nikto + Bog + ladon’ + Nabokov = Botkin + ogon’ + Aldanov + bok

nikto – nobody

Bog – God; in the first stanza of Bog Derzhavin says that nikto, none, could comprehend God (see the quote below)

ladon’ – palm (of hand)

Botkin – Bokin V. [Vsevolod?], American scholar of Russian descent; Botkin = Shade + Kinbote + Gradus; in the first stanza of Bog Derzhavin mentions God’s three faces (see the quote below)

ogon’ – fire

Aldanov – Mark Aldanov (penname of M. A. Landau, 1886-1957); in his novel Istoki (“The Sources,” 1950) Aldanov describes the assassination of Alexander II and mentions “the physician in ordinary, famous Dr Botkin” (see the second quote below)

bok – side; flank; according to Kinbote, one of Gradus’ bullets struck Shade in the side and went through his heart (note to Line 1000)

О ты, пространством бесконечный,
Живый в движеньи вещества,
Теченьем времени превечный,
Без лиц, в трёх лицах божества!
Дух всюду сущий и единый,
Кому нет места и причины,
Кого никто постичь не мог,
Кто всё собою наполняет,
Объемлет, зиждет, сохраняет,
Кого мы называем: бог.

O Thou, who's infinite in space,

Alive in ever-moving matter,

Eternal in the flow of time,

God faceless, with a trinity of faces!

Spirit unified and omnipresent,

Who needs no place or reason,

Whom none can ever comprehend,

Whose being permeates all things,

Encompassing, creating, guarding,

Thou, called by us God.

В комнaту вбежaл лейб-медик, знaменитый врaч Боткин. Все перед ним рaсступились. Нaстaлa тишинa, продолжaвшaяся минуты три.

- Есть ли нaдеждa?

Боткин отрицaтельно покaчaл головой в ответ нa вопрос нaследникa.

- Никaкой, вaше высочество, - негромко скaзaл он, подумaв, что уже можно было бы скaзaть "вaше величество". (Istoki, Part Fifteen, chapter XII)

The heir asks Dr Botkin, if there is nadezhda (any hope) that the tsar will survive the assassination. “There is none,” replies Dr Botkin. There is a hope that after Kinbote’s suicide (on Oct. 19, 1959, the anniversary of Pushkin’s Lyceum) V. Botkin will be “full” again. At the end of Canto Three of his poem Shade mentions “faint hope” to which he can grope his way (ll. 833-34).

Alexey Sklyarenko