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[kittydesade]

Twilight Watch - Russian
Настояще дворы исчезли в Москве где-то между Высоцким и Окуджавой.

Странное дело. Даже после революции, когда в целях борьбы с кухонным рабством в домах ликвидировались кухни, на дворы никто не покушался. У каждой гордой «сталинки», развернувшейся потемкинским фасадом на ближайший проспект, обязательно был двор – большой, зеленый, со столиками и скамейками, с дворником, скребущим асфальт по утрам. Но пришла пора панельных пятиэтажек – и дворы съежились, полысели когда-то степенные дворники сменили пол и превратились в дворничих, считевших своим долгом отодрать за ухо расшалившихся мальчишек и укоризненно выговорить вернувшимся пьяненькими жильцам. Но все-таки дворы еще жили.

Twilight Watch - English
The genuine old Moscow house yards disappeared sometime between the two popular bards Vystosky and Okudzhava.

A strange business. Even after the revolution, when for purposes of the struggle against "the slavery of the kitchen" they actually did away with kitchens in housing, nobody tried to get rid of the yards. Every proud Stalin block displaying its Potemkin façade to the broad avenue beside it had to have a yard, large and green, with tables and benches, with a yard keeper sweeping the asphalt clean every morning. Then the age of five-story sectional housing arrived and the yards shriveled and became bare. The yard keepers who had been so grave and staid changed sex and became yard women who regarded it as their duty to give mischievous boys a clip around the ear and upbraid residents who came home drunk. But even so, the yards were still hanging on.

Twilight Watch - FreeTranslation.com
The present court yard have disappeared in Moscow somewhere in between Vysotsky and Окуджавой.

Strange business. Even after revolution when with a view of struggle against kitchen slavery in houses kitchens were liquidated, on court yard nobody attempted. At everyone proud "сталинки", потемкинским a facade on the nearest prospectus, the court yard - big, green, with little tables and benches, with the yard keeper, скребущим asphalt in the mornings necessarily was developed. But has come it is time panel пятиэтажек - and court yard have shivered, sedate yard keepers have grown bald once have replaced a floor and have turned in дворничих, считевших the duty to tear off for an ear of the got naughty boys and reproachfully to utter come back пьяненькими to tenants. But all the same court yard still lived.



Настояще дворы исчезли в Москве где-то между Высоцким и Окуджавой.

The [genuine old/present] courtyards disappeared in Moscow [sometime/somewhere, both used interchangeably in English, lit. somewhere] between Vystosky and Okudzhava. [and the translator adds “the two popular bards”; ‘bards’ is an interesting choice of words not often used in American English, at least, but it’s also interesting because he’s giving English speakers a cultural context that Russian speakers are clearly expected to know. This would be like saying somewhere between Elvis and Madonna, I suspect, even if not necessarily accurate to the time period since I’m familiar with neither.]

Странное дело.

A strange business. [Pretty much literal, I’m guessing, given the parallel between the two translations. Interestingly, this word is translated as ‘business’ here and ‘cause’ in the opening statement, which says “this text does not affect the cause of the Light/Dark – Night/Day Watch” and uses the same word. I’m not sure what that means the word actually means, need more context to determine. In the opening statement I’d say ‘cause’ could be used interchangeably with ‘affairs’ or ‘business’, though, so I think that’s the more artistically stretched.]

Даже после революции, когда в целях борьбы с кухонным рабством в домах ликвидировались кухни, на дворы никто не покушался.

Even after the revolution [and this is pretty much straight, with the addition of the article in the official translation, but again this is something informed by cultural context; we’re expected to know what the revolution is], when [with views, I’m assuming, is the more literal translation; this wants a dictionary, I swear; this probably goes to using the phrase "with a view towards" as a more elaborate/colorful/euphamistic? construction of "for purposes of"] [of the struggle is consistent both places, so I’m assuming struggle is a simple word, genitive case] against “the slavery of the kitchen” [this translated into quotes is interesting, though I’m not sure what it’s supposed to signify or bring to mind, unless it’s meant to bring to mind to American English speakers the post-war drive for domestic normality and conformation?] in houses [pretty much as stated, with the added question of, is that a specific word for homes or houses as in the structure? The official translation puts this phrase later in the sentence, which is actually kind of interesting, but I’m not sure what it might mean] they liquidated kitchens [is the literal, I’m assuming most of the word choices like “actually” and “did away with” make it signify more of an extreme decision, and possibly a slightly shady or stupid one; kitchens is a fairly simple plural], but courtyards nobody tried. [the translator adds “to get rid of” as a separate infinitive, possibly just to reinforce that the yards are special and sacrosanct, or possibly to remind the reader what the original point/action was]



New vocab:
Дворы – courtyards, google for images
Исчезли – disappeared, conjugated past tense plural
где-то – somewhere, where-unknown particle

Things to look up:
Высоцки
Окуджавa


This is definitely going to be interesting. I managed about two or three sentences while I was on holiday, and I think I'm going ot have to either type this up beforehand or... the other option, now that I think about it, is just start with Night Watch, since that's online and typed up for me.

Did not, obviously, manage to get all my languages done yesterday. Or even most of them. Did get some unpacking from the show done. Didn't get much else done, though. Slowly edging back into a routine, but it's hard, especially when I'm going to get knocked out of it again next week. Argh. At least after that it's pretty much straight sailing and day to day until September?

Goals for today, since otherwise I'm not going to get at all organized:

1. Spin some
2. Write some
3. Contact Holmes BigBang artist
4. Do languages
5. Go over wedding blocking

That ought to be enough for one day. Oogh. I am ten kinds of scrambled and it's... just. Bizarre.