Hymns in the Eastern Church

The first time I heard any music, or hynmody of the Eastern Churches was at St. Michael's Orthodox Church, in Louisville. Part of the service was sung in various eastern languages, but there was good bit of English sung as well. The experience sparked a life long interest for me. What were those tunes? How old was this stuff? It sounded ancient in a very visceral way. And the words! When I finally found the words it was again an immersion in something very strange and different from the way things were in my world.

Here's a for instance:

Fasting is bright and beautiful for any who are bright enough
To gaze on God. The Turbid One, stirred up by anything
Cannot fix the eye on that Clear One. He who possesses a clear eye
He can gaze upon him; as much as it is given to him to gaze.
Instead of the clarifying wine, let us clarify our thought
So that we will be able to see the Clear One
Who overcame the Evil One by means of fasting, that Disturber of All.

That's a verse from St. Ephraim's Hymns on Fasting. References to evil are personified and given titles: Turbid One; Disturber of All. It is true that sin and temptation do disturb us, and cloud our clear water with the mud of sin. They are titles of specific sins. If our water is all stirred up we can't possibly see the Clear One.