translated from the Russian by Jena Woodhouse
At sunset, when the sun went down,
We lay down to sleep;
Early, early did we take our rest,
Our prayers unsaid;
And angels circling our house
Grasped our hands, and cried:
“Slave, awaken and arise, arise,
Arise and pray.”
Neither gold nor silver do I need,
Nor fine array,
But six feet of earth, four planks
Suffice for me.
*
Псалом староверов, XVII век
На закате солнышко садилось,
А мы спать ложились.
А мы рано, рано спать ложились,
Богу не молились.
А во дворе ангелы летали
Под ручки хватали:
Устань, устань, устань, раб проснися
Богу помолися.
Мне не надо ни злата, ни серебра
Ни доброи одёжи;
А мне надо, мне два сажени земли
Да четыре доски.
*Old Believers is the common term for several religious groups, which maintain the old liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church, as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow between 1653 and 1657.
Source: Wikipedia
