Grossman - Zhivoi Vavilon

[Penelope Burt]

This may be way off base, but I wonder if there's an allusion to  
Psalm 137?—"living and breathing rivers of Babylon" who/which  
couldn't care less about the new (dead) settlers???

P.Burt

On Oct 30, 2009, at 1:53 PM, Robert Chandler wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> This is from an ocherk called ‘Na vechnom pokoie’.
>
>   А у  кладбищенских  ворот  людские  реки  сливаются;  живой  
> Вавилон мешает
> новоселам въезжать на похоронных машинах в кладбищенскую ограду.   
> Как  много
> весеннего  солнца,  свежей,  зелени,  как  много  оживленных лиц,   
> житейских
> разговоров и как мало здесь печали. Так, по крайней мере, кажется.
>
> How should I translate ‘zhivoi Vavilon’?
>
> Outside the cemetery gate the streams of people merge.  This living  
> Babylon
> (This living Babel ?? This living tower of Babel!!) makes it  
> difficult for
> the new settlers to enter the cemetery in their funeral cars.
>
> And thanks, Sibelan, for recommending the book by Naomi Seidman, which
> sounds very interesting indeed.  I have ordered it from amazon.
>
> Vsego dobrogo,
>
> Robert
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> ---
>  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your  
> subscription
>   options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface  
> at:
>                     http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> ---

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------