(a Doctoral Thesis)
1. Text, it’s a weave.1 Unpick one by one the threads of this textile.
Sort them by hue, making sure not to miss the gradations.
Give an account of what dyestuff was used to tint them,
every last thread. Then, discuss in what way the weave has been woven—
the shape of the shuttle, how nimble the old women’s fingers. 5
Get right back to the sheep. On the day they were shorn, what weather?
(sic) The name of the shepherd’s wife. (NB) What colour her eyes.
2. Don’t start to do the unpick if you’re not yourself a skilled weaver,
or you’re a terrible tailor. Multi-coloured and tangled remnants,
all that cotton wool stuffing in libraries, all the universities’ ragbag2— 10
all that cotton wool stuffing in libraries, all the universities’ ragbag2— 10
who needs it, Lover of Wisdom? Weave the weave of before.
To the woman left cold in the corner, give back the cape she once had.
2.1. There’s colleagues inept at this business of ours (vide supra).
All they can do is cry, ‘Now that’s such an elegant garment!
Cloth made in England! Up-to-date Russian cut!’3 15
2.2. There’s others as well, who have no regard for the garment.
All they know how to do is take measurements, make dot-connections.
A pile of offcuts means more to them than the cloth.
2.3. And there’s others, the ones who are acting on government service.4
All they know how to do is compare a garment with uniform pattern. 20
If they should find an additional frill, or a secret pocket,
tailor, watch out: it’s going to be sentence, cell, firing squad.
3. Text, it means life. Weavers weave it. Decrepitude5 strikes, though,
and it gets left unfinished. Or the fabric’s been damaged by sunshine,
by snow, wind, wet weather, radiation, malice, dry cleaning, 25
or by time, as per ‘The days are unpicking the fabric
bestowed by Thee’,6 and all there is left is a hole.
3.1. Lover of Wisdom, the veil of skill-woven culture’s so threadbare.
There’s private-parts chaos and shame seeping from every rent.7
4. Textile is text and it’s life. A doctor should weave it whole. 30
1. See the Latin dictionary. Cf the name of Goethe’s grandmother.
2. Cf what Nabokov called ‘the Lethe library’.
3. I call these people ‘the fools’ (see Archpriest Avvakum). [In his autobiography, this is one of the terms Avvakum uses to refer to his enemies.]
4. Cf, cf, cf, cf, cf.
5. (…) Ivanovich (1937—?).
6. Brodsky. Also cf Pushkin’s ‘hair shirt’ and ‘singer’, which probably go back to Horace’s purpureus pannus. [Loseff refers to Pushkin’s ‘Conversation between a Bookseller and a Poet’: ‘A huckster is this time of ours, and in this iron age/if there’s no money there’s no freedom either./And what is fame? A brightly-coloured patch/on the singer’s ancient hair shirt. In his Art of Poetry, Horace condemns ‘purple patches’, purpureus pannus, literally ‘purple rag, cloth’.]
7. See, see, see, see, see!
(Translation © 2015 G.S. Smith)
Cloth
(doctoral dissertation)
1. Text means cloth.1 The rag of text is to be unwoven thread by thread.
One must analyze the colors, catching each nuance.
Thereafter one must explain in what color each thread is stained.
There then follows a discussion of the weave of the cloth:
the operation of the spindle, the deftness of the old woman’s fingers. 5
Then onto the sheep in question. The weather on shearing day.
(Sic) The name of the shepherd’s wife. (NB) The color of her eyes.
2. But don’t presume to unweave if you yourself are an unskilled weaver,
if you’re a lousy tailor. Sackcloth of entangled threads,
the lint of libraries, the rags of universities2 – 10
who, Philosopher, needs them? Weave the old yarn.
Return the old mackinaw to the girl who’s shivering in the corner.
2.1 There are colleagues who lack skill (see above) in our profession.
All they can do is exclaim: “Ah, what an elegant dress!
English burlap! A stylish Russian cut!”3 15
2.2 Then there are others. They won’t even glance at the dress.
All they can do is count millimeters, draw dotted lines.
Piles of patterns are more important to them than the cloth.4
2.3 And there are others. They are in government service.4
All they can do is check attire against the uniform. 20
They’ll find extra scallops or a hidden pocket, and
grab the hack at once: reprimand, lock-up, execution.
grab the hack at once: reprimand, lock-up, execution.
3. Cloth is life . And weavers weave it. But the Reaper5 rushes in –
and it’s unfinished. Or the cloth underwent the influence
of sun, snow, wind, rain, radiation, malice, dry-cleaning, 25
time, i.e., “the days unravel the rag that You’ve been given”6,
and a hole remains.
3.1 That is how, Philosopher, the shroud of finely-woven culture wore thin.
Out of every hole crawls inguinal chaos and shame.7
4. Cloth is textis life. If you’re a doctor, sew it up. 30
Notes
1. Vide Latin dictionary. Cf. name of Goethe’s grandmother.
2. Cf. what Nabokov called “the Lethean library”.
3. These I call “fools” (Cf. Archpriest Avvakum).
4. Cf. Cf. Cf. Cf. Cf. Cf.
5. (. . .) Ivanovich (1937 - ?).
6. Brodsky. Cf. also Pushkin on “tatters” and “singer”, which, probably goes back to
Horace: purpureus pannus.
Horace: purpureus pannus.
7. Vide, vide, vide, vide, vide, vide.!
Translator's Notes - “the Reaper”: original “kondratii” is a folk idiom meaning “apoplectic shock.”
“the days unravel the rag that You’ve been given”: quotation of first line of a 1980 poem by Joseph Brodsky.
Ткань
(докторская диссертация)
1. Текст значит ткань1. Расплести по нитке тряпицу текста.
Разложить по цветам, улавливая оттенки.
Затем объяснить, какой окрашена краской
каждая нитка. Затем – обсуждение ткачества ткани:
устройство веретена, ловкость старухиных пальцев. 5
Затем – дойти до овец. До погоды в день стрижки.
(Sic) Имя жены пастуха. (NB) Цвет ее глаз.
2. Но не берись расплетать, если сам ты ткач неискусный,
если ты скверный портной. Пестрядь запутанных ниток,
корпия библиотек, ветошка университетов2– 10
кому, Любомудр, это нужно? Прежнюю пряжу сотки.
Прежний плащ возврати той, что промерзла в углу.
2.1.Есть коллеги, что в наших (см. выше) делах неискусны.
Все, что умеют, – кричать: «Ах, вот нарядное платье!
Английское сукнецо! Модный русский покрой!»3. 15
2.2.Есть и другие. Они на платье даже не взглянут.
Все, что умеют, – считать миллиметры, чертить пунктиры.
Выкроек вороха для них дороже, чем ткань4.
2.3. Есть и другие. Они на государственной службе4.
Все, что умеют, – сличать данный наряд с униформой. 20
Лишний фестончик найдут или карман потайной,
тут уж портняжка держись – выговор, карцер, расстрел.
3. Текст – это жизнь. И ткачи его ткут. Но вбегает кондратий5–
и недоткал. Или ткань подверглась воздействию солнца,
снега, ветра, дождя, радиации, злобы, химчистки, 25
времени, т.е. «дни расплетают тряпочку по-
даренную Тобою»6, и остается дыра.
3.1.Как, Любомудр, прохудилась пелена тонкотканой культуры.
Лезет из каждой дыры паховитый хаос и срам 7.
4. Ткань – это текст, это жизнь. Если ты доктор – дотки. 30
Примечания:
1. См. латинский словарь. Ср. имя бабушки Гете.
2. Ср. то, что Набоков назвал «летейская библиотека».
3. Этих зову «дурачки» (см. протопоп Аввакум).
4. Ср. ср. ср. ср. ср. ср.
5. (…) Иванович (1937 – ?)
6. Бродский. Также ср. Пушкин о «рубище» и «певце», что, вероятно, восходит к Горацию: purpureus pannus.
7. Cм. см. см. см. см.!
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