Thread: Ivan and Lizaveta. Please look over the translation.

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После рождения Анны, Лизавета дал ребёнок к няне, и ползволяла Борису сосать мопоко от своих грудей. Жидкость имепа сладкий вкус.

After the birth of Anna, Lizaveta gave the child to a nurse and allowed Boris to suck the milk from her breasts. The liquid had a sweet taste.

After 21 views and no replies, can Martin fairly assume that the text is free of errors?

Originally Posted by Martin Miles

After 21 views and no replies, can Martin fairly assume that the text is free of errors?

The text is immaculate, Martin, and one could scarcely tell you from a native speaker of Russian.

/sarcasm
...

После рождения Анны, Лизавета дал ребёнок к няне, и ползволяла Борису сосать мопоко от своих грудей. Жидкость имепа сладкий вкус.

After the birth of Anna, Lizaveta gave the child to a nurse and allowed Boris to suck the milk from her breasts. The liquid had a sweet taste.

Когда родилась Анна, Лизавета отдала её няне и стала кормить Бориcа молоком. Молоко было сладким (or было сладким на вкус or имело сладкий вкус or оно было ... any of them is convinient. But the word 'liquid' won't do IMHO, and don't let the repetition of 'молоко' confuse you.

кормить грудным молоком

First, apologies to Martin for the sarcasm above. He and I got off on the wrong foot many months ago, because I thought he was just a lazy college student who was asking people to translate textbook exercises for him. But after reading some of his recent posts about verse-translations, I think he's a sincere learner of Russian -- although he should proofread his own posts better! (I was sarcastic above because the text contained some extremely elementary grammar errors (Лизавета дал ребёнок instead of Лизавета дала ребёнка) and obvious typos (мопоко instead of молоко).

But anyway, if I correctly understand the storyline of Иван и Лизавета, it seems to me there is supposed to be an element of sexual perversity in the fact that Lizaveta allows Boris to drink her breast-milk, since Boris is a grown man and a murderer!

So, for this reason, maybe it would be better to say Она дала Борису сосать грудь; он кормился молоком; оно было сладким на вкус ("She let Boris suck her breast; he fed on the milk; it was sweet to the taste") or something like that? (Instead of Она стала кормить Бориса грудным молоком, "She began feeding Boris with breast-milk").

I mean, the phrase дать сосать (literally, "give to suck") can definitely have a sexual meaning, assuming that's what's required in the context of the story.

Or, one could directly translate Martin's English phrase "suck the milk from her breasts" with the verb высасывать/высосать, which means "to suck something (liquid or air) out of something else".

Thus, if I'm not mistaken, one can say "Вампир сосёт мою шею" ("The vampire is sucking my neck") BUT "Вампир высасывает мою кровь ("The vampire is sucking-out my blood").

So, Martin, you need to decide as an author whether you want to more strongly emphasize the maternal "nourishing" aspect (кормление) or the sexual "sucking" aspect (сосание), since that would affect the Russian translation.

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

Thus, if I'm not mistaken, one can say "Вампир сосёт мою шею" ("The vampire is sucking my neck") BUT "Вампир высасывает мою кровь ("The vampire is sucking-out my blood").

If we talk about vampires we would hardly ever say "сосет шею" we would rather say "кусает шею" but we would use both "сосет кровь" and "высасывает кровь".

Though we can say "сосет палец" about a baby, "сосет лапу" about a bear, etc.

и ползволяла Борису сосать мопоко от своих грудей

When I first read this I coudln't help thinking that Boris is really a grown man! (I hadn't read the previous extratcs from the story). But then I dismissed the idea as nonsensical, so I was pretty sure that Boris is Anna's older child! I still can't get my head round this: Martin, did you really mean that Anna allowed A GROWN MAN to suck milk from her breast?

Originally Posted by kib

did you really mean that Anna allowed A GROWN MAN to suck milk from her breast?

She's a very kinky girl -- the kind you don't take home to mother...
She's a super-freak, SUPER-FREAK! [she's super freaky]



Мне было лет десять когда впервые выпустили эту песню... man, how time flies!

Kib, I will answer your question with two others. Why do you think women of the upper classes didn't suckle their children but employed so-called wet nurses instead? And is it not true that milk accumulates in the breasts of women who have recently given birth and causes discomfort if not released? Your question should now be answered.

Originally Posted by Martin Miles

Kib, I will answer your question with two others. Why do you think women of the upper classes didn't suckle their children but employed so-called wet nurses instead? And is it not true that milk accumulates in the breasts of women who have recently given birth and causes discomfort if not released? Your question should now be answered.

I didn't know.

Originally Posted by Martin Miles

Why do you think women of the upper classes didn't suckle their children but employed so-called wet nurses instead?

I can think of at least three reasons:

1. The mother was unable to produce sufficient breast-milk (which can happen from a number of different causes).
2. The mother wanted to stop breast-feeding so that she could become pregnant again as soon as possible (лактация подавляет овулацию, "lactation suppresses ovulation").
3. The mother wanted to stop breast-feeding because she was extraordinarily vain and self-conscious about having milk-filled вымена ("udders").

But I really doubt that the average upper-class woman employed a кормилица ("wet nurse") for her baby specifically so that she could кормить взрослого мужчину своим собственным грудным молоком ("feed a grown man with her own breast milk") instead of giving the milk to her child!

Originally Posted by Martin Miles

And is it not true that milk accumulates in the breasts of women who have recently given birth and causes discomfort if not released?

Yeah, but you can basically massage the milk out -- it doesn't have to be sucked out.

Иван был чувствительнным человеком. Когда был ребёнком, часто не мог спать когда луна была полной. Иван, моподец, играл на скрипке, и писал стихи. Писал как любитель. Из-за его аристократического статуса, ни слава ни богатсво были ему нужны. После своего возврашения от путешествий в Европе, всe женщины желали быть его женой.

Ivan was a sensitive person. As a child he often could not sleep when the moon was full. As a young man he played the violin and wrote poetry. He wrote as an amateur. Because of his aristocratic status he did not need money or fame. After his return from travels in Europe, every woman wished to be his wife.

Originally Posted by Martin Miles

Иван был чувствительнным человеком. Когда был ребёнком, часто не мог спать когда луна была полной. Иван, моподец, играл на скрипке, и писал стихи. Писал как любитель. Из-за его аристократического статуса, ни слава ни богатсво были ему нужны. После своего возврашения от путешествий в Европе, вся женщины желали быть его женой.

Ivan was a sensitive person. As a child he often could not sleep when the moon was full. As a young man he played the violin and wrote poetry. He wrote as an amateur. Because of his aristocratic status he did not need money or fame. After

Hi, Martin.

Иван был чувствительным человеком (you can say натурой instead of человеком which is bookish, I suppose)
As a child he often could not sleep when the moon was full. If this means he wasn't able to sleep (sleeplessness) then I'd translate Будучи ребенком or когда он был ребенком он не мог заснуть в полнолуние (more seldom, I guess, при полной луне) and if this means he was intentionally staying awake он мог не спать.
Будучи юношей or в юности or в юношеские годы он играл на скрипке и писал (or сочинял) стихи.
Он сочинял в свое удовольствие (but probably you may say как любитель)
В связи со своим аристократическим положением (or статусом) он не нуждался ни в деньгах, ни в славе or
связи в его аристократическим статусом ему не нужны были ни деньги, ни слава.
If you use из-за, you as an author blame his for his aristocratic status and if you use благодаря of it, you approve his status. В связи is neutral.

About из-за and благодаря
Из-за его скупости с ним мало кто дружил as he was stingy he had few friends
Благодаря своим родителям я получил хорошее образование thanks to my parents I'm well-educated.

Thanks, kib, you've been very helpful. Please note that I have now translated the last sentence.

Лизавета вышла замуж за Вориса шестего декaбря 1832 года, когда ей были около тридцать годы возроста. Она никогда не была вновь счастливой. После свадьбы, Лизавета нашла, что Борис мог только её любить, когда она принадлежала к другему. Без любови Бориса, Лизавета скончилась медленно, как растение без воды.

Lizaveta married Boris on the 6th of December, 1832, when she about thirty years old. She was never happy again. After the wedding, Lizaveta discovered that Boris could only love her when she belonged to another. Without Boris's love, Lizaveta died slowly, like a plant without water.

Twenty eight views and two days later there is not one reply. My Russian must be getting better!

Originally Posted by Martin Miles

Лизавета вышла замуж за Бориса шестего декaбря 1832 года, когда ей было (about the age in cases like that always neuter) около (genetive) тридцати лет. Она никогда не была вновь счастливой. После свадьбы, Лизавета нашла, что Борис мог только её любить, когда она принадлежала другому. Без любви Бориса Лизавета скончалась медленно, как растение без воды.

Lizaveta married Boris on the 6th of December, 1832, when she about thirty years old. She was never happy again. After the wedding, Lizaveta discovered that Boris could only love her when she belonged to another. Without Boris's love, Lizaveta died slowly, like a plant without water.

Martin, did you know about this: 1 год, 2 года, 3 года, 4 года, 5 лет ... 10-20 лет 21 год ... 25 лет ... 31 год ... 100 лет ... 1000 лет ...

Она больше никогда не была счастлива. После свадьбы Лизавета поняла (обнаружила), что Борис любил её только тогда, когда она принадлежала другому. Без любви Бориса он медленно чахла (умирала, погибала), как растение без воды (if you choose one of those in brackets, then you may say как чахнет растение без воды)
Скончалась is perfect aspect, so it won't do here.

Originally Posted by Martin Miles

Лизавета вышла замуж за Вориса шестего декaбря 1832 года, когда ей были около тридцать годы возроста. Она никогда не была вновь счастливой. После свадьбы, Лизавета нашла, что Борис мог только её любить, когда она принадлежала к другему. Без любови Бориса, Лизавета скончилась медленно, как растение без воды.

Lizaveta married Boris on the 6th of December, 1832, when she about thirty years old. She was never happy again. After the wedding, Lizaveta discovered that Boris could only love her when she belonged to another. Without Boris's love, Lizaveta died slowly, like a plant without water.

=>
Лиза вышла замуж за Бориса шестого декабря тысяча восемьсот тридцать второго года, когда ей было около тридцати. С тех пор она никогда более не была счастлива. После свадьбы Лиза обнаружила, что Борис мог её любить лишь тогда, когда она принадлежала другому. Без любви Бориса, Лиза медленно таяла, словно цветок без воды.

As a side note, this prose sounds a bit like something written in the end of the 19th century. Have you been reading Russian classic literature recently?