Moving Aramaic Song (Psalm 51/Psalm 50)
In the Western tradition, this is Psalm number 51. In the Eastern tradition, it is number 50. Hence, you will find this piece online under number 50.
The author of the piece (based on the text of the psalm) is Seraphim Bit-Kharibi.
album: http://hyperurl.co/SeraphimBitKharibi
The statue of Christ carrying the cross, visible in the recording in front of the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, has become one of the city's symbols, especially in the context of the events of the Warsaw Uprising. In September 1944, during the fighting, the Germans detonated explosives, causing the statue to fall onto the street pavement. The fallen figure had its hand raised, pointing to the inscription Sursum Corda on the pedestal.
Sursum Corda is a Latin phrase meaning "Lift up your hearts." It is a liturgical exhortation used during the Holy Mass, encouraging the faithful to raise their hearts to God, and in everyday usage, it means "do not lose heart." The people of Warsaw interpreted this as if the Savior Himself was reminding them not to lose hope, despite the fall and destruction.
After the fall of the Warsaw Uprising, the statue was taken away by the Germans with the intention of being melted down. However, it was ultimately abandoned in a ditch in the village of Hajduki Nyskie. There, it was found by Polish soldiers and transported back to Warsaw. After restoration, on July 19, 1945, the statue of Christ was once again placed in front of the Church of the Holy Cross, becoming a symbol of rebirth and hope for the devastated city.
The Monk Singing in Aramaic in the Recording
Seraphim Bit-Kharibi is an Assyrian monk and archimandrite known for performing liturgies and chants in Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ. He was born in 1978 in Georgia to an Assyrian father and a Georgian mother. In his youth, he was an active athlete, practicing taekwondo and karate, and winning the Georgian championship in Eastern martial arts four times. He is married and has three children.
In 2006, he became a monk in Ukraine, and in 2008, he began his service in Dzveli Kanda near Tbilisi, where in 2010, he was ordained a deacon. With the blessing of the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II, Father Seraphim began performing liturgies and chants in Assyrian and Old Aramaic, composing polyphonic hymns and psalms in these ancient languages with modern melodies.
He is the head of the Monastery of the Thirteen Holy Assyrian Fathers in Dzveli Kanda, Georgia. In 2016, during Pope Francis' visit to Georgia, Father Seraphim and the monastery choir performed the Our Father prayer in Aramaic, receiving widespread recognition.
His recordings, such as the 2018 album *Chanting in the Language of Christ*, are available on music platforms, including Apple Music.
Translation of Psalm 50 from Aramaic to English
Rakhemli Alaha // aakh taibutakh
Have mercy upon me, O God // according to thy kindness
Uakh sogha drakhmaikh eti khathai
According to your great compassion blot out my transgressions
Asga atshigani // meen euli // umen khathai dakani
Wash me thorughly // from mine iniquity // and cleanse me from my sin.
Mehtol // dsakhlaute yakha ana // wa khtahay luqbaley yinon
For // I acknowledge my transgressions // and my sin is ever before me.
Lakh balkhodaikh khteith // ubiishatha
Against You, You only, have I sinned // and done what is evil in thy sight
qdamaikh eichidth
I have sinned before You
Mehtol // dtezddaq // bmelthakh utizke bdinaikh
Judge // that he may be justified // by Your word and prevail in Your judgment
Mehtol // dabaula
Behold // You desire truth in the innermost being
Ethbatneth wabakhtahe // btentani emin
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb // you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
Rakhemli Alaha // aakh taibutakh
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy kindness
Uakh sogha drakhmaikh eti khathai
According to your great compassion blot out my transgressions