Carolyn Kunin: In my
pursuit of Kalmakov, I came across a costume design by Goncharova for the
character 'Sirin' in the Ballets Russes production of the Rimsky-Korsakov opera
Tsar Saltan. Has anyone really studied the meaning(s) and implication(s) of VN's
choice of nom de bird? [ ]. It seems possible that in choosing the name
'Sirin,' VN intended to affiliate himself with this cult ("Firebird).
Jansy Mello: Great images,
particularly the Sirin costume and the story about the "Firebird" trend. Nabokov
usually values words-images that allow for more than one
single acception As a riddle-maker he might have also kept in mind the
Egyptian-Greek sphynx. As C.Kunin notes, there are many possibilities
still open when the Sirin myth is
explored.
The word 'firebird" is mentioned by him in ADA,
to alude to red-haired Lucette" Simultaneously, without turning her head, she slapped furtive Van
away from her rear, and with her other hand made magic passes over the small but
very pretty breasts, gemmed with sweat, and along the flat palpitating belly of
a seasand nymph, down to the firebird seen by Van once, fully fledged now, and
as fascinating in its own way as his favorite’s blue raven. Enchantress!
Acrasia!"
Lucette
is designated as a "seasand nymph", a " darling firebird", a
BOP, a mermaid, Esmeralda: "We are even sorrier to have inveigled our Esmeralda and mermaid in
a naughty prank. That sort of game will never be played again with you, darling
firebird. We apollo [apologize]. Remembrance, embers and membranes of beauty
make artists and morons lose all self-control....We wished to admire and amuse
you, BOP (bird of paradise). We went too far.. In Ada's hand we find
that "something in the tone of your note makes me
really jealous for the first time in my fire [thus in the manuscript, for
"life." Ed.]
Unlike you, I don't particularly
see any Vladimirian literary extensions to be gleaned from Kalmakov's
painting (except the precious information that the painting was owned by his
parents and hung somewhere in the house). Nevertheless, the firebird and
mermaid/seasand nymph associations in ADA seem to confirm your hunch! (There
are a lot of aquatic images, words, worlds in ADA.)