Either because it could never get over the
presence of the bog on which a popular bully had built it, or for some other
reason (nobody, according to Gogol, knows), St. Petersburg was no place for
children. (5.2)
St. Petersburg is Lik's home city. Lik is part of
kulik (stint; sandpiper). In Russian we say: vsyak kulik
svoyo boloto khvalit ("every sandpiper praises his bog", in the
sense "every bird likes its nest"). Here is a poem I composed ages ago
(long before reading LATH or learning of the existence of
Nabokv-l):
Стихов волшебная игра
возносит Петербург всё выше.
Меж тем вернулся град Петра
в стихию, из которой вышел.
Но ты рождён здесь, ты привык
здесь жить и находить в том что-то
и будешь славить, как кулик,
своё родимое болото.
Sorry, my English is not good enough to translate it (skylarks
hate sandpipers).
p. s. to my previous post:
"Well, I seem to have goofed again
(opyat' oskandalilsya)," observed Oks, after taking quite a minute to
find his handkerchief, blow his nose with the grandiose deliberation of Varlamov
in the role of Gogol's Town Mayor, wrap up the result, and pocket the
swaddle. (2.4)
Parandrus is an ox-like mythical animal. VN shares with
Shakespeare his birthday: April 23. Taurus (Russ., telets) is also an
ox-like mythical animal (and a zodiacal constellation).
Alexey Sklyarenko