Tag Archives: Poetry

Poetry Marathon – 02.22.12

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Poetry Marathon is a long-standing tradition of the UNL Russian and Czech programs. The concept is simple between 9.00 and 1.00 in the morning any student can come and recite Russian poetry with its translation into English.

Traditionally, most recited is Pushkin’s Я вас любил…

Я вас любил: любовь еще, быть может,
В душе моей угасла не совсем;
Но пусть она вас больше не тревожит;
Я не хочу печалить вас ничем.
Я вас любил безмолвно, безнадежно,
То робостью, то ревностью томим;
Я вас любил так искренно, так нежно,
Как дай вам бог любимой быть другим.
 1827
But also, every year we hear more poems by Pushkin, the lesser known gems
ПТИЧКА

В чужбине свято наблюдаю
Родной обычай старины:
На волю птичку выпускаю
При светлом празднике весны.

Я стал доступен утешенью;
За что на бога мне роптать,
Когда хоть одному творенью
Я мог свободу даровать!

1823

Пора, мой друг, пора!..

Пора, мой друг, пора! покоя сердце просит -
Летят за днями дни, и каждый час уносит
Частичку бытия, а мы с тобой вдвоем
Предполагаем жить, и глядь - как раз умрем.
На свете счастья нет, но есть покой и воля.
Давно завидная мечтается мне доля -
Давно, усталый раб, замыслил я побег
В обитель дальную трудов и чистых нег.
On that note, enjoy the photos, and more poetry recited will come soon

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Vladimir Vyssotskii – the movie

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A couple of months ago we put up a post of one of the greatest modern Russian poets and singers Vladimir Vyssotskii. There we looked at five of his songs/poems that define his main topics – friendship, war and living on the edge.

And here are the news – Columbia and the Russian Pervyi Kanal are putting out a movie (premiers November 1) about Vyssotskii’s concert in Central Asia in the late 1970s. The movie tells about his trouble with law, drugs, alcohol, and lovers – the seedier part of his life that fed his songs and his myth. Nikita Vyssotskii, the son, wrote the screenplay and did the voice of his father. The movie Vyssotskii (as much as can be judged from the trailers) is an almost exact copy of the real person. Every other face in the movie is that of a famous Russian actor, too. Understandably, many people are skeptical about replicating the legend and eager to see the “most secret film of the post-Soviet Russia.”

We’ll learn after November 1.

Отчего кошку назвали кошкой?

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Перевод Самуила Яковлевича Маршака. Читает Юрий Яковлев. Союзмультфильм, 1982.

ОТЧЕГО КОШКУ НАЗВАЛИ КОШКОЙ?

Монгольская народная сказка

У старика и старухи
Был котеночек черноухий,
Черноухий
И белощекий,
Белобрюхий
И чернобокий.

Стали думать старик со старухой:
- Подрастает наш черноухий.
Мы вскормили его и вспоили,
Только дать ему имя забыли.

Назовем черноухого
"Тучей" -
Пусть он будет большой
И могучий.
Выше дерева,
Больше дома.
Пусть мурлычет он громче грома!

- Нет, - сказала, подумав, старуха, -
Туча легче гусиного пуха.
Гонит ветер огромные тучи,
Собирает их в серые кучи.
Свищет ветер
Протяжно и звонко.
Не назвать ли нам "Ветром"
                          Котенка?

- Нет, старуха, -
Старик отвечает, -
Ветер только деревья качает,
А стена остается в покое.
Не назвать ли котенка
                      "Стеною"?

Старику отвечает старуха:
- Ты лишился на старости слуха!
Вот прислушайся вместе со мною:
Слышишь, мышка шуршит за стеною?
Точит дерево мышка-воришка...
Не назвать ли нам кошку - "Мышка"?

- Нет, старуха, -
Старик отвечает, -
Кошка мышку со шкуркой съедает.
Значит, кошка
Сильнее немножко!
Не назвать ли нам кошку кошкой?..

Шолом-Алейхем и Бел Кауфман

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Бел Кауфман – знаменитому автору книги “Вверх по лестницу идущей вниз” исполнилось сто лет. В этом интервью, состоявшемся десять лет назад, она рассказывает о  своем деде Шолом-Алейхеме и немного о себе. Завораживающая женщина!

Vladimir Vysotskii

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Vladimir Vysotskii was a cult singer/songwriter/actor for his age and for many modern Russians. Singing loyalty to friends, love for women and tales of “little people” (patients in an asylum, adolescents, prisoners) he became widely popular in self-made unofficial recordings from his concerts.

Three movies to watch with Vyssotskii

1. Место встречи изменить нельзя (Meeting place cannot be changed) Режиссер: Станислав Говорухин, Одесская киностудия, 1979.

2. Вертикаль Режиссер: Станислав Говорухин, Одесская киностудия, 1967.

3. Сказ про то, как царь Петр арапа женил. Режиссер: Александр Митта, Мосфильм, 1976.

Even though most people remember Vyssotskii’s songs that came out on the official discs during his life – “Песня о друге”, “Кони привередливые”, “Скалолазка”, “Высота”, “Утренняя гимнастика” – my personal list for listening, reading and committing to memory would be a bit different.

1.

Здесь вам не равнина (песня звучит в фильме “Вертикаль”)

 Здесь вам не равнина, здесь климат иной -
 Идут лавины одна за одной.
 И здесь за камнепадом ревет камнепад, -
 И можно свернуть, обрыв обогнуть, -
 Но мы выбираем трудный путь,
 Опасный, как военная тропа!.

Read the rest of this entry

Prophet Lermontov

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I happen to listen to the Radio Liberty Russian service from time to time, and notably their programs about Russian culture and history. “Мифы и репутации” is one such program, anchored by Ivan Tolstoy – professor of Russian literature, a grandson of Alexei Tolstoy and Dmitrii Lozinskii. His most recent program was devoted to the prophetic gift of Lermontov, where he and his colleague Leonid Arensthtein discussed not just how  Lermontov prophesied his death in a duel in his novel The Hero of Our Time, but also his “revolutionary” poem The Prophecy
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Russian poets: Алексей Решетов (Alexei Reshetov)

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This is a modern Russian poet, lesser known both in Russia and abroad, but today I remembered one of his poems and decided to share

Мы в детстве были много откровенней:

“Что у тебя на завтрак?”  – “Ничего.”

“А у меня – хлеб с маслом и варенье.

Возьми немного хлеба моего.”

Прошли года, и мы другими стали.

И уж никто не спросит никого:

“Что у тебя на сердце? Уж не тьма ли?

Возьми немного света моего.”

He was born in 1937, and in 1937 his father was shot and his mother was sent into the prison camps first in Kazakhstan, and then in Solikamsk. One may read more of  his poetry here and in Russian Wikipedia

Hello world! This is UNL Russian Club!

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This is the first post in what we hope is going to be a long blog about all things Russian and our Russian Club events. We sincerely hope that if you have things to contribute you will immediately contact us y commenting in this post and we’ll be happy to publish whatever you have to say about your experience studying Russian language, visiting Russia or the countries that used the be the USSR republics, and just random thoughts and comments you find important. This blog reflects individual views of its writers and does not coincide with the views and policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Please, consider contributing to this blog, and if you don’t know where to start, here are some topics you might like:

Poetry in Russian – Who are your favorite Russian Poets? Have you ever translated or recited Russian Poetry? What topics interest you most? Have you ever read any English poetry in Russian translation?

Russian Literature – Tolstoy, Dostoevskii, Pushkin, Bulgakov, Platonov, Pasternak – you name it, and don’t forget to share your favourite book and favourite quotations (in Russian and in English)

Russian Holidays – have you ever celebrated New Year Russian style? Do you know what happens on May 28? Do women in the family get flowers on the 8th of March? Blog about those and other Russian celebrations that you’ve experienced.

Traveling in Russia – What cities have you visited? Where do you want to go, what advice would you give to the people who are planning their trip? Traveling in Russia is Great Fun!

Russian History – What are the ten things you’ve learnt about Russian history that were amazingly unexpected? What books about Russian tzars and general secretaries  would you recommend? Do you know the ten least known facts from the life of Stalin? Be an expert and share.

Russian Cinema – So, you hated the Irony of Fate, and did not much like The Barber of Siberia. But there has to be a Russian film that you like and would watch ten times a year. Or maybe you’ve seen something that has not been translated into English yet and deserves attention? Anyway, please review your favorite Russian movie for our users. Alternatively, contribute to the on-going collection of the great Russian Movie Quotations of all time. And, of course, watch and share Russian cartoons.

Russian Science – do you study chemistry of physics, or just know who Mendeleev and Kapitsa were – please, share some of your knowledge, and just contribute to spreading the word about Russian people of science across the globe.

Russian Customs and Traditions – Why throw a pinch of salt over the left shoulder? Why do Russians remove their shoes when they enter somebody’s home? Please consider recording and reporting any unique Russian tradition or custom that you encounter here.

Russian Language – Grammar questions? Or you know what you “search adventures on”? Share your experiences of studying Russian language here.