Attributed to Nestor the Chronicler · Complete work
1111: The Campaign to the Don
1111: The Campaign to the Don of 46. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Old East Slavic
В лѣто 6619. Вложи Богъ Володимеру въ сердце, и нача глаголати брату своему Святополку, понужая его на поганыя, на весну. Святополкъ же повѣда дружини своей рѣчь Володимерю. Они же рекоша: «Не веремя нынѣ погубити смерьды от рольи». И посла Святополкъ к Володимерю, глаголя: «Да быхови ся сняла, и о томъ подумали быхомъ съ дружиною». Послании же приидоша к Володимеру и повѣдаша всю рѣчь Святополчю. И прииде Володимеръ, и срѣтостася на Долобьскѣ. И сѣдоша въ единомъ шатрѣ Святополкъ съ своею дружиною, а Володимеръ съ своею. И бывшу молчанью, и рече Володимеръ: «Брате, ты еси старѣй, почни глаголати, како быхъм промыслили о Русьской земли». И рече Святополкъ: «Брате, ты почни». И рече Володимеръ: «Како я хочю молвити, а на мя хотять молвити твоя дружина и моя, рекуще: хощеть погубити смерды и ролью смердомъ. Но се дивно мя, брате, оже смердовъ жалуете и ихъ коний, а сего не помышляюще, оже на весну начнеть смердъ тотъ орати лошадью тою, и, приѣхавъ, половчинъ ударить смерда стрѣлою, и поиметь лошадку, и жону его, и дѣти его, и гумно его зажжеть. То о сѣмъ чему не мыслите?» И рекоша вся дружина: «Право воистину тако есть».
И рече Святополкъ: «Се азъ, брате, готовъ есмь с тобою». И посласта ко Давыдови Святославичю, веляча ему съ собою. И въста Володимеръ и Святополкъ и цѣловастася, и поидоста на половцѣ Святополкъ съ сыномъ, Ярославъ, и Володимеръ съ сынми, и Давыдъ со сыномъ. И поидоша, возложивше надежю на Бога и на пречистую матерь его, и на святыя ангелы его. И поидоша въ 2 недѣлю поста, а в пятокъ быша на Сулѣ. В субботу поидоша, и быша на Хоролѣ, и ту и сани пометаша. А в недѣлю поидоша, в ню же хрестъ цѣлують, и приидоша на Пселъ, и оттуди сташа на рѣцѣ Голтѣ. Ту пождаша и вои. И оттудо идоша Върьскла, ту же завътра, въ среду, хрестъ цѣловаша и възложиша всю свою надежю на хрестъ со многими слезами. И оттудѣ приидоша многи рѣки въ 6 недѣлю поста, и поидоша к Донови въ вторникъ. И оболичишася во бронѣ, и полки изрядиша, и поидоша ко граду Шаруканю.
И князь Володимеръ пристави попы своя, ѣдучи предъ полкомъ, пѣти тропари и коньдакы хреста честнаго и канунъ святой Богородици. Поѣхаша ко граду, вечеру сущю, и в недѣлю выидоша из города, и поклонишася княземъ рускымъ, и вынесоша рыбы и вино, И перележаша нощь ту. И завътра, въ среду, поидоша к Сугрову и, пришедше, зажьгоша ̀и, а в четвергъ поидоша съ Дона, а в пятницю завътра, мѣсяца марта въ 24 день, собрашася половци, изрядиша половци полки своя и поидоша к боеви. Князи же наши, възложише надежю свою на Бога, и рекоша: «Убо смерть намъ здѣ, да станемъ крѣпко». И цѣловашася другь друга, възведше очи свои на небо, призываху Бога вышняго. И бывшю же соступу и брани крѣпцѣ, Богъ вышний возрѣ на иноплеменникы со гнѣвомъ, падаху предъ хрестьяны. И тако побѣжени быша иноплеменьници, и падоша мнози врази наши, супостати, предъ рускыми князи и вои на потоци Дегѣя. И поможе Богъ рускымъ княземъ. И въздаша хвалу Богу въ тъ день.
И заутра, суботѣ наставшѣ, празноваша Лазарево въскресенье, Благовѣщенья день, и похваливше Бога, проводиша суботу, и в недѣлю приидоша. Наставшю же понедѣлнику страстныя недѣли, паки иноплеменници собраша полки своя многое множество, и выступиша яко борове велиции и тмами тмы. И оступиша полкы рускыи. И посла Господь Богъ ангела в помощь русьскымъ княземъ. И поидоша половецьстии полъци и полъцѣ русьстѣи, и зразишася первое с полкомъ, и трѣсну аки громъ сразившимася челома. И брань бысть люта межи ими, и падаху обои. И поступи Володимеръ с полки своими и Давыдъ, и, возрѣвше, половци вдаша плещи свои на бѣгъ. И падаху половци предъ полкомъ Володимеровомъ, невидимо бьеми ангеломъ, яко се видяху мнози человѣци, и главы летяху, невидимо стинаемы на землю. И побиша я в понедѣльникъ страстный, мѣсяца марта въ 27 день. Избьени быша иноплеменницѣ многое множество на рѣцѣ Салницѣ. И спасе Богъ люди своя.
Святополкъ же и Володимеръ, и Давыдъ прославиша Бога, давшаго имъ побѣду таку на поганыя, и взяша полона много, и скоты, и кони, и овцѣ, и колодниковъ много изоимаша рукама. И въпросиша колодникъ, глаголюще: «Како васъ толка сила и многое множество не могосте ся противити, но воскорѣ побѣгостѣ?» Си же отвѣщеваху, глаголюще: «Како можемъ битися с вами, а друзии ѣздяху верху васъ въ оружьи свѣтлѣ и страшни, иже помагаху вамъ?» Токмо се суть ангели, от Бога послани помогатъ хрестьяномъ. Се бо ангелъ вложи въ сердце Володимеру Манамаху поустити братью свою на иноплеменникы, русьскии князи. Се бо, якоже рекохомъ, видинье видиша в Печерьскомъ манастыри, еже стояше столпъ огненъ на тряпезници, таже преступѣ на церковь и оттуда к Городцю; ту бо бяше Володимеръ в Радосыни. И тогда се ангелъ вложи Володимеру въ сердце, нача понужати, якоже рекохомъ.
Тѣмже достойно похволяти ангелы, якоже Иоанъ Златоустець рече: ибо ти Творцю безначално поють, милостиву ему быти и тиху человѣкомъ. Ангелы бо, глаголю, наша поборникы, на противныя силы воюющимъ, имьже есть архангелъ Михаилъ, ибо со дьяволомъ тѣла ради Моисиева противяся, на князь же перьский свободы ради людьския противяся. Повеленьемь Божьимъ всю тварь раздѣлити и языкомъ старишины наставляюще. Симъ же нѣкоего перьсямъ презрѣти оправда, Михаила же сущимъ обрѣзаномъ людемъ схранити повелѣ, съставити же предѣлы ихъ прогнѣваньемь, не по грѣховьныя ярости, но от божествьнаго нѣкоего неизреченьнаго слова; сему же работати июдѣемь персямъ нудящю, сему же на свободу изъвлекущю и прилѣжно к Богу молитву приносящю, глаголюще: «Господи вседержителю! Доколѣ не помилуеши Иерусолима и градъ июдовых, ихже презрѣ сѣмьдесятное лѣто?». Его же видѣ видиньемь и Данилъ летяща — лице его, яко видъ молъиный, рещи, очи его, яко свѣщи, и мышьди его и голени, яко видъ мѣди блещащеся, и гласъ слова его, яко гласъ многаго народа.
Отъ нихъ есть осла отвращая и Валама от нечистого волъшьвлѣнья праздно творяй. От нихъ же и мѣчь извлѣкъ противу Иисусу Наугину, помощи ему на противныя образомъ повелѣвая. От нихъ есть 100 и 80 тысящь суриськиихъ единою нощью поразихъ и сонъ варварьскыхъ смѣси смертью. От нихъ же есть, иже пророка Амбакума въздухомъ принесъ скочениемь, да пророка Данила посредѣ же левъ прѣпитаеть. Таковии же убо и тации на враги изящьствують. Такоже есть и боголѣпный Рафаилъ: от единыя рыбы урѣза утрьникы, бѣснующися отроковицю ицѣли и слѣпа старца сълънъця видѣти створи ему. Убо не великихъ ли честий достойни суть, нашю жизнь храняще? Не токмо бо хранитель языкомъ повелени быша аньгели, якоже речено бысть: «Егда раздѣляше Вышний языкы, ихъже разсѣя сыны Адамовы, постави предѣлы языкомъ по числу ангелъ Божиих, но и вѣрнымъ человѣкомъ комуждо достася ангелъ. Ибо отроковица Роди изглаголавши апостоломъ, предъ дверьми стоящю Петру, Иродова лица избѣгь, глаголаху, не имущи вѣры: «И ангелъ его есть». Свидительствуеть же и симъ Господь, глаголя: «Видите и не нерадите единого от малыхъ сихъ: глаголю бо вамъ, яко ангели ихъ видять лице воину Отца моего, сущаго на небесѣхъ». Еще же у коейждо церкви хранителя ангелы пристави Христосъ, якоже открываеть Иоан, глаголя: «Рци ангелу, сущему въ церкьви Измуреньстѣ: видихъ твою нищету и скорбь, нъ богатъ еси»....Доброизвѣстьно убо есть любящимъ насъ ангеломъ, яко насъ ради къ Владыцѣ молящимся. Ибо служебнии дуси суть, якоже и апостолъ глаголеть: «Въ служенье слеми хотящимъ ради наслѣдити спасенье». Ихъ же и поборникы, и споборникы, якоже и ныня слышалъ еси Данила, како въводи архангела Михаила персемь в часъ прогнѣванья нашея ради свободы. Се бо людемъ работати персямъ нужаше, якоже речено бысть, се же раздришити пленьныя тщашеся. И одалаеть Михаилъ противнику, ибо Ефратъ жидове пришедше, отьне пакы селенье прияша, и градъ и церковь създаша. Тако же и великий Епифаний вѣща: «Коемуждо языку ангелъ приставленъ», и Списанье бо к Данилу глагола: «Ангелъ и властеля елиномъ и Михаила властеля июдѣемъ»; глаголеть же: «И постави уставы по числу ангелъ».
И се пакы, якоже Иполитъ глаголеть, толкуеть Данила: «В лѣто третьее Кура цесаря, азъ Данилъ плакахъся три недѣли: перваго же мѣсяца смирихся, моля Бога дьний 20 и 1, прося от него откровенья тайны. И, услышавъ, Отець пусти слово свое, кажа хотящее быти имъ; и бысть на велицѣ рѣцѣ, лѣпо бяшеть ту ся явити, идѣже хотяше и грѣхи отпущати. И возведъ очи свои, видѣхъ: и се мужь одѣнъ в багоръ. Первый рече видѣньемь, аки Гаврилъ ангелъ летя, сдѣ же не тако, но видъ самого Господа, видъ же не свершена человѣка, но образомъ человѣкомъ являющася, якоже глаголеть: „И се мужь одѣнъ въ пъстро, и лядвия его припоясани златомъ чистомъ, и тѣло его, аки фарсисъ, и лице ему, аки молнья, и очи ему, яко свѣщи огненѣи, и мышци ему плещи подобни мѣди чистѣ, и глас его, аки народа многа“. И падохъ на земли, и се я мя аки рука, речи, человѣку, и еще въстави мя на колѣну и рече ко мнѣ: “Не бойся, Даниле, вѣси, что ради приидохъ к тобѣ? Брань хочю створити съ княземъ перьскымь. Но повѣдаю ти писаное в писаньи истинномь, и нѣсть никогоже прящася о сѣмь со мною, развѣ Михаила князя вашего. Того бо оставихъ ту: от него же бо дьне устремися молити предъ Богомъ твоимъ, услыша молитву твою, и пущенъ есмь азъ брань створити со княземь пръскым, съвѣт нѣкоторый бысть не отпустити люди, да скоро убо будеть молитва твоя свершена; противихся ему и оставихъ ту Михаила князя вашего’. Кто есть Михаилъ, развѣ аньгела, прѣданаго людем?» Яко и к Моисиеви глаголеть: «Не имамъ с вами ити на путь, занеже суть людье жестокою выею», но «ангелъ мой идеть с вами».
Якоже и се с Божьею помощью, молитвами святыя Богородица и святыхъ ангелъ, възъвратишася русьстии князи въсвояси съ славою великою къ своимъ людемъ; и ко всимъ странамъ далнимъ, рекуще къ Грекомъ и Угромъ, и Ляхомъ, и Чехомъ, дондеже и до Рима проиде, на славу Богу всегда и ныня, и присно во вѣки, аминь.
Того же лѣта приставися княгини Всеволожая, мѣсяца октября въ 7 день, и положена бысть у святаго Андрѣя в манастыри. Того же лѣта приставися Иоанъ, епископъ черниговьский, мѣсяца ноябьря въ 23.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Old East Slavic text of the Hypatian Codex (O. V. Tvorogov’s 1997 edition, pinned Russian Wikisource revision), covering the undated introduction and every annal from 6360 to 6625 (852–1117 CE). Worker drafts were checked against the source paragraph by paragraph before publication. Years keep the chronicle’s own reckoning from the creation of the world; subtract 5508 for the approximate year CE, as the chapter titles do.
In the year 6619. God put it into Vladimir's heart, and he began to speak to his brother Sviatopolk, urging him to move against the pagans in the spring. Sviatopolk told his retinue what Vladimir had said. They answered: “Now is no time to destroy the peasants by taking them from their fields.” So Sviatopolk sent to Vladimir, saying: “Let us meet, and take counsel with our retinues about this.” The envoys came to Vladimir and delivered to him all of Sviatopolk's words. And Vladimir came, and the two met at Dolobsk. And they sat in one tent, Sviatopolk with his retinue, and Vladimir with his. And when silence had fallen, Vladimir said: “Brother, you are the elder; you begin to speak, and let us consider how we may provide for the land of Rus'.” And Sviatopolk said: “Brother, you begin.” And Vladimir said: “How can I speak, when your retinue and mine will rise up against me, saying: he wants to destroy the peasants and their plowing. But here is what amazes me, brother: you pity the peasants and their horses, yet you do not think of this—in spring that peasant will set out to plow with that very horse, and a Cuman will come riding up, strike the peasant with an arrow, and take his horse, and his wife, and his children, and burn his granary. Why do you not think of that?” And the whole retinue said: “Truly, it is so indeed.”
And Sviatopolk said: “Here am I, brother, ready to go with you.” And the two sent to David Sviatoslavich, bidding him come with them. And Vladimir and Sviatopolk rose and kissed one another, and they set out against the Cumans, Sviatopolk with his son Yaroslav, and Vladimir with his sons, and David with his son. And they marched, setting their hope on God and on his most pure Mother and on his holy angels. They set out in the 2nd week of the fast, and on Friday they were at the Sula. On Saturday they rode on and came to the Khorol, and there they cast away their sledges. On Sunday, the day on which the cross is kissed, they rode on, and came to the Psol, and from there stood on the river Golta. There they waited for their troops. From there they went to the Vorskla, and there the next day, on Wednesday, they kissed the cross and laid all their hope upon the cross, with many tears. From there they crossed many rivers in the 6th week of the fast, and on Tuesday they set out for the Don. They clothed themselves in armor, drew up their squadrons, and marched on the city of Sharukan.
And Prince Vladimir ordered his priests to ride before the army, singing the troparia and kondakia of the venerable Cross and the canon to the holy Mother of God. They rode toward the city at evening, and on Sunday the townspeople came out, and bowed before the Rus' princes, and brought out fish and wine, and they spent that night there. And the next day, on Wednesday, they rode to Sugrov, and coming there they set it on fire; on Thursday they set out from the Don, and on Friday morning, on March 24, the Cumans gathered, drew up their squadrons, and advanced to battle. And our princes, setting their hope on God, said: “Death is here for us; let us stand firm.” And they kissed one another, and raising their eyes to heaven, called upon God Most High. And when the clash came, and the battle grew fierce, God Most High looked in wrath upon the foreigners, and they fell before the Christians. And so the foreigners were routed, and many of our enemies and adversaries fell before the Rus' princes and their troops at the stream of Degei. And God helped the Rus' princes, and they gave praise to God that day.
And the next morning, when Saturday came, they celebrated the raising of Lazarus and the day of the Annunciation; and having praised God, they kept the Saturday rest, and on Sunday they arrived. When Monday of Holy Week came, the foreigners gathered their squadrons again, a great multitude, and came forward like great forests, throngs upon throngs, and surrounded the Rus' squadrons. And the Lord God sent an angel to the aid of the Rus' princes. And the Cuman squadrons and the Rus' squadrons advanced, and the two lines first struck together, and when they met head to head it crashed like thunder. And fierce was the battle between them, and men fell on both sides. And Vladimir advanced with his squadrons, and David with his, and the Cumans looked, and gave their backs to flight. And the Cumans fell before Vladimir's line, struck down by an angel no one could see—as many people saw with their own eyes—and heads flew, cut off invisibly, to the ground. And they beat them down on Passion Monday, on March 27. A great multitude of the foreigners was slain on the river Salnitsa. And God saved his people.
And Sviatopolk and Vladimir and David glorified God, who had granted them such a victory over the pagans; and they took many captives, and herds, and horses, and sheep, and with their own hands seized many prisoners. And they questioned the prisoners, saying: “How is it that with such strength and such a host you could not stand against us, but fled so soon?” And they answered, saying: “How could we fight you, when others were riding above you in shining armor, terrible to behold, and it was they who helped you?” These could only be the angels, sent from God to help the Christians. For it was an angel who put into the heart of Vladimir Monomakh to loose his brothers upon the foreigners—the Rus' princes. For, as we have said, they had seen the vision in the Caves Monastery: the pillar of fire that stood upon the refectory, then stepped upon the church, and from there toward Gorodets—for Vladimir was there, at Radosyn. And then the angel put into Vladimir's heart the resolve to urge them on, as we have said.
Therefore it is fitting to praise the angels, as John Chrysostom said: for they sing without ceasing to their beginningless Creator, praying that he be merciful and gentle toward men. The angels, I say, are our champions, warring against the hostile powers; and of them is the archangel Michael, who withstood the devil over the body of Moses, and withstood the prince of Persia for the sake of the freedom of men. By God's command they order the whole creation and stand as elders and guides to the nations. By this it was ordained that the Persians be despised, and Michael was commanded to guard the circumcised people, and their boundaries were fixed in displeasure—not in sinful wrath, but from some divine and unutterable word; while under the one the Jews were compelled to serve the Persians, and by the other they were drawn out into freedom, offering earnest prayer to God, saying: “Lord Almighty! How long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and the city of the Jews, which you have despised these seventy years?” Him Daniel too beheld flying in a vision—his face like the appearance of lightning, so to speak, his eyes like torches, and his arms and his legs like gleaming bronze, and the voice of his words like the voice of a great multitude.
Of them is the one who turned aside the ass and made Balaam's unclean sorcery idle. Of them is the one who drew the sword against Joshua the son of Nun, bidding him in a vision to prevail over his enemies. Of them is the one who in a single night struck down 100 and 80 thousand of the Syrians, mixing the sleep of the barbarian host with death. Of them is the one who bore the prophet Habakkuk through the air at a bound, that he might feed the prophet Daniel in the midst of the lions. Such and the like are these champions against our foes. Such too is the comely Raphael: from a single fish he cut out the entrails, he healed the maiden tormented by a demon, and he gave the blind old man sight of the sun. Are they not worthy, then, of great honor, who keep guard over our life? For the angels were appointed not only as guardians of the nations, as it is said: “When the Most High divided the nations, as he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God,” but to each faithful man an angel was allotted as well. For when the maid Rhoda announced to the apostles that Peter, escaped from the face of Herod, stood before the door, they said, not believing: “It is his angel.” And the Lord himself bears witness to this, saying: “See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father.” Moreover Christ appointed a guardian angel to every church, as John reveals, saying: “Say to the angel of the church in Smyrna: I have seen your poverty and your affliction, yet you are rich.” …It is well assured that the angels who love us pray to the Master on our behalf. For they are ministering spirits, as the apostle says: “Sent forth to minister for them who shall inherit salvation.” And they are our champions and fellow-fighters, as you have heard today of Daniel, how the archangel Michael was set over the Persians in the hour of displeasure, because of our freedom. For the people had to serve the Persians, as was said, and this one strove to break the bonds of the captives. And Michael overcomes the adversary: for the Jews came to the Euphrates, and from then received their dwelling again, and built a city and a church. So too the great Epiphanius said: “To each nation an angel is appointed”; and Scripture says to Daniel: “An angel is prince of the Greeks, and Michael prince of the Jews”; it also says: “And he set their ordinances according to the number of the angels.”
And here again, as Hippolytus says, expounding Daniel: “In the third year of Cyrus the emperor, I, Daniel, mourned three weeks: in the first month I humbled myself, praying to God for 20 and 1 days, asking of him the revelation of the mystery. And having heard, the Father sent forth his word, showing what was to come to pass; and it was at the great river, where it was fitting for him to appear, where he willed also to forgive sins. And lifting up my eyes, I saw: and behold, a man clothed in purple. At first the vision seemed like the angel Gabriel flying, yet it was not so, but the appearance of the Lord himself—not the appearance of a man in his full nature, but appearing in the form of a man, as it says: ‘And behold, a man clothed in variegated robes, and his loins girded with pure gold, and his body like chrysolite, and his face like lightning, and his eyes like lamps of fire, and his arms and shoulders like polished bronze, and his voice like the voice of a great multitude.’ And I fell upon the earth, and behold, a hand touched me—so to speak, a man's—and raised me to my knees, and said to me: ‘Fear not, Daniel; do you not know why I have come to you? I must make war with the prince of Persia. But I tell you what is written in the writing of truth, and there is none that contends with me in this but Michael, your prince. Him I left there: for from the day you set yourself to pray before your God, your prayer was heard, and I was sent to make war with the prince of Persia; there was a counsel that the people should not be released, so that your prayer might soon be fulfilled; I withstood him, and left Michael, your prince, there.’ Who is Michael but the angel given to the people?” As he says also to Moses: “I will not go with you on the way, for they are a stiff-necked people,” but “my angel goes with you.”
And so, with God's help, through the prayers of the holy Mother of God and of his holy angels, the Rus' princes returned in safety with great glory to their people; and the fame of it went out to all far lands—to the Greeks, and the Magyars, and the Poles, and the Czechs, until it passed even to Rome—to the glory of God, always, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
That same year the princess, wife of Vsevolod, died on October 7, and she was buried at St. Andrew's Monastery. That same year John, bishop of Chernihiv, died on November 23.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same Old East Slavic text of the Hypatian Codex, paragraph for paragraph, and checked against the source before publication.
In the year 6619. God put it into Vladimir's heart, and he began to speak to his brother Sviatopolk, urging him to move against the pagans in the spring. Sviatopolk told his retinue what Vladimir had said. They said: “It is not the time now to pull the peasants away from their field work.” Sviatopolk sent to Vladimir, saying: “Let us meet, and think about it with our retinues.” The messengers came to Vladimir and told him all of Sviatopolk's words. Vladimir came, and they met at Dolobsk. Sviatopolk sat in one tent with his retinue, and Vladimir with his. When a silence had come, Vladimir said: “Brother, you are the elder; begin to speak, how we should take thought for the land of Rus'.” Sviatopolk said: “Brother, you begin.” Vladimir said: “How can I speak, when your retinue and mine will speak against me, saying: he wants to ruin the peasants and the peasants' field work. But I am surprised, brother: you pity the peasants and their horses, and do not think of this — that in the spring that peasant will begin to plow with that horse, and a Cuman will ride up, strike the peasant with an arrow, and take the horse, and his wife, and his children, and burn his barn. Why do you not think about that?” And the whole retinue said: “Truly it is so.”
And Sviatopolk said: “Here, brother, I am ready with you.” They sent to David Sviatoslavich, calling him to come with them. Vladimir and Sviatopolk rose and kissed each other, and set out against the Cumans: Sviatopolk with his son Yaroslav, Vladimir with his sons, and David with his son. They went, placing their hope on God, and on his most pure Mother, and on his holy angels. They set out in the 2nd week of the fast, and on Friday they were on the Sula. On Saturday they moved and were on the Khorol, and there they threw away their sledges. On Sunday they moved — the Sunday on which the cross is venerated — and came to the Psol, and from there they stood on the river Golta. There the troops waited for them. From there they went to the Vorskla, and there the next day, on Wednesday, they venerated the cross and placed all their hope on the cross, with many tears. From there they crossed many rivers in the 6th week of the fast, and on Tuesday they went toward the Don. They put on armor, drew up their ranks, and went toward the town of Sharukan.
And Prince Vladimir appointed his priests to go before the army, singing the troparia and kondakia of the honored cross and the canon to the holy Mother of God. They rode toward the town in the evening, and on Sunday the people came out of the city and bowed to the Rus' princes, and brought out fish and wine, and they spent that night there. The next day, on Wednesday, they went toward Sugrov, and coming there, they set it on fire. On Thursday they went on from the Don, and on Friday the next day, March 24, the Cumans gathered, drew up their ranks, and went to battle. Our princes placed their hope on God and said: “Death awaits us here; let us stand firm.” And they kissed one another, and raising their eyes to heaven, they called on God most high. When the clash came and the battle grew fierce, God most high looked on the foreigners in anger, and they fell before the Christians. So the foreigners were defeated, and many of our enemies and foes fell before the Rus' princes and troops at the stream of Degei. And God helped the Rus' princes. And they gave praise to God that day.
The next morning, when Saturday came, they celebrated Lazarus Saturday and the day of the Annunciation, and having praised God, they kept the Saturday, and on Sunday they came on. When Monday of Holy Week came, the foreigners again gathered their armies, a great multitude; they came out like great forests, thousands upon thousands, and they surrounded the Rus' ranks. And the Lord God sent an angel to help the Rus' princes. The Cuman regiments and the Rus' regiments moved forward, and they first struck ranks, and when they met head on it cracked like thunder. The battle was fierce between them, and men fell on both sides. Then Vladimir advanced with his ranks, and David too, and the Cumans looked at them and gave their shoulders to flight. Cumans fell before Vladimir's army, struck down unseen by an angel, as many people saw: heads flew to the ground, cut off unseen. And they beat them on Passion Monday, March 27. A great multitude of the foreigners was killed at the river Salnitsa. And God saved his people.
Sviatopolk, Vladimir, and David glorified God, who had given them such a victory over the pagans, and they took much booty, and herds, and horses, and sheep, and with their own hands seized many prisoners. They questioned the prisoners, saying: “How could you, with such strength and such great numbers, not stand against us, but run away so quickly?” They answered: “How could we fight with you, when others were riding above you, in bright and fearsome armor, and they were helping you?” These were only angels, sent by God to help the Christians. For it was an angel who put into Vladimir Monomakh's heart the thought to send his brothers out against the foreigners — the Rus' princes. For, as we said, they saw the vision at the Caves Monastery, when the pillar of fire stood on the refectory, then stepped onto the church, and from there toward Gorodets; for Vladimir was at Radosyn then. And then the angel put into Vladimir's heart the resolve to begin urging them, as we said.
Therefore it is right to praise the angels, as John Chrysostom said: for they sing to the Maker without beginning, that he may be merciful and gentle to men. For the angels, I say, are our champions, who fight against the opposing powers; of these is the archangel Michael, for he withstood the devil over the body of Moses, and withstood the prince of Persia for the sake of men's freedom. By God's command they divide all creation and are set as elders to guide the nations. Through them he gave some of the Persians leave to despise them, and he commanded Michael to keep the circumcised people, and to set their boundaries in his anger — not out of sinful wrath, but from some divine, unutterable word. One of them was set over them while the Persians forced the Jews to serve; Michael brought them out to freedom and offered earnest prayer to God, saying: “Lord almighty! How long will you not have mercy on Jerusalem and the city of the Jews, which you have despised these seventy years?” Daniel also saw him in a vision as he flew — his face like the appearance of lightning, so to speak, his eyes like lamps, his arms and his legs like the appearance of gleaming bronze, and the sound of his word like the sound of a great multitude.
Among them is the one who turned back the donkey and made Balaam's unclean sorcery useless. Among them is the one who drew the sword against Joshua, commanding in the appearance to help him against his adversaries. Among them are those who struck down 180 thousand Syrians in one night and turned the sleep of the barbarian host into death. Among them is the one who brought the prophet Habakkuk through the air by a leap, to feed the prophet Daniel in the midst of the lions. Such are they, and so they stand out against the enemies. So too is the godlike Raphael: he cut out the entrails of a single fish, healed the girl plagued by a demon, and made the blind old man able to see the sun. Are they not then worthy of great honors, who keep watch over our life? For the angels were appointed guardians not only of the nations, as it was said: “When the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations by the number of the angels of God,” but an angel was allotted to each faithful man as well. For when the maid Rhoda told the apostles, while Peter stood at the door, that he had escaped Herod, they said, not believing her: “It is his angel.” The Lord himself bears witness to this, saying: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones: for I say to you that their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” Christ also appointed guardian angels to each church, as John reveals, saying: “Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: I know your poverty and your sorrow, but you are rich.” …It is well known, then, that the angels who love us pray to the Master for us. For they are ministering spirits, as the apostle also says: “In service they are sent, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.” And they are champions and fellow fighters, as you heard today about Daniel, how the archangel Michael was brought in against the Persians in the hour of anger, for the sake of our freedom. For the people had to serve the Persians, as was said, and he strove to break the captivity. And Michael overcomes the adversary, for the Jews came to the Euphrates, and from that time received their settlement again, and built a city and a church. So too the great Epiphanius said: “An angel is appointed to every nation.” And Scripture said to Daniel: “The prince of the Greeks, and Michael the prince of the Jews”; and it also says: “And he set the ordinances by the number of the angels.”
And again, as Hippolytus says, interpreting Daniel: “In the third year of Cyrus the emperor, I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks: in the first month I humbled myself, praying to God for 21 days and asking him to reveal the mystery. And having heard, the Father sent his word, showing what was to be; and it was at the great river — it was fitting for him to appear there, where he wished, and to forgive sins. I lifted my eyes and saw: see, a man clothed in purple. First he speaks of the vision as if it were the angel Gabriel flying, but it is not so: it is the appearance of the Lord himself — not the appearance of a perfect man, but appearing in the likeness of men, as he says: ‘And see, a man clothed in variegated cloth, and his loins girded with pure gold, and his body like beryl, and his face like lightning, and his eyes like lamps of fire, and his arms and shoulders like pure bronze, and his voice like the voice of a great multitude.’ And I fell on the ground, and see, something like a hand — the hand of a man, that is — touched me, and set me on my knees, and said to me: ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Do you know why I have come to you? I want to make war with the prince of Persia. But I will tell you what is written in the true writing, and no one contends with me about this except Michael, your prince. For I left him there: from the day you set yourself to pray before your God, your prayer was heard, and I was sent to make war with the prince of Persia; there was some counsel that the people should not be released, so that your prayer would be quickly fulfilled; I resisted him and left Michael, your prince, there.’ Who is Michael, if not the angel given to the people?” As he also said to Moses: “I will not go with you on the way, for this people are stiff-necked,” but “my angel goes with you.”
And so, with God's help, through the prayers of the holy Mother of God and of the holy angels, the Rus' princes returned home with great glory to their people; and the story went out to all the distant lands — that is, to the Greeks, and the Magyars, and the Poles, and the Czechs, even reaching Rome — to the glory of God, always, and now, and ever, and to the ages. Amen.
In the same year Vsevolod's princess died on October 7, and she was buried at St. Andrew's monastery. In the same year John, bishop of Chernihiv, died on November 23.