Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Russian term or phrase:
Жизнь не мила
English translation:
sick of life
Added to glossary by
PaulinaK
Dec 8, 2010 09:13
13 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Russian term
Жизнь не мила
Russian to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
"Мне в этот вечер жизнь была не мила...я сидела как каменная, слез не было, а только какая-то безнадежность."
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
49 mins
Kiwiland Bear
New Zealand
New Zealand
Native in Russian
New Zealand
Translation with excellence
Native in: Russian
Works in: Russian to English, English to Russian, French to English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
32
Selected
sick of life
.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you!"
7 mins
Anton Shcheglov
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Native in Russian
Zimbabwe
English—Russian
Native in: Russian
Works in: English to Russian, Russian to English, Russian
Related KudoZ points
:
4
no reason to live
Одна из версий.
Example sentence:
I was suicidal because I felt I had no reason to live and when I asked my psychiatrists to explain my purpose in life, they had no answer, just told my mom I was too violent, too disturbed to live at home, I was dangerous.
7 mins
life was not dear
That night my life was not dear to me....
RPO -- John Greenleaf Whittier : Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyl
I can truly say, on that occasion, at that time, my life was not dear to me, and that I was serious and ingenuous in my proposition: and as I was leaning ...
https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/html/1807/.../poem2302.ht... - Cached - Similar
1 hr
Nikolai Muraviev
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Native in Russian
Russian Federation
Translator since 1996
Native in: Russian (Variant: Standard-Russia)
Works in: English to Russian, Russian to English, Russian
... life was not pleasant...
.
1 hr
Serge Vazhnenko
Ukraine
Ukraine
Native in Russian
Ukraine
HAPPINESS IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD
Native in: Russian 
, Ukrainian
Works in: English to Russian, English to Ukrainian
I was extremely vexed
To tell you the truth, I found this translation for another old Russian saying, 'жизни не рад' (it is vey close in meaning, isn't it?) in Complete Russian-English Dictionary by A. Alexandrov (1904).
3 hrs
It was so heavy on my heart...
similar
12 mins
life feels/I feel really gloomy
Мне в этот вечер жизнь была не мила — that night I felt really gloomy
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Note added at 3 hrs (2010-12-08 13:07:27 GMT)
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Also "doom and gloom", "gloom and doom"
— http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/doom-and-gloom.html
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Note added at 3 hrs (2010-12-08 13:07:27 GMT)
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Also "doom and gloom", "gloom and doom"
— http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/doom-and-gloom.html
4 hrs
That was a very hard night for me
meaning - an emotionally difficult period
5 hrs
life was misery (see below)
The complete sentence:
"That evening my life was misery ... I was sitting stone dead, with no tears, feeling just hopeless."
misery = intense unhappiness, discomfort, or suffering
(various dictionaries)
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Note added at 5 час (2010-12-08 14:45:41 GMT)
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Idioms with "stone":
The widespread idiom "stone dead" (literally = unquestionably dead) is also used figuratively to describe a state of being absolutely motionless
Example:
They soon discover their pal Ned, sitting stone-dead from shock, holding the winning ticket
see
http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/01-99/01-09-99/b05a...
Variant:
"stone cold" instead of "stone dead"
Examples:
1. "The lasting image of school board members sitting stone cold silent in front of hundreds of parents..."
see
http://peicanada.com/second_opinion_paul_macneill_publisher/...
2. "After about an hour of sitting stone cold in my chair, I swear I heard her voice"
see
http://www.psychic-experiences.com/real-psychic-story.php?st...
"That evening my life was misery ... I was sitting stone dead, with no tears, feeling just hopeless."
misery = intense unhappiness, discomfort, or suffering
(various dictionaries)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 час (2010-12-08 14:45:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Idioms with "stone":
The widespread idiom "stone dead" (literally = unquestionably dead) is also used figuratively to describe a state of being absolutely motionless
Example:
They soon discover their pal Ned, sitting stone-dead from shock, holding the winning ticket
see
http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/01-99/01-09-99/b05a...
Variant:
"stone cold" instead of "stone dead"
Examples:
1. "The lasting image of school board members sitting stone cold silent in front of hundreds of parents..."
see
http://peicanada.com/second_opinion_paul_macneill_publisher/...
2. "After about an hour of sitting stone cold in my chair, I swear I heard her voice"
see
http://www.psychic-experiences.com/real-psychic-story.php?st...
6 hrs
17 hrs
life was miserable ...
"That evening my life was miserable ... I was sitting like a rock, without tears, without any hope."
9 hrs
Rachel Douglas
United States
United States
Native in English
Works in field
United States
Excellent English from Russian originals
Native in: English (Variants: British, Australian, US)
Works in: Russian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
84
Life was no bowl of cherries for me that evening...
This is a departure from the simplicity of the original, but it might work, depending on the rest of the context.
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Note added at 1 day8 hrs (2010-12-09 17:17:08 GMT)
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For Lana (continued):
If you do a search in Google Books for "Life is not a bowl of cherries," there are hundreds of examples of this usage.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q="life is not a bowl of cherri...
One of the more somber ones goes like this:
"For Sarah, the word sacrifice holds dark and unhappy meanings. It reminds her of the unhappy experiences of her childhood. Life is 'not a bowl of cherries,' her parents told her as they constantly spoke about how immigration, hard times, and the Holocaust had affected their family and friends."
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Note added at 1 day8 hrs (2010-12-09 17:17:08 GMT)
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For Lana (continued):
If you do a search in Google Books for "Life is not a bowl of cherries," there are hundreds of examples of this usage.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q="life is not a bowl of cherri...
One of the more somber ones goes like this:
"For Sarah, the word sacrifice holds dark and unhappy meanings. It reminds her of the unhappy experiences of her childhood. Life is 'not a bowl of cherries,' her parents told her as they constantly spoke about how immigration, hard times, and the Holocaust had affected their family and friends."
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
LanaUK
: I think, this expression sounds with a touch of irony and thus diminishes the person's grief,takes the depth of her sorrow,and thus doesn't render the meaning of the original.
22 hrs
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Thanks for commenting. "Life is not a bowl of cherries" is a cliche often used in grave circumstances. Somewhat like the title of the novel, "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" on profound mental illness. As noted, "might work" dep. on context. See Note.
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Discussion
* sick of life *
VS.
* no reason to live *
I decided to go with the 1st option, because it sounds less harsh and dramatic (the author wasn't suicidal, just depressed).