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Fw: Fw: Nabokov's Parody of Nekrasov at the Auction
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EDNOTE. Alexander A. Dolinin, among VN's most distinguished investigators,
is the author of innumerable articles and a forthcoming monograph on VN--as
well as editor of the splendid "Symposium" edition of the collected works.
------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alexander A. Dolinin" <dolinin@wiscmail.wisc.edu>
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (77
lines) ------------------
> A quick addition to Mr Shvabrin's quick note. Nekrasov's poem he cites is
quoted and discussed in Chapter 4 of The Gift
in connection with Chernyshevsky's poetic tastes. For the narrator, these
very lines are an excellent example of Nekrasov's peculiar music--his
"gortannyi, rydaiushchii govorok." It is obvious that Nabokov loved this
poem.
Stas, read The Gift!
---------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> At 08:36 AM 4/16/2004 -0700, you wrote:
> >EDNOTE. NABOKV-L thanks Mr. Shvabrin for this most excellent
contribution.
> >This is the sort of thing I wished for NABOKV-L when I established it a
> >dozen years ago. I hope others will follow Mr Shvabrin's good example.
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Shvabrin, Stanislav" <shvabrin@humnet.ucla.edu>
> >
> >Dear Don,
> >
> > May I be permitted to add a quick electronic footnote to the message
> >entitled "Sale of Dmitri Nabokov library"?
> >
> > Among the fascinating autographs offered at the auction there is one
whose
> >description can be slightly modified. It reads: "One of the lots for sale
is
> >the original Danish edition of "Pnin" with an autograph poem by Vladimir
> >Nabokov to his wife Vera. Estimate 15 000-20 000 euro. Sale 05 May 2004."
> >
> > The inscription reads (in my transliteration):
> >
> > Verochke
> >
> > > Ne govori chto dni tvoi - urody,
> > > Tyuremshchikom Volodyu ne zovi!
> > > Peredo mnoj - drugie perevody,
> > > pered toboj - vse babochki moi!
> > >
> > > V. Sirin,
> > > Montrjo
> > > Janvar' 1965
> > >
> > >
> > What we have here is not an "original" poem as such, but a
brilliant
> >parody of Nikolay Alekseyevich Nekrasov (1821-1877). In his inscription
to
> >Vera, Nabokov plays with the fifth quatrain of a poem by Nekrasov
> >"Tyazhyolyj krest dostalsja ey na dolju...," 1855. In this poem
bed-ridden,
> >dying
> >Nekrasov implores his beloved:
> > >
> > > Ne govori, chto dni tvoi unyly
> > > Tyuremshchikom bolnogo ne zovi:
> > > Peredo mnoj - holodnyj mrak mogily,
> > > Pered toboj - ob'jatija ljubvi!
> > >
> > > We all remember that in his footnote to 'The Paris Poem' Nabokov tells
the
> >reader of Poems and Problems that a line in his own text "imitates...
> >closely Nekrasov's line calling the poet away "from those jubilant, those
> >idly babbling". Nabokov goes on to say that Nekrasov was "a famous poet
who
> >successfully transcended, in a few great poems, the journalist in him,
who
> > wrote topical jingles" (p. [125]). It seems not improbable to me that
among
> >such "great poems" Nabokov may well have included this one (he translated
> >"Tyazhyolyy krest..." into in English), and this parody is an additional
> >piece of evidence to support my present attempt to get beyond Nabokov's
> >somewhat elusive message and pin an actual text by Nekrasov alluded to,
but
> > > not directly referred to by Nabokov in this footnote.
> > >
> > > I fear that I won't be able to take part in the upcoming auction, but
I
> > > would like to think that this bit of information about the inscription
> >makes
> > > it even more attractive to the potential buyer (as it certainly does
to
> >me,
> > > but again, I have to resist the temptation). My only hope (and wish)
that
> > > they don't hide it in a vault somewhere in Nova Zembla, allowing us an
> > > occasional glimpse of the treasure...
> > >
> > > Best wishes,
> > >
> > > Stas Shvabrin.
>
is the author of innumerable articles and a forthcoming monograph on VN--as
well as editor of the splendid "Symposium" edition of the collected works.
------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alexander A. Dolinin" <dolinin@wiscmail.wisc.edu>
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (77
lines) ------------------
> A quick addition to Mr Shvabrin's quick note. Nekrasov's poem he cites is
quoted and discussed in Chapter 4 of The Gift
in connection with Chernyshevsky's poetic tastes. For the narrator, these
very lines are an excellent example of Nekrasov's peculiar music--his
"gortannyi, rydaiushchii govorok." It is obvious that Nabokov loved this
poem.
Stas, read The Gift!
---------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> At 08:36 AM 4/16/2004 -0700, you wrote:
> >EDNOTE. NABOKV-L thanks Mr. Shvabrin for this most excellent
contribution.
> >This is the sort of thing I wished for NABOKV-L when I established it a
> >dozen years ago. I hope others will follow Mr Shvabrin's good example.
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Shvabrin, Stanislav" <shvabrin@humnet.ucla.edu>
> >
> >Dear Don,
> >
> > May I be permitted to add a quick electronic footnote to the message
> >entitled "Sale of Dmitri Nabokov library"?
> >
> > Among the fascinating autographs offered at the auction there is one
whose
> >description can be slightly modified. It reads: "One of the lots for sale
is
> >the original Danish edition of "Pnin" with an autograph poem by Vladimir
> >Nabokov to his wife Vera. Estimate 15 000-20 000 euro. Sale 05 May 2004."
> >
> > The inscription reads (in my transliteration):
> >
> > Verochke
> >
> > > Ne govori chto dni tvoi - urody,
> > > Tyuremshchikom Volodyu ne zovi!
> > > Peredo mnoj - drugie perevody,
> > > pered toboj - vse babochki moi!
> > >
> > > V. Sirin,
> > > Montrjo
> > > Janvar' 1965
> > >
> > >
> > What we have here is not an "original" poem as such, but a
brilliant
> >parody of Nikolay Alekseyevich Nekrasov (1821-1877). In his inscription
to
> >Vera, Nabokov plays with the fifth quatrain of a poem by Nekrasov
> >"Tyazhyolyj krest dostalsja ey na dolju...," 1855. In this poem
bed-ridden,
> >dying
> >Nekrasov implores his beloved:
> > >
> > > Ne govori, chto dni tvoi unyly
> > > Tyuremshchikom bolnogo ne zovi:
> > > Peredo mnoj - holodnyj mrak mogily,
> > > Pered toboj - ob'jatija ljubvi!
> > >
> > > We all remember that in his footnote to 'The Paris Poem' Nabokov tells
the
> >reader of Poems and Problems that a line in his own text "imitates...
> >closely Nekrasov's line calling the poet away "from those jubilant, those
> >idly babbling". Nabokov goes on to say that Nekrasov was "a famous poet
who
> >successfully transcended, in a few great poems, the journalist in him,
who
> > wrote topical jingles" (p. [125]). It seems not improbable to me that
among
> >such "great poems" Nabokov may well have included this one (he translated
> >"Tyazhyolyy krest..." into in English), and this parody is an additional
> >piece of evidence to support my present attempt to get beyond Nabokov's
> >somewhat elusive message and pin an actual text by Nekrasov alluded to,
but
> > > not directly referred to by Nabokov in this footnote.
> > >
> > > I fear that I won't be able to take part in the upcoming auction, but
I
> > > would like to think that this bit of information about the inscription
> >makes
> > > it even more attractive to the potential buyer (as it certainly does
to
> >me,
> > > but again, I have to resist the temptation). My only hope (and wish)
that
> > > they don't hide it in a vault somewhere in Nova Zembla, allowing us an
> > > occasional glimpse of the treasure...
> > >
> > > Best wishes,
> > >
> > > Stas Shvabrin.
>