rossuf (rossuf) wrote in linguaphiles,
2013-01-31 18:31:00

matador's cape or seeing stars?

I'm wondering if somebody can help me with this.

I've got a few questions on the following sentence. For one, is красная пелена what you call the matador's red cape? Or is it just a way of saying what in English would be, "to see stars," i.e., to be very disoriented after getting, say, knocked in the head with an anvil?
Also - с макушки - can somebody clarify this???

некоторое время серафим бил Василия головой об скамейку, пока Лунгу не увидел красную пелену, что поползла на его глаза с макушки, и не вывернулся, саданув противника в бок.

For a little while, Serafim beat Vasily’s head off the bench, until Lungu saw the (matador’s) red cape, which spread over him from the crown of his head, and, without turning around/crawling out from underneath him, struck his opponent in the side.

I know this translation must be very wrong. Any corrections would be much appreciated.
Tags: russian, translation
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  • 8 comments

viata

January 31 2013, 23:49:35 UTC 3 months ago

for a while, Serafim was banging Vasily's head against the bench until Lungu saw before his eyes the red mist spreading from the crown of his head and writhed free punching his opponent in the side

The 'see stars' variant is correct. 'See red' may also be an adequate translation here.

пока не увидел.... и не вывернулся = until he saw and writhed free, no negation.

5x6

February 1 2013, 01:39:42 UTC 3 months ago

No, seeing red has a completely different meaning. Seeing stars is correct, except that in Russian красная пелена is no a frozen expression as seeing star. A stylistically adequate translation would be seeing red fog or something along this line.

silencegazer

February 1 2013, 19:06:36 UTC 3 months ago

Agreed with translation, though I would say 'from the top of his head'.

zweieimer

February 1 2013, 02:05:40 UTC 3 months ago Edited:  February 1 2013, 02:07:18 UTC

макушка = the top of a head


красная пелена - термин в медицине, авиации, комонавтике
http://universal_en_ru.academic.ru/2009853/redout

oryx_and_crake

February 1 2013, 04:32:56 UTC 3 months ago

i would like to recommend learn_russian

dimwits

February 1 2013, 08:24:55 UTC 3 months ago Edited:  February 1 2013, 08:25:29 UTC

красная пелена здесь = blood

silencegazer

February 1 2013, 19:00:53 UTC 3 months ago

'Seeing stars' is quite close.
"Красная пелена" is not blood itself, it's a "mist" that blurs one's vision after being hit in the head.

"поползла на его глаза с макушки" is used figuratively here. It means it came down, like a veil, from the top of his head onto his eyes.

rossuf

February 4 2013, 13:11:25 UTC 3 months ago

Thank you all so much. This has been very helpful. I haven't figured out exactly how to render it, but at least now I get the idea. Some combination of seeing stars + those odd floating spots one gets from being dizzy. Again, thank you all.