Maksim Gorky

“ PEPEL [sitting down] I don’t like him . . . he’s got such a nasty, bad temper—and so proud! [Imitating Kleshtch] “I’m a workman!” And he thinks everyone’s beneath him. Go on working if you feel like it—nothing to be so damned haughty about! If work is the standard—a horse can give us points—pulls like hell and says nothing! Natasha—are your folks at home?
NATASHA. They went to the cemetery—then to night service . . .
PEPEL. So that’s why you’re free for once—quite a novelty!
LUKA [to Bubnoff, thoughtfully] There—you say—truth! Truth doesn’t always heal a wounded soul. ”

“ KOSTILYOFF. Why should I choke you? What would be the use? God be with you—live and prosper! But I’ll have to raise you half a ruble—I’ll buy oil for the ikon lamp, and my offering will atone for my sins, and for yours as well. You don’t think much of your sins—not much! Oh, Andrushka, you’re a wicked man! Your wife is dying because of your wickedness—no one loves you, no one respects you—your work is squeaky, jarring on every one.
KLESHTCH [shouts] What do you come here for—just to annoy me?
[Satine grunts loudly.]
KOSTILYOFF [with a start] God, what a noise! ”

“ Perhaps I knew more women than I had hair on the top of my head—but this Vassilisa—she’s worse than the plague. . . .
PEPEL. I don’t understand . . . I don’t know whether to thank you—or—well . . .
LUKA. Don’t say a word! You won’t improve on what I said. Listen: take the one you like by the arm, and march out of here—get out of here—clean out . . .
PEPEL [sadly] I can’t understand people. Who is kind and who isn’t? It’s all a mystery to me . . .
LUKA. What’s there to understand? There’s all breeds of men . . . they all live as their hearts tell them . ”

“ LUKA. She’s a lady that means business!
NASTYA. You grow to be an animal, leading such a life—any human being tied to such a husband as hers . . .
BUBNOFF. Well—that tie isn’t worrying her any—
LUKA. Does she always have these fits?
BUBNOFF. Always. You see, she came to find her lover—but he isn’t home—
LUKA. I guess she was hurt. Oh-ho! Everybody is trying to be boss—and is threatening everybody else with all kinds of punishment—and still there’s no order in life . . . and no cleanliness—
BUBNOFF. All the world likes order—but some people’s brains aren’t fit for it. ”

“ VASSILISA [from the window] So now they’re engaged! Love and advice!
[Pg 63]
NATASHA. They’ve come back—oh, God—they saw—oh, Vassily . . .
PEPEL. Why are you frightened? Nobody’ll dare touch you now!
VASSILISA. Don’t be afraid, Natalia! He won’t beat you . . . he don’t know how to love or how to beat . . . I know!
LUKA [in a low voice] Rotten old hag—like a snake in the grass . . .
VASSILISA. He dares only with the word!
KOSTILYOFF [enters] Natashka! What are you doing here, you parasite? Gossiping? Kicking about your family? And the samovar not ready? ”

“ NATASHA. I’m sorry for that man . . .
BUBNOFF. All a story—ho-ho!—land of righteousness—what an idea! [Exit through window]
LUKA [pointing to window] He’s laughing! [Pause] Well, children, God be with you! I’ll leave you soon . . .
PEPEL. Where are you going to?
LUKA. To the Ukraine—I heard they discovered a new religion there—I want to see—yes! People are always seeking—they always want something better—God grant them patience!
PEPEL. You think they’ll find it?
LUKA. The people? They will find it! He who seeks, will find! He who desires strongly, will find! ”

“ KLESHTCH. They’ll all starve to death . . .
LUKA [to Satine] If those are your notions, you ought to join the order of Begunes—you know—there’s some such organization . . .
SATINE. I know—grandfather—and they’re no fools . . .
[Natasha is heard screaming behind Kostilyoff’s window: “What for? Stop! What have I done?”]
LUKA [worried] Natasha! That was she crying—oh, God . . .
[From Kostilyoff’s room is heard noise, shuffling, breaking of crockery, and Kostilyoff’s shrill cry: “Ah! Heretic! Bitch!”]
VASSILISA. Wait, wait—I’ll teach her—there, there!
NATASHA. They’re beating me—killing me . . ”

“ SATINE. You’re inquisitive, old man! You want to know everything? What for?
LUKA. I want to understand the ways of men—I look at you, and I don’t understand. You’re a bold lad, Constantine, and you’re no fool . . . yet, all of a sudden . . .
SATINE. It’s prison, grandfather—I spent four years and seven months in prison . . . afterwards—where could I go?
LUKA. Aha! What were you there for?
SATINE. On account of a scoundrel—whom I killed in a fit of rage . . . and despair . . . and in prison I learned to play cards . . .
LUKA. You killed—because of a woman?
SATINE. Because of my own sister. . . ”

“ KVASHNYA. Go on—show your teeth! What sort of a man are you anyway, Alyoshka?
ALYOSHKA. Oh—I am first-rate! Master of all trades! I follow my nose!
BUBNOFF [near the Tartar’s bunk] Come on! At all events—we won’t let you sleep! We’ll sing all night. Zob!
ZOB. Sing—? All right . . .
ALYOSHKA. And I’ll play . . .
SATINE. We’ll listen!
THE TARTAR [smiling] Well—Bubnoff—you devil—bring the vodka—we’ll drink—we’ll have a hell of a good time! The end will come soon enough—and then we’ll be dead!
BUBNOFF. Fill his glass, Satine! Zob—sit down! Ah—brothers—what does a man need after all? ”

“ KVASHNYA [to Actor] See to it that you sweep up! [Crosses to outer door, letting the Baron pass ahead]
THE ACTOR [climbing down from the stove] It’s bad for me to inhale dust. [With pride] My organism is poisoned with alcohol. [Sits down on a bunk, meditating]
SATINE. Organism—organon. . . .
ANNA. Andrei Mitritch. . . .
KLESHTCH. What now?
ANNA. Kvashnya left me some dumplings over there—you eat them!
KLESHTCH [coming over to her] And you—don’t you want any?
ANNA. No. Why should I eat? You’re a workman—you need it.
KLESHTCH. Frightened, are you? Don’t be! You’ll get all right! ”

“ SATINE. Oh—my bones ache!
THE ACTOR [sits, nursing his knees] Education is all rot. Talent is the thing. I knew an actor—who read his parts by heart, syllable by syllable—but he played heroes in a way that . . . why—the whole theatre would rock with ecstasy!
SATINE. Bubnoff, give me five kopecks.
BUBNOFF. I only have two—
THE ACTOR. I say—talent, that’s what you need to play heroes. And talent is nothing but faith in yourself, in your own powers—
[Pg 8]
SATINE. Give me five kopecks and I’ll have faith that you’re a hero, a crocodile, or a police inspector—Kleshtch, give me five kopecks. ”

“ Nastya! Are you going to the hospital?
[Pg 81]
NASTYA. What for?
SATINE. To see Natashka.
NASTYA. Oh—just woke up, did you? She’s been out of the hospital for some time—and they can’t find a trace of her . . .
SATINE. Oh—that woman’s a goner!
KLESHTCH. It’s interesting to see whether Vaska will get the best of Vassilisa, or the other way around—?
NASTYA. Vassilisa will win out! She’s shrewd! And Vaska will go to the gallows!
SATINE. For manslaughter? No—only to jail . . .
NASTYA. Too bad—the gallows would have been better . . . that’s where all of you should be sent . . . ”

“ MIEDVIEDIEFF. You—how dare you fight?
THE TARTAR. What about yourself? What’s your duty?
MIEDVIEDIEFF [running after] Stop—give back my whistle!
KOSTILYOFF [runs in] Abram! Stop him! Hold him! He’s a murderer—he . . .
[Enter Kvashnya and Nastya supporting Natasha who is disheveled. Satine backs away, pushing away Vassilisa who is trying to attack her sister, while, near her, Alyoshka jumps up and down like a madman, whistles into her ear, shrieking, roaring. Also other ragged men and women.]
SATINE [to Vassilisa] Well—you damned bitch! ”

“ MIEDVIEDIEFF. I’ll go, too. It is my duty! Why separate people when they fight? They’ll stop sooner or later of their own accord. One gets tired of fighting. Why not let them fight all they want to—freely? They wouldn’t fight half as often—if they’d remember former beatings . . .
BUBNOFF [climbing down from his bunk] Why don’t you speak to your superiors about it?
KOSTILYOFF [throws open the door and shouts] Abram! Come quick—Vassilisa is killing Natasha—come quick!
[Kvashnya, Miedviedieff, and Bubnoff rush into hallway; Luka looks after them, shaking his head.] ”

“ MIEDVIEDIEFF. If your husband beat you without cause, you should have complained to the police.
KVASHNYA. I complained to God for eight years—and he didn’t help.
MIEDVIEDIEFF. Nowadays the law forbids to beat your wife . . . all is very strict these days—there’s law and order everywhere. You can’t beat up people without due cause. If you beat them to maintain discipline—all right . . .
LUKA [comes in with Anna] Well—we finally managed to get here after all. Oh, you! Why do you, weak as you are, walk about alone? ”

“ NASTYA. Yes?
BUBNOFF. Why did Vassilisa jump on Alyoshka?
NASTYA. He told her that Vaska was tired of her and was going to get rid of her—and that he’s going to make up to Natasha—I’ll go away from here—I’ll find another lodging-house—
BUBNOFF. Why? Where?
NASTYA. I’m sick of this—I’m not wanted here!
BUBNOFF [calmly] You’re not wanted anywhere—and, anyway, all people on earth are superfluous—
[Nastya shakes her head. Rises and slowly, quietly, leaves the cellar. Miedviedieff comes in. Luka, with the broom, follows him.] ”

“ NATASHA. God! If they’d only a little pity . . . if only some one would say a kindly word—oh, you . . .
LUKA. Don’t be hurt, girl—never mind! Why and how should we pity the dead? Come, dear! We don’t pity the living—we can’t even pity our own selves—how can we?
BUBNOFF [yawning] And, besides, when you’re dead, no word will help you—when you’re still alive, even sick, it may. . . .
THE TARTAR [stepping aside] The police must be notified . . .
ZOB. The police—must be done! Kleshtch! Did you notify the police? ”

“ I’ve seen you—you scoundrel . . .
ZOB. Stop it, Hassan! They’ll skin us anyway . . . come on, Bubnoff!
ANNA. I can’t remember a single day when I didn’t go hungry . . . I’ve been afraid, waking, eating, and sleeping . . . all my life I’ve trembled—afraid I wouldn’t get another bite . . . all my life I’ve been in rags—all through my wretched life—and why . . . ?
LUKA. Yes, yes, child—you’re tired—never you mind!
THE ACTOR [to Zob] Play the Jack—the Jack, devil take you!
THE BARON. And we play the King!
KLESHTCH. They always win.
SATINE. Such is our habit.
MIEDVIEDIEFF. I have the Queen! ”

“ THE BARON [spreading his hands] The Devil knows how it happened. . . .
THE ACTOR. You’re not gifted—you’ve no faith in yourself—and without that you can never accomplish anything . . .
MIEDVIEDIEFF. I’ve one Queen—and you’ve two—oh, well . . .
BUBNOFF. One’s enough if she has brains—play!
KLESHTCH. You lost, Abram Ivanovitch?
MIEDVIEDIEFF. None of your business—see? Shut up!
SATINE. I’ve won fifty-three kopecks.
THE ACTOR. Give me three of them . . . though, what’ll I do with them?
LUKA [coming from kitchen] Well—the Tartar was fleeced all right, eh? Going to have some vodka? ”

“ Awkward but eloquent pauses and emphases, the scarcely perceptible stress or dulling of word or gesture, the nuances and the shadings of which life is mostly made and by which it reveals its meaning—these, and the instinctive understanding of the vision of the playwright by those who seek to interpret him, are the incalculable and unrecordable channels through which ‘The Lower Depths’ becomes articulate at the Moscow Art Theatre. ”

“ SATINE. That’s splendid! It’ll be safer with me—I’ll gamble with it . . .
MIEDVIEDIEFF. I’m a witness—the money was given you for safe-keeping. How much is it?
BUBNOFF. You? You’re a camel—we don’t need witnesses . . .
ALYOSHKA [comes in barefoot] Brothers, I got my feet wet!
BUBNOFF. Go on and get your throat wet—and nothing’ll happen—you’re a fine fellow—you sing and you play—that’s all right! But it’s too bad you drink—drink, little brother, is harmful, very harmful . . .
ALYOSHKA. I judge by you! Only when you’re drunk do you resemble a human being . . . Kleshtch! Is my concertina fixed? ”

“ Where’s your bunk?
ANNA [pointing] Thank you, grand-dad.
[Pg 27]
KVASHNYA. There—she’s married—look at her!
LUKA. The little woman is in very bad shape . . . she was creeping along the hallway, clinging to the wall and moaning—why do you leave her by herself?
KVASHNYA. Oh, pure carelessness on our part, little father—forgive us! Her maid, it appears, went out for a walk . . .
LUKA. Go on—poke fun at me . . . but, all the same, how can you neglect a human being like that? No matter who or what, every human life has its worth . . .
MIEDVIEDIEFF. There should be supervision! ”

“ PEPEL. You lie! I feel very sorry for her . . . very . . . very sorry! She has a tough life here—I can see that . . .
KLESHTCH. Just wait till Vassilisa catches you talking to her!
BUBNOFF. Vassilisa? She won’t give up so easily what belongs to her—she’s a cruel woman!
PEPEL [stretching himself on the bunk] You two prophets can go to hell!
KLESHTCH. Just wait—you’ll see!
LUKA [singing in the kitchen] “In the dark of the night the way is black . . .”
KLESHTCH. Another one who yelps!
PEPEL. It’s dreary! Why do I feel so dreary? You [Pg 17] live—and everything seems all right. ”

“ On the subject of conscience you ought to hear Satine—or the Baron . . .
KLESHTCH. I’ve nothing to talk to them about!
PEPEL. They have more brains than you—even if they’re drunkards . . .
[Pg 15]
BUBNOFF. He who can be drunk and wise at the same time is doubly blessed . . .
PEPEL. Satine says every man expects his neighbor to have a conscience, but—you see—it isn’t to any one’s advantage to have one—that’s a fact.
[Natasha enters, followed by Luka who carries a stick in his hand, a bundle on his back, a kettle and a teapot slung from his belt.]
LUKA. How are you, honest folks? ”