O, MY LORD GOD
Why cannot I take up Thy chains,
Lord God, and bear them as my own!
Why cannot I endure Thy pain,
Accept Thy Cross upon me lain,
And on my head Thy thorny crown!
If I but could in veneration
With my lips touch Thy holy robe,
Or dusty traces of Thy feet,
O, my Lord God, that art my hope,
My strength, my shield against defeat!
I would give all my meditations
To Thee, the blessing of my songs,
Thoughts of my days, my vigils long,
And every heartbeat I would render,
And my whole soul to Thee surrender…
- Count Aleksey Tolstoy
Poem translated by Kosara Gavrilovic