Language that Binds Us:
HONORS 394
The link to the FunDay Presentation Alex Bartos-O'Neill and I gave is located above. Though I threw lots of ideas about Russian culture all over the place, Alex was a wonderfully patient collaborator and was up for any and all activities. We ended up presenting a bit about Russian pop culture, particularly the famous singer Vladimir Vysotsky, a favorite Russian cartoon (and Tom and Jerry knockoff), Nu Pogodi ("Rabbit, Just you Wait!"), and a story from my old storybook, called Maydadir. I included a translation for the first three pages (see below) that I made myself (with only a little help from Google). There are some minor mistakes (such as forgetting that Maydadir is the anthropomorphic sink, not the little kid) but I enjoyed looking through my favorite book again and reading it on my own :)
Maydadir
The blanket ran away,
The comforter, away it flew,
And the pillow,
Like a toad,
Skipped away from me!
Off (I go) for the candle,
The candle’s in the oven!
Off (I go) for the book,
With a leap, it’s under the bed!
I want to have some tea,
I run up to my teapot,
But it ran away from me,
Like it was running from a fire.
Goodness, goodness,
What’s happened?
But why is everything around,
Spun around, Mixed up, and turned on its wheels?
The broom heads behind my boots,
The boots behind the pierogis,
The pierogi behind the broom,
The fire-poker behind the cat,
All is spinning, turning, and is turning somersaults.
Suddenly, from Mama’s bedroom,
Bow-legged and limping,
Runs the washing sink,
And he shakes his head:
“Oh you dirty,
Unwashed piglet!
You’re sootier than a chimney sweep!
Just look at yourself!
On your neck is wax,
Under your nose is muck!
Your hands are such that even your trousers
Ran away!
Even your trousers, even your trousers, have,
From you, run away!
Early in the morning, at daybreak,
The pups wash up,
And the cats, and the duck,
and the little spiders on their webs.
You alone have not washed up,
And stayed a dirty-thing,
And have run away from you
Both your stockings and your shoes.
I, the great washing sink,
I, the famous Maydadir,
Am a colleague of washing sinks,
And the loofah is your Commander!
If I tap my foot,
I will call my soldiers,
Into this room they will crowd,
The washing sinks will fly in.
And will shout, and yell,
And stamp their feet,
And to you, the Unwashed One, will order-
“Straight to the bath! Straight to the bath!”
And your head to be dunked under water!
The sink banged upon a brass basin,
And yelled “Kara-bara-bas!”
And now, the brushes, brushes,
Shake like ratchets,
And started scrubbing at me,
And they say:
“We wash, we wash our chimney sweep!
Clean, clean, clean, clean,
Our chimney sweep will be!
Scrub, scrub, scrub, scrub!”
And the soap leaped up,
And stuck to my hair,
Soaped/suds’d up,
And stung at me like a bee!”
