There is my poetic translation of Omar Khayyam at the end of the post.
–Fashion–
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| Fashion Icon, Russia, 2012 |
Farewell to the days when Liberty led the Revolution and didn’t care for its look. This is how Delacroix depicted the French Liberté: no make-up, bare-chested, in rattles, with a flag in her hand.
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| E. Delacroix, La Liberté guidant le peuple (1830) |
The painting by Delacroix commemorated the July 1830 Revolution in Paris. It’s winter in Moscow, so one may say it’s enough that women get out of their houses at all, never mind baring chests. However, the Tatler Club glamour has left a profound impact on politically minded ladies and fashion bloggers. So profound it is that a new blog has started, and it’s called Fashion Protest. Set up by a young designer who has had a chance to create several unique dresses for the high-end clientele, the blog features “looks” seen in the crowds of protesters since December 2011, including some celebrities. Frankly speaking, the photo of a girl that apparently collected many “likes” across various social networds freaks me out. Wearing flourescent glasses, a fox fur coat, and a shawl, a girl, with her half-open rouge pout, clinges on to a wooden poster wand. Maybe this is how Yulia Timoshenko would look like, had the Orange Revolution happened in January. I suspect, though, that the look would inspire Gogol, Wodehouse, or Burgess to write a pretty satyrical piece on the political tastes of women.
–Donkeys–
Until 2012, it was normally people only who backed the elections. Singers, actors, writers, film directors… Fast forward to March 2012, and here comes a donkey. A pretty ordinary creature, except that some time ago it was given as a present to Vladimir Zhirinovsky, an eccentric Russian politician, leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party who is currently running for presidency.
The story at hand is a good case of how to overestimate people’s ability to grasp the subtle meaning of a metaphor. Zhirinovsky put a harness on a donkey and then delivered a short speech on Russia’s degradation. There used to be magnificent horses who took the country to unprecedented heights. Now there are only stupid donkeys who cannot get going until you give them a punch. Naturally a good actor, the donkey stood, unmovable. And then, to showcase the effort he puts into Russia’s awakening, Zhirinovsky began to whip the donkey. Those who watched the video attest to a rather cruel way of dealing with an animal, even for “creative” purposes.
PETA and WSPA were not amused and demanded the withdrawal of a campaign’s video.
The staff of Zhirinovsky’s electoral campaign stated that the donkey was previously given to the politician as a present. The candidate himself claims that he did not cruelly deal with an animal, and had no intention to do so in future. Zhirinovsky went on to say: “In my house this donkey lives better than very many people out there, but if someone is so concerned for his well-being, they can take him and look after him“. According to Russian media, the donkey indeed stays at Zhirinovsky’s country house, safe and sound.
The Central Electoral Committee confirmed that there have been no restrictions on using animals in electoral campaigns.
One could end it here, but here comes a bit of “use of English”. After all, it is good that Zhirinovsky had a donkey. What if instead of a donkey there was a monkey? “Don’t beat your ass” is colloquial, but OK. It could be “don’t beat your monkey”, and that would be a totally different story…
–What would a poet say–
Two weeks ago on my way home, while on the tube, I translated what is believed to be one of the quatrains by Omar Khayyam. I found it in a Russian collection, so whether it was really by Khayyam or not, I am not sure. However, the meaning is clear, and I thought it would be a good ending to the story surrounding Russian elections in 2012.
One Taurus sits high in celestial block;
Another’s back supports the worldly stock;
And now between the two – behold and wonder! –
How many asses there in Allah’s flock.
And a Russian text:
Один Телец висит высоко в небесах,
Другой своим хребтом поддерживает прах,
А меж обоими тельцами – поглядите! –
Какое множество ослов пасет Аллах.