-------- Original Message --------
About note (7), i.e., sexual connotations of "dobro".
To my opinion (and I would like to have it known to
non-russian participants of the list),
the idea of sexual connotations of "dobro" proposed by
Alexey is very far-fetched. In fact it may be in the
very narrow context of Kunyaev's poem, but (to make
it more clear) I would like
to suggest a little analysis. The reference to Pushkin
and "Tsar Nikita" is not really convincing, because
there "dobro" is used in very general meaning
like "belongings". It makes sense as testicles
only because the tsar already threatened to castrate --
In similar sense it may be very well used in English
(... I advise you to keep better your belongings ...)
As to Kunyaev, he was despiced by many, because
he was already known as a rather vulgar nationalist.
Of course a lot of people ridiculized him and
one of the obvious lines was to look for
Freudian symbolism behing his "patriotism".
He (Kunyaev) speaks about fists - an obvious sexual symbol.
Then what he wants to defend so much?
Of course his testicles.
So this sexual symbolism (probably present
in his mind in classical Freudian sense)
was ridiculized. Similar sort of jokes
was popular in the USSR (e.g. "the huge
organ of security behing a figleaf" was
described by dissident Guberman). I don't
think that "dobro" in russian literature
really has these sexual connotations.
Best to all
Sergei Soloviev
>
> [3] May be somebody will kindly translate the following piece?
Then he/she
> should keep in mind that the words dobro and kulak* have many
meanings and
> the first line can be also rendered "The kulaks should retain their
> property."
>
> Добро должно быть с кулаками.
>
> Добро суровым быть должно,
>
> чтобы летела шерсть клоками
>
> со всех, кто лезет на добро.
>
> Добро не жалость и не слабость.
>
> Добром дробят замки оков.
>
> Добро не слякоть и не святость,
>
> не отпущение грехов.
>
> Быть добрым не всегда удобно,
>
> принять не просто вывод тот,
>
> что дробно-дробно, добро-добро
>
> умел работать пулемёт,
>
> что смысл истории в конечном
>
> в добротном действии одном -
>
> спокойно вышибать коленом
>
> добру не сдавшихся добром!
>
> [7] Note that dobro can also mean "male private parts,"
particularly,
> testicles. Cf. Pushkin's frivolous poem "Tsar Nikita and his Forty
> Daughters" (1822), ll. 71-72: Ukho vsyak derzhal vostro / I
khranil svoyo
> dobro ("Everybody was on the qui vive / And took care of his
property," i.
> e. testicles, for the tsar threatened to castrate men, if they were
> immodest). If the apostrophized d = dobro = :, one is tempted to
see evil
> in ' (i. e. ' without :).