boris & gleb 4

Having put this in his mind... 

that evil counselor the Devil summoned the blessed Gleb, saying: "Come quickly, your father summons you and is very sick." 

Gleb quickly mounted his horse and set off with a small retinue [gevolg]. And when he came to the Volga, the horse beneath him stumbled over a rut [groef,voor] in the field and slightly injured his leg. 

And he came to Smolensk, and went on from Smolensk, and within viewing distance therefrom, he boarded a small vessel on the Smiadin river. 

At that time, news of his father's death reached Iaroslav from Predslava, Iaroslav's sister. 

And Iaroslav sent a message to Gleb: "Do not go, brother, your father has died, and your brother has been murdered by Sviatopolk." 

Upon hearing this, the blessed one cried out with bitter weeping and heartfelt grief: "O woe unto me, my Lord! With twofold weeping, I weep and moan, with twofold grief I grieve and groan. Woe unto me, woe unto me! I weep greatly for my father, but I weep even more and have despaired for you, my brother and lord Boris."

And so, as he was groaning and weeping... 

and wetting the earth with his tears, and calling upon God with frequent sighs... 

those sent by Sviatopolk suddenly arrived - those evil servants of his, merciless bloodsuckers, the fiercest of fratricides, having the soul of savage beasts. The saintly one had set of in a small vessel, and they met him at the mouth of the Smiadin. And when he saw them, he rejoiced in his soul. 

But they, upon seeing him, were covered with gloom [duister] and rowed toward him. And he expected to receive greetings from them. But when they drew alongside, the evil ones began to leap [springen] into his boat with bared swords in their hands, which glittered like the water. And immediately the oars [riemen] fell from all hands, and all were numb with fear. 

When the blessed one saw this, he understood they wished to kill him. He gazed at them, with tender eyes, his face bathed in tears, broken in heart, humbled in mind, frequently sighing, choked with tears, and weakened in body, and he lifted his voice in sorrow: 

"Let me be, my precious and dear brethren, for I have done you no evil! Leave me alone, brethren and lords, leave me alone! What wrong have I done my brother and you, my brehtern and lords? If there be some wrong, take me to your prince, to my brother and lord. Have mercy on my youth, have mercy, my lords! You are my lords, I your slave. Reap me not from a life unripened, reap not the ear of grain still unripe but bearing the milk of innocence." 

But not a single word of this shamed them in any way, and like savage beasts they seized him. Then looking at them, he said with a dejected voice and choking throat: "You have already done this in your thoughts. Now that you have come, do what you are sent for." 

Then the accursed Goriaser ordered them so lay him quickly. Gleb's cook, Torchin by name, drew a knife, and seizing the blessed one, slaughtered him like a meek and innocent lamb. 

It was in the month of September, on the fifth day, on Monday.

[bron]