A Double-Headed Eagle Over The Kremlin Poem by William He

"Double-headed eagle": In Russia, the double-headed eagle was always accompanied by another national symbol: a horseman slaying a serpent with a spear, portrayed on a shield. The horseman is a symbol of Russia's capital, Moscow, and usually represents St. George the Victorious. "Ivan IV": Ivan the Terrible, also called Ivan IV, (born August 25,1530, Kolomenskoye, near Moscow (Russia) --died March 18,1584, Moscow) , grand prince of Moscow (1533--84) and the first to be proclaimed tsar of Russia (from 1547) . His reign saw the completion of the construction of a centrally administered Russian state and the creation of an empire that included non-Slav states. "Cathedral of the Annunciation": The Annunciation Cathedral had been the private chapel of the Moscow great princes and tsars for centuries.The sacred relics, i.e. the relics of the saints, most venerated icons, old books and precious vessels had been kept at the cathedral since the olden days. The archpriest of the Annunciation Cathedral was traditionally the confessor of the tsar. "Red flares": The Soviet Union left its mark on the Kremlin. Many buildings would ultimately be destroyed after the Bolshevik uprising, and in 1947, Joseph Stalin would paint the Kremlin's walls communist red. "Triangle curve": The existing Kremlin walls and towers were built by Italian masters over the years 1485 to 1495. The irregular triangle of the Kremlin wall encloses an area of 275,000 square metres (68 acres) . Its overall length is 2,235 metres (2,444 yards) , but the height ranges from 5 to 19 metres, depending on the terrain.