The monuments of Udmurt writing: unknown translations of «The Prayer for Sleep» and of «The Fiftieth David’s Psalm»
Gorizont LTD, Izhevsk, Russian Federation, [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Introduction: the total volume of all known connected texts in the Udmurt language, made in the XVIII – early XIX is not large, their authorship is not established. Therefore, to study the history of formation of the Udmurt
literary language, it is very important to identify and introduce early Udmurt texts into scientific circulation. The article is devoted to the previously unknown translation into the Udmurt of two Christian texts, made in 1803.
Objective: to reveal the possibility of use the newly identified monument of Udmurt writing as a source in the research of the initial period of formation of the Udmurt literary language: the translation into the Udmurt
language of «The Prayer for Sleep» and «The Fiftieth David’s Psalm».
Research materials: the office documents of the Glazov Spiritual Board of 1803 stored in the Central State Archive of the Udmurt Republic.
Results and novelty of the research: in the process of study of the history of creation od translations made in the Vyatka Diocese by the decree of the Holy Governing Synod of January 22, 1803, the author discovered a
previously unknown manuscript with a translation into the Udmurt language – «The Prayer for Sleep» and «The Fiftieth David’s Psalm». The translations were performed in Glazov District by priests Nikifor Nevostruev and
Zakhariy Krotov in the autumn of 1803. However, these translations were not sent to the Synod, as a result of which they remained unknown. It was believed that these texts were not translated into the Udmurt language.
The found manuscript is the original translation, executed by the hands of the translators themselves; the text of the translation contains corrections made in the process of working on the translation and reflecting their creative
search. Thus, the early text in the Udmurt language, whose authorship and history of creation are reliably known, is introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.
Key words: Udmurt language, translation, manuscript, writing monument, Christian text, prayer, translator.
For citation: Turanov A. A. The monuments of Udmurt writing: unknown translations of «The Prayer for Sleep» and of «The Fiftieth David’s Psalm» // Vestnik ugrovedenia = Bulletin of Ugric Studies. 2020; 10 (2): 332–339.