Gifts of happiness

In the century with the number thirteen
People resolved disputes with swords
To fight each other was routine,
Which left a lot of bloody corpses.

And а desire was almost simple —
To stay alive for another day.
The best reward is to live up to wrinkles
And even heroes had to pray.

Gavrila Aleksich — daring fighter
Was born in Veliky Novgorod.
Whose smile was sunshine brighter.
He was from Alexander Nevsky’s squad,

Who beat the Swedes at Neva-River,
And moved on to Koporye along with Ingrians
Against Teutonic Knights in a shiver
To help the brave Karelians

Believing in luck and challenging fates,
They shoulder to shoulder climbed uphill
To get to the castle — success there awaits
To capture the Germans, but rather to kill.

To free a region — Staraya Ladoga.
Their descendants put Finland on the map.
And helped to draw boundaries in Europe
But Gavrila Aleksich fell into a trap.

When he tried to save a young fighter
With the brown beard and pale skin
And the eyes that the sky is brighter
Who looked like a typical Finn.

The Novgorodian did not hesitate —
Put his chest under the knife
Karelian forests made them related.
Saving a friend is worth a life.

But the time has passed for fights.
Everyone with peace of mind is full of empathy.
Even a small smile will radiate light
Their enthusiasm will last endlessly

For everyone who gives with graciousness,
Gratitude itself becomes their kin.
These simple acts are gifts of happiness —
Within each Russian heart, an inner Finn.