Anton Chekhov

“ My dear old fellow, in the matter of knowledge of the truth, we people of the twentieth century are not so very far from the Vandals, but in the matter of destroying all that is most beautiful, all that most adorns life, we have surpassed the Vandals without doubt: beautiful religion, omnipotent knowledge, pleasurable ethics, we laugh at all these, make nothings of them and—and our soul, frightened and sad, is ready to throw us into acid, into the bed of corruption, under the wheels of a locomotive, if only it could stifle in itself the consciousness of this inexpressible horror. ”

“ Why not? Very glad. It’s dull for me at home alone, and if my presence at the wedding can cause any pleasure, so do me the favour,” said I.
Jigalov: You really mean it, your excellency? I esteem you for it. I’m a simple man myself, without any trickery, and I esteem such people. Take something to eat, your excellency.
Aplombov: You have been long retired, your excellency?
Revunov-Karayúlov: Eh? Oh, yes, yes, that’s so. True. Yes. But excuse me, what’s all this? Bitter herrings and bitter bread! One can’t eat anything!
All: Bitter! Bitter! (Aplombov and Dashenka kiss.) ”

“ Harlequin: Come, drink, Columbine, drink! When there’s good wine on the table, there’s no need to worry about anything. (Kisses her.)
Pierrot (to Audience) : O Lord, I’m undergoing incredible pangs of conscience. To think only of the harm I’ve caused Harlequin! And what for? What for? I can’t swallow a thing, and I don’t know how to look at Harlequin! I’d willingly confess my wicked crime to him now! But alas! I can’t do it, because what would my revenge come to then? And I can’t go without revenging myself. I’m a deceived husband, and ought to revenge myself, because all nice people do. ”

“ The Youth: Surely, for songs that praised Babylon's power thou hast earned more than one golden ring?
Eleazar: The vile speaks only with poison, but poison hurts not every man. When heardest me sing songs of the Babylonian glory and might? (The youth is silent and ashamed.) Thou hast judged thyself by thy silence.
The Old Man: Eleazar, it may be thy songs are good in Babylon, but Misraim and Edom and all their tongues will not bring Palestine to mind and awake the thought of Jerusalem. ”

“ She was decaying in the atmosphere of equal rights, she was freezing in the embraces of the manikin who nourished her so much and so convincingly with the beauties of free love.
Friend: What are you saying?! Where did you get that from?!
Master: Baroness Nordman, that very Baroness Nordman who was tired of living satiated by the advantages of civilization, who was ready for anything to be saved from mortal ennui—she died, and changed into my slave.
Friend: Into a slave?!! You’re raving!
Master: Grusha, kiss the gentleman’s hand. (Maid takes Friend’s hand, he tears it away.) ”

“ O, as the temple I fell, as Jerusalem we fell all, and, as hard as it is to rebuild our temple, so hard it is for us to rise out of the dust of slavery’s dishonour. Shame fell upon our arms that rose not to take the lives of us conquered, but rose to labour for the enemies. Leprosy covered the bodies of the girls of Zion, that they drowned not themselves in the Euphrates, but went to entertain the sons of lasciviousness and nurse the fruit of their shame. ”

“ I don’t want to be infected, I don’t want to die, and a life like yours is the beginning of death. You’ve heard how men that are being hanged or drowning or freezing see magic dreams as they die. This sort of life is such a dream; this sort of life is the beginning of death. You have separated from us, from all society, from real life, and an early death is inevitable for you!—It’s all the same, whether she comes as madness or in her usual guise—it’s inevitable, I tell you. This strong mead has heated my head ”

“ It is my particular pride that I have raised high the reputation of the bank. It’s a big thing, tone, a big thing, or I’m not Shipuchin! (Looks at Hirin.) My dear fellow, at any moment the deputation of the managers may arrive, and you’re in felt slippers, in that scarf, in that wild-coloured jacket; you might have put on a frock-coat, well, anyhow, a black coat ——
Hirin: My health is more to me than your bank-managers. My whole body’s inflamed.
Shipuchin (disturbed) : But agree with me that it’s untidy! You spoil the ensemble. ”

“ You can’t alter the inevitable. But if I could only fight for the beauty of olden life, if I could only count upon the very smallest success, how happy I should be, with what unweariedness, with what ardour I should set to work! ”

“ Eleazar (to all) : Fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters, since when is it a custom among us to condemn without judging? Truly, clearly tell me, why am I become as a leper among you?
The Old Man: Thou becamest leprous in Babylon, singing for money in the courts to the sons of Baal.
Eleazar: Are ye not all gathered here in Babylon for labour?
First Man: Labourers do not serve Moloch.
Eleazar: Whom then do their arms and vessels serve? Have they not built such an abode for Moloch, as never had our Lord in Jerusalem?
First Prophet: Taunt not captives with their slavery! ”

“ Come, can we be anything else? It’s time at last to recognise that even the cleverest of us, the most talented, the most learned, is no more than a posing phrase-maker. Aren't we all bewitched in a circle of error; aren’t all our reasonings the chatter of children?
Friend: But you’re not going to deny that the love of truth which lies in us——
Master: But the love of beauty and the love of pleasure lie in us too. My dear chap, you busy yourself with science and I with hunting, but which is the more important is not for us to decide. ”

“ I do not understand; what difference do you find between the rank of nobleman and count?
Countess: I find, sir, this difference, that a count should be more careful than a nobleman that no one is lacking in respect of him.
Count: A count should be more delicate than a nobleman on the point of his honour. ”

“ There will be none rich beyond words, none poor beyond words. Venal love, interested crimes, extravagant Yankee millionaires, ravings about gain, picturesque ragamuffins, all that which is so interesting, and gives such beautiful variety to our life, all is falling into dust, all, all!—It’s interesting just to think what contemporary subjects there will be for the artist. Even war, even that beautiful calamity is swept away with the “no” of modern culture. Oh, this “modern culture”! You can’t imagine a better nursery of vulgarity. It is pitiless to all that is most beautiful. ”

“ And ere we find it, let us fight for our life as the wounded badger in the hunt; let it not be said among men, “The Lord of Israel fell asleep in Heaven.” O Babylon, too early is it to rejoice! Still our harps sound among the willows, still tears flow into the Babylonian rivers, still the daughter of Zion burns with shame, still the lion of Judah roars with fury. The Lord liveth, my soul liveth, Israel liveth, even in Babylon! ”

“ Ladies and gentlemen, I forgot to tell you that neither your applause nor your hissing of the piece is likely to be taken seriously by the author, who preaches that nothing in life is worth taking seriously. And I suggest that if truth is on his side, then you should hardly take his play seriously, all the more as Harlequin has probably risen from his deathbed already, and, perhaps, is already tidying himself in anticipation of a call, because, say what you like, but the actors can’t be responsible for the free-thinking of the author. ”

“ Eleazar: That none bought my hands. My father did not teach me to labour, and weak my mother bred me. Though the harp obeys my hands, nor plough nor axe obeys them. I fell under a burden, and the overseer drove me from the labour.
The Old Man: Let then thy father and mother feed thee, who have not taught thee to earn bread.
Eleazar: In Jerusalem I earned honourably by the means they taught me, and here too—but the bread burns that my father brings from Babylon; hard it is to eat from a father’s slavery. ”

“ Yes, yes, Harlequin in our time is almost a fossil. Well, fair lady, enough obstinacy. (Music. Death dances.) Columbine, Pierrot, open your eyes, open them quickly! Look how merry we are! (Harlequin makes Columbine sit down beside him on the bed. Death places her hand on his shoulder. To Death.) Wait, my dear lady, wait. Let me take leave of the world as the world does! One more, only one more kiss, Columbine! Pierrot, where have you got to, you coward? ”

“ He who is free from too firm convictions, who has passed through the school of the new Sakya-Muni and the new Zarathustra, who is far too clever to be ashamed to talk nonsense, who so resembles an Olympian that he is strong enough even to laugh at others’ misfortunes—tell me on your conscience, what should such a man do among wretched, grey, blue-eyed neurasthenics, people who to-day or to-morrow will become Americans! ”

“ It’s the path of our life. Oh, don’t joke! even we can be serious! It’s the path of our life with its fatal dangers! One must be very clever not to suffer on this wrathful road. Play, girl! Grusha, dance! ”

“ Believe me, there will come an hour when Americanism, that ideal incarnation of vulgarity, will catch up in its paws the last poetical little spot of our much-enduring planet and then——
Friend: And then?
Master: The death of art—the decadence of decadence—the empire of the machine—the grandiose factory, and before it an American, in a humble pose and boots he cleans himself——
Friend: H’m—the death of art. Therefore all manifestations of culture should be annihilated, eh? We ought to look to the Vandals? ”

“ I tell you, go and live, but live, not like an immortal, but like a man that may die to-morrow.
Doctor (shakes his head doubtfully) : H’m. I’ll try it. (Wipes his eyes.) Good-bye, Mr. Harlequin.
Harlequin: Good-bye, Mr. Doctor. (Exit Doctor, finger on brow.) Well, what have you got to say of it, Pierrot?
Pierrot: Nothing good. (It grows dark.)
Harlequin: The old ape imagined I don’t feel death coming. As if a man, sleeping longer than he revels, could still have doubts about the approach of death. But what’s the time? (The clock shows eight.) Hasn’t the clock stopped? ”

“ Your excellency, we are not eminent, not exalted people, but simple folk; but do not think there is any trickery on our side. There is always the first place in our house for good people; we grudge them nothing. Welcome!
Revunov-Karayúlov: Extremely pleased!
Newnin: Allow me to introduce the bridegroom, Mr. Aplombov, your excellency, and his newlyborn—I mean, newly-wed—wife! And this is Mr. Yat, of the telegraph. This is Mr. Dimba, a foreign gentleman of Greek nationality, in the confectionery profession. And so on, and so on—the rest are all—rubbish. Take a seat, your excellency. ”

“ You understand how greatly a man must suffer for whom God has ceased to exist, but in whom the religious feeling remains, who has lost a reason for fighting, but in whom both the strength and the desire to fight have remained, who wants to possess the truth and knows he is desiring to grasp the moon, who wants to believe in the magical and the marvellous and under whose nose science has swept all magic. ”

“ My son is a count, and it seems to me that the major is not humbling himself to undertake his education.
Wisely: Mr. Flatternot certainly will not consider it a particular honour to be tutor to your son; and if he does consent to undertake this position, it will be certainty only in order to be useful to a brother nobleman.
Countess: I think, however, that rank is merit.
Wisely: The least of all human merits. To be born a count is not difficult, and one may by right of rank be called “Highness” without having high qualities, such as zealousness to be useful to one’s country. ”

“ You think there are few women who are stifled by the burden of their freedom! And so you don’t want to admit that such women, from aversion to your cultured life, from love of the unusual, and from love, of course, of me, are able to become slaves! ”

“ Now please understand that to come to us with an application like this is as strange as to apply for a divorce, say, at a chemist’s or an assay-office. (A knock at the door, and Tatiana’s voice : “Andrew, may I come in?”)
Shipuchin (calls out) : Wait a second, darling; one second! (To Merchutkin.) They didn’t pay you, but what have we got to do with it? Besides, Madame, we have a jubilee to-day and we’re busy—and at any moment someone might come—Excuse me.
Merchutkin: Your excellency, take pity on me, an orphan. I am a weak, defenceless woman. I'm worried to death. ”

“ I always with all my heart wished Dashenka a good husband. It is hard nowadays, Madame, to find a good man. Nowadays everyone watches his chance to marry for interest, for money ——
Aplombov: That is an insinuation!
Yat (fearfully) : No, there’s no allusion to anybody! I’m not speaking of present company. I was speaking just in general—please! I know well that you married for love and the dowry’s nothing.
Nastasia: No, it isn’t nothing! Don’t forget yourself, sir, when you speak! Beside a thousand roubles in actual coin, we are giving three sets of furs, bedding and all the furniture. ”

“ Chéhov is not a great writer; he is really a great journalist, and his work has no permanent importance. A French critic has compared his work with the cinematograph, he himself called it “sweet lemonade.” It was not vodka—there lies its significance. He was an embryo European, peculiarly of France, of the France he had come to know in his profession and his reading. Now that he had led Russian literature out of its purely Russian groove, the natural step was for it to become more and more European, without losing its national impulse. ”

“ D’you hear—I feel I understand it within my mind and—I’m ashamed, I’m absurdly ashamed to be in this grey, this shiny jacket.—Oh, my head!—It’s burning, it’s drugged with the floweriness of your words, the theatricalness of your poses—it’s drunk with the look of this room. Your pathos is contagious! I’ve become like you! I’ve made myself a faithful mirror. What herbs, what resins are you burning? Flight! I want to flee from here! The seduction is too great; my soul has become too yielding. ”