«The Tear of Repentance» in V.A.Zhukovsky’s Poem «Peri and the Angel» in the Spiritual Heritage of St. Theophan the Recluse

Abstract

St. Theophan’s collection «The Spiritual Life: And How to Be Attuned to It» contains 80 letters from St. Theophan to his spiritual child. This is a young girl, Ekaterina Alexandrovna Arnoldi. Letter No. 66 contains a reference to V. A. Zhukovsky’s poem «Peri and the Angel». In the spiritual legacy of the saint, this is one of the rare references to secular literature. The article aims to identify the literary sources in St. Theophan’s private library and explain the saint’s interpretation of the literary image in his work. To achieve this goal, a source‑based analysis of the writings was conducted using comparative analysis, systematization, and critical interpretation of the sources. Two inventories of the saint’s private library, made after his death, have been preserved. Based on N. A. Kolosov’s testimony about the presence of 1400 books in the library, the literary section accounts for less than 3 % of the total library content. The power of repentance in V. A. Zhukovsky's poem becomes a symbol of the sincerity and purity of repentance, before which paradise opens. Such a tear of repentance washes away passions and sins, guiding one towards the path of correction and Christian life. The literary image borrowed by St. Theophan from V. A. Zhukovsky is quite rare in the saint’s legacy.