Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0022900, Tue, 29 May 2012 08:02:07 -0700

Subject
Re: Demon's death
Date
Body
Alexey! Are you saying that the L in L disaster stands for Lermontov?!
Carolyn


On May 27, 2012, at 3:07 AM, Alexey Sklyarenko wrote:

Demon to Van: Please, my boy, move that screen a little, that's right,
the stab of a sunset, especially from under a thunderhead, is not for
my poor eyes. Or poor ventricles. (Ada, 1.38)

Demon Veen is to perish in an airplane disaster. The author of Demon,
Lermontov died in a duel (that was followed by a tremendous
thunderstorm) with Martynov. Just as Lermontov had predicted his death
in one of his prophetic poems (The Dream), Van's father seems to have
a foreglimpse of his death.

In his essay "M. Yu. Lermontov. The Poet of Superhumanity" (1909)
Merezhkovski speaks of the poet's ability "to remember the future,"
quotes The Dreamand compares one's memory of past eternity casting
wondrous and frightful light on one's whole life to the last beam of
sunset from under a thunderhead:

И наконец, в 1841 году, в самый год смерти -- "Сон" -- видение такой
ужасающей ясности, что секундант Лермонтова, кн. Васильчиков, описывая
дуэль через 30 лет, употребляет те же слова, как Лермонтов. -- "В
правом боку дымилась рана, а в левом сочилась кровь", -- говорит кн.
Васильчиков58.

Глубокая еще дымилась рана,
По капле кровь сочилася моя, --

говорит Лермонтов.
Это "воспоминание будущего", воспоминание прошлой вечности кидает
на всю его жизнь чудесный и страшный отблеск: так иногда последний луч
заката из-под нависших туч освещает вдруг небо и землю неестественным
заревом.

Alexey Sklyarenko

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