Four: XXI ALEXANDER PUSHÐšIN Four:XXI VLADIMIR NABOKOV

Ð—Ð°Ñ‚Ð¾ Ð»ÑŽÐ±Ð¾Ð²ÑŠ ÐºÑ€Ð°ÑÐ°Ð²Ð¸Ñ† Ð½ÐµÐ¶Ð½Ñ‹Ñ… As to the love of tender beauties,

ÐÐ°Ð´ÐµÐ¶Ð½ÐµÐ¹ Ð´Ñ€ÑƒÐ¶Ð±Ñ‹ Ð¸ Ñ€Ð¾Ð´ÑÑ‚Ð²Ð°: 'tis surer than friendship or kinship.

ÐÐ°Ð´ Ð½ÐµÑŽ Ð¸ ÑÑ€ÐµÐ´ÑŒ Ð±ÑƒÑ€ÑŒ Ð¼ÑÑ‚ÐµÐ¶Ð½Ñ‹Ñ… Over it even mid tumultuous storms

BÑ‹ ÑÐ¾Ñ…Ñ€Ð°Ð½ÑÐµÑ‚Ðµ Ð¿Ñ€Ð°Ð²Ð°. rights you retain.

ÐšÐ¾Ð½ÐµÑ‡Ð½Ð¾, Ñ‚aÐº. ÐÐ¾ Ð²Ð¸Ñ…Ð¾Ñ€ÑŒ Ð¼Ð¾Ð´Ñ‹, No doubt, so. But there's fashion's whirl,

ÐÐ¾ ÑÐ²Ð¾ÐµÐ½Ñ€Ð°Ð²Ð¸Ðµ Ð¿Ñ€Ð¸Ñ€Ð¾Ð´Ñ‹, there's nature's waywardness,

ÐÐ¾ Ð¼Ð½ÐµÐ½ÑŒÑ ÑÐ²ÐµÑ‚ÑÐºÐ¾Ð³Ð¾ Ð¿Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¾Ðº ... there's the stream of the monde's opinion -

Ð Ð¼Ð¸Ð»Ñ‹Ð¹ Ð¿Ð¾Ð», ÐºÐ°Ðº Ð¿ÑƒÑ…, Ð»ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ðº. while the amiable sex is light as fluff.

Ðš Ñ‚Ð¾Ð¼Ñƒ Ð¶ Ð¸ Ð¼Ð½ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÑÑƒÐ¿Ñ€ÑƒÐ³Ð° Moreover, the opinions of her spouse

Ð”Ð»Ñ Ð´Ð¾Ð±Ñ€Ð¾Ð´ÐµÑ‚ÐµÐ»ÑŠÐ½Ð¾Ð¹ Ð¶ÐµÐ½Ñ‹ should by a virtuous wife

Ð’ÑÐµÐ³Ð´Ð° Ð¿Ð¾Ñ‡Ñ‚ÐµÐ½Ð½Ñ‹ Ð±Ñ‹Ñ‚ÑŒ Ð´Ð¾Ð»Ð¶Ð½Ñ‹; be always honored;

Ð¢Ð°Ðº Ð²Ð°ÑˆÐ° Ð²ÐµÑ€Ð½Ð°Ñ Ð¿Ð¾Ð´Ñ€ÑƒÐ³Ð° your faithful mistress thus

Ð‘Ñ‹Ð²Ð°ÐµÑ‚ Ð²Ð¼Ð¸Ð³ ÑƒÐ²Ð»ÐµÑ‡ÐµÐ½Ð°: may in a trice be bundled off:

Ð›ÑŽÐ±Ð¾Ð²ÑŒÑŽ ÑˆyÑ‚Ð¸Ñ‚ ÑÐ°Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ð°. with love jokes Satan.

Deear Jansy,

I don't have access to my copy of EO as translated by VN into English, but I'm assuming that he had his reasons for translating as he did. But in Pushkin's original Russian, there is no ambiguity in the meaning. For whatever reason it appears that Nabokov chose an ambiguous translation - but that may very well be because Alexey only gave us a snippet -- a phrase. For a final clearing up a full quotation of both the Russian and English stanzas should be posted, which unfortunately I can not do.

Carolyn