Thanks - and another skazka question

[Edward Dumanis]

Robert,

I do not think that I am familiar with the version that you are
translating but know a famous folk tale of a similar content: "Маша и
медведь."
You can find it, e.g., at http://hyaenidae.narod.ru/story1/038.html

I think that "Подай милостыню" in your context means simply "Do a favor."
Probably, in your case, "милостыня" is just a modification from
"милость" and the expression is just a form of "Сделай милость" or
"Окажи милость."

You use "pancakes" and I am not sure what they use in your original.
The version that I have mentioned uses "пирожки."
I would think that you version uses "оладушки."
If so, it would not necessarily agree with the comment made by Will Ryan.

Sincerely,

Edward Dumanis


On Sat, Sep 11, 2010 at 7:24 PM, William Ryan <wfr at sas.ac.uk> wrote:
>  Robert,
> Bliny are a traditional part of the funeral feast, and a funeral feast for
> family and friends is considered to be charitable giving; giving Shrovetide
> pancakes is also милостыню давать. The remains of the funeral feast are
> supposed to be given to the poor and needy. Without knowing the whole
> context, the bliny seem to be for her mother's funeral feast, so I would
> guess that your second reading makes better sense, though how to convey all
> this in your translation for an audience unaware of Russian customs is
> problematic. Roughly perhaps: " Here, take it. Give it for the wake. Here's
> the basket - it's full. But mind you don't eat any." Emphasizing the
> fullness of the basket, the religious/charitable nature of the contents, and
> the warning not to eat, would all fit the need to conceal the sister (large
> basket, small sister presumably - quite possible in a folk tale). Native
> speakers please correct if I am wrong.
> Bliny are generally a symbol of death in dreams and podbliudnye pesni.
> Will
>
> On 11/09/2010 20:22, Robert Chandler wrote:
>>
>> Many thanks, Sasha, Natasha, and Hugh, for answers about the bull hide.
>>
>> I have another question.  A girl has married a bear.  She is asking the
>> bear
>> to take a basket of pancakes to her parents' home.  (She is, in fact,
>> doing
>> this to smuggle her sister, the bear's previous wife, out of the house of
>> this murderous Bluebeard-like bear).  She has told the bear that the
>> pancakes are in order to "pomyanut' mamu".
>>
>> Then she says to the bear, 'Ну неси.  Подай милостыню.  Вот она (т.е.
>> корзинка) полная.  Да смотри: не ешь.
>>
>> Мy question is about the words Подай милостыню.  Is she telling the bear
>> to
>> give alms to any beggar he happens to meet (unlikely since they are deep
>> in
>> the forest).  Or is it that the pancakes are themselves a form of
>> milostynya
>> that she is giving to her family back home?
>>
>> The latter reading, if possible, seems to make much better sense.
>>
>> Robert
>>
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