zi-si-zis-sis-zir-sir-ris-riz.* Bely notes: "Almost all of the significations are taken by me from Benseler Wörterbuch der Griechischen Eigennamen. 1884 Braunschweig. I refer the reader to the handbook." Bely really means: Dr. W. Pape, Woerterbuch der Griechischen Eigennamen, Dritter-Vierter Band of Handwoerterbuch der Griechischen Sprache, in vier Baenden, Dritte Auflage, neu bearbeitet von Dr. Gustav Eduard Benseler (Braunschweig, 1884). I have consulted the original but was unable to find where or how Bely arrived as this combination of syllables or his conclusion that they are "solar" roots. Bely will have recourse to this work for his lists of proper names of Egyptian pharaohs.
"Zar" is zir; vzir, to gaze [vzirat'], gazing at [doziran'e] (and vision [zrenie], and zrak); inscribed in the root itself is: vision [zrenie] -- it ripens [sozrevaet] under the sun, like a grain of grass [zlak]; Pokorny (1, 441-442). Note the Russian word [zret'] is a homonym meaning both 'to see" and "to ripen."
Shiraz In the text we find this proper noun spelled three different ways-a clear indication of some confusion on the part of the typesetters or editor. After consulting with Swetlana Geier, the masterful translator from Russian into German, I believe that Bely must be referring to the city of Shiraz, an important center as early as the 4th century BC, but it attained its greatest prestige as an Islamic cultural center from the late 7th century AD on. It was the capital of the Zand dynasty (1750-94). capital of the province of Fars, southwestern Iran, lies in a fold of the Zagros Mountains.
si" is -- shining Russian [si-yanie]
sier -- ciel. French "ciel" means "sky, heavens."
assir is -- blood (in a dialect of Latin) I have not found this reference in Latin dictionaries. But there is a note to the electronic version of Merriam-Webster, that "ancient Latins called blood assir."
Isis: Izida in Russian (she is -- fertility). Egyptian deity of the earth and moon, the mother goddess of female fertility and nature. She is often depicted wearing on her head the horns of a cow, encircled by either a lunar or solar disk. Bely was well versed in the occult literature of his day, including Isis Unveiled by H. P. Blavatsky (1877). For more on the connections between the occult, Steiner and Egypt in Bely's works see: Evelies Schmidt, Ägypten und ägyptishe Mythologie-Bilder der Transition im Werk Andrej Belys (München: 1986). The homepage of the Theosophical Society in America also has a a link to a valuable glossary of occult terms.
The move from "vision" to "life" via words for "divine, wonder" are based on Indo-European roots. Cf. Pokorny (183-186, 467, 468). The day is related to life. *guei-is related to live, leben, vivio, heilen, heal, halth. and *guiou- is related to bio-, vital, de(i) for deity, divinity. In many Indo-European languages there is a close connection between the deity, the sky (heavens) and the day. Cf. Meillet, (364-365) and Brugmann (83, 85, 88, 89, 112).
dies Latin "day."
diuus old Latin "deiuos" "deity"
day Russian [den']
divine-wonder Russian [divo]
dzivo A Russian transliteration of the Polish?
Creator/Designer Russian [zizhditel'] The Russian refers to the Creator. "Designer" helps preserve the progression of sounds in the passage.
it creates/designs life Russian [sozizh-det' zhi-zn']
alive Russian [zhivoy]
lively Russian [zhivo]
dzhiva (the life giving juice)
dyam is "sky" (Sanskrit). I have found "dyaus" for "life."
"Siris" is the sun city? Siris is an ancient name for the Nile River in Egypt.
"Osiris" is -- Oziris Egyptian god of the male productive force in nature, became identified with the setting sun. Also the ruler of the realm of the dead in the mysterious region below the western horizon. Osiris was the brother and husband of Isis.
he is -- Ozir, the One-Who-Gazes-Around. Russian [Ozirayushchij]
Ch-rys-os is -- golden chrysos Greek "gold"
rizas The precious metal covering of the Russian icon.
Bely really means: Dr. W. Pape, Woerterbuch der Griechischen Eigennamen, Dritter-Vierter Band of Handwoerterbuch der Griechischen Sprache, in vier Baenden, Dritte Auflage, neu bearbeitet von Dr. Gustav Eduard Benseler (Braunschweig, 1884).