Platonov - Semyon - заквокнешь

[Penelope Burt]

I wonder if it's at all possible to take "zhizn'" as a specifically human life—in which case something like "you'll do nothing but cackle and croak" would be appropriate—your humanity is getting murky, your body is decaying, you can't speak a human language anymore...
Penny Burt
 
On Mar 16, 2013, at 3:03 PM, Robert Chandler wrote:

> Dear all,
> 
> A woman is giving birth.  She has said that she does not want to give birth ever again.  The old village midwife replies "И-их, дочка, рожать не будешь, замутнеешь, погниешь, заквокнешь вся -- не вспомнишь,  что  жизнь  прожила, злобой  подернешься...
> 
> This verb is often translated as "cackle"  Dal' also gives “Стонать, охать; ворчать…” .  This seems the most relevant.  But the sentence as a whole remains horribly difficult to translate.  At present we have:"Oh, my daughter, if you stop having kids you’ll cloud over, you’ll start to rot, you’ll do nothing but moan and groan. You’ll forget you’ve lived a life, and you’ll crust over with spite.  Better to suffer and know that you’re living a life!”
> Any thoughts, anyone?
> 
> All the best, Robert
> 
> 
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