Grossman - translation question: obrashchennuyu

[Robert Chandler]

Dear all,

Grossman is writing here about an old Molokan villager he met in Armenia.  What does обращенную mean here?

Эта душа, эта вера жила в неграмотном старике и она была проста, как его жизнь, его хлеб, без единого пышного слова, без высокой проповеди, и глаза мои наполнялись слезами оттого, что я прикоснулся к этой вере, оттого, что я вдруг понял ее силу, обращенную не к богу, а к людям, понял, что Алексей Михайлович не может жить без нее, как не может жить без хлеба и воды, и что он, не колеблясь, пойдет на крестную смертную муку, на самую страшную бессрочную каторгу ради нее.
This soul, this faith was alive in a semi-literate old man, and it was as simple as his life and his daily bread, without a single high-flown word or moment of grandiose preaching.  Sensing his faith, reaching out and touching his faith, was enough to bring tears to my eyes, because I suddenly understood the power of this faith, as addressed?? / as it related?? not to God but to other people.  I understood that  Aleksey could not live without it, just as he could not live without bread and water and that, for the sake of his faith, he would not hesitate to subject himself to the torment of the Cross, or to the most terrible and unending penal servitude.

Thanks in advance!

Robert

Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD





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