❝Михаил Лермонтов
Молитва
В минуту жизни трудную
Теснится ль в сердце грусть:
Одну молитву чудную
Твержу я наизусть.
Есть сила благодатная
В созвучьи слов живых,
И дышит непонятная,
Святая прелесть в них.
С души как бремя скатится,
Сомненье далеко —
И верится, и плачется,
И так легко, легко…❞
(I hope this isn't too непонятная. It doesn't really matter what this poem means - or at least not in terms of John Cleese. He apparently memorised it phonetically without having a clue as to the meaning. It's just your typical sensitive Romantic poet finding life weighing down upon him with dolorous sorrow, and how when he speaks a particular prayer, it exercises a remarkable effect upon him so that he has a bit of a manly cry, squares up his shoulders, and find that things become lighter and easier for him to bear. - In spite of my levity, it's actually a beautiful poem.)
Quoted for obvious reasons. I loved A Fish Called Wanda! In case Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov isn't a sufficiently historical figure, let me throw in Pierre le Pallet (Abelard). That should dulcify the pot.
- Foreign word, ✓
- Literary reference, ✓
- Historical reference, ✓
- Fancy word. ✓
This has been a Fancy Foreign Historical Literary (FanFoHisLit)® post.
