# Alexandre Reznikov Martian Canals

Андрей Александрович Пряхин

By Alexandre Reznikov THE WAR OF THE MANDATE OF HEAVEN. INTERLUDE-1. MARTIAN CANALS Александр Резников ВОЙНА ЗА НЕБЕСНЫЙ МАНДАТ. ИНТЕРЛЮДИЯ-1. МАРСИАНСКИЕ КАНАЛЫ. http://artofwar.ru/r/reznikov_a/nebesnii_mandat.shtml

Пряхин Андрей Александрович

Alexandre Reznikov Martian Canals

Origin: http://samlib.ru/p/prjahin_a_a/mandofheavanmarscan.shtml

Создан: 31/03/2019, изменен: 19/04/2019, 22k

Поэма: Переводы

By Alexandre Reznikov THE WAR OF THE MANDATE OF HEAVEN. INTERLUDE-1. MARTIAN CANALS Александр Резников ВОЙНА ЗА НЕБЕСНЫЙ МАНДАТ. ИНТЕРЛЮДИЯ-1. МАРСИАНСКИЕ КАНАЛЫ. http://artofwar.ru/r/reznikov_a/nebesnii_mandat.shtml

____________________________________________________________

Александр Резников ВОЙНА ЗА НЕБЕСНЫЙ МАНДАТ.

By Alexandre Reznikov THE WAR OF THE MANDATE OF HEAVEN

http://artofwar.ru/r/reznikov_a/nebesnii_mandat.shtml

http://artofwar.ru/r/reznikov_a/nebesnii_mandat.shtml#P8

Интерлюдия-1. Марсианские каналы. Оставив дом на берегу и космодром в своем улусе, летел на Марс Пу Cянь с Вань Гу. Вань Гу как Лось. Пу Cянь как Гусев. В эпоху Тан, а может, Цин, назло далекому поэту, построил скромный Мандарин технологичную ракету. Пронзив Великое Кольцо на звездолётном аппарате, на Марсе грохнулось Яйцо. -- Такая рифма, вашу матерь, -- Пу Cянь заметил, раздражен. -- Здесь приключений выше крыши! Надеюсь, Эдмонд Гамильтон о нас роман еще напишет. И путешествие с Земли в романе том поставит точку. Супруг чудесной Брэккет Ли! Нам посвяти хотя бы строчку! Пу Cянь помыслы чисты. На Марс пришел с душою светлой. Над ним, в просторах пустоты, горит огнем звезда Талцетл. Он посмотрел по сторонам. -- Небезопасное начало! Я вижу опустевший храм и марсианские каналы. Водой каналы не полны - сплошной песок и мелкий камень. А в храме том богам войны давно молились марсиане. В ответ сирен раздался вой! Напоминающий кого-то, шагнул треножник боевой, провел лучом по звездолету. Но воевавший столько лет, наш персонаж остался целым! Пу Cянь открыл огонь в ответ из пистолета "Парабеллум". В его стволе таился адЪ, врагу неведомые силы. В колпак ударился снаряд - и марсианина убило. Так наступил конец врагу. Он помер рядом с тем каналом. И восхищается Вань Гу непобедимым генералом: --Ты просто снайпер-ватерпас! Про подвиг твой напишут сказку! -- Враги пустили черный газ! Мой друг, одень скорее маску, --Пу Cянь ответил, бледнокож. Но что скрывается за фразой? Пу Cяня газом не спугнешь, он сам врагов отравит газом. И только ветер, величав, разносит вопли "Улла!... Улла!..." Читатель, это прочитав, не упади на пол со стула. Так был треножник побежден. Но вот пошли за ним в атаку американец Картер Джон и Дочка Тысячи Джеддаков. За ними Факсон, Эдсель, Парк и абсолютные Синтеты. Стоит на горизонте Сарк, пока хранит свои секреты -- пока! В гробу видавший Марс, и даже в рабстве непреклонный, неустрашимый Мэтью Карс, сжимая Шпагу Рианона, из тьмы веков, совсем один, грядет с финальным приговором. И взгляд принцессы Иваин его сверлит с немым укором. Сверкая глазом в темноте, и в приговор еще не веря, сердито Миссис Ттт во двор распахивает двери. На сотнях тысяч кораблей, в последний бой, как солнце жаркий, Армады Звездных Королей несут огонь по воле Старка. За ним следит холодный ум. Но ожидают результата - и Скелетоидный Сасум, и Марсианский Гладиатор, что захватил на Марсе власть, и планы гнусные расстроил! И Аэлита отдалась непобедимому герою. |  | Interlude-1. Martian Canals After abandoning their hood, the riverside spaceport in their ulus, it is to Mars that they both flew, Wan Hu as Los. Pu Xian as Gusev. In time of Tang, or, maybe, Qing, just to revenge upon a distant poet, a China"s modest Mandarin built a high-tech and three-stage rocket. Been thrust into the Great Ring`s dust aboard hi-tec starprobe spear the Egg crashed down right on Mars. --`What fucking senseless rhymes!`-- Pu Xian remarked being irritated. `There"ll be adventures more than one can think of. I"d like to have a novel written about us by Edmond Hamilton. Our flight to Mars, I feel, could finish the whole story. O spouse of our prettiest Brackett Leigh! Please share with us a handful of your glory! Pu Xian`s intentions are that noble. He came to Mars to grasp the nettle. And over him, in space of void, there blazes the red star Taltsetl. He looked around for a second. -- A rather dangerous inception! I see but a deserted temple. The Martian channels! The canals have got no water, just sandy gravel and fine ashes. As if the martial gods not worshipped by Martians in the temple for ages. The sirens shrieked in response! Quite recognizable, a fighting tripod laid its course. And grazed with beam the spaceship"s covering. But being experienced in battles our character was unimpaired! Pu Xian returned the fire bravely. He fired pistol Parabellum. Its barrel fraught with hell released the shell unknown for enemy. The tripod"s hood was simply smashed, there was shaped the Martian"s destiny. It was the end of that yahoo who died close to that very channel. How could conceal his joy Wan Hu, seeing the unconquerable general? -- You are a perfect sniper and an unerring eye! Your feat of arms must be by storytellers sung! -- The enemies have used the toxic gas, oh my! ... - My friend, put on your breathing mask at once! That"s what white-skinned Pu Xian breathed out. But what was implication of that phrase? The toxic agents only make Pu Xian chill out, he can himself spray gas in any hostile face. The wind triumphantly spreads lonely outcries of the E.T.s` `Ulla, ulla ...`. My reader, after reading this, be kind as not to fall from your high stool, eh! Thus was that tripod overthrown. Then after he had rushed forth in attack, American John Carter, the Daughter of ten thousand jeddaks supported him along with Faxon, Edsel, Park. Besides, there absolutely were the Sintets. There heaved in sight on the horizon Sark who still before the time had come preferred to keep the secrets. And never caring a damn about Mars, uncompromising even when in bonds and all alone, undaunted hero Mathew Carse who kept the Sword of Rhiannon came forth to hold a final court. Lady Ywain`s unsaid reproach upon him was given by a piercing look of hers. The eye of angry Mrs. TTT twinkled in the dark when she made front door open. She didn"t believe that she would dree her weird without hope. On board of hundreds, thousands spaceships to final combat, hot as ire, armadas of the Star Kings bring by will of Stark their mortal fire. Cold Mind wants Stark to fight the Gloom. But he is valued as a fighter as well by Skeletons out of Sasoom, and by the Martian Gladiator who once usurped all power on Mars and thwarted foul play con brio. And Aelita yielded t`once to an unconquerable hero.

On Mars

COMMENTS

As a postmodernist author and, at the same time, author making parodies of the postmodernist style Alexandre Reznikov

uses characters and places well-known for the classical and pulp sci-fi fiction, but his quasi-naïve novel imitating mass

British sc-fi writer Herbert Wells, he is the most to say the least!

culture works and full of allusions related to the novels and feature films by Alexei Tolstoy, Yakov Protazanov, H.G. Wells,

Edgar Rice Burroughs, Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett Douglass, Robert Sheckley, Ray Bradbury, implies one more

Ray Bradbury

writer never mentioned in his text. I mean great American postmodernist novelist William Seward Burroughs (also known

by his pen name William Lee) who in the 60s of the 20 c. created such masterpieces as Naked Lunch, The Soft Machine,

The Ticket That Exploded.

William Seward Burroughs

It`s a literature for intellectuals, to read it is hard, `cuz there are too many long words. Yet Burroughs-Lee uses abundant

sci-fi fiction allusions as one of his main literary convention, and Alexandre Reznikov borrows that very method from

that very Burroughs. Why does he do it? The reason is obvious as an orange, it`s very helpful in his attempts to

comprehend the blivets of the human life, in his interpretation of the paradoxes and problems of the world. A point of

view of an intellectual simpleton, imitation of such a position. Space, time, a bird`s view observation, an excellent military

officer`s helicopter skills behind a hippy`s pipe dream. Plus mistification in life and literature. As a result a great

success in the Russian-reading world.

Ulus - the former administrative unit of some ethnic groups in Siberia (Russia) and Mongolia.

Uncle Sam: Tell me my future! Lady Fortune-teller: I wish I could! But I can`t understand that fucking Chinese!

Wan Hu (萬虎), Pu Xian (蒲鲜) - main characters of the present novel. Pu Xian is a general who lived in the 13th c. As

to Wan Hu legend has it that sometime in the 16th c. a Ming court official called Wan Hu tried to take advantage of China's

advanced rocket and fireworks technology to launch himself into outer space and become the first astronaut by strapping

47 black powder rockets to a chair and taking a ride. The crater Wan-Hoo on the far side of the Moon is named after him.

Los` - family name of a character of Alexei Tolstoy`s sci-fi novel "Aelita" (original title Аэлита) (1924) and of the same

Count Alexei Tolstoy, author of the novel `Aelita`

name first Russian sci-fi film by Yakov Protazanov. Los` is an engineer and natural scientist, intellectual, individualist

dreamer.

Gusev - name of a character of Alexei Tolstoy`s sci-fi novel "Aelita" and of the same name first Russian sci-fi film by

Yakov Protazanov. Gusev is the revolutionary who travels to Mars with Los` and begins an uprising there after having

offered Aelita to lead the revolution, but she then establishes her own totalitarian regime.

By the way, it is unexpectedly and very much reminds of the USA govt.`s policy in Ukraine. Why not? Every state

revolt is just a social technology and technique, a kind prestidigitation and manipulation with the unsecured returns.

Besides, are you sure that it`s not the extraterrestrials in the shadow of this scheme, what if they also liked to read that

Russian book and watch that motion picture? Alas, they mustn`t have read it to the back.

Tang - a dynasty which ruled China in 618-906, a period noted for territorial conquest and great wealth and regarded as the

Golden Age of the Chinese poetry and art.

Qing - a dynasty established by the Manchus that ruled China in 1644-1912.

Mandarin - Chinese Emperor.

the Great Ring` is a system of the interstellar communication in Ivan Efremov`s novel `The Andromeda Nebula` (Иван

Ефремов "Туманность Андромеды").

Edmond Hamilton - Edmond Moore Hamilton, an outstanding sci-fi author, USA.

Edmond Moore Hamilton and Leigh Brackett Douglass

Brekket Leigh - Leigh Brackett Douglass, an outstanding sci-fi author, USA, and wife of Edmond Hamilton. (See

`Leigh Brackett's Planetary Romances` by Andrew Liptak http://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/leigh-bracketts-

planetary-romances/)

Leigh Brackett Douglass (Brekket Leigh)

Taltsetl - name of a burning star in the sky of Mars from Alexei Tolstoy`s sci-fi novel "Aelita", it sounds in the

Aztec way very much.

Martian channels - canals on (the planet of) Mars, Mars Channels.

Alien tripod illustration by Alvim Corréa, from the 1906 French edition of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds"

Tripod - a walking machine issuing laser beams used by the Martians for killing people from H.G. Wells' novel "War

of the Worlds"(Great Britain).

Parabellum

Parabellum - German trademark, a masterpiece automatic pistol or machine gun produced since early 20 c. in

Switzerland, Germany, Austria and USA and invented by Austrian engineer Georg Johann Luger from the C-90

prototype of Hugo Borchardt after meeting the sharp criticism from the USA industrialists in 1894.

Georg Johann Luger

Main pistol of the German army in the WW1 and WW2. Its name originates from Latin words para bellum that

means `for war` and relates to the Latin maxim of `Si vis pacem, para bellum (If you want to enjoy peace be ready

for the war)`. http://www.lugerforum.com/history.html.

Ulla, ulla- gloomy howling cries of the Martians from H.G. Wells' novel "War of the Worlds".

Edgar Rice Burroughs

John Carter - Edgar Rice Burroughs`character from the novel The Princess of Mars

The daughter of ten thousand jeddaks - The Princess of Mars from the same name novel by oustanding sci-fi

author Edgar Rice Burroughs, USA (1917)

Faxon, Edsel, Park - characters from Robert Sheckley`s The Last Weapon.

The absolute Sintets - characters of Robert Sheckley`s The Last Weapon.

Robert Sheckley

Sark - it`s not a British clipper ship The Cutty Sark, but human kingdom of Sark, once a refuge for thieves

and pirates, empire of Sark from the Mars novels by Leigh Brackett Douglass (like Sea-kings of Mars, Shadow

Over Mars, etc.).

the Sword of Rhiannon - The Sword of Rhiannon is a science fiction novel by Leigh Brackett Douglass, set

in her usual venue of Mars. Rhiannon is the Martian god.

Matt Carse - a character from Leigh Brackett Douglass` novel The Sword of Rhiannon.

Lady Ywain - a character from Leigh Brackett Douglass` novel The Sword of Rhiannon.

Mrs. TTT - a character from Ray Bradbury`s The Martian Chronicles.

Stark - Eric John Stark is a character created by the science fiction author Leigh Brackett Douglass. 'Stark

is the hero of a series of pulp adventures set in a time when the Solar System has been colonized. His origin

story shares some characteristics with feral characters such as Mowgli and Tarzan; his adventures take place

in the shared space opera planets of 1940s and 1950s science fiction'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_John_Stark

The Star Kings - from the novel (a space opera) of The Star Kings by Edmond Hamilton.

Skeletons of Sasoom - from Edgar Rice Burroughs` novel Skeleton Men of Jupiter, Sasoom - Jupiter.

the Martian Gladiator - a character of the short story 'Martian Quest' by Leigh Brackett Douglass.

con brio - with vigor in Italian.

Aelita - name of a Martian female character of Alexei Tolstoy`s sci-fi novel "Aelita" and of the same name

first Russian sci-fi film by Yakov Protazanov. Aelita is the daughter of Tuskub, the ruler of a totalitarian state

on Mars. With a telescope, Aelita is able to watch Los` with whom he fell in love and she sends him a

mysterious radio message from Mars, and Los` builds a spaceship.

____________________________________________________________

© Пряхин Андрей Александрович. Alexandre Reznikov Martian Canals

Origin: http://samlib.ru/p/prjahin_a_a/mandofheavanmarscan.shtml

Создан: 31/03/2019, изменен: 19/04/2019, 22k

Поэма: Переводы