Marina Tsvetaeva, Her Life in Poems - Rolf Gross

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alliterations are the bones of her stanzas. The other, even more fundamental observation is that her poems lack the visual imagery we are used to depend on in reading poetry. In her essay on Natalya Gontsharova Tsvetaeva says, “I am no painter, may others speak about that... What for Painting is of no meaningful importance to me.” For the sake of its rhythm she plays a disturbingly cerebral game with the language, deconstructing (her word) Russian like few others – a quality of her poetry which intrigued this foreigner. Tsvetaeva's has a highly developed sense for music and rhythm, beyond that she is blind. This might be the reason why her poems taken out of context often leave a dull impression with the non-Russian reader. Nevertheless, to ease my translation dilemma, I decided to dispense with all attempts to reproduce her rhyme and rhythm in favor of a more modest, literal reading of her words and their meanings. Some readers may not recognize “their” Tsvetaeva in my translations. I ask for their indulgence: This is an attempt to elucidate Tsvetaeva's poetry to uninitiated English readers, as well as to some Russians. I do not endeavor to present new superior English renditions of her poems or to compete with existing critical examinations of her life and writings. I would be grateful for corrections and all constructive criticism. Send mail to: rolf357@gmail.com Pacific Palisades, June 2010 4
Childhood Moscow 8 Tryokhprudny Pereulok – Three Ponds Lane 1892 – 1912 The Tsvetaevs in the yard at Three-Ponds Lane: Augusta the governess, Valeria, Marina, her mother Maria with Asya in her lap, Andrey, standing, Nadya and her father Ivan, 1901 You, who are still able to dream, Whose movements are quiet, Come to narrow Tryokhprudny lane, If you love my poetry... It will soon be a ruined world Look at it in secrecy While the poplar has not been cut down And our house has not been sold... This world is irrevocably - wonderful. While you can still find it, hurry! In narrow Tryokhprudny lane, In this soul of my soul. 1913 5
Page 1 and 2: Marina Tsvetaeva A Life in Poems No
Page 3: poetic power like distress and - lo
Page 7 and 8: children. In “Mother and Music”
Page 9 and 10: seventeen Marina began to smoke, a
Page 11 and 12: Koktebel Maximilian Voloshin's Have
Page 13 and 14: The motley crowd of greater and les
Page 15 and 16: did not concern her. My poems, writ
Page 17 and 18: Sofia Parnok Koktebel and Moscow 19
Page 19 and 20: She writes and a few days later des
Page 21 and 22: And I'll tell you: - All the same -
Page 23 and 24: orderly. Eventually he was drafted
Page 25 and 26: In December 1915 Marina was invited
Page 27 and 28: To Osip Mandelstam A strange anxiet
Page 29 and 30: Marina escaped on flights to the ot
Page 31 and 32: Love! Love! Even in convulsions, ev
Page 33 and 34: - Alya had these frequent attacks.
Page 35 and 36: ... Dead - and risen! Just enough f
Page 37 and 38: Berlin - Prague Ilya Ehrenburg Serg
Page 39 and 40: her and writes that “he had been
Page 41 and 42: etween her insatiable need for free
Page 43 and 44: Moscow. I don't want to write about
Page 45 and 46: Swan-like... - But what happened Li
Page 47 and 48: toe of the heart, not yet touched b
Page 49 and 50: France 1925 - 1939 The Summer of 19
Page 51 and 52: German and Russian! In a postscript
Page 53 and 54: thus alien after all!) One more thi
Page 55 and 56:
affirmation around a spring. Around
Page 57 and 58:
horseman. Your penciled notation (i
Page 59 and 60:
Boulevard de Crancy, 3 (not far fro
Page 61 and 62:
in 1924 and 1925), hence my long so
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You are alive, I want to see you. A
Page 65 and 66:
trug uns ein blinder Befehl durch d
Page 67 and 68:
to feign halves. We, confined to ci
Page 69 and 70:
German is deeper than French, fulle
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eflection when it appears in the wa
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asleep, fast asleep. I sound quite
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winter!... "You don't need to answe
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This letter became the last in thei
Page 79 and 80:
France 1925 - 1939 The Lure of the
Page 81 and 82:
Mur and Marina, 1936 Photo dommuseu
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In your family album! Children! You
Page 85 and 86:
People are all the same to me, And
Page 87 and 88:
go. But there was, of course, no ch
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Marina Tsvetaeva, Golitsyno 1939 No
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The idea of suicide is disturbing t
Page 93 and 94:
Marina Tsetaeva (1892 - 1941) Chron
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August 1, move to Prague, where the
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August 17, Marina and Mur evacuated
Page 99 and 100:
Marina Zwtajewa, “Mutter und die
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Marina Tsvetaeva, Her Life in Poems - Rolf Gross

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