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Fwd: Re: Krivulin poem re Nabokov. Translation
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EDNOTE. With thanks to Jeff Edmunds on ZEMBLA's Birthday.
From Jeff Edmunds <jhe2@psulias.psu.edu>:
The version of this poem that reached me via the list was both garbled and
truncated, perhaps as a result of the encoding. The apparently complete
version is available at
http://www.vavilon.ru/texts/prim/krivulin4.html
about two-thirds of the way down the page.
Below is an English version, composed hastily and immediately
postprandially. It is whimsical, ugly, unrhymed, and probably wrong in at
least three ways. My apologies to Viktor Krivulin.
---------------------------------------------
Marvelous Moment
Why did you, marvelous moment,
Get stuck in my head
Like a fragment from the naughty bits
Of some antique statue?
Let Nabokov explain
The meaning of Russian diffidence and
Shame, and conceal the genital organ
With metaphysical delight
As with a wisp of cloth --
Why? What for and from whom?
Harmony is deity
On line, connected to us
So that we dont see, but we know,
There is something there, where there is nothing
At 09:40 AM 12/1/2004 -0800, you wrote:
>
> ЧУÐÐÐÐ ÐÐÐÐÐÐ
>
> заÑем ÑÑ ÑÑдное мгнове
> в моей заÑело голове
> обломком ÑÑаÑÑи анÑиÑной
> Ð¾Ñ Ð½ÐµÐºÐ¾Ð¹ ÑаÑÑи непÑилиÑной
>
> пÑÑкай набоков поÑÑниÑ
> ÑÑо ознаÑÐ°ÐµÑ ÑÑÑÑкий ÑÑÑд
> и ÑÑам, и деÑоÑоднÑй оÑган
> меÑаÑизиÑеÑким воÑÑоÑгом
> как полоÑенÑиком пÑикÑÑÑ -
>
> заÑем? за ÑÑо и Ð¾Ñ ÐºÐ¾Ð³Ð¾? -
>
>As far as I know, this is the only instant when Viktor Krivulin
>(1944-2001), probably the greatest Russian poet of the end of the last
>millenium, mentions in his verses Nabokov. May be somebody on the List who
>can read Cyrilic on his/her computer can provide the English (rhymed?)
>translation of this little poem?
>The poem was first published in the book "Stikhi yubileynogo goda" (2001).
>In my transcription, I have kept the scant punctuation of the original.
>
>Alexey
----- End forwarded message -----
From Jeff Edmunds <jhe2@psulias.psu.edu>:
The version of this poem that reached me via the list was both garbled and
truncated, perhaps as a result of the encoding. The apparently complete
version is available at
http://www.vavilon.ru/texts/prim/krivulin4.html
about two-thirds of the way down the page.
Below is an English version, composed hastily and immediately
postprandially. It is whimsical, ugly, unrhymed, and probably wrong in at
least three ways. My apologies to Viktor Krivulin.
---------------------------------------------
Marvelous Moment
Why did you, marvelous moment,
Get stuck in my head
Like a fragment from the naughty bits
Of some antique statue?
Let Nabokov explain
The meaning of Russian diffidence and
Shame, and conceal the genital organ
With metaphysical delight
As with a wisp of cloth --
Why? What for and from whom?
Harmony is deity
On line, connected to us
So that we dont see, but we know,
There is something there, where there is nothing
At 09:40 AM 12/1/2004 -0800, you wrote:
>
> ЧУÐÐÐÐ ÐÐÐÐÐÐ
>
> заÑем ÑÑ ÑÑдное мгнове
> в моей заÑело голове
> обломком ÑÑаÑÑи анÑиÑной
> Ð¾Ñ Ð½ÐµÐºÐ¾Ð¹ ÑаÑÑи непÑилиÑной
>
> пÑÑкай набоков поÑÑниÑ
> ÑÑо ознаÑÐ°ÐµÑ ÑÑÑÑкий ÑÑÑд
> и ÑÑам, и деÑоÑоднÑй оÑган
> меÑаÑизиÑеÑким воÑÑоÑгом
> как полоÑенÑиком пÑикÑÑÑ -
>
> заÑем? за ÑÑо и Ð¾Ñ ÐºÐ¾Ð³Ð¾? -
>
>As far as I know, this is the only instant when Viktor Krivulin
>(1944-2001), probably the greatest Russian poet of the end of the last
>millenium, mentions in his verses Nabokov. May be somebody on the List who
>can read Cyrilic on his/her computer can provide the English (rhymed?)
>translation of this little poem?
>The poem was first published in the book "Stikhi yubileynogo goda" (2001).
>In my transcription, I have kept the scant punctuation of the original.
>
>Alexey
----- End forwarded message -----