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ASSIMIL - Russian for English speakers - 1951

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Russian
Русский

English
Английский

Осень (Август, Олег Гусев)

Autumn

Осень за стеклом оконных рам,
Снова тот портрет знакомый мне
Стал вдруг выплывать по вечерам,
На холодной и пустой стене
Выцветшей от взглядов в полутьме,
В доме, где готовятся к зиме.

The autumn is behind the glass of the window frames
Again, that portrait that is (well-)known to me
Started suddenly to emerge at evenings
On the cold and empty wall
Faded/discolored by the glances/peering in the semidarkness
In a house, where they are preparing for a winter

Дни проходят днями в суете,
Памятью горячей не остыв
Тот рисунок на простом листе,
Что нельзя стереть, не позабыть,
Но некому отдать
  и всё простить,
Совсем простить, и всё забыть.

Days are passing by "like days" in a fuss
With the hot memory not gotten cold
That picture on a simple sheet
That they can't erase, can't forget
But there's nobody to whom to give it away
  and to forget everything
Totally forgive, and to forget all

Плачет осень, листьями кружа,
Замирает сердце, чуть дыша,
Улетают птицы не спеша,
и за ними просится душа
Улетают птицы не спеша,
и за ними просится душа

The autumn is crying, whirling with the leaves
A heart is sinking down (fading), barely breathing
The birds are flying away unhurriedly
and the soul is craving (to fly) after them
The birds are flying away unhurriedly
and the soul is begging (to fly) after them

   

Осень бьётся за моим окном,
Унося в прошедшее назад.
Ты бежишь под солнцем босиком,
Звонкий дождь идет, по-детски рад.
И ищу тебя я наугад,
В доме, что был радостью богат.

The autumn is palpitating/beating behind my window
Carrying away back into the past
You are running under the Sun barefooted
A ringing rain is falling, (someone) glad like a child ("in a childish way")
And I'm searching for you haphazardly
In a house, that was rich with (full of) joy

THE RUSSIAN ALPHABET (continue, page X)

Russian
Русский

Pronunciation
Произношение
English
Английский
AK-NOTE

САМОВАР, самовар

samòvar (1) samovar, tea-urn

This literally means "self-boiler" or "self-cooker"

АМЕРИКА, Америка amĕrica (2) America  
ПАСПОРТ, паспорт passpört passport  
АЛЕКСАНДР, Александр

aleksandr

Alexander  
БЕБЕ, бебе bĕbby baby

There's no such Russian word, "baby". Someone tried to adopt it, but had failed, miserably.

БАР, бар barr bar  
МИЛЛИОН, миллион miliohn million  
СТАЛИН, Сталин Staleen Stalin  
СТАЛИНГРАД, Сталинград (3)

* ВОЛГОГРАД

Stálingràd Stalingrad

*Volgograd

Yes, there're tones above them two "а"s - first is rising, and second is falling.

* It's now, again, is called "Volgograd"

КРЕДИТ, кредит crĕdeet credit  
АЛЛИГАТОР, аллигатор álligàtor alligator  
РОМАНОВ, Романов Ròmanoff (4) Romanoff  
АЗОВ, Азов Azoff Azov (or Azoff)  

ЛУНА, луна (5)

Loona

moon (French "lune")

 

(1) In « samòvar » the ò is practically an ah.
(2) The letter Е, especially when stressed, is pronounced like ЙЭ (ye-) in : yet. We shall represent it by ĕ.
(3) The letter Г is "g", and always hard, as in « get ».
(4) The final -ов is sounded -off.
(5) The letter л has two sounds : one slurred (as in pilot, lily) which we have seen in Александр, анализ.
The other, strongly vocalic (as in bell, milk, sold) before а, о, у (oo), ы, the consonants, and at the end of a word, will be represented by a capital L in our imitative pronunciation.