Category Archives: Poetry

Poems about hosiery – pantyhose, stockings.

Looking at my friend’s bookshelf

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As you guys know, I spent a week in Vancouver.

Part of my stay was in my friend’s apartment, part in the hotel. It’s quite amazing what you can learn about your friends when you stay with them for a few days. I spotted a bunch of erotic art books (certainly I had a peak and every second picture has stockings in it), for example. Never knew she is into that!

Here are some quotes that revolve around stockings and feet that I found from that book that I thought to share with you. I wish I could share some pictures, but I must say some of them kind of shocked me by being so explicit for those times. Many of those artists actually remained anonymous.

 

“I couldn’t help it. I can resist everything except temptation.”

From Lady Windermere’s Fan, Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900)

 

“… continual excitement of trousers and petticoats, the crisp sound of stockings caressed…”

From a poem, Lone Gentleman, by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda

 

“How beautiful are thy feet in sandals, O prince’s daughter!”

By King Solomon, Song of Songs

Translation of Brodsky’s Poem about Autumn and Stockings

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I finally went to the library to check the book called Collected Poems in English by Joseph Brodsky to see if one of his poems about stockings has an approved translation to English.  He was a Russian poet who was expelled from the USSR in 1972, settled in the US and won the Nobel prize in 1987 and was named US Poet Laureate in 1991.

After consulting some academic sources, I’ve been told that all the poems that he wrote in English and translation of his work by other people that he approved of were compiled in this book in chronological order.  I checked, but the poem I was hoping to find wasn’t there.  In order for you to experience it, I asked Inna, my Ukrainian connection, to translate it.

 

 

 

 

ГђЕѕГђВЅГђ° ГђВЅГђ°Р“ђВґГђµР“ђВІГђ°Р“С’µР“‘‚ чуÐ»Р“ђВєГђВё, ГђВё ГђВЅГђ°Р“‘Ñ‚упÐ°Р“С’µР“‘‚ осÐµР“ђВЅГ‘Е’;

спÐ»Р“ђВѕГ‘Л†ГђВЅГђВѕГђВ№ ГђВєГђ°Р“ђВїГ‘€Ð¾Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ñ‹Ð¹ ГђВґГђВѕГђ¶Р“ђВґГ‘Е’ вокруг.

ГђЛњ чÐµР“ђВј Гђ±Р“ђВѕГђ»Р“‘Е’Г‘Л†Гђµ Гђ°Р“‘Ñ„Ð°Р“С’»Р“‘ŒÑ‚ ГђВІГђВЅГђµ сÐµР“С’±Р“‘ВЏ от оспин,

Ñ‚ÐµР“ђВј Г‘ЕЅГђ±Р“ђВєГђ° ГђВґГђ»Р“ђВёГђВЅГђВЅГђµР“С’Р’в„– ГђВё острÐµР“С’Р’в„– ГђВєГђ°Р“С’±Р“С’»Р“‘Ж’ГђВє.

Иосиф Бродский, 1993 г.

 

She starts wearing stockings, and autumn befalls;

Convergently, nylons are raining as screen.

The harder street pavement is dented with pocks,

the longer runs skirt and sharper the heel.

by Joseph Brodsky, 1993  (translated by Inna)

 

Inna’s Note:  3rd line could also be interpreted as follows: street pavement is raging/angry from/through pocks.  (ГђВІ Гђ·Р“С’°Р“ђВІГђВёГ‘Ð¸Ð¼Ð¾ÑÑ‚и от Гђ·Р“ђВЅГђ°Р“‘‡ÐµР“ђВЅГђВёГ‘ВЏ «Р“ђВІГђВЅГђµ сÐµР“С’±Р“‘ВЏ» – то Гђ»Р“С’Р’С‘ ГђВІГђВЅГђµ сÐµР“С’±Р“‘ВЏ от Гђ·Р“С’»Р“ђВѕГ‘Ñ‚и, то Гђ»Р“С’Р’С‘ ГђВІГђВЅГђµ сÐµР“С’±Р“‘ВЏ, Ñ‚.ГђВє. сÐ°Р“ђВј ГђВЅГђ° сÐµР“С’±Р“‘ВЏ ГђВЅГђµ похож.)

Is there anyone here who would like to put forward their own translation?  We’d love to hear your comments.