The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #46265   Message #1596262
Posted By: Dave the Gnome
03-Nov-05 - 04:42 AM
Thread Name: Russian Folk Songs with English translations
Subject: RE: Russian Folk Songs with English translations
I think the book would have been English - Grandma did go to America but only in her later years. She came from Poland to England by way of Italy and unless the book made it's way across the Atlantic some other way I don't know how she would have got an American volume. Quick flip through the text shows me Gay with many_a col-lour'd pen-non from Stenka Rasin. American translation would have been col-lor'd wouldn't it?

Out of interest the interpretation of Stenka Rasin I got from my Grandad was that Stenka's bride was a Turkish princess he had stolen in a raid. On it becoming obvious that he could not win out against his Turkish enemy he became enraged and decided that if he could not have the princess, no-one could - So he threw her in the river! So much for true love... Grandad was born a Cossack on the banks of the Kuban river. It was the Kuban Kosaki who defended the southern borders of Russia against the Turks and Chechens so either Grandad knew what he was talking about or his view was coloured by the Kuban stories:-)

Cheers

DtG