3 ms·

Adding to or improving upon the sum of human knowledge, what is more important? "Dark pictures, thrones, the stones that pilgrims kiss, poems that take a thou

by thret 12y ago

Adding to or improving upon the sum of human knowledge, what is more important? "Dark pictures, thrones, the stones that pilgrims kiss, poems that take a thousand years to die but ape the immortality of this red label on a little butterfly." -- Vladimir Nabokov

krsree 12y ago
Wow! Subliminal eternal poem indeed!
e12e 12y ago
I wonder if the original uses a word closer to "mark" than "label"? As it stands, it kind of reminds me more of the end of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner)" by Dick -- where Deckard finds what he thinks is a wild animal, only to turn it over and discover it's branded and is an artefact after all...
- JackFr 12y ago
  I think that is the original.
  - e12e 12y ago
    Isn't the original in Russian? [edit: Apparently not, I wasn't aware Nabokov wrote English as well as Russian. Some relevant links: "On Discovering A Butterfly" by Vladimir Nabokov May 15, 1943: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1943/05/15/1943_05_15_026_TNY_CARDS_000193605 http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1943/05/15/1943_05_15_026_T... [ edit3: sadly behind a paywall ] A (somewhat inaccurate, but interesting) commentary: http://wonderingminstrels.blogspot.no/2004/04/on-discovering-butterfly-vladimir.html http://wonderingminstrels.blogspot.no/2004/04/on-discovering... edit2: Almost forgot: clearly the original uses "label" intentionally. Funny how the verse in isolation seems to more directly reference nature (along the lines of Blake's Tyger! Tyger! -- while clearly that's not the (main/only) intended reading. ]
marincounty 12y ago
All his books--including Lolita--should be required reading in high school and college. His writing just flows. I remember a college professor who wanted his class to read Lolita, but was told if he wanted to reach ten year--he would be wise to just let it go. Maybe things have changed? After college, I don't think I would have ever picked up another book of fiction, until I discovered Vladimir Nabokov.

by thret 12y ago

krsree 12y ago

Wow! Subliminal eternal poem indeed!

e12e 12y ago

I wonder if the original uses a word closer to "mark" than "label"? As it stands, it kind of reminds me more of the end of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner)" by Dick -- where Deckard finds what he thinks is a wild animal, only to turn it over and discover it's branded and is an artefact after all...

JackFr 12y ago
I think that is the original.
- e12e 12y ago
  Isn't the original in Russian? [edit: Apparently not, I wasn't aware Nabokov wrote English as well as Russian. Some relevant links: "On Discovering A Butterfly" by Vladimir Nabokov May 15, 1943: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1943/05/15/1943_05_15_026_TNY_CARDS_000193605 http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1943/05/15/1943_05_15_026_T... [ edit3: sadly behind a paywall ] A (somewhat inaccurate, but interesting) commentary: http://wonderingminstrels.blogspot.no/2004/04/on-discovering-butterfly-vladimir.html http://wonderingminstrels.blogspot.no/2004/04/on-discovering... edit2: Almost forgot: clearly the original uses "label" intentionally. Funny how the verse in isolation seems to more directly reference nature (along the lines of Blake's Tyger! Tyger! -- while clearly that's not the (main/only) intended reading. ]

marincounty 12y ago

All his books--including Lolita--should be required reading in high school and college. His writing just flows. I remember a college professor who wanted his class to read Lolita, but was told if he wanted to reach ten year--he would be wise to just let it go. Maybe things have changed? After college, I don't think I would have ever picked up another book of fiction, until I discovered Vladimir Nabokov.