My son, my son. When I had my son I would explain all that to him when he was starry enough to like understand. But then I knew he would not understand or would not want to understand at all and would do all the veshches I had done, yes perhaps even killing some poor starry forella surrounded with mewing kots and koshkas, and I would not be able to really stop him. And nor would he be able to stop his own son, brothers. And so it would itty on to like the end of the world, round and round and round, like some bolshy gigantic like chelloveck, like old Bog Himself (by courtesy of Korova Milkbar) turning and turning and turning a vonnny grahzny orange in his gigantic rookers.
But first of all, brothers, there was this veshch of finding some devotchka or other who would be a mother to this son. I would have to start on that tomorrow, I kept thinking. That was something like new to do. That was something I would have to get started on, a new like chapter beginning.
That’s what it’s going to be then, brothers, as I come to the like end of this tale. You have been everywhere with your little droog Alex, suffering with him, and you have viddied some of the most grahzny bratchnies old Bog ever made, all on to your old droog Alex. And all it was was that I was young. But now as I end this story, brothers, I am not young, not no longer, oh no. Alex like groweth up, oh yes.
But where I itty now, O my brothers, is all on my oddy knocky, where you cannot go. Tomorrow is all like sweet flowers and the turning vonny earth and the stars and the old Luna up there and your old droog Alex all on his oddy knocky seeking like a mate. And all that cal. A terrible grahzny vonny world, really, O my brothers. And so farewell from your little droog. And to all others in this story profound shooms of lipmusic brrrrrr. And they can kiss my shames. But you, O my brothers, remember sometimes thy little Alex that was. Amen. And all that cal.
Glossary of Nadsat Language
Words that do not appear to be of Russian origin are distinguished by asterisks. (For help with the Russian, I am indebted to the kindness of my colleague Nora Montesinos and a number of correspondents.)
appy polly loggy—apology
baboochka—old woman
baddiwad—bad
banda—band
bezoomny—mad
biblio—library
bitva—battle
Bog—God
bolnoy—sick
bolshy—big, great
brat, bratty—brother
bratchny—bastard
britva—razor
brooko—belly
brosay—to throw
bugatty—rich
cal—feces
cancer—cigarette
cantora—office
carman—pocket
chai—tea
charles, charlie—chaplain
chasha—cup
chasso—guard
cheena—woman
cheest—to wash
chelloveck—person, man, fellow
chepooka—nonsense
choodesny—wonderful
chumble—to mumble
clop—to knock
cluve—beak
collocoll—bell
crack—to break up or ‘bust’
crark—to yowl?
crast—to steal or rob; robbery
creech—to shout or scream
cutter—money
dama—lady
ded—old man
deng—money
devotchka—girl
dobby—good
dook—trace, ghost
domy—house
dorogoy—dear, valuable
dratsing—fighting
drencrom—drug
droog—friend
dung—to defecate
dva—two
eegra—game
eemya—name
eggiweg—egg
filly—to play or fool with
firegold—drink
fist—to punch
flip—wild?
forella – ‘trout’
gazetta—newspaper
glazz—eye
gloopy—stupid
golly—unit of money
goloss—voice
goober—lip
gooly—to walk
gorlo—throat
govoreet—to speak or talk
grahzny—dirty
grazzy—soiled
gromky—loud
groody—breast
gruppa—group
guff—guffaw
gulliver—head
guttiwuts—guts
hen-korm—chickenfeed
horn—to cry out
horrorshow—good, well
in-out in-out—copulation
interessovat—to interest
itty—to go
jammiwam—jam
jeezny—life
kartoffel—potato
keeshkas—guts
kleb—bread
klootch—key
knopka—button
kopat—to ‘dig’
koshka—cat
kot—tomcat
krovvy—blood
kupet—to buy
lapa—paw
lewdies—people
lighter—crone?
litso—face
lomtick, piece, bit
loveted—caught
lubbilubbing—making love
luscious glory—hair
malchick—boy
malenky—little, tiny
maslo—butter
merzky—filthy
messel—thought, fancy
mesto—place
millicent—policeman
minoota—minute
molodoy—young
moloko—milk
moodge—man
morder—snout
mounch—snack
mozg—brain
nachinat—to begin
nadmenny—arrogant
nadsat—teenage
nagoy—naked
nazz—fool
neezhnies—underpants
nochy—night
noga—foot, leg
nozh—knife
nuking—smelling
oddy knocky—lonesome
odin—one
okno—window
oobivat—to kill
ookadeet—to leave
ooko—ear
oomny—brainy
oozhassny—terrible
oozy—chain
osoosh—to wipe
otchkies—eyeglasses
pan-handle—erection
pee and em—parents
peet—to drink
pishcha—food
platch—to cry
platties—clothes
pletcho—shoulder
plenny—prisoner
plesk—splash
plosh—to splash
plott—body
podooshka—pillow
pol—sex
polezny—useful
polyclef—skeleton key
pony—to understand
poogly—frightened
pooshka – ‘cannon’
prestoopnick—criminal
privodeet—to lead somewhere
smeck—laugh
pretty polly—money
prod—to produce
ptitsa – ‘chick’
pyahnitsa—drunk
rabbit—work, job
radosty—joy
raskazz—story
rassoodock—mind
raz—time
razdraz—upset
razrez—to rip, ripping
rook, rooker—hand, arm
rot—mouth
rozz—policeman
sabog—shoe
sakar—sugar
sammy—generous
sarky—sarcastic
scoteena – ‘cow’
shaika—gang
sharp—female
sharries—buttocks
shest—barrier
shilarny—concern
shive—slice
shiyah—neck
shlem—helmet
shlaga—club
shlapa—hat
shoom – noise
shoot—fool
sinny—cinema
skazat—to say
skolliwoll—school
skorry—quick, quickly
skriking—scratching
skvat—to grab
sladky—sweet
sloochat—to happen
sloosh, slooshy—to hear, to listen
slovo—word
smot—to look
sneety—dream
snoutie—tobacco?
snuff it—to die
sobirat—to pick up
sod—to fornicate, fornicator
soomka – ‘bag’
soviet—advice, order
spat—to sleep
splodge, splosh—splash
spoogy—terrified
Staja—State Jail
starry—ancient
strack—horror
synthemesc—drug
tally—waist
tashtook—handkerchief
tass—cup
tolchock—to hit or push; blow, beating
toofles—slippers
tree—three
vareet—to ‘cook up’
vaysay—washroom
veck—(see chelloveck)
vellocet—drug
veshch—thing
viddy—to see or look
voloss—hair
von—smell
vred—to harm or damage
yahma—hole
yahoodies—Jews
yahzick—tongue
yarbles—testicles
yeckate—to drive
warble—song
zammechat—remarkable
zasnoot—sleep
zheena—wife
zoobies—teeth
zvonock—bellpull
zvook—sound