Jonathan Slocum, Interim Director :: PCL 5.112, 1 University Station S5490 :: Austin, TX 78712 :: 512-471-4566
Indo-European Texts
Russian
Douglas Simms and Jonathan Slocum
Volkh Vseslav'evich Bylina 11: 69-76
Text from Roman Jakobson and Marc Szeftel, "The Vseslav Epos," in Roman Jakobson and Ernest J. Simmons, eds., Russian Epic Studies. Memoirs of the American Folklore Society 42 (Philadelphia: American Folklore Society, 1949, p. 83). Originally prepared and translated by Douglas Simms; edited by Jonathan Slocum.
Druzhína spít, tak Vólkh ne spít: retinue fem, nom.sg; sleeps 3.sg. pres.impf; whereas ptc; Volkh masc, nom.sg; not; sleeps 3.sg. pres.impf. ón obvernétsja serým volkom, he masc, nom.sg; wraps 3.sg. pres.perf, mid; grey masc, inst.sg; wolf masc, inst.sg. 'The retinue sleeps, but Volkh does not sleep:
He disguises himself as a grey wolf,'bégal-skakál po temným po lesám, runs-about 3.sg. pret.impf; jumps 3.sg. pret.impf; along; dark masc, dat.pl; along; woods masc, dat.pl. [po temným po lecám] i po rámen'yu. along; dark masc, dat.pl; along; woods masc, dat.pl; and; along; border neut, dat.sg. '(he) ran and jumped along the dark forests,
[along the dark forests] and along the borders.'A b'ét on zvéri sokhátyja, ptc; strikes 3.sg. pres.impf; he masc, nom.sg; beasts masc, acc.pl; antlered masc, acc.pl. a i vólku, medvédju spúsku nét ptc; and; wolf masc, dat.sg; bear masc, dat.sg; release masc, dat.sg; not 'Still, he struck the wild, antlered beasts,
and he (gave) no escape to the wolf (or) the bear,'a i sóboli, bársy -- ljubímoj kús, ptc; and; sable masc, acc.pl; snow-leopard masc, acc.pl; beloved masc, nom.sg, pres. pass. ppl; bit 3.sg. pret.impf. on zájtsam, lisítsam ne brézgival. he masc, nom.sg; hares masc, dat.pl; vixens fem, dat.pl; not; be-squeamish 3.sg. pret.impf. 'and he, the beloved man, bit sables and snow-leopards,
he did not shy away from hares and vixens.'
Key to gloss abbreviations:
| Abbrev. | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 3. | = | 3rd (person) |
| acc. | = | accusative (case) |
| dat. | = | dative (case) |
| fem. | = | feminine (gender) |
| impf. | = | imperfect (aspect) |
| inst. | = | instrumental (case) |
| masc. | = | masculine (gender) |
| mid. | = | middle (voice) |
| neut. | = | neuter (gender) |
| nom. | = | nominative (case) |
| pass. | = | passive (voice) |
| perf. | = | perfect (aspect) |
| pl. | = | plural (number) |
| ppl. | = | participle (verb form) |
| pres. | = | present (tense) |
| pret. | = | preterite (tense) |
| ptc. | = | particle |
| sg. | = | singular (number) |