I Have Seen the Ancient Jordan

I have seen the ancient Jordan.
Full of holy love and fear,
Into its gospel waves,
The font of baptism of Christians,
I plunged three times,
Praying that my soul too
Might be washed, graciously, by the wave
Of the sores and stains of existence.

Literal translation

Of those thoughts, of those days,
Amid the cares of daily life,
How few fresh impressions
Have remained in my soul!
They have faded under temptation
And the biting cold of vanities:
There is no pilgrim in me now,
In me, long an empty vessel.

Literal translation

...

The bosom of the bright waters is calm;
On the river's bank stands the Forerunner;
From the surrounding places, from afar,
The people flock to him;
He opens to hope
The chilling breast of the blind;
Preparing the way of God,
He calls the people to repentance.

Literal translation

And there descends from the heights
An unknown, humble wanderer:
"He comes, the chosen one of the Lord,
The Son of God comes to the harvest.
In his hand is a shovel; the time will come,
He will cleanse his threshing-floor,
Will gather the wheat grain
And cast the evil seed into the flame.

Literal translation

Mightier than I, and ahead of me,
Is he who comes after me;
I am not worthy, falling at his feet,
To untie the strap from his foot.
Offspring of the vain world,
Repent: judgment is near. Woe
To trees that grow without fruit:
The axe lies at their root."

Literal translation

So spoke before the crowd,
Which waited in bewilderment for a miracle,
Clad in camel's skin,
The messenger of God, the holy man.
In a picture full of revelation,
You have conveyed all this to us,
As though you yourself had received
The sacrament of baptism from the Forerunner.

Literal translation

To Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov. Pyotr Vyazemsky. 30 June 1855

Illustrations: studies by Alexander Ivanov for the painting "The Appearance of Christ to the People"