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Abstract:

The article considers the tradition of Russian poets of the second half of the 19^th century (beginning with the late Zhukovsky) to turn to the theme of the Apocalypse, lists the main landmarks of this tradition (apocalyptic poems by A. Maykov, A. Fet, K.R., D. Merezhkovsky, I. Bunin) and briefly outlines the picture of increasing interest to the problems of Revelation noted in different areas of Russian culture. The little-known book of the Yaroslavl author Vladimir Babkin “Apocalypse in Verses” (1909) is considered against this background. Its text is compared with the Synodal translation of the Scriptures, which allows to note both the significant abbreviations and simplifications of the text, and some additions, explained by the author’s targeting his potential reader. It is also noted that the book belongs to the tradition of mass Orthodox Christian literature. The third-person narrative, the principal abandonment of a detailed presentation of the last chapters of the Apocalypse telling about the happy post-apocalyptic era of human life, and gradual transition from Revelation to preaching are viewed as characteristic features of the work.

Keywords: Apocalypse, Russian Poetry of the Late 19^th and Early 20^th Centuries, Mass Orthodox Christian literature, Literary Translation.