“Judgement day” by Saša Milivojev - analysis of a poetic vision

Saša Milivojev is a famous writer, poet, journalist columnist and political analyst... One of the most read columnists in Serbia, he is the author of five books, and numerous columns published in various daily newspapers. He is the author of the novel "The Boy from the Yellow House" and of political speeches. His work has been translated into around twenty languages across the world.

“JUDGEMENT DAY” BY SAŠA MILIVOJEV: A THEOLOGICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, ASTRONOMICAL, AND AESTHETIC ANALYSIS OF A POETIC VISION

Analysis by Branka Krivokuća

Through its invocation of the Big Bang as both symbolic origin and ultimate end, and through its deeply philosophical reflection poised at the threshold of the Heavenly Gates, “Judgement Day” by Saša Milivojev transcends a mere depiction of the apocalypse - it transforms into an inquiry into universal existence and fate.

The poem emerges as a multidimensional meditation on the great cycle of life, death, creation, and annihilation, inviting the reader to perceive the end not as a definitive conclusion, but as a potential for transcendence into the unknown. The Big Bang, as a scientific theory describing the universe’s origin from a singular moment of explosive birth - when space, time, and matter were formed - becomes, in literature and art, a metaphor for the emergence of order from chaos, a journey toward growth that inevitably meets its demise.

In Milivojev’s poem, the invocation of the Big Bang signifies not only the creation of the cosmos, but also the inevitable destruction of everything that has emerged from it. This cataclysmic event symbolizes both return to the origin and the end of all things. Thus, within the poem, the Big Bang is transformed into a symbol of existential cyclicality - from genesis to obliteration. This aligns with philosophical contemplations on the universal flux of life, death, and rebirth. Through this motif, the poet not only alludes to scientific theories but elevates them into a broader philosophical framework, contemplating the inescapability of death and the simultaneous possibility of a new beginning - in both its darkest and brightest dimensions.

Saša Milivojev

JUDGEMENT DAY

Stars are clashing
Comets are crashing
The Moon is on fire
The Sky is collapsing
Grinding the ground
Suffocating fumes
Furrows over tombs
Fractured roofs and dreams
Temples and bridges
Slaughtered eagles
Poisons trickling
Roots and weeds torn into parts
The ground is swallowing cities and ramparts

Blackout
The deafening hum
of the wreck and ruin
The landslide is blistering

This is the last of all hours
The fires of thunder are rumbling
Scorching the pastures and the flocks
Crumbling the hills into rocks
Molten steel is spilling
Again, like it did before
The sun will rise no more.

This hour of darkness
Will erase all rhymes and verses,
Fairytales, fables, and poems.
Time is up.
Both the streets of cobblestone and the
shadows,
Swallowed by the cavernous infernos

Yet high upon the summit,
On the Star of Salvation,
From down below, like a boomerang
We can hear an echo
Of the Big Bang!

At the threshold of the end
At the dawn of infinity
Through the rim of Heavenly Gates
Something is flickering tenderly

Translated by
Ljubica Yentl Tinska

One of the most profound philosophical moments in the poem arises in its final image: “At the threshold of the end / At the dawn of infinity,” where the poet introduces the motif of the Heavenly Gates, glimpsed through the presence of something that “is flickering tenderly.”
Situated at the very brink of the apocalypse, this image carries a tremendous philosophical charge, as it raises questions about the fate of the soul and the nature of being at the ultimate moment of worldly dissolution. The Heavenly Gates - whether as metaphor for the afterlife, spiritual transformation, or entrance into a new and unknown realm - represent a universal human yearning for transcendence, for something beyond our limited grasp of reality.

The image of the gates at the edge of finality invites reflection: what lies beyond the end of the world as we know it? Are the Heavenly Gates portals to salvation, revelation, or perhaps merely a flicker of hope amid darkness? The phrase “Something is flickering tenderly,” at the poem’s close stands as a symbol of hope, yet also uncertainty. It embodies a philosophical dilemma between belief in salvation, transformation, and the stark finality of apocalyptic annihilation. Milivojev subtly suggests that the world’s end is not necessarily the end - it is also a threshold offering the possibility of transcendence, of a new cycle of existence, perhaps one that transcends time and space as we perceive them.

These images at the “Heavenly Gates” challenge the reader to confront their own mortal fate, while simultaneously offering the idea that existence does not terminate with physical death. It may continue in another form - whether through spiritual regeneration or entry into a mysterious new state of being.

Saša Milivojev’s “Judgement Day” does not merely present apocalyptic visions of destruction; it employs symbols to open a philosophical discourse on existence, creation, and the end of the world. One of the poem’s key moments is the invocation of the Big Bang from atop a summit, on the “Star of Salvation.” This image evokes not only a cosmological origin story but also a philosophical axis around which the poem revolves - one that contemplates the fundamental nature of existence and destiny.

In the context of literary history, “Judgement Day” stands as a radical exploration of the foundational structures of being and the world’s end, employing language that echoes the most iconic apocalyptic poetry of previous ages while adding a distinctly modern voice. The apocalyptic theme has a long and revered tradition in world literature, but Milivojev’s work distinguishes itself by not merely following that tradition - it reinterprets it through the lens of contemporary philosophical and artistic concerns. In doing so, Milivojev enters into the lineage of great poets who have grappled with the ultimate questions of life, death, and post-cataclysmic hope.

The poem also employs modern elements in its expression, blending traditional poetic forms with dramatic and apocalyptic motifs that resonate with today’s global concerns - ecological collapse, existential crises, and the instability of modern civilization. In that sense, “Judgement Day” not only constructs a vision of the universal, but also enables the reader to confront existential questions in the context of a rapidly transforming world.

Artistically, “Judgement Day” is marked by intense symbolism and a wealth of stylistic devices. The opening lines - “Stars are clashing / Comets are crashing / The Moon is on fire” - immediately transport the reader into a realm of timeless imagery, where nature and the cosmos themselves are subjected to overwhelming destruction. These visions of annihilation lead the reader through a chaotic world unraveling at its core, while simultaneously developing the apocalyptic motif. With phrases like “Suffocating fumes”, “Fractured roofs and dreams”, “The ground is swallowing cities and ramparts”, the poet crafts a stark contrast between ordinary life and the impending cosmic catastrophe, delivering a powerful message about the inescapability of the end.

The poem’s rhythm is slow, yet demands the reader’s full attention, evoking a sense of inevitable finality. Milivojev masterfully navigates between concrete images of destruction and the ethereal, almost intangible presence of the transcendent - as seen in the line: “Something is flickering tenderly.”
This contrast becomes a symbol of hope, a metaphor for universal reconciliation with fate - simultaneously an ending and a beginning of something yet unknown.

“Judgement Day” by Saša Milivojev is an artistically and philosophically significant work, rich in cosmic and apocalyptic symbolism, merging the themes of divine intervention, catastrophe, and the inevitability of destiny. Due to its breadth and complexity, it deserves a prominent place among the major poetic achievements of contemporary literature and warrants recognition within the broader context of literary and artistic history.

The poem possesses a near-cinematic quality - its images are vividly visual, kinetic, and charged with dramatic intensity. As though an epic, cinematic spectacle unfolds before the reader’s eyes, the rhythm of the verses, abrupt scene shifts, escalation of destruction, and climax in the form of the Big Bang give the poem the structure of a modern apocalyptic film. Yet its conclusion, situated “Through the rim of Heavenly Gates”, introduces an unexpected, almost mystical reversal. This poem is a dramaturgical marvel. It is a testament to the poet’s ability to lead the reader through utter chaos - through the ash and silence that follow the explosion - toward a final, barely perceptible glimmer of hope. In the very moment when all ends, when even “rhymes and verses” vanish, something “flickering tenderly” appears - as though the camera, having captured the destruction of the world, slowly zooms in on a final trace of light at the gates of paradise.

That moment - both poetic and philosophical - opens the space for interpreting divine justice, revelation, and faith, elevating the poem into a visionary artistic form that transcends the boundaries of poetry itself.