Posts tagged with "Lermontov"

«Это вы всё-таки ждали…»: Answers to the Russian Poetry Quiz!

Posted by josefina 2 Comments
Mar 7 2010

Remember the post here on March 2nd – «Вот неожиданно»: Russian Poetry Quiz! – which disappeared for a while (but now it is back up on the blog, which the working link is living proof of). If you missed it the first time, feel free to have a look at it before reading the correct answers! «Надо совесть иметь всё-таки» [one must have a conscience after all]! But if you read it the first time and couldn’t guess any of the Russian poets, let alone figure out which lines from their poetry that had been so «бессовестно» [conscienceless, unconscionable, unscrupulous; unabashed, unashamed; Machiavellian] stolen and used by me, then of course – feel free to enjoy only an already solved quiz! Actually, we received many correct answers from the fans of our Russian club on Facebook (have you joined us there yet? well, you should! it’s fun!) – the easiest quotes to figure out turned out to be from Alexandr Pushkin (no surprise there), Mikhail Lermontov (after all, he’s quoted four times), Afanasy Fet, Osip Mandel’shtam and Marina Tsetaeva. However, no one could guess where in all of this were hidden the words of Anna Akhmatova, Boris Pasternak and Varlam Shalamov. Well, as for Varlam Shalamov I’m not the least surprised –  he is mostly known as a writer of prose both in Russia as well outside of it, even though he might have been (in my strictly personal opinion) more gifted as a poet. The correct answers come after the picture, so you have «терпение» [patience] and wait for it… And when it says «Джозефина» [Josefina] after some of the lines this means that I am the writer behind them, and not a famous, actually qualified Russian poet.

For some strange reason I really like this ad for Russian Elle currently on display everywhere in Russia. Perhaps because there’s so much truth in what’s written on these posters: «Пусть всегда будет мини!» [Let there always be a mini(skirt)!] and «Лишний вес – забота дизайнеров!» [Excess weight – the designers’ concern!].

«А это вы можете описать?»

1. Я слово позабыла,

что хотела сказать… [Осип Мандельштам: «Я слово позабыл…»] 

2. Всё изменилось ничего не изменило, [Джозефина] 

3. и некому руку подать… [Михаил Лермонтов: «И скучно, и грустно»] 

 

4. А счастье было так близко? [Александр Пушкин: «Евгении Онегин»] 

5. Мы поклоняемся низко – [Джозефина]

6. и скучно, и грустно, [Михаил Лермонтов: «И скучно, и грустно»]

7. свечка у окна горит тускло. [аллюзия к роману Бориса Пастернака «Доктор Живаго»]

 

8. Жизнь прожить – не поле перейти. [Борис Пастернак: «Гамлет»]

9. А годы проходят – все лучшие годы! [Михаил Лермонтов: «И скучно, и грустно»]

10. Сквозь призму слов, чрез невзгоды,

 не ходить мы учимся, а как идти. [Джозефина]

 

11. Любовь ещё быть может, в душе моей [Александр Пушкин: «Я вас любил…»]

не угасла она совсем, 12. как в руке твоей, [Джозефина]

13. выхожу я одна на дорогу, [Михаил Лермонтов: «Выхожу один я на дорогу…»]

14. но нет предела этому порогу. [Джозефина]

 

15. Мне нравится, что я больна не вами, [Марина Цветаева: «Мне нравится, что вы больны не мной…»]

16. что мысль можно спрятать за словами, [Джозефина]

и ночью 17. шёпот, робкое дыхание [Афанасий Фет: «Шёпот, робкое дыхание…»]

18. ждём и вдруг – 19. заря, заря сияния! [Джозефина] / [Афанасий Фет«Шёпот, робкое дыхание…»]

 

20. Лучше не кончить – лучше начать,

всё, что дано и далось мне [Джозефина]

21. в любой люблю стране – [Варлам Шаламов: «Я забыл погоду детства…»]

22. а  это вы можете описать? [Анна Ахматова: «Реквием»]

“But can you describe this?”

I do not feel the word,

that I wanted to say [Mandelstam],

everything changed changed nothing, [Josefina]

and there’s no one to give a hand… [Lermontov]

 

But happiness was so close? [Pushkin]

We bow our heads low – [Josefina]

and it is boring, and it is sad, [Lermontov]

the candle by the window burns dimly. [Pasternak/Josefina]

 

To live out life – is not a walk across a field. [Pasternak]

But the years pass – the very best years! [Lermontov]

Through the prism of words, through misery, [Josefina]

it is not to go we learn, but to walk. [Josefina]

 

Love may still be, in my soul [Pushkin]

it has not faded yet, like in your hand, [Pushkin/Josefina]

I step out alone on the road, [Lermontov]

but this threshold has not limit. [Josefina]

 

I like that I’m not aching with you, [Tsetaeva]

that thought can be hidden behind words, [Josefina]

and at night whisper, timid breathing [Josefina/Fet]

we wait and suddenly – the glow of dawn, dawn! [Josefina/Fet]

 

Better not to finish – better to begin, [Josefina]

all that I have and all I get [Josefina]

in any country I love – [Shalamov]

but can you describe this? [Akhmatova]

«Вот неожиданно»: Russian Poetry Quiz!

Posted by josefina 1 Comment
Mar 2 2010

Once upon a time I shared a room for a year «с японкой» [with a Japanese girl] and every day she would comment on something in our Russian life by using the adverb «неожиданно» [unexpectedly, unawares; at unawares, by surprise; suddenly, all at once; overnight]. Her reaction to almost everything in Russia was «это было неожиданно» [this was unexpected]. Some things happened in her opinion even «совсем неожиданно» [completely unexpectedly]. The interesting thing about this useful (to some even crucial) adverb «неожиданно» in Russian is that it doesn’t have any direct antonym, thus it would be terrible incorrect to say that something was ‘expected’ by using seemingly logical words such as «жданно»  or «ожиданно».  There is, however, an almost antonym available – the adverb «ожидаемо» made from the adjective «ожидаемый» [prospective, expected; forthcoming, coming; due, pending]. But it isn’t exactly the same thing, now is it?

But today’s post is not about that. That was just an introduction to this post and it’s rather «неожиданная тема» [unexpected theme; subject]: a Russian poetry quiz! What’s so ‘unexpected’ about today’s theme, then? Well, first of all we’ve never had anything like it on the blog before. So maybe «вы, дорогие читатели, этого не ждали» [you, dear readers, didn't expect this]. And perhaps «не все так хорошо разбираются в русской поэзии» [not everyone can sort out/see into/unpack Russian poetry so well]. But nevertheless, I’m sure most of you have read some of the basic by the classic Russian 19th century poets – «стихи Александра Сергеевича Пушкина и Михаила Юревича Лермонтова» [the poetry of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin and Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov]. The Russian Nobel Prize Laureate «Иосиф Александрович Бродский» [Joseph Alexandrovich Brodsky] once said: «Пока будет такой язык, как русский, то будет поэзия» [As long as there will be a language like Russian, there will be poetry] (note: this is NOT an exact quote in Russian, but quoted from my not-always-impeccable memory). The conclusion must be that if we want to learn Russian language, then we also need to focus on Russian poetry, right? That’s what we’re going to do today – by way of a Russian poetry quiz, to get everyone’s memory working… Hopefully, that is.

This idea came to me about a week ago when I couldn’t get the famous quote «А счастье было так близко?» [“But happiness was so close?”] off of my brain. I knew it was from somewhere, but I couldn’t for the longest time figure out from where… So I decided to sit down and write a poem myself – «по-русски» [in Russian] – using as many quotes in it from famous Russian poems as I could possibly fit into it. At times I was forced to put a line or two «от себя» [from myself] in it to keep «рифмы» [the rhymes] flowing. But I was forced to «пожертвовать и метрикой, и ритмом» [sacrifice both the metrics and the rhythm] in the end, so I’m afraid this is not «настоящее стихотворение» [a real poem]. It is simply «пробное стихотворение» [an experimental poem]. What do I want from you then? I want you to guess first of all which of these numbered lines belong to which Russian poets! Some poets are repeated more than once, so each number equals neither a poet nor a poem (for one poem is quoted twice) but a famous phrase. And since I’m a woman, I’ve changed some words to fit my gender; in the original these quotes, of course, are according to the gender of the poet. After the Russian version I will give you my own – rather poor – English translation of it. And please remember, this translation is not artistic, but merely literal so that you’ll understand the poem better! Now are you ready to play? (There’ll be TEN hints after the picture, but if you don’t want hints, then don’t read it… hint!)

«А это вы можете описать?»

1. Я слово позабыла,

что хотела сказать…

2. Всё изменилось ничего не изменило,

3. и некому руку подать…

 

4. А счастье было так близко?

5. Мы поклоняемся низко –

6. и скучно, и грустно,

7. свечка у окна горит тускло.

 

8. Жизнь прожить – не поле перейти.

9. А годы проходят – все лучшие годы!

10. Сквозь призму слов, чрез невзгоды,

не ходить мы учимся, а как идти.

 

11. Любовь ещё быть может, в душе моей

не угасла она совсем, 12. как в руке твоей,

13. выхожу я одна на дорогу,

14. но нет предела этому порогу.

 

15. Мне нравится, что я больна не вами,

16. что мысль можно спрятать за словами,

и ночью 17. шёпот, робкое дыхание

18. ждём и вдруг – 19. заря, заря сияния!

 

20. Лучше не кончить – лучше начать,

 всё, что дано и далось мне

21. в любой люблю стране –

22. а  это вы можете описать?

 

“But can you describe this?”

1. I do not feel the word,

that I wanted to say,

2. everything changed changed nothing,

3. and there’s no one to give a hand…

 

4. But happiness was so close?

5. We bow our heads low –

6. and it is boring, and it is sad,

7. the candle by the window burns dimly.

 

8. To live out life – is not a walk across a field.

9. But the years pass – the very best years!

10. Through the prism of words, through misery,

it is not to go we learn, but to walk.

 

11. Love may still be, in my soul

it has not faded yet, 12. like in your hand,

13. I step out alone on the road,

14. but this threshold has not limit.

 

15. I like that I’m not aching with you,

16. that thought can be hidden behind words,

and at night 17. whisper, timid breathing

18. we wait and suddenly – 19. the glow of dawn, dawn!

 

20. Better not to finish – better to begin,

all that I have and all I get

21. in any country I love –

22. but can you describe this?

«А ты ещё помнишь, кто это?» [But do you still remember who this is?] It’s okay to not have an answer to this question straight away – I had to walk past this graffiti twice before I remembered…

Hint Number One: 8 lines out of 22 were written by me.

Hint Number Two: The lines written by me are as follows: 2, 5, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20.

Hint Number Three: Line 7 is not a direct quote but an allusion to famous novel by a Russian poet.

Hint Number Four: This novel received the Nobel Prize in Literature…

Hint Number Five: …in 1958.

Hint Number Six: The poet behind line 21 is my favorite writer.

Hint Number Seven: Lines 15 and 22 belong to female poets.

Hint Number Eight: Line 4 isn’t either an EXACT quote – but almost. It is from *somebody’s* 19th century «роман в стихах» [novel in poetry].

Hint Number Nine: Lines 3, 6 and 9 are from one and the same poem…

Hint Number Ten: …by the same poet to whom line 13 belongs.

«Удачи!» [Good luck!] The correct answers will be published here on Sunday the 7th of March…

The Return of «ибо»!

Posted by josefina No Comments
Feb 2 2010

When in Moscow it is a rule to go for a stroll «на Красной площади» [on the Red Square], «ибо это делают все» [because everybody does that] «и туристы, и провинциалы» [both tourists and people from the provinces]. «Провинциал» means ‘provincial, backwoodsman; unsophisticated person’. The female version of the word is «провинциалка».

When I first started studying Russian language some six years ago nobody ever said «ибо» [because, for]. You didn’t hear it in spoken everyday speech at all just a few years back, «ибо» [because] it was considered «устаревший союз» [an outdated, outworn, outmoded conjunction] by everyone. You’d only come across it while reading some Russian 19th century novel, like for example «Преступление и наказание» ["Crime and Punishment"] by «Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский» [Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky], but that was about it. Back then I had to go straight to my old faithful dictionary to find out what exactly «Федя» ['Fedya', diminutive of Fyodor] had meant by using the strange yet cute little conjunction «ибо». The first time I heard «ибо» pronounced out loud was when my «научный руководитель» [(in Russian: scientific) academic guidance counselor] here in Yekaterinburg told me an unsettling and upsetting story from his time as a student back in Soviet time. He had received the grade «хорошо» [good] instead of «отлично» [excellent] for his «дипломная работа» [‘graduation project', the equivalent of a Bachelor's thesis] due to having once in it used «ибо» instead of the more colloquial and commonly accepted «потому что» [as, because]. Now things have changed a lot in Russian society since then (not only linguistically as we all know), and «ибо» is clearly and definitely on its way back!

«Ибо» [for, because] is nothing but a petite synonym to the popular conjunctions «потому что» [as, because] and «так как» [as, because, since, being that, syne, inasmuch as, in that], but with one important thing differing it from these two: it creates a ‘weaker’ link between two parts of a sentence connected logically with each other. And that’s why you can use «ибо» both «после запятой» [after a comma] as well as «после точки» [after a dot]. Here’s an illustrative example of this from the above mentioned masterpiece «Преступление и наказание» ["Crime and Punishment"] by hands-down the most influential on the 20th century Russian writer «Достоевский» [Dostoevsky]:

«Ибо хотя вы и не в значительном виде, но опытность моя отличает в вас человека образованного и к напитку непривычного» [For even though you are not in respectable appearance, but my proficiency distinguishes in you a person who is educated and unaccustomed to liquor"].

When «в Московском метро» [in the Moscow metro (subway, underground railway system)] it is imperative «смотреть вверх» [to look up] «ибо там очень красиво» [because there it is very beautiful]. Not on all stations, of course, but on quite a lot of them – especially in the center…

All of the sudden – that’s what it felt like for me anyway – «ибо» was everywhere! Everyone was saying it! Last fall I started to find it in text-messages from Russian friends all the time. Which is only natural, because «ибо» only takes up three letters in the text-message whereas you’ll spend an entire ten spelling out the long and complicated «потому что». One could also write the synonym «так как» as «т. к.», but that’s also three letters – the same amount needed for «ибо». And let’s face it – «ибо» sounds a lot better. It sounds educated and a bit fancy (a charm which it will surely loose once it gets too accepted and commonly used). People who know more about this than me says «ибо» started its return to Russian language by way of «газетный язык» [newspaper language] and then through that made the brave crossover into «разговорный язык» [conversational, spoken language]. Honestly, I like «ибо» very much. It is a conveniently tiny word that’s fast to write and takes little to no time to pronounce. And you can start a sentence with it without looking like a fool – something you’re bound to give the appearance of being if you try beginning a sentence with «потому что».

But far from all Russians are as fond of this new-old word as I am. I asked a good friend of mine what she thought of the return of «ибо». She answered: «я ненавижу ибо!» [I hate 'ibo'!] Then I asked her why, and she actually used it in her answer… She said: «ибо это было старомодное слово, а сейчас оно просто модное» [For it used to be an old-fashioned word, but now it is just trendy]. Be that as it may, I still think it is an interesting conjunction worth trying out at least once while learning Russian. Maybe it is just a fad and maybe it’ll go away. But it might as well be here to stay! And that’s why I’ll give the last word to «Михаил Лермонтов» [Mikhail Lermontov] and a sentence from the beginning of his splendid novel «Герой нашего времени» ["A Hero of Our Time"]:

«Я пригласил своего спутника выпить вместе стакан чая, ибо со мной был чугунный чайник – единственная отрада моя в путешествиях по Кавказу» [I invited my companion to drink a cup of tea with me, for with me I had a cast iron teapot - my only comfort while traveling the Caucasus].

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