This site uses cookies.
Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site,
while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.
For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Russian to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / More Rimsky-Korsakov
Russian term or phrase:заповедны думы
Отныне стану Ильмень-озеру Да речкам светлым песни складывать
Да заповедны думы сказывать.
I think this is something like "secret lays (stories/legends) relate", but I'm not too happy about it, and would like suggestions from those of you who were brought up on these tales and this language!
Explanation: OK David, here is my reasoning. :) One of the meanings of дума is мечта. I think "заповетные думы" in modern language would become "заветные мечты". См.: дума — см. мечта, мысль, совет Here is what Dahl says: http://www.booksite.ru/fulltext/dal/dall/00/360.htm
I've gone with Larissa's answer, because it got me away from just "thought" and on to hopes/desires/dreams, but thanks also to Maria for getting me away from "ballad" or "lay".
На бессчётну казну в Новогороде Понастроил бы я церквей божиих. Я б повызолотил кресты, маковицы чистым золотом, Усадил бы иконы я жемчугом да каменьями, Дорогими бы все самоцветными. По далеким морям, по раздолью земли Пронеслася бы слава Новгорода! These are the words that seemed offensive to merchants (they percieve it as a reproach). So they prefer to insult Sadko and to ignore them. "Ok, if you do not want to hear, I'll tell this lakes and rivers" - this fits the context.
a "ballad", a meditative canticle. That's straightforward. And skazyvat' is not "tell" here but, more generally "convey"... "sing", I would say. As for "secret", there's an endless choice of more (or less) poetic alternatives.
Russian is a very discriptive language - lots of synonyms and shades of meaning so "дума" is more likely to be just a "thought" but "заветная дума" is already something different - a "dream" or a "hope". May be it makes sense to reflect all these meanings in the English version: "Secret thoughts, dreams and hopes"?
