Primerjalna književnost, letnik 32, št. 2, Ljubljana ... - ZRC SAZU

PKn, letnik 32, št. 2, Ljubljana, december 2009The first one arises from the fact that ‘Fatherland’ for Ivan is alwaysexpressed by the term rodina, the native land, or the country that begetsone (just like the word root – nat – also suggests); in that respect rodina is amotherland, not the Fatherland. Modern nationalism, based on patriarchalideologies is, thus, never free from matriarchal conceptions.Secondly, the notion of land as origin of the national is frequently subvertedin the process of adducing alternative landscapes to represent it.In more concrete terms, Russian landscapes for Ivan were often surreptitiouslyreplaced by non-Russian landscapes, destined thereby to lose theirmeaning as instances of a specific, valorized topos. For instance, Ivandescribes his native region of the Far East Russia thus:(…)Всё снега, да снега, да метели,Нелюдимый скалистый простор.В горностаевых мантиях ели,Как монархи, спускаются с гор.И олени пугливое стадоОт дороги уходит в снега.Вот какое оно – Колорадо,И такая ж, наверно, тайга.(Elagin 2:223)Just snow, snow, and blizzard,Inhuman, steep space.In ermine mantles firsLike the nuns, step down from themountainAnd the frightened herd of deerDivert from the road into the snow.That’s how it is – Colorado,And, probably, so is taiga.The Taiga on the banks of the Ussuri River, of which his grandfatherboasted of knowing every part, can be depicted by Ivan only as Coloradonow.If the Taiga may not appear as typically Russian landscape, here is anotherpoem:(…)Про эту скрипучуюБерезу в садуСлова наилучшиеЯ не найдуТут не до лексикиБлагоговей!Всё золото МексикиВиснет с ветвейAbout this squeakyFir in the gardenThe better wordsI do not find.No need for lexicon.Just revere!All Mexican goldHangs from the branches.132