31Augustавгуста · 31-е августа

1. 1. Как ни страшно это сказать, с искусством нашего времени и круга случилось то, что случается с женщиной, которая свои женские привлекательные свойства, предназначенные для материнства, продает для удовольствия тех, которые льстятся на такие удовольствия.

   Искусство нашего времени и нашего круга стало блудницей. И это сравнение верно до малейших подробностей. Оно так же всегда разукрашено, так же всегда продажно, так же заманчиво и губительно и всегда готово.

   Настоящее произведение искусства может проявляться в душе художника только изредка, как плод предшествующей жизни, точно так же, как зачатие ребенка матерью.

   Поддельное же искусство производится мастерами, ремесленниками безостановочно, только бы были потребители.

   Настоящее искусство не нуждается в украшениях, как жена любящего мужа. Поддельное искусство, как проститутка, должно быть украшено.

   Причиной появления настоящего искусства есть внутренняя потребность выразить накопившееся чувство, как для матери причина полового зачатия есть любовь.

   Причина поддельного искусства есть корысть, точно так же, как и проституции.

   Последствие истинного искусства есть внесенное новое чувство в обиход жизни, как последствие любви жены есть рождение нового человека в жизнь. Последствие поддельного искусства есть развращение человека, ненасытность удовольствий, ослабление духовных сил человека.

   Вот это должны понять люди нашего времени и круга, чтобы избавиться от заливающего нас грязного потока этого развратного, блудного искусства.

   1. Terrible as it is to say it, what has happened to the art of our time and circle is what happens to a woman who sells her womanly attractions, meant for motherhood, for the pleasure of those who are lured by such pleasures.

   The art of our time and our circle has become a harlot. And this comparison holds true down to the smallest detail. It is likewise always decked out, likewise always for sale, likewise alluring and ruinous, and always ready.

   A real work of art can manifest itself in the soul of the artist only now and then, as the fruit of the life that has gone before, just as a child is conceived by its mother.

   Counterfeit art, on the other hand, is produced by craftsmen, by artisans, without stopping, so long as there are consumers.

   Real art needs no adornment, like the wife of a loving husband. Counterfeit art, like a prostitute, has to be adorned.

   The cause of the appearance of real art is the inner need to express a feeling that has built up, as for a mother the cause of sexual conception is love.

   The cause of counterfeit art is greed, just as it is of prostitution.

   The consequence of true art is a new feeling brought into the everyday round of life, as the consequence of a wife’s love is the birth of a new human being into life. The consequence of counterfeit art is the corruption of people, an insatiable craving for pleasures, the weakening of people’s spiritual powers.

   This is what the people of our time and circle must understand, in order to escape the filthy torrent of this depraved, harlot art that is flooding over us.

2. 2. Все попытки добывать себе искусством средства к жизни являются одними из худших и вреднейших путей, избираемых людьми. В каждом поколении немного, очень немного таких людей, к словам которых стоит прислушиваться и произведения которых стоят внимания. И эти немногие будут проповедывать, петь и рисовать вопреки существующему спросу: они охотнее станут голодать, как стрекоза басни, чем перестанут петь; и даже если вы не хотите слушать их, то в силу милосердия должны бросить им несколько крох, чтобы поддержать их жизнь. Но люди, принимающиеся писать или рисовать, чтоб этим путем добыть себе средства к существованию, считают себя более благородными и менее презренными, чем обыкновенные нищие, тогда как они являются в сущности только шумливыми и вредными попрошайками. Я охотно готов платить за содержание наших бедных бродяг в рабочих домах, но не за то, что они жужжат мне в уши своими шарманками и карикатурами, соблазняют молодых девушек своими негодными повестями или приводят весь народ к гибели тысячами квадратных миль грязно напечатанной лжи, которой упиваются люди. Если люди не в силах добывать себе хлеб честным трудом, то пусть не кричат на улицах, а придержат свой язык и скромно протягивают свои праздные руки, и их милостиво накормят.

   Джон Рёскин.

   2. All attempts to earn one’s living by art are among the worst and most harmful paths that people choose. In every generation there are few, very few, people whose words are worth listening to and whose works are worth attention. And these few will preach, sing, and paint regardless of the existing demand: they would sooner starve, like the grasshopper of the fable, than stop singing; and even if you do not want to listen to them, you ought out of mercy to throw them a few crumbs to keep them alive. But people who take to writing or painting in order to get their living that way consider themselves nobler and less contemptible than ordinary beggars, whereas in fact they are only noisy and harmful panhandlers. I am quite willing to pay for the upkeep of our poor vagrants in workhouses, but not for their buzzing in my ears with their barrel organs and caricatures, seducing young girls with their worthless tales, or leading the whole nation to ruin with thousands of square miles of dirtily printed lies, with which people intoxicate themselves. If people are unable to earn their bread by honest labor, let them not shout in the streets, but hold their tongues and humbly hold out their idle hands, and they will be kindly fed.

   John Ruskin.

   From Fors Clavigera, Letter LXVII · reworded by Tolstoy (more).

   What changed

   Those who write or paint for a living, “just by so much more contemptible than common beggars, in that they are noisy and offensive beggars,” become people who “consider themselves nobler and less contemptible than ordinary beggars, whereas in fact they are only noisy and harmful panhandlers”; “because they think it genteel” is left out, and the falsehood printed “every morning at breakfast” becomes lies “with which people intoxicate themselves.”

   Leo Tolstoy as Editor: A different point ›

   John Ruskin’s own words

   These born few will preach, or sing, or paint, in spite of you; they will starve like grasshoppers, rather than stop singing; and even if you don’t choose to listen, it is charitable to throw them some crumbs to keep them alive.

   But the people who take to writing or painting as a means of livelihood, because they think it genteel, are just by so much more contemptible than common beggars, in that they are noisy and offensive beggars.

   I am quite willing to pay for keeping our poor vagabonds in the workhouse; but not to pay them for grinding organs outside my door, defacing the streets with bills and caricatures, tempting young girls to read rubbishy novels, or deceiving the whole nation to its ruin, in a thousand leagues square of dirtily printed falsehood, every morning at breakfast.

   If people cannot make their bread by honest labour, let them at least make no noise about the streets; but hold their tongues, and hold out their idle hands humbly; and they shall be fed kindly.

   Source text: gutenberg.org

   Details

   The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Fors Clavigera, Letter LXVII (July 1876), The summary of the constitution of St. George's Company, under the second condition of Companionship, 'to earn our own living with our own hands'.

   Shortened and changed in several places. Tolstoy starts at Ruskin's 'the attempt so to live is among the worst possible ways they can take of injurious begging', made 'among the worst and most harmful ways people choose', the begging left for later. 'In spite of you' becomes 'in spite of the existing demand' (вопреки существующему спросу); 'they will starve like grasshoppers' becomes 'like the dragonfly of the fable' (как стрекоза басни: Krylov's «Стрекоза и муравей»). Ruskin's 'just by so much more contemptible than common beggars, in that they are noisy and offensive beggars' becomes 'consider themselves nobler and less contemptible than ordinary beggars, whereas they are in essence only noisy and harmful beggars' (считают себя более благородными и менее презренными … тогда как они являются в сущности только шумливыми и вредными попрошайками); 'because they think it genteel' is left out. 'Grinding organs outside my door' becomes 'buzzing in my ears with their barrel organs' (жужжат мне в уши своими шарманками), 'defacing the streets with bills' is left out, 'a thousand leagues square of dirtily printed falsehood, every morning at breakfast' becomes 'thousands of square miles of dirtily printed lies, with which people get drunk' (которой упиваются люди). Ruskin's sentence 'Whatever in literature, art, or religion, is done for money, is poisonous itself' is left out before the close, which Tolstoy keeps.

   (less)

   Translation note. The Russian has «стрекоза», the dragonfly, which sings in Krylov’s telling of the fable known in English as The Grasshopper and the Ant.

3. 3. Свой талант нельзя продавать. Продавая его, вы одновременно становитесь повинны в симонии и в проституции. Вы можете продавать свой труд, но не свою душу.

   Джон Рёскин.

   3. You must not sell your talent. In selling it, you become guilty at once of simony and of prostitution. You may sell your labor, but not your soul.

   John Ruskin.

   From Time and Tide, by Weare and Tyne · shortened by Tolstoy (more).

   John Ruskin’s own words

   Genius must not be sold; the sale of it involves, in a transcendental, but perfectly true, sense, the guilt both of simony and prostitution.

   Your labor only may be sold; your soul must not.

   Source text: gutenberg.org

   Details

   The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Time and Tide, by Weare and Tyne (1867), Letter XV 'The Nature of Theft by Unjust Profits' (29 March 1867), § 81, on men of genius who set their price.

   Shortened. 'Genius' becomes 'your talent' (свой талант); 'in a transcendental, but perfectly true, sense' is left out; 'the sale of it involves the guilt both of simony and prostitution' becomes 'selling it, you become guilty at once of simony and of prostitution'; 'Your labor only may be sold; your soul must not' becomes 'You may sell your labor, but not your soul'. No printable, because words are left out inside the passage.

   (less)

   Translation note. The Russian italic is broken only at punctuation, at the full stops and the comma; it is set here as one span.

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