The Spasov Mound, a short story by Elin Peiln

 

The Spasov Mound [the Savior's Day*]

Elin Pelin

 

Grandpa Zachary walked slowly and held little Monka [Simeon] on his back. He had wrapped his dry arms around his neck and had relaxed helplessly. Streaks of sweat ran down the old man's burnt face and wetted his overstrained neck. Monka's little hands suffocated and tormented him so that bloody mists passed before his eyes, but he walked slowly on and carefully upheld his load.

 

The sun was already setting. Around the fragrant meadows, the green fields, the bushes and the dark groves, which stretched out far away, the night lurked mysteriously and with a restrained breath.

 

And people, so many people! On all sides, on all paths, people were coming one through each other, they caught up, passed on, all of them on their way to that high, steep and pointed mound, the Spasov mound. One could see the branchy old oak on top and the small white chapel next to it. A world of people had slid up along the bare green slope – a crowd like an anthill. Grandpa Zachary looked and wondered. Where had this many people come from, a great crowd! By car, by horse, on foot, from near and afar, people came from everywhere and hurried on. And what not between them, all sorts! Poor men, ragged, with naked flesh. Rich men, in Sunday clothes. They each carried one ailment and one hope of healing. Some with bent down waists crawled like snakes, others on stilts, still others – with dirty wounds on their bodies. Blind, crippled people...

 

"Grandpa, where are all these people going?" sick Monka asked. "Everybody goes there, child." "Are they all sick, Grandpa?" "The whole world is sick, son. Some of this, some of that. There is no healthy person in the world. You look, the body is of iron and the soul is rotten."

 

The church voice of the wooden clapper rose softly from the top and spread like a blessing all over the green surroundings.

 

Grandpa Zachary sat wearily by the roadside and sighed. "Make the cross sign on yourself, child!" Monka unhooked his hands from around his grandfather's neck, and they both made the cross sign for a long time, sitting in the green weed by the road.

 

St. Spyridon the Wonderworker, Bp. of Tremithus

 

Troparion — Tone 1

You were revealed as a champion of the First Council /
and a wonderworker, our God-bearing father Spyridon. /
You spoke to one dead in the grave /
and transformed a serpent into gold. /
While chanting your holy prayers /
you had angels serving with you! /
Glory to Him Who gave you strength! /
Glory to Him Who granted you a crown! /
Glory to Him Who through you grants healing to all!

 

Kontakion — Tone 2

Wounded by the love of Christ, /
all-holy one, your mind was given
wings through the light of the Spirit, /
you found work in active contemplation,
God-pleasing Spyridon, /
becoming a divine sacrifice, /
and imploring divine illumination for all.

Troparion & Kontakion — Slavonic Tilted

Troparion — Tone 1

You were revealed as a champion of the First Council / 
and a wonderworker, father of ours, God-bearing Spyridon. / 
Thus you spoke (out loud) to one dead in the grave / 
and transformed a serpent into gold. / 
And anytime chanting your holy prayers / 
you had angels concelebrating with you, O Most Holy! / 
Glory to Him Who gave you strength! / 
Glory to Him Who crowned you! /
Glory to Him Who acting through you heals all (brings healing to all)!

 

Kontakion — Tone 2

Wounded by the love of Christ, O Most Holy, / 
all-holy one, your mind was focused on the
brilliant glow of the Spirit, through tour works 
you were vouchsafed pro-active contemplation, 
O God-pleasing Spyridon, being an alter for
divine sacrifice, and imploring divine illumination for all.

Dec. 19th, 2020 [svidetel, attestor]

 

                                                                                    Translated from Russian

Dec. 19th, 2020

 

Another level of salvific sadness, not despondency, but love expressed this way – a higher one which is that you begin to cry not for yourself, not for your forlorn life, not for yourself, or even for your sins, which is already salvific in the stead of pity for yourself (this is very difficult to overcome and it is difficult to move on to a higher, more purely spiritual [level], to overcome your human mental anguish, and move on to spiritual experience), not even for your relatives and friends [kin], – but to cry for the human race, starting at least [and this is important] from your country.

Unhappy and pitiful, such are the good, even cute, in essence, and calm as if sleeping – you are all [fully] open before the Lord, your whole life before Him, – what do you hope for, not seeing the terrible danger that threatens you, and which now in your condition you cannot escape? Where are you going, not realizing that you are passing by the most important thing that could [possibly] save you? Not taking a thought, light-headedly, taking comfort for yourself with some kind of consolation, fleeting consolations, and self-deception? What is valuable in your life? – a moment shall pass, and you will forget what you were chasing, what you ruined your priceless life for. Virtually as if the winds are blowing and you take up away with them.

What's the point in this? There is no point!

Like little children, you – adults who consider themselves super-smart, what are you doing? Well, indeed this is nothing ...

Miserable and blind - you cause only pain with your emptiness and meaningless unwillingness for the Truth. Your condition causes [the] endless sorrow of hell, exactly the same as all sinful souls see [it] there: a hopeless, heartbreaking, never-saturable melancholy of which there is no limit or end, [virtually] as if all these endless "no-nesses" associated with what you consider to be life were united together ... The desert, the icy wilderness as the gloomy kingdom of Tartar, and the scorched land of the spiritual desert from where there is no return.

How to leave you, and what is to be with you? – this is only an excruciating pain. How to live in this desert where there is no place for anything truly living, fruit-bearing? Why is this so, O Lord? How to pray to you if you do not hear a word or a sound of the prayer, and not a single heart of yours would rise, would will heaven? How to ask for you if you have already died and it is impossible to resurrect you?

Lord, what is this endless pain for when it comes? - and it comes [quite] often. Where is the end to this, and will that be in something?...

Proverb 9 of Solomon - KJV Bible+

 

Proverb 9

King James Bible

The Way of Wisdom
(Ezra 4:6-16; Esther 1:1-9; Proverbs 1:1-7)

1Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

2She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

3She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,

4Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

5Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

6Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

7He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

8Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

9Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

11For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

12(Son!) If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. (He who clings to lies grazes the winds, rushes after the flying birds: for he has left the way to his vineyard and wanders on the paths of his fields; he passes through a waterless desert and a land doomed to thirst, with his hands he gathers barrenness.)

 

WISDOM OF JESUS, son of Sirach (KJV)

Sirach

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
6. 6
7. 7
8. 8
9. 9
10. 10
11. 11
12. 12
13. 13
14. 14
15. 15
16. 16
17. 17
18. 18
19. 19
20. 20
21. 21
22. 22
23. 23
24. 24
25. 25
26. 26
27. 27
28. 28
29. 29
30. 30
31. 31
32. 32
33. 33
34. 34
35. 35
36. 36
37. 37
38. 38
39. 39
40. 40
41. 41
42. 42
43. 43
44. 44
45. 45
46. 46
47. 47
48. 48
49. 49
50. 50
51. 51

* This book is translated from Greek.

 

FOREWORD

 

Many great things have been handed down to me through the Law, the Prophets, and other scriptures that followed. Because of the knowledge and wisdom in them, we must praise Israel. Those who will be able to read them should not remain educated only for themselves. Being curious, they should be useful in word and writing to those who are abroad. My grandfather Jesus devoted himself too much to reading the Law, the Prophets, and other paternal books. After gaining enough experience through them, he decided to write something about education and wisdom himself, so that the scholars, who had mastered these things, could progress more and more in life according to the law. Please read them favorably and carefully, and also be condescending if somewhere it would seem that we could not cope with the translation of expressions diligently composed by others. Because what is said in Hebrew does not have exactly the same force when it is translated into another language. And not only this book, but also the Law itself, the Prophets and the other holy books have quite a difference in their reading in the original form. In the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Ptolemy Everget, I arrived in Egypt and stayed there for a long time. I found a big difference in education. I thought it very necessary to add some diligence and diligence to translate the above-mentioned book. I applied great vigilance and skill for a long time to complete the publication of the book for those migrants who wish to be scholarly and to prepare their manners so as to live in accordance with the law. *

 

* This preface is to the Greek translation of the 70's. It is also contained in the Slavic Bible.

THE full BOOK OF PROPHET DANIEL - KJV + Greek text

 

 

◄ Daniel 1 ►

THE BOOK OF PROPHET DANIEL
King James Bible + GREEK TEXT

Daniel Removed to Babylon
(Genesis 11:1-9)

1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

3And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; 4Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 5And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. 6Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 7Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

Daniel's Faithfulness

8But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. 10And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. 11Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 13Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

14So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. 15And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. 16Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.

Daniel's Wisdom