Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0021585, Mon, 2 May 2011 20:46:31 -0400

Subject
Re: Gradus
Date
Body
Not just a near anagram, but a near mirror image - cf. Sudar of Bokay.
Cheers,
David

David Powelstock



2011/5/2 Brian Boyd (ARTS ENG) <b.boyd@auckland.ac.nz>

> What seems most interesting about Alexey's post is that he hasn't pointed
> out the near-anagram of Gradus and Gosudar' (Your Majesty). Or perhaps he
> has elsewhere and I haven't retained it.
>
> Brian Boyd
>
> On 1/05/2011, at 8:46 AM, Alexey Sklyarenko wrote:
>
> Below is an excerpt from A. N. Tolstoy's play "The Conspiracy of the
> Empress" (Act One). The czar (poor Nicolas II who just emptied a glass)
> consults the thermometer and predicts the rise in temperature. He uses the
> word *gradus *("degree") several times:
>
> Царь (у окна смотрит градусник). Сегодня к вечеру температура должна
> подняться. Утром было семь градусов выше нуля, полчаса тому назад –
> тринадцать градусов, ветер поворачивает с востока на юго-восток.
>
> Вырубова . Государь, как ваш кашель?
>
> Царь. Ничего.
>
> Царица . Он говорит – ничего, а между тем ночью кашлял. И беби кашлял. Я
> тревожусь, – как они поедут.
>
> Царь . Ничего, доедем. А в Могилеве будет еще теплее. Алексеев
> телеграфирует, что вчера было семнадцать градусов выше нуля.
>
> A very minor point concerning Tolstoy's play: in the list of dramatis
> personae Felix Yusupov (Prince Feliks Feliksovich Yusupov Count
> Sumarokov-Elston) appears as "a page" (cf. Kinbote's pages, for
> example young Baron Mandevil who was his throne page on Coronation Day).
>
> Alexey Sklyarenko
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