Русское мессианство. Профетические, мессианские, эсхатологические мотивы в русской поэзии и общественной мысли - Александр Аркадьевич Долин

Russian poetry as a category of professional literature came to light only in the XVIII c. in the process of «globalization» initialized by Peter the Great. Inspired both by the traditional Biblical rhetorics and the writings of the Western classics G. Derjavin addressed «the Rulers and the Judges» with a powerful prophetic word. Meanwhile A. Radischev, infatuated with the ideas of the great philosophers of the French Enlightenment, became the first Russian bard to challenge the monarchy openly in his ode «Freedom». His arrest and exile marked the starting point in the long list of Russian intellectuals who chose suffering for their prophecy in preference to the peaceful and wealthy life. This list was soon extended by the names of the passionate and noble-mindeed Decemberists insurgents — Ryleev, Kuhelbecker, Glinka. Their poetry derived directly from the pathetic psalms and dreadful predictions of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel formed the core of the Russian prophetic tradition.

The influence of the classic prophecy in the poems by A. Pushkin shows the crucial meaning of this theme for the spiritual self-awareness of the Russian genius and his contemporaries. Pushkin’s «Prophet» based on the Biblical episode and revealing the prophetic mind at its extreme can be regarded as the utmost achievement of the Russian literary «missionarism».

The poet is placed beyond the mundane passions and temptations, and his role defined as a saint preacher, a champion of truth and justice. Pushkin’s quest for civil rights and his mighty aspiration for freedom combined with the unrivaled poetic talent contributed to further development of the prophetic trends in Russian literature. After Pushkin’s tragic death gloomy pathos of M. Lermontov allowed critics to see in him a new brilliantl prophet summoned by God to point out the sins of his generation and to predict the tragic future of the country. In the meantime, he was a typical Byronic personality staying in opposition to the establishment. Lermontov’s dark demonic gift filled his poems with mystic premonitions and macabre presentments that have not lost their appeal to the heart of a Russian reader even nowadays.

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The so-called democratic poets and critics headed by Belinsky, Dobrolyubov, Gertsen succeeded to turn the mainstream of Russian poetry in an attempt to make of literature a weapon in their ideological struggle against the absolutist regime. Their poems, essays and manifestoes are full of the unconcealed and irreconcilable hatred towards the oppressors. The Narodniki movement with its extremism fluctuating from the propaganda of «Going to the people» missionary ventures to the declarations of the merciless war on the government was the practical implementation of the prophetic slogans put forward by the first revolutionaries. The poetry by P. Lavrov and his associates demonstrated a perverse vision of reality in which violence and terror were supposed to pave the way to the ideal realm of justice.

Late in the XIX c., Russian intellectual elite was deeply impressed by the ideas of Nietzsche propagating the «superhuman» individuality standing over the conventional rules and limitations of society. On the Russian soil, Nietzsheanist prophecy of spiritual «supermoralism» was challenged by the indigenous concept of the «God-human» put forward by the famous philosopher and poet Vladimir Solovyov. His sophiological and historiosophical theories as well as his specific interpretation of the «yellow peril» pattern revealed in treatises, essays and poetry influenced greatly the Russian Symbolists led by Merejkovsky, Block, Bryusov, Vyacheslav Ivanov. Building a new realm of dreams they demanded that the old routine world should be destroyed and replaced by the Myth. Living by the anticipation of the advent of Messiah they kept preparing their readers for the inevitable Apocalyptic catastrophe that was regarded as a prologue to the new history of mankind.

The First Russian Revolution of 1905 was supported and glorified almost unanimously by the leading poets of the time although some tended to regard it as a rehearsal of the Final Judgment. Still Russian intelligentsia demonstrated readiness to accept its fate — to become a holy sacrifice for the messianic ideal of Freedom and People’s Happiness. Inspired by the heroic mythology of Nietzsche and Wagner, they would condemn the government, reject «conservative» laws and approve any bloodshed by the rebels. The defeat of the uprising just gave the intellectuals another several years for developing their liberal views into a complex revolutionary archetype to which many of them remained loyal even during the hardest years of the Bolshevist tyranny. However, in the period between the revolutions, many poets, artists and philosophers managed to predict consciously or subconsciously in their works the awful consequences of the forthcoming revolt and even their own tragic destiny. Still they pursued the kenotic principles of self-abasement and self-sacrificing loyalty to their own newly invented myths of Democracy and Humanism.

The Futurist school and other avant-garde groups formed the extremist faction in the pre-revolutionary Russian culture calling for the annihilation of the traditional ethics and aesthetics in every possible way. The militant manifestoes by Bourlyuk brothers, V. Mayakovsky, V. Khlebnikov, V. Kamensky, B. Livshits claiming the advantages of the modernist art and literature and negating the cultural heritage of the past stipulated the emergence of a popular concept: implementation of a social revolution through the revolution in art.

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The transition from the joyful anticipation of freedom to the realization of the tragedy accomplished was not easy. After the peaceful February bourgeois revolution, it could seem that the advent of Messiah was happening. However, after the bloodless triumph of February the bloody October followed bringing with it many months and years that were nonetheless full of bloodshed. The Civil war was devouring the best sons of Russia — both those who believed in the Bolshevist Utopia and those who did not want to surrender to the barbarian rule. The peasants would massacre each other in vain expectation of Land and Freedom. Merciless terror of The Emergency Committee (Cheka) swept over the towns and villages paralyzed by horror. Time was passing and it was getting more and more clear that nobody would manage lo survive safely till