Centuries Encircle Me with Fire
Selected Poems of Osip Mandelstam. A Bilingual EnglishRussian Edition
Published on 5. May 2022
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-64469-716-0 (ISBN)
Description
Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938) is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century's most influential poets. This collection, compiled, translated, and edited by poet and scholar Ian Probstein, provides Anglophone audiences with a powerful selection of Mandelstam's most beloved and haunting poems. Both scholars and general readers will gain a deeper understanding of his poetics, as Probstein situates each poem in its historical and literary context. The English translations presented here are so deeply immersed in the Russian sources and language through the ear of a Russian-born Probstein who has spent most of his adult life in the US, that they provide reader's with a Mandelstam unseen any translations that precede it.
Reviews / Votes
"Probstein has an encyclopedic knowledge of modernist Russian poetry and its counterparts in the West, in particular Pound and Eliot (who he has translated into Russian). Readers and scholars will go to this introduction for information on specific Mandelstam poems as well as for a deep understanding of his poetics and the poetics of translation in reference to Mandelstam. The virtue of his translations follow upon this. These translations do more than many others in situating the poems in their historical and literary context. These are translations coming from a poet and scholar who comes from Russia but who has spent much of his adult life in New York. The balance between his knowledge of Russian literature and Anglo-American poetry and poetics is astounding. Probstein pulls off what might seem impossible: bringing an ear for the Russian, including the intricacies of Mandelstam's prosodies, into English, which includes carrying over specific resonances from the Russian. That is to say, this book is the product of a fully-I want to say 'hyper'-bilingual poet, scholar, and translator. The English versions are so deeply immersed in the Russian sources that they give us a Mandelstam different than what is otherwise available."- Charles Bernstein, the 2019 Bollingen Poetry Award Winner
"Osip Mandelstam ranks among the most influential poets of the 20th century. Deeply connected to literary modernism both in Russia and abroad and one of the most notable representatives of Acmeist school of poetry, Mandelstam coined a unique poetic voice that continues to enchant and confound readers and translators. In his new translation, Ian Probstein combines his own poetic aesthetics with his scholarly sensibility and meticulous research to offer the reader a new approach to rendering Mandelstam's poems in English. Positioned side-by-side with their Russian originals, the English verses in Probstein's translation find the delicate balance between capturing the meaning of the original and reproducing its unmistakable Mandelstamian dynamism and music in English. Far from merely rendering Mandelstam's verse in English, Probstein studies Mandelstam's aesthetic and ideological evolution, and draws on the historical and political context of each verse to dictate his own choices in translating it."
- Margarit Ordukhanyan, PhD, translator
"Few English translations of Osip Mandelstam's poetry capture its striking imagery and metrically intricate intonation as well as Ian Probstein. Probstein conveys Mandelstam's diction with precision and elegance. Those who are familiar with the originals will easily recognize them in this translation, while Probstein's use of contemporary English-language poetics, including rhyme, makes Mandelstam's work accessible to the native English speaker.
As another tragic chapter in Russia's history of oppression unfolds, this striking new translation of Osip Mandelstam, a victim of Stalin's terror, is a timely and welcome contribution to the project of making Russian voices silenced by their own leaders heard, read, and appreciated in the West."
- Ilya Kutik, Northwestern University
"This book is the fruit of Ian Probstein's lifelong dialogue with the poetry of Mandelstam's, but now is the time when it is most needed. With the barbaric war waged against Ukraine by the Russian government, Russian culture must again hold the line, as Mandelstam did. Throughout his life, Mandelstam 'fenced to defend nature's honor,' to cite his poem about Lamarck, the great biologist who ascribed humanity to evolution, and, as importantly, Mandelstam stood up for the honor of civilization, which would long have failed to redeem itself without such intercessors. Ian Probstein's book is a perfect introduction to Mandelstam's poetry, not only because of the carefully selected texts accompanied with insightful and apropos commentary, but primarily because of his translations. These strike a balance between faithful and creative, allowing the reader to partake both of Mandelstam's 'rhyme' and 'reason.'"
- Basil Lvoff, Hunter College
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Brighton
United States
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
647 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64469-716-0 (9781644697160)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
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Osip Mandelstam | Ian Probstein
Centuries Encircle Me with Fire
Selected Poems of Osip Mandelstam. A Bilingual English-Russian Edition
E-Book
04/2022
1st Edition
Academic Studies Press
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Persons
Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938) was a Russian and Soviet poet born in St Petersburg. He is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century's most important poets. He was the husband of Nadezhda Mandelstam and one of the foremost members of the poetic school of Acmeism. He was arrested by Joseph Stalin's government during the repression of the 1930s and sent into internal exile with his wife. He died in 1938 of typhoid fever in a transit camp.
Ian Probstein is full professor of English at Touro College. He has published thirteen books of poetry, and two books of scholarship, translated more than a dozen poetry volumes; and has compiled and edited more than thirty books and anthologies of poetry in translation.
Ian Probstein is full professor of English at Touro College. He has published thirteen books of poetry, and two books of scholarship, translated more than a dozen poetry volumes; and has compiled and edited more than thirty books and anthologies of poetry in translation.
Content
Acknowledgements
A Note on the Text
Osip Mandelstam: "Centuries encircle me with fire"
On Translating Mandelstam
???? ??????????? (1891-1938)
Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938)
?? ????? <<??????>> (????????????? 1908-1915)
From Stone (poems of 1908-1915)
???? ??? ????-??? ??? ?????? ? ??? . . .
I am given a body-what should I . . .
? ???????? ???? . . .
I hate the light . . .
???????-?????????? ??????? ?????? . . .
The fall is a constant companion of fear . . .
???-?????
Hagia Sophia
. . . ?? ???? ?? ?????? . . .
. . . Not a single blade . . .
?????
The Wand
?????????? ??????? . . .
The fire destroys . . .
?? ????? <<Tristia>> (????????????? 1916-1922)
From Tristia (poems of 1916-1922)
?????????
A Decembrist
????? ? ?????? ???? ???????? . . .
When a feverish forum of Moscow . . .
?????????, ??????, ??????? ??????? . . .
Hail, brothers, let us praise our freedom's twilight . . .
Tristia
Tristia
?? ???????? ??????? ?????? . . .
On steep stony ridges of Pieria . . .
?????? ??????? ? ????????, ????????? ???? ??????? . . .
Sisters, heaviness and tenderness, your traits are akin . . .
??????? ? ???????????? ???? . . .
Go back to the incestuous womb . . .
??????????? ?????, ??????? ? ?????????? . . .
The meaning of fruitless and gloomy . . .
?? ??, ??? ? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???????? . . .
Because I could not hold your hands in mine . . .
?? ????? <<?????????????>> (1928 ?., ????????????? 1921-1925 ??.)
From Poems (1928, poems of 1921-1925)
? ??????? ????? ????????? ? ?????? ??? . . .
With the pink foam of fatigue around soft lips . . .
???
The Age
???????? ???????
The Horseshoe Finder
?????????? ???
The Slate Ode
???? ????????? ??? ?????? ???????? . . .
Clearer than pigeon's talk to me is stone's tongue . . .
? ???? ??????? ????????? . . .
And the Sky is Pregnant with the Future . . .
1 ?????? 1924
January 1, 1924
???, ???????, ????? ? ?? ??? ??????????? . . .
No, I've never been anyone's contemporary . . .
? ???? ???????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? . . .
I'll rush along a gypsy camp of a dark street . . .
?? ????? c???????????? 1930-1934 ??.
From New Poems of 1930-1934
???????
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
Armenia
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
?? ??????????? ?????? ?????. . .
On the police laid paper the night. . .
?? ?????? ?????? . . .
Don't tell it anyone-forget . . .
??????? ???? ?????????? ?????? . . .
A prickly speech of the Ararat Valley . . .
??? ??? ??? ??????? ??????? . . .
How dear to me are those people . . .
????? ?????-????????? ???? . . .
A wild cat-the Armenian speech . . .
? ????? ???? ? ????????? . . .
I will tell you this, my lady . . .
?? ???????? ???????? ???????? ????? . . .
For the thunderous courage of ages to come . . .
???, ?? ?????????? ??? ?? ??????? ???? . . .
No, I won't be able to hide from a great mess . . .
????????
Untruth
??????? ? ??????. ???????? ?????????? ???? . . .
Midnight in Moscow. A Buddhist summer is lavish . . .
??????? ?? ???????????? ??????
1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Excerpts from Destroyed Poems
1 | 2 | 3 | 4
??? ?????? ??? ?? ????????? . . .
I am far from being as old as patriarch . . .
??????? ????? ????? ???????????? . . .
Today we can take decals . . .
??????
Lamarck
?????????????
Impressionism
????????
Batiushkov
????? ??????? ?????o?? . . .
Give Tiutchev a dragonfly . . .
??????
Ariosto
?? ??????? ????? ???????, ?? ?????????? ?? ?????? . . .
Do not tempt foreign tongues-attempt forgetting them, alas . . .
???????? ???? ??? ?????? . . .
An apartment is quiet as paper . . .
????? ?? ? ?????, ??? ?? ????? . . .
Let's start preparing for the scaffold . . .
?? ?????, ??? ????? ?? ??? ?????? . . .
We live without feeling our country's pulse . . .
????????????
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
Octaves
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
????? ?????? ?????? ??????
To the Memory of Andrei Bely
???? 10 ?????? 1934
1 | 2 | 3
The Morning of January 10, 1934
1 | 2 | 3
10 ?????? 1934 [??????? 2]
January 10, 1934 [version 2]
?? ??????????? ???????? (????????????? 1935-1937)
From the Voronezh Notebooks (poems of 1935-1937)
?? ?????? ???????
From the First Notebook
????? ????, ????? ????, ??????? . . .
Let go, Voronezh, raven-town . . .
? ?????? ????, ???? ? ?????? ???? . . .
I have to live though I died twice . . .
????? ???? ?????, ??????? ? ??????? . . .
Having deprived me of seas, flight, and space . . .
???? ????? ? ???? ???????. ???????? ???? ????? . . .
The day was five-headed: five unbreakable days . . .
??? ?? ?????? ?o??? ? ?????? ???? . . .
We are still sentenced to life . . .
??????? ????? ??????????? ?????? . . .
Solid gold bars of the Roman nights . . .
?? ???????? ??????????? . . .
They run like a gypsy throng . . .
??????? ???????? ????? . . .
I'll fulfill a dim rite . . .
?? ?????? ???????
From the Second Notebook
?? ? ????, ?? ? ????-? ??? . . .
Not I, not you-but they . . .
????????, ??????? ??????? ? ????????? ?????? . . .
Smile, angry lamb from Rafael's canvas, don't rage . . .
?????? ???? ??????? . . .
World's golden yeast, our dear . . .
??? ?? ???? ??, ??? ?? ?? ???? . . .
You haven't died yet. You are not alone . . .
??? ?????? ??? ? ????????? ?????? . . .
What should we do with murdered plains . . .
??????????? ??????? ????? ?? . . .
Armed with the vision of narrow wasps . . .
?? ??????? ???????
From the Third Notebook
????? ? ??????????? ???????
Verses on the Unknown Soldier
?????? ???? ?????????-?????????? . . .
Through the ether of ten-digit zeroes . . .
??? ???? ?? ?????? ????? ????????? . . .
Should the skull develop its brow . . .
??? ???? ?? ??????????? ???? . . .
Is the packaging of charm stored . . .
? ????, ??? ??????? ? ??????? . . .
I beg like compassion and grace . . .
? ????? ??? ???????, ??????? . . .
I will say it in draft and in whisper . . .
????? ????, ??? ????? ??????? . . .
It might be the point of insanity . . .
?? ?????????: ??????? ????????? . . .
A living man's unique: do not compare . . .
????, ???????? ? ????? ? ?????? . . .
To help a friend of rain and wind . . .
????????? ????? ?????? ????? . . .
A blue island, green Crete is extolled . . .
??????? ????? ??????? ????????? . . .
A guilty debtor of a long-time thirst . . .
?, ??? ?? ? ???? . . .
Oh, how I madly crave . . .
??????? ???, ???????! . .
My nereids, oh, my nereids! . . .
?????? ????????? ???? ? ???? . . .
Greek flute's theta and iota . . .
?? ???? ?????????? ????? ?? ???????? . . .
I'm under fire of a bird cherry tree and a pear tree . . .
[????? ? H<??????> ?. ????????]
1 | 2
[Poems for N ?. Shtempel]
1 | 2
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Publications of Works by Osip E. Mandelstam
Translations into English
Translations of Osip Mandelstam's Poems into Other Languages
Criticism
A Note on the Text
Osip Mandelstam: "Centuries encircle me with fire"
On Translating Mandelstam
???? ??????????? (1891-1938)
Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938)
?? ????? <<??????>> (????????????? 1908-1915)
From Stone (poems of 1908-1915)
???? ??? ????-??? ??? ?????? ? ??? . . .
I am given a body-what should I . . .
? ???????? ???? . . .
I hate the light . . .
???????-?????????? ??????? ?????? . . .
The fall is a constant companion of fear . . .
???-?????
Hagia Sophia
. . . ?? ???? ?? ?????? . . .
. . . Not a single blade . . .
?????
The Wand
?????????? ??????? . . .
The fire destroys . . .
?? ????? <<Tristia>> (????????????? 1916-1922)
From Tristia (poems of 1916-1922)
?????????
A Decembrist
????? ? ?????? ???? ???????? . . .
When a feverish forum of Moscow . . .
?????????, ??????, ??????? ??????? . . .
Hail, brothers, let us praise our freedom's twilight . . .
Tristia
Tristia
?? ???????? ??????? ?????? . . .
On steep stony ridges of Pieria . . .
?????? ??????? ? ????????, ????????? ???? ??????? . . .
Sisters, heaviness and tenderness, your traits are akin . . .
??????? ? ???????????? ???? . . .
Go back to the incestuous womb . . .
??????????? ?????, ??????? ? ?????????? . . .
The meaning of fruitless and gloomy . . .
?? ??, ??? ? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???????? . . .
Because I could not hold your hands in mine . . .
?? ????? <<?????????????>> (1928 ?., ????????????? 1921-1925 ??.)
From Poems (1928, poems of 1921-1925)
? ??????? ????? ????????? ? ?????? ??? . . .
With the pink foam of fatigue around soft lips . . .
???
The Age
???????? ???????
The Horseshoe Finder
?????????? ???
The Slate Ode
???? ????????? ??? ?????? ???????? . . .
Clearer than pigeon's talk to me is stone's tongue . . .
? ???? ??????? ????????? . . .
And the Sky is Pregnant with the Future . . .
1 ?????? 1924
January 1, 1924
???, ???????, ????? ? ?? ??? ??????????? . . .
No, I've never been anyone's contemporary . . .
? ???? ???????? ?? ?????? ????? ?????? . . .
I'll rush along a gypsy camp of a dark street . . .
?? ????? c???????????? 1930-1934 ??.
From New Poems of 1930-1934
???????
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
Armenia
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
?? ??????????? ?????? ?????. . .
On the police laid paper the night. . .
?? ?????? ?????? . . .
Don't tell it anyone-forget . . .
??????? ???? ?????????? ?????? . . .
A prickly speech of the Ararat Valley . . .
??? ??? ??? ??????? ??????? . . .
How dear to me are those people . . .
????? ?????-????????? ???? . . .
A wild cat-the Armenian speech . . .
? ????? ???? ? ????????? . . .
I will tell you this, my lady . . .
?? ???????? ???????? ???????? ????? . . .
For the thunderous courage of ages to come . . .
???, ?? ?????????? ??? ?? ??????? ???? . . .
No, I won't be able to hide from a great mess . . .
????????
Untruth
??????? ? ??????. ???????? ?????????? ???? . . .
Midnight in Moscow. A Buddhist summer is lavish . . .
??????? ?? ???????????? ??????
1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Excerpts from Destroyed Poems
1 | 2 | 3 | 4
??? ?????? ??? ?? ????????? . . .
I am far from being as old as patriarch . . .
??????? ????? ????? ???????????? . . .
Today we can take decals . . .
??????
Lamarck
?????????????
Impressionism
????????
Batiushkov
????? ??????? ?????o?? . . .
Give Tiutchev a dragonfly . . .
??????
Ariosto
?? ??????? ????? ???????, ?? ?????????? ?? ?????? . . .
Do not tempt foreign tongues-attempt forgetting them, alas . . .
???????? ???? ??? ?????? . . .
An apartment is quiet as paper . . .
????? ?? ? ?????, ??? ?? ????? . . .
Let's start preparing for the scaffold . . .
?? ?????, ??? ????? ?? ??? ?????? . . .
We live without feeling our country's pulse . . .
????????????
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
Octaves
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
????? ?????? ?????? ??????
To the Memory of Andrei Bely
???? 10 ?????? 1934
1 | 2 | 3
The Morning of January 10, 1934
1 | 2 | 3
10 ?????? 1934 [??????? 2]
January 10, 1934 [version 2]
?? ??????????? ???????? (????????????? 1935-1937)
From the Voronezh Notebooks (poems of 1935-1937)
?? ?????? ???????
From the First Notebook
????? ????, ????? ????, ??????? . . .
Let go, Voronezh, raven-town . . .
? ?????? ????, ???? ? ?????? ???? . . .
I have to live though I died twice . . .
????? ???? ?????, ??????? ? ??????? . . .
Having deprived me of seas, flight, and space . . .
???? ????? ? ???? ???????. ???????? ???? ????? . . .
The day was five-headed: five unbreakable days . . .
??? ?? ?????? ?o??? ? ?????? ???? . . .
We are still sentenced to life . . .
??????? ????? ??????????? ?????? . . .
Solid gold bars of the Roman nights . . .
?? ???????? ??????????? . . .
They run like a gypsy throng . . .
??????? ???????? ????? . . .
I'll fulfill a dim rite . . .
?? ?????? ???????
From the Second Notebook
?? ? ????, ?? ? ????-? ??? . . .
Not I, not you-but they . . .
????????, ??????? ??????? ? ????????? ?????? . . .
Smile, angry lamb from Rafael's canvas, don't rage . . .
?????? ???? ??????? . . .
World's golden yeast, our dear . . .
??? ?? ???? ??, ??? ?? ?? ???? . . .
You haven't died yet. You are not alone . . .
??? ?????? ??? ? ????????? ?????? . . .
What should we do with murdered plains . . .
??????????? ??????? ????? ?? . . .
Armed with the vision of narrow wasps . . .
?? ??????? ???????
From the Third Notebook
????? ? ??????????? ???????
Verses on the Unknown Soldier
?????? ???? ?????????-?????????? . . .
Through the ether of ten-digit zeroes . . .
??? ???? ?? ?????? ????? ????????? . . .
Should the skull develop its brow . . .
??? ???? ?? ??????????? ???? . . .
Is the packaging of charm stored . . .
? ????, ??? ??????? ? ??????? . . .
I beg like compassion and grace . . .
? ????? ??? ???????, ??????? . . .
I will say it in draft and in whisper . . .
????? ????, ??? ????? ??????? . . .
It might be the point of insanity . . .
?? ?????????: ??????? ????????? . . .
A living man's unique: do not compare . . .
????, ???????? ? ????? ? ?????? . . .
To help a friend of rain and wind . . .
????????? ????? ?????? ????? . . .
A blue island, green Crete is extolled . . .
??????? ????? ??????? ????????? . . .
A guilty debtor of a long-time thirst . . .
?, ??? ?? ? ???? . . .
Oh, how I madly crave . . .
??????? ???, ???????! . .
My nereids, oh, my nereids! . . .
?????? ????????? ???? ? ???? . . .
Greek flute's theta and iota . . .
?? ???? ?????????? ????? ?? ???????? . . .
I'm under fire of a bird cherry tree and a pear tree . . .
[????? ? H<??????> ?. ????????]
1 | 2
[Poems for N ?. Shtempel]
1 | 2
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Publications of Works by Osip E. Mandelstam
Translations into English
Translations of Osip Mandelstam's Poems into Other Languages
Criticism