Thread: Серебряное Копыце

Can somebody please check for errors?
Thanks in advance.

Серебряное Копыце

Жил в нашем заводе старик один, по прозвищу Кокованя. Семьи у Коковани не осталось, он и придумал взять в дети сиротку. Спросил у соседей, - не знают ли кого, а соседи и говорят:
- Недавно на Глинке осиротела семья Григория Потопаева. Старших-то девчонок приказчик велел в барскую рукодельню взять, а одну девчоночку по шестому не надо. Вот ты и возьми ее.

The Silver Hoof

There lived in our factory, a solitary old man, by the nickname Кокованя. Коковани did not have any family, and he decided to take in orphan children. He asked the neighbours, - whether they know whom, and neighbours said: - Recently on Glinka the family of Grigory Potopaeva deserted. The steward ordered in lordly рукодельню to take the older girls, and one girl of six could not. Here you take her.

What is the word рукодельню? It does not appear in my dictionary.

Here is how I would translate it:

The silver hoof

In our factory lived an old man known as Kokovanya. Kokovanya's family had already passed on; he thought to take an orphan as a child. He asked the neighbours, who didn't know of anyone, but they said:
"Recently, at Glinka, the family of Grigori Potopaev was orphaned. The estate manager had the older girls taken into the manor's sewing-house, but they didn't need one little girl of six. Why don't you take her?"

I was a little unsure about на Глинке, I'm assuming this is a place name. "Steward" is a fine translation but I wanted to make the meaning absolutely clear. About рукодельня, it would seem to me some place where much рукоделье is done, that is, needlework. There is a word for it, I believe, but I can't remember it right now, so I just made one up. It is important that you not be so literal with the translations, or that you look for similar-looking words: осиротеть - сирота, etc.

Originally Posted by kwatts59

What is the word рукодельню?

It's from рукоделие - a handiwork. I.e. рукодельня is a place where those girls make their needlework.

I don't get this - "а одну девчоночку по шестому не надо".
Probably it's provincial phrase. "but they need no a girl of six"?.

I don't get this - "а одну девчоночку по шестому не надо".
Probably it's provincial phrase. "but they need no a girl of six"?.

I'm assuming it's accusative because the взять from the previous clause carries over. But what exactly about that is not "standard" Russian?

I mean "девчоночку по шестому"
Normal is:
девчоночку шести лет
шестилетнюю девчоночку

Oh. I remembered something about BadManners teaching me "по" so long ago when I was writing fairytales about Oleg, so I thought it was normal.

kwattsExceptionally well written, but don't waste your time on words like "рукодельня".

kwatts59, you are reading a good tale, this tale is one of my favorite of "сказы Бажова", but there are some old-fashioned words and phrases there. BTW, the action of this tale was not far from the place where I live, just about 160 km away.

Originally Posted by N

I don't get this - "а одну девчоночку по шестому не надо".
Probably it's provincial phrase. "but they need no a girl of six"?.

It seems to me I heard the phrase "по шестому годку" once or twice about 25 years ago from very old people but now I'm sure nobody says in this style.

Originally Posted by JJ

"t seems to me I heard the phrase "по шестому годку" once

You are right. Kwatt just omitted a word. That is how бажов wrote it:

Жил в нашем заводе старик один, по прозвищу Кокованя. Семьи у Коковани
не осталось, он и придумал взять в дети сиротку. Спросил у соседей, - не
знают ли кого, а соседи и говорят:
- Недавно на Глинке осиротела семья Григория Потопаева. Старших-то
девчонок приказчик велел в барскую рукодельню взять, а одну девчоночку по
шестому году никому не надо. Вот ты и возьми ее.( from http://www.bazhov.ru/txt/s21.htm)

по шестому году means that she is five, going on six. It is definitely old-fashioned

Originally Posted by JJ

kwatts59, you are reading a good tale, this tale is one of my favorite of "сказы Бажова", but there are some old-fashioned words and phrases there.

...если помножить на изучение кваттсом бессмертного творчества глюкозы и тани булановой...

Кстати, очень люблю сказы Бажова, но, стыдно сказать, ни разу не была в его доме-музее.

I apologize that I missed the word году.
I am happy to find out that I am understanding the large majority of this story;
even though my translations may not be perfect.
Thanks everybody for all your help.

It could have been worse. I could have thought the story was about an evil old man
stealing young girls to make them work in his sweat shop.

good plot though!

It could have been worse. I could have thought the story was about an evil old man
stealing young girls to make them work in his sweat shop.