The Real Anthem: Agni Parthene 2

Lorenzo: Here's the translation. The previous post was in the original Greek.

Anselmo: Okay, I get it now.

Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded

O Virgin pure, immaculate/ O Lady Theotokos

O Virgin Mother, Queen of all/ and fleece which is all dewy

More radiant than the rays of sun/ and higher than the heavens

Delight of virgin choruses/ superior to Angels.

Much brighter than the firmament/ and purer than the sun's light

More holy than the multitude/ of all the heav'nly armies.

Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!

O Ever Virgin Mary/ of all the world, the Lady

O bride all pure, immaculate/ O Lady Panagia

O Mary bride and Queen of all/ our cause of jubilation

Majestic maiden, Queen of all/ O our most holy Mother

More hon'rable than Cherubim/ beyond compare more glorious

than immaterial Seraphim/ and greater than angelic thrones.

Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!

Rejoice, O song of Cherubim/ Rejoice, O hymn of angels

Rejoice, O ode of Seraphim/ the joy of the archangels

Rejoice, O peace and happiness/ the harbor of salvation

O sacred chamber of the Word/ flow'r of incorruption

Rejoice, delightful paradise/ of blessed life eternal

Rejoice, O wood and tree of life/ the fount of immortality.

Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!

I supplicate you, Lady/ now do I call upon you

And I beseech you, Queen of all/ I beg of you your favor

Majestic maiden, spotless one/ O Lady Panagia

I call upon you fervently/ O sacred, hallowed temple

Assist me and deliver me/ protect me from the enemy

And make me an inheritor/ of blessed life eternal.

Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!

The Real Anthem: Agni Parthene 1

Lorenzo: Hi guys! A little correction here. The real anthem of the EOGC is the Agni Parthene. The previous song was the EOGC's inaugural hymn.

Anselmo: My bad.

Lorenzo: No harm done.

Agni Parthene (O Virgin Pure)

S.TI	Greek Original	Transliteration
1.Aα	Ἁγνὴ Παρθένε Δέσποινα, ἄχραντε Θεοτόκε,	Agní Parthéne Déspina, Áhrante Theotóke,
R	Χαῖρε νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε.	Hére Nímfi Anímfefte.
1.Aβ	Παρθὲνε μὴτηρ ἄνασσα, πανένδροσέ τε πόκε.  R	Parthéne Mítir Ánassa, Panéndrose te póke.  R
1.Bα	Ὑψηλοτέρα οὐρανῶν ἀκτίνων λαμπροτέρα,  R	Ipsilotéra Uranón, aktínon lamprotéra,  R
1.Bβ	Χαρὰ παρθενικῶν χορῶν ἀγγέλων ὑπερτέρα.  R	Hará parthenikón horón, angélon ipertéra,  R
1.Cα	Ἐκλαμπροτέρα οὐρανῶν, φωτὸς καθαρωτέρα,  R	Eklamprotéra uranón fotós katharotéra,  R
1.Cβ	Τῶν οὐρανίων στρατιῶν, πασῶν ἁγιωτέρα.  R	Ton Uraníon stratión pasón agiotéra.  R
2.Aα	Μαρία ἀειπάρθενε κόσμου παντὸς Κυρία,  R	María Aipárthene kósmu pantós Kiría,  R
2.Aβ	Ἄχραντε νύμφη πάναγνε, Δέσποινα Παναγία.  R	Áhrante Nímfi Pánagne, Déspina Panagía,  R
2.Bα	Μαρία νύμφη ἄνασσα, χαρᾶς ἡμῶν αἰτία,  R	María Nímfi Ánassa, harás imón etía,  R
2.Bβ	Κόρη σεμνή, Βασίλισσα, Μήτηρ ὑπεραγία.  R	Korí semní Vasílissa, Mítir iperagía,  R
2.Cα	Τιμιωτέρα Χερουβίμ, ὑπερενδοξοτέρα,  R	Timiotéra Heruvím, iperendoxotéra  R
2.Cβ	Τῶν ἀσωμάτων Σεραφίμ, τῶν θρόνων ὑπερτέρα.  R	Ton asomáton Serafím, ton Thrónon ipertéra.  R
3.Aα	Χαῖρε τὸ ᾆσμα Χερουβίμ, χαῖρε ὕμνος ἀγγέλων,  R	Hére to ásma Heruvím, hére ímnos angélon,  R
3.Aβ	Χαῖρε ᾠδὴ τῶν Σεραφίμ, χαρὰ τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων.  R	Hére odí ton Serafím, hará tón Arhangélon,  R
3.Bα	Χαῖρε εἰρήνη καὶ χαρά, λιμὴν τῆς σωτηρίας,  R	Hére iríni ke hará, limín tis sotirías,  R
3.Bβ	Παστὰς τοῦ Λόγου ἱερά, ἄνθος τῆς ἀφθαρσίας.  R	pastás tu Lógu ierá, ánthos tis aftharsías,  R
3.Cα	Χαῖρε παράδεισε τρυφῆς, ζωῆς τε αἰωνίας.  R	Hére Parádise trifís, zoís te eonías,  R
3.Cβ	Χαῖρε τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, πηγὴ ἀθανασίας.  R	Hére to xílon tis zoís, pigí athanasías.  R
4.Aα	Σὲ ἱκετεύω Δέσποινα, σὲ νῦν ἐπικαλοῦμαι.  R	Se iketévo Déspina, Se, nin, epikalúme,  R
4.Aβ	Σὲ δυσωπῶ Παντάνασσα, σὴν χάριν ἐξαιτοῦμαι.  R	Se disopó Pantánassa, Sin hárin exetúme.  R
4.Bα	Κόρη σεμνὴ καὶ ἄσπιλε, Δέσποινα Παναγία,  R	Korí semní ke áspile, Déspina Panagía,  R
4.Bβ	Θερμῶς ἐπικαλοῦμαί σε, ναὲ ἡγιασμένε.  R	Thermós epikalúme Se, Naé igiasméne,  R
4.Cα	Ἀντιλαβοῦ μου, ρῦσαί με ἀπὸ τοῦ πολεμίου  R	Antilavú mu, ríse me apó tu polemíu,  R
4.Cβ	Καὶ κληρονόμον δεῖξόν με ζωῆς τῆς αἰωνίου.  R	Ke klironómon díxon me zoís tis eoníu.  R

We Are the New Byzantium

Anselmo: This may be a hymn from the Orthodox Church, but it's also the official anthem of the EOGC, unlike the An Die Freude. It was suggested by Cardinal Zhang, even though he's Catholic.

Lorenzo: He was ordained in the Byzantine Rite, like me; that explains everything. Byzantine Rite Catholics are Catholics. They just follow the practices of the Orthodox, but their loyalty is the same as the rest of the Church.

Forgotten and Lost 3

The drive to the airport was long. He never traveled this way when he first came here; it was through the ports. As the convoy drove through the night, memories went through the man's brain.

It was not easy to get to Cagayan de Oro; but it was easy to get a job when they got there. Adjusting, however, was tough. As people from Manila, they had been brainwashed by the media into thinking the provincianos were nothing more than ignorant country bumpkins. But now that they were here, the illusion had evaporated. The Kagay-anons were sophisticated and better-educated. Life here moved at a faster pace and although they could speak Tagalog, it became clear that that language was not what was needed to get around. In the Visayas and Mindanao, with the exception of the ARMM, the monopoly of control of Imperial Manila had been broken after the Takeover. They had to learn to speak Visayan, since it wasn't just the local tongue, but the first in order of priority of usage.

The peoples outside Luzon spoke at least three or four languages: Visayan, English, Ilonggo and Chinese. Everybody could speak Visayan and English while Ilonggo was spoken in the Ilonggo-speaking areas. Chinese, once confined only to the ethnic Chinese community, was now spoken out of necessity as a medium of commerce; the Taipan, Eric Ong himself, was Chinese. There was also Korean because Koreans had settled there and, in some places, Japanese.

They had to borrow money again. First, their father went off. He found a job as a janitor -not the EGOC security forces- and gradually sent money to his family. Months later, they were able to pay their debts. By the end of the year, they found themselves at the port of Cagayan de Oro... impressive and intimidating.

His mother also found work as a housekeeper and she was allowed to bring her children to her master's house on work days. Although her employers were kind, it was apparent that she couldn't depend on her salary alone. This new environment was different from Manila. Then it was his turn to work... but he couldn't find any. After all, what could a boy who didn't finish grade school be able to achieve?

Forgotten and Lost 2

That day ended with his life shattered. They had nothing left. The dream was dead.

Before February 4, 2006, life was hard. After February 4, 2006, life was difficult. Existence had become hand-to-mouth. The bike was gone. The bottles were gone. A means of living, difficult though it was, was now gone. Begging was what remained.

The man put his mug of coffee on his desk; took his coat, which was draped on the back of his chair; and followed his assistant out. It wasn't wise to keep Lord Ethan waiting.

The Right Honourable Sir Ethan, Baron Lam, was an important figure in the banking industry. Born in the Crown Colony of Hong Kong, his family obtained British citizenship. He later became a friend of Eric Ong, who entered the financial market in Hong Kong by buying a controlling share in a large bank. This bank, later renamed The Bank of the Empire, expanded its operations deeper into China than it had ever been, and even entered the Philippines and Latin America. It developed a stunning reputation for promoting grassroots finance. Ethan Lam was knighted and became a member of the House of Lords.

The man continued his reflection as he headed down the corridor.

After the ULTRA stampede life became a mindless, dreary existence. Nobody knew what would happen the next day, the next week... even the next moment. Everybody in the family became irritable. Fighting was an almost daily occurrence. It was heartbreaking.

They were forgotten. They were lost.

And then it happened.

The Takeover came.

It was unbelievable. It was as if a foreign invasion was taking place. A battlecruiser appeared off Sangley point and shelled naval installations. Airstrikes directed at targets like the army and air force headquarters happened. On radio and television, it was reported that fighting was going on in Cebu and around Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao with government forces on the losing end. A pair of aircraft carriers appeared in Manila Bay. They were the ones that launched the airstrikes. And the finale came beams of light came shooting down from the sky, destroying many buildings, including the homes of government people. Tanks came rolling into the city, larger and more powerful than those of the army. A new president was forced into office. Many members of congress were machinegunned on the grounds of the Batasan.

There were those who escaped. But their escape was only physical. They fled, only to be killed abroad. After the Takeover, Manila quickly went into decline. In less than five years, it was nearly a ghost town.

It was then that his father decided that they should pack their belongings. They were heading to Mindanao.

A Day in the Life of Anselmo 5

Ah, the sunset. I like watching the sunset from Puerto Heights on a Saturday. Just got my salary and this is what I do before heading out to party: a little time for contemplation. Funny, but it seems to help keep me sane.

It's a golden sunset over Macajalar Bay. There's the battlecruiser! Yep. That's the thing that stomped the navy to pieces. The carriers are over there in the distance.

What caused the Takeover you say?

Well, it had to do with some greedy senator who just couldn't keep his greed in check. He provoked Eric Ong. They used to have this thing in the law that says that the senate can haul you off to be interrogated without a warrant. That's been used by many politicians in the past to blackmail people into giving them more money. And it's also been used as a way of interfering with other people's privacy.

Well, this senator tried to blackmail Eric Ong because the Taipan was winning all his tax cases against the BIR. It wasn't that he was sued, but he was suing the BIR for collecting the wrong taxes. Finally, some of the people there tried to get that senator into taking Eric Ong off their backs so they could continue extorting the EOGC. So that's just what happened. That senator threatened to form an investigative committee and bring Eric Ong in to be questioned.

Eric Ong wouldn't stand for that. And he didn't act like a typical Filipino businessman. He fought back. And he didn't do it by patronizing anybody. No way. He really fought back. He always said that if he treated it the same as everyone else did, the blackmailing and threatening would never stop. Besides, there was that part in the law (the constitution was it?) that said that sovereignty is in the people and some legal experts said that that means the people can overthrow a bad government if they want to.

(Sigh) I'm getting kinda political here. It's not my thing.

Hey, let's go over to Limketkai for some drinks, kay?