Aleksandr Nikolaevich Ostrovsky

“ VARVARA. And when you can't bear it, what will you do?
KATERINA. What shall I do?
VARVARA. Yes, what will you do?
KATERINA. Whatever I long to do, I will do.
VARVARA. Just try; why they'd torment you to death.
KATERINA. What do I care! I should go away, and that would be the end of it.
VARVARA. Where would you go? You are a married woman.
KATERINA. Ah, Varia, you don't know me! I pray, of course, it may never come to that! But if I am too miserable here, they would not keep me by any force on earth. I should throw myself out of the window, I should drown myself in the Volga. ”

“ LÍPOCHKA. A man or a woman?
FOMÍNISHNA. You can never see anything but men! Where in the world did one ever see a man wearing a widow's bonnet? This is a widow's affair—so what should her name be?
LÍPOCHKA. Naturally, a woman without a husband, a widow.
FOMÍNISHNA. So I was right? And it comes out that it is a woman!
LÍPOCHKA. What a senseless creature! Well, who is the woman?
FOMÍNISHNA. There, there now, you're clever, but no guesser; it couldn't be anybody else but Ustinya Naúmovna.
LÍPOCHKA. Ah, mamma, how lucky!
AGRAFÉNA KONDRÁTYEVNA. Where has she been all this time? ”

“ BORIS. Kabanova?
KULIGIN. A fanatical hypocrite, sir. She gives to the poor, but her own household she worries to death. (Silence.) All I want, sir, is to find out the secret of perpetual motion!
BORIS. Why, what would you do?
KULIGIN. How can you ask, sir! Why, the English offer millions for it. I should use all the money for public purposes,—we want to provide work for the working people. Here they have hands to work, and no work to do.
BORIS. And you hope to discover perpetual motion?
KULIGIN. Not a doubt, I shall, sir! I have only to scrape up enough money for models. ”

“ PELAGÉYA EGÓROVNA. My dear Gordéy Kárpych! Don't trifle with a mother's heart! Stop! You've fairly staggered me!
GORDÉY KÁRPYCH. Wife, you know me! And you, Afrikán Savvich, don't be uneasy: with me saying is doing!
KÓRSHUNOV. You have promised—then keep your word. [Rises, goes to the girls, and speaks to them in a low voice.
LYUBÓV GORDÉYEVNA. [Goes to her father] Father, I will never take a step against your will. But have pity on me, poor girl that I am! Don't ruin my young life!
GORDÉY KÁRPYCH. You're a fool, and don't understand your own happiness! You'll live in Moscow like a lady ”

“ KUDRIASH. There? Oh, that's Dikoy pitching into his nephew.
KULIGIN. A queer place to do it!
KUDRIASH. All places are alike to him. He's not afraid of any one! Boris Grigoritch is in his clutches now, so he is always bullying him.
SHAPKIN. Yes, you wouldn't find another bully like our worthy Saviol Prokofitch in a hurry! He pulls a man up for nothing at all.
KUDRIASH. He is a stiff customer.
SHAPKIN. Old Dame Kabanova's a good hand at that too!
KUDRIASH. Yes, but she at least does it all under pretence of morality; he's like a wild beast broken loose! ”

“ LÍPOCHKA. Fomínishna, you were born a peasant, and you'll turn up your toes a peasant. What's your merchant to me? What use would he be? Has he any ambition to rise in the world? What do I want of his mop?
FOMÍNISHNA. Not a mop, but the hair that God gave him, miss, that's it.
AGRAFÉNA KONDRÁTYEVNA. See what a rough old codger your dad is; he doesn't trim his beard; yet, somehow, you manage to kiss him.
LÍPOCHKA. Dad is one thing, but my husband is another. But why do you insist, mamma? I have already said that I won't marry a merchant, and I won't! I'd rather die first ”

“ GLASHA. Who's to tell the rights and wrongs of it with you begging pilgrims, you all speak ill of one another. Why can't you live and let live? I should have thought you wandering women get plenty in our house all of you, and yet you must always be quarrelling and nagging at each other. Aren't you afraid of such sin?
FEKLUSHA. One can't be without sin, my good girl; we live in the world. I'll tell you what, my dear; you, simple folk, are tempted of one devil, but we pilgrim folk are beset, one with six, another with twelve devils; and here we have to struggle against all at once. ”

“ PELAGÉYA EGÓROVNA. To whom, Gordéy Kárpych, did you say?
GORDÉY KÁRPYCH. To Mítya—Yes! What airs he put on! As if I were worse than he! "You'll come and bow down!" He lies! I won't go and bow down! Just to spite him I'll marry her to Dmitry. [All are astonished. MÍTYA. [Takes LYUBÓV GORDÉYEVNA by the hand and goes to GORDÉY KÁRPYCH] Why out of spite, Gordéy Kárpych? One does not do such things out of spite. I don't want you to do it out of spite. I'd rather suffer torment all my life. If you are kind enough, then give us your blessing as is proper, in a fatherly fashion, with love. ”

“ KATERINA. Why, can it be that you are tired of me?
KABANOV. No, I'm not tired of you; but to get out of this slavery a man would run away from the loveliest woman in the world! Just consider for a minute; I may not be good for much; but I'm a man anyway; and living all my life as you see, one's glad to run away from one's wife even. Why, when I think now, that for two whole weeks there'll be no storm hanging over me, no fetters on my legs,—do you suppose I can think of my wife? ”

“ PELAGÉYA EGÓROVNA. Arinushka, did you send for the girls?
ARÍNA. I did, my dear.
PELAGÉYA EGÓROVNA. That's right. Let them have a song with our folks, and cheer up Lyubóv and the guests. This is the time for them to enjoy themselves—while they're young. You know what a girl's life is—behind bolts and bars, never seeing the world! Now's their holiday!—Yes, let 'em have a good time!
ARÍNA. Yes, to be sure, to be sure! Why shouldn't they?
PELAGÉYA EGÓROVNA. Bring in some Madeira, Arinushka, the oldest we have; and gingerbread for the young people, and sweets—whatever you choose! ”

“ Enter Katerina and Varvara.
SCENE VII MME. KABANOVA, KATERINA, and VARVARA.
You make a boast of loving your husband so much; I see now how much your love's worth. Any other good wife, on seeing her husband off, would wail for a good hour and a half, lying on the steps; but one can see you're not much upset.
KATERINA. There's no reason to be! Besides, I don't know how to wail. Why make the people laugh!
MME. KABANOVA. No great art is needed. If you loved him you would have learnt to do it. If you can't wail properly, you should wail a little, if only for example. ”

“ GÚSLIN. It's really true.
ANNA IVÁNOVNA. Well, then, all right; keep quiet! [They talk in a whisper.
LYUBÓV GORDÉYEVNA. You, Mítya, will you come to us later on in the evening?
MÍTYA. I will.
RAZLYULYÁYEV. And I'm coming; I'm good at dancing. [Stands with arms akimbo] Girls! do fall in love with me, one of you!
MÁSHA. You ought to be ashamed of yourself! What's that you're saying?
RAZLYULYÁYEV. Why such airs! I say, fall in love with me, somebody—yes—for my simplicity.
LÍZA. People don't talk like that to girls. You ought to wait till they do fall in love with you. ”

“ KULIGIN. Nothing.
DIKOY. And what is the cause of a storm to your notions, hey? Come, speak up!
KULIGIN. Electricity.
DIKOY (stamping) . 'Lectricity he says! Ah, a brigand you are and no mistake! a storm is sent as a chastisement to make us feel our sins, and you want with rods and tackle of one sort and another, God forgive you, to ward it off! What, are you a Tartar or what? Are you a Tartar? Speak up! A Tartar, hey?
KULIGIN. Saviol Prokofitch, your honour, Derzhavin said:
In body, I languish in the dust, In mind, I command the tempest. ”

“ Seeing all this, my dear, you try to act like a born lady yourself. Your very manners change, and you try to have a way of talking of your own.
LÍZA. But why should we try to be fine ladies? Much good it does!
NÁDYA. Much good, you say? Well, you see the ladies promised to marry me off, so I am trying to educate myself, so that no one'll be ashamed to take me. You know what sort of wives our officials have; well, what a lot they are! And I understand life and society ten times better than they do. Now I have just one hope: to marry a good man, so I may be the mistress of my own household. ”

“ Better pray to God to take away your beauty! It's beauty that is our ruin! Ruin to yourself, a snare to others, so rejoice in your beauty if you will! Many, many, you lead into sin! Giddy fellows fight duels over you, slash each other with swords for your sake. And you are glad! Old men, honourable men, forget that they must die, tempted by beauty! And who has to answer for all. Better go down into the abyss with your beauty! Yes, quick, quick. (Katerina hides herself.) ”

“ RAZLYULYÁYEV. [Goes to MÍTYA and slaps him on the shoulder] Mítya! For a friend I give up everything! I loved her myself, but for you—I give her up. Give me your hand. [Clasps his hand] That's all—take her; I give her up to you! For a friend I don't regret anything! That's the way we do it when it comes to the point! [Wipes away his tears with the lappet of his coat and kisses MÍTYA] He told the truth then; drunkenness is no crime—well, I mean—poverty is no crime. I always make slips!
PELAGÉYA EGÓROVNA. Oh, yes, here they all are! [To the girls] Now, then, girls, a jolly song! ”

“ KUDRIASH. Of course. The master's no decent manners at all.
KULIGIN. In what capacity do you live with him, sir; what arrangement has he made with you?
BORIS. Why, none whatever; "you live with me," he says, "and do what you're told, and your pay shall be what I give you," that's to say, in a year's time he'll settle up with me as he thinks fit.
KUDRIASH. That's just his way. Not one of us dare as much as hint at a salary, or he storms till he's black in the face. "How do you know," he'll say, "what I have in my mind to do? ”

“ RISPOLÓZHENSKY. No fair, Ustinya Naúmovna! That ain't nice for a lady to do. Samsón Sílych, I can't, sir! Would I have refused it? He! he! he! What kind of a blockhead am I, that I should do anything so rude? I've seen high society, I know how to live. Now, I never refuse vodka; if you don't mind, I'll just take a thimbleful! But this I simply can't drink—it turns my stomach. Samsón Sílych, don't you allow all this disorderly conduct; it's easy to insult a man, but it ain't nice.
BOLSHÓV. Give it to him hot and heavy, Ustinya Naúmovna, hot and heavy! ”