Subject
Re: Ada's dissolved epigraph
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lyubov'yu shutit satana
> (with love jokes Satan).
Alexey/CK: Do we have have a common word-order reversal adding to the
potential ambiguity?
SVP (subject verb predicate) in many languages can be varied for emphasis.
Here we have PVS to stress the adverbial predicate ... The object &/or
nature of Satan¹s humour/satire.
A comma/pause plus italics may clarify:
With love, jokes Satan.
The preposition WITH remains ambiguous:
Satan jokes ABOUT love? Or Satan jokes LOVINGLY?
Is the Russian dative case-ending lyubov'yu equally ambiguous?
Regardless of Nabokov¹s incomparably precise¹ command of Russian & English,
there remain inescapable (often fruitful!) NL ambiguities, especially with
poetry & aphorisms.
Finally: Is the epigraph/epigram¹ referring to a particular incident
(resting on subsequent context), or a general accusation about the Devil¹s
indifference to human emotions?
Stan Kelly-Bootle.
On 21/03/2013 18:12, "Alexey Sklyarenko" <skylark1970@mail.ru> wrote:
> lyubov'yu shutit satana
> (with love jokes Satan).
>
> CK: I have to disagree with Alexey's usually excellent English here
>
> Carolyn, you disagree with Nabokov's incomparable and precise English - for it
> is his translation.
>
> CK: Satan does not joke lovingly, as is would appear in Alexey's translation,
> but uses love to make fun of humans.
>
> This is exactly what Pushkin is saying.
>
> s lyubov'yu:)
> Alexey
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> (with love jokes Satan).
Alexey/CK: Do we have have a common word-order reversal adding to the
potential ambiguity?
SVP (subject verb predicate) in many languages can be varied for emphasis.
Here we have PVS to stress the adverbial predicate ... The object &/or
nature of Satan¹s humour/satire.
A comma/pause plus italics may clarify:
With love, jokes Satan.
The preposition WITH remains ambiguous:
Satan jokes ABOUT love? Or Satan jokes LOVINGLY?
Is the Russian dative case-ending lyubov'yu equally ambiguous?
Regardless of Nabokov¹s incomparably precise¹ command of Russian & English,
there remain inescapable (often fruitful!) NL ambiguities, especially with
poetry & aphorisms.
Finally: Is the epigraph/epigram¹ referring to a particular incident
(resting on subsequent context), or a general accusation about the Devil¹s
indifference to human emotions?
Stan Kelly-Bootle.
On 21/03/2013 18:12, "Alexey Sklyarenko" <skylark1970@mail.ru> wrote:
> lyubov'yu shutit satana
> (with love jokes Satan).
>
> CK: I have to disagree with Alexey's usually excellent English here
>
> Carolyn, you disagree with Nabokov's incomparable and precise English - for it
> is his translation.
>
> CK: Satan does not joke lovingly, as is would appear in Alexey's translation,
> but uses love to make fun of humans.
>
> This is exactly what Pushkin is saying.
>
> s lyubov'yu:)
> Alexey
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/