Anthology of Russian literature from the earliest period to the present time, volume 1 (of 2) : $b From the tenth century to the close of the eighteenth centuryWiener, Leo
General
Anthology of Russian literature from the earliest period to the present time, volume 1 (of 2) : $b From the tenth century to the close of the eighteenth century
Wiener, Leo
Russia -- Literary collections; Russian literature -- Translations into English
The Prince gave me permission to place my lamp there and readily sent
his best man with me to the œkonomos of the Holy Resurrection and to
him who has charge of the Sepulchre. Both the œkonomos and the keeper
of the keys to the Holy Sepulchre ordered me to bring my lamp with the
oil. I bowed to them with great joy, and went to the market-place and
bought a large glass lamp which I filled with pure oil without water,
and carried it to the Sepulchre. It was evening when I asked for the
keeper of the keys and announced myself to him. He unlocked the door of
the Sepulchre, told me to take off my shoes, and led me bare-footed to
the Sepulchre with the lamp which I carried with my sinful hands. He
told me to place the lamp on the Sepulchre, and I put it with my sinful
hands there where are the illustrious feet of our Lord Jesus Christ.
At his head stood a Greek lamp, on his breast was placed a lamp of St.
Sabbas and of all the monasteries, for it is a custom to place every
year a Greek lamp and one for St. Sabbas. By the grace of God the lower
lamps lighted themselves, but not a single one of the lamps of the
Franks, which are hung up, was lighted up. Having placed my lamp upon
the Sepulchre of our Lord Jesus Christ, I bowed before the worshipful
grave, and with love and tears kissed the holy and glorious place where
lay the illustrious body of our Lord Jesus Christ. We came out of the
Holy Sepulchre with great joy, and went each to his cell.
Next day, on the Holy Saturday, in the sixth hour of the day, people
gather before the church of the Resurrection of Christ; there is an
endless number of people from all countries, from Babylon and Egypt and
Antioch, and all the places about the church and about the crucifixion
of the Lord are filled. There is then such a crowd inside and outside
the church that many are crushed while waiting with unlit candles for
the church doors to be opened. Within, the priests and people wait
until Prince Baldwin’s arrival with his suite, and when the doors are
opened all the people crowd in, and fill the church, and there is a
large gathering in the church and near Golgotha and near Calvary and
there where the Lord’s cross had been found. All the people say nothing
else, but keep repeating: “Lord, have mercy upon us!” and weep aloud so
that the whole place reverberates and thunders with the cries of these
people. The faithful shed rivers of tears, and if a man’s heart were of
stone, he could not keep from weeping, for then everybody looks within
himself, remembers his sins, and says: “Perchance on account of my sins
the Holy Ghost will not descend!” And thus all the faithful stand with
tearful countenances and contrite hearts. Prince Baldwin himself stands
there in great fear and humility, and a torrent of tears issues from
his eyes; and his suite stand around him, opposite the grave and near
the great altar.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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