Piglet and Pooh

So now, I am reading Winnie the Pooh stories - for the first time in my life. And I cannot help but notice how different is the English text of A.A. Milne from the Russian adaptation of the same story. (I call it adaptation because the Russian translation by B. Zakhoder is in fact very and very different from the English original)And one point where it is so different is the dynamics of relationship between Pooh and his friend Piglet. In the Russian story, and that is the story I learnt first, both from the printed text and from the Soviet cartoons, their relationship is perfectly harmonious. Piglet loves Pooh, and loves him blindly. There is never any sort of disagreement, or jealousy, or competition among them. Just the pure, unadulterated blissBut that’s not how the English original looks at all. Because in the English original, there absolutely is, jealousy, and rivalry, and competition and even the conflict of interests between the two friends.And it could not be otherwise.…