Page:Iván Ilyitch and Other Stories (1887).djvu/14

viii erate mixture of tenses, past and present, has been pretty carefully followed, so far as the rhythm of translation allowed.

Thus a certain flavor of the original has, it is hoped, been retained; though, of course, the style is crabbed, and will very likely invite criticism. The translator was confronted with the puzzling question of the use of Russian words in the text. The use of some words is certainly justified. Muzhik, or moujic, izbá, samovar, vodka, dvornik, and others, have been utilized so much in all works on Russia, that it would be affectation to translate them into peasant, hut, or cottage, tea-urn, brandy, hall-servant, or hostler. In other cases, a Russian word not difficult to pronounce stands for several words; as khozyáïn for master of the house, baba for peasant-woman. So with diminutives; bátiushka is easier to say than little grandfather. Moreover, as in all Scotch stories, Scotch words are freely used, and unquestionably to advantage; so the moderate use of Russian words seems to be needed, especially where there is no exact equivalent. Thus, in the curious story, ‘‘The Godson,” it seemed absurd to go on calling an old man a godson. The Russian word kréstnik is so near like our christened, having a like derivation, that it was adopted without much hesitation. A glossary of all the words employed in the text may not be found amiss. For the sake of some reader, who may like a little stronger flavor of the original, certain words and expressions are referred to