Subject
DN - - Riddle (fwd)
Date
Body
EDITORIAL NOTE. NABOKOV-L thanks Dmitri Nabokv for the following
electronic "scoop." An unpublished puzzle poem from VN himself.
Alas, editorial ethnics exclude the editor, his family and NABOKV-L
employees from entering the contest.
---------------------------------------
From: Dmitri Nabokov via "Sandy P. Klein" <taxi@flinet.com>
- - - - - - -
AFTER A HARD DAY OF HOCKEY PRACTICE, A LITTLE REWARD FOR THOSE
WHO HAVE BEEN WADING THROUGH MY LENGTHIER ITEMS - - THE
FOLLOWING FROM FATHER:
A RIDDLE
A word there is of plural number,
An enemy of peaceful slumber*;
Now if you add an s to this - -
O magic metamorphosis:
plural is plural now no more,
And sweet what bitter was before.
* And if read backward, it may cause
The cautious mountaineer to pause.
DN NOTE: FATHER DID THIS FOR ME. IT'S NOT HARD - - EVEN I
SOLVED IT. THE FIRST CORRECT ANSWER WILL GET A FAX-SIMILE
OF VN'S PENCILED FICHE BRISTOL (THEREFORE PLEASE INCLUDE
FAX NO. ON POSTING). NO SHOEBOX-TOP REQUIRED. NO
CONNECTION WITH TSVETAEVA, ALTHOUGH THAT 1937 POEM WILL
BE INCLUDED IN A LARGE COLLECTION OF ENGLISHED VN VERSE.
electronic "scoop." An unpublished puzzle poem from VN himself.
Alas, editorial ethnics exclude the editor, his family and NABOKV-L
employees from entering the contest.
---------------------------------------
From: Dmitri Nabokov via "Sandy P. Klein" <taxi@flinet.com>
- - - - - - -
AFTER A HARD DAY OF HOCKEY PRACTICE, A LITTLE REWARD FOR THOSE
WHO HAVE BEEN WADING THROUGH MY LENGTHIER ITEMS - - THE
FOLLOWING FROM FATHER:
A RIDDLE
A word there is of plural number,
An enemy of peaceful slumber*;
Now if you add an s to this - -
O magic metamorphosis:
plural is plural now no more,
And sweet what bitter was before.
* And if read backward, it may cause
The cautious mountaineer to pause.
DN NOTE: FATHER DID THIS FOR ME. IT'S NOT HARD - - EVEN I
SOLVED IT. THE FIRST CORRECT ANSWER WILL GET A FAX-SIMILE
OF VN'S PENCILED FICHE BRISTOL (THEREFORE PLEASE INCLUDE
FAX NO. ON POSTING). NO SHOEBOX-TOP REQUIRED. NO
CONNECTION WITH TSVETAEVA, ALTHOUGH THAT 1937 POEM WILL
BE INCLUDED IN A LARGE COLLECTION OF ENGLISHED VN VERSE.