Olga Berggolts

[Alexandra Smith]

Dear Robert,

In my opinion, Vladimir Markov (sadly, he passed away recently) was  
right because he takes the subtext into consideration. The crucial  
word in the last line is the word "too" (tozhe). Your rendering  
destroys the allusion embedded in the poem. The intelligent reader of  
this poem in 1952 would have picked the subtext of the poem straight  
away.
It is related to the notion of poetic destiny. Markov is correct. In this poem
Berrgolts is inscribing herself into the tradition of subversive poets  
opposed to the regime.

All best,
Sasha



Quoting Robert Chandler <kcf19 at DIAL.PIPEX.COM> on Sun, 20 Jan 2013  
10:47:58 +0000:

> Dear all,
>
> I'm not confident that I understand the last line of this short poem:
>
> Обещание («Я недругов смертью своей, не утешу...»)
>
> ...Я недругов смертью своей не утешу,
> чтоб в лживых слезах захлебнуться могли.
> Не вбит еще крюк, на котором повешусь.
> Не скован.  Не вырыт рудой из земли.
> Я встану над жизнью бездонной своею,
> над страхом ее, над железной тоскою...
> Я знаю о многом. Я помню. Я смею.
> Я тоже чего-нибудь страшного стою...
>
> 1952
>
> Vladimir Markov, who is usually reliable, translates the last line as
> "I deserve some terrible destiny too."
>
> This is wrong, isn't it?  Isn't it more like
> "I'm worth something terrible…" (i.e. I am worth a great deal)
> ?
>
> R.
>
> Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD
>
>
>
>
>
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