А вы могли бы? (A vy mogli by?)
Я сразу смазал карту будня,
плеснувши краску из стакана;
я показал на блюде студня
косые скулы океана.
На чешуе жестяной рыбы
прочел я зовы новых губ.
А вы
ноктюрн сыграть
могли бы
на флейте водосточных труб?
Glossary
|
WORD
|
ROMANIZED
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|---|
| a | a (conj.) | used to introduce something additional or contrasting to what has already been mentioned | but, and |
| блюде | bliude (n.) | a shallow container for cooking or serving food | dish, plate, saucer |
| будня | budnia (n.) | the work week | the workaday, the everyday, the usual, the familiar, colorless existence, humdrum life |
| бы | by (part.) | used to indicate possibility—often omitted in English | |
| чешуе | cheshue (pl. n.) | the small, thin bony plates protecting the skin of a fish | scales |
| сыграть | cygrat' (infinitive v.) | to perform (on a musical instrument) | play |
| флейте | fleite (n.) | a wind instrument made from a tube with holes along it | flute |
| губ | gub (pl. n.) | the upper and lower edges of the mouth | lips, mouth |
| я | ia (n.) | refers to speaker | I |
| из | iz (prep.) | indicating the point in space at which an action starts | from, out of |
| карту | kartu (n.) | a diagrammatic representation on paper | map, chart, pattern, record book, menu, plan |
| могли | mogli (past tense v. | used to make a request or indicate possibility | could, be able |
| на | na (prep.) | physically in contact with and supported by a surface | on, upon |
| ноктюрн | noktiurn (n.) | a short musical composition of a romantic or dreamy character suggestive of night, typically for piano. | nocturne |
| новых | novykh (adj.) | not existing before | new, fresh, novel, recent, modern, different |
| океана | okeana (n.) | a very large expanse of sea | ocean |
| плеснувши | plesnuvshi (past part. v.) | to cause liquid to fall or scatter | splash, dash, pour, spill |
| показал | pokazal (past v.) | to allow or cause to be visible; to call attention to | show, exhibit, present, display, indicate, point out |
| прочёл | prochiol (past tense v.) | to look at and comprehend the meaning of written or printed matter | read, decipher, make out, puzzle out, uncover, see, discern |
| рыбы | ryby (n.) | a cold-blooded animal with gills and fins living in water | fish |
| скулы | skuly (pl. n.) | the bones below the eye | cheekbones |
| смазал | smazal (past tense v.) | to messily coat something with an oily or sticky substance or blur its edges | smear, grease, wipe away, blur |
| сразу | srazu (adv.) | at once | in an instant, right away, straight off, immediately, out of hand |
| стакана | stakana (n.) | a container for water or other liquids | glass, cup, tumbler, vessel |
| студня | studnia (n.) | a dish of meat that is boned, cooked, pressed, and served cold in aspic | meat jelly, jelly, galantine, gelatin, aspic |
| труб | trub (pl. n.) | tubes used to convey liquid | pipes, tubes |
| водосточных | vodostochnykh (pl. adjective) | related to the removal of surplus liquid | rainwater, gutter, drain |
| вы | vy (pron.) | used to refer to refer to a person or group other than the speaker | you |
Bio
Vladimir Mayakovsky was a poet, actor, playwright, and prominent member of the Russian Futurist movement, which rejected the past and celebrated speed, machinery, violence, youth, and industry. This poem was written when Mayakovsky was just 20 years old in the years leading up to the October 1917 revolution. The Futurists dressed outlandishly, and Mayakovsky, “a regular scandal-maker” in his own words, appeared at readings in a homemade yellow shirt that became a signature of his early stage persona. In April of 1930, he shot himself through the heart after an argument with his partner, Veronika Polonskaya.