Ivan Bunin’s 1893 poem “Trinity” about a village liturgy on the feast of Trinity

A droning bell calls us to prayer,
Ringing on sunbeams over the cornfields;
The distance of the water-meadows drowns in blue,
And the river on the meadows sparkles and burns.
And in the village since morning the liturgy goes on in the church:
The whole ambo is strewn with green grass,
The altar, radiant and adorned with flowers,
Is lit by the amber glow of candles and the sun.
And the choir sings ringingly, merry and ragged,
And a breeze brings fragrance in at the windows…
Your day has come today, weary, meek brother,
Your spring feast, bright and serene!
Today from your toil-worn sown fields
You have brought here simple offerings as gifts:
Garlands of young birch boughs,
A quiet sigh of sorrow, a prayer, and humility.

Literal translation

Trinity. Ivan Bunin, 1893

Illustration: Trinity Day, Boris Kustodiev, 1920

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Ivan Bunin’s 1893 poem “Trinity” about a village liturgy on the feast of Trinity

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