Комментарии к «Евгению Онегину» Александра Пушкина - Владимир Набоков

XXI

   The argument grows louder, louder: Eugene   suddenly snatches a long knife, and Lenski   forthwith is felled; the shadows awesomely 4 have thickened; an excruciating cry   resounds... the cabin lurches...   and Tanya wakes in terror....   She looks — 'tis light already in the room; 8 dawn's crimson ray   plays in the window through the frozen pane;   the door opens. Olga flits in to her   rosier than Northern Aurora12 and lighter than a swallow. “Well,”   she says, “do tell me,   whom did you see in dream?”

XXII

   But she, not noticing her sister,   lies with a book in bed,   page after page 4 keeps turning over, and says nothing.   Although that book displayed   neither the sweet inventions of a poet,   nor sapient truths, nor pictures, 8 yet neither Virgil, nor Racine, nor Scott, nor Byron,   nor Seneca, nor even   the Magazine of Ladies' Fashions   ever engrossed anybody so much:12 it was, friends, Martin Zadeck,33   head of Chaldean sages,   divinistre, interpreter of dreams.

XXIII

   This profound work   a roving trader had one day   peddled into their solitude, 4 and for Tatiana finally   with a broken set of Malvina   had ceded for three rubles fifty,   moreover taking for them a collection 8 of vulgar fables,   a grammar,   two “Petriads,” plus Marmontel, tome three.   Later with Tanya Martin Zadeck12 became a favorite. He gives her joyance   in all her sorrows and beside her,   never absenting himself, sleeps.

XXIV

   The dream disturbs her.   Not knowing what to make of it,   the import of the dread chimera 4 Tatiana wishes to discover.   Tatiana finds in the brief index,   in alphabetic order,   the words: bear, blizzard, bridge, 8 dark, fir, fir forest, hedgehog, raven, storm,   and so forth. Martin Zadeck   will not resolve her doubts,   but the ominous dream portends12 to her a lot of sad adventures.   For several days thereafter she   kept worrying about it.

XXV

   But lo, with crimson hand34   Aurora from the morning dales   leads forth, with the sun, after her 4 the merry name-day festival.   Since morn Dame Larin's house is full   of guests; in entire families   the neighbors have converged, in sledded coaches, 8 kibitkas, britskas, sleighs.   There's in the vestibule jostling, commotion;   there's in the drawing room the meeting of new people,   the bark of pugs, girls' smacking kisses,12 noise, laughter, a crush at the threshold,   the bows, the scraping of the guests,   wet nurses' shouts, and children's cry.

XXVI

   With his well-nourished spouse   there came fat Pustyakóv;   Gvozdín, an admirable landlord, 4 owner of destitute muzhiks;   a gray-haired couple, the Skotínins,   with children of all ages, counting   from thirty years to two; 8 the district fopling, Petushkóv;   Buyánov, my first cousin,   covered with fluff, in a peaked cap35   (as he, of course, is known to you);12 and the retired counselor Flyánov,   a heavy scandalmonger, an old rogue,   glutton, bribetaker, and buffoon.

XXVII

   With the family of Panfíl Harlikóv   there also came Monsieur Triquét,   a wit, late from Tambóv, 4 bespectacled and russet-wigged.   As a true Frenchman, in his pocket   Triquet has brought a stanza for Tatiana   fitting an air to children known: 8 “Réveillez-vous, belle endormie.”   Among an almanac's decrepit songs   this stanza had been printed;   Triquet — resourceful poet —12 out of the dust brought it to light   and boldly in the place of “belle Niná”   put “belle Tatianá.”

XXVIII

   And now from the near borough,   the idol of ripe misses,   the joy of district mothers, 4 a Company Commander has arrived;   he enters.... Ah, news — and what news!   there will be regimental music:   “the Colonel's sending it himself.” 8 What fun! There is to be a ball!   The young things skip beforehand.36   But dinner's served. In pairs,   they go to table, arm in arm.12 The misses cluster near Tatiana,   the men are opposite; and the crowd buzzes   as all, crossing themselves, sit down to table.

XXIX

   Talks for a moment have subsided;   mouths chew. On all sides plates   and covers clatter, and the jingle 4 of rummers sounds.   But soon the guests raise by degrees   a general hullabaloo.   None listens; they shout, laugh, 8 dispute, and squeal. All of a sudden —   the door leaves are flung open: Lenski   comes in, and with him [comes] Onegin. “Oh, my Maker!”   cries out the lady of the house. “At last!”12 The guests make room, each moves aside   covers, chairs quick;   they call, they seat the pair of friends

XXX

   —  seat them directly facing Tanya,   and paler than the morning moon,   and more tremulous than the hunted doe, 4 her darkening eyes   she does not raise. In her stormily pulses   a passionate glow; she suffocates, feels faint;   the two friends' greetings 8 she hears not; the tears from her eyes   are on the point of trickling; the poor thing   is on the point of swooning;   but will and reason's power12 prevailed. A word or two   she uttered through her teeth in a low voice   and managed to remain at table.

XXXI

   Tragiconervous scenes,   the fainting fits of maidens, tears,   long since Eugene could not abide: 4 enough of them he had endured.   Finding himself at a huge feast,   the odd chap was already cross. But noting   the languid maid's tremulous impulse, 8 out of vexation lowering his gaze,   he went into a huff and, fuming,   swore he would madden Lenski,   and thoroughly, in fact, avenge himself.12 Now, in advance exulting,   he inwardly began to sketch   caricatures of all the guests.

XXXII

   Of course, not only Eugene might have seen   Tanya's confusion; but the target   of looks and comments at the time 4 was a rich pie   (unfortunately, oversalted);   and here, in bottle sealed with pitch,   between the meat course and the blancmangér, 8 Tsimlyanski wine is brought already,   followed by an array of narrow, long   wineglasses, similar to your waist,   Zizí, crystal of my soul, object12 of my innocent verse,   love's luring vial, you, of whom   drunken I used to be!

XXXIII

   Ridding itself of its damp cork,   the bottle pops; the wine   fizzes; and now with solemn mien, 4 long tortured by his stanza,   Triquet stands up; before him the assembly   maintains deep silence.   Tatiana's scarce alive; Triquet, 8 addressing her, a slip of paper in his hand,   proceeds to sing, off key. Claps, acclamations,   salute him. She   must drop the bard a curtsy;12 whereat the poet, modest although great,   is first to drink her health   and hands to her the stanza.

XXXIV

   Now greetings come, congratulations;   Tatiana thanks them all.   Then, when the turn of Eugene 4 arrived, the maiden's languid air,   her discomposure, lassitude,   engendered pity in his soul:   he bowed to her in silence, 8 but somehow the look of his eyes   was wondrous tender. Whether   because he verily was touched   or he, coquetting, jested,12 whether unwillfully or by free will,   but tenderness this look expressed:   it revived Tanya's heart.

XXXV