The Experience of Modern Poetic Transcription of Divine Hymns by St. Simeon the New Theologian

Abstract

This work provides an overview of the difficult path of the texts of St. Simeon the New Theologian (949 - 1022) to the Russian-speaking reader. The radicalism of the saint’s striving for God, the fiery and boldness of his prayers became the reason for a restrained and even suspicious attitude towards him both during his lifetime and, posthumously, towards his texts, which delayed their coming to the reader for centuries. At the same time, the figurative and metaphorical richness of the language of St. Simeon combines high artistry with dogmatic rigor and theological responsibility. The author offers his own experience of literary transcription of the Divine hymns of St. Simeon the New Theologian in the poetic form of a wreath of sonnets. Relying on the key
words and the figurative structure of the saint’s texts, the author thus solves the problem of creative “re-radiation” of his fiery aspiration and his deeply personal appeal to God.