"The Life of Boris and Gleb" is an example of the Old Russian book life. It was created at the end of the 11th-beginning of the 12th century and has come down to us in two versions: "Tale" and "Reading". The author of the legend is unknown, "Reading" belongs to Nestor. These works of ancient Russian literature are based on the story of the martyrdom of princes Boris and Gleb, who were killed by their brother Svyatopolk in the struggle for the throne of Kiev.
Prince Vladimir died in 1015. Power in Kiev was seized by his son Svyatopolk. By order of the prince, his brother Boris was killed, and a month later, another brother, Gleb. But the third brother Yaroslav set off on a campaign against Svyatopolk, defeated him and established himself in Kiev. Boris and Gleb were buried in Vyshgorod near the church of St. Basil. Their graves have become a place of pilgrimage 1 . During the construction of a new church to replace the burnt one, it was discovered that the bodies of Boris and Gleb were incorruptible. This circumstance was the reason for declaring them saints. The cult of Boris and Gleb had an important political meaning: it "sanctified" and affirmed the state idea, according to which all Russian princes were brothers, and at the same time emphasized the obligatory subordination of junior princes to elder ones.
Life focuses on the death of the brothers. Boris and Gleb are portrayed as ideal Christian martyr heroes. They voluntarily accept the martyr's crown.
Boris is submissive to the senior princes in everything. At the behest of his father, Prince Vladimir, he goes on a campaign against the Pechenegs. On the way back, he learns that his father has died, and Svyatopolk has seized the throne of Kiev. Boris mourns the death of his father. The squad invites him to go to Kiev, but, obeying the duty of a vassal, he refuses and prefers death to treason. “Walking along the road, Boris thought about his beauty and kindness and burst into tears, and wanted to refrain from them, but could not. And everyone who saw him in tears wept for the nobility and honest mind of his youth, and each in his soul mourned in sorrow heart, and everyone was in sorrow ... Boris's appearance was dull, his eyes and contrite heart, like those of a saint. The blessed one was truthful, generous, quiet, meek, humble, merciful to everyone and cared for everyone "2. Boris thought: "I know that for the sake of my brother's evil, people will push me to kill me and destroy me. If he sheds my blood, then I will be a martyr before my Lord, and the Lord will accept my soul."
Boris's grief was replaced by God's consolations: "Whoever destroys his soul for the sake of me and my teaching, he will find and keep it in eternal life." And joy filled Boris's heart. He turned to God, saying: "Do not reject, Lord, merciful, me who trusts in you, but save my soul" 4 .
Boris begins to prepare for death. At the thought that he is about to die, he experiences fear. The premonition of death turns into certainty. Anxiety grows, Boris is unable to restrain his heartfelt excitement. The conspirators, sent by Svyatopolk, surround the tent where the prince is praying, and hit him with spears. Boris, mortally wounded, asks for time to pray. He is taken on a cart to the city, and two Varangians finish off the martyr with a sword blow to the heart.
Gleb is the same martyr hero as Boris. When Svyatopolk calls him to Kiev, he immediately sets off. Not far from Smolensk, the killers sent by Svyatopolk overtake him, and Gleb resignedly, without showing any resistance, allows himself to be killed. However, the image of Gleb does not repeat Boris in everything. Unlike Boris, tormented by a gloomy foreboding, Gleb does not suspect anything, even when he learns about the death of his father and the death of his brother. He only expresses a desire to meet his beloved brother in heaven as soon as possible, if it is impossible on earth.
Gleb is naively enthusiastic about the world around him, he does not believe that he can be killed. At the sight of the killers approaching him in a boat, he, not noticing their gloomy faces, rejoices at the meeting. The fact that they are going to kill him, Gleb guesses only when they began to "jump" into his boat, holding swords in their hands. Gleb, trembling all over, asks for mercy, as the children ask: "Don't touch me, don't touch me!" He does not understand what and why he must die. Gleb's defenselessness is very touching. This is one of the brightest ancient Russian literature.
Introduced into the "Tale" and internal monologues. They are pronounced, as the chronicler writes, by the heroes, "they speak in their hearts."
The psychological state of the characters is also reproduced in the author's descriptions. The author even tries to convey to the readers the inconsistency of feelings that gripped the characters. So, in the soul of Boris one feeling is replaced by another: grief in connection with the premonition of death and joy in anticipation of the martyrdom of the ideal Christian hero. This is a living immediacy in the expression of feelings, characteristic of ancient literature, moreover, these are already clearly expressed features of psychologism.
The monologues of Boris and Gleb are not devoid of imagery and lyricism. So, for example, Boris’s lamentation for his dead father: “Alas for me, the light of my eyes, the radiance and dawn of my face, the bridle of my youth, the instruction of my foolishness! Alas for me, my father and my lord! such a good teaching and instructions of your mind? Alas for me, alas for me! My sun has set, and I was not with you! 5 .
In this monologue, the author turned to oratorical prose and, at the same time, to the imagery of folk lamentation. Folk poetry gave the hero's speech a certain lyricism, made it possible to more clearly express the feelings of filial grief. Two feelings are mixed in Gleb's soul - grief from the foreboding of death and the joy that an ideal hero-martyr should experience in anticipation of a martyr's end.
In the image of Prince Svyatopolk, the world of light and goodness, as in Russian folklore, is sharply opposed to the world of darkness and evil. Already at the beginning of the work, the author ascribes to him the epithet "cursed", while depicting him, he does not spare black colors. Svyatopolk - "damned", "the second Cain, whose thoughts are caught by the devil", he has "bad lips", "evil voice". For the crimes committed, Svyatopolk bears a worthy punishment. Defeated by Yaroslav, he flees from the battlefield in panic. The author writes: "The accursed Svyatopolk ran and the demon attacked him. And his body relaxed so that he could not sit on a horse. And they carried him on a stretcher." He constantly hears the clatter of Yaroslav's horses chasing him: "Let's run! They are chasing us!" And they sent to see him, but there was no one chasing or pursuing him, and he, lying in weakness, exclaimed, saying: "Let's run! They are pursuing again!" And he could not stay in one place. And he ran to the Lyash land, driven by the wrath of God. And he ran to an uninhabited place between the Czechs and the Poles, and here he ended his life in torment. And he received retribution from God, who sent fatal ulcers on him and after death flour eternal." And, if the brothers killed by him are considered saints, then from the grave of Svyatopolk "a stench emanates as an edification to people ... And from that time sedition on Russian soil ceased." This emphasizes the author's desire for the unity of Russia.
QUESTIONS AND TASKS
- Using vocabulary and reference material, find out how the genre of life is defined and how it is characterized, what are its composition and style.
- Do the following belong to life as a genre? artistic techniques: a three-part composition, a solemnly elevated style, combined with an actual narrative about life, a strictly defined image of the hero ("villain", "saint"), as well as an image of the hero, close to icon painting?
- Show on concrete examples genre features of "The Life of Boris and Gleb". Find out its connections with oral folk art.
- Briefly retell the content of the work, maintaining its style and conveying the author's attitude to the depicted.
- How is life connected with the idea of condemning the fratricidal feuds of princes and the patriotic idea of a "great Russian country"?
- Compare its plot with the story of the blinding of Vasilko Terebovskiy. What general ideas excite the authors? Why are they described in such detail in the annals?
- What expression does "the world of light and goodness" find in the work?
- How is Boris' halo of holiness created? Why can we say about him that he is a saint?
- What human traits are inherent in his appearance? Follow the text for examples of the manifestation of Boris's living human feelings.
- What place does the motif of tears occupy in the characterization of Boris? Support with words from the text.
- What distinguishes Gleb from Boris? What features of his character is emphasized by the author?
- How is the dramatic situation around the young prince?
- Retell the scene of the murder of Gleb.
- What means does the author use to reveal the inner world of the characters (monologues, laments, prayers and other artistic means)?
- Read the praise to Boris and Gleb. What role do these saints play, according to the author, what did they do for the Russian land?
- What place does the idea of unity and defense of the Russian land occupy in this glorification?
- Why were historical figures canonized as saints?
- In what other monuments of ancient Russian literature and for what purpose was the hagiographic story about Boris and Gleb included?
The emergence of original hagiographic literature was associated with the general political struggle Russia for the assertion of its religious independence, the desire to emphasize that the Russian land has its own representatives and walks before God. Surrounding the personality of the prince with an aura of holiness, the lives contributed to the political strengthening of the foundations of the feudal system.
An example of the Old Russian princely life is the anonymous "Tale of Boris and Gleb", created, apparently, at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th centuries.
The Tale is based on historical fact the murder of Svyatopolk of his younger brothers Boris and Gleb in 1015. When in the 40s of the XI century. Yaroslav achieved the canonization of the murdered brothers by the Byzantine church, it took the creation of a special work that would glorify the feat of the martyrs and the avenger for their death, Yaroslav. Based on a chronicle story at the end of the 11th century. and was written by an unknown author "The Tale of Boris and Gleb."
The author of The Tale retains historical specificity, setting out in detail all the vicissitudes associated with the villainous murder of Boris and Gleb. Like the chronicle, the "Tale" sharply condemns the murderer - the "cursed" Svyatopolk and opposes fratricidal strife, defending the patriotic idea of \u200b\u200bthe unity of the "Russian Great Country".
The historicism of the narrative of the "Tale" compares favorably with the Byzantine martyrs. It carries the important political idea of tribal seniority in the system of princely succession.
The “Tale” is subordinated to the task of strengthening the feudal legal order, glorifying vassal fidelity: Boris and Gleb cannot break loyalty to their older brother, who replaces their father. Boris refuses the offer of his warriors to seize Kiev by force.
Gleb, warned by his sister Predslava about the impending murder, voluntarily goes to his death. Also glorified is the feat of vassal fidelity of the servant of Boris - the lad George, who covers the prince with his body.
The "Tale" does not follow the traditional compositional scheme of life, which usually describes the whole life of the ascetic - from his birth to death. It sets out only one episode from the life of its heroes - their villainous murder. Boris and Gleb are portrayed as ideal Christian martyr heroes. They voluntarily accept the "martyr's crown".
The glorification of this Christian feat is sustained in the manner of hagiographic literature. The author equips the narrative with copious monologues - the cries of the heroes, their prayers-sayings, which serve as a means of expressing their pious feelings. The monologues of Boris and Gleb are not devoid of imagery, drama and lyricism.
Such, for example, is Boris’s lamentation for his dead father: “Alas for me, the light of my eyes, the radiance and dawn of my face, the breeze of my anguish, the punishment of my misunderstanding! Alas, my father and lord! Who will I run to? To whom will I take? Where can I be satisfied with such a good teaching and the testimony of your mind? Alas for me, alas for me! How zaide my light, I don’t dry that one! .. "
This monologue uses rhetorical questions and exclamations characteristic of church oratorical prose, and at the same time reflects the figurativeness of folk lamentation, which gives it a certain lyrical tone, allows you to more clearly express the feeling of filial grief.
Gleb's tearful appeal to his killers is filled with deep drama: “Don't reap me, I haven't eaten from life! You won’t reap class, you’ve not already eaten, you won’t bear the milk of laziness! Do not cut the vines, not up to the end of life, but the fruit of the property!
Pious reflections, prayers, laments that are put into the mouths of Boris and Gleb serve as a means of revealing the inner world of the characters, their psychological mood.
Heroes pronounce many monologues “in their minds and thinking”, “say in their hearts”. These internal monologues are the product of the author's imagination. They convey pious feelings, thoughts of ideal heroes. The monologues include quotations from the Psalter, Paremiion.
The psychological state of the characters is also given in the author's description. So, abandoned by the retinue, Boris "... in an ace and sadness, depressingly hearted and climbed into his tent, crying with a crushed heart, and with a joyful soul, pitifully emitting a voice."
Here the author is trying to show how two opposite feelings are combined in the hero's soul: grief in connection with a premonition of death and the joy that an ideal hero-martyr should experience in anticipation of a martyr's end. The living immediacy of the manifestation of feelings constantly collides with etiquette.
So, Gleb, seeing the ships at the mouth of the Smyadyn, sailing towards him, with youthful gullibility, "rejoiced in his soul" "and I would like to receive kisses from them." When the evil killers began to jump into Gleb's boat with naked swords sparkling like water, "abie oars from the hand of a degenerate, and rise from the fear of death."
And now, having understood their evil intention, Gleb, with tears, “losing” his body, prays to the killers: “Do not harm me, my dear and dragging brothers! Don't hurt me, you've done nothing wrong! Do not shave (touch) me, brethren and Lord, do not shy! Here we have before us the truth of life, which is then combined with the etiquette dying prayer, befitting a saint.
Boris and Gleb are surrounded in the "Tale" with an aura of holiness. This goal is served not only by the exaltation and glorification of the Christian traits of their character, but also by the widespread use of religious fiction in the description of posthumous miracles.
This typical technique of hagiographic literature is used by the author of the Tale in the final part of the narrative. The same purpose is served by the praise with which the Tale ends. In praise, the author uses traditional biblical comparisons, prayer appeals, resorts to quotations from books of "holy scripture".
This is the characterization of Boris: “Thelm was red, tall, face round, shoulders great, tnk in the loins, eyes of kindness, cheerful face, small beard and mustache, young be still, shining like a Caesar, strong body, decorated in every possible way, like the color of the flower in his humility, in ratkh harbr, wise in light, and reasonable with everything, and the grace of God tsvetyaashe on him.
The heroes of Christian virtue, the ideal princes-martyrs in the "Tale" are opposed to a negative character - the "cursed" Svyatopolk. He is possessed by envy, pride, lust for power and a fierce hatred of his brothers.
The reason for these negative qualities The author of the "Tale" sees Svyatopolk in his origin: his mother was a blueberry, then she was stripped and taken as a wife by Yaropolk; after the murder of Yaropolk by Vladimir, she became the wife of the latter, and Svyatopolk descended from two fathers.
The characteristic of Svyatopolk is given according to the principle of antithesis with the characteristics of Boris and Gleb. He is the bearer of all negative human qualities. When depicting him, the author does not spare black colors. Svyatopolk is “cursed”, “tracked”, “second Cain”, whose thoughts are caught by the devil, he has “bad lips”, “evil voice”.
For the crime committed, the Holy Regiment bears a worthy punishment. Defeated by Yaroslav, he flees from the battlefield in panic fear, “... breaking his bones, as if he were not strong enough to ride a gray-haired horse. And carry him on a stretcher." He constantly hears the clatter of the horses of Yaroslav chasing him: “Run! Get married again! Oh me! and you can’t stand in one place.”
And if the brothers killed by him “live forever”, being the “visor” and “affirmation” of the Russian land, and their bodies turn out to be incorruptible and emit a fragrance, then from the grave of Svyatopolk, which is “to this day”, “come. .. the stink of evil at the testimony of a man.
Svyatopolk is opposed not only to the "earthly angels" and "heavenly people" Boris and Gleb, but also to the ideal earthly ruler Yaroslav, who avenged the death of his brothers. The author of the "Tale" emphasizes the piety of Yaroslav, putting into his mouth a prayer, allegedly uttered by the prince before the battle with Svyatopolk.
In addition, the battle with Svyatopolk takes place in the very place, on the Alta River, where Boris was killed, and this fact becomes symbolic meaning. With the victory of Yaroslav, the "Tale" connects the cessation of sedition ("And from that time on, sedition reigned in the Russ of the earth"), which emphasized his political topicality.
The dramatic nature of the narrative, the emotionality of the style of presentation, the political topicality of the Tale made it very popular in ancient Russian writing (it has come down to us in 170 lists).
Kuskov V.V. History of ancient Russian literature. - M., 1998
Translation by D. S. Likhachev
Lord, bless, Father! “The generation of the righteous will be blessed,” says the prophet, “and their descendants will be blessed.” So it happened shortly before our days under the autocrat of the whole Russian land, Vladimir, the son of Svyatoslav, the grandson of Igor, who enlightened the whole Russian land with holy baptism. About his other virtues we will tell in another place, but now is not the time. We will talk about the same that we started in order. Vladimir had 12 sons, and not from one wife: their mothers were different. The eldest son is Vysheslav, after Izyaslav, the third is Svyatopolk, who planned this evil murder. His mother is Greek, formerly a nun. Vladimir's brother Yaropolk, seduced by the beauty of her face, cut her hair, and took her as his wife, and conceived from her the accursed Svyatopolk. Vladimir, at that time still a pagan, having killed Yaropolk, took possession of his pregnant wife. So she gave birth to this accursed Svyatopolk, the son of two fathers-brothers. Therefore, Vladimir did not love him, because he was not from him. And from Rogneda Vladimir had four sons: Izyaslav, and Mstislav, and Yaroslav, and Vsevolod. From another wife were Svyatoslav and Mstislav, and from a Bulgarian wife - Boris and Gleb. And Vladimir put them all in different lands to reign, which we will say in another place, but here we will tell about those about whom this story is.
Vladimir put the accursed Svyatopolk to reign in Pinok, and Yaroslav in Novgorod, and Boris in Rostov, and Gleb in Murom. However, I will not go into too much explanation, so as not to forget the main thing in verbosity, but about whom I started, we will tell this. A lot of time passed, and when 28 years had passed after holy baptism, the days of Vladimir came to an end - he fell into a serious illness. At the same time, Boris came from Rostov, and the Pechenegs again moved the army to Russia, and great sorrow seized Vladimir, because he could not oppose them, and this greatly saddened him. He then called Boris to him, named Roman in holy baptism, blessed and quick to obey, and, giving him many soldiers under his command, sent him against the godless Pechenegs. Boris went with joy, saying: “I am ready to do before your eyes what the will of your heart commands.” About such Pritochnik said: "There was a son obedient to his father and beloved by his mother."
When Boris, having set out on a campaign and not meeting the enemy, returned back, a messenger came to him and told him about the death of his father. He told how his father Vasily had died (this name was given to Vladimir in holy baptism) and how Svyatopolk, concealing the death of his father, dismantled the platform in Berestovo at night and, wrapping the body in a Carpet, lowered him on ropes to the ground, took him on a sleigh and put him in the Church of the Holy Mother of God. And when Saint Boris heard this, his body began to weaken, and his whole face was wet with tears, shedding tears, unable to speak. Only in his heart did he think like this: “Alas for me, the light of my radiance and the dawn of my face, the bridle of my youth, the mentor of my inexperience! Alas, my father and my lord! To whom shall I resort, to whom shall I turn my gaze? Where else can I find such wisdom and how can I manage without the instructions of your mind? Alas for me, alas for me! How did you go down, my sun, and I was not there! If I were there, I would remove your honest body with my own hands and betray it to the grave. But I did not carry your valiant body, I was not honored to kiss your beautiful gray hairs. O blessed one, remember me at your resting place! My heart burns, my soul confuses my mind, and I don’t know who to turn to, who to tell this bitter sadness? Brother, whom I revered as a father? But he, I feel, cares about worldly fuss and plots my murder. If he sheds my blood and decides to kill me, I will be a martyr before my Lord. I will not resist, for it is written: "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." And in the epistle of the apostle it is said: "Whoever says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, is a liar." And again: "There is no fear in love; perfect love casts out fear." So what will I say, what will I do? I’ll go to my brother and say: “Be my father, because you are my elder brother. What will you command me, my lord?
And thinking so in his mind, he went to his brother and said in his heart: “Will I even see my younger brother Gleb, like Joseph - Benjamin?” And he decided in his heart: “Let your will be done, Lord!” I thought to myself: “If I go to my father’s house, then many people will persuade me to drive my brother away, as my father did for the sake of glory and reign in this world before holy baptism. And all this is transient and fragile, like a web. Where will I go after my departure from this world? Where will I be then? What answer will I get? Where will I hide my many sins? What did my father's brothers or my father gain? Where is their life and the glory of this world, and scarlet, and feasts, silver and gold, wine and honey, plentiful dishes, and frisky horses, and adorned and great mansions, and many riches, and tributes, and countless honors, and boasting of their boyars . All this seemed to have never happened: everything with them disappeared, and there is no help from anything - neither from wealth, nor from many slaves, nor from the glory of this world. So Solomon, having experienced everything, having seen everything, mastering everything and gathering everything, said about everything: “Vanity of vanities - all is vanity!” Salvation is only good deeds in true faith and unfeigned love."
Going his own way, Boris thought about his beauty and youth, and shed tears all over. And he wanted to hold back, but he couldn't. And all who saw him also mourned his youth and his physical and spiritual beauty. And each in his soul groaned from the sorrow of his heart, and all were seized with sorrow.
Who will not mourn, presenting this pernicious death before the eyes of his heart?
His whole appearance was dull, and his holy heart was contrite, for the blessed one was truthful and generous, quiet, meek, humble, he pitied everyone and helped everyone.
This is how God-blessed Boris thought in his heart and said: “I knew that my brother evil people incite to my murder and he will destroy me, and when he sheds my blood, then I will be a martyr before my Lord, and the Master will receive my soul. Then, forgetting mortal sorrow, he began to comfort his heart with God's word: "He who sacrifices his soul for the sake of Me and My teaching will find and keep it in Eternal Life." And he went with a joyful heart, saying: “Lord, merciful, do not reject me, who trusts in You, but save my soul!”
Svyatopolk, having sat down to reign in Kiev after the death of his father, called the people of Kiev to him and, having generously endowed them, let them go. He sent the following message to Boris: “Brother, I want to live with you in love and I will add more to the possession received from my father.” But there was no truth in his words. Svyatopolk, having come to Vyshgorod at night, secretly summoned Putyla and the Vyshgorod husbands to him and said to them: “Confess to me without hiding - are you devoted to me?” Putyla replied: "We are all ready to lay down our heads for you."
When the devil, the primordial enemy of all that is good in people, saw that Saint Boris placed all his hope on God, he began to intrigue and, as in ancient times, Cain, plotting fratricide, caught Svyatopolk. He guessed the thoughts of Svyatopolk, truly the second Cain: after all, he wanted to kill all the heirs of his father in order to seize all power alone.
Then the accursed accursed Svyatopolk called to himself accomplices of atrocity and instigators of all untruth, opened his filthy lips and cried out in an evil voice to Putyl’s squad: “Since you promised to lay down your heads for me, then go secretly, my brothers, and where you will meet my brother Boris, having improved the time is right, kill him." And they promised him to do it.
The prophet said about such people: “They are quick to kill. Defiled by bloodshed, they bring misfortune upon themselves. Such are the ways of all those who commit iniquity - with wickedness they destroy their souls.
Blessed Boris returned and spread his camp on Alta. And the squad told him: "Go, sit in Kiev on your father's princely table - after all, all the soldiers are in your hands." He answered them: “I cannot raise my hand against my brother, besides, also the oldest, whom I honor as a father.” Hearing this, the soldiers dispersed, and he was left only with his youths. And it was the Sabbath. In anguish and sadness, with a dejected heart, he entered his tent and wept in contrition of heart, but with an enlightened soul, plaintively exclaiming: “Do not reject my tears, Master, for I trust in You! May I be rewarded with the fate of your servants and share the lot with all your saints, You are a merciful God, and we offer glory to You forever! Amen".
He remembered the torment and sufferings of the holy martyr Nikita and saint Vyacheslav, who were killed in the same way, and how her own father was the murderer of Saint Barbara. And he remembered the words of the wise Solomon: "The righteous live forever, and from the Lord is their reward and adornment from the Most High." And only these words comforted and rejoiced.
Meanwhile, evening came, and Boris ordered Vespers to be sung, and he himself went into his tent and began to create evening prayer with bitter tears, frequent sighing and incessant lamentations. Then he went to bed, and his sleep was disturbed by dreary thoughts and sadness, bitter, and heavy, and terrible: how to endure torment and suffering and end life, and save faith, and accept the prepared crown from the Hands of the Almighty. And, waking up early, he saw that it was already morning time. And it was Sunday. He said to his priest: "Get up, start matins." Himself, putting on shoes and washing his face, began to pray to the Lord God.
Those sent by Svyatopolk came to Alta at night, and came close, and heard the voice of the blessed martyr singing the Psalter at matins. And he had already received the news of the impending murder of him. And he began to sing: “Lord! How my enemies have multiplied! Many rise up against me" - and the rest of the psalms to the end. And, having begun to sing according to the Psalter: “A crowd of dogs surrounded me and fat calves surrounded me,” he continued: “Lord, my God! I trust in You, save me!” And after that he sang the canon. And when he finished matins, he began to pray, looking at the icon of the Lord and saying: “Lord Jesus Christ! Like you, who appeared on earth in this image and by your own will let yourself be nailed to the cross and accept suffering for our sins, grant me to accept suffering in this way!
And when he heard an ominous whisper near the tent, he trembled, and tears flowed from his eyes, and said: “Glory to Thee, Lord, for everything, for You have honored me with envy for the sake of accepting this bitter death and enduring everything for the love of Thy commandments. You yourself did not want to escape the torment, you did not wish for yourself, follow the commandments of the apostle: "Love is long-suffering, believes everything, does not envy and does not exalt itself." And again: "There is no fear in love, for true love casts out fear." Therefore, Lord, my soul is always in Your hands, for I have not forgotten Your commandment. As the Lord wills, so shall it be." And when they saw the priest Borisov and the youth serving the prince, his master, embraced by sorrow and sadness, they wept bitterly and said: “Our merciful and dear lord! What goodness you are filled with, that you did not want to oppose your brother for the love of Christ, and how many soldiers you kept at your fingertips! And having said this, they were sad.
And suddenly they saw those rushing to the tent, the gleam of weapons, drawn swords. And without pity the honest and many-merciful body of the holy and blessed Christ's martyr Boris was pierced. The accursed ones struck him with spears: Putsha, Talets, Elovich, Lyashko. Seeing this, his youth covered the body of the blessed one with himself, exclaiming: “Let me not leave you, my beloved sir, where the beauty of your body fades, here I will be able to end my life!”
He was a Hungarian by birth, named George, and the prince rewarded him with a golden hryvnia, and was loved by Boris immensely. Then they pierced him, and, wounded, he jumped out of the tent in a daze. And those standing near the tent spoke: “Why are you standing and looking! Having begun, let us complete what we have been commanded.” Hearing this, the blessed one began to pray and ask them, saying: “My dear and beloved brothers! Wait a little, let me pray to God." And looking up at the sky with tears, and sighing to grief, he began to pray with these words: “Lord, my God, many-merciful, and merciful, and merciful! Glory to Thee, for having granted me to escape from the seductions of this deceitful life! Glory to Thee, generous giver of life, for vouchsafed me a feat worthy of the holy martyrs! Glory to Thee, Lord-philanthropist, who made me fulfill the innermost desire of my heart! Glory to Thee, O Christ, glory to Thy immeasurable mercy, for Thou hast directed my steps to the right path! Look from the height of Your holiness and see the pain of my heart, which I suffered from my relative - because for Your sake they kill me on this day. I have been equated with a ram ready to be slaughtered. You know, Lord, that I do not resist, do not contradict, and having under my hand all the soldiers of my father and all whom my father loved, I did not plot anything against my brother. He raised as much as he could against me. “If the enemy reproached me, I would endure it; if my hater slandered me, I would hide from him. But You, Lord, be a Witness and judge between me and my brother and do not condemn them, Lord, for this sin, but accept my soul in peace. Amen".
And, looking at his killers with a sorrowful look, with a haggard face, shedding tears all over, he said: “Brothers, when you start, finish what was entrusted to you. And may there be peace to my brother and to you, brothers!”
And all who heard his words could not utter a word from fear and bitter sadness and abundant tears. With bitter sighs, they lamented and wept plaintively, and each one wailed in his soul: “Alas for us, our merciful and blessed prince, guide to the blind, clothing to the naked, staff to the elders, mentor to the foolish! Who will direct them now? I didn’t want the glory of this world, I didn’t want to have fun with honest nobles, I didn’t want greatness in this life. Who will not be amazed at such great humility, who will not humble himself, seeing and hearing his humility?
And so Boris rested, betraying his soul into the hands of the Living God on the 24th day of the month of July, 9 days before the August calendars.
They also killed many youths. They could not remove the hryvnia from George, and, having cut off his head, they threw it away. Therefore, they could not identify his body.
Blessed Boris, wrapped in a tent, put on a cart and taken away. And when they were riding in the forest, he began to raise his holy head. Upon learning of this, Svyatopolk sent two Varangians, and they pierced Boris in the heart with a sword. And so he died, assuming an unfading crown. And, having brought his body, they laid it in Vyshgorod and buried it in the ground near the church of St. Basil.
And the accursed Svyatopolk did not stop at this murder, but in his fury he began to prepare for a greater crime. And, seeing the fulfillment of his cherished desire, he did not think about his villainous murder and the severity of sin, and did not repent of his deed in the least. And then Satan entered his heart, beginning to incite to even greater atrocities and new murders. Thus the accursed one spoke in his soul: “What shall I do? If I dwell on this murder, then two fates await me: when my brothers find out about what has happened, they will lie in wait for me and reward me worse than what I have done. And if not melting, then they will expel me and lose the throne of my father, and regret for my lost land will gnaw me, and the reproach of those who reproach will fall on me, and another will seize my reign, and there will be no living soul left in my dwellings. For I have destroyed the beloved of the Lord, and I have added a new sore to the sickness; I will add lawlessness to iniquity. After all, the sin of my mother will not be forgiven, and I will not be inscribed with the righteous, but my name will be taken from the Book of Life. And so it happened, about which we will tell later. Now is not the time yet, but back to our story.
And, having planned this, the evil devil's accomplice sent for the blessed Gleb, saying: “Come without delay. Father is calling you, he is seriously ill.
Gleb quickly got ready, mounted his horse and set off with a small squad. And when they came to the Volga, a horse in a pit stumbled under him in the field and slightly injured his leg. And how Gleb came to Smolensk, departed not far from Smolensk and stood on Smyadyn, in a boat. And at this time, news came from Predslava to Yaroslav about the death of his father. And Yaroslav sent to Gleb, saying: “Do not go, brother. Your father died, and your brother was killed by Svyatopolk.
And, hearing this, the blessed one cried out with bitter weeping and heartfelt sorrow, and so he said: “Oh, alas for me, Lord! Doubly weeping and groaning, doubly lamenting and grieving. Alas for me, alas for me! I cry bitterly for my father, and even more bitterly I cry and mourn for you, my brother and lord, Boris. How was he pierced, how was he killed without pity, if not from the enemy, but from his brother did he accept death? Alas for me! It would be better for me to die with you than to live alone and orphaned without you in this world. I thought that I would soon see your angelic face, but what a misfortune befell me, it would be better for me to die with you, my lord! What am I going to do now, unhappy, deprived of your kindness and wisdom of my father? O my dear brother and lord! If your prayers reach the Lord, pray for my sorrow, so that I may be able to accept the same torment and be with you, and not in this vain world.
And when he so groaned and wept, irrigating the earth with tears and calling on God with frequent sighs, his evil servants sent by Svyatopolk suddenly appeared, ruthless bloodsuckers, fierce brother-haters, ferocious beasts, tearing out the soul.
The saint was sailing at that time in a boat, and they met him at the mouth of the Smyadyn. And when the saint saw them, he rejoiced in his soul, and when they saw him, they became gloomy and began to row towards him, and he thought - they want to greet him. And, when they swam alongside, the villains began to jump into his boat with naked swords shining like water in their hands. And immediately all the oars fell out of their hands, and everyone died from fear. Seeing this, the blessed one realized that they wanted to kill him. And, looking at the murderers with a meek gaze, washing his face with tears, humbled himself, in contrition of heart, sighing tremblingly, bursting into tears and weakening his body, he began pitifully to beg: “Do not touch me, my dear and dear brothers! Don't touch me, who hasn't done you any harm! Have mercy, my brothers and masters, have mercy! What offense have I done to my brother and to you, my brothers and masters? If there is any offense, then take me to your prince and to my brother and master. Have pity on my youth, have mercy, my lords! Be my masters, and I will be your slave. Do not destroy me, in the life of a young man, do not reap an ear that has not yet ripened, poured with the juice of malice! Do not cut the vine that has not yet grown, but has fruit! I beg of you and put myself at your mercy. Be afraid of the apostle who said through the mouth: “Do not be children of the mind: be like babies for an evil deed, but be of full age in your mind.” But I, brothers, are still young both in deed and in age. This is not murder, but savagery! What evil have I done, tell me, and then I will not complain. If you want to get enough of my blood, then I, brothers, are in the hands of yours and my brother, and your prince. And not a single word put them to shame, but like fierce beasts attacked him. He, seeing that they did not heed his words, began to say: “May my beloved father, and Mr. Vasily, and my mother, my lady, and you, brother Boris, be the mentor of my youth, and you, brother and accomplice Yaroslav, and you, brother and enemy Svyatopolk, and all of you, brothers and squad, may everyone be saved! I will no longer see you in this life, for they forcefully separate me from you. And he said, crying: “Vasily, Vasily, my father and master! Bow your ears and hear my voice, look and see what happened to your son, how they kill me for nothing. Alas for me, alas for me! Hear, heaven, and listen, earth! And you, Boris, brother, hear my voice. I called my father Vasily, and he did not heed me, do you really not want to hear me? Look at the sorrow of my heart and the pain of my soul, look at the streams of my tears flowing like a river! And no one listens to me, but you remember me and pray for me before the Lord of all, for you are pleasing to Him and stand before His Throne.
And, kneeling down, he began to pray: “Most generous and merciful Lord! Do not despise my tears, have mercy on my sorrow. Look at the contrition of my heart: they kill me for no one knows what, no one knows for what guilt. You know, Lord my God! I remember the words you said to your apostles: “For My Name, for My sake they will raise their hands against you, and you will be betrayed by relatives and friends, and brother will betray brother to death, and they will kill you for the sake of My Name.” And again: “With patience, strengthen your souls.” Look, Lord, and judge: my soul is ready to stand before you, Lord! And we give glory to you, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen"
Then he looked at the murderers and said in a plaintive and broken voice: “Since you have begun, having begun, do what you were sent to do!”
Then the accursed Goryaser ordered to kill him without delay. The cook, Glebov, named Torchin, took a knife and, grabbing the blessed one, slaughtered it, like a blameless and innocent lamb, on the 5th day of September, on Monday.
And a pure and fragrant sacrifice was offered to the Lord, and he ascended to the heavenly abodes to the Lord, and saw his beloved brother, and both received the Heavenly Crown, which they aspired to, and rejoiced in the great and inexpressible joy that they received.
The accursed murderers returned to the one who sent them, as David said: "The wicked will return to hell and all those who forget God." And again: “The wicked draw their sword and draw their bow to strike those who walk in the straight path, but their sword will enter into their own heart, and their bows will be crushed, and the wicked will perish.” And when they told Svyatopolk that “they fulfilled your command,” then, having heard this, he ascended in his heart, and what the psalmist David said came true: “Why do you boast of strong villainy? Iniquity in this day, your tongue has conceived iniquity. You loved evil more than good, more lies than telling the truth. You have loved all kinds of disastrous speech, and your tongue is flattering. Therefore, God will crush you to the end, tear you down and uproot you from your dwelling place and your family from the land of the living.”
When they killed Gleb, they threw him in a deserted place between two logs. But the Lord, who does not leave his servants, - as David said, - "guards all their bones, and not one of them will be broken."
And this saint, who had been lying for a long time, was not left by God in ignorance and neglect, but he kept unharmed and marked with phenomena: merchants, hunters and shepherds passing by this place sometimes saw a pillar of fire, sometimes burning candles or heard Angolan singing. And not a single one who saw and heard this came to mind to look for the body of the saint, until Yaroslav, unable to endure this evil murder, moved on the fratricide of the accursed Svyatopolk and began to fight cruelly with him. And always, by the will of God and the help of the saints, Yaroslav won the battles, and the accursed fled to shame and returned defeated.
And then one day this accursed one came with many Pechenegs, and Yaroslav, having gathered an army, went out to meet him on Alta and stood in the place where Saint Boris was killed. And, raising his hands to heaven, he said: “The blood of my brother, as before Abel, cries out to You, Master. And you will avenge him and, like the fratricide of Cain, plunge Svyatopolk into horror and awe. I pray you, Lord, may my brothers be avenged! If you have departed from here with your body, then by grace you are alive and stand before the Lord and help me with your prayer!
After these words, the opponents met with each other, and the Altskoye field was covered with a multitude of warriors. And at sunrise they went into battle, and there was a slaughter of evil, they fought three times and fought like that all day, and only in the evening Yaroslav defeated, and the accursed Svyatopolk fled. And madness seized him, and his joints became so weak that he could not sit on a horse, and they carried him on a stretcher. They ran with him to Berest. He says: “Let’s run, because they are chasing us!” And they sent to reconnoiter, and there were neither pursuing nor following in the footsteps of him. And he, lying helpless and rising, exclaimed: “Let's run further, they are chasing! Woe is me!" It was unbearable for him to stay in one place, and he ran through the Polish land, driven by the wrath of God. And he ran to a deserted place between the Czech Republic and Poland and then dishonorably died. And he accepted vengeance from the Lord: he brought Svyatopolk to death the illness that seized him, and after death he received eternal torment. And so he lost both lives: here he not only reigned, but also lost his life, and there he not only did not receive the Kingdom of Heaven and did not receive stay with the angels, but was betrayed to torment and fire. And his grave has been preserved to this day, and a terrible stench comes from it as a warning to all people. If anyone does the same, knowing this, he will pay even worse. Cain, not knowing about revenge, accepted a single punishment, and Lamech, who knew about the fate of Cain, was punished seventy times harder. Such is revenge on those who do evil: here is Julian Caesar - he shed a lot of blood of the holy martyrs, and he suffered a terrible and inhuman death: it was not known by whom he was pierced with a spear in the heart. Likewise, this one - it is not known from whom, running away, died a shameful death.
And since then, the strife in the Russian land has ceased, and Yaroslav took over the entire Russian land. And he began to ask about the bodies of the saints - how and where were they buried? And they told him about Saint Boris that he was buried in Vyshgorod. And not everyone knew about Saint Gleb that he was killed near Smolensk. And then they told Yaroslav what they heard from those who came from there: how they saw light and candles in a deserted place. And, having heard this, Yaroslav sent priests to Smolensk to find out what was the matter, saying: "This is my brother." And they found him, where there were visions, and, having come there with many crosses and candles, and with censers, they solemnly laid Gleb in the boat [
TALKING AND SUFFERING AND PRAISE TO THE HOLY MARTYRS
BORIS AND GLEB
M hello to you, dear visitors of the Orthodox website "Family and Faith"!
6 August and May 15, the Church prayerfully celebrates the holy saints of God - the noble princes-passion-bearers Boris and Gleb!
WITH The holy princes became famous for their prayerfulness and spirituality during their lifetime. Avoiding the vain and worldly, they aspired to the Heavenly. The elder brother, Boris, quite often read the lives of the saints to his younger brother Gleb, where both admired the courage and steadfastness of the martyrs for the faith of Christ. Deep down, the brothers also wanted to accept martyrdom to win incorruptible crowns in Heaven!
H Below we enclose the Legend of the Holy Passion-Bearing Princes Boris and Gleb, in which their holy and charitable life is described in detail.
Preparation of the text, translation and comments by L. A. Dmitrieva
G Lord, bless, father! “The generation of the righteous will be blessed,” said the prophet, “and their descendants will be blessed.”
So it happened shortly before our days under the autocrat of the whole Russian land, Vladimir, the son of Svyatoslav, the grandson of Igor, who enlightened the whole Russian land with holy baptism. About his other virtues we will tell in another place, but now is not the time. We will talk about the same that we started in order. Vladimir had 12 sons, and not from one wife: their mothers were different. The eldest son is Vysheslav, after him - Izyaslav, the third - Svyatopolk, who planned this evil murder. His mother is Greek, formerly a nun. Vladimir's brother Yaropolk, seduced by the beauty of her face, cut her hair, and took her as his wife, and conceived from her the accursed Svyatopolk. Vladimir, at that time still a pagan, having killed Yaropolk, took possession of his pregnant wife. So she gave birth to this accursed Svyatopolk, the son of two fathers-brothers. Therefore, Vladimir did not love him, because he was not from him. And from Rogneda Vladimir had four sons: Izyaslav, and Mstislav, and Yaroslav, and Vsevolod. From another wife were Svyatoslav and Mstislav, and from a Bulgarian wife - Boris and Gleb. And Vladimir put them all in different lands to reign, which we will say in another place, but here we will tell about those about whom this story is.
Vladimir put the accursed Svyatopolk to reign in Pinsk, and Yaroslav in Novgorod, and Boris in Rostov, and Gleb in Murom. However, I will not go into too much explanation, so as not to forget the main thing in verbosity, but about whom I started, we will tell this. A lot of time passed, and when 28 years had passed after holy baptism, the days of Vladimir came to an end - he fell into a serious illness. At the same time, Boris came from Rostov, and the Pechenegs again moved the army to Russia, and great sorrow seized Vladimir, because he could not oppose them, and this greatly saddened him. Then he called to himself Boris, who was named Roman in holy baptism, blessed and quick to obey, and, giving him many soldiers under his command, sent him against the godless Pechenegs. Boris went with joy, saying: “I am ready to do before your eyes what the will of your heart commands.” About such Pritochnik said: "There was a son obedient to his father and beloved by his mother."
When Boris, having set out on a campaign and not meeting the enemy, returned back, a messenger came to him and told him about the death of his father. He told how his father Vasily had died (this name was Vladimir in holy baptism) and how Svyatopolk, hiding the death of his father, dismantled the platform in Berestovo at night and, wrapping the body in a carpet, lowered him on ropes to the ground, took him on a sleigh and placed in the church of the Holy Mother of God. And when Saint Boris heard this, his body began to weaken, and his whole face was wet with tears, shedding tears, unable to speak. Only in his heart did he think like this: “Alas for me, the light of my eyes, the radiance and dawn of my face, the bridle of my youth, the mentor of my inexperience! Alas, my father and my lord! To whom shall I resort, to whom shall I turn my gaze? Where else can I find such wisdom and how can I manage without the instructions of your mind? Alas for me, alas for me! How did you go down, my sun, and I was not there! If I were there, I would remove your honest body with my own hands and betray it to the grave. But I did not carry your valiant body, I was not honored to kiss your beautiful gray hairs. O blessed one, remember me in the place of your rest! My heart is on fire, my soul confuses my mind and I don’t know who to turn to, who to tell this bitter sadness? Brother, whom I revered as a father? But he, I feel, cares about worldly fuss and plots my murder. If he sheds my blood and decides to kill me, I will be a martyr before my Lord. I will not resist, for it is written: "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." And in the epistle of the apostle it is said: "Whoever says:" I love God, "and hates his brother, he is a liar." And again: "There is no fear in love; perfect love casts out fear." So what will I say, what will I do? Here I will go to my brother and say: “Be my father - after all, you are my elder brother. What will you command me, my lord?
And, thinking so in his mind, he went to his brother and said in his heart: “Will I even see my younger brother Gleb, like Joseph Benjamin?” And he decided in his heart: “Let your will be done, Lord!” I thought to myself: “If I go to my father’s house, then many people will persuade me to drive my brother away, as I did, for the sake of glory and reign in this world, my father until holy baptism. But all this is transient and fragile, like a web. Where will I go after my departure from this world? Where will I be then? What answer will I get? Where will I hide my many sins? What did my father's brothers or my father gain? Where is their life and the glory of this world, and scarlet, and feasts, silver and gold, wine and honey, plentiful dishes, and frisky horses, and adorned and great mansions, and many riches, and countless tributes and honors, and boasting of their boyars? All this seemed to have never happened: everything with him disappeared, and there is no help from anything - neither from wealth, nor from many slaves, nor from the glory of this world. So Solomon, having experienced everything, having seen everything, mastering everything and gathering everything, spoke about everything: “Vanity of vanities - all is vanity!” Salvation is only in good deeds, in true faith and in unfeigned love.”
Going his own way, Boris thought about his beauty and youth, and shed tears all over. And he wanted to hold back, but he couldn't. And all who saw him also mourned his youth and his physical and spiritual beauty. And each in his soul groaned from the sorrow of his heart, and all were seized with sorrow.
Who will not mourn, presenting this pernicious death before the eyes of his heart?
His whole appearance was gloomy, and his holy heart was contrite, for the blessed one was truthful and generous, quiet, meek, humble, he pitied everyone and helped everyone.
This is how the blessed Boris thought in his heart and said: “I knew that evil people were inciting my brother to kill me, and he would destroy me. And when he sheds my blood, then I will be a martyr before my Lord, and the Master will receive my soul. Then, forgetting mortal sorrow, he began to comfort his heart with God's word: "He who sacrifices his soul for me and my teaching will find and keep it in eternal life." And he went with a joyful heart, saying: “Lord, merciful, do not reject me, who trusts in you, but save my soul!”
Svyatopolk, having sat down to reign in Kiev after the death of his father, called the people of Kiev to him and, having generously endowed them, let them go. He sent the following message to Boris: “Brother, I want to live with you in love and I will add more to the possession received from my father.” But there was no truth in his words. Svyatopolk, having come to Vyshgorod at night, secretly summoned Putsha and the Vyshgorod husbands to him and said to them: “Confess to me without hiding - are you devoted to me?” Putsha replied: "We are all ready to lay down our heads for you."
When the devil, the primordial enemy of all that is good in people, saw that Saint Boris placed all his hope on God, he began to intrigue and, as in ancient times, Cain, plotting fratricide, caught Svyatopolk. He guessed the thoughts of Svyatopolk, truly the second Cain: after all, he wanted to kill all the heirs of his father in order to seize all power alone.
Then the cursed accursed Svyatopolk called to himself accomplices of atrocity and instigators of all untruth, opened his filthy lips and cried out in an evil voice to Putsha's squad: “Since you promised to lay down your heads for me, then go secretly, my brothers, and where you will meet my brother Boris, having improved the time is right, kill him." And they promised him to do it.
The prophet said about such people: “They are quick to kill. Defiled by bloodshed, they bring misfortune upon themselves. Such are the ways of all those who commit iniquity - with wickedness they destroy their souls.
Blessed Boris returned and spread his camp on Alta. And the squad told him: "Go, sit in Kiev on your father's princely table - after all, all the soldiers are in your hands." He answered them: “I cannot raise my hand against my brother, and besides, also the eldest, whom I honor as a father.” Hearing this, the soldiers dispersed, and he was left only with his youths. And it was the Sabbath. In anguish and sadness, with a dejected heart, he entered his tent and wept in contrite heart, but with an enlightened soul, plaintively exclaiming: “Do not reject my tears, Lord, for I trust in you! May I be rewarded with the fate of your servants and share the lot with all your saints, you are a merciful God, and we praise you forever! Amen".
He remembered the torment and suffering of the holy martyr Nikita and saint Vyacheslav, who were killed in the same way, and how her own father was the murderer of Saint Barbara. And he remembered the words of the wise Solomon: "The righteous live forever, and from the Lord is their reward and adornment from the Most High." And only these words comforted and rejoiced.
Meanwhile, evening came, and Boris ordered Vespers to be sung, and he himself entered his tent and began to perform the evening prayer with bitter tears, frequent sighing and continuous lamentations. Then he went to bed, and his sleep was disturbed by dreary thoughts and sadness, bitter, and heavy, and terrible: how to endure torment and suffering, and end life, and save faith, and accept the prepared crown from the hands of the Almighty. And, waking up early, he saw that it was already morning time. And it was Sunday. He said to his priest: "Get up, start matins." Himself, putting on shoes and washing his face, began to pray to the Lord God.
Those sent by Svyatopolk came to Alta at night, and came close, and heard the voice of the blessed martyr, singing the Psalter at matins. And he had already received the news of the impending murder of him. And he began to sing: “Lord! How my enemies have multiplied! Many rise up against me" - and the rest of the psalm, to the end. And, having begun to sing according to the Psalter: “A crowd of dogs surrounded me, and fat calves surrounded me,” he continued: “Lord, my God! I trust in you, save me!” And then the canon sang. And when he finished matins, he began to pray, looking at the icon of the Lord and saying: “Lord Jesus Christ! Like you, who appeared on earth in this image and by your own will let yourself be nailed to the cross and suffer for our sins, grant me to accept suffering like that!
And when he heard an ominous whisper near the tent, he trembled, and tears flowed from his eyes, and said: “Glory to you, Lord, for everything, for you have honored me with envy for the sake of accepting this bitter death and enduring everything for the love of Thy commandments. We ourselves did not want to escape torment, we did not wish ourselves anything, following the commandments of the apostle: "Love is long-suffering, believes everything, does not envy and does not exalt itself." And again: “There is no fear in love, for true love casts out fear.” Therefore, Lord, my soul is always in your hands, for I have not forgotten your commandment. As the Lord wills, so shall it be." And when they saw the priest Borisov and the youth serving the prince, his master, embraced by sorrow and sadness, they wept bitterly and said: “Our merciful and dear lord! What goodness you are filled with, that you did not want to oppose your brother for the love of Christ, and how many soldiers you kept under your arm! And having said this, they were sad.
And suddenly he saw those rushing to the tent, the gleam of weapons, drawn swords. And without pity the honest and many-merciful body of the holy and blessed Christ's martyr Boris was pierced. The accursed Putsha, Talets, Elovich, Lyashko hit him with spears.
Seeing this, his youth covered the body of the blessed one with himself, exclaiming: “Let me not leave you, my beloved sir, where the beauty of your body fades, here I will be able to end my life!”
He was a Hungarian by birth, named George, and the prince rewarded him with a golden hryvnia, and was loved by Boris immensely. Here he was pierced.
And, wounded, he jumped out of the tent in a daze. And those standing near the tent spoke: “Why are you standing and looking! Having begun, let us complete what we have been commanded.” Hearing this, the blessed one began to pray and ask them, saying: “My dear and beloved brothers! Wait a little, let me pray to God." And looking up at the sky with tears, and sighing bitterly, he began to pray with these words: “Lord, my God, many-merciful and merciful and merciful! Glory to you that you have granted me to escape from the seduction of this deceitful life! Glory to you, generous giver of life, for vouchsafed me a feat worthy of the holy martyrs! Glory to you, Lord, philanthropist, who made me fulfill the innermost desire of my heart! Glory to you, Christ, glory to your immeasurable mercy, for you directed my steps to the right path! Look from the height of your holiness and see the pain of my heart, which I suffered from my relative - because for your sake they kill me on this day. I have been equated with a ram ready to be slaughtered. After all, you know, Lord, I do not resist, I will not contradict, and having under my hand all the soldiers of my father and all whom my father loved, I did not plot anything against my brother. He raised as much as he could against me. “If the enemy reproached me, I would endure it; if my hater slandered me, I would hide from him. But you, Lord, be a witness and execute judgment between me and my brother. And do not condemn them, Lord, for this sin, but accept my soul in peace. Amen".
And looking at his murderers with a sorrowful look, with a haggard face, shedding tears all over, he said: “Brothers, having begun, finish the assignment entrusted to you. And may there be peace to my brother and to you, brothers!”
And all who heard his words could not utter a word for fear and bitter sadness and abundant tears. With bitter sighs, they lamented and wept plaintively, and each one wailed in his soul: “Alas for us, our merciful and blessed prince, guide to the blind, clothing to the naked, staff to the elders, mentor to the foolish! Who will direct them now? I didn’t want the glory of this world, I didn’t want to have fun with honest nobles, I didn’t want greatness in this life. Who will not be amazed at such great humility, who will not humble himself, seeing and hearing his humility?
And so Boris rested, betraying his soul into the hands of the living God on the 24th day of the month of July, 9 days before the August calendars.
They also killed many youths. They could not remove the hryvnia from George, and, having cut off his head, they threw it away. Therefore, they could not identify his body.
Blessed Boris, wrapped in a tent, put on a cart and taken away. And when they were riding in the forest, he began to raise his holy head. Upon learning of this, Svyatopolk sent two Varangians, and they pierced Boris in the heart with a sword. And so he died, assuming an unfading crown. And, having brought his body, they laid it in Vyshgorod and buried it in the ground near the church of St. Basil.
And the accursed Svyatopolk did not stop at this murder, but in his fury he began to prepare for a greater crime. And when he saw the fulfillment of his cherished desire, he did not think about his villainous murder and the severity of sin, and did not repent of his deed in the least. And then Satan entered his heart, beginning to incite to even greater atrocities and new murders. So he spoke in his accursed soul: “What will I do? If I dwell on this murder, then two fates await me: when my brothers find out about what has happened, they will lie in wait for me and reward me worse than what I have done. And if not, then they will expel me and lose the throne of my father, and regret for my lost land will devour me, and the reproach of those who reproach me will fall on me, and another will seize my reign, and there will be no living soul left in my dwellings. For I have destroyed the beloved of the Lord, and I have added a new sore to the sickness; I will add lawlessness to iniquity. After all, the sin of my mother will not be forgiven, and I will not be inscribed with the righteous, but my name will be taken out of the books of life. And so it happened, about which we will tell later. Now is not the time yet, but back to our story.
And, having planned this, the evil devil's accomplice sent for the blessed Gleb, saying: “Come without delay. Father is calling you, he is seriously ill.
Gleb quickly got ready, mounted his horse and set off with a small squad. And when they came to the Volga, in the field a horse stumbled under him in a hole, and slightly injured his leg. And how Gleb came to Smolensk, departed not far from Smolensk and stood on Smyadyn, in a boat. And at this time, news came from Predslava to Yaroslav about the death of his father. And Yaroslav sent to Gleb, saying: “Do not go, brother! Your father died, and your brother was killed by Svyatopolk.
And, hearing this, the blessed one cried out with bitter weeping and heartfelt sorrow, and so he said: “Oh, alas for me, Lord! Doubly weeping and groaning, doubly lamenting and grieving. Alas for me, alas for me! I cry bitterly for my father, and even more bitterly I cry and mourn for you, my brother and lord, Boris. How was he pierced, how was he killed without pity, if not from the enemy, but from his brother did he accept death? Alas for me! It would be better for me to die with you than to live alone and orphaned without you in this world. I thought that I would soon see your angelic face, but what a misfortune befell me, it would be better for me to die with you, my lord! What am I going to do now, unhappy, deprived of your kindness and wisdom of my father? O my dear brother and lord! If your prayers reach the Lord, pray for my sorrow, so that I may be able to accept the same torment and be with you, and not in this vain world.
And when he so moaned and wept, irrigating the earth with tears and calling on God with frequent sighs, his evil servants sent by Svyatopolk, ruthless bloodsuckers, fierce brother-haters with the soul of ferocious beasts, suddenly appeared.
The saint was sailing at that time in a boat, and they met him at the mouth of the Smyadyn. And when the saint saw them, he rejoiced in his soul, and when they saw him, they became gloomy and began to row towards him, and he thought - they want to greet him. And, when they swam alongside, the villains began to jump into his boat with naked swords shining like water in their hands. And immediately all the oars fell out of their hands, and everyone died from fear. Seeing this, the blessed one realized that they wanted to kill him. And, looking at the murderers with a meek gaze, washing his face with tears, humbled himself, in contrition of heart, sighing tremblingly, bursting into tears and weakening his body, he began pitifully to beg: “Do not touch me, my dear and dear brothers! Don't touch me, who hasn't done you any harm! Have mercy, my brothers and masters, have mercy! What offense have I done to my brother and to you, my brothers and masters? If there is any offense, then take me to your prince and to my brother and master. Have pity on my youth, have mercy, my lords! Be my masters, and I will be your slave. Do not destroy me, in the life of a young man, do not reap an ear that has not yet ripened, poured with the juice of malice! Do not cut the vine that has not yet grown, but has fruit! I beg of you and put myself at your mercy. Be afraid of the apostle who said through the mouth: “Do not be children of the mind: be like babies for an evil deed, but be of full age in your mind.” But I, brothers, are still young in deed and age. This is not murder, but savagery! What evil have I done, tell me, and then I will not complain. If you want to get enough of my blood, then I, brothers, are in the hands of yours and my brother, and your prince.
And not a single word put them to shame, but like fierce beasts attacked him. He, seeing that they did not heed his words, began to say: “May my beloved father and Mr. Vasily, and my lady mother, and you, brother Boris, be the mentor of my youth, and you, brother and accomplice, be delivered from eternal torment. Yaroslav, and you, brother and enemy Svyatopolk, and all of you, brothers and squad, may everyone be saved! I will no longer see you in this life, for they forcefully separate me from you. And he said crying: “Vasily, Vasily, my father and master! Bow your ears and hear my voice, look and see what happened to your son, how they kill me for nothing. Alas for me, alas for me! Hear, heaven, and listen, earth! And you, brother Boris, hear my voice. I called my father Vasily, and he did not heed me, do you really not want to hear me? Look at the sorrow of my heart and the pain of my soul, look at the streams of my tears flowing like a river! And no one listens to me, but you remember me and pray for me before the Lord of all, for you are pleasing to him and stand before his throne.
And, kneeling down, he began to pray: “Most generous and merciful Lord! Do not despise my tears, have mercy on my sorrow. Look at the contrition of my heart: they kill me for no one knows what, no one knows for what guilt. You know, Lord my God! I remember the words you said to your apostles: “For my name, for my sake they will raise their hands against you, and you will be betrayed by relatives and friends, and brother will betray brother to death, and they will kill you for the sake of my name.” And again: “With patience strengthen your souls.” Look, Lord, and judge: my soul is ready to stand before you, Lord! And we give glory to you, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen".
Then he looked at the murderers and said in a plaintive and broken voice: “Since you have begun, having begun, do what you were sent to do!”
Then the accursed Goryaser ordered to kill him without delay. The cook, Glebov, named Torchin, took a knife and, grabbing the blessed one, slaughtered it, like a blameless and innocent lamb, on the 5th day of September, on Monday.
And a pure and fragrant sacrifice was offered to the Lord, and he ascended to the heavenly abodes to the Lord, and saw his beloved brother, and both received the heavenly crown that they were striving for, and rejoiced at the great and inexpressible joy that they received.
The accursed murderers returned to the one who sent them, as David said: "The wicked will return to hell and all those who forget God." And again: “The wicked draw their sword and draw their bow to strike those who walk in the straight path, but their sword will enter into their own heart, and their bows will be crushed, and the wicked will perish.” And when they told Svyatopolk that “they fulfilled your command,” then, having heard this, he ascended in his heart, and what the psalmist David said came true: “Why do you boast of villainy strong? Iniquity in this day, your tongue has conceived iniquity. You loved evil more than good, more lies than telling the truth. You have loved all kinds of disastrous speech, and your tongue is flattering. Therefore, God will crush you to the end, tear you down and uproot you from your dwelling place and your family from the land of the living.”
When they killed Gleb, they threw him in a deserted place between two logs. But the Lord, who does not leave his servants, as David said, "guards all their bones, and not one of them will be broken."
And this saint, who had been lying for a long time, God did not leave in ignorance and neglect, but kept him unharmed and marked the phenomena: merchants, hunters and shepherds passing by this place sometimes saw a pillar of fire, sometimes burning candles or heard angelic singing.
And not a single one who saw and heard this came to mind to look for the body of the saint, until Yaroslav, unable to endure this evil murder, moved on the fratricide of the accursed Svyatopolk and began to fight cruelly with him. And always, by the will of God and the help of the saints, Yaroslav won the battles, and the accursed one was put to shame and returned defeated.
And then one day this accursed one came with many Pechenegs, and Yaroslav, having gathered an army, went out to meet him on Alta and stood in the place where Saint Boris was killed. And, raising his hands to heaven, he said: “The blood of my brother, as before Abel, cries out to you, Vladyka. And you will avenge him and, like the fratricide of Cain, plunge Svyatopolk into horror and awe. I pray you, Lord, - may he be rewarded for this. And he prayed and said: “Oh, my brethren, although you have departed from here in body, you are alive by grace and you will help me before the Lord and with your prayer!”
After these words, the opponents met with each other, and the Altskoye field was covered with a multitude of warriors. And at sunrise they went into battle, and there was a slaughter of evil, they fought three times and fought like that all day, and only in the evening Yaroslav defeated, and the accursed Svyatopolk fled. And madness seized him, and his joints became so weak that he could not sit on a horse, and they carried him on a stretcher. They ran with him to Berest. He says: “Let’s run, because they are chasing us!” And they sent to scout, and there were no pursuers, nor those following in his footsteps. And he, lying helpless and rising, exclaimed: “Let's run further, they are chasing! Woe is me!" It was unbearable for him to stay in one place, and he ran through the Polish land, driven by the wrath of God.
And he ran to a deserted place between the Czech Republic and Poland and then dishonorably died. And he accepted vengeance from the Lord: he brought Svyatopolk to death the illness that seized him, and after death - eternal torment. And so he lost both lives: here he not only reigned, but also lost his life, and there he not only did not receive the kingdom of heaven and did not receive stay with the angels, but was betrayed to torment and fire. And his grave has been preserved to this day, and a terrible stench comes from it as a warning to all people. If anyone does the same, knowing this, he will pay even worse. Cain, not knowing about revenge, accepted a single punishment, and Lamech, who knew about the fate of Cain, was punished seventy times harder. Such is revenge on the evildoers. Here is Julian Caesar - he shed a lot of blood of the holy martyrs, and he suffered a terrible and inhuman death: it is not known who was pierced by a spear in the heart. Likewise, this one - it is not known from whom, running away, died a shameful death.
And since then, the strife in the Russian land has ceased, and Yaroslav took over the entire Russian land. And he began to ask about the bodies of the saints - how and where were they buried? And they told him about Saint Boris that he was buried in Vyshgorod. And not everyone knew about Saint Gleb that he was killed near Smolensk. And then they told Yaroslav what they heard from those who came from there: how they saw light and candles in a deserted place. And, having heard this, Yaroslav sent priests to Smolensk to find out what was the matter, saying: "This is my brother." And they found him, where there were visions, and, having come there with crosses, and many candles, and with censers, they solemnly put Gleb in a boat and, returning, buried him in Vyshgorod, where the body of blessed Boris lies; having dug up the earth, here Gleb was laid with due honor.
And this is what is wonderful and marvelous and worthy of memory: for so many years the body of Saint Gleb lay and remained unharmed, not touched by any predatory beast or worms, it did not even turn black, as usually happens with the bodies of the dead, but remained bright and beautiful, whole and fragrant. So God preserved the body of his passion-bearer.
And many did not know about the relics of the holy martyrs lying here. But, as the Lord said: “A city standing on the top of a mountain cannot hide, and, having lit a candle, they do not put it under a bushel, but put it on a candlestick so that it shines for everyone.” So God set these saints to shine in the world, to shine with numerous miracles in the great Russian land, where many suffering people are healed: the blind receive their sight, the lame run faster than the chamois, the hunchbacked straighten up.
It is impossible to describe or tell about the miracles being performed, truly the whole world cannot accommodate them, for there are more marvelous miracles than the sand of the sea. And not only here, but also in other countries, and throughout all the lands, they pass, driving away diseases and illnesses, visiting those imprisoned in dungeons and shackled. And in those places where they were crowned with martyr's crowns, churches were created in their name. And many miracles happen to those who come here.
I don’t know, therefore, what praise to give you, and I’m perplexed, and I can’t decide what to say? I would call you angels, for without delay you appear to all who mourn, but you lived on earth among people in human flesh. But if I call you people, then by your countless miracles and help to the weak you surpass the human mind. Whether I proclaim you emperors or princes, you surpassed the most simple and humble people with your humility, and this led you to high places and dwellings.
Truly you are Caesars to Caesars and princes to princes, for with your help and protection our princes defeat all opponents and are proud of your help. You are our weapons, Russian lands protection and support, double-edged swords, with them we overthrow the audacity of the filthy and trample the devilish machinations on earth. Truly and without a doubt I can say: you are heavenly people and earthly angels, pillars and support of our land! You defend your fatherland and help in the same way as the great Demetrius did his fatherland. He said, "As I was with them in joy, so in their destruction I will die with them." But if the great and merciful Demetrius said so about only one city, then you are not about a single city, not about two, not about some village, you are baking and praying, but about the whole Russian land!
Oh, blessed are the tombs that received your honest bodies as a treasure of great value! Blessed is the church in which your holy tombs are placed, keeping your blessed bodies in themselves, O saints of Christ! Truly blessed and majestic of all Russian cities and the highest city that has such a treasure. There is no equal to him in the whole world. Vyshgorod is rightfully named - higher and higher than all cities: the second Thessalonica appeared in the Russian land, healing free of charge, with God help, not only our united people, but bringing salvation to the whole earth. Those who come from all lands receive healing for free, as in the holy Gospels the Lord said to the holy apostles: “Freely you have received, freely give.” Of these, the Lord himself said: “He who believes in me, in the works that I do, will do them himself, and will do more than these.”
But, O blessed martyrs of Christ, do not forget the fatherland where you lived your earthly life, never leave it. In the same way, always pray for us in prayers, so that misfortune and illness will not befall us, and the bodies of your servants will not touch. Grace has been given to you, pray for us, because God has set you as intercessors and intercessors for us. Therefore, we resort to you, and, falling down with tears, we pray that we will not be under the heel of the enemy, and the hand of the wicked may not destroy us, may no harm touch us, remove hunger and troubles from us, and deliver us from the enemy's sword and internecine strife, and from every trouble and attack, protect us who trust in you. And bring our prayer to the Lord God with zeal, for we sin greatly, and there is a lot of iniquity in us, and we act out of order with excess and without measure. But, hoping for your prayers, let us cry out to the Savior, saying: “Lord, one without sin! Look from your holy heavens at us, the poor, and although we have sinned, forgive us, and although we do iniquity, have mercy, and those who have fallen into error, like a harlot, forgive us and, like a publican, justify! May your mercy descend on us! May your kindness pour on us! And do not let us perish because of our sins, do not let us fall asleep and die a bitter death, but deliver us from the evil reigning in the world and give us time to repent, for many of our iniquities are before you, Lord! Judge us according to your mercy, Lord, for your name is called in us, have mercy on us and save and protect us with the prayers of your glorious martyrs. And do not betray us to reproach, but pour out your mercy on the sheep of your flock, because you are our God and we send glory to you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen!"
About Boris, what a view. This faithful Boris was of good roots, obedient to his father, obeying his father in everything. He was handsome in body, tall, with a round face, broad shoulders, thin at the waist, kind eyes, cheerful face, a small beard and mustache - for he was still young, shone royally, was strong, was decorated with everything - like a flower he bloomed in his youth of his own, he was brave in his armies, wise in advice and reasonable in everything, and the grace of God blossomed in him.
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When Prince Vladimir died, his stepson Svyatopolk seized the throne. He was not a legitimate heir, because Vladimir had many children of his own. To get rid of the applicants, Svyatopolk sent his people to kill these children. Boris and Gleb were the eldest, and therefore the most dangerous.
Boris immediately said that he did not want a war between his native people, so he disbanded the squad and renounced the throne. He was ready to take Svyatopolk for his father, if only not to fight and not to sow enmity. But when he was praying, the envoys of Svyatopolk stabbed him to death.
Gleb was warned about the murder of his brother and was told that perhaps the same fate awaited him. Svyatopolk decided to deceive Gleb. He made up a story about his father's illness.
Gleb immediately left the house. He was very sad, so he did not notice how the enemies swam up to his boat. The envoys of Svyatopolk attacked and killed. Gleb did not resist, but accepted death with humility, as he understood that the dark heart of Svyatopolk could no longer be corrected.
After the death of Boris and Gleb, the people enrolled them as saints, since everyone was struck by the strength of their faith and martyrdom.
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Updated: 2017-08-07
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