????????́??: rest, quiet, peace, calm, serenity
Yup, that's what we need this year — ??????????: some inner calm, peace and serenity to get us through what are sure to be 12 tough months. Is inflation going to peak in March or April? What else will the Duma ban, now that lace undies and most foreign organizations are out? And will Americans continue to be blamed for every crime on earth, from the dawn of time? It's enough to drive a person mad.
But instead, I'm going to channel ??????????. But first it might be nice to understand exactly what the word means and how to use it.
?????????? is one of those versatile Russian words that can be either very easy or rather tough to translate. On the easy side, ?????????? can mean a state of rest when you aren't working: ?? ?€?°?±???‚?°?» ?? ???‚?€?° ???? ???µ?‡?µ?€?°, ???µ ?·???°?? ???? ???µ?????????‹ ??????????. (I worked from dawn to dusk without a moment's rest.)
This state of rest and relaxation might come at the end of a long career. ?????????? can mean retirement — that well-deserved rest bosses talk about as they hand over the gold watch — or gold-plated watch these days. Sometimes the pension is not welcome: ???????€?‚???µ???°?? Lexus IS F ?????‘?» ???° ?????????? ???·-?·?° ?????·?????… ???€?????°?¶. (The sports sedan Lexus IS F sold so badly that it was put out to pasture.)
But ?????????? can also refer to the peace that is long-lasting: ?’?µ?‡???‹?? ?????????? ?µ???? ?? ?†?°?€???‚???? ???µ?±?µ???????µ! (May he have eternal rest in the kingdom of heaven!)
?????????? can also refer to a place of refuge or retreat. In the old days — the really old days — people spoke about ?†?°?€???????? or ?¶?µ?????????? ?????????? (the tsar's or women's chamber) — rooms for sleeping or relaxing. Now that isn't used much outside palaces. Actually, modern palaces probably have ?±?µ???€?????‹.
But ?????????? as a chamber has remained in use in one place — the hospital. ???€???‘?????‹?? ?????????? is the room where you get admitted to a hospital after signing a bunch of papers and consigning your street-clothes to the coat-check. ???»?° ???? ???»???†?µ, ?????°?»?°, ???‡?????»?°???? ?? ???€???‘???????? ?????????µ. (I was walking down the street, fell and woke up in hospital admissions.)
?????????? can be what you hope to find ?? ???????????… (chambers) — an atmosphere of serenity, usually without loud noises or hustle and bustle. ?”???? — ???‚?? ???µ???‚??, ?????µ ???°?? ?¶???‘?‚ ?????????? ?? ?????‚, ?????µ ???‹ ?????¶?µ?‚?µ ?€?°?????»?°?±???‚?????? ?? ?·?°?±?‹?‚?? ???±?? ?????µ?… ???µ?»?°?…. (A home is a place of serenity and comfort, where you can unwind and forget all your cares.)
And ?????????? is finally what you hope to find in your head or heart, or wherever inner peace abides. ?’?????‚?€?? ???°?? — ??????????, ?° ?????°?€???¶?? — ?±???????°?? ?¶???·????. (Inside us is serenity, while outside life is bustling along.) ?’???‘, ?‡?‚?? ?…???‡?? — ?????€ ?? ??????????. (All I want is peace and quiet.)
The problem is that people and events are constantly disturbing that peace. In Russian this is ???µ ???°???°?‚?? ?????????? (literally, to not give peace), which can be translated variously. ?’???????????????°?????? ?? ???€?????»???? ???µ ???°???‚ ?µ???? ??????????. (Memories of the past haunt him.) ?”?µ?‚?? ???µ ???°???‚ ?????µ ???? ?????????‚?‹ ??????????. (The kids don't give me a moment's peace.) ???? ???µ ???°?‘?‚ ?????µ ??????????. (He keeps bothering me.) ??‚?? — ?????‚???°?†????, ???µ ???°???‰?°?? ??????????. (It's a nerve-wracking situation.) ???????»???¶?????µ?† ???µ ???°?‘?‚ ?µ?? ??????????. (Her co-worker keeps harassing her.)
All you can say is: ?????‚?°???? ???µ???? ?? ?????????µ! (Leave me alone!)
Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.