The prayer
The prayer
I beg you, Lord, keep me on my way,
And open for me Your doors to the sunshine,
Give me a chance to reach Your love,
And teach me to hope and to believe.
That my path is still long enough,
And it will not reach the road among stars too soon.
O my God, I beg You, refill the vessel
Of my soul with the wine of life.
Please, don’t rush my horse that’s supposed
To carry me to Your Kingdom.
And yes, I have a lot of sins,
I don’t even know how to pray well.
But I believe in Your infinite love.
Please, teach me to pray, forgive me my sins.
And when my last hour shall come,
I beg You, stand at the head of my bed.
2014
The Motherland
Sunsets and sunrises are special at home,
Where fog covers lakes, where brooks babble,
Where you can hear the singing of the nightingale,
Where there are the vast expanses of my Motherland.
I like to walk through a field in hot summer,
Where the lonely wind whirls dust around
And the invisible skylark in the heavens
Flows its heartwarming warble to the ground.
I like to sit at the shore of the lake at night
When just a fish splashing disturbs the silence,
When the forest darkens, but fireflies
Illuminate my soul like candles.
2015
Twilight
Evening twilight begins. Bushes darken.
Sun’s rays make their way through the trees.
Ragged dark clouds float above the forest.
The clouds call me to the distant lands,
Where the coast is washed by waves,
Where the moon reflects in the sea,
Where other stars shine in the sky,
Where other languages are spoken,
Where eternal summer reigns, where’s no winter,
Where we’ll never see each other again.
2014
To graduates of the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens*
Graduates of the Smolny whirl in a waltz,
And it looks like all of Petersburg dances today.
You can see flirty smiles and beautiful faces,
And music reigns all around.
Let’s dance, young ladies and gentlemen,
You will pass through the war tomorrow.
But girls of the Smolny will become
A symbol of love and hope.
Soulless time is so fleeting and tough,
And new people live in Russia now.
But the waltz of the Smolny Institute
Still sounds in our hearts.
2015
* Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens was the first female educational institution in Russia. It was founded in 1764 in St. Petersburg and it was closed shortly after the Russian October Socialist Revolution at the beginning of 20th century. Today the Smolny Institute is one of the romantic symbols of old Imperial Russia.
About the author:
Lyudmila Tymchuk writes rhyming poems, fairytales and fables. Born on January 11 1952 in the village of Urmary Chuvashi ASSR. Graduated Kazan Medical Institute named after S. V. Kurashov. Has been writing poems since 15 years old. Tymchuk L. D. is a nominee of “Legacy” (2014, 2015), “Poet of the Year” (2014, 2015), and the Sergey Yesenin “My Rus” (2016) literary awards. As well, is currently a member of the Russian Writers’ Association, associate member of the International Writers, Playwrites and Journalists’ Association.
