Prevod

There was once a godly monk, white of beard and hair, who was forever praying to God. Travelling one night, he came upon a church with a burial ground where Christians were laid to rest. When he reached the gate of the churchyard, he saw three horses, one red as blood, another black as coal, and the third yellow as saffron, capering to and fro among the graves and around the church. But when they caught sight of the monk, they vanished without a trace, as though the earth had swallowed them. Seeing this, the monk drew back behind a tree, and before long the very same three horses returned. They came to a grave and began stamping upon it and neighing at the tops of their voices, until a middle-aged man of enormous stature rose from the grave, his arms and legs crossed just as they had been when he was laid there after his death. The horses kept leaping and neighing around him, yet never touched him, nor did he say anything to them, but only wept. Fearing that the horses might harm the man, the monk suddenly ran towards them and charged them by heaven and earth to stand still, each where it was, and the horses stopped. Then the monk touched the man first with his staff, and afterwards each of the horses in turn. At his touch, the dead man came to life and the horses turned into men. Then he asked them, “Who are you, and what has befallen you? Confess to me one by one, in private or before you all, and perhaps I may be able to help you.” Then the man said, “Spiritual father! These were my unhappy sons, and one evening, while they slept, I cut the throats of all three with my own hand. I kept it secret and never told anyone, not even the priest in confession, for I meant to confess on my deathbed, but death took me before the priest arrived.” “And what is your trouble?” the monk asked the three sons. “We would not obey our parents, but went against their wishes in everything we did, and never repented.” Then the monk took a stole and a book of rites from his bag and said first to the three sons, “Ask your father’s forgiveness,” and to the father, “Now repent of your sins.” They did so, and he gathered all four beneath his stole and read the prayer of absolution over them. Afterwards they kissed the monk’s hand, and, having embraced and kissed one another with tears streaming down their faces, each returned to his own grave. The monk went on his way, urging the people to repent, so that none should depart this world without confession.