Teffi, Vospominaniya

[Gasan Gusejnov]

Dear Robert,

It looks like Gooskin tells the folk, what they should answer in case
someone would ask them, what they were doing.

That is why imperative here should be translated as imperative: Don't go
our today! Or: Stay at home! If they ask, you are tired etc.

It is all due to the weakness of subjunctive in Russian...

Best
gg




2014-04-17 23:41 GMT+04:00 Robert Chandler <kcf19 at dial.pipex.com>:

> Dear all,
>
> I have two more questions.
>
> Teffi, Averchenko and some actors are in a small town in Ukraine in late
> 1918.  The Bolshevik Commisar (Teffi refers to him as Robespierre!) has
> cultural pretensions and he has insisted that they all put on some kind of
> reading/performance the following evening.  If they do as he says, it seems
> probable that he will give them the necessary documents to continue on
> their journey south.  The first speaker is Gooskin, a smart entrepreneur
> who always knows what to do and who is generally optimistic about things.
> Одно скажу: мы должны отсюда завтра уехать. Иначе, ей-богу, я буду очень
> удивлен, если когда-нибудь увижу свою мамашу.
> Мысль была сложная, но явно неутешительная.
> --  Сегодня весь день сидите дома. Выходить не надо. Устали (??) и
> репетируют (??). Все репетируют, и все устали.
>
> But there's one thing I will say - we must leave here tomorrow.
>  Otherwise, I swear to God, I shall be very surprised if ever the day comes
> when I see my dear Mama."
>            This thought was complicated, but evidently not comforting.
> [Here I am a bit puzzled, because to me the thought does not seem so very
> complicated, just expressed in a slightly odd way. Gooskin's speech is
> always odd.  He muddles idioms together.]
>            "There's no need to go out.  Just stay in here today.  You (??)
> are tired and everyone (??) is rehearsing.  Everyone is rehearsing and
> everyone is tired."
> [There are a lot of omitted pronouns in the last line.  I am not confident
> I have understood it correctly.]
>
> Many thanks!
>
> Robert
>
> Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD
>
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