(Music, the guitar, singing by Fedor Borkovskiy.)
Side A
(Lyrics by Olga Nikolaevna, The Great Princess)
My Father asked to tell everyone
Not to weep or grumble.
The days of grief befell us all
To pay for our mutual grave sin.
He does not bear them the grudge himself
He’s forgiven all his enemies,
He tells us not to revenge him on them.
But have mercy , and love everyone.
He says the world is wallowing in the evil,
The truth has vanished from the earth,
The sorrowful Cross of the future days
Will be even more terrible and harder.
But the clock will strike , and time will come
The good will overcome the evil,
And whatever has been lost by us
Back will be brought by our mutual love.
(Lyrics by N.V. Gogol)
To Thee, oh, my Holy Mother,
I dare to address my prayer
With tears running down my face,
Please, do hear me at this mournful hour.
Do receive my warmest prayers,
Deliver my soul from evil and tribulations.
Show me the way to salvation.
Thou giveth shelter to all the miserable,
Thou prayeth for all of us,
Do protect us when we hear
The doomsday trumpets from the Heaven.
When the eternity closes the time,
The doomsday trumpets will raise the dead,
All the burden of my sins shall be laid bare
In the book of conscience.
I pray to Thee with all my heart:
Save me, my consolation,
Have mercy on me the best way Thou can.
(Lyrics by Larisa Kudrjashova)
The secular world
is outside the window frame.
I’m doomed to fall many times a day.
Softly will I pray to the icon,
With my sinful poor head bent.
It’s hard, oh, how hard it is
to live by God’s laws:
The road is crowded, the gates are narrow.
Oh, God, forgive me my humbleness,
And cleanse me by the force of the Cross.
(Lyrics by Ksenija Krivova)
Over the city of Peter the Great
There’re hundreds of golden crosses.
The domes’ gold covers the saint city.
Is humbly standing in the lush greenery,
Surrounded by gray tombs.
Crowds of people keep on coming here,
To pray for something, ‘cause there,
In this chapel, the Saint is buried -
She’ll help them to cure their wounds.
She relieves the pain of those
Who are tortured by grief and sufferings,
They stretch their hands to the Saint’s relics;
The tomb’s spilled with candles’ tears.
And the Saint hears their moans,
She helps those who come to Her,
Even though it might be disregarded:
“There was some grief once – now it is gone!”
By sincere, hearty prayer,
Going out of the soul to the Heavens,
To God’s blessed gifts.
Do help us all, our Saint,
Our blessed Ksenija,
Help those hearts that pray for Eden
Opening their souls, without concealing anything.
5. My Quiet Motherland
( Lyrics by Nicoly Rubtzov)
My quiet Motherland!
Willows, rivers, nightingales …
My mother is buried here,
My childhood was spent here, too.
“Where is the grave-yard? Have you seen it?
I cannot find it by myself. ” –
“It’s over there on the other side,”
The villagers softly replied.
The villagers replied softly,
Carts quietly passed,
The dome of the church abode
Is grown over with grass.
Wherever I used to chase fish
Hay is being hocked in the loft.
Wherever the river used to wind,
A canal has been dug out.
There is slime and mud
Wherever I used to swim.
My quiet Motherland,
I have not forgotten anything!
A new fence is in front of the school,
And green wilderness is the same.
Like a merry crow,
I’ll climb and sit on the fence again!
My wooden school,
It’ll be time to leave –
The foggy river, then,
Will be running after me.
With every hut and cloud,
With thunder, ready to peal,
I’m feeling the most burning,
The most mortal of links!
6. Hope
( Lyrics by Ksenija Krivova)
My God, I don’t know what to tell you
On reading my fate on this sunny day,
But I do think it’s useless
To grieve and weep about oneself.
I know my life is a road,
And my years are water,
But when I look at the stars at night,
The sunrise at dawn , the glory of the day,
I see how fragile our life is,
( Lyrics by Reverend Seraphim Sorovskiy)
The thunderstorm will pass all over Russia,
God will forgive the Russians their sins,
The Saint Cross will shine with its divine beauty
All over God’s Cathedrals once again.
God’s abodes will be restored everywhere,
And the belief in God will unite us all,
Church bell chimes will wake up Saint Russia
From the sinful sleep to its salvation.
The terrible adversities will pass away,
Russia will defeat its enemies,
And the name of the Russian great people
Will thunder out all over the Universe!
( Lyrics by an unknown poet)
Where eagles soar in the clouds,
There the Golgotha of Great Russia is.
Their Tsar and his wife,
With their family all together.
In the daytime, breeze blows there,
Prophetic crows crow above,
At noon there comes a deer.
To hide from the heat
Under cool shadows of the trees.
But when the night falls down,
The Emperor and His folks
Arise out of their grave
And tread along the stony roads,
To Golgotha.
Since the Prince is too ill
To get to the top by himself
In his arms to Golgotha.
There, knelt at the mountain top,
looking up at the sky,
They’re praying for Russia, for us,
They are praying to God
To pardon our gravest of sins.
Tsaricza’s tears run down her cheeks.
And wherever they drop
Beautiful roses will grow.
Princesses’ eyes, like heaven turquoise,
Are full of bitter tears;
Like a forget-me-not crushed
By merciless violent storm.
All night long they kneel there
Praying all by themselves
Straining every nerve of theirs,
But when the sun rises up
They go back to the grave.
Th rumor’s been spread
For some time already:
Our sufferings will come to an end
When together with Tsar
All of us will go up to Golgotha
And pray to God to pardon us.
When together with Tsar
All of us will go up to Golgotha
And pray to God to pardon us!
Side B
9. Withstanding
( Lyrics by Larisa Kudrjashova)
Oh, God, in the time of trying,
Apostasy and worldwide lying
Give us force to withstand it all,
Teach us, comfort and support.
And when, by violence and deceit,
Even the chosen are stamped with the seal,
Oh, God, give us sight and force
To be able to see and withstand.
And should our own folks, if blinded,
Drive us out of our houses and churches,
Oh, God, the human nature reader, give us patience
To keep on living in the Holy Truth of yours.
And when the Belief loses the Cross,
And get formal at churches,
Do not let us live with hypocrites,
Do not let the fear of God die with us.
Oh God, Oh God, we are wretched and humble,
We’ve been sinning a lot ,
Oh, God, the Righteous! Save Russia,
Oh, God, Save Saint Russia.
( Lyrics by Fedor Borkovskiy)
Oh, God, let your slave Ioann rest reposed in peace!
I’ve learned today it’s for two years that I’ve been sinning,
Have mercy on me, oh God, I’m praying for the unborn Boris,
Give my prayers of the reposed God’s slave Ioann,
Bylat Shalovich, I’m bending my head to you.
Repose Thou slave Ioann in peace,
Pardon his sins,
Repose him in Abram’s bed,
Save him and have mercy on him
For the wonderful songs of his.
And let him listen to, perhaps, one of the best songs,
A new one, there, out of the earth side,
And in Heaven’s chambers let him listen to the songs of the paradise,
For the love and humbleness that he used to wake up in me.
To us his tender voice was like that of a priest’s.
It called for our conscience in those godless times.
Lacking Volodja’s strain, accusations and anger,
Unaware of the Christ himself, he saved God for us.
He didn’t sing of those who cried “Russia, Russia!”
“Goodbye, girls” crying out in the thunder of soldier boots,
They went on , like Len’ka Korol”, to give their souls away for his friends
Save them,
And save and have mercy on your slave Ioann, oh, God!
For the love to white mother, for the brother’s feelings,
For the Belief, Love and Hope – have mercy on him!
For the humbleness down to Arbat’s ant minstrel,
For the open door of his home have mercy on him!
Repose your slave Ioann in peace,
Pardon his sins
Repose him in Avraam’s bed
Save and pardon him
For his wonderful songs.
And while the light’s shining brightly, and the earth’s circling around
Give him what he deserves for his words, what everyone deserves,
As Thou did not forget him and called him to Thee before death
So have mercy on us when Thou cometh to take us to Thee.
Let the girl be crying, but we’re waiting for the balloon to fly back,
On the last trolley-bus we shall ask Thou to save us
God will send us forgiveness for our sins
Otherwise why should we live on the earth?
Repose your slave Ioann in peace,
Pardon his sins
Repose him in Avraam’s bed
Save and pardon him
For his wonderful songs.
(Lyrics by F. Borkovskiy)
But it only took one hour to fly back
A nice stewardess is smiling at us kindly
While serving tasty things to eat.
Oh, Holy God, have mercy on us!
I wish we would fly down to Petersburg;
I’m somewhat frightened to be so high in the sky.
But everything is subject to Thy Holy Will.
In Khabarovsk I left my true friend – Vjacheslav,
The nearer to the sea, the more friends did I meet.
I thank Thee, my Holy Father, for within four days
I fell in love with that blood-flooded land.
In the sea I left those I got fond of,
I do remember how you saw me off in Vanino.
My dear and favorite friends, I have not forgotten anyone,
I’m crying recalling you.
“ Pineapples in champagne” with tears in the eyes,
Dear Galka, how did you manage to get there and back?
“Setuan” on the platform, And Vitaliy , a hero,
Special thanks to him for the lobster.
Never shall l forget Sashka, the wit,
Neither Leonidycha and Mikhalycha,
The bathhouse, caviar, songs until dawn,
And praying together with Ivan Stepanychem.
Well, well, Sashka! Well done! You have conquered the hall,
You played at sight, the way one must.
Then, at a parting, you beat me up, in the end-
You gave me a tin of frozen crabs!
Oh, Good Lord! Save me,
Let me fly to Peter’s city,
Give them, our Lord, a lot of love,
I left the ones I fell in love with at the sea
I remember how they saw me off in Vanino …
12. Forgiveness Sunday
( Lyrics by L.Kudrjashova)
Forgiveness Sunday,
The last day before Lent,
The heart, hard with malice,
Cleanse it, with the Cross, please .
Icons, the altar, and the Cross,
Penitential weeping is heard:
“ My brethren and sisters, forgive me, please!”
“God will forgive you,” they respond.
Neither sin, nor trouble
Is hidden deep in the heart today.
“Do forgive me, to God I pray,
My sisters and brethren …
Both strangers and friends,
And my dearest ones,
Do forgive me the wickedness
That in my humble soul lies !”
I’m softly weeping for salvation,
In repentance crossing myself
In the spring rays of Resurrection,
On the last day before Lent.
13. Russia
(Lyrics by hieromonk Roman)
There’s no place for me in Russia,
Though I’m not the first exile ;
Since old times some other land
Gave shelter to my folk.
My Motherland, like Mother, you are my only,
That’s why I don’t demand,
For the freedom you give to your sons,
The freedom to go up the scaffolds.
Crucified! Is that you, my Land?
I’m standing and wondering:
In the flags I recognize the shreds
Of Jesus Christ’s purple garments.
The dirty fingers are poking at the earthly things
And you are rushing to bow to them,
Calling for Jesus Christ’s traitors to be your leaders.
Why, turning your face away from Heaven,
D’ you hanker for the western sparkles?
And casting your own clothes off,
Why do you dress up in Lilliputian shreds?
Amusing mobs of good-for-nothing guys,
You choose another way to go,
A stranger path is not yours,
It can’t imbibe your aspirations.
Many would like to stand still
As guards of honor at your coffin,
Bearing malice, not knowing, blind,
They have infringed on God’s possessions.
Russia! Rus’! Wherever you were flying,
In rags, profaned and wretched,
You won’t perish! You’re safe!
With so many pious people in the God’s abodes.
14. God Mother Chenstokhovskaja
( Lyrics by F. Borkovskiy)
Oh, God Mother
Chenstokhovskaja!
Do pardon me, a sinner,
To the path of Truth direct me.
Oh, God Mother
Chenstokhovskaja!
Your wounds can’t be taken off -
We must see and remember them.
Chenstokhovskaja!
Make your darkened face light,
And save the Russian land!
Oh, God Mother,
Plead with Him to forgive our perjury.
All of us, all the Russians,
Like Judas, betrayed our Tsar,
His family and the Crown prince.
It’s for that terrible sin
We’ve been bearing the punishment .
Take our repentance in,
Plead with your Son to pardon us.
Take our repentance in,
And plead with the God to pardon us.
Oh, God Mother
Chenstokhovskaja!
You’ve been hidden from us for twenty centuries
To plead with the God to forgive our sins.
We do believe that by your prayers
God, the Merciful, will pardon us,
And instead of “Glupov’s” governors
The Tsar, will mount the throne .
Instead of “Glupov’s” crooks
The Tsar will mount the throne .
Oh, God Mother
Chenstokhovskaja!
By your prayers to God and Father
Get the Orthodox Tsar to come to Russia!
By your prayers to God and Father
Get the Orthodox Tsar to come to Russia!
Oh God , save the Tsar,
Strong and all-powerful …
God Mother Chenstokhovskaja,
Stand up for us!
Translated by Eaja Borkovskaja.