Glow little glow worm immer, immer? I actually came across that lovely old standard in a collections on itunes and was surprised to find that it was originally auf Deutsch - the title being 'Glowürmchen'.
The legendary oak appears in the prolog to Pushkin's first popular success, his fairy tale epic 'Russlan and Ludmilla', a famous opera by Glinka based thereon is still beloved of many (V Markov's favorite composer, by the way). The poema is referred to by Pushkin himself in the second stanza of E.O.:
Druz'a L'udmili i Ruslana
Bez predislovia, seyzhe chas
Pozvol't'a poznakomit' vas --
Onegin, dobriy moi priyatel etc.
Dear friends of my old Lyudmila and
Ruslan,
May I acquaint you now, without further ado,
Immediately if you'll allow me
With Onegin - a rawther good friend of mine ....
Note how many more words it takes to English Pushkin's elegant Russian phrases. I don't recall 'Pushkin's poem in Ada, but assume it must be a fragment of R & L. How to relate the one to the other is something someone else will have to undertake.
Carolyn
From: Jansy <jansy@AETERN.US>
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Thu, April 18, 2013 10:48:08
AM
Subject: Re: [NABOKV-L] Forever Emerald
Carolyn Kunin: Many will recall Pale Fire's Gerald
Emerald, too, of course. I'm not sure if he has ever been discussed on the
List.[ ] p.s. Alexey! which is that 'legendary oak'? a learned cat
goes to and fro, no? And why the sea shade? Kitezh perhaps?? How about that
'immer, immer' - Heine perhaps? or Goethe?
Jansy Mello: Emeralds and aquamarines,
amber and pink quartz, diamonds... There are lots of gems in VN's novels but my
favorite one relates to VN's mother's glittering necklace as described in Speak,
Memory.
Gerald Emerald and his tie remains a mystery to me, he
seems so insignificant and, at the same time, playing a crucial role in
Kinbote's mind by directing Gradus to Charlie.
The legendary oak, and cats going to a fro is
probably the one you're hinting at, from Pushkin's poem in ADA? How to
significantly relate VN's poem to Pushkin's
?
Could "Immer, Immer" also indicate a pop
song?
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