(no subject)

[mobster-lobster.livejournal.com]

I have been taking Russian for a year, but am unsure of this: What would "the rest is rust and stardust" be in the original Russian?
Answer in Cyrillic, please.

THANK YOU

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

Don't you think it would be nice to indicate at least the origin of this quote? It could actually help people answer your question.

I also have to note that the working language of this community is English, so your request that people answer you in Cyrillic is a little unfeasible.

[uncle-gora.livejournal.com]

This could be the origin
http://www.ee0r.com/lodolo.html

[oryx_and_crake]

Your google skills exceed the imagination.

[oryx_and_crake]

Quite the opposite, I was paying uncle_gora a compliment.

[uncle-gora.livejournal.com]

Sorry, forgot the smile in the original post. :)
And yes, my google skills are quite good.

[mobster-lobster.livejournal.com]

Um...the origin is Nabakov's "Lolita". I'm not sure how knowing the origin would help with translating a quote, but yeah.
And I don't know why that is unfeasible. If it a community about learning Russian, surely someone knows how to type in Cyrillic.

[oryx_and_crake]

1. He is Nabokov, not "Nabakov".

2. Did you want us to simply translate it back? Surely you must realize that in this way you would never get back the exact Russian words of Nabokov.

3. Quoting Russian writers in Cyrillic is not unfeasible, of course, but in general the working language of this community is English.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Well, I have to second oryx_and_crake's comment: I have never heard this expression, neither in English nor in Russian, so it would be really nice if you could hint us where did you get it -- so that we could guess where to try to help you find the answer.

[all-the-night.livejournal.com]

+1

[sige-vic.livejournal.com]

I've heard this one "Все остальное - тлен и суета", but I'm not sure this phrase is exactly what you're looking for.

[inoctiluci.livejournal.com]

Wasn't English the original language of "Lolita?"

[alex-mashin.livejournal.com]

Since the phrase is from Nabokov's Lolita, Russian is not original, as it was first written in English. Nabokov's autotranslation into Russian gives "А все прочее - ржа и рой звездный."

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Oh well. Lolita. Couldn't think of that. Thanks for enhancing my knowledge of useless things.

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

My first thought was "А всё остальное - пыль и болотная тина" from A. Vasiliev, but that is not the thing, I suppose.

[mobster-lobster.livejournal.com]

thanks to everyone else.
I thought he wrote it in Russian first.

[cherniavska.livejournal.com]

No, he didn't. Russian was not suited well for erotic passages well enough in his opinion. You will find his essay about his Russian translation of Lolita quite enlightening in terms of differences between English and Russian from the writer's point of view.

[cassandraclue.livejournal.com]

do you know what this essay is called?

[cherniavska.livejournal.com]

The Russian translation includes a "Postscriptum" in which Nabokov reconsiders his relationship with his native tongue.

Quotation

[cherniavska.livejournal.com]

Телодвижения, ужимки, ландшафты, томление деревьев, запахи, дожди, тающие и переливчатые оттенки природы, все нежно-человеческое (как ни странно!), а также все мужицкое, грубое, сочно-похабное, выходит по-русски не хуже, если не лучше, чем по-английски; но столь свойственные английскому тонкие недоговоренности, поэзия мысли, мгновенная перекличка между отвлеченнейшими понятиями, роение односложных эпитетов - все это, а также все относящееся к технике, модам, спорту, естественным наукам и противоестественным страстям - становится по-русски топорным, многословным и часто отвратительным в смысле стиля и ритма. Эта неувязка отражает основную разницу в историческом плане между зеленым русским литературным языком и зрелым, как лопающаяся по швам смоква, языком английским: между гениальным, но еще недостаточно образованным, а иногда довольно безвкусным юношей, и маститым гением, соединяющим в себе запасы пестрого знания с полной свободой духа. Свобода духа! Все дыхание человечества в этом сочетании слов. (http://gibrid.ru/lolita/posl-ru.htm)

Re: Quotation

[cassandraclue.livejournal.com]

thanks!

Re: Quotation

[cherniavska.livejournal.com]

You are welcome!