon the earth. Come and hear what kind ol bitter death these unconquerable brave men underwent for everlasting life. Whereby, being sureties for the truth they save the maiden who had been thrown alive in the tomb. And the all-abominable one who behaved despicably they committed to destruction as murderer and unmerciful. And zealously they implore the All-Holy Trinity to save from ruin and temptation and all manner of danger those who in faith keep their memorial rite.

This famous Troparion by Kassia was intended to be performed in the Morning Office for Holy Wednesday but is technically sung at the Vespers service of Holy Tuesday. This composition has an allusion to the fallen woman that washed Christ's feet, annointed them, and wiped them with her long hair, but the name of Mary Magdalene is never specified. Instead, the troparion is somewhat more autobiographical of Kassia 's feelings. Legend has it that Emperor Theophilos later regretted his decision not to choose Kassia as his bride and he attempted to meet with Kassia at her monastery to express his sorrow and love. Upon his arrival one day, Kassia fled to avoid meeting him but felt in her heart that she stjll had sinned as a "fallen woman." The text of this Troparion has some lines that were added by Theophilos when Kassia had fled her quarters. After his departure, Kassia found the lines and even though they were out of context, she kept them in the composition.

Translation:
Lord, the woman fallen into many sins, recognizing your Divinity, rises to the status of myrrh-bearer and mourning brings to you myrrh before your burial. Woe to me, she says, for night holds for me the ecstasy of intemperance gloomy and moonless a desire for sin. Accept the springs of my tears, you who with clouds spread out the water of the sea: Bend down to me to the lamentations of my heart, you who made the heavens incline by your ineffable humiliation. I will tenderly kiss your sacred feet, I will wipe them again with the hair of my head: the feet whose sound Eve heard in Paradise in the afternoon, and hid in fear, who can delineate the multitude of my sins and the depths of your judgment, my Redeemer, saviour of souls? Do not disregard me, your servant you, whose mercy is infinite.

This is another Sticheron celebrating St. Symeon the Stylite during the Vespers service of September 1st. In the lyrics Kassia praises St. Symeon even after his death for his many miracles, holiness, and love for the Lord. Kassia's setting of the text uses a theme and variation form based on the opening phrase.

Translation:
The tomb of your remains, Oh praiseworthy Father, gushes forth with remedies: and your holy soul resides with the angels, deservedly glorified. Since you have a special relationship with the Lord, Holy One, and take part with the spiritual beings in the heavenly chorus, beseech him to save our souls.

The Sticheron Igapisas theophore commemorates St. Symeon the Styllle and is performed in the Vespers service on September 1st. St. Symeon is honored for his ascetic life that was spent on a pillar where he stood for almost 50 years and endured by being fed by his disciples. In this manner, Symeon avoided the secular life of sin and achieved fame as a holy man who was sought for his Christian wisdom.

Translation:
O God-bearing father, you cherished the love of wisdom to the fullest. Beyond this world, you surpass visible things by your life. You were a pure mirror of our God. Ceaselessly united to His radiance, you share His light and have obtained endless blessedness and the fullness of splendour. O blessed Symeon, intercede for our souls!

This Sticheron relates the Biblical story of the Publican and the Pharisee and thus is sung during the Morning Office on the Sunday of Publican and the Pharisee, which is the first Sunday of the Tridton, the period of preparation and fasting before Easter. The text and music contrast the differences of the boastful Pharisee who only cared for wealth and material content as opposed to the Publican who offered his humility and penitence as he asked for mercy and forgiveness from God.

Translation:
Lord, You have condemned the Pharisee who justified himself by boasting of his works, and You have justified the Publican who humbled himself and with cries of sorrow begged for mercy. For you do not approve of proud-minded thoughts, and you do not disregard penitent hearts. Therefore, we too fall before You in humility, who has suffered for our sake. Grant us forgiveness and great mercy.

This historical Sticheron is chanted in the Friday Vespers during the first week of Lent. The "Apostate Tyrant" is a reference to Emperor Julian the Apostate, who in his efforts to thwart Christianity issued an imperial decree to have blood from sacrificial pagan rituals sprinkled on the foods at the agora of Constantinople. The Archbishop of Constantinople, Eudoxius, in turn had a dream where St. Theodore appeared telling the Archbishop to ban the purchase of any foods at the markets and instead told him to tell the Christians to eat boiled wheat with sugar instead. This was the beginning of a tradition where Kolyva is found at Eastern Orthodox memorial services. The hymn ends with praise to the great martyr St. Theodore who interceded to God on behalf of all Christians.

Translation:
Using the apostate tyrant as his tool, the enemy, through a cruel plot, attempted to defile the people of God as they purified themselves through fasting, with food polluted by unclean sacrifices. But you defeated his design by a more skillful plan: you appeared in a dream to the then Archbishop, revealed the depths of the plot, and indicated the strange mariner of the undertaking. Therefore we offer to you a sacrifice of thanksgiving, we proclaim you as our protector, and keep a yearly memorial of what occurred, and we pray, that we may be kept safe from the designs of the evil one, through your intercessions to God, great martyr Theodore.

This the last of five Stichera that Kassia composed for St. Christina. This hymn is performed in the Morning Office on July 24th. Kassia had an affinity to St. Christina, perhaps because both had similar attributes. The composition has a musical motive that reflects the text. Kassia's lyrics state that Christ crowned Christina with a "two-fold wreath " — strength and beauty. The motive is repeated twice to coincide with the lyrics. As the concluding hymn written to commemorate St. Christina, Kassia's text carries a further meaning by stating that St. Christina, the martyr, is Christ's namesake and the "Virgin-Martyr Queen" is seated on His right side.

Translation:
Christ, the King of Glory, fascinated by your maidenly beauty, joined you to Him as an unblemished bride in a pure union. And because He willed it, He provided strength along with your beauty, that proved unconquerable against both enemies and passions. It remained firm under bitter assaults and the most savage tortures, He doubly crowned you, with a twofold wreath, and placed you at His right as a much adorned queen. Entreat Him, Virgin-Martyr bearing Christ's name, to grant to those who sing your praise salvation, lite and great mercy.

This is the second Sticheron of five hymns for St. Christina the Martyr, and is also performed during the Morning Office of July 24th. This hymn celebrates the bravery of Christina, because she left the wealth of her family to discover "heavenly glory." Again Kassia expresses her feminist defense when she eulogizes Christina with the phrase: "the enemy has fallen, defeated by a woman."

Transletion:
Leaving the wealth of her family, and longing sincerely for Christ, the martyr found heavenly glory and riches, and totally shielded with the armour of faith, and the weapon of the Cross, trampled the oppressor; therefore angels amazed at her struggles, said: ''The enemy has fallen, defeated by a woman: the martyr, crowned, was lifted upward and Christ reigns as God to all eternity, who gives to the world His great mercy."

The Sticheron "Petron ke Pavlon" was written for the Vespers service commemorating the saints Peter and Paul who are celebrated on June 29th. These early apostles of Jesus traveled as missionaries throughout Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome teaching the Christian doctrine. Both were martyred in Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero. The hymn praises the strong faith and teachings of the two saints that enlightened the followers of Christianity and relates how each was martyred. The last sentence of the text of the hymn is divided into two sections as a repeated refrain.

Translation:
Let us praise Peter and Paul the great luminaries of the Church: for they outshone the sun in the firmness of their faith, and brought back the nations from the darkness of ignorance by the rays of the Gospel. The one, nailed lo the cross, made his way to heaven, where he received from Christ the keys of the Kingdotn.The other cut off by the sword, went forth to the saviour, and is worthily blessed. And both accuse Israel as having stretched out its hands unjustly against the Lord. Therefore by their prayers. Christ our God, cast down those who are against us and strengthen the true faith in your love for mankind.

This the first of two Stichera written to celebrate the five saints memorialized on December 13th: Eustratius, Auxentios, Eugenius, Orestes, and Mardarius, all who were from aristocratic families from Cappadocia. This setting was for the Morning Office while the second Sticheron of the two was for Vespers. This hymn displays the brilliance of Kassia 's poetry that is interwoven with symbolic and motivic musical structure. The text that celebrates the five martyrs also uses as symbols the "five-stringed lute and five-fold lamp" by including a musical motive, the pentachord Do - Sol, that appears in various forms and outlines a type of tonic-dominant tonal relationship. Kassia further displays her genius with a word-game that relates to the etymology of the names of each martyr with a pattern that has each name follow with a phrase using the root of the martyr's name.

Translation:
The five-stringed lute, and fivefold lamp, of God's Church, the divinely inspired martyrs so suitably named, let us honour and reverently praise. Hail, you who nobly served under God in the heavenly expedition and were pleasing to the Leader, orator among orators, Eustratius. wise in the things of God. Hail, you who increased in quantity the talent entrusted to you from God blessed Auxentius. Hail, you who are the most pleasing descend-ent of divine nobility, godly-minded Eugenius. Hail, you who are fair in form, exceedingly distinguished in judgement and always ready, who lives forever on the mountains of God truly blessed Orestes. Hail, shining and radiant pearl, who endured the bitter tortures quietly, unconquered Mardarius. Hail, evenly-balanced chorus of wise virgins. Let us entreat them to deliver from all wrath and oppression and make partakers of their ineffable glory their yearly feast.

Written for the Morning Office of December 73th, "Yper ton Ellinon" is the second of two settings by Kassia for the memory of the five martyrs Eustratius, Auxentios, Eugenius, Orestes, and Mardartus. This stichemn celebrates that all five marytrs were above the teachings of the pagan Ancient Creeks and instead embraced the wisdom of the apostles, the fishermen of Christ, who preached the doctrine of Christianity. As a symbol of the five martyrs Kassia again makes use of the motive of the interval of the fifth and its pentachord as a structural unification for the form of the hymn.

Translation:
Above the teachings of the Greeks the holy martyrs preferred the wisdom of the apostles, abandoning the books of the orators and excelling in those of the fishermen. For there indeed was the eloquence of words, and in the preaching oi the uneducated they learned the divine knowledge of the Trinity, by which they serve as envoys that our sou/s be guarded in peace.