Gevorg Endza Babakhanyan
"The Virgin Mary with Child", 2023

***
Birth of a dear child
My belated verse greets you.
May there be a blessing for him
From all angels of heaven and earth!
May he be worthy of his father,
As his mother, fair and beloved;
May his spirit be calm
And in truth steadfast, like a godly cherub.
Let him know, until the proper time,
Neither the pangs of love nor the lure of glory;
Let him look without reproach
At the false glitter and the world’s noise;
Let him not seek the causes
Of others’ passions and joys,
And may he emerge from worldly mire
With a pure soul and an uninjured heart!

Mikhail Lermontov, 1839

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