KOTELNIKOV. I can’t get Repina out of my mind. I keep imagining Sabinin singing and her crying.
FR. IVAN (taking the crown from Volgin, to Sabinin). Be thou magnified, O bridegroom, as Abraham, and blessed as Isaac, and increased as Jacob, walking in peace and working in righteousness the commandments of God!
YOUNG ACTOR. What beautiful lines to have to speak to a bastard like that!
MATVEEV. God doesn’t play favorites.
FR. IVAN (taking the crown from the Deputy District Attorney, to Olenina). And thou, O bride, be thou magnified as Sarah, and gladdened as Rebecca, and do thou increase like unto Rachel, rejoicing in thine own husband, fulfilling the conditions of the law; for so it is well pleasing unto God.
IN THE CROWD (a powerful movement towards the exit).
— Quiet, people! It isn’t over yet!
— Ssh! Stop shoving!
DEACON. Let us pray to the Lord!
CHOIR. Lord, be merciful!
FR. ALEKSEY (reads, having taken off his dark glasses). God, our God, Who wast present at Cana of Galilee and didst bless the marriage there, bless these thy servants, who by Thy providence are conjoined in the community of marriage; bless their incomings and outgoings, prosper their lives with good things, accept their crowns into Thy kingdom, immaculate and undefiled, and deliver them from evil, world without end.
CHOIR (sings). Amen.
OLENINA (to her brother). Tell them to give me a chair. I feel faint.
UNIVERSITY STUDENT. It’ll be over right away. (To the Deputy District Attorney.) Vera feels faint!
DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY. Vera Aleksandrovna, it’ll be over right away! In a minute . . . Be patient, my dear!
OLENINA (to her brother). Pyotr isn’t listening to me . . . It’s as if he’s in a stupor . . . My God, my God . . . (To Sabinin.) Pyotr!
FR. IVAN. Peace be unto you!
CHOIR. And to Thy spirit!
DEACON. Bow your heads before the Lord.
FR. IVAN (to Sabinin and Olenina). Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the all-holy and consubstantial and life-endowing Trinity, one divinity and kingdom bless you, and grant you long life, children and children’s children, steadfastness in life and faith, and prosper you with all the good things of this earth! And consider you worthy to receive the promised salvation, through the intercession of the holy Mother of God and all the saints, amen! (To Olenina, with a smile.) You may kiss your husband.
VOLGIN (to Sabinin). What are you standing there for? Kiss her!
The YOUNG COUPLE exchange kisses.
FR. IVAN. Congratulations! God bless you . . .
KOKOSHKIN (goes to Olenina). My dear, my darling . . . I’m so glad! Congratulations!
KOKOSHKINA (to Sabinin). Congratulations, now that you’re spliced! . . . Well, no need to be so pale now, the rigmarole’s over . . .
DEACON. In Thy wisdom!
Congratulations.
CHOIR (sings). More honorable than the cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the seraphim, who immaculate gave birth to God from the word, his most pure Mother we extol thee. In the name of the Lord, bless us, O Fa-a-ather!
The people throng out of the church; KUZMA puts out the candles in the standing candelabrums.
FR. IVAN. As by Thy presence in Cana of Galilee Thou showed marriage to be honorable, may Christ our true God, praised by the prayers of His immaculate mother, by the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy apostles, by the holy and divinely appointed kings and peers of the apostles, Constan-tine and Helen, by the holy great martyr Procopius and all the saints, have mercy upon us and save us, for Thou art good and the lover of mankind.
CHOIR. Amen. O Lord, have mercy, O Lord, have mercy, O Lo-o-ord, have me-e-er-cy!
LADIES (to Vera). Congratulations, my dear . . . Live a hundred years . . . (Kisses.)
SONNENSTEIN. Madame Sabinin, you are, so to speak, how can I put this in plain Russian . . .
DIOCESAN CHOIR. Many, ma-a-any years!! Many years . . .
SABININ. Pardon, Vera! (Takes Kotelnikov by the arm and quickly leads him aside; trembling and panting.) Let’s go to the cemetery right now!
KOTELNIKOV. Have you gone crazy! It’s night now! What do you want to do there?
SABININ. For heaven’s sake, let’s go! Please . . .
KOTELNIKOV. You have to drive home with your bride! Lunatic!
SABININ. I was wishing they’d all go to hell, damn it all a thousand times over! I . . . I’m going! Have to order a requiem mass . . . Anyway, I’m losing my mind . . . I was almost dead . . . Ah, Kotelnikov, Kotelnikov!
KOTELNIKOV. Let’s go, let’s go . . . (Leads him back to the bride.)
A minute later a piercing whistle is heard from the street. Little by little the people leave the church. Only the DEACON and KUZMA remain.
KUZMA (puts out the hanging lamps). A heap of folks, that was . . .
DEACON. M-yes . . . A rich wedding. (Puts on a fur coat.) Those people live it up.
KUZMA. No point to it. All for nothing.
DEACON. How so?
KUZMA. This here wedding . . . Every day we marry ‘em, christen ‘em, and bury ‘em, and there ain’t no point to any of it.
DEACON. And what would you do if you had your way?
KUZMA. Nothing . . . Just the same . . . Ain’t no point to it. And they sing, and burn incense, and preach, but God ain’t listening. Forty years I been working here, and not once did it happen that God listened . . . Whether God’s there at all I don’t know . . . All for nothing . . .
DEACON. M-yes . . . (Puts on his galoshes.) Start philosophizing and you’ll get your brains in a spin.8 (Walks in squeaky galoshes.) Good-bye. (Exits.)
KUZMA (alone). Today lunchtime we buried a gentleman, just now we had a wedding, tomorrow morning there’ll be a christening. And there’s no end to it. Who needs it? Nobody . . . So, all for nothing.
A groan is heard.
From the altar enter FR. IVAN and shaggy FR. ALEKSEY9 in dark glasses.
FR. IVAN. And he pocketed a decent dowry too, I suppose . . .
FR. ALEKSEY. No doubt about it.
FR. IVAN. This life of ours, just look at it! Once I made a match, got married, and got a dowry, but that’s all forgotten in the whirligig of time. (Shouts.)
Kuzma, why have you doused all the lights? I’ll be falling down in the dark.
KUZMA. I thought you’d already left.
FR. IVAN. How about it, Father Aleksey? Shall we go to my place and have some tea?
FR. ALEKSEY. No, thank you kindly, Father Archpriest. I’ve got no time. I’ve got another report to write.