Tsar'-devitsa again

[Robert Chandler]

Ivan Tsarevich has entered the bedroom where she sleeps, he is excited by
her beauty, he says these words to himself and then he gets into bed with
her, "waters his horse in her well" and leaves, without having awoken her.

I like Boris Dralyuks's suggestion:
I believe our Tsarevich's negation is a kind of emphasis -- colorful
grammar, indeed.  He simply means "What a great honour (has been granted
me)!"  It's not quite litotes, but if we 'restore' an elided "малая", we get
"Что мне не малая честь!"

Best Wishes,

Robert

>   Could you give a bit more context? chest' is also a verb "to read;
> consider", and ne chest' could be for nechest', "shame".
> Will
> 
> On 25/09/2010 21:12, Robert Chandler wrote:
>> Dear all,
>> 
>> Ivan Tsarevich is overwhelmed by the beautyof the sleeping Marya-Krasa,
>> Dolga Kosa.  And so
>> 
>> “Что мне не честь!” разгорелось у молодца ретивое сердце.
>> 
>> Is he saying ‘What does my honour matter to me?’  I cannot make sense of his
>> words grammatically. Also, I would have thought it was more a matter of HER
>> rather than HIS honour being sullied!
>> 
>> All the best,
>> 
>> Robert
>> 
>> 
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