This thought above all others keeps me from sleep this night.

b

That we both may be a burden on the state, this thought above all others keeps me from sleep this night.

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Mick out of Raleigh moderator
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Just found this today. Really entertaining stuff. Well done.

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Magnus moderator
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Omfg. This is fucking genius.

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danr moderator
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Denis, I don't think he was asking how it could rhyme in the original. He was asking how the translation produced a version that rhymes in English, which, presumably, you did intentionally to maintain a poetic effect.

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pete from pawleys moderator
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excellent work, all of you. your soup ration will be increase by one deciliter

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jennifer from pittsburgh moderator
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Many a night I languish in sleepless worrying about how the state will screw me.

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andrei moderator
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Yes, "не ведая" is closer to "never encountering," but unfortunately, I only had this thought after submitting. The idea is indeed that the individuals in question are sufficiently stoic (or insensitive...) in their dispositions that they are not subject to fits of emotion.I suppose the first line in my last translation could be better as "Unfamiliar with soul-wrenching drama."

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Throbert McGee moderator
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Andrei, wouldn't не ведая be more appropriately translated as "not meeting," rather than "not having met"? It's an imperfective form, after all; thus the "not meeting drama" is a continuous and ongoing condition.This one is really tricky to translate "poetically" because in English, one expects "those" to be followed immediately by "who," whereas in Russian, it's perfectly natural to have the demonstrative "тот/те" and the relative "кто" in separate clauses.Therefore, my suggested prose translation would be:"Only those who've learned not to scratch at old wounds and scars can live and love without gut-churning drama."I suggest "gut-churning" because I think that душевный in this context implies "to the very depths of one's soul," and not simply "of the soul."

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andrei moderator
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My attempt at a stylized translation:" Their souls having not met with drama, Only those can live and love Who their past scars and previous traumas Did not claw, but rose above "

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andrei moderator
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Literal:" Of the soul, having not met, any drama Only those can live and love Who past wounds and scars Were able not to scratch, but forget. "One should not omit "scratch" from the literal translation, as this is an activity with which cats are associated.

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Denis moderator
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In Russian the clauses in which "drami" and "shrami" are used here end with the same sound, shrami meaning scars.On the second and forth line we have "lyubit'"-to love and "zabit'"-to forget.

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Ivan Mawesome moderator
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what? how can the literal translation possibly rhyme?!?

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Denis moderator
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" Without being visited by drama Only those can love and live Who their past wounds and scars and trauma Learned not to dwell on, but forgive. "

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Amyr moderator
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Where's the literal translation? I like to see how far the "translation" warps the picture from the source material.As an aside, for someone who hates this site, Harold (the original) sure seems to spend a lot of time and energy devoted to it.

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mister zee moderator
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rolcats is definitely mainlining teh funny.

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SouthernBelle moderator
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Piss off Harold. Rolcats rule.

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Harold moderator
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We, ugly Americans, sure do love to laugh - so long as its @ others’ expense. Someone hx0rz this site already. Lame.

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Harold moderator
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DISREGARD THAT, I SUCK COCKS

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Harold moderator
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Thank you for yet another awesome Rolcat. If my "bad" personality starts talking again, I apologize, it's just painful molestation memories coming to the surface :(

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Johnny Tsunami moderator
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These keep getting better and better. Keep it up, champ!

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