'But no sapphic vorschmacks,' mumbled Van into
his pillow. (2.8)
From Ilf and Petrov's "The Twelve Chairs" (Chapter Eight
Goluboy vorishka*):
Хор с усилием загремел, как сквозь подушку: Та-та-та,
та-та-та, та-та-та, То-ро-ром, ту-ру-рум, ту-ру-рум...**
The choir increased its volume with an effort, as though singing
through a pillow: "Ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta, Te-ro-rom, tu-ru-rum, tu-ru-rum
. . ."
Застенчивый Александр
Яковлевич тут же, без промедления, пригласил пожарного инспектора отобедать чем
бог послал.
В этот день бог послал
Александру Яковлевичу на обед бутылку зубровки, домашние грибки,
форшмак из селёдки, украинский борщ с мясом первого сорта,
курицу с рисом и компот из сушеных яблок.
Without further hesitation the
bashful Alchen invited the fire inspector to take pot luck and
lunch with him.
Pot luck that day happened to be a bottle of
Zubrovka vodka, home-pickled mushrooms, vorschmack of minced
herring, Ukrainian beet soup containing first-grade meat, chicken and rice,
and stewed apples. (ibid.)
Мадмуазель Собак слыла культурной девушкой: в её
словаре было около ста восьмидесяти слов. При этом ей было известно одно такое
слово, которое Эллочке даже не могло присниться. Это было богатое слово:
гомосексуализм. Фима Собак, несомненно, была культурной девушкой.
Mlle Sobak was reputed to be a cultured girl: her vocabulary
contained about a hundred and eighty words. One of the words was one that
Ellochka would not even have dreamed of. It was the meaningful word
"homosexuality". Fima Sobak was undoubtedly a cultured girl. ("The 12 Chairs",
Chapter Twenty Two "Ellochka the Cannibal")
Fima Sobak brings to mind Cordula Tobak (born de Prey), Ada's
schoolmate at Brownhill whom Van suspects of being a lesbian (1.27).
When Van meets Cordula in Paris (3.2), he quotes the stale
but appropriate lines he had known since the days his schoolmates annoyed him
with them:
The Veens speak only to Tobaks
But Tobaks speak only to dogs.
(Viny govoryat lish' s Tobakami,
a Tobaki govoryat lish' s sobakami)
Tobak + s = Sobak + t = St Koba (Koba was Stalin's nickname; Colonel St Alin, a scoundrel, was a second in Demon's duel
with d'Onsky, 1.2)
*"The Bashful Chiseller". Interestingly, in modern slang goluboy
(blue) means "pansy".
**The choir of old women sings Blok: Слышен звон
бубенцов издалёка. Это тройки знакомый разбег... А вдали простирался широ-о-ко
Белым саваном искристый снег!.. ("We hear the sound of distant jingling,
The troika's on its round. Far into the distant stretches The sparkling snowy
ground!..")
At 'Ursus' (the best Franco-Estotian restaurants in Manhattan
Major) Van, Ada and Lucette listened to Russian songs. (2.8)
Alexey Sklyarenko