At the beginning of VN¡¯s play Sobytie (¡°The Event,¡± 1938) the portrait painter Troshcheykin tells his wife Lyubov¡¯ that he could not fall asleep last night and mentions karusel¡¯ krasok (a merry-go-round of colors) that nearly drove him mad:
§´§â§à§ë§Ö§Û§Ü§Ú§ß. §µ§ã§á§à§Ü§à§Û§ã§ñ, §Þ§Ñ§ä§å§ê§Ü§Ñ. §¥§à§Ó§à§Ý§î§ß§à! §¦§ã§Ý§Ú §ñ §é§ä§à-§ß§Ú§Ò§å§Õ§î §ß§Ö §ä§Ñ§Ü §Ô§à§Ó§à§â§ð, §á§â§à§ã§ä§Ú §Ú §á§à§Ø§Ñ§Ý§Ö§Û, §Ñ §ß§Ö §Ü§å§ã§Ñ§Û§ã§ñ. §®§Ö§Ø§Õ§å §á§â§à§é§Ú§Þ, §ñ §á§à§é§ä§Ú §ß§Ö §ã§á§Ñ§Ý §ï§ä§å §ß§à§é§î.
§§ð§Ò§à§Ó§î. §§à§Ø§î.
§´§â§à§ë§Ö§Û§Ü§Ú§ß. §Á §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ý, §é§ä§à §ä§í §ï§ä§à §ã§Ü§Ñ§Ø§Ö§ê§î!
§§ð§Ò§à§Ó§î. §§à§Ø§î. §¯§Ö §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ý.
§´§â§à§ë§Ö§Û§Ü§Ú§ß. §¡ §Ó§ã§×-§ä§Ñ§Ü§Ú §ï§ä§à §ä§Ñ§Ü. §£§à-§á§Ö§â§Ó§í§ç, §å §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ §Ó§ã§Ö§Ô§Õ§Ñ §ã§Ö§â§Õ§è§Ö§Ò§Ú§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö, §Ü§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ §á§à§Ý§ß§à§Ý§å§ß§Ú§Ö. §ª §Ó§à§ä §ä§å§ä §à§á§ñ§ä§î §á§à§Ü§Ñ§Ý§í§Ó§Ñ§Ý§à, -- §ñ §ß§Ö §á§à§ß§Ú§Þ§Ñ§ð, §é§ä§à §ï§ä§à §ä§Ñ§Ü§à§Ö... §ª §Ó§ã§ñ§Ü§Ú§Ö §Þ§í§ã§Ý§Ú... §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ù§Ñ §Ù§Ñ§Ü§â§í§ä§í, §Ñ §ä§Ñ§Ü§Ñ§ñ §Ü§Ñ§â§å§ã§Ö§Ý§î §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§à§Ü, §é§ä§à §ã §å§Þ§Ñ §ã§à§Û§ä§Ú. §§ð§Ò§Ñ, §å§Ý§í§Ò§ß§Ú§ã§î, §Ô§à§Ý§å§Ò§Ñ. (Act One)
In VN¡¯s novel Dar (¡°The Gift,¡± 1937) Strannolyubski (Chernyshevski¡¯s fictitious biographer) mentions karusel¡¯ istiny (truth¡¯s merry-go-round):
"§£ §ä§â§Ú§Ñ§Õ§Ö, §Ô§à§Ó§à§â§Ú§ä §³§ä§â§Ñ§ß§ß§à§Ý§ð§Ò§ã§Ü§Ú§Û, §Ü§â§à§Ö§ä§ã§ñ §ã§Þ§å§ä§ß§í§Û §à§Ò§â§Ñ§Ù §à§Ü§â§å§Ø§ß§à§ã§ä§Ú, -- §á§â§Ñ§Ó§ñ§ë§Ö§Û §Ó§ã§Ö§Þ §Þ§í§ã§Ý§Ú§Þ§í§Þ §Ò§í§ä§Ú§Ö§Þ, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§à§Ö §Ó §ß§Ö§Û §Ù§Ñ§Ü§Ý§ð§é§Ö§ß§à §Ò§Ö§Ù§Ó§í§ç§à§Õ§ß§à. §¿§ä§à -- §Ü§Ñ§â§å§ã§Ö§Ý§î §Ú§ã§ä§Ú§ß§í, §Ú§Ò§à §Ú§ã§ä§Ú§ß§Ñ §Ó§ã§Ö§Ô§Õ§Ñ §Ü§â§å§Ô§Ý§Ñ§ñ; §ã§Ý§Ö§Õ§à§Ó§Ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§à §Ó §â§Ñ§Ù§Ó§Ú§ä§Ú§Ú §æ§à§â§Þ §Ø§Ú§Ù§ß§Ú §Ó§à§Ù§Þ§à§Ø§ß§Ñ §ß§Ö§Ü§à§ä§à§â§Ñ§ñ §Ú§Ù§Ó§Ú§ß§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§Ñ§ñ §Ü§â§Ú§Ó§Ú§Ù§ß§Ñ: §Ô§à§â§Ò §Ú§ã§ä§Ú§ß§í; §ß§à §ß§Ö §Ò§à§Ý§Ö§Ö".
"There lies concealed in the triad," says Strannolyubski, "a vague image of the circumference controlling all life of the mind, and the mind is confined inescapably within it. This is truth's merry-go-round, for truth is always round; consequently, in the development of life's forms a certain pardonable curvature is possible: the hump of truth; but no more." (Chapter Four)
Gorb istiny (the hump of truth) mentioned by Strannolyubski brings to mind Gorb, one of the eleven generals in VN¡¯s play Izobretenie Val¡¯sa (¡°The Waltz Invention,¡± 1938). General Gorb is dumb and attempts to say something using the deaf-and-dumb alphabet:
§¤§Ö§â§Ò. §±§à§Ô§à§Õ§Ú§ä§Ö, §á§à§Ô§à§Õ§Ú§ä§Ö... §¹§ä§à §ï§ä§à §Ó§í §ä§Ñ§Ü... §£§à§ä §Ó§í §Ô§Ö§ß§Ö§â§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §¤§à§â§Ò§Ñ §ß§Ö §ã§á§â§à§ã§Ú§Ý§Ú, -- §á§à§é§Ö§Þ§å §Ó§í §Ö§Ô§à §ß§Ö §ã§á§â§Ñ§ê§Ú§Ó§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ö?
§¤§à§â§Ò §Ó§ã§ä§Ñ§×§ä; §à§ß §ß§Ö§Þ§à§Û, §ß§à §á§í§ä§Ñ§Ö§ä§ã§ñ §é§ä§à-§ä§à §ã§Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§ä§î §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ü§Ñ§Þ§Ú.
§®§Ú§ß§Ú§ã§ä§â. §¬ §ã§à§Ø§Ñ§Ý§Ö§ß§Ú§ð, §ñ §ß§Ö §á§à§ß§Ú§Þ§Ñ§ð §ñ§Ù§í§Ü§Ñ §ß§Ö§Þ§í§ç. §§Ö§é§Ú§Ý§Ú§ã§î §Ò§í, §Ö§ã§Ý§Ú §Ó§í §ß§Ö§Þ§à§Û. §¤§Ñ§Õ§Ü§à! §¦§ã§ä§î §á§â§à§æ§Ö§ã§ã§à§â, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§Û §ß§Ñ§å§é§Ñ§Ö§ä... §ç§à§ä§ñ §Ò§í §Þ§í§é§Ñ§ß§Ú§ð. (Act Two)
The Minister of War does not understand what Gorb tries to say and tells him that there is a Professor who teaches at least mychanie (mumbling). Gorb (¡°The Hump,¡± 1923) is a poem by Mayakovski, the author of Prostoe kak mychanie (¡°Simple as Mooing,¡± 1916). In his tetraptych Oblako v shtanakh (¡°The Trousered Cloud,¡± 1915) Mayakovski addresses God and proposes to make karusel¡¯ na dereve izucheniya dobra i zla (a merry-go-round on the tree of study of good and evil):
§¥§Ñ§Ó§Ñ§Û§ä§Ö ¡ª §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ö ¡ª
§å§ã§ä§â§à§Ú§Þ§ä§Ö §Ü§Ñ§â§å§ã§Ö§Ý§î
§ß§Ñ §Õ§Ö§â§Ö§Ó§Ö §Ú§Ù§å§é§Ö§ß§Ú§ñ §Õ§à§Ò§â§Ñ §Ú §Ù§Ý§Ñ!
§£§Ö§Ù§Õ§Ö§ã§å§ë§Ú§Û, §ä§í §Ò§å§Õ§Ö§ê§î §Ó §Ü§Ñ§Ø§Õ§à§Þ §ê§Ü§Ñ§á§å,
§Ú §Ó§Ú§ß§Ñ §ä§Ñ§Ü§Ú§Ö §â§Ñ§ã§ã§ä§Ñ§Ó§Ú§Þ §á§à §ã§ä§à§Ý§å,
§é§ä§à§Ò §Ù§Ñ§ç§à§ä§Ö§Ý§à§ã§î §á§â§à§Û§ä§Ú§ã§î §Ó §Ü§Ú-§Ü§Ñ-§á§å
§ç§Þ§å§â§à§Þ§å §±§Ö§ä§â§å §¡§á§à§ã§ä§à§Ý§å.
§¡ §Ó §â§Ñ§Ö §à§á§ñ§ä§î §á§à§ã§Ö§Ý§Ú§Þ §¦§Ó§à§é§Ö§Ü:
§á§â§Ú§Ü§Ñ§Ø§Ú,¡ª
§ã§Ö§Ô§à§Õ§ß§ñ §ß§à§é§î§ð §Ø
§ã§à §Ó§ã§Ö§ç §Ò§å§Ý§î§Ó§Ñ§â§à§Ó §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ó§Ö§Û§ê§Ú§ç §Õ§Ö§Ó§à§é§Ö§Ü
§ñ §ß§Ñ§ä§Ñ§ë§å §ä§Ö§Ò§Ö. (4)
Mayakovski¡¯s offer to bring God the prettiest girls from all boulevards and populate the paradise with them reminds one of the whores procured by Son (Trance) in ¡°The Waltz Invention.¡± In VN¡¯s play Son appears from a wardrobe in the office of the Minister of War. In his poem Mayakovski promises to the Omnipresent that he (God) will be in every wardrobe. The gloomy Apostle Peter and vina (the wines) mentioned by Mayakovski bring to mind Pyotr Nikolaevich (the famous writer), a guest at Antonina Pavlovna¡¯s birthday party who demands wine and criticizes his host¡¯s cognac. The famous writer in ¡°The Event¡± is a mild cartoon of Ivan Bunin. In Bunin¡¯s story Petlistye ushi (¡°Loopy Ears,¡± 1916) Adam Sokolovich (the author¡¯s porte-parler) says that Dostoevski spilled Christ into all his cheap novels. Then he goes and strangles a prostitute.
According to Pyotr Nikolaevich, he is an ¡°antidulcinist¡± (enemy of sweet meal):
§§ð§Ò§à§Ó§î. §¹§Ö§Ô§à §Ø§Ö §Ó§Ñ§Þ §á§â§Ö§Õ§Ý§à§Ø§Ú§ä§î? §¿§ä§à§Ô§à?
§±§Ú§ã§Ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§î. §¯§Ö§ä. §Á -- §Ñ§ß§ä§Ú§Õ§å§Ý§î§è§Ú§ß§Ú§ã§ä: §á§â§à§ä§Ú§Ó§ß§Ú§Ü §ã§Ý§Ñ§Õ§Ü§à§Ô§à. §¡ §Ó§à§ä §Ó§Ú§ß§Ñ §å §Ó§Ñ§ã §ß§Ö§ä§å? (Act Two)
Antidulcinist seems to hint at Dulcinea, Don Quixote¡¯s beloved in Cervantes¡¯ novel. In his poem Ko vsemu (¡°To Everything,¡± 1916) included in Prostoe kak mychanie Mayakovski says that lyubov¡¯ (love) was only in his fevered brain, asks to stop the course of a silly comedy and calls himself velichayshiy Don-Kikhot (¡°the greatest Don Quixote¡±):
§§ð§Ò§à§Ó§î!
§´§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §Ó §Þ§à§×§Þ
§Ó§à§ã§á§Ñ§Ý§×§ß§ß§à§Þ
§Þ§à§Ù§Ô§å §Ò§í§Ý§Ñ §ä§í!
§¤§Ý§å§á§à§Û §Ü§à§Þ§Ö§Õ§Ú§Ú §à§ã§ä§Ñ§ß§à§Ó§Ú§ä§Ö §ç§à§Õ!
§³§Þ§à§ä§â§Ú§ä§Ö ¡ª
§ã§â§í§Ó§Ñ§ð §Ú§Ô§â§å§ê§Ü§Ú-§Ý§Ñ§ä§í
§ñ
§Ó§Ö§Ý§Ú§é§Ñ§Û§ê§Ú§Û §¥§à§ß-§¬§Ú§ç§à§ä!
At Antonina Pavlovna¡¯s birthday party Pyotr Nikolaevich ¡°quotes¡± Hamlet¡¯s words from his famous monologue:
§±§Ú§ã§Ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§î. "§©§Ñ§Õ, -- §Ü§Ñ§Ü §ã§Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§Ý §Ò§í §º§Ö§Ü§ã§á§Ú§â, -- §Ù§Ñ§Õ §Ú§Ù §Ù§í§Ü §Ó§Ö§ë§Ñ§ß". (§²§Ö§á§à§â§ä§×§â§å.) §¡ §é§ä§à §Ó§í §Ú§Þ§Ö§Ö§ä§Ö §ã§Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§ä§î, §ã§à§Ý§ß§è§Ö §Þ§à§×? (Act Two)
¡°Zad, as Shakespeare would have said, zad is zyk veshchan.¡±
Gamlet i Don Kikhot (¡°Hamlet and Don Quixote,¡± 1860) is an essay by Turgenev. The main character in Turgenev¡¯s story Mumu (1852) is the deaf and dumb serf Gerasim. At the end of Khokhlik (1867), Turgenev¡¯s Russian version of Charles Perrault¡¯s fairy tale Riquet ¨¤ la houppe (1697), the hero¡¯s gorb (hump) is mentioned:
§¤§à§â§Ò §á§à§Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§Ý§ã§ñ §Ö§Û §à§ã§Ñ§ß§Ü§à§Û §Ó§Ñ§Ø§ß§à§Ô§à §é§Ö§Ý§à§Ó§Ö§Ü§Ñ, §ç§â§à§Þ§à§ä§å §à§ß§Ñ §ß§Ñ§ê§Ý§Ñ §á§â§Ú§ñ§ä§ß§à§Û §á§à§ç§à§Õ§Ü§à§Û, §Ü§à§ã§í§Ö §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ù§Ñ §á§â§Ö§Ó§â§Ñ§ä§Ú§Ý§Ú§ã§î §Ó §Ó§í§â§Ñ§Ù§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§í§Ö §à§é§Ú, §â§Ñ§ã§ä§Ö§â§ñ§ß§ß§í§Û §Ó§Ù§Ô§Ý§ñ§Õ §á§à§ê§×§Ý §Ù§Ñ §á§â§Ú§Ù§ß§Ñ§Ü §ã§Ú§Ý§î§ß§à§Û §Ý§ð§Ò§à§Ó§ß§à§Û §ã§ä§â§Ñ§ã§ä§Ú, §Ú §Õ§Ñ§Ø§Ö §Ò§à§Ý§î§ê§à§Û §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§ß§í§Û §ß§à§ã §ñ§Ó§Ú§Ý§ã§ñ §Ö§Û §Ó §Ó§à§Ú§ß§ã§ä§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§à§Þ, §Ô§Ö§â§à§Û§ã§Ü§à§Þ §Ó§Ú§Õ§Ö.
In ¡°The Waltz Invention¡± General Berg, as he speaks over the ¡¯phone to the Minister of War, mentions starik Perro (old Perrault) who died last night:
§®§Ú§ß§Ú§ã§ä§â. §¡ §ß§Ñ§ê§Ö§Ô§à §Ô§Ö§ß§Ö§â§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §ñ §ä§Ñ§Ü §à§Ô§â§Ö§Ý §á§à §ä§Ö§Ý§Ö§æ§à§ß§å, §é§ä§à, §Ü§Ñ§Ø§Ö§ä§ã§ñ, §å §ß§Ö§Ô§à §á§â§à§ê§Ý§Ñ §á§à§Õ§Ñ§Ô§â§Ñ. §®§Ö§Ø§Õ§å §á§â§à§é§Ú§Þ, §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ö, §Ü§ä§à §ß§í§ß§é§Ö §ß§à§é§î§ð §á§à§Þ§Ö§â? §³§ä§Ñ§â§Ú§Ü §±§Ö§â§â§à, -- §Õ§Ñ, §Õ§Ñ. §£§Ñ§Þ §á§â§Ú§Õ§×§ä§ã§ñ §á§à§Ö§ç§Ñ§ä§î §ß§Ñ §á§à§ç§à§â§à§ß§í. §ª §ß§Ñ§á§à§Þ§ß§Ú§ä§Ö §Þ§ß§Ö §Ù§Ñ§Ó§ä§â§Ñ §á§à§Ô§à§Ó§à§â§Ú§ä§î §ã §¢§â§å§ä§à§Þ §ß§Ñ§ã§é§×§ä §á§Ö§ß§ã§Ú§Ú §Õ§Ý§ñ §Ó§Õ§à§Ó§í. §°§ß§Ú, §à§Ü§Ñ§Ù§í§Ó§Ñ§Ö§ä§ã§ñ, §á§à§ã§Ý§Ö§Õ§ß§Ö§Ö §Ó§â§Ö§Þ§ñ §ã§Ú§Ý§î§ß§à §ß§å§Ø§Õ§Ñ§Ý§Ú§ã§î, §Ô§â§å§ã§ä§ß§à, §ñ §ï§ä§à§Ô§à §Õ§Ñ§Ø§Ö §ß§Ö §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ý. (Act One)
In ¡°The Event¡± Vera (Lyubov¡¯s younger sister) mentions Turgenev:
§£§Ö§â§Ñ. §¡ §á§à§Þ§ß§Ú§ê§î, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §à§ß, §Ò§í§Ó§Ñ§Ý§à, §á§â§Ú§ç§à§Õ§Ú§Ý §Þ§â§Ñ§é§ß§í§Û §Ú §Þ§â§Ñ§é§ß§à §â§Ñ§ã§ã§Ü§Ñ§Ù§í§Ó§Ñ§Ý §é§ä§à-§ß§Ú§Ò§å§Õ§î §Õ§Ú§Ü§à §ã§Þ§Ö§ê§ß§à§Ö. §ª§Ý§Ú §Ü§Ñ§Ü §Þ§í §Ó§ä§â§à§×§Þ §ã§Ú§Õ§Ö§Ý§Ú §ß§Ñ §Ó§Ö§â§Ñ§ß§Õ§Ö, §Ú §ñ §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ý§Ñ, §é§ä§à §Ó§Ñ§Þ §Õ§à §Ü§â§Ú§Ü§Ñ §ç§à§é§Ö§ä§ã§ñ, §é§ä§à§Ò §ñ §å§ê§Ý§Ñ, §Ñ §ñ §ã§Ú§Õ§Ö§Ý§Ñ §Ó §Ü§Ñ§é§Ñ§Ý§Ü§Ö §Ú §é§Ú§ä§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §´§å§â§Ô§Ö§ß§Ö§Ó§Ñ, §Ñ §Ó§í §ß§Ñ §Õ§Ú§Ó§Ñ§ß§Ö, §Ú §ñ §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ý§Ñ, §é§ä§à, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §ä§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §å§Û§Õ§å, §Ó§í §Ò§å§Õ§Ö§ä§Ö §è§Ö§Ý§à§Ó§Ñ§ä§î§ã§ñ, §Ú §á§à§ï§ä§à§Þ§å §ß§Ö §å§ç§à§Õ§Ú§Ý§Ñ.
§§ð§Ò§à§Ó§î. §¥§Ñ, §à§ß §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ §Ò§Ö§Ù§å§Þ§ß§à §Ý§ð§Ò§Ú§Ý, §Ò§Ö§Ù§å§Þ§ß§à §ß§Ö§Ó§Ö§Ù§å§é§Ö§Û §Ý§ð§Ò§à§Ó§î§ð. §¯§à §Ò§í§Ó§Ñ§Ý§Ú §Ú §Õ§â§å§Ô§Ú§Ö §Þ§Ú§ß§å§ä§í, -- §ã§à§Ó§Ö§â§ê§Ö§ß§ß§à§Û §ä§Ú§ê§Ú§ß§í.
§£§Ö§â§Ñ. §¬§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ §á§Ñ§á§Ñ §å§Þ§Ö§â §Ú §Ò§í§Ý §á§â§à§Õ§Ñ§ß §ß§Ñ§ê §Õ§à§Þ §Ú §ã§Ñ§Õ, §Þ§ß§Ö §Ò§í§Ý§à §à§Ò§Ú§Õ§ß§à, §é§ä§à §Ü§Ñ§Ü-§ä§à §Ó §á§â§Ú§Õ§Ñ§é§å §à§ä§Õ§Ñ§Ö§ä§ã§ñ §Ó§ã§×, §é§ä§à §Ò§í§Ý§à §Ó §å§Ô§Ý§Ñ§ç §ß§Ñ§ê§Ö§á§ä§Ñ§ß§à, §ß§Ñ§ê§å§é§Ö§ß§à, §ß§Ñ§á§Ý§Ñ§Ü§Ñ§ß§à.
§§ð§Ò§à§Ó§î. §¥§Ñ, §ã§Ý§×§Ù§í, §à§Ù§ß§à§Ò... §µ§Ö§ç§Ñ§Ý §á§à §Õ§Ö§Ý§Ñ§Þ §ß§Ñ §Õ§Ó§Ñ §Þ§Ö§ã§ñ§è§Ñ, §Ñ §ä§å§ä §á§à§Õ§Ó§Ö§â§ß§å§Ý§ã§ñ §¡§Ý§×§ê§Ñ, §ã §Þ§Ö§é§ä§Ñ§Þ§Ú, §ã §Ó§×§Õ§â§Ñ§Þ§Ú §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§Ü§Ú. §Á §á§â§Ú§ä§Ó§à§â§Ú§Ý§Ñ§ã§î, §é§ä§à §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ §Ù§Ñ§Ü§â§å§Ø§Ú§Ý§à, -- §Õ§Ñ §Ú §¡§Ý§×§ê§Ú §Ò§í§Ý§à §Ü§Ñ§Ü-§ä§à §Ø§Ñ§Ý§î. §°§ß §Ò§í§Ý §ä§Ñ§Ü§à§Û §Õ§Ö§ä§ã§Ü§Ú§Û, §ä§Ñ§Ü§à§Û §Ò§Ö§ã§á§à§Þ§à§ë§ß§í§Û. §ª §ñ §ä§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ §ß§Ñ§á§Ú§ã§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §ï§ä§à §å§Ø§Ñ§ã§ß§à§Ö §á§Ú§ã§î§Þ§à §§×§ß§Ö: §á§à§Þ§ß§Ú§ê§î, §Þ§í §ã§Þ§à§ä§â§Ö§Ý§Ú §ã §ä§à§Ò§à§Û §á§à§ã§â§Ö§Õ§Ú §ß§à§é§Ú §ß§Ñ §á§à§é§ä§à§Ó§í§Û §ñ§ë§Ú§Ü, §Ô§Õ§Ö §à§ß§à §å§Ø§Ö §Ý§Ö§Ø§Ñ§Ý§à, §Ú §Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§Ý§à§ã§î, §é§ä§à §ñ§ë§Ú§Ü §â§Ñ§Ù§Ò§å§ç §Ú §ã§Ö§Û§é§Ñ§ã §â§Ñ§Ù§à§â§Ó§Ö§ä§ã§ñ, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §Ò§à§Þ§Ò§Ñ. (Act One)
Lyubov¡¯s comparison of a mail box containing her letter to Barbashin to a bomb brings to mind bomba (a bomb) mentioned by Mayakovski in ¡°The Trousered Cloud:¡±
§£§í§ß§î§ä§Ö, §Ô§å§Ý§ñ§ë§Ú§Ö, §â§å§Ü§Ú §Ú§Ù §Ò§â§ð§Ü ¡ª
§Ò§Ö§â§Ú§ä§Ö §Ü§Ñ§Þ§Ö§ß§î, §ß§à§Ø §Ú§Ý§Ú §Ò§à§Þ§Ò§å,
§Ñ §Ö§ã§Ý§Ú §å §Ü§à§ä§à§â§à§Ô§à §ß§Ö§ä§å §â§å§Ü ¡ª
§á§â§Ú§ê§×§Ý §é§ä§à§Ò §Ú §Ò§Ú§Ý§ã§ñ §Ý§Ò§à§Þ §Ò§í! (3)
At Antonina Pavlovna¡¯s birthday party Mme Vagabundov (Troshcheykin¡¯s model who speaks in verse) also mentions bomba:
§£§Ñ§Ô§Ñ§Ò§å§ß§Õ§à§Ó§Ñ.
§®§à§Ø§Ö§ä §Ò§í§ä§î, §Þ§Ö§ä§ß§×§ä §Ò§à§Þ§Ò§å?
§¡, -- §ç§Ó§Ñ§ä§Ú§ä §Ñ§á§Ý§à§Þ§Ò§å?
§£§à§ä §Þ§Ö§ä§ß§×§ä
§Ú §Ó§ã§Ö§ç §ß§Ñ§ã
§ã§Ö§Û§é§Ñ§ã -- §ã§Ö§Û§é§Ñ§ã
§â§Ñ§Ù§à§â§Ó§×§ä. (Act Two)
Vera¡¯s new cheap perchatki (gloves) bring to mind perchatki zamsh (a glove¡¯s chamois) mentioned by Mayakovski in ¡°The Trousered Cloud:¡±
§£§à§ê§Ý§Ñ §ä§í,
§â§Ö§Ù§Ü§Ñ§ñ, §Ü§Ñ§Ü «§ß§Ñ§ä§Ö!»,
§Þ§å§é§Ñ §á§Ö§â§é§Ñ§ä§Ü§Ú §Ù§Ñ§Þ§ê,
§ã§Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§Ý§Ñ:
«§©§ß§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ö ¡ª
§ñ §Ó§í§ç§à§Ø§å §Ù§Ñ§Þ§å§Ø». (1)
The girl with whom the author is in love tells him that she is going to marry. In her letter to Barbashin (that made the mail box containing it look like a bomb) Lyubov¡¯ told him that she married Troshcheykin.
Alexey Sklyarenko