Four: XXI ALEXANDER PUSHКIN Four:XXI VLADIMIR NABOKOV

Зато любовъ красавиц нежных As to the love of tender beauties,

Надежней дружбы и родства: 'tis surer than friendship or kinship.

Над нею и средь бурь мятежных Over it even mid tumultuous storms

Bы сохраняете права. rights you retain.

Конечно, тaк. Но вихорь моды, No doubt, so. But there's fashion's whirl,

Но своенравие природы, there's nature's waywardness,

Но мненья светского поток ... there's the stream of the monde's opinion -

А милый пол, как пух, легок. while the amiable sex is light as fluff.

К тому ж и мнения супруга Moreover, the opinions of her spouse

Для добродетелъной жены should by a virtuous wife

Всегда почтенны быть должны; be always honored;

Так ваша верная подруга your faithful mistress thus

Бывает вмиг увлечена: may in a trice be bundled off:

Любовью шyтит сатана. 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