Subject
Re: morzh: Ursus/walrus/seabear connection
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Date
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Dear Brian Boyd ( and List),
You brought up the Ursus/walrus/seabear connection which has been
intriguing me for some time.
In a way I feel that the List ( for example, by offering your discussion
with Alexey about Russian words ) helps me with the handicap of not knowing
Russian by giving me a "feeeling" of how it appears in Nabokov´s English
novel.
VN´s "lettrocalamity" ( which he, sorry, Vivian Darkbloom explains as " a
play on Ital. elettrocalamita, electromagnet" ) has a relation to the
"lettre", to the "L" in Lucette´s name.
Without being familiar with the Russian I can only suspect that certain
words have hidden indications which I cannot explore, but it is possible to
surmise that the "L" may be absent or too conspicuous in the associations
bt. Kotik, Vrotic,Krolik, Rotik, Likrot or Rotikl, Ritcov or Vrotic - but a
verbal metamorphosis is taking place from land-bears and sea-otters to
mermaids and medusas having "ectric dreams", while I must of necessity be
left out because of my "ursian illiteracy".
In ADA ( now a Penguin, page 297) we find Lucette speaking:
'- I got stuck with six Buchstaben in the last round of a Flavita game.
Mind you, I was eight and had not studied anatomy, but was doing my poor
little best to keep up with two Wunderkinder. You examined and fingered my
groove and quickly redistributed the haphazard sequence which made, say,
LIKROT or ROTIKL and Ada flooded us both with her raven silks
as she looked over our heads, and when you had completed the rearrangement,
you and she came simultaneously, si je puis le mettre comme ça ( Canady
French), came falling on the black carpet in a paroxysm of incomprehensible
merriment; so finally I quietly composed ROTIK ( 'little mouth' )and was
left with my own cheap initial (....)'
'Okay, okay,' replied her and his tormentor, ' but you know, a medically
minded Ensligh Scrabbler, having two more letters to cope with, could make,
for example, STIRCOIL, a well-known sweat-gland stimulant, or CITROILS,
which grooms use for rubbing fillies.'
'Please stop, Vandemonian',she moaned. 'Read her letter and bring me my
coat. '
Her coat, was it her sea-bear coat that turned her into a "black bear with
bright russet locks"? ( russet?) Or was it a "desman ('vihuol')"?
I would thank you two ( Alexey and Boyd) if you could clarify me on the
above issue that plays not only with "L" ´s "lettrocalamity" but scrabbles
an excess of Van´s "V", in a game that has become impossible for the poor
tongue of those who, like me, are non-English and non-Russian natives.
Dmitri, I need to enlist help ( such as Hoffstadter´s or Don´s
collaborators ) to be able at least to get closer to all those Wunderkinds
that jump from Math to Music.
The word "diástêma", for example, that Umberto Eco described as a sonorous
memory present during a "musical interval" might be familiar to you, as a
musician familiar with the Italian. All my Brazilian connections in this
field could not confirm Eco´s definition: would you ?
Greetings,
Jansy
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2004 11:53 PM
> Subject: Fwd: RE: morzh
>
>
> > Dear Alexey,
> >
> > Quite right, in my haste I was short-circuiting "khuy morzhovyi" and
> "morzh"
> > itself. But that doesn't affect the connection with Lucette, since in a
> > verbal association a Russian's likely first jump after "morzh" will
> usually
> > be to "khuy." I don't think the Ursus passage makes that any stronger.
But
> > as a matter of interest, just how big is the "khuy morzhovyi" in Peter's
> > Kunstkammer, or in the wild?
> >
> > Brian Boyd
> >
> > EDNOTE. In the interest of scolarship, I went over to Peter's
Kunstkammer
> last
> > time I was in S-Pb. It was, alas, its vykhodnoi den' so I failed to see
> the
> > museum's most famous exhibit.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Donald B. Johnson [mailto:chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu]
> > Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2004 1:05 PM
> > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > Subject: Fw: morzh
> >
> >
> > Dear Brian,
> >
> > I doubt that "morzh" can mean "cock" or "prick" in Russian. At least
not
> in
> > the modern Russian. But it can be used with the famous Russian
> three-letter
> > word for cock as an epithet, "morzhovyi" (of walrus). The whole phrase
("X
> > > morzhovyi") is generally used as an obuse. But, if we disregard this,
> > > the genital organ of a walrus is pretty long, and you remember the
> > > following dialogue between Lucette and Van in part 2, chapter 8:
> > >
> > > "...it looked to me at least eight inches long -"
> > > "Seven and a half" murmured modest Van, whose hearing the music
> impaired.
> > >
> > > Lucette, who is obsessed with sex, means Van's scar, not his penis
> > > ("the ladder, not the lad") this time, but he is too drunk to
understand
> > that.
> > > Lucette, in her turn, is probably aware (although she is even more
> > > drunk
> > than Van) of the fact that Van misunderstands
> > > her, and she knows why he
> > > misunderstands her (because she had seen him making love to Ada in a
> > > previous chapter). So, "Morzhey" could indeed be a message from
> > > Lucette,
> > but
> > > via "morzhovyi".
> > >
> > best,
> > Alexey
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2004 9:03 PM
> > >
> > >
> > > > ---
> > > >
> > > > Dear Jansy, (Jansy Berndt de Souza Mello <jansy@aetern.us>)
> > > >
> > > > Yes, but "twin cock crosses" is a very accurate description of
> > > > old-style faucets (W2: cock, 6a: A faucet, tap, or valve or the like
> > > > for starting, stopping or regulating flow); it foes not literally
> > > > refer to a penis. At
> > > the
> > > > same time, of course, Ada's other grip catches at Van's valve. And
> > > > the
> > > twin
> > > > cock crosses also bring to mind the watery twins Marina and Aqua
> > > > (who
> > has
> > > a
> > > > problem with tapwater), and their foreshadowing of Ada and Lucette,
> > > > who bursts into the room in the same sentence, just after Van's
> orgasm.
> > > >
> > > > Nabokov keeps "penis" out of his text, as Jeff observes, yet one of
> > > > the
> > > key
> > > > moments of the novel is Ada's decision to return to Van at Mont
> > > > Roux, in
> > > > 1922: "'I told him to turn,' she said, 'somewhere near Morzhey
> ('morses'
> > > or
> > > > 'walruses,' a Russian pun on 'Morges'--maybe a mermaid's message)."
> > > "Morzh"
> > > > in this sense is vulgar Russian for "cock" or "prick," and as "the
> > > mermaid's
> > > > message" indicates (Lucette has been explicitly called a mermaid
> > > > shortly before), and the Ophelia-like punning on private parts also
> > > > suggests (Lucette puns extensively on clitoris and other sexual
> > > > terms, especially
> > > in
> > > > III.5, but again Nabokov eschews "clitoris" itself), Ada's decision
> > > > to return to Van seems to have something to do with dead Lucette.
> > > >
> > > > Viktor Krivulin's poem, Jeff's translation and Jeff's and Alexey's
> > > > commentary are delightful.
> > > >
> > > > Brian Boyd
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: Donald B. Johnson [mailto:chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu]
> > > > Sent: Saturday, December 04, 2004 3:58 PM
> > > > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > > > Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Krivulin poem re Nabokov. Translation
> > > >
> > > > Dear Jeff,
> > > >
> > > > You wrote that although Nabokov was always very precise in his
> > terminology
> > > > "this precision rarely if ever extended to human genital organs".
> > > > And yet, the examples you offered were all only applicable to the
> > "penis"
> > > > ...
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I sellected only one paragraph with VN=B4s euphemisms for the
> > > > female
> > sex
> > > an=
> > > > d
> > > > adjacent parts in "Ada" : "where she strained across the low tub to
> > turn
> > > on
> > > > both taps and then bent over to insert the bronze chained plug; it
> > > > got sucked in by itself, however, while he steadied her lovely lyre
> > > > and next moment was at the suede-soft root, was gripped, was deep
> > > > between the familiar, incomparable, crimson-lined lips. She caught
> > > > at the twin cock crosses, thus involuntarily increasing the
> > > > sympathetic volume of the
> > > water=
> > > > =B4s
> > > > noise, and Van emitted a long groan of deliverance" ( Penguin ed,
pag.
> > > 308).
> > > >
> > > > Anyway, I enjoyed your sentence about "a penis is never simply a
> > > > penis
> > for
> > > > Nabokov" which nicely contrasts with Freud=B4s: " a cigar sometimes
> > > > is
> > > only =
> > > > a
> > > > cigar".
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Donald B. Johnson" <chtodel@gss.ucsb.edu>
> > > > To: <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
> > > > Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 6:07 PM
> > > > Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Krivulin poem re Nabokov. Translation
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > From Jeff Edmunds <jhe2@psulias.psu.edu>:
> > > > >
> > > > > Thank you Alexey Skylarenko for pointing out the shortcomings of
> > > > > my translation, especially the major goof in the second stanza
> > > > > (about which more below).
> > > > >
> > > > > As Alexey notes, "'Mgnove' is a truncated (and nonexisting) form
> > > > > of 'mgnovenie,' a moment." This form wonderfully embodies the
> > "fragment"
> > > > > mentioned in the first stanza. Another of the charms of the first
> > > > > stanza
> > > > is
> > > > > the artistry which which the verb "zaselo" (got stuck) is
> > > > > literally stuck in the phrase "v moei golove" (in my head): "v
> > > > > moei zaselo golove." (Which calls to my mind the masterful first
> > > > > sentence of Alain Robbe-Grillet's _La jalousie_ [of which Nabokov
> > > > > said in a French interview published in 1959, "C'est le plus beau
> > > > > roman d'amour depuis Proust"], in which the structure
> > > >
> > > > > of the sentence serves as a textual analog of the image described:
> > > > > "Now
> > > > the
> > > > > shadow of the column--the column which supports the southwest
> > > > > corner of
> > > > the
> > > > > roof--divides the corresponding corner of the veranda into two
> > > > > equal
> > > > parts."
> > > > >
> > > > > As for stanza two, I would like to explain one reason why I
> > > > > misread the text as implying that it was Nabokov who "conceal[s]
> > > > > the genital organ / With metaphysical delight." Nabokov was always
> > > > > precise in his terminology (cf., inter alia, Peter Lubin's paper
> > > > > in ZEMBLA), but this precision
> > > > rarely
> > > > > if ever extended to human genital organs. So far as I can recall,
> > > > > Nabokov does not once in his published prose or poetry use the
> > > > > word "penis." (He
> > > > > *does* use the term in one of his letters to Edmund Wilson. If I
> > > > > recall correctly, he says, in reference to the sex scenes in one
> > > > > of Wilson's books, that despite their frankness, they are not
> > > > > arousing, in fact they are about as arousing as "trying to open a
> > > > > can of tuna
> > with
> > > > one's penis."
> > > > > Incidentally, the delivery of this line by Dmitri Nabokov playing
> > > > > his father during a performance of Terry Quinn's "Dear Bunny, Dear
> > Volodya,"
> > > > > was, for me, a delightful moment of shared hilarity during the
> > > > > 1998
> > > > Cornell
> > > > > Nabokov Centenary Festival.)
> > > > >
> > > > > Whether the "pryshchushchii persik" (spurting peach) or "priap"
> > > > > (priapus) in Chapter XIII of Prignlashenie na kazn' (Invitation to
> > > > > a Beaheading), or the much more famous "scepter of my passion" in
> > > > > Lolita, a penis is never simply a penis for Nabokov. Few writers,
> > > > > it might be argued, have so artistically concealed "the genital
> organ"
> > with
> > > > "metaphysical delight."
> > > > > Hence my too-hasty willingness to see Nabokov as the concealer in
> > > > > stanza two rather than as the explainer of this concealment.
> > > > >
> > > > > Finally, as I mentioned to Alexey in a personal message thanking
> > > > > him for his corrections, I was also distracted by the fact that I
> > > > > had composed a more ribald, even less literal, but rhymed version
> > > > > of the second stanza, not sent to the list, in which I replaced
> > > > > "genital organ" with "cock" and rendered "polotenchikom" as "with
a
> > sock."
> > > > >
> > > > > Again, my apologies to Mr. Krivulin, and now to The Red Hot Chili
> > > > > Peppers as well.
> > > > >
> > > > > Jeff Edmunds
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > At 10:24 AM 12/2/2004 -0800, you wrote:
> > > > > >----- Forwarded message from sklyarenko@users.mns.ru -----
> > > > > > Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 19:36:39 +0300
> > > > > > From: alex <sklyarenko@users.mns.ru>
> > > > > >
> > > > > >Thank you, Jeff Edmunds, for your translation and for providing a
> > > > > >link to
> > > > the
> > > > > >complete version of this poem. I found it on a different web page
> > > > > >(http://www.vavilon.ru/texts/krivulin4.html) where the poem was
> > > > > >published without the four last lines.
> > > > > >The poem's strange title apparently needs a short commentary.
> > > > > >"Mgnove" is
> > > > a
> > > > > >truncated (and nonexisting) form of "mgnovenie," a moment, and
> > > > > >the whole
> > > > title
> > > > > >plays on the first line of Pushkin's famous poem "Ya pomnyu
> > > > > >chudnoe mgnoven'ye"
> > > > > >(I remember a wondrous moment)addressed to Anna Kern (who was to
> > > > > >become Pushkin's mistress a couple of years after he had written
> > > > > >that
> > > > poem).
> > > > That's
> > > > > >why "mgnove" is compared to a fragment of some antique statue in
> > > > > >lines
> > > > 3-4.
> > > > > >I think the translation is marvelous, but I would like to correct
> > > > > >one
> > > > little
> > > > > >mistake. The author of the poem doesn't want Nabokov to conceal
> > > > > >the
> > > > genital
> > > > > >organ (of the statue) with metaphysical delight, he wants him to
> > > > > >explain why it is concealed. Also, styd i sram (the phrase occurs
> > > > > >in ADA, ch. 38) means simply "shame."
> > > > > >
> > > > > >Krivulin has also a poem entitled Chetvyortaya Sestra ("The
> > > > > >Fourth
> > > > > >Sister") that
> > > > > >might have been inspired (and might be not) by Chekhov's
> > > > > >well-known play
> > > > "The
> > > > > >Four Sisters" (again, see ADA).
> > > > > >
> > > > > >Alexey
> > > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > From: Donald B. Johnson
> > > > > > To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
> > > > > > Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 3:36 AM
> > > > > > Subject: Fwd: Re: Krivulin poem re Nabokov. Translation
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > EDNOTE. With thanks to Jeff Edmunds on ZEMBLA's Birthday.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > From Jeff Edmunds <jhe2@psulias.psu.edu>:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > The version of this poem that reached me via the list was both
> > > > > > garbled
> > > > and
> > > > > > truncated, perhaps as a result of the encoding. The apparently
> > > > complete
> > > > > > version is available at
> > > > > >
> > > > > > http://www.vavilon.ru/texts/prim/krivulin4.html
> > > > > >
> > > > > > about two-thirds of the way down the page.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Below is an English version, composed hastily and immediately
> > > > > > postprandially. It is whimsical, ugly, unrhymed, and probably
> > > > > > wrong in
> > > > at
> > > > > > least three ways. My apologies to Viktor Krivulin.
> > > > > > ---------------------------------------------
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Marvelous Moment
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Why did you, marvelous moment,
> > > > > > Get stuck in my head
> > > > > > Like a fragment from the naughty bits
> > > > > > Of some antique statue?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Let Nabokov explain
> > > > > > The meaning of Russian diffidence and
> > > > > > Shame, and conceal the genital organ
> > > > > > With metaphysical delight
> > > > > > As with a wisp of cloth --
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Why? What for and from whom?
> > > > > > Harmony is deity
> > > > > > On line, connected to us
> > > > > > So that we don't see, but we know,
> > > > > > There is something there, where there is nothing
> > > > > >
> > >
> >
> > ----- End forwarded message -----
> >
> > ----- End forwarded message -----
> >
> >
>
----- End forwarded message -----