Nosit' rebenka pod serdtsem

[Inna Caron]

>Am I right in thinking that the second sentence refers to her carrying the
child while it is still in her womb? 
 
Yes, absolutely. It is a common expression. There is a poetic reference than
instantly springs to mind, from Nekrasov's "Moroz, krasnyi nos":
 
"Eshche mne takogo postrela
Rozhai mne, khoziaika, k vesne!"
 
...ona zastydilas':
"Dovol'no s tebia odnogo..."
A znala, pod serdtsem uzh bilos'
Ditia...
 
- Inna

Inna Caron
Ph.D. Candidate, Slavic Languages and Literatures
The Ohio State University
400 Hagerty Hall
Columbus, OH 43210
614-292-6733
caron.4 at osu.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Robert Chandler
Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 1:53 PM
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: [SEELANGS] Nosit' rebenka pod serdtsem

Dear all,

These 3 lines are from Grossman's 'Sikstinskaya Madonna':
В наше время родила молодая мать своего ребенка. Страшно носить под сердцем
сына и слышать рев народа, приветствующего Адольфа Гитлера. Мать
всматривается в лицо новорожденного и слышит звон и хруст разбиваемых
стекол, 

Am I right in thinking that the second sentence refers to her carrying the
child while it is still in her womb?  I only ask because the order of the
sentences creates the impression that this refers to her carrying the child,
AGAINST her heart, soon after it has been born.

Best wishes,

Robert

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