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Transcription by Vito S. Acosta .

"ѡ҆ Китоврасѣ ѿ палеи" | Efrosin’s Tale of Solomon and Kitovras

Source Information

"ѡ҆ Китоврасѣ ѿ палеи" | Efrosin’s Tale of Solomon and Kitovras

by Efrosin

Text Source:

Kir.-Bel. 11/1088, no. 262, Russian National Library

Responsibility Statement:
  • Transcription by Vito S. Acosta
  • Translation by Vito S. Acosta
  • Encoded in TEI P5 XML by Dante Zhu
Editorial Principles:

Transcriptions and translations are encoded in XML conforming to TEI (P5) guidelines. The original-language text is contained within <lem> tags and translations within <rdg> tags.

Texts are translated into modern American English with maximum fidelity to the original text, except where it would impair comprehension or good style. Archaisms are preserved where they do not conflict with the aesthetic of the original text. Scribal errors and creative translation choices are marked and discussed in the critical notes.

My translation generally follows the grammar of the original. For the transcription, I have attempted to reproduce the graphic form of the text as it is preserved in the manuscript, without introducing modern punctuation. For example, I have retained the abbreviated forms indicated by a titlo ( ҃). I decided to retain a limited number of diacritic signs, which in most cases are aspiration signs ( ҆) over a vowel at the beginning of a word or following another vowel. The principal modification in my transcription is the addition of spaces between words. I am deeply indebted to Professor Julia Verkholantsev, my instructor of Old Church Slavonic at the University of Pennsylvania, for her generous guidance in this project.

Publication Details:

Published by The Global Medieval Sourcebook.

The Global Medieval Sourcebook is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Transcription
"ѡ҆ Китоврасѣ ѿ палеи" Efrosin’s Tale of Solomon and Kitovras
ѡ҆ Китоврасѣ ѿ палеи On Kitrovras
c
Critical note:

‘Kitovras’ is a Slavic derivative of ‘Centaur’.

, from the Paleia
c
Critical note:

A major Old Russian interpretative text that retells much of the Old Testament with apocryphal additions and comments.

 Китоврасъ є҆сть звѣрь борзъ Kitovras is a swift beast. соломонъ мр͠дӹ
c
Critical note:

This is a mistake for мд͠рӹ, from the adjective мѫдръ, meaning ‘wise’.

хитростїю изымалъ є҆го. Solomon
c
Critical note:

This is the biblical figure, King Solomon.

the Wise caught him with a trick. станъ члв҃чь
c
Critical note:

чєловечь

а҆ ноги коровїи. His upper body is of a man and his legs are of a cow. рекше баснѧ
c
Critical note:

баснѧтъ

женоу во оухѣ носилъ. Legend has it that he carried his wife in his ear. тою҆ хитростїю ꙗ҆ли
c
Critical note:

ѧли

є҆го. With the following trick they seized him. жена є҆го сказала ю҆ноши любовникоу свое҆мᲂу, такъ. His wife
c
Critical note:

The wife of Kitovras.

explained to a lad, her young lover: ѡ҆бходить дн҃емъ да нощїю много земель. да приходить к нѣкоє҆моу мѣстоу на нем же двӓ кладѧзѧ. “He goes day and night across numerous lands and reaches a certain place at which there are two wells. ѡ҆н же тѣ и҆спиває҆ть ѡ҆бӓ кладѧзѧ и҆здоушасѧ. Exhausted, he drinks from both these wells.” соломон же велѣлъ налити и҆хъ є҆динъ вина. а҆ дроуги медоу. Solomon ordered that one be filled with wine and the other with mead.
c
Critical note:

Fermented honey.

 ѡ҆н же тѣ ѡ҆бӓ кладѧзѧ прискоча и҆спилъ. Leaping, Kitovras drank from both wells. тоуто є҆го пїѧного съ сна пои҆мали и҆ сковали крѣпко. сила бо в немъ была велика. Just then, with him drunk and drowsy, they took and fettered him tightly, as the strength in him was immense. и҆ привели ко цр҃ю соломоноу. And they brought him to King Solomon. цр҃ь въпросилъ є҆го. что є҆сть оузорочнѣе во свѣтѣ семь. The King asked him: “What is most beautiful in this world?” ѡ҆н же ре всего є҆сть лоучши своѧ волѧ. He replied: “Best of all is one’s own freedom.” абїе крѧноулсѧ и҆ всё переломалъ : и҆ поскочилъ на свою волю, Stirring forthwith, he broke everything into pieces and leapt to his own freedom. гл҃ють є҆го ꙗ҆ко цр҃евъ сн҃ъ двд҃овъ ჻ It is said that he is the son of a king, King David.
c
Critical note:

This would make Kitovras the brother of King Solomon.
Translation
"ѡ҆ Китоврасѣ ѿ палеи" Efrosin’s Tale of Solomon and Kitovras
ѡ҆ Китоврасѣ ѿ палеи On Kitrovras
c
Critical note:

‘Kitovras’ is a Slavic derivative of ‘Centaur’.

, from the Paleia
c
Critical note:

A major Old Russian interpretative text that retells much of the Old Testament with apocryphal additions and comments.

 Китоврасъ є҆сть звѣрь борзъ Kitovras is a swift beast. соломонъ мр͠дӹ
c
Critical note:

This is a mistake for мд͠рӹ, from the adjective мѫдръ, meaning ‘wise’.

хитростїю изымалъ є҆го. Solomon
c
Critical note:

This is the biblical figure, King Solomon.

the Wise caught him with a trick. станъ члв҃чь
c
Critical note:

чєловечь

а҆ ноги коровїи. His upper body is of a man and his legs are of a cow. рекше баснѧ
c
Critical note:

баснѧтъ

женоу во оухѣ носилъ. Legend has it that he carried his wife in his ear. тою҆ хитростїю ꙗ҆ли
c
Critical note:

ѧли

є҆го. With the following trick they seized him. жена є҆го сказала ю҆ноши любовникоу свое҆мᲂу, такъ. His wife
c
Critical note:

The wife of Kitovras.

explained to a lad, her young lover: ѡ҆бходить дн҃емъ да нощїю много земель. да приходить к нѣкоє҆моу мѣстоу на нем же двӓ кладѧзѧ. “He goes day and night across numerous lands and reaches a certain place at which there are two wells. ѡ҆н же тѣ и҆спиває҆ть ѡ҆бӓ кладѧзѧ и҆здоушасѧ. Exhausted, he drinks from both these wells.” соломон же велѣлъ налити и҆хъ є҆динъ вина. а҆ дроуги медоу. Solomon ordered that one be filled with wine and the other with mead.
c
Critical note:

Fermented honey.

 ѡ҆н же тѣ ѡ҆бӓ кладѧзѧ прискоча и҆спилъ. Leaping, Kitovras drank from both wells. тоуто є҆го пїѧного съ сна пои҆мали и҆ сковали крѣпко. сила бо в немъ была велика. Just then, with him drunk and drowsy, they took and fettered him tightly, as the strength in him was immense. и҆ привели ко цр҃ю соломоноу. And they brought him to King Solomon. цр҃ь въпросилъ є҆го. что є҆сть оузорочнѣе во свѣтѣ семь. The King asked him: “What is most beautiful in this world?” ѡ҆н же ре всего є҆сть лоучши своѧ волѧ. He replied: “Best of all is one’s own freedom.” абїе крѧноулсѧ и҆ всё переломалъ : и҆ поскочилъ на свою волю, Stirring forthwith, he broke everything into pieces and leapt to his own freedom. гл҃ють є҆го ꙗ҆ко цр҃евъ сн҃ъ двд҃овъ ჻ It is said that he is the son of a king, King David.
c
Critical note:

This would make Kitovras the brother of King Solomon.
Critical Notes
Translation
Highlight prose section
Critical note:

‘Kitovras’ is a Slavic derivative of ‘Centaur’.

Translation
Highlight prose section
Critical note:

A major Old Russian interpretative text that retells much of the Old Testament with apocryphal additions and comments.

Transcription
Highlight prose section
Critical note:

This is a mistake for мд͠рӹ, from the adjective мѫдръ, meaning ‘wise’.

Translation
Highlight prose section
Critical note:

This is the biblical figure, King Solomon.

Transcription
Highlight prose section
Critical note:

чєловечь

Transcription
Highlight prose section
Critical note:

баснѧтъ

Transcription
Highlight prose section
Critical note:

ѧли

Translation
Highlight prose section
Critical note:

The wife of Kitovras.

Translation
Highlight prose section
Critical note:

Fermented honey.

Translation
Highlight prose section
Critical note:

This would make Kitovras the brother of King Solomon.

Sorry, but there are no notes associated with any currently displayed witness.