Oleg Shtelman - Calming the Storm

In Belarus I have been born,
And right before the war would start,
I suddenly became an orphan,
As my own home was torn apart.

I lived with very distant aunt of mine,
A little village, not so far from Minsk,
I got along with family of hers so fine,
And there I went to school to study.

As war came, I have only turned thirteen,
Fascists are everywhere with awful grief at feet,
They took us boys and there we were, fifteen,
To dig the soil next to forest as they always did.

To dig a trench so much deep,
To cover the ones killed right there,
They lead someone, I turn pale and weep,
The Jews for the death they prepare.

They lived in a village next from there,
A community whole and a Rabbi then.
They put them. Veins shake in a stare.
When suddenly German comes up to them,

Beckoning Rabbi with his finger,
He said: “You tell-them-any-word!” in barking voice,
He looked up all with awful fiery ginger,
Gave sweets to girls and all the little boys.

And as behind the Rabbi he then stood,
I thought of teacher right away:
What out of his heart he took,
What precious he’d still carry to this day.

And then a world, just like a diamond shone,
Flashing with priceless single line of word,
Arrested spoke like thunderstorm,
Shining like lighting, like an arrow’s cord:

“The friends of mine, my fathers and my brothers!
The sorrow came here for a reason bold,
Misfortune comes from times that are much farther,
And comes from hand that has been dealt by God.

Because back then our ancestors,
Have crucified the Christ of God,
Our branches have been cut from nesting,
By Father from the common rod.

And may today with our blood,
Baptized in God, baptized in Christ,
Forgive us and accept our love in heart,
Accept our souls in the Heavens high”.

He pulled the trigger, one who stood behind,
And quickly bullet flashed so near,
The Rabbi fell, only his curls’ strands few high,
They played with wind knowing no fear.

His eyes have flown far into the lands unknown,
Where he has found eternity to bear,
As if they welcome him so far in purest love,
And God Himself appeared in front near.

The bullets few, ripping the flesh apart,
The bodies rose, then fell into the ground,
Filling the pit we made right from the start,
I closed my eyes in fear with each clicking sound.

So many years have passed since then, but still
I can’t forget the woes of war survived,
And those who died there against their will,
And Rabbi still enchants my aching mind.

I take him as my own God-father since that time,
Because with word of faith, he gave me light,
With fateful act he did, he made me feel alive,
Waking me up for reason that has source deep inside.

I ran away to Monastery here back then,
Throughout entire war I stayed there,
I worked hard as if minister, and when,
They gave me my own Monastery’s cell with care.

Of course, I was baptized right away,
The scriptures I would start to learn,
I learned to cook by then in my own way,
A censer in a temple’s kindle I would burn.

Carpenter’s work I did and sow the clothes,
Chopping the wood without being proud,
A little joke at times without being nosey,
Some use in everything in life somehow I always found.

The war has ended, then it went for once,
I fell in love with girl I came to know,
By tasting sufferings and sweet of thirst romance,
I took her as my destiny to love.

The children have grown long time ago,
And through the world they have walked away;
And drinking wine of life to end, my love,
She went away to God, to Light, in her own day.

A Monastery-pier is calling me once more,
To come here every time and then it feels so true,
Now I shall leave, – memories will open every door,
So I shall end my destiny’s telling here for you.

The tears have covered the shapes of churches tops,
And then I thought that maybe it is he,
In Heaven’s temple made of apse,
Along with Rabbi give a stare at me.

I know for sure – there in Lord’s Home,
He and the Rabbi met again.
Listing through pages of my memory alone,
Of all the earthly days I think.

They thank the Master of this world,
For giving light through their way,
A lyre of God the hearts have touched;
Enlightened with the truth each day.

Remember them in our prayer,
As they will pray for our names,
For standing through each battle’s layer,
For all beloved and for every hour that came.

Our Heavenly Father, in a light so full of wonder,
The souls of rebels, give them peace,
And show to all that through the Earth still wander,
A perfect craft of divine, I ask Thee please.

The Spring, it caresses with light,
And then the blood so young,
Shy with a bouquet kept so tight,
It meets the love so strong.

Along with singing of Spring birds,
The gardens in full bloom,
The priceless whisper and the thoughts,
The gifts of moment’s loom.

Towards the summer leaving,
Into the meadows wealthy cling,
All dressed in shades of greenest,
As nightingales will sing.

It strengthens, it grows, and it bestows,
It feeds and shares the gifts it has,
It comforts and enchants with love,
And towards Autumn lays its path.

In beauty transcendental,
A gold will scattered fly,
With widow’s tear not mending,
At times it sometimes cries.

As gracious as pavé,
Like parade it will flow,
With cheers and shouting “Bravo!”,
With star, it will then fall.

A nature in quiet hover,
With emptiness of trees,
With snowflakes it will cover,
With blizzard suddenly sings:

That snow is melting soon,
Earth wakes as droplets ring,
Creator rules the world —
Where there’s eternal Spring.

The shores are fading in the distance,
A boat serves them well and obeying
It floats towards blue all so blissful
A middle of the East it is being.

The speech of Apostles as they sail the sea,
Are quietly murmuring like brooks in a fold
They marvel at miracles that they all see
At all of the glorious acts of the Lord.

The world of the sea comes alive all around,
And God, the Messiah, it meets
And cries of the birds in the skies make a sound:
“Hosanna, our Lord, and the Christ!”

The waves are like hands of a Virgin, the Mary,
So lightly that small boat drove,
And sun is like mother that kisses the baby,
So gently it caresses Christ, our Lord.