top of page
Writer's pictureCorbin Allardice

Nadirisms 32-35: Naked Thought & The Lazy Real

32nd Nadirism:


There are those who think in thoughts and those who think in words.Those who think in thoughts set out on a fruitless path. Because as soon as they have thought up a thought, they must find words with which to clothe it. And by the time they have devised suitable verbal clothing, their naked thought has already caught a cold, begun coughing, and left this world in its prime. It is better to be one of those who think in words. Words are agile and light of foot. As soon as a word has been thought up, it will have already found its own thought.


Es zenen farn mentshn vos denken in gedanken un es zenen farn mentshn vos denken in verter. Di vos denken in gedanken leygn-uf umzistn veg. Vayl nokhdem vi der gedank iz shoyn oysgedenkt hobn zey ersht nit keyn verter far dem gedank in velkhe im ontsuton. Un biz vanet zey hobn oysgedenkt di pasike vort-kleyder hot zikh der oysgedenkter naketer gedank darvayl farkilt, hot ongehoybn hustn un iz gegangen fun der velt yungerhayt. Gut iz di vos denken in verter. Verter zenen flinke gringfiike layt. Koym iz dos vort oysgedenkt vet es shoyn zayn gedank gefinen aleyn fun zikh.


33rd Nadirism:


I have clearly shown that the truth is stronger than fiction. However, we must be able to invent it--the truth, that is--because life is, on the whole, too lazy to do so.


Ikh hob befeyresh bavizn, az der emes iz shterker fun fiktsye. Nor voden: m’darf im konen oystrakhtn--dem emes, vayl dos lebn foylt zikh a bisl.


34th Nadirism:


...You claim that that which you describe in your manuscript has in fact happened to you? If that is the case, my dear friend, then a lie has happened to you.


...ir zogt, az dos vos ir bashraybt in ayer eskiz, hot mit aykh aleyn pasirt? Oyb azoy, mayn liber fraynd, hot mit aykh pasirt a lign!


35th Nadirism:


My protagonists’ names--in those works of mine where there are such things--are almost always invented [and fictitious.] A certain feeling prevents me from “deceiving” the reader and telling them: this person is named this or that. Unless I am writing biography; then I tend to provide the essential “truth,” together with my--desired truth.


Di nemen fun mayne heldn--dortn vu es zenen do ba mir azelkhe--zenen kimat shtendik oysgetrakhte. Epes a gefil halt mikh krik fun “opnarn” dem leyener un zogn im: der mentsh heyst azoy un azoy. Saydn ven ikh shrayb biografye; demolt gib ikh oft dem esentsivstn “emes,” in eynem mit mayn...vuntsh-emes.


By Moyshe Nadir

Translated by Corbin Allardice


Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page