Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0010172, Sun, 1 Aug 2004 10:04:49 -0700

Subject
Re: TT-8 Preliminary notes (fwd)
Date
Body
------------------


D. Barton Johnson wrote:
>
>
> 6. chamar --peacock fan used as sign of royalty or priesthood in India.
>
> EDNOTE. John Rea has checked a Byron concordance but not found the word
> used. See NABOKV-L Archive
>
> Well, not exactly: I found the Byron use of 'chamar' (Portuguese
'to call, to name') in Don Juan, which I cited; I also mentioned
Byrons translation of these lines (from Portuguese) in a couple of
his "Occasional Pieces".

The bit in TT is a sort of Nabokovian leg-pull: The peacock fan meaning
exists, but has nothing to do with the Byron bits, which are based
on the Portuguese.

John



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D. Barton Johnson
NABOKV-L