Once upon a time I shared a room for a year «с японкой» [with a Japanese girl] and every day she would comment on something in our Russian life by using the adverb «неожиданно» [unexpectedly, unawares; at unawares, by surprise; suddenly, all at once; overnight]. Her reaction to almost everything in Russia was «это было неожиданно» [this was unexpected]. Some things happened in her opinion even «совсем неожиданно» [completely unexpectedly]. The interesting thing about this useful (to some even crucial) adverb «неожиданно» in Russian is that it doesn’t have any direct antonym, thus it would be terrible incorrect to say that something was ‘expected’ by using seemingly logical words such as «жданно»  or «ожиданно».  There is, however, an almost antonym available – the adverb «ожидаемо» made from the adjective «ожидаемый» [prospective, expected; forthcoming, coming; due, pending]. But it isn’t exactly the same thing, now is it?

But today’s post is not about that. That was just an introduction to this post and it’s rather «неожиданная тема» [unexpected theme; subject]: a Russian poetry quiz! What’s so ‘unexpected’ about today’s theme, then? Well, first of all we’ve never had anything like it on the blog before. So maybe «вы, дорогие читатели, этого не ждали» [you, dear readers, didn’t expect this]. And perhaps «не все так хорошо разбираются в русской поэзии» [not everyone can sort out/see into/unpack Russian poetry so well]. But nevertheless, I’m sure most of you have read some of the basic by the classic Russian 19^th century poets – «стихи Александра Сергеевича Пушкина и Михаила Юревича Лермонтова» [the poetry of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin and Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov]. The Russian Nobel Prize Laureate «Иосиф Александрович Бродский» [Joseph Alexandrovich Brodsky] once said: «Пока будет такой язык, как русский, то будет поэзия» [As long as there will be a language like Russian, there will be poetry] (note: this is NOT an exact quote in Russian, but quoted from my not-always-impeccable memory). The conclusion must be that if we want to learn Russian language, then we also need to focus on Russian poetry, right? That’s what we’re going to do today – by way of a Russian poetry quiz, to get everyone’s memory working… Hopefully, that is.

This idea came to me about a week ago when I couldn’t get the famous quote «А счастье было так близко?» [“But happiness was so close?”] off of my brain. I knew it was from somewhere, but I couldn’t for the longest time figure out from where… So I decided to sit down and write a poem myself – «по-русски» [in Russian] – using as many quotes in it from famous Russian poems as I could possibly fit into it. At times I was forced to put a line or two «от себя» [from myself] in it to keep «рифмы» [the rhymes] flowing. But I was forced to «пожертвовать и метрикой, и ритмом» [sacrifice both the metrics and the rhythm] in the end, so I’m afraid this is not «настоящее стихотворение» [a real poem]. It is simply «пробное стихотворение» [an experimental poem]. What do I want from you then? I want you to guess first of all which of these numbered lines belong to which Russian poets! Some poets are repeated more than once, so each number equals neither a poet nor a poem (for one poem is quoted twice) but a famous phrase. And since I’m a woman, I’ve changed some words to fit my gender; in the original these quotes, of course, are according to the gender of the poet. After the Russian version I will give you my own – rather poor – English translation of it. And please remember, this translation is not artistic, but merely literal so that you’ll understand the poem better! Now are you ready to play? (There’ll be TEN hints after the picture, but if you don’t want hints, then don’t read it… hint!)

«А это вы можете описать?»

1. Я слово позабыла,

что хотела сказать…

2. Всё изменилось ничего не изменило,

3. и некому руку подать…

 

4. А счастье было так близко?

5. Мы поклоняемся низко –

6. и скучно, и грустно,

7. свечка у окна горит тускло.

 

8. Жизнь прожить – не поле перейти.

9. А годы проходят – все лучшие годы!

10. Сквозь призму слов, чрез невзгоды,

не ходить мы учимся, а как идти.

 

11. Любовь ещё быть может, в душе моей

не угасла она совсем, 12. как в руке твоей,

13. выхожу я одна на дорогу,

14. но нет предела этому порогу.

 

15. Мне нравится, что я больна не вами,

16. что мысль можно спрятать за словами,

и ночью 17. шёпот, робкое дыхание

18. ждём и вдруг – 19. заря, заря сияния!

 

20. Лучше не кончить – лучше начать,

 всё, что дано и далось мне

21. в любой люблю стране –

22. а  это вы можете описать?

 

“But can you describe this?”

1. I do not feel the word,

that I wanted to say,

2. everything changed changed nothing,

3. and there’s no one to give a hand…

 

4. But happiness was so close?

5. We bow our heads low –

6. and it is boring, and it is sad,

7. the candle by the window burns dimly.

 

8. To live out life – is not a walk across a field.

9. But the years pass – the very best years!

10. Through the prism of words, through misery,

it is not to go we learn, but to walk.

 

11. Love may still be, in my soul

it has not faded yet, 12. like in your hand,

13. I step out alone on the road,

14. but this threshold has not limit.

 

15. I like that I’m not aching with you,

16. that thought can be hidden behind words,

and at night 17. whisper, timid breathing

18. we wait and suddenly – 19. the glow of dawn, dawn!

 

20. Better not to finish – better to begin,

all that I have and all I get

21. in any country I love –

22. but can you describe this?

«А ты ещё помнишь, кто это?» [But do you still remember who this is?] It’s okay to not have an answer to this question straight away – I had to walk past this graffiti twice before I remembered…

Hint Number One: 8 lines out of 22 were written by me.

Hint Number Two: The lines written by me are as follows: 2, 5, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20.

Hint Number Three: Line 7 is not a direct quote but an allusion to famous novel by a Russian poet.

Hint Number Four: This novel received the Nobel Prize in Literature…

Hint Number Five: …in 1958.

Hint Number Six: The poet behind line 21 is my favorite writer.

Hint Number Seven: Lines 15 and 22 belong to female poets.

Hint Number Eight: Line 4 isn’t either an EXACT quote – but almost. It is from *somebody’s* 19^th century «роман в стихах» [novel in poetry].

Hint Number Nine: Lines 3, 6 and 9 are from one and the same poem…

Hint Number Ten: …by the same poet to whom line 13 belongs.

«Удачи!» [Good luck!] The correct answers will be published here on Sunday the 7th of March…