Subject
Re: B.Boyd on "PF" denigrators, from CHW
From
Date
Body
>>>>>Azure means blue. Only secondarily does it connote sky.
At least in Russian poetry "azure" ("lazur' ") used as a noun often
means sky, being a standard poetic cliche'.
An expanded version of this cliche' is "azure of skies" ["lazur'
nebes'], or "sky azure" ["nebesnaya lazur'"]
e.g. "Lazur' nebes prelestno ulybalas' " (Tyutchev). -- "Lazur'
nebesnaya smeetsya, nochnoj omytaya grozoj" (Fet) --- "...I letit, i
trepeshchet, kak v lazuri nebes oblaka" (Nabokov)
However, very often "azure" is used as a synonym of sky.
e.g. "Nado mnoi v lazuri yasnoj svetit zvezdochka odna" (Pushkin)". ---
"Smotri, kak solnechnye laski v lazuri nezhat strogij krest" (Blok). --
"Zoloto v lazuri" (Bely) [book title: Gold in the Azure]. -- "Tri
kiparisa chudno-mrachno shumyat v lazuri nochi yuzhnoi" (Nabokov)
etc.
Victor Fet
________________________________
From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU] On
Behalf Of Chaswe@AOL.COM
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 2:09 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: [NABOKV-L] B.Boyd on "PF" denigrators, from CHW
In a message dated 21/02/2007 16:24:21 GMT Standard Time,
nabokv-l@UTK.EDU writes:
What puzzles me about the denigrators of the quality of "Pale
Fire" is that the examples they cite of the poem's supposed clunkers do
not seem clunky to me. "'False azure' indeed." Indeed what?
Brian Boyd
Here's a suggestion: Azure means blue. Only secondarily does it connote
sky. A thing is either blue, or it isn't. It can't be "falsely" blue.
Shade's English is not as precise as VN's, and a poet should not allow
himself to be so sloppy --- unless it's with deliberate aesthetic
intent.
As to why what doesn't sound clunky to some sounds so to others ---
verb sap.
Fair criticism is not denigration.
Charles
Search the Nabokv-L archive with Google
<http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en>
Contact the Editors <mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu>
All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by
both co-editors.
Visit Zembla <http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm>
View Nabokv-L Policies <http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm>
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
At least in Russian poetry "azure" ("lazur' ") used as a noun often
means sky, being a standard poetic cliche'.
An expanded version of this cliche' is "azure of skies" ["lazur'
nebes'], or "sky azure" ["nebesnaya lazur'"]
e.g. "Lazur' nebes prelestno ulybalas' " (Tyutchev). -- "Lazur'
nebesnaya smeetsya, nochnoj omytaya grozoj" (Fet) --- "...I letit, i
trepeshchet, kak v lazuri nebes oblaka" (Nabokov)
However, very often "azure" is used as a synonym of sky.
e.g. "Nado mnoi v lazuri yasnoj svetit zvezdochka odna" (Pushkin)". ---
"Smotri, kak solnechnye laski v lazuri nezhat strogij krest" (Blok). --
"Zoloto v lazuri" (Bely) [book title: Gold in the Azure]. -- "Tri
kiparisa chudno-mrachno shumyat v lazuri nochi yuzhnoi" (Nabokov)
etc.
Victor Fet
________________________________
From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU] On
Behalf Of Chaswe@AOL.COM
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 2:09 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: [NABOKV-L] B.Boyd on "PF" denigrators, from CHW
In a message dated 21/02/2007 16:24:21 GMT Standard Time,
nabokv-l@UTK.EDU writes:
What puzzles me about the denigrators of the quality of "Pale
Fire" is that the examples they cite of the poem's supposed clunkers do
not seem clunky to me. "'False azure' indeed." Indeed what?
Brian Boyd
Here's a suggestion: Azure means blue. Only secondarily does it connote
sky. A thing is either blue, or it isn't. It can't be "falsely" blue.
Shade's English is not as precise as VN's, and a poet should not allow
himself to be so sloppy --- unless it's with deliberate aesthetic
intent.
As to why what doesn't sound clunky to some sounds so to others ---
verb sap.
Fair criticism is not denigration.
Charles
Search the Nabokv-L archive with Google
<http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en>
Contact the Editors <mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu>
All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by
both co-editors.
Visit Zembla <http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm>
View Nabokv-L Policies <http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm>
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm