Alexey Skyarenko: "From Pushkin's The
Captain's Daughter (Chapter Two: "The Guide"): ...Unfortunately, I failed to
find an English translation in the Internet. The epithet ezhovye comes from
yozh, "hedgehog." One is reminded of Ezhov, the head of Stalin's secret police
in 1936-38 (after Yagoda, before Beria)."
JM: Poetic associations and
translations are richer when one (privately) indulges in possible games. Here's
Morgenstern's rhyming "Hedgehog" Igel und Agel
by Christian Morgenstern - "HodgePodge" or Hedgehog and Hegehag
myweb.dal.ca/waue/Trans/Morgenstern-Igel.html -
Igel und Agel
Ein Igel saß auf
einem Stein
und blies auf einem Stachel sein
Schalmeiala,
schalmeialü!
Da kam sein Feinslieb Agel
und tat ihm schnigel
schnagel
zu seinen Melodein.
Schnigula schnagula
schnaguleia
lü!
Das Tier verblies sein Flötenhemd...
"Wie siehst du aus so
furchtbar fremd!?"
Schalmeiala, schalmeialü -.
Feins Agel ging zum
Nachbar, ach!
Den Igel aber hat der Bach
zum Weiher
fortgeschwemmt.
Wigula wagula
waguleia wü
tü
tü...
Sticly and Stackly in a translation by Max
Knight , available in the internet
Stickly and
Stackly
Stickly Prickly sat on a hill,
blew upon a cast-off
quill.
Shalm flute-a-la, Shalm flute-a-lee.
There came his true love
Stackly
and did him shnickly shnackly
and joined his tune and
trill
shnikoola, shnakoola
shnakoo-lee-a-lee.
He blew off every
single quill
"You look so bare now, are you ill?"
Shalm flute-a-la, Shalm
flute-a-lee
She eyed a handsome neighbor. woe!
But Stickly drowned - the
river flow.
Wiggoola, wiggoola,
wigoo-lee-a-lee too
tee.