Chevengur: "radosti nad vsemi gumnami"

[Petre M. Petrov]

The use of "над" here seems to be by analogy with "солнце над...", as the "warmth" in the next clause suggests. Hence, I would propose a small interpolation: "he lacked some kind of general joy [rising] above all the threshing floors" or (less convincingly) "he lacked some kind of general joy [shining] upon all the threshing floors."

Regards,
PP
________________________________
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list [SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] on behalf of Robert Chandler [kcf19 at DIAL.PIPEX.COM]
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2012 8:01 AM
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: [SEELANGS] Chevengur: "radosti nad vsemi gumnami"

Dear all,

Can anyone help me with this odd use of the preposition "nad"?  I feel there must be something I have not understood.

Дванов помог Достоевскому вообразить социализм малодворными артельными поселками с общими приусадебными наделами. Достоевский уже все принял, но не хватало какой-то общей радости над всеми гумнами, чтобы воображение будущего стало любовью и теплом, чтобы совесть и нетерпение взошли силой внутри его тела – от временного отсутствия социализма наяву.

Dvanov helped Dostoevsky to imagine socialism in the form of small collective settlements with shared parcels of land.  Dostoevsky had already accepted everything, but he lacked some kind of general joy over all the threshing floors that could have made his imagination of the future become love and warmth, that could have made conscience and impatience arise as a force inside his body – given the temporary absence of socialism in reality.

All the best, and thanks in advance!

Robert

Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD




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