Subject:
Re: [NABOKV-L] THOUGHTS: Derzhavin's acrostic (was "New Republic" etc)
From:
Dmitri Nabokov
Date:
Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:33:55 +0100
To:
Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@listserv.ucsb.edu>


  "Accidential acrostrich", whether sharp, flat, honored, read, or ruined must have been doubtful nightingale even to Derzhavin's ear. Sorry, DN



On Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 12:21 PM, Nabokv-L <nabokv-l@utk.edu> wrote:


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [NABOKV-L] (corrected version of previous mail)
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:14:39 +0100 (CET)
From: soloviev@irit.fr
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>


I should notice (for all our "amateurs" of acrostichs etc) that
in this case the acrostich is not perfect from the point of view
of a russian reader - it looks doubtful even that Derzhavin was
conscious that it is there. "Ruinu chti" would be more convincing. 1)
"Ruina" is not russian word; 2)in the expression "ruina chti"
it means rather "ruin read this"; 3) "chtit" ("pochitat") may mean also
"honor", and "ruinU chti" may mean "honor the destruction",
but then actual "ruina" is not right declination; 4) eight lines
is very short poem, and an approximative acrostich with doubtful
meaning may very well be accidential.
Search the archive Contact the Editors Visit "Nabokov Online Journal"
Visit Zembla View Nabokv-L Policies Manage subscription options

All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both co-editors.