The Russian poet Aleksandr Vvedenskii (1904-1941), with his more famous colleague Daniil Kharms (1905-1942), formed the nucleus of a group of Leningrad poets and philosophers generally known as the OBERIU. The work of the oberiuty discards the naive optimism of the avant-garde and occupies itself with the illogical and the absurd. If some Russian Futurists, Khlebnikov first and foremost, dreamt of developing a universally comprehensible sound language (zaum’), the oberiuty refine Futurist techniques of breaking down and recombining lexical, syntactical, and narrative units and sequences, in order to present rupture as the most fundamental level of being. The first generation of writers to be born in the twentieth century, they are the first to obliterate any distinction between the tragic and the comic.
Calling himself “the auto-rity of nonsense” (avto-ritet bessmyslitsy), Vvedenskii once claimed to have conducted “a poetic critique of language, more fundamental than that of Kant.” He asked how we know that, for instance, an apartment building, a tower, and a villa belong to the same species. Maybe they don’t. Maybe an apartment building really goes together with, say, happiness and the number seven.
The oberiuty supported themselves by writing for children’s magazines. Their “adult” poetry did not get published; their readings were reviled by the establishment. First arrested in 1931, Kharms and Vvedenskii spent two years in internal exile. Their experience in the late thirties is marked by great isolation and poverty. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, they were arrested again, this time for having been arrested earlier. Kharms starved to death in a prison asylum for the mentally insane, whereas Vvedenskii appears to have died of dysentery en route to Siberia.
“The Demise of the Sea” dates from 1930. The original is in iambic tetrameter, rhymed but with no consistent stanzaic pattern.
THE DEMISE OF THE SEA
translated by Eugene Ostashevsky
SEA DEMON
and the sea too means nothing
and the sea too is a round o
and in vain does man hop
into the deep from guns and blades
and in the sea as well the fishies go
dogs run around violins play
and seaweed sleeps like aunts
and boats skip up and down like fleas
and in the sea there is as little sense
it obeys the same numbers
it is deserted and dark
maybe o sea you are a window?
maybe o sea you are a widow?
HUNTER
I too stood waist-deep in the woods
I was a student of game wisdom
sometimes bathing in strong vodka
I experienced death and boredom
beasts spun before me
various raw
but I shut the doors of the wood
to find other worlds
here I stand upon these cliffs
and hear the growling of dead waves
and the words of farewell are displayed
on my arms folded like two locks
farewell mountains and woods
farewell badger farewell fox
I
a dignitary saunters in
wild rose squeals in his hand
he looks at everything in high-society manner
he hiccups chronically in german
and so majestic and disdainful
he halts his walking on the strand
the pine-tree rustles the plum-tree babbles
the insane wave glistens
the boat dreams and the deep
suddenly says to him: o man
and you with state affairs laden
knowing the forked paths of public service
knowing the flummery of epaulets
could you have grown disgusted with ballet
and life appeared homicidal
and here you stand suicidal
DIGNITARY
here I am before you
my dear deep
I see that people still desire
to purchase real estate on your bottom
so they can dine with mermaids
in these sea houses
so they can sample sea cognac
in these watery bars
we believe that we won’t die
that life has a continuation
fish glimmers with silver
we love beer we love spirits
with ladies play at procreation
my fiancée durdina
loved my medals
but for four seasons like Vivaldi
did not leave the water closet
and I despaired extinguished
said to myself you’re not a rooster
not a digestive tract item the duck
and the extension of the stomach
continuation of the belly
at this point nothing appeared
and I saw everything is gorgeous
but smarmy distressing nauseating
and I incline myself to you, o sea
on documents the letters plight
behold are writ in every quarter
and I see hundreds of categories
like fish swim in the water
The servants bring in a large sofa
on the sofa people birds
thoughts mice and bushes
they wear mournful faces
they wear empty eyes
birds walk on the grass
like dreams on the head
people lie around yellow
boats shine clang
thoughts steal into the grave
across rain and across might
mice walk along houses
as if they were attic nouses
and transparent and light
bushes sleep under the flag
VOICE
come here all of you
and light your candles
demon vegetable and knight
our guests shall be this night
sea shore and star
we shall hold a boundless feast
a dark angel flutters out
of the deep the nest
ANGEL
is everyone everyone
gathered here
has everyone sat
on the floor
the musicians have assembled
like penguins on a cliff
the sea went out on the town
arm in arm with a star
and the sea said: stop
thinking running taradiddle
think think think think
run around jump complain
death will extend its morose arm
too late the doctors will alight
like swans, relations
will flock to the bed
and other labors will ensue
flies will fly around in the body
but what help can I offer you
children people in this night
HUNTER
sea sea lady
you are our only hope
we come to you trembling
dignitary
shut up ignoramus!
dear sea o sea
we cannot see anything
accept us o darling
second and watery divinity
like beasts we run around in darkness
bared of rapiers thoughts tuxedoes
in our hand a jar of light smokes
look at this o mighty one
on our head a halo clatters
our end is coming it is come
SEA
I can’t
SEA DEMON
and what did I say?
HUNTER
I think, I cry
SEA
I too mean nothing
(1930)
