12 July 2010
Малыш читает стих Роберта Рождественского
A poem (1969) by Robert Rozhdestvensky:
On the ruthlessly
............little Earth there was
once a little man.
He had a little job
and a very little purse
with a little salary…
And once –
on a beautiful morning –
there knocked on his little window
a little –
it seemed –
war…
A little gun was given in his hands,
little boots were given on his feet,
a little helmet was given on him
with a little
– by measure –
cloak.
........And when he fell –
................in an ugly, ungainly way –
with his mouth frozen in the “hurrah” of the assault –
on the whole world
............there was not enough marble
to carve him
life-size.
Video found at Poemas del rio Wang, to whom I am grateful for the translation of the poem, and where there is also a set of photos of children in wartime.
I don't quite understand whether the original poem was written as nationalistic pro-war propaganda, or as an anti-war protest (the original poster has added some insightful commentary in the Comments). I'm posting the video because I find the recitation by the small child to be mesmerizing.
Update: I originally listed the boy's name as Sasha Chernyavsky. I've now been advised that his name is Valentin Karmanov (Валя Карманов).
“I don't quite understand whether the original poem was written as nationalistic pro-war propaganda, or as an anti-war protest.”
ReplyDeleteNationalistic in no way. But the components of pro-war propaganda and anti-war protest are, in my opinion, difficult to distinguish in the Soviet poetry of the Cold War period. In the official ideology WWII was “a war fought for the peace”. Any praise of the Soviet participation in it was not an invitation to war but an appraisal of peace as well as a reminder that one must always stay ready even for the war to defend peace. As, in fact, all the military actions of the SU after 1945 were officially motivated by the necessity of the protection and/or restitution of peace.
I remember that in the 80's as a recruit I had to take military oath in front of a giant statue of the Soviet soldier that had the inscription: “They died in the war so we might live in peace.” The double invitation of this inscription, I think, resumes the inner contradiction of the poem of Rozhdestvensky as well.
Thank you very much for the quotation of the Poemas del Río Wang!
It's my pleasure; you have an interesting blog.
ReplyDeleteYou're wrong about boy's name.
ReplyDeleteHis name is Valentin Karmanov (Валя Карманов).
Thanks, anon. I've amended the post.
ReplyDelete