Tag Archives: russian poetry
Spring Has Sprung Posted by yelena on Mar 16, 2012
This has been a harsh winter in Russia and it’s not quite over yet. The snow and cold are lingering well into March in many regions of the country. It’s a balmy 26 degrees F there today and snow is expected tomorrow. And weather reports include до боли знакомые строки (painfully familiar verses) by Feodor…
How to Say “Default” in Russian Posted by yelena on Jul 30, 2011
Have you ever wished for a time machine? What would you use «машина времени» for if you did have it? The protagonists of Soviet «научная фантастика» [science fiction] were always using time machines for various noble deeds, such as dinosaur research or, say, trying to save «одно из семи чудес света» [one of the seven…
Ай да Пушкин! Posted by yelena on Jun 6, 2011
Today is a special day. «Вы знаете, что случилось в этот день в далёком 1799-ом году?» [Do you know what happened on this day in the distant year of 1799?] If you Google this date in Russian – «6 июня 1799 года» – the top result is the birth of «Александр Сергеевич Пушкин» [Alexander…
Russian Poetry: Летний сад, Part 1 Posted by Natalie on Jan 31, 2011
We are taking a break from posts about «история Киева» [the history of Kiev] to do something a bit more literary today. In my Russian class, we have been working on a poem for the past two weeks. It’s called «Летний сад» [Summer Garden], written by the wonderful «Анна Ахматова» [Anna Akhmatova]. «Когда я…
“Журавли”: Cranes Posted by yelena on Dec 11, 2010
Do you remember David, our guest blogger who wrote about letters of the Russian alphabet and also about why we say “двести“? Not surprisingly given his interest in Russian language he is also a member of a Russian “кружок” [club, lit: small circle]. At one of their recent meetings the club members discussed one of the most beautiful…
Russian Seasons – Autumn Posted by yelena on Oct 11, 2010
«Унылая пора, очей очарованье» [a melancholy season, bewitchment for the eyes] – that’s how Alexander Pushkin described «осень» [autumn]. The classic wasn’t alone in «воспевание» [celebration, lit.: singing of praises] of this «закатный сезон» [sunset season]. Russian poets love autumn (ok, it’s called Fall here, in the USA, but autumn seems a bit more romantic…
Real Poetry for Real Russians – Part II Posted by yelena on Apr 14, 2010
Remember the Real Poetry for Real Russians post? At the end of it I promised to tell you whether having to memorize, as children, lots and lots of poems helps Russians in practical daily life. I was all fired up to write the Part II of this post when something quite unexpected happened – I…