Subject
Fw: Carolyn Kunin notes on Alexey Sklyarenko's tobakami/sobakami
essaylet in THE NABOKOVIAN #50
essaylet in THE NABOKOVIAN #50
From
Date
Body
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry Friedman" <jerry_friedman@yahoo.com>
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (69
lines) ------------------
>
> --- "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net> wrote:
> > addendum to Alexey Sklyarenko's tobakami/sobakami EDNOTE. I had never
> > noticed that the "TOBAK(s)" and "dogs" were palindromes of the original
> > CABOTs and GOD in the famous bit of doggerel that VN uses as the basis
> > for his lines. As well, the TOBAK(s) echo the Russian word for dog
> > SOBAKa. My thanks to Carolyn.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Carolyn Kunin
> > To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 12:36 PM
> > Subject: addendum to Alexey Sklyarenko's tobakami/sobakami
> >
> >
> >
> > To the List,
> >
> > Among the tasty tid-bits in the latest Nabokovian are three notes from
> > Alexey Sklyarenko, who continues to find more allusions to Russian
> > literature in Ada. He intriguingly argues that some passages of dialogue
> > in Ada show traces of translation from original Russian, particularly in
> > the conversation between Van and Greg Erminin (Part III, chapter 3).
> >
> > However he has missed an allusion to an admittedly obscure bit of
> > doggerel. In Ada
> >
> >
> > The Veens speak only to Tobaks
> > And Tobaks speak only to dogs.
> >
> >
> > Although it may rhyme better in Russian (Tobakami/sobakami) the original
> > is actually
> >
> >
> > Here's to good old Boston, the land of the Bean and the Cod,
> > Where Cabots speak only to Lodges, and the Lodges speak only to God.
>
> This correction is probably unimportant to _Ada_ (though who knows?),
> but the _Harvard Law Bulletin_
> <http://www.law.harvard.edu/alumni/bulletin/2001/fall/letters_main.html>
> gives the following version of the doggerel:
>
> "...from a toast by John Collins Bossidy in 1910.
>
> "And this is good old Boston,
> The home of the bean and the cod,
> Where the Lowells talk to the Cabots,
> And the Cabots talk only to God."
>
> The Lowells have provided the world with a president of Harvard,
> a prominent astronomer, and three prominent poets: James Russell
> Lowell, Amy Lowell, and Robert Lowell. I see in the on-line
> index to _Strong Opinions_ (thanks!) four mentions of Robert Lowell--
> at least some of them were criticisms of his translations of Russian
> poetry, right?
>
> The version with the Lodges presumably arises from the political fame
> of Henry Cabot Lodge, Ph.D. (1850-1924), a Republican senator from
> 1893 to his death. I think I first learned this rhyme with "Lodges"
> and also with "speak only" twice, as in the _Ada_ version.
>
> Jerry Friedman
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
> http://sbc.yahoo.com
From: "Jerry Friedman" <jerry_friedman@yahoo.com>
>
> ----------------- Message requiring your approval (69
lines) ------------------
>
> --- "D. Barton Johnson" <chtodel@cox.net> wrote:
> > addendum to Alexey Sklyarenko's tobakami/sobakami EDNOTE. I had never
> > noticed that the "TOBAK(s)" and "dogs" were palindromes of the original
> > CABOTs and GOD in the famous bit of doggerel that VN uses as the basis
> > for his lines. As well, the TOBAK(s) echo the Russian word for dog
> > SOBAKa. My thanks to Carolyn.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Carolyn Kunin
> > To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 12:36 PM
> > Subject: addendum to Alexey Sklyarenko's tobakami/sobakami
> >
> >
> >
> > To the List,
> >
> > Among the tasty tid-bits in the latest Nabokovian are three notes from
> > Alexey Sklyarenko, who continues to find more allusions to Russian
> > literature in Ada. He intriguingly argues that some passages of dialogue
> > in Ada show traces of translation from original Russian, particularly in
> > the conversation between Van and Greg Erminin (Part III, chapter 3).
> >
> > However he has missed an allusion to an admittedly obscure bit of
> > doggerel. In Ada
> >
> >
> > The Veens speak only to Tobaks
> > And Tobaks speak only to dogs.
> >
> >
> > Although it may rhyme better in Russian (Tobakami/sobakami) the original
> > is actually
> >
> >
> > Here's to good old Boston, the land of the Bean and the Cod,
> > Where Cabots speak only to Lodges, and the Lodges speak only to God.
>
> This correction is probably unimportant to _Ada_ (though who knows?),
> but the _Harvard Law Bulletin_
> <http://www.law.harvard.edu/alumni/bulletin/2001/fall/letters_main.html>
> gives the following version of the doggerel:
>
> "...from a toast by John Collins Bossidy in 1910.
>
> "And this is good old Boston,
> The home of the bean and the cod,
> Where the Lowells talk to the Cabots,
> And the Cabots talk only to God."
>
> The Lowells have provided the world with a president of Harvard,
> a prominent astronomer, and three prominent poets: James Russell
> Lowell, Amy Lowell, and Robert Lowell. I see in the on-line
> index to _Strong Opinions_ (thanks!) four mentions of Robert Lowell--
> at least some of them were criticisms of his translations of Russian
> poetry, right?
>
> The version with the Lodges presumably arises from the political fame
> of Henry Cabot Lodge, Ph.D. (1850-1924), a Republican senator from
> 1893 to his death. I think I first learned this rhyme with "Lodges"
> and also with "speak only" twice, as in the _Ada_ version.
>
> Jerry Friedman
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
> http://sbc.yahoo.com