#parnok

[russiansappho]

“Russian Sappho” Sophia Parnok, inspired by “In the Days of Sappho” (John William Godward) Unknown Artist.

[finita-la-commedia]

Who are you, light or wrathful angels ? I hadn’t known paradise cried. Is it from bliss they sing like that, Or from an enormous longing ? ... And it wasn’t me who cried out — This terror of bliss, this intolerable Wholeness, for the first time Unlocked the lips of a poet !

Sofia Parnok (Russian, 1885-1933), from “The Church Organ”, 1922   

[russiansappho]

How much of Parnok’s poetry have you been able to track down and read?

There's a lot of Sophia Parnok’s poetry on the web, but, of course, most was lost due to r*ssian censorship. Here are some of her poems translated (badly) into English.

I need to continue my Marina Tsvetaeva / Sophia Parnok translation project, but publishing my novel took so much energy that I must take some time to recover ❤️‍🩹

[fichera]

✍️ prospettiva nevskij Piotr Ivanovic Rokaminsky a 7 anni era un ometto. Obbediente, disciplinato e studioso. Negli anni a venire, mentre il Neva fluiva indifferente, crebbe assimilando ed esprimendo sempre meglio ciò che il saggio Ivan Ivanovic e la fedele compagna Natal'ja Petrovna gli avevano insegnato.

[harbingerofgay]

My soul luxuriates in boundless freedom / as if inhaling life for the first time.

Sophia Parnok