KULYGIN. She's at it!
[Behind the scenes the band plays a march; they all listen.]
OLGA. They're going.
[Enter CHEBUTYKIN.]
MASHA. Our friends are going. Well . . . a happy journey to them! [To her husband] We must go home. . . . Where are my hat and cape?
KULYGIN. I took them into the house . . . I'll get them directly. . . .
OLGA. Yes, now we can all go home, it's time.
CHEBUTYKIN. Olga Sergeyevna!
OLGA. What is it? [a pause] What?
CHEBUTYKIN. Nothing. . . . I don't know how to tell you. [Whispers in her ear.]
OLGA [in alarm]. It can't be!
CHEBUTYKIN. Yes . . . such a business. . . . I'm so worried and worn out, I don't want to say another word. . . . [With vexation] But, it doesn't matter!
MASHA. What's happened?
OLGA [puts her arms round IRINA]. This is a terrible day. . . . I don't know how to tell you, my precious. . . .
IRINA. What is it? Tell me quickly, what is it? For God's sake! [Cries]
CHEBUTYKIN. The baron has just been killed in a duel.
IRINA [weeping quietly]. I knew, I knew. . . .
CHEBUTYKIN [in the background of the scene sits down on a garden seat]. I'm worn out . . . [takes a newspaper out of his pocket]. Let them cry. . . . [Sings softly] "Tarara-boom-dee-ay" . . . It doesn't matter.
[The three sisters stand with their arms round one another.]
MASHA. Oh, listen to that band! They're going away from us; one has gone altogether, gone forever. We're left alone to begin our life over again, . . . We've got to live . . . we've got to live, . . .
IRINA [lays her head on OLGA'S bosom]. A time will come when everyone will know what all this is for, why there is this misery; there will be no mysteries and, meanwhile, we have got to live . . . we have got to work, only to work! Tomorrow I'll go alone; I'll teach in the school, and I'll give all my life to those who may need me. Now it's autumn; soon winter will come and cover us with snow, and I will work, I will work.
OLGA [embraces both her sisters]. The music is so happy, so confident, and you long for life! O my God! Time will pass, and we shall go away for ever, and we shall be forgotten, our faces will be forgotten, our voices, and how many there were of us; but our sufferings will pass into joy for those who will live after us, happiness and peace will be established upon earth, and they will remember kindly and bless those who have lived before. Oh, dear sisters, our life is not ended yet. We shall live! The music is so happy, so joyful, and it seems as though in a little while we shall know what we are living for, why we are suffering. . . . If we only knew -- if we only knew!
[The music grows more and more subdued; KULYGIN, cheerful and smiling, brings the hat and cape; ANDREY pushes the baby carriage in which BOBIK is sitting.]
CHEBUTYKIN [humming softly]. "Tarara-boom-dee-ay!" [Reads his paper.] It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter.
OLGA. If we only knew, if we only knew!
CURTAIN. Notes List of Characters
The action takes place in a provincial town: In a letter Chekhov suggested that the town was like Perm, located in central Russia Act I
Act I: Noon, spring of 1897 is the time Bristow suggested in program notes to the play
a large room is visible: In a large 19th-century house, this room could be used both as a dining-room and a ballroom
the fifth of May: Russians did not switch to the Gregorian calendar until after the 1917 revolution; the Russian calendar was about 12 days behind
your name-day, Irina: Russians celebrated the feast-day of their patron saint with festivities resembling a birthday party
already in a white dress: As opposed to black, the traditional colour of mourning
at my lessons till the evening: Olga means she gives private lessons
The only difficulty is poor Masha: Masha can't go because her husband can't leave his job
half a hundredweight: 54 pounds
two or even two and a half: 180 pounds, 200 pounds
or an engine-driver: On the railroad
wakes at twelve o'clock: Noon
will kick the bucket: Lit., die of a stroke
such a person as Dobrolyubov: Probably Chekhov means N. A. Dobrolyubov (1836-1861), a literary critic read by progressive thinkers; that the doctor doesn't know who Dobrolyubov is indicates his shallowness; however, the reference may be to the poet A. M. Dobrolyubov (1876-?), who first appeared in print in 1895
By the sea-strand: Masha recites the first two lines (she repeats the second line) of A. S. Pushkin's (1799-1837) long poem Ruslan and Lyudmila (1820)
Nanny dear: The actual Russian word Olga uses is Nyanechka, a diminutive for "nanny."
A samovar! How awful!: Olga is upset because a samovar would be an appropriate gift for a wedding shower or wedding anniversary, not a name-day party.
Irinushka, you must be nice: Lit., Arinushka, a deliberate mispronunciation of "Irinuska," a diminutive for Irina
Nyemetsky Street: Lit., German Street
fifteen miles away: Lit., twenty versts
Novo-Dyevitchy: A famous Moscow cemetery; Chekhov himself is buried there
Chook, chook, chook: Solyony is imitating sounds made by domestic fowl
Look how small I am: In later editions, Chekhov added: You make me feel better when you say my life is great.
it gets light so early: Because of their high latitudes, most Russian cities have very short nights in the summer
mass of darkness: I.e., the ignorant and uneducated masses
court councilor: Rank 7 in the Table of Ranks for the Civil Service
Feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes: I have done my best; let others do better if they can
mens sana in corpore sano: A healthy mind in a healthy body
my good girclass="underline" Lit., Matushka, an old-fashioned word for mother; the implication is that Masha is trying to treat him like a child
with a lisp: Lit., with exaggerated r's
That phrase has been haunting me all day: Educated Russians would immediately recall the next two lines: "And linked to the chain with a scholarly mien/ A tomcat is seen going round and round. . ." (Bristow translation) Act II
Act II: Bristow suggests that this act begins at 8 p.m., winter of 1899
It's Carnivaclass="underline" Carnival Week was celebrated just before the beginning of Lent
Bobik: The nickname of Natasha's first child
mummers: masked and costumed persons who paraded through the streets or visited houses on holidays; in Russia mummers are called skomorokhi and trace their origins to the 10th century
Andryushantchik: A diminutive for Andrey
Tyestov's or the Bolshoy Moskovsky: Two famous Moscow restaurants
Venez ici: Come here (French)
the Military Academy: Before 1914 almost all major Russian cities had military schools; the Moscow Military Academy was founded in 1832
Gogol says it's dull living: From the short story "How Ivan Ivanovitch Quarreled with Ivan Nikoforovitch"; N. V. Gogol (1809-1852), famous Russian novelist and dramatist
Balzac was married at Berditchev: At the time of the play, Berditchev was part of the Russian Empire
another kind of patience: patience is a type of solitaire card game
the game is working out right: Russians often used a game of patience to decide questions (as Pierre does in Book 10 of War and Peace)