Where Are You, Homeland Eternal?

I love this arrangement by Simon Khorolskiy.  He only sings three verses; I, however, found another verse.  They are here translated and versified into English.  (See below for the Russian Lyrics, including the extra verse.)

Where are you beautiful, clean, clear, and spotless
Homeland eternal, my Fatherland!?
My thoughts to you do fly, in higher winged fashion;
Into the blue skies will I focus my gaze!

    --Chorus--
     Over me stretches endless blue heavens;
     A dark flock of cranes fly and wing overhead;
     The cry of the birds is great joy and elation
     To homeland of brightness they return with great joy.

There in the sky above, that cloudless country,
The Shepherd Christ Jesus, waiting for me;
Soon will I come to that Beauty of Holiness,
Then once again my eyes raise up to Heav'n!

     Chorus

I know my Savior is soon coming for me
And then will take home His snowy-white bride!
I only ask of You to keep me on this path
So that I'm spotless in eternity's Day!

     Chorus

Homeland eternal, land of clear blue skies,
Wonderful country, my Fatherland!
Accept my heart and all, the color of my youth,
Into His hands fore'er I give now myself!

     Chorus

Simon Khorolskiy singing a 3-verse version of this song

Где ты прекрасная, светлая ясная

Родина вечная - Отчизна моя

Мысли к тебе летят, в высь устремляются

В синее небо направляю свой взор

         Припев

А надо мною синее небо,

И стаей тёмной летят журавли

В крике их птичьем радости много

В родине светлой возвратились они

Там в вышине небес, в краю безоблачном

Пастырь Иисус Христос ждет уж меня

Скоро ль достигну я той красоты святой

И поднимаю вновь к небу глаза

         Припев

Знаю, Спаситель мой, скоро придешь за мной

И белоснежную церковь возьмешь

Только прошу Тебя, дай устоять в пути

Чтобы без пятнышка в вечность войти

         Припев

Родина вечная, чистое небо
Край мой чудесный, Отчизна моя
Прими мое сердце, цвет моей юности
В руки Иисуса отдаюсь навсегда.

       Припев

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Autumn Comes Upon the Edge of Night

There! Autumn comes upon the edge of night
   With unfurled clouds and hues and sinking sun,
   He broadcasts Summertime's impending flight
   To fairer lands of promised bliss begun.
   But Autumn knows she is the fickle one:
   Her days once started happy, bright, and strong,
   Grew wearisome and dull and overdone.
   Thus Autumn comes to cool the sun-parched throng,
Enliv'ning hearts with crisp and wisp and hue-forged song.

- D. Benning

'Highland Sunset' Eilean Donan Castle, Kyle Of Lochalsh, Scotland
Photo by Christopher Story

Together With You

Вместе Мы с Вами Верили

(Together We with You Believed)

    Translated from Russian, August 2018, D. Benning

Together with you we have believed

Together we loved and sang

Together the road we traveled

Often midst wind and rain.

Our tasks were not big but finished,

Together as fire we burned

Together in snowy evenings

For heaven’s rich land we yearned.

Together we stood as righteous,

Hearing the threats of those wrong

And before God we stood right

Clean before all we were strong.

And there in the sunny, dear land

To Christ we’ll come with song;

There with no tears nor sorrows,

Together we’ll ever belong.

  

I love this version!  It shows how happy the minor keys can be!

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And the music:

When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder

This hymn has long been a favorite across much of the American Evangelical world since it was written in the early part of the 20th Century.

Recently, however, I found out that this beloved hymn has been translated into a variety of other languages including Russian.

Thank you, Simon Khorolskiy, for presenting this hymn in all of its Russian-ness yet with a distinctively American flavor!

I explored the Russian words and found that they were not exactly what was in my English-language hymnal.  Small surprise.  However, it was close in ideas.  And looking at the exact word-for-word translation yielded a richer appreciation for the hymn.  Thus I took it upon myself to re-translate back from Russian, the words and ideas within Simon's Russian version.

On the Heav’nly Roll up Yonder

At the hour when the trumpet of the Lord o’er earth will sound,

And the ever bright’ning glorious dawn will come,

Then the names of all He saved in heav’nly roll call will repeat;

There by Grace alone and God’s great Love I’ll be!

   Chorus

   On the Heav’nly roll up yonder,

   On the Heav’nly roll up yonder,

   On the Heav’nly roll up yonder,

   There by Grace alone and God’s great Love I’ll be!

On the Day of Resurrection for each soul who died in Christ,

He presents them faultless there before the King,

As the saints now washed and sanctified by blood shed on the cross—

He will call and at that summons will I sing!

   Chorus

We will work for You, O Lord our God, in love of all who serve,

From the early morning till the sun has set;

When You tell me then to lay down all my earthly work and rest,

Then upon the heav’nly roll I shall appear!

   Chorus

I present both the Russian hymn version and then the English hymn version based on the Russian for your edification.

And now in English:

Filmed in the Palouse Hills of SE Washington State.

Another version— a cappella, from Tambov Church in Russia

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