Translation queries: Ipatyevskaya letopis, 1184

[Nina Murray]

Paul --
"каменья ... в подъем человеку"  -- в подъем modifies каменья (to me) and thus means rocks as heavy as a man could possibly lift, at the extreme of a man's strength. As big as himself, basically. 

Hope this helps.
Best, 
Nina Murray

 Translator of "Fish: A Story of One Migration"
http://www.russianlife.com/peteraleshkovsky/




________________________________
From: Paul B. Gallagher <paulbg at PBG-TRANSLATIONS.COM>
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Sent: Thu, July 1, 2010 1:42:21 PM
Subject: [SEELANGS] Translation queries: Ipatyevskaya letopis, 1184

Dear colleagues,

I'm using up my third and final posting for the day with this, so please understand why I can't reply publicly until tomorrow. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

My source text reads:

Вот как в Ипатьевской летописи описаны события одной из битв объединенного войска русских князей, состоявшейся в 1184 г.: «... Двинулся окаянный и безбожный и трижды проклятый Кончак с бесчисленными полками половецкими на Русь, надеясь захватить и пожечь огнем города русские, ибо нашел некого мужа басурманина, который стрелял живым огнем. Хан Кончак имел мужа, умеющего стрелять огнем и зажигать грады, у коего был самострельные луки так велики, что едва восемь человек могли натягивать, и укреплены были на возу великом. Сам он
 мог бросать каменья в середину града в подъем человеку и для метания огня имел особый малейший, но вельми хитро сделанный».

My queries are as follows:

1) "У коего был самострельные луки..." -- singular or plural bow(s)? By majority rule, should be plural... I have no reason to think this is one of the anomalous nouns that is apparently plural but logically singular, but I'm open to guidance.

2) "в подъем человеку" -- "to the height of a man"? Certainly the point is not to raise a man, but to knock him down!

3) "для метания огня имел особый малейший, но вельми хитро сделанный" -- where's the masc.sg. noun that goes with the adjectives? Should I assume "лук"?

If it helps, my author is concerned with the use of so-called "Greek fire" ("греческий огонь"), a weapon developed by the Byzantines in which a mixture of petroleum and other secret ingredients was heated in a pot and shot through a tube against an enemy target (originally, warships). The term "живой огонь" was also used for this. Part of my confusion here lies in the use of a bow, which should not be able to propel a liquid.

Thanks very much.

-- War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------