Subject
Tent, Palatka & Shatyor
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Date
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A synonym of palatka (tent), shatyor was borrowed from the Tartar, so Tobakov's sailors could not use it as a city name. A diminutive of palata (ward; chamber), palatka is related to words like "palazzo" and "palace." Btw., Koz'ma Prutkov ("zri v koren'," etc.) was the director of a probirnaya palatka (assay office).
Printed in June 1921, in Sevastopol, Shatyor was Gumilyov's last book that he saw with his own eyes. His collection Ognennyi stolp ("The Pillar of Fire," 1921) appeared in August, a fortnight or so before the author's execution. Gumilyov could not have seen it in the Cheka prison on the Gorokhovaya street. Here is Gumilyov's last poem "Na dalyokoy zvezde Venere..." ("On the Distant Star Venus..."):
На далёкой звезде Венере
Солнце пламенней и золотистей,
На Венере, ах, на Венере
У деревьев синие листья.
Всюду вольные звонкие воды,
Реки, гейзеры, водопады
Распевают в полдень песнь свободы,
Ночью пламенеют, как лампады.
На Венере, ах, на Венере
Нету слов обидных или властных,
Говорят ангелы на Венере
Языком из одних только гласных.
Если скажут «еа» и «аи» —
Это радостное обещанье,
«Уо», «ао» — о древнем рае
Золотое воспоминанье.
На Венере, ах, на Венере
Нету смерти терпкой и душной,
Если умирают на Венере —
Превращаются в пар воздушный.
И блуждают золотые дымы
В синих, синих вечерних кущах,
Иль, как радостные пилигримы,
Навещают еще живущих.
The heart is more aflame, more gold
on the distant star Venus,
On Venus, ah, on Venus,
the trees have blue leaves.
Everywhere there are free, ringing waters,
rivers, geysers, waterfalls
chorus at midday the song of freedom,
and at night they burn like ikon-lamps.
On Venus, ah, on Venus,
there are no hurtful or harsh words.
The angels on Venus speak
A language of vowels only.
I they say ‘e-a’ and ‘a-i’
it is a joyful promise.
‘U-o’, ‘a-o’ are a golden memory
of ancient paradise.
On Venus, ah, on Venus
there is no sharp or choking death.
Those who die on Venus
are turned into airy steam.
The golden smoke drifts
in the blue, blue evening tree-tops,
or like joyous pilgrims
visits those who are still alive.
(transl. Richard McKane)
Alexey Sklyarenko
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Printed in June 1921, in Sevastopol, Shatyor was Gumilyov's last book that he saw with his own eyes. His collection Ognennyi stolp ("The Pillar of Fire," 1921) appeared in August, a fortnight or so before the author's execution. Gumilyov could not have seen it in the Cheka prison on the Gorokhovaya street. Here is Gumilyov's last poem "Na dalyokoy zvezde Venere..." ("On the Distant Star Venus..."):
На далёкой звезде Венере
Солнце пламенней и золотистей,
На Венере, ах, на Венере
У деревьев синие листья.
Всюду вольные звонкие воды,
Реки, гейзеры, водопады
Распевают в полдень песнь свободы,
Ночью пламенеют, как лампады.
На Венере, ах, на Венере
Нету слов обидных или властных,
Говорят ангелы на Венере
Языком из одних только гласных.
Если скажут «еа» и «аи» —
Это радостное обещанье,
«Уо», «ао» — о древнем рае
Золотое воспоминанье.
На Венере, ах, на Венере
Нету смерти терпкой и душной,
Если умирают на Венере —
Превращаются в пар воздушный.
И блуждают золотые дымы
В синих, синих вечерних кущах,
Иль, как радостные пилигримы,
Навещают еще живущих.
The heart is more aflame, more gold
on the distant star Venus,
On Venus, ah, on Venus,
the trees have blue leaves.
Everywhere there are free, ringing waters,
rivers, geysers, waterfalls
chorus at midday the song of freedom,
and at night they burn like ikon-lamps.
On Venus, ah, on Venus,
there are no hurtful or harsh words.
The angels on Venus speak
A language of vowels only.
I they say ‘e-a’ and ‘a-i’
it is a joyful promise.
‘U-o’, ‘a-o’ are a golden memory
of ancient paradise.
On Venus, ah, on Venus
there is no sharp or choking death.
Those who die on Venus
are turned into airy steam.
The golden smoke drifts
in the blue, blue evening tree-tops,
or like joyous pilgrims
visits those who are still alive.
(transl. Richard McKane)
Alexey Sklyarenko
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/